September

today is the last day of September

its been a busy month

with a birthday in the middle of it

I won third prize

at Wolsingham show

for my knitted mermaid shawl

bulbs were planted

to be enjoyed in the spring

there's been bubble baths

time to put the heating back on

amazing sunrises, sunsets and supermoons

a birthday portrait by Ethan

one for sorrow

the auricula that thought it was springtime again

autumn books, leaves and handknitted gloves

bright days and cold nights

#seventy five

number seventy five

is another

"finish off" item

that was in a drawer

a scarf made from a

purple mohair type wool

with white winter roses and fern

decoration

and a little snowflake charm

today I'm listening to 

Guy Garvey's Finest Hour

from BBC radio 6 

on Sunday afternoon

"why am I telling this?

because you need to know"

# seventy four

the issue of the refugees

fleeing from Syria

and other war-torn countries

is a complicated and contentious one

which seems to stir up many mixed and conflicting feelings

I not going to even try to write

about it,

there are too many sides to the whole situation

the Sunday Mirror and Knit for Peace

have set up a campaign

which I think is a way to help

even if only in a tiny way

and I didn't feel it was one I could ignore.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/sunday-mirror-knit-peace-team-6431674

So for number seventy four

I have crocheted these

small items

which I hope will keep some people

warm this winter.
I have so much leftover wool
in the house
its a great use for it.

my mam has knitted 

some items too

and we'll be posting them off asap

today's song is

the blanket of the night

by

elbow

www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiAD8u6nu2I

a beautiful song

#seventy three

yesterday I thought I would

try my hand at a new craft.

linocut printing

I had bought a kit which contained

 all of the equipment

needed to get started

it was quite difficult to get

the hang of at first;

holding the cutter

and which blades to use

but after a while

I was loving it

all I could think of

was edam cheese,

the softcut plates feel exactly like it

I really enjoyed it

and will definitely be doing some more soon.

I looked on Pinterest for 

inspiration,

some of the designs on there

are amazing

number seventy three

today's cd

is

Physical Graffiti

by 

Led Zeppelin

#seventy two

another of my birthday gifts

was a sewing project book and some fabric

from my friend Jane

using a small part of each fabric

plus some other 

I had in the house

together with some ribbon,

I made the pocket apron.

 I slightly modified it from the actual pattern

as I didn't have bias binding

and don't think I have the eyes or steady hand

to stitch that properly

its going to be so useful

when I'm doing all my bits and bobs

so, that is number seventy two

I find sewing makes a lot quicker

than knit or crochet

but there seems to be so much more mess

and I HATE all of the thread ends to sew in!

today I'll be listening to a cd

from a new band I recently heard on the radio

Summer Above

by

Speck Mountain

and also watching the Rugby World Cup

#seventy one

I had a birthday at the weekend

and was very lucky

to get lots of wonderful gifts

all things to suit my interests and hobbies

and some to use for my 100 makes

number seventy one

is a pair of wrist warmers

made from wool and a pattern

by 

Natural Knits

http://www.theknittinggiftshop.co.uk/natural-knits.html

this was a gift from my friend Alice

and took me about 3 days to knit

I love them and especially the wool

which is a mix of Shetland, Blue-faced Leicester and Alpaca

and has a wonderful, true, countryside smell!

I'm ready for the chilly autumn days

Today I'm listening to 

Bones + Longing

by 

Gemma Hayes

#seventy

number seventy

this is a model of a shepherd's hut

from

www.etsy.com/uk/shop/SeasideMiniatures?ref=l2-shopheader-name

it entailed a lot of glue and paint

and steady hands and eyes,

but it was worth the effort

as I love it

the little woodburner is my favourite part

today i'm listening

to the bob harris show on radio 2 again

excellent music this week

the stones, simon and garfunkel,

ramones......

and i'm reading the ikea catalogue

(if that counts as a read)

#sixty nine

Continuing on with my sewing machine makes,

number sixty nine

is a pyjama case

And also continuing to use up 

things in the house,

it is made from an old dress

with a cream cotton lining made from

an old dressing gown

The velvet ribbon, lace and button

were also in my stash.

It needed some embellishment

so I couldn't resist a little doily.

I've put my favourite pyjamas in

ready for tonight

#sixty eight

Its a couple of years

since I used my sewing machine

and I'm not a very accomplished stitcher.

I decided to set it up yesterday

and realised my eyesight isn't what it used to be.

Threading that needle!!!!

Anyway, number sixty eight

is a little practice piece.

I made a lavender bag

to keep my slipper bag smelling sweet.

The fabric was from an old tea towel

and the lavender was homegrown.

Now to try something a bit bigger.

Have been listening to the new

Wildflowers album

 On the Inside

#sixty seven

Number sixty seven

is another make to be put away for a Christmas gift.

I am feeling very organised

and ahead of the game!

It is a crocheted cover 

for a pillowcase

with a caramel velvet ribbon trim

The pattern is from a book called

Homespun Vintage

by

Jane Crowfoot

Today I've been listening to

a Radio 4 programme

about daffodils

#sixty six

Another make using up what is in the cupboard.

Number sixty six

is a string of crocheted bunting

A mix of motifs made from scraps of wool

Aren't these flowers beautiful?

A gift from a lovely friend Lydia

They are so cheerful on this wet gloomy afternoon