Knit knit knit knit knit

Following on from my previous post, the knitting bug has come back in full force and as such I attended the iKnit Weekender at the Royal Horticultural Halls in London last weekend, really by chance but I am immensely pleased that I did go. So. Much. Yarn. And so many other lovely things and lovely people! It gave me huge amounts of inspiration and I set about completing my first ever knitted soft toy.

Behold... Harris.


Ok, he's a bit wonky, and he does have visible ear seams. But I like him. Super quick and easy to make up, and really the mistakes I made were down to losing attention and although I repaired a potentially huge mistake, the little errors didn't seem so important. I think his wonkiness adds charm.

The best part about the Weekender? Only one of my favourite pastimes, the shopping! So. Much. Yarn...! Beautiful beutiful things but I had a budget, which I blew anyhow, but I did try and remain fairly sensible... a pattern book, yarn for specific projects, wooltops, buttons and a new needle set were my vices. The photo below is of my goodies, and a few other recent acquisitions.


Now I feel like I have enough to get started on Christmas presents...!

Sweet is the Night

Ah, sweet is the night. One of my favourite songs by one of my (numerous) favourite bands, ELO. My dad was quite well acquainted with Bev Bevan, drummer of ELO when I was a teenager, and I never really made much use of that contact while it was strong. Now I regret it, having dug out my favourite of their albums, Out of The Blue, after a good 4 years of it being hid in the depths of my CD collection. It's funny how one day you just get an urge for a band you loved so fervently in years gone by. Yesterday was one of those days, specifically for ELO, which inherently stirs up memories of my Dad and my late teenage years.

Anyhow, that was really an intro into a crafts post. Yesterday I bought a cushion pad for a princely sum of £1.49. Today I covered it in plush leopard print material. Hey, I now have a cushion. Check it out...I'm quite pleased with it, especially as proof of a day's work! It's all hand sewn, as I don't own a sewing machine. And the cushion pad is really cushy, and the material is really plush. It is so soft and lovely. Also, it looks awesome.

A very limited amount of crafty acts have taken place over the past few months, however a recent trip to London got me hugely inspired after seeing all the homemade wares in markets and shops, so I feel as though I may be back on track. Now, time to start on the Christmas presents!