Welcoming Autumn

Really have loved our summer.  Didn't try to keep up with anything just enjoying the relaxed days and wonderful company. So now we are two thirds of the way through September.  School has restarted, routines are being reset and the weather is all over the show change wise.  

Instead of boring you with a long endless list of what we did over the summer, it would feel like the dreaded back to school essay sadly, I will just pick up from here and tell you what we are up to from now. 

Yesterday hit me with a touch of the blues I think, Not sure why but it had me getting up this morning determined to make a little more of today.  I cooked and baked today.  Nothing spectacular, Red lentil and bacon soup and sourdough loaf of bread.  I had almost lost my cooking mojo recently.  You always know I am on my way back when I bake bread :o) 

The soup was from the hairy bikers fast food dieters book.  Was pretty tasty and filling for such a easy quick and fairly cheap meal.  Definitely on the must cook again list. Only way I changed the recipe was by added a cob of corn kernels that I cut off the corn and added to to soup right at end off cooking.

Love this bread tin, Bit different to the usually square or oval tins. The dough wasn't enough to fill out the whole tin so I kind of squidged it more to one side of the tin and it came out great.

We have a couple of new additions to the household. Bobby and Eevee.

Adorable and fun, and of course absolutely bonkers.  They are starting to calm down a bit though and Ruby is finally being allowed to stroke them for a while before they wander off. I think this made her day as she gets so excited to see the kitties.

Finally I finished a hat I knitted a couple of years ago.  I rediscovered it and it needs a wash as had been in the bottom of the cupboard and then got slept on by cats. I just needed to sew beads or buttons on the owl cables to finish them off an just got around to it. What do you think?

Before bead eyes

and after.  The colour is nearer to no beads picture and a maroon wine colour.

Found the pattern here on Ravelry while I was looking for a quick easy but different hat at the time.  Hats don't tend to suit me but it was so cold the other year I thought my ears were going to snap off from being so cold.  Hopefully now it is finished I will be able to wear it again soon.  I overheat easily so I am not banking on it.  But it is so pretty I am really hoping I get to wear it again soon.

That's it for now, Hope you are all enjoying the start of Autumn.  

Take care 

Jules xxx

Photo to canvas part 2

Unfortunately I had a failure with this, I will give it another go next week as I think I wasn't far off.  Maybe I needed a thicker layer of the gel medium  A bit of research is needed. 

Looked like this after drying for a day

Then I tried to peel off the paper using some water and rubbing the paper off.   Unfortunately what happened was it took off whole areas and the ink ran slightly so I googled and saw someone else do this using a lot more gel medium so I will try that next.

Poor Ty has lost his eyebrows here. 

Not everything goes right first time.  I still have a big tub of gel medium and 3 canvases though. 

On the plus side I have almost finished my Heelo Kitty project for my granddaughter. Just the hem to sew and it's done. Will share that when it's done. 

This evening will be watching Supernatural on DVD and knitting. It's so warm it's wearing me out so a quiet evening is needed before tomorrows adventures. 

For now take care and stay crafty

Jules 

Long weekend

Hello, I have had a busy and good weekend.  The great thunder and lightening mini episode yesterday broke my feeling strange spell and I was able to get on with more today.  We have been to Hobby craft and stocked up on a few things today. A glue gun was purchased ready for me to get on with a few new projects :o)

Saturday I went to hang out some washing and happened to look up towards the starling noise from the nest in next door neighbours guttering and happened to see this beautiful starling up on a telephone line.  I slowly backed in to grab my camera.  Was convinced it would be gone when I got back but no it stayed put and got some really good photos. Love the blue green shimmer of this beauty.

Not feeling 100% after a few jobs I settled down to a spot of colouring.  Amazing how it calms you and becomes impossible to put down until your picture is finished.  Makes me remember being as engrossed as a child.

Yesterday I decided to try out a tutorial to make bias binding.  It really irks me that it's almost impossible to get bias binding to match your project unless you make your own.  Back then it was a case of cutting endless strips on a 45 degree angle and sewing all those ends together until you get the desired length. But a couple of weeks ago Babs Rudlin on youtube share this tutorial making over 5 metres of bias binding from 1 fat quarter of fabric.  So I started with this......

........ And ended up with this. All done with 2 seams to sew and 2 cuts into the fabric.  Genius idea whoever thought of this.  My only moan is it involves lots of ironing, and I hate ironing.  But, it was well worth it for all the binding that it achieved.

Which I wanted for binding the edge of......

......this apron. Made from a recycled pair of jeans, this in one leg and one back pocket. I am pretty impressed with how easy it went.  And I think the man himself is pleased with it by the proud posing he is doing. This fabric is just his style and given the choice he would have a shirt made in it I bet.

And finally I got back to my knitting. It refuses to have it's colour photograph well, next time I will take it outside to show you.  It's the back of a jumper for my son. It's a jumper from the book Charmed knits, Projects for fans of Harry Potter by Alison Hansel. A book I have had many years ans have already knitted a red one that has been outgrown and have promised him a new blue one so here is the start of the back of it.

I know the cables look a bit uneven but it is more angles than the cables themselves I think. I will crack on and try to get the back finished soon I have been so slow working on this.  It got put down about 2 months ago ad just remembered it last week.

Bit of a variety of things been going on here.  We are in the last week of the Easter break and hoping to get out and about more this week. Not sure how much crafting I am going to get done, but I am going to have a good go at getting some in somewhere :o) 

Take care and stay crafty

Jules x