Oranges and Apples 500th post giveaway!

Well, it's nearly the end of the week and I didn't manage to post every day :-( I'm pretty pleased though, I've only missed 2 days which is much better than my normal blog posting of once a week!

I'm pretty excited, I'm taking part in my first ever blog giveaway! It's being run by Franca over at Oranges and Apples, she blogs about fashion and crafting and takes lovely photos. She's nearing her 500th blog post so she's having a giveaway to celebrate. I've donated this vintage hand printed silk floral scarf so I'm excited to see who wins it!



I really enjoyed the giveaway I did when I got 50 Etsy hearts, so I'm excited to do another one when the time comes. I wasn't that happy with the purse I made for the winner, Mary Jane of Invited to Attend, I rushed it and the photos I took were rubbish. It definitely needed something extra but I ran out of time and just had to send it off as it was, which isn't the best as a prize for a giveaway! Luckily I know MJ in real life so she didn't mind and seemed pleased with it (even if it was to my face!) but for my next giveaway I'll definitely have to make more effort.

Andrew's Christmas present

So, I know it's 4 months late, but here's Andrew's Christmas present! The idea came about because I have a trunk full of clothes that I plan on altering or cutting up and a lot of them were wool jumpers. I also discovered an amazing charity shop in Musselburgh that sells clothes 3 for £2.50 and so Little Ugly Blanket's Bigger Brother was born (must show you guys photos of Little Ugly Blanket as well, my first ever attempt at crocheting a blanket!).

The backing is fake fur and it is so snuggly and warm! It's a really heavy blanket as well, which Andrew loves because he likes to sleep under a weight of blankets, even in summer (weirdo).







It's not the prettiest blanket I've ever made, but it is practical and cosy and so I love it!

WIP

Some works in progress that are keeping me busy and off the streets.

1. Work in Progress 1: Cable Knit Scarf II.

This is a sequel to Cable Knit Scarf, which sadly was left in a pub on Christmas Eve. Well, they say left, I say someone stole it but the good people at the Fighting Cocks wouldn't take me seriously. Possibly because I was a teeeeeensy bit drunky-drunk. I was bereft for a good few weeks, it feels like leaving a baby behind. Almost.

Anyway, I saw this wool in Exeter over Easter and had to have it. It's so chunky and soft and I love the colour, it'll go with almost everything in my wardrobe. I bought 5 balls because my last scarf was super long and I loved that, but I'm not even finished my first ball and I can already wrap it completely round my neck. I'm planning a matching hat and gloves set to use the rest.





2. Work in Progress 2: BOB (button on blanket) cardigan.

I got the pattern off Ravelry (my name is SecondFiddle by the way in case anyone wants to friend me!), you can check out the pattern for yourself over here. This is my first attempt at making a proper item of clothing, I've so far done the body and 1 and a half sleeves. It's coming together really quickly, given that I'm only knitting for an hour or so in the evenings. I just bought some chunky handmade wooden toggles for it off The Hickory Tree on Etsy, so I'm impatient to finish now!

I'm addicted to cushions...

Hi, I'm Amy and I'm an addict.

I'm officially addicted to cushions.

I can't help myself, they're so easy to make and so pretty. This one I've had in my stash for years, I made the squares years ago and stitched them together with a vague idea that it might be the start of a blanket. Then I recently made Andrew a blanket for Christmas out of felted wool jumpers (photos to follow!) and some of the felt suited the red in the cushion perfectly so it seemed like the perfect time to make the crochet squares into a cushion cover.



Isn't he cute?!

Frances' wedding: The Finale

Well, after all that anticipation, preparation and excitement, 10th of April 2010 came and went and it was all over in a flash.

Frances' wedding was lovely, the weather was glorious and it was great to catch up with old friends. Several people complimented me on my dress, which was nice, though I stupidly didn't get a photo of myself wearing it with the wrap and shoes. Here's one of the dress in action, it's the best I could find by stealing off people on facebook (oops...) Ah well, I guess I'll have to get all dressed up again to show you the complete outfit, what a pity...

I'm the one on the far right, in the blue dress. I chose the blue because it was one of Frances' wedding colours and I'm pretty pleased with it, it almost perfectly matches the blue in the roses the Maid of Honour, Vicky, is wearing (on the right of the bride).



As for the wedding present, the long awaited crochet blanket was finally finished the week beforehand. I'm really pleased with it, it's perfect size for snuggling with on the couch or it just covers a double bed. It was a great stash buster, though I had to buy some extra balls to finish it off. Finished just in time to start another one for the next wedding in Easter 2011!

Back to school

Well, it's been a while but I'm back! Easter holidays were lovely, I was down south for Frances' wedding for a week which was amazing, it's so nice to be involved in someone's wedding. Then I was up to the opposite end of the country, Inverness, for 2 weeks on placement with an equine vet. I loved every minute of that, I can't wait to go back next summer, it's just exactly what I want to do when I graduate!

In the last month though I've collected 3 new items for my Etsy shop. The first is this pair of fingerless gloves I knitted while I was away, I'm really pleased with how they've turned out, though I need to redo one of the photos which came out slightly blurry.



I found this glasses case while I was in Inverness and I love the colours and material. If they don't sell then I'll definitely be keeping them for myself, the only reason I haven't kept them is because I like a hard case for my glasses. They almost match my wallet though so the temptation may be too much!





I've had this vintage school jumper for a while, I love the style of it but never seem to wear it. I'm being somewhat fascist with my wardrobe at the moment, I've got rid of loads of stuff to charity and ebay recently and it's an ongoing process, I'm really bad for hoarding things because I like them, rather than because I wear them or they fit me or suit me. I'm also really bad for buying things because they're cheap in charity shops or given to me by friends, meaning I have a whole wardrobe full of clothes that don't flatter me at all. So, they're all gradually being cleared out and replaced. This jumper is super sweet though so hopefully someone will give it a good home!



This is officially the start of my new resolution to try and post in my blog every day. I'm terrible for leaving large gaps in between posting so I'm going to try and attempt to post every day this week. I feel like that's a manageable goal so watch this space!

Bags, bags and more bags

I know totes are super easy to make, but they're also good in that you can make them in lots of different colours, materials and embellishments. They're also quick and easy to make, so they're value-for-money if I'm selling them and they make nice presents for friends.

Since I'm away from home for the next 3 weeks, I can't update with any craft projects, except those I brought with me. So I thought I'd take the opportunity to update the blog with craft projects from days gone by, and Etsy items that never made it to the blog.

First up are two tote bags, both originally made for Etsy but only one made it there in the end. The second was given to a friend as an emergency Christmas present when I realised I'd forgotten to get her anything because I am officially a Terrible Person.

This style is available over in my Etsy shop and I actually ended up making two because I liked the combination of the purple velvet and the paisley cotton.



This was the emergency Christmas present, I might make another one though, I like the style and I think it'll do well on Etsy.