It’s a boy!

My cousin recently had a baby boy. She did not want to know what she was getting – a boy or a girl – until the birth, so I made plans for each. Fortunately for me, she had a boy; …

My first scarf

Would you believe that I have been knitting since I was a teenager and yet, until this year, I had never knitted an ordinary scarf? The closest I had come was knitting a lace shawl. While working at Calico & Ivy, …

Starting and finishing

Last week, I went a bit wild and started four projects in four days. We know we should not, but we all do it, right? On day 1, I started cutting out templates and pieces for a Christmas tree skirt I have …

More knitting and a few hours at the sewing machine

Not more knitting? Yes. Sorry! I am still working on my quilt-show entry, which I cannot yet share, so you have to put up with yet another knitting post. This knitted hat was made for my teenage god-daughter using Shannon Cook’s …

Manly socks

Please do not judge me when I say that I have been married for a very long time but that these socks are the first things I have knitted for my husband. From what I can gather, he had some …

Knitted cushion

Since I started working at Calico and Ivy, my fabric stash has not grown rapidly. Surprising, right? (Saying that, this week the shop received a new Liberty shipment, so this could be a very dangerous time for me.) However, influenced by the pretty …

Plumber’s hat

I started knitting a hat only a fortnight ago when a magazine in a newsagent inspired me with the idea of making a beanie (hat, toque) for my stepdaughter’s husband. I found the yarn, Debbie Bliss Donegal Luxury Tweed Aran, where I work at Calico …

A cat and a bicycle

I was in the UK most of September – visiting, touring, scattering my dad’s ashes and eating more cream teas than one girl should ever admit to – so no sewing was done, but I have been trying to make …

Knitted blanket

I finished it! It has taken me a year, but I finished the blanket I have been knitting as a wedding present before my stepdaughter’s wedding! Hurrah! A little more than a year ago, I ordered a mountain of wool …

The cupboard of shame

I am justifiably proud of how tidy my small sewing space usually is. I am normally a neat and organised person. That is just how I work. My house is tidy, albeit covered in cat fur and dog toys. I …