Rabbit Rascals

 Let me introduce you to rabbit rascals. Cute or what?

My friend Maddy made the two gentlemen and the well dressed missus on the right. She made them and gave them to my girls last week when we visited. The girls were delighted and played with them in a shoe box (that is how we roll around here) However... Little M left her two rabbits in a precarious place and the dog ate her lady rabbit!

There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth, from us as well as the dog, so I made her another one.

They are small which meant they only took an evening using up ends. The pattern in on ravelry. They are called Rabbit Rascals by Wendy Phillips.

 

The A5 book shows the scale. A rather enjoyable knit from a rather traumatic situation. I have already knit a friend one too. 

Thanks for popping in and Thank you Maddy for such beautiful creatures. Jo xx

Winter Link Party

This looks deceptive folks - this is not going well. My pin wheel blocks have been popping out of the machine between dressmaking projects and stowed in a drawer. I lost count of how many I had made so I got them all out to take a stock....

...and to my horror, a gasp of gargantuan proportions came out of my mouth as I slowly realised that some looked like swastikas...

Not just a little bit, but a lot. I laid them all out on the floor and walked out of the room to sulk downstairs.

Andy returned home and asked me what the matter was because my face looked so disconcerted and I asked him to take a look in the spare room with out any back story to influence him.

He returned and said, 'You seem to be making a fascist duvet!' which made me smile in its cadence but not in light of the whole situation. Most are fine, so I will have to unpick a few and rearrange the patterns and colours to avoid the final outer colour highlight which gives the unsavoury silhouette.

Ho Hum! Here's hoping your winter projects are more successful, just popping over to see some now. 

Jo x

Failure alert!

YUK! I can't wear it. Clara the dress stand can't wear it. In fact it is so unbalanced it can't even wear itself!

That varigated yarn on a garment made in sections throws the hole thing out. Slope stripes, none matching stripes, curly border (steam blocked I might add) thick stripes, thin stripes - Eeeer, horrible.

I tried to add a felt brooch but have you ever the heard the phrase, 'You can't polish a turd!' I love that phrase it makes me roar with laughter. So comment all you like, I will be going, 'DA,da,DA,Da' whilst holding my hands over my ears and laughing to myself.

Tis' resting in my charity bag and I am glad that I no longer have to look at that wool in my yarn basket. Jo XXXX

EDIT: You are all so lovely kind soulful people - I had crochet class tonight and a member offered to buy it off me she liked it so much! It was her birthday so I gave it to her as a present and said if she wanted to move the buttons, just have 3, wash it, block it again etc she was free to give it a new home. She was thrilled and so was I. I can go to bed happy now. 10pm Ahhhh.

Sewing Jersey

I had high hopes for a little sewing project last week. I wanted to make this, so simple but very 'me' tunic.

I bought fabric especially for it. No leftovers, given stuff, house clearance bits from my friend - fabric I chose all on my very own plus a bit more than I wanted to pay.

Gorgeous teal background and ditsy print so that matching wouldn't be too tricky.

I have to do this bit of tracing but that is OK I am good at it now. I thought the tracing was worth it because the T-shirt is pretty darn useful too. The pattern is from Ottobre 5/2013

But gracious me... sewing with jersey??? I tried a stretch stitch which fluted my fabric. I tried twin needle sewing which was better for the hemming but no good for seams, I eventually broke the twin needle. I tried every ziz zag on my machine. I have been experimenting for a few days now but the dress did not materialize. Firstly, I lost concentration and cut out the top instead of the dress! I completely screwed the neckline binding of this top and couldn't get it off. So I cut it off and used the front and back pieces of the top to make these...

She loves them, they are a great fit (that's Ottobre patterns for you) and I had a bit more practising time. 

The problem is you see I ordered lots of jersey in all sorts of colours and thickness' it was in the sale section. It was all so promising when I got it. I really want to crack sewing with jersey because if you want to make your own/children's clothes, jersey is where it's at for modern makes. 

A bit disheartened but very determined I went online and bought one of these...

Woweeeeeeeeee! it is amazing (that is the rest of my car fund gone!)so fast and simple. Does exactly what I have been wanting for years. 

I have cut out and bagged up six sewing projects from some of my jersey so maybe I really can make our own clothes now.

Let's see...Jo x

I know I always tell you my four year old is tiny, well she is about the size of an overlocker!