Another Noodle...

Noodle for Megan, originally uploaded by Bright Side.

This is my second Noodle, this one for a friend's toddler. I am completely obsessed with crochet, it's wonderful. Why did it take me so long to learn?! I've made a little free time for myself this weekend to do a bit of spinning, so the results of that will be available soon.

Baby Bruno Rattle- WIP

Baby Bruno Rattle- WIP, originally uploaded by Bright Side.

I've been bitten by the crochet bug! Here's a little something I'm working on for a new baby- a lion rattle. The pattern is "Baby Bruno Rattle" by Irene Strange (who has wonderful patterns) and the yarn is DB Baby Cashmerino. I don't think my colour changes on the handle are great, but the crochet on the face part is nice and neat.

Robyn and her nursery bag

Robyn and her nursery bag, originally uploaded by Bright Side.

The knitting and spinning have taken a back seat to the crochet and sewing recently. Here's my latest project- just a quick drawstring bag whipped up while Robyn was napping this morning for her bits and pieces for nursery. It's made from two FQs and a few scraps for the monogram and I've used green and purple ribbon for the drawstrings. It has a gusset at the bottom so there's loads of room for her Lotte bear, spare clothes/bibs, sunhat etc. I bought the lovely fabric at QuiltEssential in Derbyshire.

Whirly Wheels Quilt- finished!

Whirly Wheels Quilt- finished!, originally uploaded by Bright Side.

I finished my first quilt! It's made using a Moda jelly roll in Arcadia plus some plain brown cotton from my local fabric shop. The pattern is the whirly wheels quilt from the Moda Bakeshop, which was really easy to follow. I can't quite believe that I managed to make something this pretty with my tiny little sewing machine and my dodgy sewing skills!

Whirly Wheels quilt in progress

Whirly Wheel quilt in progress, originally uploaded by Bright Side.

I decided to learn how to sew, including clothes and quilting. Like I don't have enough hobbies, right?

So here's my first big project- a quilt. This is the completed top section, made from a Moda Bakeshop pattern. The fabric is a Moda jelly roll in "Arcadia", which I love. I've got brown backing fabric, and then I'm going to attempt to quilt it, using blue thread on the underside and brown on the top. I'm going to quilt in the ditch as I think that will be easiest on my first go.

Robyn's new jumper

Robyn's new jumper, originally uploaded by Bright Side.

I finally finished some knitting! The pattern is Baby Shell by Carey Huffman, yarn is RYC Cashcotton. I found the yarn a bit more fluffy than I would have liked- I should have realised that with some angora/cashmere content it was going to be fluffy! It's turned out really nicely though. I liked the pattern very much- it's simple but works really well, plus there are no buttons for my little monster to try and eat! I might try and handspun version next.

Robyn's first Easter

Robyn's first Easter, originally uploaded by Bright Side.

Here's Robyn wearing her Easter present from Nanna- a lovely stranded yoke cardigan in baby cashmerino. The lamb is my rather wonky attempt at sewing. It's made from a Bit of Whimsy pattern in needlecord and cotton flannel. Robyn doesn't seem to mind the dodgy sewing, and I've obviously done a fairly good job as she hasn't managed to pull any of the limbs off yet.

In spinning news, I had the drum carder out a couple of weeks ago and made up some batts. Some are green to make a pair of mitts for my sister, and I've also made a bit fluffy pile of angora, silk and a touch of shetland, which is eventually going to be the lining for my Fiddlehead mittens (which I will get around to knitting to wear next winter, I am determined). I tried a little bit on my spindle and it wanted to spin up fairly fine- no surprise really considering the short staple of the angora. However, I tried a bit on my wheel and with longdraw it came out just the right thickness. I'm not quite sure that angora is quite the right fibre for longdraw, but it seems to be working rather well so far. I'm trying to keep it medium twist (I'm normally at the upper end of what a fibre can take, twist-wise) so that it can fluff up a bit in the mittens.

I am still here...

5plumpie_04, originally uploaded by Bright Side.

and beginning to spin and knit again, now that I'm finally getting my evenings back. This is Five Plum Pie, which was May’s offering from the Hello Yarn fibre club. It's falkland fibre, spun into an aran weight 2 ply on my Schacht Ladybug. I ended up with 158m, 9WPI, which was just what I wanted. I love how bouncy and rounded it is, and I'm really pleased with the way that the colours work together too.

Robyn is now 6 months old and an absolute delight. She obviously takes up a lot of my time, and although I've missed my crafts I don't resent that. However, it is really nice now that she is asleep earlier in the evenings and I'm less tired. I find that just a little bit of crafting every day helps me to feel more human.