Mousy Brown's House-Creating, crafting and collecting. Enjoying Life.

A wash mitt pattern - using knitting and crochet.

At the weekend I decided to knit another wash mitt using Dawn's simple pattern.  The computer was switched off and I thought I would save energy by just knitting it from memory.....a brilliant idea in theory BUT my memory wasn't quite as good as I thought!  I muddled on though and ended up with a finished mitt I rather liked, my own serendipitous variation on the original design.  The rows travel up and down rather than side to side (mainly because I cast on too many stitches and couldn't be bothered to start again!) and I managed to create a new bobble edging using a technique I remembered from the valentine heart garland I made earlier in the year.

It knitted up really quickly and I am pleased I can send a homemade item with the gift.  Just in case you are more organised than me and you would like a pattern to use, here are the details of what I did...

I used size 10 (6mm) needles and a ball of Debbie Bliss cotton aran yarn left over from my yellow scarf.

Cast on 30 stitches, I used a knitted cast on as that is the one I prefer but I guess it doesn't matter too much.  Knit every row for approximately 60 rows or until it seems the right width for your hand when folded in half. Using your free needle pick up 30 stitches along the cast on edge with both needles in the same direction.  Taking a third smaller needle, cast off using the three needle method. You now have a tube with two open ends.  Choose which end looks neater and sew the other end up with your yarn ( I left a long tail when I finished casting off and then just used that to sew along the end.)

 
I then used a 3.5mm crochet hook to do 1dc 1tr 1 dc (US 1sc 1dc 1sc) into each gap formed by the last stitch in each row, or evenly around into which ever gap suits you best.  Do one slip stitch to join when you return to the start, cut off your yarn and sew in your loose ends.  To make a loop I used the same yarn doubled together and joining through a gap in the side seam I did 15 chain stitches and one slip stitch to join.  Again, sew in all your ends and the mitt is complete. 
 

I have to say that it was a lot easier to make than it sounds from those instructions, so please don't be put off and if anything needs explaining just email me, Good Luck!

 

A Wet Weekend Walk in Wem.

To view the pictures enlarged  click on the mosaic to view at Flickr.

 

Snail Mail Swap.

Wow everyone! Thank you for the amazing response to my Snail Mail idea yesterday.  I already have nine months signed up for with a fantastic selection of swap ideas, some a bit scary and challenging, others light relief but most importantly all lots of fun.  Its going to be a year long adventure that I hope you'll all enjoy sharing along with me.  I have emailed each of the Swap partners to confirm their Month and to sort out details of the theme and will set up a Flickr group so that everyone can enjoy seeing what I make, send and receive as the months go by. I still have three slots open next year, so if you are wondering about signing up leave a comment quick -remember once they are gone, they are gone!  Don't worry if you don't have much time or you don't want to spend a whole load of cash.  The nice bit is receiving something in the post, as I said yesterday it could be as simple as a long hand written letter or some prints of your favourite flower pictures! So far, the list looks like this:

JUNE - possibly filled

JULY - possibly filled

AUGUST - Victoria at Recycled + revamped

SEPTEMBER - Dawn at Rattling On

OCTOBER - Jennifer at The Prairie Girl

NOVEMBER - Emma at Garden Peas and Fleas

DECEMBER - Valarie at A Place Like This...

JANUARY - Jacqueline at So Cute it Hurts

FEBRUARY - Jude at Cariad in Crete

MARCH - FREE!

APRIL - FREE!

MAY - FREE!

Welcome to you all, old friends and new - I can't wait to get to know you better and to create the hand made goodies to go into your parcels.  What a wonderful place this bloggy world is....

* Edited to say - All Months full, thank you for your wonderful response!*

Would anyone like to swap with me?

Yesterday started cold and wet and dark and far too early and carried on in a fairly miserable way for the rest of the morning.  I could feel my spirits drooping and with a busy afternoon ahead of me I wanted nothing more than to go back to bed with a hot water bottle and the dog on my feet!  Then at about one o'clock the postman arrived and my day was completely turned around.  You see I have to confess to having a bit of an obsession with 'snail mail' and yesterdays haul was guaranteed to boost my spirits.

 

First of all, there was a box containing the Radiant complexion creme from Virtue Natural that I won on a giveaway at Springtree Road.  Thank you to Maya and Sosae for this lovely prize which seems to have immediately soothed my still itchy and very reactive skin, I am definitely going to be looking at the rest of the products in the range!

 

While on the subject of sensitive skin, my second parcel contained two JR Liggetts shampoo bars ordered from America after reading a very interesting post over at SpiderWomanKnits.  The acute symptoms of the Stevens Johnson's syndrome have gone but it has left me sensitised to just about anything (the organic shampoo I have used for 10 years now makes my head bleed) so this looks like just what I may need at the moment....I will let you know how it goes.

My last envelope contained Amy Butlers Barcelona skirt pattern purchased in preparation for the Chickpea Studio, Sew 12 challenge.  When I saw the idea of sewing for 1 hour, for 12 days, in 12 months it looked just what I needed to jump start the clothes making plans I have had for some time and the Barcelona skirt will be my first project.

 

By the time I had opened all of that and admired it, smelled it and read all the instructions, I no longer felt down in the dumps and tired, I felt pampered , excited and Inspired.  So it occurred to me what I need, is to know, that at least once a month, something special will be arriving in my bright red post box to cheer me up and make my day.  I would love to join in with some of the amazing swaps that others of you have done ( buttons, seeds, hearts....) but I never seem to be in the right place at the right time and I only ever see posts about the end of the swap NOT about how to sign up! So I have decided to try my own special swap....and I am hoping that there are others of you out there who also like to receive a parcel or letter in the post.

What I would like is for twelve different people to sign up to do a swap with me for one month each over the next year.  I would like you to leave a comment with your idea for what our swap should be and which month you would like to claim. So for example - a long hand written letter in September or a parcel of Vintage bits in March.  Nothing should be too expensive and as you all know I love anything handmade (I am open to the idea of papercut or brooch swaps too!)  I will look at all your ideas and email the twelve swappers as soon as I can to confirm details.  I would love to get started with a June swap and will fill all the months on a first come first served basis as soon as I receive your ideas.  I can't wait to hear what you come up with and to make some new worldwide friends, would you like to swap with me?

*Edited to say - all Months full, thank you so much for your wonderful response!*

We're all going on a door hunt....

Hope you all recognise the quote from our favourite family story We're Going on a Bear Hunt? Our trip to the reclamation yard at the weekend really did feel like an adventure described in a book.

On a hunt for some magical replacements for the horrible soul wizening wardrobe doors of 'Ourroom' we went along the shiny red brick path....

to the wonderful world of Wonderland. 

We past piles of tiles....

and lots and lots of pots...... 

We fought our way down the corridor of doors....

Past the Lovely latch....

to the land of unusual doors and shutters. 

Unfortunately, the scary Rust Lady found us looking and before we could find what we were searching for, we had to run home..... 


Without even a patchwork trough to show for all our hard work!

The search continues....   

Looking up.

A couple of weeks ago I was looking at the beauty you could find at your feet.  Today I want to go to the other extreme and show you some of the wonderful things I have spotted looking up.

"What we see depends mainly on what we look for."  John Lubbock

 

How about looking at what is up there above you?