Oh Canada!

I have just come back from a lovely holiday in Canada. I went to Quebec for 2 weeks and had an absolutely amazing time. Montreal and Quebec City were really interesting cities to look round, and I loved staying in the national parks. We visited Mont Tremblant and the Jacques Cartier parks and did some lovely walks, canoeing, via ferrata.....I wish I was still on holiday!

La Dauphine sock yarn collection!

They also really know how to do yarn shops over there too. In Quebec City I visited the La Dauphine shop. They had the best selection of sock yarn I have ever seen in one place. A whole wall of it! I came away with a great selection.

Montreal had several yarn shops to choose from, but as I did not want to bore my other half too much we just got to visit the amazing Effiloche. The nice thing about looking for yarn shops is that it often takes you to parts of the city that you would not normally visit as a tourist. We walked there from the city centre and it took us through some really interesting bohemian places, unusual architecture and some great cafes. The staff were really friendly in the shop and they also had a great selection of yarn. It was nice to choose some that was locally made and I cannot get at home. I think beautiful yarn is one of the best keepsakes from a holiday. What is better than wearing some handknitted socks or jumper that reminds you of a great holiday? I also brought some really pretty fabric to sew that I have not seen before either. It seemed like a great shop with lots of opportunity to learn new skills. I guess space is easier to come by in Canada as both shops I visited were much larger than the independant wool shops in Britain. I think our shops are starting to become more like theirs though with a better selection of yarn than previously and more of a community feel.

Jacques Cartier park

Whilst in Canada I knitted myself some pocketbook slippers. This was a really easy pattern - just right for taking on holiday. They are lovely and cozy, and look great with the buttons I brought in Montreal. They would make great presents. It was really nice to sit out by the campfire, roasting marshmallows and knitting, looking at the stars and watching out for cheeky raccoons!

The V Festival

I think I am still recovering from last weekend!

My sister & I attended the V Festival in Chelmsford. We have done for the past 4 years. It is our sisters get together! I have to confess, I do festivals the easy way. I stay with my Dad & Step-mum who provide soft bed, cups of tea, cooked breakfasts and an on demand taxi service. Luxury! Not that I don't like camping, I love it, but I prefer to get a good nights sleep and not have to worry that the tent will be invaded. And nice toilets and showers.

Amy MacDonald

Overall it was a good weekend. We saw some great acts (Goldfrapp, Paloma Faith, Kings of Leon) and the weather wasn't too bad. It only rained a bit on Sunday, but did pour down Sunday evening. We left the place looking like drowned rats - but i guess that is normal at a Festival. I think Festival Food really doesn't agree with me though - I'm still recovering. I guess the park will still be recovering as well.

Goldfrapp - I loved her outfit!

As I said above, I do festivals the luxury way. We even take camping chairs to sit in as they are far more comfortable than the floor. For some reason they were taking chairs off people on Sunday but we sneaked ours through. Not sure what that was about. Why not have chairs? Not everyone can stand or sit on the floor all day. Most people with chairs sit at the back out of the way. Anyway, I was sitting in my chair waiting for the next act to come on and I had a thought - why am I not knitting? Perfect opportunity - comfy chair, plenty of time, relaxing atmosphere, no rain. I looked around and no one was doing anything like knitting. Would it be really out of place? I have done at other events, such as the Bramham horse trials. I would feel rather uncomfortable at a festival though. It seemed a little too hostile for knitting. Anyone else with any experience of knitting at festivals?

On the way back North I picked up my mum's sewing machine ( a new home super streamliner) and overlocker (a mylock 134D) and all of her supplies. There is a lot of them! I tried the sewing machine on some of her scrap fabric and it seems to work fine. My lines were fairly straight too! Just need to read the instruction manual now to change stitch size as it seemed quite small despite being on the largest setting. Must be something I'm doing wrong.

I get to start planning my first machine sewed project now!!!! I have lots of ideas but I am struggling to find a really easy pattern that makes something I want with the supplies I already have. Any suggestions?

Knit Camp Week

Last week the knitting group had a 'Knit Camp Week' by proxy for all those who could not attend the official one in Stirling. Each day we were set challenges (to listen to a podcast, use something that you normally keep for special and to make something to remind yourself of the camp week) and to finish some of the WIP's that we have. It was great fun meeting the challenges, and very productive as I managed to get my WIP's reduced from 11 to 6!

As part of this crafty week I:

• Dyed 2 skeins, 1 sock blank & 1 piece of roving (my first attempt at hand-dying at home with the help of a friend after attending DT craft & designs workshop with the brilliant Debbie Tomkies at Baa Ram Ewe - pretty pleased with the results!)
• Finished knitting the Clapotis scarf that seems to have taken forever
• Finished knitting some slouchy socks (they also have been on the go forever - 2nd sock syndrome)
• Sewed together my Sackboy (very cute!) and a little Ducky egg (was meant to have been done by Easter but was forgotten about)
• Finished crocheting the embellishments and sewing together a Beehive Tea-cozy that is from a 1974 pattern that belonged to my Nan
• And finally knitted a flower corsage that can be worn as a bracelet or necklace as my 'remember knit camp' challenge.

Not bad for a weeks work!

Knit Camp Week finished products

Amy Butler's Blue Coriander
fabric I brought last night

On another note, last night I attended an Amy Butler event at Baa Ram Ewe which was really interesting and great fun. She gave a talk on how she set up her business, her inspiration and the behind the scenes at her studio. It was fascinating and she was really friendly and approachable. I managed to leave with a book of sewing patterns, 2 patterns to sew tops and some gorgeous fabric - I am developing a sewing stash without having a sewing machine yet! I cannot wait to get started. Thankfully my lovely sister sent me a Simplicity book called 'How to use a Sewing Machine' as a present. Isn't she wonderful!! I have spent the morning reading it and planning my first projects.

First Attempt - no blood drawn yet

So I decided to make a start on my first sewing project despite not having a sewing machine yet.

My knitted bag with a very long handle

I knitted a little bag a few years ago which i LOVE, except I forgot just how stretchy wool is! The first time I tried to use it and put my purse, phone, keys etc. etc.... in it, the knitted strap just stretched and it hit the floor. Not a success! So the bag has been gathering dust and moths at the bottom of my cupboard, waiting for me to put a lining in. (Knitted in Rowan R2 fuzzi felt and Sirdar Curly Wurly for those wanting to know.)

Last weekend when I went fabric shopping I got some nice fairly thick fabric for a lining. I will honestly confess that I just made up a pattern as I went along! I tried lying the bag on the fabric to cut the sides of the lining, and then I cut a long strip for the handle. How on earth do you cut something so long and keep it straight!

The lining so far......

So far I have managed to tack the lining seams, and sew the sides to the strap by hand.

It looks quite good so far, and it fits in the bag! Whoo-hoo! One hurdle over. The next bit I am much less sure of. I need to attach the lining to the bag and along the handle.

So the question is, do I wait for the sewing machine and use this when I have worked out to use it? Or do I sew it by hand. At the moment I am favouring the latter - it might be years before I figure out how to wind a bobbin, and I am not sure about sewing through such thick knitting. Will it fit under the foot thing or break a needle?

Answers gratefully received!!!

Wasted time

My first post! Ok, a little bit too much excitement.

Well, I've decided to start sewing and blogging at the same time. Why? So hopefully some good people out there might be able to give me a few handy hints and tips!

I've been planning on learning to sew for about 18 months now, but started this weekend. The thing is, I KNEW how to sew. I did it at school, my mum was a dressmaker and made some great stuff, but I have not done any for 20 years and feel like I am a complete beginner. I do lots of other crafts (knitting, crochet, spinning, dyeing (also started this weekend), card-making etc....), but not tried sewing yet. I must confess I am a bit scared of mum's sewing machine - it looks very complicated! And being a klutz means at some point I am highly likely to sew my hand to the fabric.

Mum in one of her creations

18 months ago I thought why not learn? My mum can teach me - she knows how to sew and would love for me to join her in her craft. So I chatted to mum on the phone and we planned to make a simple skirt. I got a pattern and some fabric and waited for a weekend when I could visit and start learning on her machine. Unfortunately, when the weekend arrived and I visited her, she was sick. Really sick. I took her to hospital and she was diagnosed with cancer. She died there 12 days later. An absolutely horrific time.

For the last year I  have not wanted to sew. It was just too difficult, and I missed mum too much. It felt like too much of a reminder. But recently I have started to feel a bit different. The missing mum part is still there, but I now feel that I should learn to sew. Mum had a lot of talent (but never thought so) and I feel I have wasted so much time not knowing and not learning from her. It's too late now to put the clock back and learn from my best teacher, but I am hoping that she continues to inspire me.

So I now have a new craft room (yes a whole room dedicated to my crafting stash!) - I know that is lucky! I plan to bring my mum's sewing supplies and machine back to my house later this month after I visit my family and to start learning how to sew. I have been out and brought some fabric to practice on. The fabrics out there are amazing! I love the Amy Butler range - however, it is not for practicing on! So I got some cheaper stuff from Ikea to start with. Ikea has quite a good range of prints and colours which surprised me - I have never looked in that department before.

And now I am ready to go!!!!