Wainwright bagging and a mug cozy

I have just had a lovely weekend in the beautiful Lake District. This is an area in the North-West of England that has lovely green mountains (due to the rain!) and picturesque lakes. There are 214 fells in the Lake District according to Alfred Wainwright. He is someone who wrote a series of guides to the fells (as well as other areas) that opened them up for everyone. His books are beautifully drawn and detailed. I love reading them as they are so inspiring. He probably would hate how busy the fells are now though as he was a solitary walker and apparently did not like over-social fell walkers! The Wainwright Society is a great place to find out more about him and the hills.

Peak 194 - Wether Hill

Peak 196 - Bonscale Pike

Peak 195 - Loadpot Hill

My DBF and I started 'Wainwright bagging' 10 years ago and have nearly finished. At the weekend we managed a lovely ridge walk near Ullswater and reached peaks 194, 195 and 196! Only 18 to go and I would so love to finish this year.

In other news, over 60 people have downloaded my piggy phone cozy on Ravelry so I am very happy with that. They have left lovely comments too. This afternoon I might try and upload the pattern here to for non-Ravellers.

Mother's Day Mug Cozy

I also designed a mug cozy for my Step-Mum this week. She requested one after seeing one in the window of a LYS whilst I was on holiday over New Year. I though it would be a nice thing to make for mother's day. I used some lovely autumnal coloured handspun yarn (approx DK) that I received in a swap as these are her favourite colours. I used small needles and it has come out quite thick, perfect for keeping coffee warm! I might try a smaller one in 4-ply for smaller cups as well before I publish the pattern.

New Pattern and New skirt!

Ok, my New Year resolution has not got off to a great start. Regular postings on my blog just have not happened. However, whilst it is a bit late (nearly 2 months late!) this is my first post of 2011. In my defence I have been very busy.....honest!

First Skirt!

I started a sewing course in January and I am so pleased I did. It has given me the confidence to sew at home. It is taught by the talented Sandra at the Bowery in Headingley, Leeds. First we made a little purse just to practice using the sewing machine, and then we moved onto a skirt. The best thing is, she teaches us how to alter patterns so they are tailor fitted. So now, not only do I have a skirt that I love the fabric of, it also fits really well. I am very pleased with the final result.

Second Skirt!!

I have even gone on to make another skirt at home. Even more scarily, I managed to add a belt and belt loops to this one! I also added a few crochet flowers to the front as a bit of artistic license. The sky is the limit!!!!! Ok, maybe not, I still need lessons to do much other than purses and skirts. We are moving onto a shift dress next. It has a lining......scary.




In the knitting world, I have decided to start publishing my patterns on Ravelry. I am starting with simple patterns, mostly for phone cozies at the moment. I hope to move onto more complicated ones soon though, such as my 'Mittens got Talent'. I am also in the process of designing a knitted cabled top that came to mind when in my LYS and the yarn just called me "Buy me......you know you want me.......I would make a lovely cabled top......." I have decided to publish my Pink Piggy Phone Cozy first. It is an easy crochet cozy that fits slim line phones. I designed it a couple of years ago at the request of my step-dad. He loves pigs (he grew up on a pig farm) and wanted something to protect his phone. His cozy has now been through the wash several times now (and probably needs to go through again) as he uses it all the time. I will add the pattern to this site too soon.

Pink Piggy Phone Cozy