Cottage Makes

Sorry this is a day late. I was away from the cottage yesterday. Today though, my first ever brand new armchairs arrived! I've always had relatives' casts offs until this moment. The comfort of these Ikea torsebro chairs is wonderful for my broken rib, and bad back generally.
Another new arrival is the dvd of the "Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" film. I can at least stroke the picture of THE coat now. Giggle.

I think I am getting ready to hole up for Autumn. 

I've made a few bits this week:
 My friend Ulla made me a double pin holder for knitting. I thought it was such a fantastic idea that I've made more of them!  I chose pink leather and wrote the size on in sharpie pen. One step closer to looking organised!
Of course one make leads to another.
Next was a "built to last" knitting needle bag. Inside out you can see a leather bottom.
It has leather sides too. Bead and ribbon decoration for the zip. 
Cerise pink trim and handles, teal outer. But there was more to come!
I used the same fabrics with a lime green inner (pockets shown).
The outer pocket holds some stitch holders. 
The inside pocket separates the little measuring gauges from the circular needles. I never thought I would find a use for that orange zip which came in a job lot from ebay years ago!
I made another pouch just for the double pin needles. I had run out of the dots so used a plain teal.
It's lined in the same lime green.
The outer pocket can hold more stitch holders.
It's 2.5" deep to hold the double pin needles comfortably. The circular needle pouch is flat.
Both fit comfortably in the original knitting needle bag with leather base and ends. So now all my knitting equipment is organised! Its a lovely feeling to have both the crochet and knitting equipment looking good and being usefully organised. In bright colours I am unlikely to mislay them too!
 Something a bit more tasteful now- 4 more Kaffe Fassett fabric lavender bags in "paperweight" which co-ordinates with the last set of 4. I am hoping to eventually have one per coat hanger in the wardrobe. The smell of lavender is gorgeous!
One make at a time I will create a cosy cottage!
I had a go at making some sunglasses cases for charity. After a bit of experimentation, I think I have a design sorted.
A little birthday make of a pair of cup mats with a greyhound theme. 4 birthday's left in the year to make for, but I also need to think about Christmas present makes. Anyone started on those yet?




Comments

Terri said…
Love your chairs. Who is that in the picture?
What a great bag for knitting needle storage. Love the colors.
Making for Christmas? Not yet.
Hugs,
Terri
23 August 2018 at 17:41
Tracy said…
The new chairs are GORGEOUS, Melanie! They look perfect in your cottage! And with your Aran cushions in them...the tempt, saying, "come, sit a spell..." :) Sooo glad you got to chose what you wanted to sit on... and what a nice addition to the home as we change seasons soon! Is that Lyla adding sweetness to the new room arrangement? ;) VERY clever idea the DPNS holders...and not least your clever bag to keep all your knitting gear together and tidy--wonderful bag!! Love those happy fabrics. And speaking of fabric--love the Kaffe Fassett "Paperweight" range. They make lovely lavender bags. Just all around super makes, as always here! I actually am making a gentle beginning on Christmas... a teeny, tiny beginning. It's the earliest I've ever done/made anything for Christmas. My brain just usually can't do Christmas in summer... LOL! HAPPY DAYS... ((HUGS))
24 August 2018 at 10:44
Ulla said…
Beautiful pair of chairs with the perfect cushions! Your knitting storage system shows that you have given much thought to what is needed. Clever idea to mark the needle size on the holders, as it is difficult to tell the size by just looking at the needles.
I'm still in the Summer mood and can't start thinking of Christmas for months! That is why I'm always so late with my projects.
25 August 2018 at 09:14
Jeanie said…
I haven't see those chairs at my IKEA. I might have to bite if I do. I like them a lot and they look great in your cottage. Comfy? They look like it!

Love all the cute bags and such. Loads of pretty colors -- love them all! That's a wonderful system you have for storing your knitting accessories!
27 August 2018 at 14:31
Anne-Lise at Rag, Tag, Bobtail said…
The chairs look so comfortable!
Love the knitting bags, I really need to get my knitting needles sorted and the bag for circular needles is a great idea!
7 September 2018 at 08:12
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Horace the Gargoyle and Cottage Makes

Image
 Horace the Gargoyle has an important job.  The hold the bag containing various bird foods. A Great Tit came in onto the bedroom window sill one morning so I used the bird fabric at the top, and Mary Engelbreit  garden fabric for the rest of the outside. I added a pocket to the inside just in case I want to use it when gardening in Spring. The pocket should be enough for seed packets. There has also been this make from a vintage piece of Diary of an Edwardian Lady "Wild Flowers." It covers the little practice amp, and goes with the curtains in the living room which also come from the Diary of an Edwardian Lady range. Da dar! Finished with a plain cream lining and a green dotty binding. The main amp will get the same treatment when the odd metre of the same fabric I tracked down, arrives. I am liking this going away from plastic bags in the cottage and trying to make it cosy and pretty for these colder months which we spend more indoors.
Read more

Forest and Makings

Image
A baby quilt for my goddaughter's daughter born this month. After making the Splendid Sampler Quilt for a year in pink and greys, this was the last colour combination in the world I wanted to do, but those are the colours her mother said her room will be in. It has blue tit birds and cow parsley and bees on, so it suits August. A cover for her medical book with cone flowers on. They are in flower in the garden, so again suitable for August. These are the first wheel turned pots I have made! There was an entire day allowed in the pottery room and boy did I need it to learn the technique. Really proud of them. Everything survived the biscuit firing. They need painting in glazes next. Let me show you the Forest nearest the cottage. Crystal cobwebs with diamond dew drops. A spider's hole. Dead Men's Fingers funghi. Cow parsley. So many mushrooms appear overnight after the rain. This is a special very old beech tree I call the Shroomy Tree as so ma...
Read more

Take it easy crafting

Image
Happy Valentine’s Day! I made my husband a hat and finished sewing it up just now. Everything has been a go slow this week with illness. I have managed to work on using up my odd balls of acrylic DK yarn. This hat took a little less than 100g of dk acrylic. Using 3 1/4mm needles I cast on 116 stitches. Stocking stitch for 8cm. (Rolled up brim.) Change to 4mm needles and stocking stitch until work measures 27cm. Cast off 16 stitches, knit 26, cast off 32, knit 26, and cast off the final 16 stitches. I now had 2 groups of 26 stitches. Dealing with one at a time exactly the same as one another: purl a row. Stocking stitch 45 rows, decreasing one stitch at either end of the row in 5th and every following 8th rows. You will end up with 14 stitches. Work 8 rows decreasing at each end of every knit row. You now have 6 stitches. Work 3 rows and cast off. Fold the ears in half and sew the seam. sew across the top of the head. The final seam is the back of the head. Don...
Read more