I'm back

Yet again I've had a huge break. I have been knitting. I've hurt my back again so I've had lots of time lying around reading and knitting under the haze of extremly strong pain killers.

Everybody I know is either pregnant or just had little ones. Due to this I've been knitting lots of baby things here are some of my booties which either have been given or are about to be given.

I have also decided to start selling my bits and peices again, as knitting and making a bit of extra money makes me happy. I have just opened a shop on folksy and have listed the tea cosy and egg cups below;

Come and visit me at http://www.folksy.com/shops/lupincottagedesigns

Bits and bobs

I have as promised picture from my walk last weekend this is my favorite place in Derby to go for a walk. Tiff has her new coat on which is apt as it has been in the new that the R.S.P.C.A. have said that putting clothes on your pets is cruel. She does look very cute but she does get very cold and shakes and shivers in cold weather and it does come off once she has had a good run and warmed up.

No walk this weekend as Mr LCD designs has decided the settee and television is much more attractive than a muddy and windy walk round the park and Tiff went football training this morning so was too busy sleeping to visit.

I've had another quiet week knitting wise I wasn't really feeling the inspiration at the beginning of the week. I was going to get one sleeve finished by today but I've not, it's almost there but not quite.

Despite this I have started two new projects this cushion cover in variegated chenille and two pale pink cotton cushion covers. I knitted them up on my machine last night and washed them this morning but I'm not sharing until they are completely finished as they are to be presents.

Well I'm off now to get a chenille cushion cover finished while I think about what to cook for tea and watch 'come dine with me' if you've not seen it it is my favorite program at the moment. The narrator is fab and the people fascinating. However gossip girl series 2 and the new Beverly hills 90210 start this week so I may have new favorites by Friday.

Sunday

Today has been a good day.

Mr LCD, my brother, his fiance, Tiff the dog and I went for a long walk round a local park today. It's not really a park as such as it is the grounds of Elvaston Castle with lake, ruins and lovely gardens which is all maintained by our local council. Having fresh air, playing, walking and running has done me good, I feel fully revitalised. We met the most gorgeous st Bernard puppy who was huge and Tiff found lots of mud and puddles. It was so busy at the park which we were quite surprised about, especially as it has been so cold all week and it started drizzling as we left the house today.

When we came home we warmed up with very chocolaty home made Mocha's and with a sub of the day from Subway. Feeling very full now.

I did have pictures but because there was so many good pictures of Tiff my brother has stolen my camera. I hope to get it back soon as I do have knitting pictures to share.

I still haven't finished the sleeve I started last week I'm beginning to think I should of used bigger needles or maybe not used such a fancy pattern. My aim is to get it finished by next Friday. Mr LCD is on afternoons all week next week so I've lots of time to get it done unless I decide to finish organising the kitchen or put all the washing away properly.

I'm going to leave you with a picture of Tiff asking for treats and looking much cleaner than she did at 2 o'clock this afternoon..

Happy New Year

I am such a bad blogger.

I have excuses like I have had an extremely bad cold for about 3 months which resulted in the flu, then a chest infection, x-rays and too much time off work. I'm over it now except for my cough which I can live with. This however is rubbish I could of still blogged but I just didn't have anything to say.

This year will be different and since I did so well (um) at my resolutions last year it is time to commit to new resolutions this year. I have read that the reason we fail so often at resolutions is because we set our selves big steps rather than little steps. So what I am going to do is make 5 promises of things I am not going to do in the next year.

1 I am not going to put myself down.

2 I am not going to carry on being stuck in a rut.

3 I am not going to give up on the idea of starting my own business.

4 I am not going to over eat this year.

5 I am not going to let the year run away from me.

I am going to keep these resolutions with me at all times but if I cannot follow them all the time it's not the end of world.

I have also been thinking about growing my own vegetables this year so I am going to read up on vegetable growing and have just ordered this book from amazon, The Allotment Handbook Caroline Foley it tells you when and what you should be doing. I'm not quite ready for an allotment yet but I've marked out two beds in my garden ready for what ever it is I'm going to grow.

I have also been knitting I'm going through a bobble stage at the moment. Which I find the easiest way to do this is by knitting and purling into the same stitch 6 times then pass all but the last stitch back off the needle.

I've knitted hats for me, friends and family but now I'm moving on to clothing. Below is going to be a big puffy sleeve for my new cardigan. I've knitted the body on my knitting machine but I'm hand knitting the sleeves and trims in a lacy, bobbly, cabled pattern I've designed myself. Fingers crossed I'll get it finished in time for next winter...

Giving

I've been knitting but birthday presents and I'm not sure exactly who reads this blog so I can't share pictures until next week.

I've also knitted a hat for my friends daughter with ear flaps and pom poms in beige and pale pink, as I'm incompetent I forgot to take pictures before it was gifted.

I've also been thinking yet again about Christmas with things being tight I've been trying to find reasonably priced things I know friends and family will love.

I will be making lots of bits and pieces gloves, hats, scarfs, tea cosies, throws and jumpers for the children. I'm also going to bake shortbread biscuits and sweet chili sauce will I'm going to start posting recipes weekly as well as knitting patterns.

I thought that today I would share some of my favorite websites for gift sourcing.

• firstly there is etsy at www.etsy.com a great source of hand made goods.
• a new favorite is www.folksy.com a British version of etsy with lots of creative sellers.
• I love www.notonthehighstreet.com which is a collection of individual shops all selling unusual items that you can't find on the high street
• www.amazon.co.uk is a must for diary's, cook books and fab craft books.
• www.play.com is one of the best sources I've found for reasonably priced DVDs.
• www.coxandcox.co.uk is a lovely store selling deluxe craft supplies and home wear. They've just launched their new autumn collection
• www.reddirect.co.uk sells lovely home wear,bags, jewellery and have just launched their new Christmas collection. I'm loving the mistletoe fairy lights. Mr LCD will not appreciate any new fairy lights as the house is already very shiny at Christmas.
• for me if anyone reading this is worrying about what I'd like for Christmas anything form this shop would be appreciated www.loop.gb.com

once a week is an improvement

This week I've been busy thinking of Christmas presents Amazon UK have 50% off cook books at the moment including pre-order for the new Nigella and Jamie books which 'll make great presents for a couple of people I know.I might keep the Nigella for me through.

I've also knitted a cushion cover.

Tip if you've not enough yarn left to do the turn over, tie your cushion shut with a couple of ribbons and then they are easy to remove when washing. Pretty and practical.

I've started knitting a set of wash cloths for my mum's new kitchen. Easy to knit in squares using any double sided pattern in any cotton yarn you have left over a great way to use up odd balls of yarn you have left over. I knit mine on a size 10 needle and cast on about 40 stitches then knit till it's square cast off all but the last 4 stitches then knit those until you have enough to make a loop.

Finally I've been making pincushions as a stocking filler which may turn it's self into a sewing kit for my brothers girlfriend.

I've blog guilt

My blog guilt is not blogging enough. Ideally in my head I would blog twice a week, which should be reasonable but the weeks disappear and it's been 3 weeks since my last post.

I have been busy getting my kitchen fitted and decorating my studio, so it is a studio not a dumping ground getting shelves put up so i can easily find my bits and pieces, sorting my odds and ends of wool the usual.



By the way has anyone any idea what to do with 50 cakes of chenille in miss matched colours, I'm waiting for inspiration I'm looking at it but nothing is arriving.



I've also been knitting tea cosies and cakes but alas my cameras not downloading onto my PC so you've had to wait. I've had to borrow my brothers on a semi permanent loan until Christmas where fingers crosses three months of wining will mean Santa brings me a camera.

The first two are from the same design as found on ravelry but you can get it by following this link http://www.houseofwoolrepute.com/?p=72 .The third was knitted by my mum with yarn from my stash and decorated with pom poms and the fourth is a new design I'm working on and I hope to have the pattern to share soon.