Happy new year

Happy New Year one and all, just a quick note before I start getting ready to go out.

I hope the new year brings you all love, affection, joy and happyness.

Tomorrow the new year resolutions start and also new knitting projects to share.

christmas has been and gone

Well Christmas has been and gone, Santa has visited and today I've taken down my Christmas decorations.

Instead of feeling deflated I'm looking at the positives;

1. My back problems are a lot better, I may get on my knitting machine before new year.


2. I'm going out with my parents and husband tonight to watch a bit of karaoke, I won't be singing but I'm going with people who are so it'll be a lot of fun.


3. I got the loop pretty knits book for Christmas off my brother, his lovely girlfriend and their puppy tiff so I'm all inspired to create.


4. I also received the nigella express cook book and the green and blacks chocolate cook book of which I'm currently finishing off the chocolate biscuit cake. (there wasn't much left... honest)


5. I finished knitting both my Christmas jumpers before Christmas day, this maybe due to the fact I was bed ridden for two weeks before Christmas but I'd like to think I'd of finished them anyway...


6. I've lovely new clear storage box's that I bought in the sales to fill with yarn this afternoon.


7. Finally, I'm loved by my adorable stubborn husband and family and we'll be in Morocco celebrating next Christmas.

Now I'll leave you with finished projects and new projects I'm currently working on

Green mohair cardigan my own design to be worn with silver/grey long sleeved tunic

Green/blue jumper modified from the Rowan kid silk dream collection, pixie

Green and Blacks chocolate biscuit cake modified with milk and white chocolate, just finished while writing this blog post.

Wash cloth one of a set of three I'll be selling at craft fairs this year, a new venture for me.

christmas is coming and I'm not feeling christmassy anymore

I finished my Christmas shopping last Thursday every thing was bought. Even my Dads presents that I leave every year to the last minute, due to the fact he doesn't want for anything.

Then on Friday I woke with back ache,by Saturday morning I was getting stiff, by Sunday night I was in such pain I had to leave Sunday dinner at my brothers early. By Monday morning I couldn't move so I went to the doctors who gave me pain killers, by Tuesday I was bed ridden. Thursday my mum visited and cleaned my house... I love her so much thanks mum. Thursday I've been signed off work for two weeks and been given some very strong pain killers and now today I'm off to the chiropractors.

This back pain comes from working at a residential home while I was at university and lifting heavy old people without lifting equipment. Well you learn by your mistakes.

But I have found I can still knit and sew up seams while lying on my back and I've finished my sea green cardie and I love it I'll be wearing it Christmas day while drinking sherry and snowballs.

I was going to show you the finished item but my damn camera isn't downloading and it hurts too much to sit still and play today but I will post again soon with knitting news I've almost finished the front of pixie then I've just got to make the capped sleeves and I'm done. It'll be finished by next week.

Christmas Ideas and books

I've been meaning to share with you a while a book I purchased before I went on my holidays its The Gentle Art of Domesticity by Jane Brockett. You can by it at amazon by following this link http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0340950986

Its not really a craft book but more of an inspiration book its the kind of book I'd like to write one day, every page is a source of inspiration. It does contain a few recipes but mostly its quilting with a bit of knitting. It has even persuaded me to make a quilt in the new year, some thing I never thought I'd do, but I now want to make a quilt as beautiful as Jane's.

You can also read about what she's doing now at http://yarnstorm.blogs.com/knitblog/ where she makes fabulous cakes and takes inspiring pictures.

The other thing I said I share with you today is the pictures of my fire places which have turned out better today than they did on Sunday, but not much better. I'm going to have to sort my digital camera out at Christmas.

I've still not got my Christmas tree up but I'm hoping if I don't get it up today it'll be up by Thursday afternoon when my Mum and best friend are coming round for afternoon tea. I'll be making Christmas shortbread's, ginger muffins and Florentines and lots of good Venetian coffee,as well as a bit of earl grey for me. (I've had tea at the Ritz don't you know, I took my Mum for her 60th)

By Thursday I also hope to have the second half of my new cardigan finished so I can then work out a pattern for the sleeves which I've already knitted once but now have to change as the design has changed so much since I started knitting it... I was going to show and tell but my camera has now decided to stop downloading onto the computer so I'll save pictures for next time when hopefully I can show you an almost finished warm cocoon of a cardigan.

December is here

I've opened the first two squares on my advent calender and started decorating. I've not yet got my tree up a tree base has disappeared into the black pit that is my cellar and I've also lost box of Christmas Decorations, presumably they're in the same place as my Christmas tree base.

I've managed however to get both my fireplaces decorated. Pictures will have to wait till Tuesday morning as they didn't turn out very well today.

I also managed to get my window and door decorated with Snow ball pom poms and Snow flakes.

I've managed to tidy up my dresser and recycle the pile of Junk mail that had accumulated (where does it all come from?). Then I decorated it with my pom-pom garlands and seasonal smelly bits and lots of Christmas fruit as some times you need a change from mince pies, biscuits and chocolate.

All I need now is snow and a truck of presents and I'm ready.

I can't wait to get my tree up I've just got to wait for Mr LCD to get home from work and we'll have and evening of popcorn and tree decorating.

Well this afternoon will now be spent in front of the fire nesting and knitting. I want to get both the jumpers I've started finished for Christmas.

Knitting and Me

A friend sent me this and I just love it;



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6ZjMWLqJvM

its so like me I've been told off for knitting at work before but once I start I carn't stop.

I've decided following ysoldas' http://ysolda.com/wordpress/ lead to swap christmas cards with all my lovely blog readers.

Send me a mail at lupincottagedesigns@yahoo.com including your address and I'll send you out one of my hand made cards.

I look forward to hearing from you

I know it's still November

I've been busy, I know it's still November but last Christmas kind off caught me by surprise so this year I've been very organised. I've written all my Christmas cards, bought and wrapped almost all my Christmas presents and I've almost finished all the hand made gifts I'm giving.

I thought I'd share with you some ideas for quick and easy recipes that every single person I know will be receiving from Mr l.c.d and myself. Obviously not the children we know, they will get the biscuits, not the Vodka.

For the Vodka recipes I used Sainsbury's value vodka, normally I'm quite choosy about the Vodka I drink but once this is made you wouldn't be able to tell between this and the much more expensive brands. I also bought my Berry's from Boots they do 75g packs of blueberry's and cranberry's for 99p which is much cheaper than any dried Berry's I've seen in the supermarkets.

When giving the Vodka as a gift I like to include a couple of shot glasses... as my 20's were quite miss spent, I've managed to collect quite a few which I now like to share out.

The first recipe I made was Blueberry and Cranberry Vodka But you can make this just using cranberry's.

ingredients;

350ml Vodka

200g Sugar

75g of dried berry's

1 orange, grated zest and juice.

Put everything in a sauce pan for 20 minuets heating slowly and not allowing it to boil. Wait for the liquid to cool the put back in the vodka bottle it came in. Making sure all the labels are removed, then label and decorate to your own taste. Shake before drinking..

Vanilla and Lemon Vodka

ingredients;

350ml Vodka
200g Sugar
1/2 tsp of good quality Vanilla essence

2 Lemons, grated zest and juice.

1 or 2 vanilla pods split in half depending on taste

Make up as the recipe above.

Spicy Shortbread

Ingredients;

225g unsalted butter,

75g caster sugar

275g plain flour

1 tsp of ground mixed spice

grated zest of 1 orange

75g of ground almonds

preheat oven to gas mark 4

Mix the butter and caster sugar together until the colour of the mixture lightens. Add all the remaining ingredients and mix well. Roll the dough into a ball, you may need to add a bit more flour to do this but don't go mad.. Roll the dough to the required thickness and cut out the biscuits in fun Christmas shapes (I like Christmas trees) and cook for between 20 minutes and half an hour, you know they are done when the edges start turning brown and they feel firm to touch.

Take out the oven and decorate once they are cool, I like using Green and Blacks white chocolate. Seal in an air tight container and distribute to everyone and anyone you know...

Merry Christmas.... I'm getting excited, can you tell. If only finding the perfect Christmas party outfit was so easy. I'll leave you with a picture of Spain which I think looks quite Christmassy

Back from Spain

Hi I'm back off my holiday and feeling all refreshed. we had fabulous weather except for the last day and a half when it didn't stop raining.

The villa we stayed in was lovely, it belongs to a friend of my Dad's and had its own private pool, which was nice, except when you stopped moving your toes would drop off as it was so cold. The pool was lovely in all the pots round the pool there were lemon lime and grapefruit trees.

Spain in November is lovely, I've never really been a big fan of Spain, it was too brown and dried out but then I've always been in the summer before. In November it's green and lush with temperatures at about 20-22 degrees. There's not too many holiday makers except for the older people who spend their summers in Spain.

I've bit of a tan and feel a lot calmer and happier about life. I didn't really realise how much I needed a break, luckily for me my Mum and Dad did.

Thanks parents I do really appreciate it.

Mum and Dad also took me for Nerja for the day which is where they normally holiday in Spain. If you ever have the chance go as it was so pretty, not built up like most resorts are in Spain. Most of the hotels are right next to the beach which is unspoilt shingle. We went for lunch at their favorite restaurant on the beach where we ate paella as you have to while in Spain with a bottle of wine the food was all cooked over open fires and cooked right in front of you. It was lovely but would of been better if I wasn't wearing white trousers as I managed to drop two prawns on my lap so I had to walk round in dirty trousers for the rest of the day, I looked incredibly sophisticated...

I did get some knitting done I'm knitting myself a turquoise cardigan which I've designed myself its knitted in a wool mohair on relatively large needles it'll be v-necked when finished and will fasten with a great big turquoise ribbon when its all finished.

Next time I post I've some quick and easy Christmas presents I'm going to share.

Sorry I've been gone for so long

I'm sorry I've not posted for a while but I don't know where my time has gone recently. I do know however that I've been productive while missing in action, my studios been redecorated and tidied. I'm half way through knitting two jumpers I've made for myself and I've also done the vast majority of my Christmas shopping. I've also been to three Halloween parties and said goodbye to some good friends who've left work this month.

Unfortunately I've no new photos to show as my husband stole my phone and the digital camera doesn't seem to want to down load onto the computer.

But on the positive side I'm leaving wet cold Derby tomorrow morning to visit sunny Spain for 10 days I can't wait I've loads of knitting planned and as we've got our own private pool many lengths to swim. I may also do some sleeping and lying around doing nothing which'll be nice as I just feel so worn out at the moment I need to get my mojo back.

Ravely

I've had my invite to ravely. I'm now listed on there as Lupincottage, please feel welcome to add yourself as my friend, as currently I have none.

As I've now received my invite I might have to start listing my stash, which seems like a big job as it's so huge at the moment. I'll have to use up a few more yarn cones before I can even think about getting everything listed or maybe I'll only list those yarns I really love.

I've written details about my current project which is my rowan pixie jumper which I finished the back of last night (at last).

I've also now joined indirepublic which is an online group for all independent designers if you've not joined yet you really ought to as every ones so friendly.

I'm the slowest knitter in the world ever

I've discovered this week as it says in my title I'm the slowest knitter in the world ever.

I'm knitting my rowan jumper and I'm a bit further on but not much it's taken me a fortnight, of and on, to knit the back.

I'm so out of practise knitting actual garments by hand I'd forgotten how long it takes.

I know I'm going to love this jumper when its finished and it will fit into my wardrobe seamlessly. However, why isn't it finished yet? and why can't I be more patient?

I'm making myself a new jumper that no one else will own, in yarn I love, yet part of me thinks is it really worth it? and how much wear will I get out of it?

I can go to Sainsburys after work on Monday and pick up a new jumper for £15. Which will be unusual enough to cause people to comment but not to expensive for my budget.

Then I also know that's whats wrong with the way we buy clothing today. The market is saturated with cheaply produced clothing made abroad in sweat shops, that is completely disposable.

I know I can quite easily buy a new item of clothing or two pairs of shoes every time I go shopping. I think I've got to stop doing this and start making clothes I really love instead of buying clothes without really thinking of the origin.

I know that I'm never going to be able to support myself knitting clothes by hand but I do know my wardrobe will be much better off for it.

If only I can be patient enough.

Sunday is meringue day

To day it's my turn to have the family round for lunch so I'm busy creating in the kitchen today and not in my studio.

I'm really going all out as It's ages since we all got together I've made broccoli and Stilton soup for starters. Followed by a beef and red wine stew or a pumpkin gratin for the veggies

I think I may of gone a bit over the top with the desserts. I've gone a bit Nigella mad and made a chestnut and chocolate cake, a rhubarb and blueberry meringue and mini pavlovas with blueberry sauce. I do love meringues so much they're so easy to make and yet so scrummy.

I'm getting out my best china and got some lovely little green flowers from the supermarket last night (I'm not sure what they are so I won't embarrass myself by trying to name them). I've arranged them in shot glasses and will placed down the center of the table.

I ordered some new labels last week to put on my creations and they arrived on Saturday morning. I love them they're neat and pretty and make me feel more like a proper designer.

This week my Mr LCD is working evenings so I'll have a lot more crafting time and I may even take pictures of some of my work to share.

Now I'm going to leave you with my delphiniums which have flowered for the second time this year, this week. I love blue flowers, in fact I love all flowers, well maybe not roses as rose bushes are so ugly when they aren't flowering. Any way back to my beautiful delphiniums it is almost Halloween and I've spring flowers in my garden, it fills me with joy to have such lovely things to look at.

Well I better finish cooking lunch, as everyone's arriving in an hour and I've not got any make-up on or done my hair.

October and feeling poorly

I've been off sick from work all week with sinus and even through I should of used this time to craft, I actually just wandered round the house feeling sorry for myself.

I have started a couple of new things following on from my Christmas garland I made pom pom tree decorations.

Started on family Christmas presents but I'm not saying who its for or what it is.

I've also started knitting a jumper for myself from the Rowan kid silk Dream collection. I'm not knitting it in the kid silk, I'm using a very fine mohair in variegated green. Its ages since I last knitted something just for me. The top I'm knitting is called pixie and I can't wait to get it finished.

Organisation at last

I've managed to write descriptions for all my finished and almost finished scarfs this morning and get all my photos taken.

It was one one those jobs I'd been putting of as I like the crafting side of things but not actually describing my bits and pieces, all the measuring and faffing seems like a job that can be done tomorrow when I've got new things in my head to make today. Another thing that had been delaying me was the fact I like to craft during the day, I kept missing the sunshine on my days off but today I got up early and got organised.

My brothers getting on well with my new shop but I didn't realise how long it would take but now he's got all my photos and he's working on it this weekend.

I'm sorry to mention the Christmas word but I've also started making some decorations big felted white mohair pom poms I didn't cut them too exactly, so they'd look a bit scruffy like real snowballs. I've then threaded the pom poms on green ribbon and then i added jingle bells and vintage button details.

I love these but I can't decide to wrap them around my tree or to string them across my mantel piece. The night mares of Christmas decorating but now I've two reception rooms I'm able to theme each room which I know is sad but it keeps me happy. I think I'm getting a bit excited better stop talking about Christmas.

Well it is officially the end of the summer and time for the last fresh blackberry tart of the season. I've not got a finished tart picture as we wolfed this down as soon as it came out the oven. It also had windfall apples in it it was lovely and I can't wait for blackberry season next year.


My lovely husband has also been cooking for us, a leek, feta and spinach pie wrapped in flaky pastry.It was perfect for a cold Sunday afternoon after a morning doing lots of heavy gardening work.

His mum taught him to make this at home in Yugoslavia she also does a gorgeous sweet pumpkin pie that she made especially for me last time I visited.

Well now I'm going to love you and leave you as I've fairy cakes to make, a chicken to roast and I'm having a go at making some honeycomb after seeing Nigellas on Monday night.

I started of my day in a quite chipper mood today, I was at the post office at 7.30 this morning to pick up a parcel. As my postman doesn't seem to know how doorbells work... Bizarre. I don't think its just my postman, asking around everyone at work seems to have the same problem, so it may be a Derby thing.

So I sat down when I got home,with a strong cup of coffee and opened it and too my surprise, wrapped in pink tissue paper was the cupcake I won on Julie's blog. It was made to my specification with pink icing and a baby blue flower. Included was a lovely thank you card, with a moo card on the front and stickers inside.

I'm so thrilled, Julies knitted bits are so hard to get hold of and http://littlecottonrabbits.typepad.co.uk/ was the first blog I started reading on a regular basis.

My new cupcake once it's had a trip to work will take pride of place on my dresser with my vintage Easter egg moulds and my nanna's china.

I've not really got any crafty pictures of my own to show today, as I completely missed the light. But I've made a stripy cushion cover and two cafetiere covers on my knitting machine today.I've also knitted a forest green scarf and I'm half way thought a hand knitted scarf in a gorgeous Italian fancy yarn.

I thought I'd end this entry with a picture showing you how much my brothers puppy has grown, shes so beautiful. I'd better mention he's not got one huge hand, he just can't sit still.

Today was my first day off for over a week and I've been working 12 hour days getting some overtime in ready for my holidays.

You'd think that by today I'd be ready for a rest, but no I was wide awake by 6.30 this morning thinking about a pincushion tutorial I saw online at work yesterday. (while on a break, not while I was working you understand)

I had some cafetiere covers which when I felted them were too small to be cafetiere covers. I'd had an idea to maybe use them on cushion covers as pockets but at 6.30 this morning I'd located them in my overflowing craft room and started cutting them up.

Now I'm not that proud of my results, the sections could be more even but my mum likes hers and I got them finished before 8 this morning.They're a quick make and not that much effort.More practise is in order but I'll defiantly be doing these again.

I've also taken some pictures today of my newly finished corsages most of which I'll be putting on flickr then on Etsy. I've not been on flickr for ages but I do find it hard working full time, making things and keeping up to date with my posting and photography.

I've also had some good news my brothers a bit of a web designer and he's designed me a shop so I can start selling in English pounds. Which will be nice because most of the people I've spoken to about Etsy are put off by the dollar thing. I'm getting the full reveal tomorrow so I'll tell you how it looks and maybe I'll get the link installed on my blog by next weekend.


Now I'm going to leave you with a final look at one of my pincushions.

The teal one is the one my mum chose, as her thank you for colouring my hair present.

New Necklaces

I spent most of my evening yesterday crafting. I've made lovely new necklaces using my new findings that I splashed out on at the Knitting show.

The black one I'm saving for myself but all the rest will be up for grabs on my etsy store by the weekend. Well they will be if I manage to get some time to myself.

I'm busy, busy, busy at work doing overtime but off all weekend and that's what is getting me through my 12 hour days.

I've just shared some of my necklaces here but all my other pictures will some be uploaded at Flickr- follow my link, have a look....