All the Pretties!

This adorable little girl belongs to Lisa. She is modelling a hat that Lisa knitted for her. Sadly none of the photo's I took really shows off the hat. Trust me though, it's lovely. It's done in crochet using variegated yarn (possibly Lisa's own yarn?) and has a pom pom on the end (as all the best hats do).

One of the group also commissioned Lisa to make a crochet hook. She already made R2D2 so it seemed only fitting that C3PO was next. But then, as a Star Wars fan, I am a little biased.

Margaret has been working on some Christmas decorations. She knitted up two elves. One for me and one for herself. It's the same elf that Roberta knitted. Margaret couldn't get the shade of green suggested so picked out a darker one. Again, I love the difference just changing a shade of colour can make. I also love the little tree decorations. Especially the robin.

Audrey emailed this picture to me because these cushions were already heading down to London for her nephews Christmas. A while ago we had show and tell and Audrey had brought a little owl cushion which my camera then lost. This is a bigger version of that owl. Audrey adapted both patterns to make them larger. Love them and probably just as well she wasn't able to bring them in as I might have tried to go home with them.

These are boot liners or boot cuffs. I knitted them up as I had just treated myself to a pair of wellies. A few people were asking me about the yarn. It's by Wendy and is called Roam Fushion. The colourway is called Fosse. It comes in 100g and would be perfect for socks. I got it from John Lewis but I am sure that you could get it online. The pattern was free from ravelry.

This is the lovely radley dog  and was knitted by Roberta. He turned out a little larger than expected but I think he is cute. Roberta also adapted the pattern to suit herself. I love his little dog collar.

Elaine has been preparing for her craft fair and knitted up some of these bags. She used bangles for the handles as Izzi taught about a year or so ago. I love how the different yarns make them look different. The fluffy ones using the eyelash yarn are my favourite. Would have loved one of these when I was a little girl.

Elaine also finished crocheting this beautiful blanket and pillow set. The amount of time that must have went into that and well worth it too. They aren't colours I would have thought to put together and they look amazing. This was well admired by the group.

Another finish we all admired was this beautiful quilted pillow by Linda. Each of these fabrics are from dresses her daughter wore as a baby. Her daughter is now 16 and this makes a fabulous memory piece. It's so pretty too. Such a good idea!

Magdalena is all set for the winter. She finished her cowl/scarf. It looks so lovely on and I love the colours. Very autumn like. I also love the buttons. They all go so well with the colours in the scarf. I love the fact that she used different colours.

Anthea has also been busy but nothing for herself. Everything she made is for Christmas. These hats are all for other people. It's a shame. Not sure I could give them away. Although, I am sure that the people who receive them will love them. I love the crochet flower on the red one.

These were also by Anthea and again are Christmas presents. The scarf is for her husband. Anthea is really getting in to her cables although she hated knitting black (don't blame her). The poncho is being modelled by Magdalena. The amount of time that has went into that. It's especially admirable since Anthea loves colour and doing so much work in grey was difficult. Turned out beautifully though.

I have been dying to see some of Fee's work and it's finally happened. In case you don't know Fee is a silversmith by day. She designs a lot of pieces but as it's for the shop she works for she can't exactly bring it in to let us see. We just get to hear about the wedding rings she designs from her mum, Lyn. Well, she made this lovely heart necklace for Lyn for her birthday. It's such a pretty design. I love the simplicity of it and I'm not surprised that Lyn was wearing it with pride. Beautiful!

Well, we have one more week left before Christmas and we have one more member of the month interview. So look out for that!

I also have a favour to ask on behalf of Fiona. Her sister is taking part in crocheting triangles for bunting. It's for a charity. So if anyone has any spare time after Christmas and would like to crochet something let us know. Fiona is going to give me the pattern so I will send that out after Christmas.

Visitors!

You know the weather has turned when evreyone starts knitting hats and scarves for themselves. I keep thinking that it is too soon for this change in weather and then remember that it's mid November. While I am in denial Anthea has been busy with the needles. She finished these beautiful cowls. I do love a chunky knit and the large buttons are lovely. The first cowl is Antheas second shot at giving cables a go. I think we might have a cable addict and as someone who also loves them I heartily approve such an addiction.

Cowls aren't the only thing she has been working on. She also finished this lovely autumn scarf. Autumn colours are really a hit this year and these ones are beautiful. She also finished another baby blanket with some very chunky yarn. This was knitted up using 20mm needles.

Anthea isn't the only one developing her skills. Stephanie too has been hard at work. This lovely glass panel quilt is the most difficult piece Stephanie has attempted to date. She says she will never make anything like it again but I am sure she will be talked into it. It's far too pretty not to be repeated.

She has also been sticking to her safety area in terms of sewing. She made these lovely pencil cases for her grandchildren. Stephanie likes to make a lot of their Christmas presents because they seem to get a kick out of it (and who wouldn't appreciate a handmade gift from Stephanie). Despite the bright colours of the girly cases I am drawn to the one at the bottom.

Janice also had the sewing machine out. This beautiful project purse was the result of Saturday. Helen missed this one (it was a busy day) so I got to photograph this, mwa ha ha ha. I have to say that I am a little bit in love with the fabric.

I am also mightily jealous of another finish. I LOVE mug rugs. I am constantly pinning them on pinterest. Our Janice has tried her hand at them and you can see how fabulous they look in the photo above. This is definitely going on next years bucket list. Speaking of which, I am going to be going round people and asking them what is on their bucket list for next year. Will speak to a few people each week.

Jean also knitted this beautiful cushion. I seriously wanted to pinch it. I also know another Westie loving member who would have snatched it from poor Jean had she seen it. It's adorable and beautifully knitted up. The colours are lovely too. The back sets the whole thing off which was knitted up in stripes and fastened with large blue buttons.

This is why I need to start taking notes. I am positive though that both of these projects were knitted up by new member Sandra. Beautifully done too. I love the little motif on the hat. Sandra actually joined us a few weeks ago and this is the first finish she has brought along to the group. Welcome Sandra!

This is where I give our Esther into trouble! She doesn't like to show off her projects. Poor Noreen has to do it for her. I know anyone else who knitted up this gorgeous cardigan would want to shout out about it. From now on Esther has promised me not to hold back on us. I am trusting everyone to make sure she sticks to that promise otherwise we won't get to see the gorgeous baby clothes she is knitting up for her granddaughter.

Roberta has also been knitting in pink. She has been using variegated yarn. We all love a variegated yarn. It has such an impact on a pattern and can change the look quite drastically. You can see that here with the white stripes through out the cardigan. I also love the cables up the front and up the sleeves.

Lyn is someone else who is being sensible and preparing for winter. Although none of these hats are for her. The reason I am showing off the ball band from the yarn she used is that it's a little bit different. They yarn is supposed to glow in the dark. A small test was done by Lyn and the hats didn't quite glow but I don't think the setting was the best. Even if they don't glow in the dark they still look fab.

Our Lisa will probably have a go at me for this but every time she brings in a custom hook for someone I HAVE to take a photograph of it. These hooks are just too good. All three of these are impressive. As a geek the R2D2 one calls out to me. However, look at the sparkly Christmas tree! I got a photo of that one on the sly as I understand that it's a one off custom hook. This cheek wee elephant was a mistake. He was supposed to be blue rather than purple. Look how cute he is though!

Speaking of Lisa, I got her socks finished using her yarn. The colourway is called rainbow bright if anyone is interested and knits up beautifully. Lisa was delighted with them. We are quite a loud bunch but there has been occasional dances of joy around the room. This is perhaps the first time I have seen someone jump up on a chair.

As the title suggests we also had a couple of visitors. The first was this adorable puppy which was passed around the room. The poor thing must have been terrified but everyone was dying to get a cuddle. He belongs to a friend of Fee's so was a one time visitor.

The lovely Tracy was also back. She was unable to come along last time due to ill health but made it on Tuesday. It's always nice to have her along and not just because she does nails. Nail art is just another side of creativity and everyone is just as fascinated by her skills.

Both Isabel and Roberta walked out with beautiful nails thanks to Tracy.

Whew, that post was a long one and I suspect that's going to be the norm up until Christmas. Speaking of which, we are having a small Christmas party on the 3rd December. Everyone is to bring along a wrapped gift worth no more than £5. It's part of a game thought up by the lovely Elaine. There will also be food and goodies so don't eat too much. Our last day will then be on the 10th. This is just because of difficulty parking. We will be back on the 7th January. Don't worry, I will remind everyone.

Oh, and this week I will be interviewing Janice for November member of the month.

In a Spin!

So we all know that Norma has been crafting up a storm at the crafting house. It seems she's not the only one. Her hubby made this beautiful wooden sign. He carved it out himself before decorating it. He is working on another in black and white so that it looks more like a negative. Looks amazing!

 Norma meanwhile has been busy too. She has been getting ready for a craft fair that she is doing soon. Somehow she still managed to find the time to make one of her lovely bags. Love the furry yarn.

Margaret has once again been asked to knit for a friend who's about to be a granny to a little boy. This is just the latest of knits Margaret has finished. Love the cables and the buttons match perfectly.

Fiona has moved on to a new craft. She has been making felt decorations. How sweet is this red heart? I love the little flower buttons and those perfect tiny stitches.

Now that Isabel has had her sock returned to her she has finished it's partner. These are her Christmas socks. The red and white really do go lovely together.

 I believe though that I have created a monster! After winning a voucher in the raffle she went straight to hobbycraft looking for sock patterns. She came out with three sock pattern books and some sock wool. These socks are knitting up lovely and are for her grandson.

Caroline is always great for holiday ideas. Every holiday you can usually find her creating something. For Halloween it's little pumpkins. These little pumpkins are amazing. A little tea light sits inside it to give any room a Halloween atmosphere. Caroline kindly sent me a photo of what they look like in the dark. Love them!

It can be safely said that Fran is now hooked on crochet. Her cross stitch has been set aside. This platted infinity scarf is her latest creation. I love the effect and I love the fact that it can be adapted with different colours.

Lisa also brought along some of her makes. I had offered to knit her socks and she brought along this beautiful rainbow yarn for them. As I thank you I also got to pick one of her famous crochet hooks. Excited is too tame a word to describe how I was feeling after that. I can't wait to see how the yarn knits up.

Spinning yarn is a new hobby picked up by a few members of the group. I can see it taking off with others. Lisa has had a class and now Anthea. Anthea went to the Glasgow yarn school and took a class there. She was working on it on Tuesday night. It was interesting to watch.

We have had quite a few new members again. In fact, I thought we were going to run out of seats. You can see Magdalena here helping out two of our newer members.

A couple of things to look out for on Tuesday. First of all Tracy is back to do nails. She has one person signed up but I am sure has room for more. I don't have her price list on me but just ask her and she will be happy to tell you.

Secondly, I am putting out a sign up sheet for Christmas craft day classes. The reason for that is that two of them require the lovely volunteers to bring enough supplies for those joining in.  I also won't be there on the day so it makes it easier for everyone if they know what's happening.

One last wee thing. Some of you may know that we have a facebook page. Well, I have changed it to a group. The page is still there but no one has been getting the updates. To be honest the group setting is better as it allows everyone to join in instead of it just being a page where I post updates. So feel free to request to join it if I have missed you out.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/500656310031511/