Hearts and buttons

I wish I had more time to blog. I'm finding myself to be quite productive lately, although I do seem to be starting projects rather than getting them finished. I started Kim Hargreaves lovely hat, Moon, over Christmas, and thought I'd easily have it finished by now, as its a quick knit even for me. But before Christmas I'd bought curtain fabric for our dining room to replace the horrible vertical blinds that the previous owners left here, which we've just left up as we've had nothing to replace them with (and I must admit, as much as I dislike vertical blinds, they do actually keep rather a lot of heat in). Anyway, I decided they were more urgent than the hat, so I've been getting them cut down to size and all the hems ironed down, ready for hand stitching, which will take a little while as they are large curtains. I could have knitted later on in the evenings, but we've been totally absorbed in Downton Abbey (we had much hilarity on Christmas day when Marno and I discovered we'd both bought each other both series on DVD!), and as I can't knit lace whilst watching TV, the hat has been put on the backburner. That is rather unfortunate, as it happens, because I left my last hat (at the bottom of the post) at a friends house yesterday, and the weather is pretty atrocious here at the moment. Ok, I do have other hats but that was my go to. I've also realized, going back to that post, that the one photo I took of that hat is pretty dreadful!

Aaaanyway... I made a few things just before Christmas which I'm going to write about today. Way back when I started my blog, my MIL sent me loads of patchwork squares, which she'd cut herself to make a quilt for herself. Unfortunately the quilt didn't work out and she decided to pass on the fabric. I knew she loved these fabrics, so I always had the intention to make her something out of them. Several years later, I finally became inspired to make her a patchwork apron. I'd wanted to make something which would incorporate the yarn her mother had spun which was on the bobbin of my wheel when she gave it to me. There isn't a lot of it, so I'd just wanted to knit a pretty lace border to attach to a larger item, which was when I designed the apron. When I came to knit the yarn however, it knit up very stuffly and was not at all delicate - it actually bent it was so stiff! So I decided to carry on with the apron anyway, and give it to MIL as a Christmas present, and come back to the yarn at a later date.

 The knitted lace was going to run along the join between the patchwork

squares and bottom pink panel.

 

 

I decided to attach the neck strap and waist ties with buttons rather than just sewing them on, to make thimgs more interesting. This one should be rotated 90 degrees to the left but blogger keeps uploading it the wrong way!!!

Modelled by me with the camera on timer.

I'm so happy to say MIL loves her apron, and I'm so pleased. She deserves a special gift. 

Still on the subject of Chrstmas, but of decorations this time, I was at a friend's house a couple of weeks before Christmas and she had up the most gorgeous decorations, mostly purchased from the lovely shop, Nest Vintage Living, in Cardiff. She had some stuffed fabric hearts, amongst other things, which set my mind working on what fabrics I had in my stash with which I could make my own. I had a little raid the same evening, and whipped up these sweet little hearts of my own, which I was very happy with.

You'll see where I put them in my next post, which is going to be a little feature on our "winter living room" which isn't as grand as it sounds, but is so cosy in the cold months.

Well, I wish whoever is reading a happy and blessed new year. 

xxx Sam