My favourite items in my craft bag

Today I thought I’d share some if my favourite items that are always carried with me in a craft bag.

1. Pony wool needles.

With their large plastic loops, these have been super useful and so much more practical than other yarn needles I’ve previously used.

2. Embrodery scissors

These are special to me because they used to belong to my grandmother. She can’t sew/embroider/knit or crochet anymore due to multiple reasons. But I hope that I can use these to inspire myself to be as good as she was.

Do you have any useful items in your craft bags? Please share below

Love to you all and happy knitting 

Mrskirstyholl 

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Blog prompt – Craft/crafting

Today I felt inspired by the wordpress word prompt...

I’ve always been into craft and crafting. My Crafting genius started early on… 

My crafting talents lay dormant for a long time though. I learnt some basic knitting stitches from my nan when I was 7 and spent my time knitting scarves for dolls.

From there I took art for GCSE. Which was a great chance to learn how to plan a project. I also had a chance to play with a number of materials.

I managed to get an A… so I was actully pretty good at drawing at that time. Although my skill has sadely decreased due to the lack of drawing practice in the following years.

Through the A level and uni years I unfortunately lost any priority for crafting. I did rediscover writing for a time (I had spent most of my teenage years writing fanfiction) and wrote a draft of a novel that is yet to be edited, but the yarn lay gathering dust in a cupboard.

The only crafting I did for a long time was this me to you cross stitch kit.

When I really get in the zone my cross stitching isn’t to bad. However, I do find this zone very hard to find and normally struggle to count the squares etc. My more recent attempts at cross stitch have ended in a rather botched attempt and corresponding reduction in enthusiasm for the project.

The craft of knitting didn’t find its way back into my heart until a couple of years ago. I’d recently finished a job that had really stressed me out and found a new one where I was much happier. As a result I wanted to really ensure that I kept myself on more of an even plane.

I picked up issue 1 one the art of knitting and I was completely hooked again. Within days I had subscribed and was knitting squares almost constantly. One of my early successes was a scarf (we’ll ignore the couple of dropped stitches) which I’m still wearing today.

While I admit the squares are still continuing, my confidence in my knitting has really progressed. I’m now knitting from proper patterns and feel more confident with trying new technical elements and more complex designs. With this constant learning process this is a craft that I plan on keeping at the forefront for a very long time. 

I’m also loving being able to knit for my daughter now. It’s so rewarding.

My current major WIP is a blanket for her. I’m hoping that will be done by the end of the month.

So knitting is the craft that constantly saves my sanity on a daily basis and is the subject of many of my articles on here. So also my muse as well 

Going to go and smell my yarn stash now…

Mummy brain signing off 

MrsKirstyHoll

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F.O. - Boring White Ceramic Mugs Transformed - Tutorial

Some of you may have seen a reblog I posted a few months back about spray paint customisation of boring white ceramic mugs. Having some of my own, I thought I would save the idea until I was ready to start a quick project.

This is the inspiring original image (source http://garlandofgraceblog.com/).

The original mug tutorial from garland of grace.

Personally, I'm not really a fan of gold spray paint. So  I opted for a really  funky electric blue.

So the first thing I did was select my mugs and taped them up in my chosen pattern with my blue plasterers tape.

As you can probably tell, the vertical pattern is a heck of a lot easier to tape. I also found there was less leak points here.

I then coated each mug in spray point

I left this one outside for about an hour. By the time I brought it inside it was dry. Alternatively, spray them before you go to bed and they will be dry by the morning.

Once it is completely dry you can then remove the tape...

The horizontal line really had some seriously leakage. But it's created a sort of wave effect which I actually think is pretty cool.

The stripe effect is a lot easier to recreate.The trick here - if you do have any leakage - is to scape it off now with your nail etc.

To stop any of the bits of paint you like coming off, what you need to do now is seal it. Just apply this with a small paintbrush. It dries completely clear, But will stop the paint coming away from the mug.

Adding the sealent will prevent you pattern coming off. I painted on 2 layers just to be sure

Once your sealant has dried your mugs have officially finished. Give them a quick wash and then treat yourself to a well earned hot drink of your choice :)

Boring white mugs transformed

If you give this  go I would love to see the pattens you come up with :) What do you think?

Yarn Addict Signing off

MrsKirstyHoll

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Craft Project Inspiration - My Craft Products

This is a record of my current and finished craft projects. I thought I would keep a record of everything I've done. I know the list continues to grow and it is nice to keep a record.

Cross Stitch

1. Harry Potter Monopoly Board. This is definitely a work in progress. Not progressed hugely far though... I got this pattern from an Etsy Seller who has since stopped selling the pattern

Knitting

1.Knitted Egg Hat
This was knitted as an exercise to practice decreasing stitches. I think it looks really funky in the glitter wool!

2. Knitted Adult Blanket. This is a work in progress that I'm really enjoying. It's a great chance to experiment with different types of wool. It's getting pretty big now - which means it's not very portable.

3.  Knitted bunnies. This was an Easter project. Easy was to practice tension and mixing colours. This pattern is a square that you sew into a bunny shape and then add a pompom for a tail. Eventually, I think you could turn these into a super cute mobile.



4. Knit Squares. These will eventually be sewn together to create a blanket. It's part of a magazine collection I am using to learn to knit.

5. Knitted Hat. This pattern and wool was a freebie with my subscription. I messed up the pattern a little. But I'm still pretty chuffed that it actually looks like a hat!

6. Crawl Scarf. This was a really easy knit. It's also super comfy!

Bead-work
1. This was one of my first attempts at beading. I liked the simplicity.

2. Bag Charm. This is something I've been planning on doing for a while. 

This one is currently missing a charm at the end. I have one somewhere that will be perfect. I will probably then integrate that colour on the charm by adding additional coloured beads. 

This is an updated image with the final charm and some additional beads I added to tie the colours together. The Main charm at the end was hand made by The Mucky Pup Gallery - I think it finished off this project perfectly!

Design - Copywrite MrsKirstyHoll 2015

Sewing

1. Bag. This was one I made in year 9. But I'm still pretty proud of it. If I ever need a larger pouch bag again I'll have another go.

2. Sock Monster. This was an alternative project I attempted. It's kinda cute and kinda creepy at the same time. A cute alternative to a teddy if you don't use buttons for the eyes. 

3. Patchwork Quilt, I'm really enjoying this project. It's progressing really well. Great practice for sewing and planning a larger project. This will be double bed size by the time I finish.

4, Pin Cushion. Now with it's own elasticated wristband. Which is great because all the pins end up in it instead of my leg.



Card Making


This is something I haven't dabbled in for ages. It's not something that could hold my concentration for long. But I do have a few little makes to share.

1. Baby Boy card

I think this was a pretty good attempt - perhaps would have helped if I'd used a ruler.

Science Related Craft Ideas

*Bookmark this page - I will update as I find more amazing ideas *

My degree was in Forensic Science so, at heart, I am a total geek. So when I see science related craft ideas I can't help but get a little bit excited. My craft skills have definitely developed with the additional spare time I have gained since leaving uni. However, I have been a little out of practice with the science side of things.

So, in homage to my science degree, I present you with some of my favourite Science themed craft ideas.

1) Anatomy knitting pattern.

Does this remind anyone else of there Biology A level? I am not entirely sure if I would ever knit this. But it is stick a very cool idea.

To find out more about this amazing pattern set - believe me there are more - click here.

You can buy the pattern from the aKNITomy etsy shop here. 







2) I do also occasionally dabble in cross stitch.  This one is a really cute and quick pattern for all my fellow science nerds :)

You can buy the pattern on etsy here.

When I got in contact with the lovely seller to let them know that they have been included in my blog, they also showed me this other super cool idea!

You can buy the pattern for this super amazing idea here.

3)  This very clever bogger has been busily devising the chart patterns for a number of the the periodic table elements.

These could be really fun to use in different combinations - either to spell out a name or to combine for some of your favourite molecules.

Ideas for Grown-up Parties

Grown up parties can sometimes seem a little formal and dull. So ideas that inject some fun back into the room is always welcome!






What are you drinking from? 

You could be drinking from these jazzed up wine glasses. All you need to do is get some cheap wine glasses from any supermarket and dip the bottom in a glitter and glue mix.

I would love to recommend this as a general craft idea for your normal wine glasses. But my instincts tell me this wouldn't wash particularly well.

This idea was found on: listinspired.com

My wedding was totally themed with butterflies. I'm pretty sure everywhere that there was a space a butterfly of relevant size was adorned to it. If you have loads of them still hanging around the house then this is a super cute idea of decorating them. Not great to help distinguish unless you buy a multipack with different colours, but does look pretty.

This idea was found on: listinspired.com






Decorating the Room

I love this beautiful decorate idea. It looks pretty easy to make. This instructional video makes this a really easy project to have a go at.

This project was found at: little church mouse.com

Crafting and Homeware ideas from Social Media that work

*BOOK MARK THIS PAGE - I WILL UPDATE AS I FIND NEW IDEAS* 

I love Pinterest, It's an app on phone that streams hundreds of ideas to me every single day. Makes me feel like I'm being productive.... even if I don't do anything with them but pin them to one of my hundreds of boards.

In addition to this, there are a huge amount of Craft pages on Facebook I follow which offer me up hundreds of ideas. Some of which I love to have a go at and try out.

This is a blog that I will publish but keep updating with any ideas that I do actually implement and their actual effectiveness/awesomeness.





Craft

Quilting Projects

I am always on the lookout for amazing ideas to recreate. Eventually I had enough quilt ideas that I couldn't help but start a new project.

Follow Kirsty's board Quilt inspiration on Pinterest.



This was the pattern that caught my interest.

This pattern only works if you draw yourself out a line pattern to organise your fabrics. Trying to work this out freehand and sewing together isn't worth the time spend unpicking. Trust me. Here is the one I drew out:

I scribbled a name of each fabric cross I could make with the fabric I had onto here. It gave me the chance to ensure that the colours wouldn't clash. 

Ideally, I want this to have a decent thickness. So I'm going to double up some wadding between 2 white sheets. This will allow me to secure the wadding and have something secure to sew the patchwork too. I have another piece of fabric for the back that I brought on holiday in Portugal in June 2014. Any excess white fabric can be used as a border. 

Photo update 1

Currently it's looking like this - I'm slowly adding some length. It's going to be a double size quilt I think when it's finished. Which is exactly what I wanted :)

Apart from the shape there is absolutely no theme to this quilt! 

Easter Bunny (Knitted)

I saw this adorable pattern on my Facebook feed this week :) Now my husband has challenged me to knit 10 to hide around his safe-zone at Drone Airsoft. So that is my evenings sorted for the next week :)

Also has the perk that he is buying the wool and I get to knit something. So that is definitely a win.

Will update when I have completed them!

So this is my first attempt at a bunny. Colours were my husbands choice. 

This has given me a chance to work out the pattern.

I'm using double knit wool with 3mm needles. 35 stitches across. 62 rows. Knit stitch. Finished with a 2.5cm pom-pom. Then sewed on eyes an nose with white stitches. 

Black seems a little dark.... possibly also put a little too much stuffing inside.

UPDATE: All bunnies are now finished :)

Any thoughts on the colour scheme? 

Knitted Blanket

Having finished the bunnies, I found myself with lots of spare wool - and some cool ideas for colour combinations.

Recently I've found this idea for knitting a blanket on a set of circular needles.




This idea was from: purlbee.com
If you want to try this blanket pattern and have no wool - check out their website. She recommends so wool she describes as washable :)

The original pattern is for a child size blanket. But this comment discussion got me thinking.

Having now had some experience with knitting on larger needles I invested in some 7mm circular needles with 120cm length. I'm about 8 rows in and they are working really well for me.

You can buy them from amazon here. 

The chunky knit blanket lengthens a lot faster. Ideal if you are looking for a relatively short term project.

I'm creating an adult size blanket for the lounge. I cast on between 170-185 stitches (I didn't count and just kept casting on until it looked long enough.....). I'm hoping when I finish it will be a couple of meters wide.

Picture Update 1

Picture Update 2

Currently it's looking like this:

Home-wares + Improvement

Bathroom

I use mouthwash every single time I brush. So a plastic bottle of which ever mouthwash was on offer is always sat on the shelf above my sink. The only trouble is that it is not very pretty.

Then I saw this:

It's so simple and much more attractive than the current arrangement. I also remembers that I have a couple of beautiful and unused whisky decanters that I picked up for £1,99 in a charity shop. The pourers and shot glasses were brought off amazon. So I spent less than £5 extra and ended up with this: 

Much more attractive than a plastic mouthwash bottle.