Worry Monster

I'm a worrier, I worry about just about everything. In fact for the past week I've been waking up at 6.00am every morning worrying that my alarm hasn't gone off and we are going to be late for school. 

Even though we haven't been late to school at all [Yet, touch wood] not even on the day when the alarm actually didn't go off and we didn't get out of bed until 8am. And considering my son has two clocks in his room and can tell the time so knows when we need to be out of bed, its not something I really need to worry about. 

But still I do.

But funnily enough this worry monster isn't for me [Although I might make myself one] This one is for my cousins lil boy, he's not been very well over the past couple of years which fully sucks for a kid. And as a result he's started to worry. 

I happened to notice my cousin had tagged her husband in a post of kids worrying and offered to make him a worry monster. 

Okay so the way it works is, you write your worry on a piece of paper, pop it into the worry monsters mouth and zip the mouth up so he "eats it". I think its based on the "a problem shared is a problem halved" idea. 

But the main bonus is that as a parent you can look and see what your kid is actually worried about without having to have an awkward conversation with your kid [not that I think you should not talk to your children but we all know the older they get the less they like to verbalise their feelings.]

Its pretty easy to make one up but if anyone's interested I can write a tutorial?

I used felt to applique the eyes and the zip mouth has a pocket bag behind it. I'm not sure what this kind of pocket is but it was nice to stretch my skills on a project for a change. This kind of zip pocket should transfer over to my dress making as well. 

The whole thing is stuffed with kid friendly stuffing and is nice and squishy. I tried not to make it too babyish because the boy who is going to is growing up fast and I didn't want it to become obsolete too quickly. 

All in all I'm really pleased with how it turned out I just hope it does him some good. 

In other news!

- I'm enjoying me made may! I just wish the weather would pick up a bit. 

- I have a cold, I got absolutely soaked on Tuesday morning [after wearing a summer dress on Monday!!!] And I think I ended up with a cold because of it. It doesn't feel like hay fever and my throat hurts so if anyone has an cold remedies hit me up. 

 - I had a visit from my sister and brother in law last night and it was lovely, lots of laughs to be had!! 

- My camera has thrown yet another hissy fit, II think its down to the lense not the actual camera body but I need to have it checked out at a proper shop soon so I can test my theory. In the meantime it means I'm struggling to take outfit pictures! BOO! Luckily I've got a back log of posts to write so their shouldn't be any interruptions to regular blogging. 

Hope your all enjoying me made may! 

Much love Frankie 

xxx

- 

£20ish Hobbycraft Haul Vlog

So I thought I'd share my latest video! 

This one is all about the things I brought from Hobbycraft with a voucher I got for my birthday! 

How you enjoy it! 

Much Love

Frankie 

xxx

Nannies Apron

My Nan turned 80 in September and naturally I couldn't let the occasion pass without giving her a lil bit of handmade!

I went for an apron because being that she was born 80 years ago I'd have to assume that she's part of the apron wearing generation. Plus they are just a bit useful really aren't they? I wear aprons all the time, for cooking for cleaning and sometimes just for fun I like to forget I'm wearing an apron and do the school run!

I put a big pocket on because shes got 5 grandchildren and 10 [god I hope that's right] great grandchildren so I thought she could keep illicit sweets in the pocket, you know the kind of sweets your Nan gives you after dinner even though you haven't finished all your food. 

I also made the ties long enough to tie at the front or the back. Please ignore those hanging threads I did snip them off but apparently not for these pictures! 

I'm not sure where the fabric came from I just found it in the fabric cupboard and thought its the sort of thing that might appeal to Nan. Its a well established fact that Nan's like flowers! 

In other news:

Rikki starts a new job this month and they sent him biscuits to welcome him to the family! I have never been so excited in my life, I MEAN BISCUITS PEOPLE BISCUITS!!!!!

So yeah I'm off to eat biscuits!

Much Love

Frankie

xxx

The Half Finished Jacket Part 1

Okay so this jacket was given to me by an old friend, I used to go to school with her daughter and then I used to serve here in the pub! [Stella shandy, half and half, the fact that I can still remember drinks orders like this but don't know where my slippers are is highly amusing] 

Anyways she was moving and she started this jacket when she was in college [which was a little while ago, I ain't going to start divulging peoples ages!] and she offered it to me! As well as an awesome sewing box that folds out! 

P.S This is my first finished jacket so prepare yourself for a long post! 

The jacket was already cut out and all of the pieces had the interfacing attached and the pad stitching had already been done! The pattern was vogue 1446 , which as you can see is VERY 80's!!!! The jacket that was cut out was the middle one [view B] and a good portion of the work had already been done. 

Here's a list of what had been done:

Cutting out

Pad stitching

Pockets attached to front pieces

Fronts and backs of sleeves sewn together [They are in two parts]

Sewn side seams [As it goes I undid the side seams and sleeve seams and re sewed them because I know how seam allowances can vary from person to person]

Anyways I finished it!!!! Woop woop! I had actually forgotten just how good vogue instructions are!

I had to attach the collar which went in easy and attach the sleeves which was less fun, vogue has you set then in with the side seams sewn up and I scratched up my arms because of all the pins I had to wrangle around my sewing machine!

Then I had to sew and attach the lining, I sewed most of the lining to the front facing by machine but the neck area was stitched by hand just so I'd have more control and be able to achieve a neater finish.

I love how this turned out because you can barely see the stitches!

I hemmed the sleeves by hand as well.

The fabric was a British made wool and is LUSH! its like the most beautiful fabric in the world and I think I fell in love with it! Surprisingly it pressed really really well! Although I did use a pressing cloth so I wouldn't scorch it. The lining is just a typical lining fabric. The combination of the two makes a lovely snuggly coat!

I finished the hem using the "taped hem" method [At least that's what Jamie from male Devon sewing calls it!] Basically I turned up the hem once and whip stitched it down and them I covered the raw edges and the whip stitching with a strip of ribbon and some very neat stitches!

Then I top stitched around the edge of the whole coat, at this point I'd given up with the instructions and was just going my own way! I also left the buttons off because I just wasn't feeling it!

Okay so here's the deal , whilst I had a blast sewing this up and I love the fabric and I do genuinely think its some of my best sewing....... It is very 80's. I mean very 80's it has shoulder pads for gods sake! Now I know this slouchy style is very on trend however I think this might be a bit too slouchy for me [The lady who gave me this would have looked fab in it, shes very tall and by here own admission has the shoulders to carry it!] I however am quite short and have very little shoulders so It sort of drowns me, which is why..............

I have altered the living shenanigans out of it!!! Haha yep I went on a full hacking spree on this bad boy and now its bad-ass! But you'll have to wait for this until part 2!!!

Much Love 

Frankie

xxx

P.S if you made it to the end I'll be well impressed because this was a well long post! 

  

Prym Ergonomics Knitting Needles

The future of knitting is here! I'm not even joking that's the tag line for Prym's new ergonomic knitting needles. Now I first heard about these needles at the CHSI show in Birmingham and being stubborn I saw them and was like "Yeah well that's not going to take off at all *scoffs*" and then the lady gave me a pair to try on the stand and I firmly had to eat my words!

Fast forward to a week after the show and the lovely people at Prym said they'd send me a pair to try! What they actually sent me was a HUGE box full of knitting and crochet goodies that made me cry [just a little bit, okay more than a bit but it was just so nice of them! If you check out my Instagram you'll see what I mean , and if you don't have Instagram you'll have to wait until I blog the knitting roll I've made to store them all in!] 

Naturally I wanted to give them a thorough test drive so I got every single scrap of wool I had in a blue/black/grey/white/green/purple colour way and cast on a diagonal garter stitch blanket using size 5.00mm needles in the 40cm length! 

And luckily for me they came the week the new Nintendo Switch came out so I had a lot of time to knit whilst the boys enjoyed their new toy.

So.........

LIKES!

The hook tip - Basically normal knitting needles have a tapered end but these have a little nubbin on the end. [they call it a Hook Tip]. Now this is actually there to stop your stitches coming off the needle as you knit and to make it easier to hook them. But I also found that it stopped me getting an ache in my finger as I pushed the needle down [the way I knit means I used one of my fingers to push the needle down as I make a stitch.....Yeah I know my Nan thinks its weird too!] 

The clip ends - This is a complete "HOW DID I NOT THINK OF THAT!" moment for me. I mean the ends clip to the needles so you don't loose your stitches! It seems so obviously! And they really do keep them clipped in! In the interest of testing I gave my five year old the needles with some stitches cast on and asked him to try and get the stitches off and he couldn't, he did however work out how to unclip them but they should be safe with anything under the age of 3!!

The triangle shape - It fits really nicely in the hand. 

Lightweight - Okay so since the Nintendo switch came out I've basically been abandoned by the two men in my life for the last week. That means a lot of knitting. In fact I clocked myself doing an hour of straight knitting one day, no breaks, no stopping and more importantly no arm ache. Its a miracle people!  

DISLIKES

Okay so there are less of these but there are still a few things that niggle me a lil!

The colour - Okay so they are a nice clean modern looking white colour, but I kind of wish they came in fun colours too? I think they might appeal to kids a bit better that way, for example my first pair of knitting needles were pink.

The thinness - Okay so this was something that really bothered me in the beginning. The smaller sizes of needles feel a bit floppy. Now when I first saw them I was like ew I do not like that. But after knitting with them it doesn't really bother me. So its not really a complaint is it? More a warning to persevere because it grows on you!

The ends - whilst I like the hook tips I wish the whole end was a bit smoother. They seem to be made from a slightly difference type of plastic to whats on the end of the new ergonomic crochet hooks. And the crochet hooks seem to be a lot smoother. It doesn't effect the way they knit but if you try the crochet hook as well then you can definitely see/feel the difference. 

So yeah that's it! my review of the new Prym ergonomic knitting needles and if yo want to see me un-boxing them and my initial thoughts then there's a little video!

  

And that's a really attractive still of my face!

Also if you want to get your mitts on your very own pair you can buy them from Minerva Crafts!  And hopefully my blanket will be finished soon and ready to show you!

Much Love 

Frankie

xx

Disclaimer - whilst Prym sent me the box of goodies for free all knitty love is my own!

New tutorial button on bike bag!

Just thought I'd pop in a quick link to my latest tutorial !

A button on bike bag! 

This simple bag is perfect for popping onto your bike, ready to store things in for a picnic in the park or a long commute to work!

Although weve been using ours attached to the head rest in the back of the car!

It really is very simple and requires no paper pattern pieces you simply draw them onto the fabric! And it only uses three fat quaters!

I think it makes the perfect gift for fathers day!!

Much love

Frankie

X

Finished Disappearing 9 patch quilt

Yay I've finally finished one of my baby blankets [Well I've finished both of them but I've not written the Blog post for the second one!] So I'm all caught up and I can start my own quilting projects again! Yay! 

So this one is for the first baby that's being born in April, or thereabouts. Its based on a disappearing 9 patch but added some borders.

These pictures are not brilliant because the wind kept blowing and I've been feeling peaky all day, so I just reached the point where I gave up and decided to live with what I've got.

Its quilted quite simply, I basically started at one corner and quilted at right angles so its like a corner quilting technique. Pretty simple but it looks cool and its all pretty flat.

Its backed with a piece of fleece, I don't tend to add wadding to baby quilts just because I don't see it as being necessary, so instead I just use a squishy fleece. This fleece came from b and ms and was part of a two pack of fleece blankets for 3.99 which is far cheaper than buying fabric from a fabric shop.

I also used fleece for the binding which I hand stitched because I'm a sucker for a hand stitched finish!

So yes very pleased especially seen as I did most of it whilst I was really tired and not in the mood for complicated sewing, actually it was quite nice to just do some really simple finishing of a project!

Aren't the owls adorable? The whole quilt apart from the backing came from my stash, although the entire quilt was inspired by the colours from the owl fabric. Mainly I just wanted to keep things really bright and fun and not fall into my usual dark colour palette.

Yeah so there's not much more I can say about it apart from I love it. I just hope the parents of the baby like it as much as I do! I think its fun and modern and doesn't look too homespun so hopefully they will.

Much Love

Frankie

xxx

Embroidered Wolf Cushions!

These were my Mum and Dad Christmas gifts. They go away in their camper van a lot and for some reason [I'm not sure why but there is a story there] they have a wolf on the back spare tyre cover. He even has a name but I can't remember what that is either.

So anyway I thought they might like some cushions to spruce up the inside of the van [I mean there are only so many personal touches you can add]

So here's the one I made for my mum its very floaty and swirly and girly. I tried to stick to the general colour scheme of the van which is turquoise [in fact I also backed them in a teal fabric with leaves on but i forgot to take a pictures]

Its just a basic running stitch but I think it looks really clean and cute. 

I especially like the the eyes and the small details.

This is the one I chose for my dad, basically its a mirror of my mums but I made it more masculine by going for a more geometric style. 

I personally think it looks awesome, you can tell they match but they are not too matchy matchy!

I really like all of the triangle detail and the fact its a little more abstract.

Here they are together, I think they look good but if I were to do it again I'd have them facing opposite ways. 

Oh I love making Christmas presents by hand!!!

Much Love

Frankie

xxx

Butterfly canvas

I made these canvas for my sister and her husband for Christmas.

From what I can remember of Alevel art they are called a triptych. The idea is that his butterflies are musical and manly and hers of books and lady like. and then because ya know they love each other and stuff they swarm together. 

Know if we can all say awwwwwwwww on the count of three......... 

I also added their initials to personalise them a bit.

I got the idea after seeing something similar in tkmaxx, I thought they'd like it but it cost over £200 and I don't love them that much. 

I think they turned out pretty well, and seen as they have a new house they will have plenty of rooms to choose where to put them.

In fact they should probably just dedicate a whole room of their house to them!

Much Love

Frankie

xxx

Nanny Knit

I've heard a rumour that their are Nans out in the world that can't knit..... I know I was shocked too! Luckily for me not only does my own nan knit but Mr Knitwits nan knits as well, In fact I would go as far as to say she's a keen knitter, and that if there were ever a knitting Olympics she would be the team captain.

And luckily for me she's always up for a complicated bit of knitting! I've been lusting after oversized Aran cardigans for ages now! Something I could throw on over pretty dresses in winter so I stay toasty. 

And after a few week of hinting, somebody gave her some Aran wool and her fist thought was of me!!! We had a peruse of some patterns and i chose this one [after we'd weighed all the wool on my kitchen scales and tried to work out if we had enough]

Its got some pretty great details but I don't know what they are called, there's diamond things and and cable thingys and this weird netting kinda look.

Its really pretty!

And boy is it warm I mean seriously this thing makes me sweat! I've actually turned down the heating!!! its lovely and warm for trips in and out of the car and up and down the garden.

I'm not sure how long it took her the knit, I know she had to undo some parts and re-knit them. but I think its been about a month since we first started talking about it and looking at patterns. Either way I'm so glad she knit it for me! Its something I don't think id have ever made for myself! Let alone put the effort into making one for someone else!

Now I just have to worry about washing it! Imagine if I destroy it in my washer!!!!

Much Love

Frankie