Gifts for Amelie

My ex-boss and his wife had a baby girl, their third child and little sister to two brothers. After two boys, I knew they'd want to indulge in a bit of girly dressing with their new daughter, but I didn't want to go overboard with frills or anything too pink (you know the shade I mean: the sugary, sickly sweet, bubblegum baby variety).
I started with a this cardigan, tempering the perfect old-rose shade with a flash of brown, a combination I love. The I bought a copy of Anna Maria Horner's 'Handmade Beginnings' and remembered some fabric in my stash that would co-ordinate perfectly with the cardigan.

I think this trouser pattern is delightful. It has a contrast panel on the bottom:
And the trousers are fully reversible. It's such a sweet pattern that allows you to play with a variety of fabrics with lovely results. As the trousers are fully lined there are no unsightly seams and the double layer fabric results in a warmer garment, perfect for Autumnal weather.

Lastly, I used the leftover yarn to knit a matching striped hat and booties and boxed it all up in an A4 storage file from Muji, which turned out to be the perfect size.

As a gift set, I was really pleased with how this looked and the recipients were thrilled too.

Handmade Christmas: Becky's Bag

This Christmas saw the second round of 'Homemade Secret Santa' in my office, organised by...me! I decided last year that, rather than spending money on a gift which entailed little thought, it would be nice if all the Secret Santa gifts were homemade. Last year we had about 20 participcants and this year about 35 took part, which I was really pleased with. The rules were quite relaxed, stating that the gift could be homemade by someone else (eg. purchased on Etsy or at a local craft fair), the primary idea being to support homemade and discourage mass consumerism.
This year I was to give a gift to Becky, one of the girls in our Graphics Team. Becky's young with great taste and a unique and well defined sense of style. She's also a fellow crafty chick, so I knew she would appreciate something a bit special and I knew just what to make her.

I absolutely love this range of fabrics by Joel Dewberry, particularly the trees on a yellow background. (I've already earmarked some more of this fabric for a set of cushions for my living room!).I drafted the pattern for the bag based on the dimensions of a shoulder bag I was given in a swap a few years ago. My plans for this began very simply, but I gradually added more detail to the design. The bag is interlined with a layer of bamboo quilt batting and then the bottom section is quilted in a contrasting coloured cotton. The top of the bag is also topstitched in a second colour of contrasting cotton.

Inside the bag is a large pocket and I also added a keychain. I'm delighted with this bag and I'm planning a similar version for myself with a few additional details. I'm happy to say that Becky was delighted with her Secret Santa gift as well (although she guessed it was made by me straight away, so Santa wasn't so Secret after all)!

Hello 2011

I don't think I've ever known a year go by as quickly as 2010 and yet, when I look back on it, it seems like it was a very long year. I was really looking forward to having 2 weeks off work over Christmas and had been making menal lists of all the things I was finally going to get around to making given the luxury of time. But it wasn't to be. While the first three days of my holiday were very productive, with the making and finishing of various Christmas gifts, it didn't last long. On Christmas Day I walked over to my parents' house where I was intending to spend one day. I eventually got back home yesterday, on New Year's Eve, a week later. My Dad wasn't feeling well on Christmas Day so Mum asked me to stay the night in case he got worse overnight. On Boxing Day, Mum and I woke up feeling ill; we spent the next week sleeping on the sofa or in bed. We've both got 'flu. While I often catch colds that develop into chest infections, I've never had flu before and it's been horrendous! I saw the GP yesterday who said it should last about 10 days, but that it takes two to three weeks to feel normal again. So I should be better to go back to work next week, but I'm not sure I'll manage to stay awake at my desk! I can always tell when I'm really sick because I can't knit! Today is the first day I've felt well enough to knit again which I'm very happy about!

Anyway, on to a happier subject: my friend Rhona gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Olivia, on December 19th and this cardigan and hat are on their way to help keep her warm during the cold Scottish Winter. Rhona and I were flatmates for two years when we were first at Newcastle University, living together from 1999-2002. She was a great flatmate and helped me through some difficult times for which I'll always be very grateful. I want to knit Olivia a blanket a la Purlpower and sew her a small quilt as well. I can't wait to buy the yarn and fabric and get started, but for now I need to concentrate on getting better!