I like to go outside too!

Yes, I do a lot of sewing and knitting and all kind of activities that could be classed as indoor activities, but I do like to go outside too.  I also like to do things for charity whenever possible so I have combined these two activities by doing a 13.1 mile walk around Cheltenham for charity.

This is my sponsor page:
http://www.justgiving.com/Annie-Gillon

and this is the link to the charity website:
http://www.ccprojects.org.uk/

My daughter and her friend will be joining me and I intend to post lots of photos when it is done.  If anyone could help with a few £s then that would be fabulous.

Thank you in advance

Annie

2 at a time lounge socks

I haven't been here for a while, but I have now left my (very) full time job and so I now have plenty more time to make wonderful things.  Something I've been wanting to have a go at for ages is 2 at a time socks. I've always thought it looked very complicated though so was a bit scared to start off with.  Thankfully I found this amazing video which helped me no end.  A pattern can be bought to go along with the video from verypink.com too, I highly recommend using both the video and the pattern together.  I used two 4.5mm 80cm circular needles and 100g of Patons Wool Blend Aran yarn.

So the first step, and what I thought was the hardest step, was casting on.  If you get this right then you will be sorted for the rest of the socks I think.  It took me 4 attempts to get it right, but then there was actually that EUREKA! moment.  I was overwhelmed by pride!  :) 

So I happily knitted away at the cuff.  As you can see, these are rather chunky socks not really suitable for wearing with shoes, this is why I have called them lounge socks, good for lounging around in your PJs on a Sunday (or whatever day for that matter).  The next thing I had to do was knit the heel flap, which is done in the same way you would normally knit a heel flap.  Then I got scared as the next step was to turn the heel.  Duh, duh, DUHHHHH!

However, if you follow the pattern and the video carefully and calmly, and don't do anything until you are 100% sure of what you are meant to be doing, then this step is also quite simple.  It can feel a bit tight because there are so many stitches on the needles, but at this point you will start to decrease the number of stitches anyway, so again things start to feel easier.  When I turned the heel I just sat there and stared at them for a while as I was in awe of myself and kept thinking I had made the most amazing things.

So you just decrease as you would with a normal 1 at a time sock and then knit straight for as long as you need the foot to be.  These socks were for my daughter so they were quite diddy.  You may have noticed that I haven't used any stitch markers on these socks at all, that's because they're not needed.  You then decrease at the toe, like a normal 1 at a time sock and then you use Kitchener stitch to cast off.

This is the finished article!  Fabulous, fabulous socks.

To be honest 99% of this project I have found to be far, far simpler than knitting one sock at a time.  I just need to master the cast on and I will be very happy.  There is no second sock syndrome and you can be 100% sure that both socks are the same.  I will definitely be doing this again with the lighter weight yarn and 2.5mm needles.  However I am now doing something very simple as a break and making some lovely face cloths to go in my shop on Folksy.  See you all soon!

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/12051847/?claim=cy3sftmr5vh">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Folksy shop

Over the past few weeks I have been setting up my Folksy shop and here it is!

AnnieGTextiles

It's just a few bits and bobs, nothing too grand.  Keep checking back though, see what's up there!  :)

Craft corner

First of all I would like to apologise for neglecting my blog.  Work has been extremely hectic and I have been very busy making my first proper quilt.  Update to follow.  However, craft corner is finally here!  I had been thinking about doing this for months and months.  I had all the plans in my head and I would figure out measurements and how to do it as I was falling asleep.  Summer holidays, drum lessons for my daughter and general life expenses meant I kept putting it off.  But finally my daughter told me I had to sort it out.  So one afternoon I took a trip to B&Q with my sister.

In the end all the materials I needed came to a grand total of £50 and as I had been preparing this in my head for months and months it took no time whatsoever to actually put everything together.  A grand total of about 4-5 hours for all of the shelving.  First of all I put some batoning up 800mm from the floor as that was how long the legs were.

Then the living room needed to be painted.  It hadn't been done for quite some time and was looking a bit old.  Time for a nice fresh cream colour.

 Then I attached the shelves to the batoning and attached the legs too.  Thankfully my daughter was there to hold things when needed and in no time craft corner was here.

As I had somewhere to cut and sew I thought I should make some pretty things for the 'girlie' end of the room.  Bunting was called for! 

But now I am working very hard on a cot quilt for my second cousin who is having a baby soon.  As I said earlier, this is a first for me.  The patchwork has been machine sewn but I am actually quilting by hand.  It's a slow process, but I think I will be able to show you the finished article soon.  Until then, see you later!

Long time gone.

It has been a long time since I've been here.  Just to let you know that I have not gone, real life just got in the way for a bit.  Hopefully though I should be finishing a project I've been wanting to do for a LONG time!  Craft corner is almost here!  The house is a tip with DIY type stuff but it will all come together very soon and make a peaceful oasis of fabric, yarn, thread and buttons.

Patchwork cushion

I have been asked to make a patchwork quilt for a new baby arriving soon and thought I had best practise my patchworking skills.  I decided to choose a simple pattern, the Balkan Puzzle Block which is made up of half square triangles.  I had a look at some of the fat quarters I had a decided on these three fabrics.  I needed to cut 2 5.5in squares out of the patterned pieces and 4 5.5in squares out of the plain piece.

I then pinned a plain square to each patterned square and sewed around all four sides.

I then cut the square from corner to corner on the diagonal and this produces 4 half square triangles. 

 Ironed out this is what they look like.  I then trimmed off the little corner triangles so that they end up square.

 I then place them in the pattern that they will end up in.  I took a photo for reference.

 I then sewed along each row, and then I sewed each row together.

 This is the final block.

 And the back.

 With one of the patterned fabrics I made the backing and tada!  I have a Balkan Puzzle Block cushion.