Wednesday 28 September 2011

Neale's Blanket

Earlier this year, I discovered Lucy's blog Attic 24 attic24.typepad.com/weblog/.  Lucy crochets the most amazing and colourful blankets and writes about her young family and all their doings. 

Anyway, I thought I'd buy some wool to crochet and thought I'd make something small.  I'd been taught to  crochet when I was younger - nothing very fancy though, just your basic granny square etc.
Then I decided I'd crochet a blanket for my husband Neale. Forget small!!
I bought a varigated wool (definitely not 'real' wool!)  from Big W in Morwell and started, and went at a cracking pace. I think it took just over 2 months to crochet. I wanted something I could sit and do at night whilst watching tv and have something to show for my time.
It was a very simple design, just trebles and chain.  Committed a huge sin and combined I think it was 3 different dye lots, but I figure it being a varigated wool, I thought  it wouldn't be as noticeable. I decided to edge the blanket with he green wool and I think it turned out quite well. 
It's rather big - double the size pictured and fits our queen bed.  I've still got all the ends to darn in - minor detail!
Now, all my 4 kids have requested blankets as well!

Jen

2011 Update

Have decided to update on my 2011 personal goals and see how I've done  - hmmmmm!

Lose weight - this  hasn't gone too well.  I've got lots of reasons and justifications for not making this one.  From Jan to May, I lost lots of kgs - unfortunately it was the same bloody kilogram and it kept finding me and now I'm 3.5 kg heavier.  Major bummer! Although, there is still  12 more weeks of the year, so hopefully, I can  lose some weight between now and then.

Exercise - hmmm. I started off really well and increased my walking up to just on 100 mins a morning.  I managed to do approx 15 laps of the Churchill football oval.  I figure 2 laps is approx 1km. so 7.5km daily! Excellent.  During daylight savings I'd do another 10 - 15 laps in the evening, so was extremely peeved I wasn't losing weight. 
Then in early May, there was a sus car driving around at the football ground, so  I erred on the side of caution and decided to laps of the block our house was a better idea.  Just 100m from home on the last lap  (it had started raining) I tripped and rolled my ankle and that bloody hurt!  Limped home feeling sore and sorry for myself, iced the ankle.  It became quite swollen and sore so had the ankle strapped up - needless to say no more walking for that week. 
Then, a week later, I decided that time was right to get back into routine and start up again - this time I just made it to the front of our house, tripped on something and rolled the same ankle again as well as skinning both knees and do the most amazing face plant into the concrete footpath - skinning my chin and nose.  So not happy now and feeling very, very sorry for myself.  Took a while to stop hurting - everything hurt!  I suppose it was shock as well. 
Anyway that was the end of walking until last week!  Must admit I thought that Winter this year was very cold and very wet - well it was here in the Latrobe Valley, and I wasn't getting up out of bed at 5-00am to brave that.  Did so like the lie in to 6.50am though.  I know that the no exercise for 3+ months contributed to those 3.5 pesky kilograms - not to mention some not very wise choices in eating, but that's another story!

Sewing - Well I found all my sewing machines buried on the sideboard when I was cleaning up in January - they were still there last month when I did another tidy up.
Laura, my 15 year old wants me to make her dress for the school formal and she now tells me that it's in November - plenty of time!!!

Shoes - buying some more shoes  - this one I have accomplished!!!!  Heaven only knows where I'll wear some of them - but they look pretty.  They're all mainly black too although last week, I did put a pair of brown sandals on layby last week with a brown bag to match them.

Have bought some more patterns from the BMV site - they're so much cheaper than what we pay here in Australia - so, once I start sewing again, I'm all set!!

Jen

Wednesday 7 September 2011

School Formal Dress

My 15 year old daughter has asked me to make her, her dress for the year 10 school formal - to be held in October (I think!).
She saw a dress on Ebay some time ago, but it wasn't sold in her size.  I went shopping in Spotlight yesterday and found a couple of patterns, that I thought would meet her specifications and a couple of swatches of black lace.
She has decided on http://www.simplicity.com/Search.aspx?SearchTerm=2884&x=0&y=0
with a few modifications and has chosen black chantilly lace, which I'll need to get some more ordered in as there is not enough left on the bolt in the shop.  The dress is to be black with a black lace overlay and I think she's planning to wear long lace up converse's if she can find them!!
I'll need to take her measurements - she's grown just a little since I made her last dress for her grade 6 graduation, 4 years ago!  Will definitely be making a toile to check fit and to test my sewing as it's probably been that long since I've sewed anything!