Macaron madness! (and other stuff)

Hiiii!

 

I hope you have all been having a lovely week and it's Friday tomorrow so the weekend is not far away either :)

 

As I mentioned in my last post, the Saturday just gone I took my mum for a cream tea at Hush Brassieres in London- it was very nice and they had mini macarons. I wasn't sure if I even liked macarons (I didn't think I did) but after one bite I was hooked- they were soo tasty and fun!

 

When I went out with my family on Sunday my dad treated me to a box of mini macarons (just like the ones from the cream tea) from Marks and Spencers. I have been very much enjoying working my way through them:

 

Mmmm yummy!

 

I have officially been bitten by the macaron bug as on Tuesday this week after I finished early at college I tried making some of my own raspberry ones. I wasn't sure how they would come out as I had never made them before and had heard that they are notoriously difficult. I did some searching on the internet and found this youtube video: click here! I followed all her tips to the letter and left them with their filling inside in the fridge overnight (to moisten slightly) and they were almost perfect, apart from they weren't the pinky colour they were supposed to be as I couldn't get any food colouring :P:

 

 

 

I was so proud! I still have to hone my skills as I think I may have got a bit lucky how they came out with their feet and everything first time. I shared them with the girls at college who said they were really tasty so I was happy- I thought they did have the right macaron texture and flavour :)

 

And Just in case I hadn't made enough macarons already I ended up creating a pattern for a crocheted macaroon that evening! lol:

 

I think it is quite kawaii- now all that is left to do is make up lots in different colours (or flavours :P).

 

Hehehe, in other non-macaron related news yesterday after college one of the 3rd years ran a mini recycling project thing (as part of his final year project) which was really fun. We got to work with wrappers which was cool as I like to use these in crafty ways too. We made oyster card holders by fusing plastics together with the heat from irons and then sewing the plastics together. Here are mine:

 

One skips one...

 

And one Cadburys marvellous creations on (I love this chocolate!!!)...

 

I will definitely be using the heat technique to maker more wrapper stuff in the future!

The last instalment in this rather long post is a couple of pictures of the tasty food I ate at Giraffe - a really fun restaurant I went with my family on Sunday and a picture of my Ice cream from the Harvester which I went to with a friend from college today :) It was all so good, I had to share it with you guys!

 

This is the Farmers market burrito from Giraffe, sorry the picture is a bit blurry I was excited to get eating it :P:



 

and here is my brownie and ice cream dessert from Giraffe:

 

Warm, gooey and sweet- delicious!

 

I will definitely be going back to Giraffe as the food was really good and tasted really fresh :)

Hehe, and last but not least my minty aero Harvester sundae:

 



 

Again, very good, but safe to say I didn't need any dinner today and am also a bit worried about possibly having to do a corset fitting tomorrow, lol :P I actually went with the girl who I am making a corset for but luckily I did her fitting this morning, before we went and ate tons of salad bar and ice cream!

Sorry- I am done now! You can go and rest your eyes now :-P

Speak to you all again very soon,

Byeeeeeeeee xxxxx

A non-chocolatey chocolate challenge!

Hi everyone,

About a week ago me and my family went into London for the day. We picked up lunch in Marks and Spencers where we found some walnut whips which we also got. I hadn't tried them before but they were actually very tasty. They are basically chocolate with a fluffy vanilla/marshmallowy type filling and a little walnut on top. A few days later I made some similar things of my own and they were quite tasty too.

 

I was talking to my friend Springmusician over at My life, my thoughts, my hobbies and she said she had been meaning to make a knitted version of the tasty treat for her mum. I thought a crafty version of the walnut whip was a super great idea so we decided to turn it into a non-chocolatey chocolate challenge and both create our own different versions and post them on our blogs today!

 

Here is a picture of the original walnut whip:

Image from: here

 

mmmm..... I really fancy one now :P

 

 

And here is my crocheted/knitted (I used a bit of both) version- my entry for our challenge :D:

 

 

It was super fun to create, I can't wait to  see Springmusician's creation

  

If anyone else would like to join in on our non- chocolately walnut whip chocolate challenge, just for fun, feel free- the more the merrier. Knitted, crocheted, sewn or even paper craft, all are welcome! Just leave a comment below with a link to your post or send a picture to me at iitki@hotmail.co.uk and I will share them on my blog :)

 

Funny enough I am going on a chocolate tasting tour around London today, hehehe, I wonder if any walnut whips will be included in that :0P

 

See you all soon,

 

Bye Bye XXOOXXOO

 

Crochet box

Hello,

 

Some of you may remember the tutorial for the crisp packet coaster I did a while ago (if not it is on the free pattern page if you want to check it out :)

 

I kept saying to myself I wanted to turn some into a box but never did. Finally about a week ago I got round to it and sewed a few of the coasters I made a while ago into this little pencil pot:

 

 

It was sitting in my room and my brother said he really liked him so I said he could have it- it was just my little experiment but now it has a home :-P

I might try making some large versions of the coasters- placement size to make table setting sets and maybe even try making some boxes with lids- I will do some more experimenting!

See you all soon,

Bye xxx

Gift Wrap Giveaway!!!

Hi guys,

 

I thought it was about time for another giveaway- this time I thought I would make it a bit different though :) Usually I give away things you can add to your creations but this time I thought I would giveaway a bundle of items you can wrap your creations with so that you can have fun making them extra pretty for when you give them to people as gifts!

 

Here is the prize package:

 

 

- A packet of butterfly stickers (to decorate labels or notes :-)

- 5 crochet heart danglies (made by me, to tie onto bags etc...)

- 8 large coloured parcel labels

- 8 cute mini white labels

- 8 pink stripe candy gift bags

- And 3 little ladybird clips

 

Here are some close ups:

 

The giveaway is open to anyone, anywhere, any age!

 

All you have to do to enter is:

 

1. Be a follower

2. Leave a comment below

(Make sure to include some way for me to contact you in case you win e.g. a ravelry name or a blog/email address :-)

 

And if you want, just for fun you can mention in your comment your fave ever gift you have made someone :P

 

Giveaway entries are open 1st of June and the winner will be announced on the same day.

 

I hope you like the prizes and gooood luck!

 

See you soon,

 

Byeee

xxx

KCBWDAY7: Looking Forward

Day Seven (Sunday April 28th): Looking ForwardOne year from now, when the 5th Knitting and crochet blog week rolls around, where do you hope your crafting will have taken you to? What new skills, projects and experiences do you hope you might have conquered or tried?

This could be anything from mastering a technique (broomstick lace, entrelac, etc), trying a new yarn or skill, or a long term wish to crochet only from your stash, or knit every stitch in one of the Harmony Guides. Maybe you have no desire or plans for your craft at all, no new element of knitting or crochet that you dream of mastering, in which case write about why that might be. In a year's time participants will be asked to look back to see if they achieved any goals, no matter how general, and see which house conquered the art of looking forward.

Hi, welcome back for the last day of KCBW4!

 

This year the things I would like to do are:

 

• Try crochet intarsia (I've been saying I will for ages!)
• Make an item of clothing using knitting/crochet (as normally I make little toys or accessories)
• Try some more knitting with dpns- I have only done it once!
• Do some free form crochet/knitting; I might make the free from crochet vest I designed for the mascot project as part of this KCBW :)
• Design and make more of my own cute toys :3
• Try some more cable knitting- I have done it a few times but am not a master yet :P
• And finally- my last aim is to just keep exploring the yarn crafts and try out more techniques and skills that maybe I haven't even heard of yet!

Thank you all for joining me for this KCBW and thanks to Eskimimi Makes for coming up with different post challenges and running the blog week again :-D

 

See you soon (the tutorial I have been mentioning is coming up next!)

 

Bye xxx

KCBWDAY6: A Tool To Covet

Day Six (Saturday April 27th): A Tool To Covet Write about your favourite knitting or crochet (or spinning, etc) tool. It can either be a tool directly involved in your craft (knitting needles or crochet hook) or something that makes your craft more pleasurable – be it a special lamp, or stitch markers.

Is it an item that you would recommend to others, and if so for which applications/tasks do you think it is most suited. Conversely, do you have a tool/accessory that you regret buying? Why does it not work for you?

Hi again!

 

I have decided to dedicate my tool post to my humble pair of size 4mm knitting needles and my 3.75mm and 3.5mm crochet hooks, and here they are:

 

I chose my 4mm knitting needles as they are a size I have used for many, many projects. They are a size that feel comfortable to hold in the hand and use and are also the size I always seem to require when I do charity knitting :) For these reasons I have developed a love for this  specific pair!

 

I chose these two crochet hooks specifically as they are the sizes I most often use in my projects so, I suppose in a way they hold a lot of memories :0) All the little amigurumis, crochet hearts, flowers, gifts etc...

 

Hehehe, who ever thought some metal sticks could bring so much happiness, even by just looking at them! :-)

 

See you all tomorrow for the finale of knitting and crochet blog week,

 

Bye xxx

KCBWDAY5: Something A Bit Different

Day Five (Friday April 26th): Something A Bit Different It’s the annual challenge to blog in a way different to how you normally blog. You may choose to create a podcast, or vlog, create a wordless post or write in verse. You've already stretched your wings with an infographic, now it's time to freestyle. You can post on any topic you like, but be sure to post in a style different from your usual blog presentation. There's not too much guidance for this one simply because the more varied the posts are on this day, the wider the sources of information for other bloggers will be. Bonus points if you manage to work your house animal in somehow.

Hello everyone :-)

For my 'something different' post I decided to make up some mix up/ make anagrams of 12 knitting and crochet related words for a mini quiz! Let me know how many you all get first time- without using the clues! :P (hehehe, there are answers at the bottom in case you get really stuck :o)

Here they are:

 

1. TAPNERT

2. LEDBOU TINK

3. KOHO

4. LEDNEES

5. RAYN

6. LOWO

7. LIPS CHISTT

8. TACS NO

9. STARINIA

10. GUMMIRUIA

11. RETLEB

12. GOCKTINS

 

 

And here are the clues :):

 

1. What knitters/crocheters follow

2. A weight of yarn

3. The main tool in crochet

4. The main tool in knitting

5. A stash wouldn't exist without this!

6. What some yarn is made from

7. A type of stitch in both knitting and crochet

8. What you have to do before you start knitting

9. A knitting technique involving changing colours while you work

10. A Japanese crochet style

11. A type of crochet stitch

12. A type of knitting stitch

 

 

hope you have fun doing my quiz :D I had a lot of fun making it up!

 

See you all again very soon,

 

Byeeee XxXxXx :)

 

(Answers: 1. Pattern, 2. Double Knit, 3. Hook, 4. Needles, 5. Yarn, 6. Wool, 7. Slip Stitch, 8. Cast On, 9. Intarsia, 10. Amigurumi, 11. Treble, 12. Stocking)

KCBWDAY4: Colour Review

Day Four (Thursday April 25th): Colour ReviewWhat are your favourite colours for knitted or crocheted projects. Have a think about what colours you seem to favour when yarn shopping and crafting.

Only after writing this part of your post should you then actually look to see what colours you have used in your projects. Make a quick tally of what colours you have used in your projects over the past year and compare it to the colours you have written about. Compare this, in turn, to the colours that are most dominant in your yarn stash – do they correlate?

Now think back to your house animal - do the colours you have chosen relate to your animal in anyway - if you are in the house of peacock, for example, are your projects often multicoloured and bright?


Hi,

Well pink is pretty much one of my favourite colours so I am often drawn to that but when it comes to yarn I generally just go for BRIGHT! as I really like to make cute little amigurmi characters and toys and I often feel bright makes them look the most cute and fun :) Though I find myself drifting to more and more pastel colours like lilac, baby blue and cotton candy pink- probably because they are cute too (and as can be guessed from the name of my blog I really like cute things :), however they are a bit more subtle. My current preference for pastels in projects will probably reflect itself in my crafting stash soon however currently it just looks like a rainbow has been put in a blender :P - Very very bright and lots of variety, which is good really because it makes me happy when I look at it and I always have the colour I need :)

 

I suppose my projects/stash do reflect my house animal the bee as bees love bright colours, like those of flowers and love to buzz from one colour flower to the next to the next just like me and my choice of colour for projects!

See you all tomorrow :D

Bye xxx

KCBWDAY3: Infographic

Day Three (Wednesday April 24th): Infographic There are many ways of conveying information on a blog; text and images being the two most widely used. Many infographics combine both these elements to provide a visual way of presenting text information.

Make your own infogaphic (no fancy imaging software needed, you can draw it on paper and photograph it if you want) to convey any element of your craft(s). It can be just for fun or a thoroughly researched presentation of an idea/finding.

Hola!

Here is my infographic, I will let it speak for itself :) :

 

 

Hehehehe :o) Another fun challenge,

 

See you soon,

 

Byeeee xxx

 

P.S. I have now prepared the tutorial for the special project I mentioned before blog week started and will be posting that shortly after this week :D So check back soon!

KCBWDAY2: A Mascot Project

Day Two (Tuesday April 23rd): A Mascot Project.Your task today is to either think of or research a project that embodies that house/animal. It could be a knitting or crochet pattern – either of the animal itself or something that makes you think of the qualities of that house. Alternatively it could be a type or colour of yarn, or a single button. Whatever you choose, decide upon a project and blog about how and why it relates to your house/creature. You do not have to make this project! It is simply an exercise in blogging about how you come to decide upon what projects to make. Try and blog about the journey which inspiration and investigating patterns, yarns, stitches, (etc) can often guide you through. You may wish to make a collage or 'mood board' to present several ideas, or even sketch out your own design.

Hey,

As posted yesterday I have chosen house Bee :-)

The project I have decided to post about is trying out some free- form crochet. It seems really fun as you just go with the flow- whatever stitches you want, wherever you want, whenever you want :) And often the kind of patterns produced remind me of flowers of fields- like the one a bee would think of as heaven!

Here are some cool examples I found online:

Image from: here!

 

Image from: here!

 

 

And here is my project I have come up with, a flower field inspired- pastel coloured- free form crochet summer vest :)

 

 

I just did a quick sketch and colour sample on paint to give you all an idea, don't examine it too carefully- it is only very rough and you can't really plan free form crochet!, lol :P

 

Hehehe, I really enjoyed today's post challenge- Apart from I have now ended up with another project I want to start and I have got too many on the go already! (All the other bumble bees will probably feel my pain :0)

 

See you all again tomorrow,

 

Bye! xxx

 

4KCBWDAY1: The House Cup

Day One (Monday April 22nd): The House Cup.A bit like Harry Potter, but not quite, this year’s Knitting & Crochet Blog Week is split into 4 houses. Don your favourite knitted or crocheted hat and let it guide you to which house you will be in.

Hello everyone!

 

Today's challenge as you can see is to choose your house, there were 4; monkey, bee, manatee and peacock. I have chosen house Bee :)

 

The House of Bee: Bees are busy and industrious, but can flit from one interesting project to the next as bright and shiny things capture their interest.

 

My reasoning for this is that I am never ever without a project- in fact I usually have several on the go at the same time! Mainly beacuse I start one and then am inspired by another yarn, or pattern or just have another idea for another project and get excited to start on that too. I do end up finishing them all (...well most of the time) I just end up doing a lot of juggling :P

 

Hehehe I think the house idea for this year is great! I can't wait to see what other houses people chose- I wonder how many fellow bumble bees there are out there? :0)

 

See you all tommorrow,

 

Byeeee xxxXxxXxXXx

Knitting and crochet blog week 4 starts tomorrow!

Hi,

The 4th ever (my thrid!) Knitting and crochet blog week starts tommorrow!

 

Woooo! I am so excited!!! :D

 

I will see you all tommorrow for the start of a whole week of fun :)

 

Bye xxx

Little bits and bobs :)

Hello everyone,

 

Today I just had a couple of little mini projects to show you. First is this little felt pasty:

 

 

I made it for my mum as she had to go to the hospital (nothing serious) and I wanted to make her a little mascot to let her know I was thinking of here. She really liked it and my dad thought she should be called Patsy pasty so that is her name now! :)

 

My other little project has been these little crochet keys:

 

 

I haven't quite perfected the pattern yet but when I do I may put it up. I think I might make a few and turn them into some crochet jewellery which will hopefully look cool!

 

I'm off now to finish of another of my projects which I have been working on which I will be making into a tutorial soon....

 

... I will leave you on that cliffhanger :P hehehe!

 

See you all soon,

 

Bye XxXxXxXx

 

Hello again!

Hello!,

 

It has been longer between posts that normal because for the last few days I have been the Isle Of Wight and we didn't really have Internet access there so I couldn't come chat to you :P I had a great time, I got some great fabric bargains and I also bought and ate alot of yummy handmade fudge- honeycomb and millionaire shortcake flavour, mmmmmmmmm! Hehehe I still have some left but I am sure not for long :0)

 

In the evenings I also managed to get a lot further on the Twinkie Chan Pizza scarf I started making ages ago, I just have the sauce, crust and toppings left to do now:

 

 

It is very long, I'm sure it will keep m very warm, even though it is coming up to summer that is still good as I am always cold!

 

Before I went away I also finished this Dolphin cross stitch kit:

 

I think it is soo sweet. I have got a little collection of mini cross stitch kits that I have finished building up. I will have to start thinking of something to do with them :P

 

I hope you have all been having a nice time and now I am back I am thinking of doing another giveaway soon so keep your eyes peeled! :)

 

See you soon,

 

Byeeeeee XxXxXxX

Coasters galore :P

Hi guys!

Nearer to Christmas I am hoping to get to sell some of my crafty items so I have been starting to prepare my stock, lol :P I thought I would start with a few crocheted crisp packet coasters as they are fun to make and I think people would think they were quite fun :0) hehehe, I say some, I have cut out 25 here are some of them:

It is good to finally put a use to some of the wrappers I have stashed for ages! Some of the wrappers (like the Doritos one) are ones I collected whilst I was in Cyprus last year, I love collecting wrappers from different places with all the different languages on them and stuff :)

I'm off now to finish some more off, then I can plan my next bit of 'stock' to get making :-)

See you all soon,

Bye XXX

Cute orange blob!

Hi everyone,



I was watching TV the other day when this advert came on:

I was captivated by its super cute-ness (and awesome dancing routine!) The advert makes me so happy :D I think he is called Zingy :0)

I watched the advert about 20 times on youtube and really wanted my own Zingy, sadly they don't sell them yet, soo I decided to make my own little guy :-)

He seemed to like it outside in the advert so I thought I would take my creation outside too, I think he liked it...

Hehehe :D

 (I promise I will put the pattern for Zingy up soon, I have just got to get it all typed up and everything)

I'm off now as Zingy said he would teach me his dance routine, lol! :P

I hope you are all having a lovely week!

See you all soon,

Bye XxXxX

Summer bolero - finished!

Hello everyone,

I finished my bolero!!! :D I was so happy that it came out how I wanted that, despite the weather not being that great today, I donned my new bolero anyway (with a long sleeved top underneath though - it was much to cold for the vest top and shorts I planned to wear it with!) and set off on the canal boat trip, which was very fun (but rainy!)

Hehehe, here is me modelling it......

I am hoping it will get lots of wear over the summer :)

In other news I made one of my crochet crisp packet coasters for my driving instructor :-) Last lesson we were having a chat about recycling and my crafting and when I was saying about bags I have seen made from recycled packets and my crocheted crisp packet coasters and my instructor was intrigued on how textiles/crochet could be mixed with food wrappers, So I made her this one:

I hope she likes it, I get to give it to her tomorrow :0)

I hope you all had a nice weekend/bank holiday!

See you all soon,

Bye xxxXxxx

3KCBWDAY7 - Crafting Balance

Hi,

I can't believe it is the last day of knitting and crochet blog week already! It has gone so quick! Ahhh well they say 'time flys when your having fun'!

Crafting Balance Are you a knitter or a crocheter, or are you a bit of both? If you are monogamous in your yarn-based crafting, is it because you do not enjoy the other craft or have you simply never given yourself the push to learn it? Is it because the items that you best enjoy crafting are more suited to the needles or the hook? Do you plan on ever trying to take up and fully learn the other craft? If you are equally comfortable knitting as you are crocheting, how do you balance both crafts? Do you always have projects of each on the go, or do you go through periods of favouring one over the other? How did you come to learn and love your craft(s)?

I am very happy to say I can both crochet and knit! :D

I started knitting because I wanted to make knitted toys like I kept seeing in the shops. My mum taught me the basics like how to cast on and off and knit and purl stitch and now I am continuing to learn new knitting techniques myself :)

I came to learn crochet because in all the knitting magazines I bought there would always be crochet patterns and it made me sad when I saw cool projects but couldn't make them. I felt like a whole fun-filled world was closed off especially when I saw super cute amigumi patterns! I found it quite hard to learn crochet as I had to completely teach myself. No one I knew knew how to crochet so they couldn't steer me in the right direction when I was  getting things wrong but with the help of Youtube and the very friendly people over at Ravelry I got there in the end and I am so happy I did :-) Now I am continuing work on learning more advanced crochet skills such as different stitches and as I mentioned yesterday I reallly want to try crochet intarsia soon.

In answer to how I balance my crafts, it usually just happens! :0P I choose (or design :o) a project that I want to do, whether it be crochet or knitting, and usually I end up alternating between knitting and crochet. I think I will start being more concious soon to make sure I get learning all those skills I want to learn for both crafts!

 Thank you all soo much for reading my posts this week (and thanks for all the other times you have stopped by and read them :) I hope you had fun! I have had TONS!!! of fun and have read so many interesting posts but other knitting and crochet bloggers :D

Thank you very much to Eskimimi makes for organsing the whole thing!

See you all again very soon,

Bye xxxXxx

3KCBWDAY6 - Improving Your Skillset

Hola!

Improving Your Skillset How far down the road to learning your craft do you believe yourself to be? Are you comfortable with what you know or are you always striving to learn new skills and add to your knowledge base? Take a look at a few knitting or crochet books and have a look at some of the skills mentioned in the patterns. Can you start your amigurumi pieces with a magic circle, have you ever tried double knitting, how's your intarsia? If you are feeling brave, make a list of some of the skills which you have not yet tried but would like to have a go at, and perhaps even set yourself a deadline of when you'd like to have tried them by.
 
In answer to the first question in the challenge description I don't think I could ever reach the end of my knitting and crochet road! There are so many skills out there to try and to learn I think it would take more than a lifetime to master them all and that is partly what I like about crafting, your experience constantly grows as you try new skills and there are always new skills out there to try :)

I think my crocheting has definitely improved though I can start crochet with a magic circle and I have even made my own crochet hat pattern (my domo hat!) I can do intarsia knitting but I think something I really do want to try is crochet intarsia as I haven't yet tried this, I can change colours to make stripes but not create pictures and stuff by changing colours in crochet.

I would also like to work creating more clothing pieces and learning some of the construction techniques and general skills that go along with making those ( I still haven't tried making a full jumper or socks!!!). I would also like to try more knitting and crochet stitches and maybe create some interesting designs with them :) I have improved my cableing skills this year though!

One skill I am really happy to have learnt recently is how to make felt beads using warm water :-) That was super fun, I tried that when I made my mum's mothers day bracelet.

I know it is not knitting or crochet but I think my sewing is coming along (and my cross stitch skills are increasing too, mainly thanks to Laura from Cute crocheted creations for getting me into it :-) I really want to try sewing some of my own clothes soon for me I have sewn clothes for my Blythes and little toys and brooches but nothing that big really- yet!

I must also try knitting on DPN's soo too!!!!

Hehehe, See you all tommorow for the last day of knitting and crochet blog week!

Byeeeeeee xx

3KCBWDAY5 - Something A Bit Different!

Something A Bit Different It's back, and this time it has the most amazing of prizes (look for the prize for 'most creative post'). This was a massive success last year, and for many it was the highlight of the Blog Week, so this year you are challenged, again, to find a new way of blogging.
This is an experimental blogging day to try and push your creativity in blogging to the same level that you perhaps push your creativity in the items you create.There are no rules of a topic to blog about but this post should look at a different way to present content on your blog.