in pursuit of organised-ness

It's finished! The duffle coat from Debbie Bliss' Ultimate Book of Baby Knits, was finally finished on new year's day. It's a lovely coat and a great fit for Evie. I made the 3-6 month size and it does have a bit of room to grow into. The knitting (all garter stitch) was very straight forward, unfortunately my making up needs a bit of work - but I won't let this put me off. The yarn used - Debbie Bliss Rialto DK - is lovely and soft and I love the colour. Plus I have 1 and a half left over balls of yarn, so may make a hat. I am  so pleased with this. I love the hood and cute little pockets, and will most likely make it in the next size up. (I would love to try and scale it up for me, but I think that's a bit beyond my skillset at the moment.) Now off to Tami's blog to see what everyone else has been up to...

A quick FO Friday post (as I'm meant to be packing for my weekend away!) to show you my first ever knitting commission . After showing off the sleeping bag I made for Evie I was asked to do one for a friend's nephew. There's a little pocket with J on (for Jude) & a footprint to use my new found embroidery skills. The bag (and pocket) were lined with a super soft fleecy blanket. I was left to my own devices to come up with colours & design, but it's gone down well & I am really pleased with it too. I don't think I'm going to get a chance to look at the other FOs til next week, unless I can get my packing done quickly - but you can go check out Tami's blog to see what everyone else has been up to.

I haven't had much time lately for crafting and didn't manage to post a FO last week. This week, I have a very little FO to show you. A little embroidered cupcake button using the free kit that came with Issue 7 of Mollie Makes magazine . I drew my design on the linen using a wipe off fabric marker... ... then I embroidered over my sketch ... .... and wiped off the marker pen using a damp cloth.... ... then I mounted the fabric on a button.  For my first attempt at embroidery and covering buttons, I am quite pleased. I love the sketchy feel and it has sparked an idea for a sampler for Evie. I am now going to check out the other FOs on Tamis blog .

As the last 2 challenges have been knitting related, and I have failed to complete either of them, I'm going to try something new. Here are some things I want to do in November. ONE Complete my pregnancy section of Evie's Scrapbook . TWO Post a FO Friday post every Friday in November. THREE Try embroidery.

Pattern : Debbie Bliss' Classic Cardigan, size 0-3 months Yarn : DK yarn from stash (don't tell Debbie!) Started : Sometime while I was pregnant Finished : 12th October 2011 This should have been posted last week, but better late than never, right? I was also hoping to have another FO to show off but baby & life have got in the way of knitting/crafting stuff.  I'm pretty happy with the cardigan, it was a lovely pattern to knit and I got to practice my making up skills, which I think are improving. I just wish I had made it with a better wool. (Sorry, Debbie, I definitely won't do it again!)  I'm now heading off to Tami's Blog to see what everyone else has done.

Alright so this FO is a bit of a cheat, but this week we finally finished re-decorating our living room. We started it nearly 2 years ago and on Wednesday put our new carpet down & sorted all of the cupboards out. (It's taken all week to sort, move everything around & clean, so there hasn't been much crafting going on - hence the cheating post!) It's lovely, so clean & tidy & cosy....I just wonder how long it will stay that way. Check out some other (proper) FOs on Tami's blog .

Pattern : Mug Cosy (not yet published) Yarn : Sirdar Supersoft Aran Needle Size : 4mm crochet hook Started : 27th September 2011 Finished : 27th September 2011 I can't believe it's time for another FO Friday! This is just a small one today as I am working on some quite big projects at the moment, though I haven't done very much knitting or crochet this week. I was asked to test out this pattern (to be published soon) which took me about an hour or so to crochet. It's quick and straightforward and would make a lovely personalised Christmas gift. Stick it in a hamper with some nice coffee and biscuits....not forgetting the mug! The one thing I really did want to show you finished was the cardigan for Evie as part of my September Challenge . However, once again I have managed to keep putting it off. Having said that I still have 6 hours of September left....maybe there's still time..... This post was inspired by Tami's Amis & Other Creations .

Pattern : Greemy Baby Booties Yarn : 4 ply baby cotton. (From my stash - can't remember the brand.) Needle Size : 3mm straight & DPN Started : 20th August 2011   Finished : 23rd September 2011 Well, I just about made it to this weeks FO Friday!  Apart from not changing yarn colour and using different yarn to that specified, I followed the pattern exactly. This is a quick and straightforward pattern, and I could happily make a few pairs to match Evie's outfits. Best of all, they stay on her feet - unlike the socks that she managed to kick off before I've managed to get the second one on! This post was inspired by a linky set up by Tami's Amis & Other Creations .

Pattern : Baby Cocoon Sack by Bernat Yarn : Lamb's Pride Worsted (Pistachio) & Cascade 220 (Cream), approx 1 skein of each for sack, plus oddments for flowers Needle Size : 4.5mm, circular, 3.75mm crochet hook for flowers Started : 20th July 2011 Finished : 16th September 2011 I didn't follow the pattern exactly as I just wanted the stripes rather than texture. I added the little crochet flowers & a button to make it a bit more girlie, and lined it with a light fleece blanket to make it super soft & cwtchy. Crochet flower embellishment Super soft & cwtchy fleece lining It was a pretty easy project as it was knit in the round and, apart from the lining & flowers, there was no making up to do. I am not entirely happy with the flowers, they look a bit thrown on at the moment, but I'm not sure how to improve this. Maybe by adding some leaves? (Any suggestions appreciated.) I will definitely experiment with the general shape of this bag and plan to make anot...