All The Live Long Day: Knitting

Showing posts with label Knitting. Show all posts

Tuesday, 12 June 2012

Debbie Bliss Pattern Winner

I have certainly waited long enough to come forward with the announcement of the winner of the knitting pattern booklet, so just a quick drum roll now for commenter number 4, Grace! Email me your details and I will send your prize off to you as soon as!

Thank you, everybody who took part and left a comment!

Wednesday, 30 May 2012

Alright, then.

Seeing as that is the only bit of blue left in the London sky at the moment, I thought I might as well give you those updates on my projects I was talking about yesterday (when I said I did not feel like blogging...). I will just assume that me deciding to wash our pillows and duvet today is just coincidental with the weather deciding to give us some rain. Anything else is just too messed up to think about it! Well, at least I got almost everything dry before the first drops fell.
So, here is update number one, for le sky scarf:

I have arranged all my balls of wool neatly in cups and glasses on a tray. So far, everything has stayed tangle-free. It also lets me easily store the project on the living room cabinet, well out of the way of my darling cats.

You can see that since I started at the beginning of May, the weather has been pretty grey, except for the last glorious week and a half. I have not yet used any of the deep summer blue, but fortunately also none of the thunderstorm grey. Although today I might have to...

Update number two is for the wedding quilt:

I'm done with cutting out the squares. All 270 of them! Suddenly this project is starting to seem a bit daunting again. But it's been fun so far, and I can see the finished quilt vaguely in my mind. Onwards and upwards, ho! I believe it can be achieved.

Which leaves update number three, my lovely craft room:

The floor turned out beautiful! Whenever I go upstairs now, I need to factor in about 10 minutes of staring at the light wood and the pretty wallpaper. I have not moved in yet, before that happens I will need a trip to Ikea and the hardware store to get supplies to build a desk and shelves. This won't happen until after we're back from Germany. But that's okay, as I have been using the room as a workshop for refurbishing a little cabinet that is going to go next to my side of the bed. Yay! That's another project I will hopefully be able to show you soon!

Wednesday, 23 May 2012

Debbie Bliss Pattern Giveaway

Today I am giving away a little booklet with 6 new Debbie Bliss knitting patterns. Why, you ask me? Well, because I love you, Silly! And because this little booklet was shot just around the corner from where I live. That butcher's shop window the model is leaning against? We often get their delicious sausages for our barbecues. The bar in the restaurant where the dog is drinking? I booked my birthday dinner there! So I got pretty excited when I first saw this collection and got one copy for myself (even though the patterns are maybe a bit advanced for my knitting capabilities) and one for one of you!

The tops you can knit following these patterns are all classic and elegant. Plus you might feel close to me while you're looking at the photos, and imagine what it would be like to meet up for a coffee and a chat in your new knitted cardi! Mwah! Check below how you can win!

Here is how you can enter:

1) MANDATORY - Leave a comment below and tell me about your favourite shop/café/restaurant in your area.

2) OPTIONAL - For one more entry, follow my blog via Google Friend Connect and leave a separate comment if you are.

3) OPTIONAL - If you blog or tweet about this giveaway, please leave the link to your post or your tweet in another separate comment and you will be entered in the draw once more. You can use this tweet if you like: Win a @debbieblissnews pattern booklet! Check out @Live_Long_Day's blog to see how: http://www.allthelivelongday.com/2012/05/debbie-bliss-pattern-giveaway.html

Please make sure you leave one comment for each action and that you provide some kind of contact detail that I can reach you at in case you win. The giveaway is open to anyone, anywhere in the world.

The giveaway will close at midnight (GMT) on Saturday, 2 June 2012 and I will draw a random comment and announce the winner the week after.

GOOD LUCK!

Tuesday, 17 April 2012

Knit The Sky

I got some special mail the other day. I had ordered a wool kit from Leafcutter Designs, with all the ingredients to knit myself a piece of sky. I am not sure anymore when and how I found out about Leafcutter Designs and its creator Lea but I had previously used her post service. Lea's website is full of wondrous things and services that inspire the imagination.

Lea latest project revolves around 'conceptual knitting' and the 'sky scarf' was her first idea. My parcel contained 5 skeins of soft laceweight alpaca yarn in all the colours of the sky, a project patch and instructions.

The idea is to watch the sky and its changing colours every day for a year and then to knit two rows in the colour yarn that is most accurate in order to create a representation of your local weather. Lea explains it better herself:

I am going to start my scarf on my birthday in May, so by the time my next birthday comes up, I will be able to look back on what the previous year in my life was like, at least weather-wise. I feel really connected with the idea behind this project, because sky-gazing is one of my favourite pastimes!
Mae was feeling connected with the project, too, especially when I unwound the skeins into balls:

While Missy was trying to appear well-behaved and just watched:

Thursday, 1 December 2011

Today Is World Aids Day

Today, people all over the world are involved in research that will make life easier for people with HIV and campaigning to bring a halt to the virus' spread.

Today, people all over the world will be contracting HIV, despite everything that is being done to raise awareness.

Today, I will be wearing a red ribbon. Today, I will be donating to Body & Soul, a charity that looks after children, young people and families living with HIV. Today, I am happy that I am giving some of my time to The Food Chain every month. Today, I am grateful for my own health, and the health of the people I love.

Today, I am asking you to remember that yet more needs to be done in the fight against AIDS, every day.

If you would like to read up on World Aids Day, HIV and ways you could help fight it, please have a look here.

Much Love,