Crafting chat

[JackBauer]

Hi,

I know that a lot of you are busy crafting for christmas as should I be but I need to offload and thought it would be nice to have a thread we can offload about crafty stuff/other stuff/whatever amongst like minded fidgety fingers!

I spent today at teh soft play with DD's. DD1 has a friend in her class she has been begging to have over for lunch, but I don't really know her or her mum (they are 3) so we decided to take them both to soft play for lunch. It was fun, and she is lovely, but it meant I felt really awkward getting my crochet out in front of a relative stranger.
My mates are used to me doing crochet while talking to them but I thought she might think I was being rude, so I got nothing done. It was so weird sitting there doing nothing!

I have also been offered a job interview tomorrow for a low paying job I neither want, nor can afford to take with nursery fees etc so I have said I will go but now I don't want to.

On the plus side I have finally found a coat for ridiculously tall DD1 here considering she has just grown out of her 4-5 yr one I have to get a 6 yr olds size for her

And breathe.

Love that dino BTW, I have some green felt that might work well...hmmmm...another thing for my list

Sorry you've had a migraine, CharChar. Hope you feel much better soon.I used to get them as a teenager - not bloody funny.

Love the dino too, Dizzy.

No crafting again today, managed a little bit yesterday. On the bright side, DS2's pox are dry - Yey. But that means I'm back to work - Boo. And the crafting to do list is ignored til the weekend - Arse. Think I may have to put Christmas back a month.

How did you do the candied peel, Jack?

Glad to hear about the pox being clear. Did my good deed today for DD1's best friend who ahs pox, along with her big sister. They are both really gutted as the school play was today and her sister was a narrator, so we went through our (gigantic) craft crap box and made a bag of rock painting kits, and christmas stickers, paper, stamps etc and DD's drew them some pics.
Dropped it round to them earlier, their mum was most grateful at having distractions for a few more hours

Candied peel was so easy, and tastes like classy chocolate orange.

QUarter orange and peel it, slice peel into cm strips and then take as much pith off as you can (easiest to do it like filleting fish, lay it skin side down and hold flat knife, and run it along)
Then boil up 500ml water with 150g sugar per 2 oranges for 5 minutes. Add peel and simmer without stirring for a few hours until liquid is quarter its original size.
Drain peels and dip in caster sugar then lay on rack in very low oven to dry out.
When dry dip in melted chocolate (I used milk, but plain would be much better)

All done yesterday afternoon. Cos you don't need to do much to it apart from slicing and dipping in sugar it's very child friend;y. I sliced while they had lunch and then DD1 helped me dip it in sugar and choc.

Going to try making hard candy tomorrow...its my first go with my proper sugar thermometer liberated from my grandpas kitchen

Oh, meant to add, am making gift boxes tonight out of some christmas card (form lidl last year) using www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Gift-Box-out-of-a-Greeting-Card this method. They look very cool, am making sort of dvd size (but a bit smaller) ones out of a4 card cut in 2 for hats I have made and am going to make more cube shape ones for sweets to go in.

Oh man I am wrecked and only just noticed my Link Fail there. here they are they look so cool
FInished packing (apart from clothes in the tumble dryer), finished all presents, made hard boiled sweet type mints today, complete nightmare, my worksurface will never be the same after I had to chisel the frigging sugar off after it set!
Then DD1 helped make peppermint creams.
Presents look awesome in their little boxes, tied together with string, veyr cool, (suck it Kirstie Allsop...)

Love the boxes - might have to have a go.

I'm a little confused by your use of the word 'finished' - I'm not sure I'm familiar with the concept...

Hello everybody Can't believe how productive you've been Jack, put everyone else to shame! (Was I supposed to get an email off you btw? Because I haven't had one.) Glad DS2 is better Knotty, hope everyone manages to stay healthy for you for a bit!

I'm going to have to get a move on now, sooo much to do. Nearly finished my craft swap but I'm a bit stumped with how to finish it off, will have to keep thinking. I'm going to make DD some salt dough in a bit and she can mess with that while I get on with things.

Sorry Char, resent.
Am at family christmas holiday so only checking in quick before dinner...

Wow, Jack! You've done loads!

My knitting is coming along. I should definitely have the back of the sweater finished this evening.

I'm going to have a look online for silicon moulds.

Hello all

Well, i have been a bit slack lately, but i went to see my grandma on friday and raided her button box and sewing basket so have some lovely little bits and bobs now

Last night i learnt how to blanket stitch (not very hard, but really wanted to suss it) and today my snowflake cookie cutters arrived so may have a go making snowflake cookies later. Tried to get edible glitter in Hobbycraft, but apparently theirs is only 'non-toxic' not really 'edible' so going to try to find some from somewhere else.

Woohoo I've just finished my first silk painting effort. Despite the photo it looks a lot better in real life. I feel another addiction coming on!

Now I need to get on and finish off the Christmas parcel to send for the swap!

I have weaving in to do still to finish christmas stuff, and my friend had a boy today so I have made 2 crochet booties for him.
Am going to make a blanket later, as I know she won't mind waiting a few days for a pressie.
Was thinking of doing it as rainbow stripes, I have red orange etc but no violet, and not much orange or yellow, so was thinking of doing big fat stripes in red, green and violet if I can find a ball, and then the other in thinner stripes. Will be nice and bright though!

Also ordered a load of fabric today from fabricland, some for my friends new changing bag and some for a new bag for me. I got some grey soft suiting fabric and some very funky pink with vintage style tattoos on for a lining.

So mroe projects added!

Oh TIBS, that's gorgeous!

I have finished the back of the sweater and cast on for the front.

TwoIf, the silk painting is lovely!

Alice, I've never heard of edible glitter before.

helloooooooooooooo!

Just popping on quickly to get this back on my threads I am on list.
Been having interent trauma the last two weeks, but eventually found the only helpful person in AOL.
Of course it is no-ones fault that my interent is crap. Grrrrr.

Off to listen to hold music some more.

Aagh, there is glitter everywhere Really got to get my arse in gear. Still not quite finished my swap present, or my MN secret santa thing! Am so rubbish.
Got some more yanr in town today to make a top for me. Got nothing done as I decided to be spontaneous and took DD's on the bus ito town to the soft play. Am so tired

Howdee all.

Nearly done with the swap thingy although may have to wait a couple of days to post as it's DS1's turn to have the pox and we are in the 'quarantine' period. In many ways I'm pleased because at least it's this week and not next, which really would have spoilt the little fella's Christmas. So I'm hoping that tomorrow he'll be wanting to chill out on the sofa while I frantically make stuff. Not holding my breath though.

Have also added more to my list. Must. Stop. That. Tis. Mighty. Stoopid.

TIBS, silk painting is addictive. Also very calming...now tempted to dig out my paints. Probably what I need at the mo.

I've just added another thing to my list, haven't I? Muppet.

I managed to get 22 out of 24 advent stockings done before running out of steam, but I'd already eaten all the chocies I'd bought to put in them. So now they are a stocking garland.

Also made my neice a pinky, floofy skirt. I nearly kept it myself, team it with wooly tights and biker boots and job done on the punky-retro-mummy look.

See the evidence over here

I was also busy making ketchup, chilli chutney, christmas biscuits and oriellettes.

All in time to visit family last weekend.
I had high hopes to make DD a new frock and to make more biscuits for babygroup christmas party on Monday, but in the end opted for the only clean dress she had left and a tin of biccies from Iceland. Ah well, no-one else knew.

I haven't managed to locate any silicon moulds for making the crayon cakes/shapes.
Can anyone recommend a place online?

I may try it with my normal bun-tins though.

The skirt is lovely steaknife, and the advent stockings are very cute.

here that's where I got mine from anyway.

Cute skirt steak, great idea, shall have to add that.....

Have finally finished everything for christmas! only got blanket and bag for my friend to do, done boots and hat so will drop them later, adn the rest can wait a little bit so I can relax for a few days, finally!

Jack you star.
I'd searched under silicon moulds without the 'e' and not got all the lovely shapes.
I've ordered some fruit shapes, hopefully they'll come soon as I'd like to do them for DS and DN christmas.

Hope they have arrived/will arrive soon.

I have been busy, made a rainbow striped buggy blanket (with a gap for a crotch strap) and a matching rainbow striped hat for my friends new DS. Was sobering to find that not only did I have every colour of the rainbow in my stash, I had a choice of shades for most of them

I am now projectless. I havea bag to do for my friend but that needs the sewing machine which I can't get out while DD2 is not well as it scares her
I need to think of something to crochet but am feeling so uninspired, in the last fwe weeks I have made countless fricking hats and scarves, lots of flowers and a few blankets (soem small dolls ones for DD's as well as the stripy one)

Do I want a big project like the hooded top I have seen? Or something less complicated? Aaaagh!

No 1 quilt is finished and parcelled up and given yesterday.

No 2 (the one for DS) is all cut out.

No 3 (the one for DD) is mostly made from pre-cut squares so at least I don't have to do much cutting there!!

Best get back to my machine

Nice.
I really want to start a doll quilt but I want something portable as well.
Have done a tension square for my hooded top and discovered that where it is supposed to have 13 rows I have 6
I cannot work out how to fix it!

The mould arrived this morning, so I'll do the crayons later.

I was thinking of making some biscuits, but not sure if I've got time.

The sweater I'm knitting is still some way off being finished. I'll have to finish it though, as I won't get chance to buy anything if it isn't!

Jack, have you crocheted any little toys? Amigurumi thingies?