Launch of Itaggy

Hi Guys

Well after a long long break from blogging, I am popping in to say Hello.  I have been keeping upto date with all your blogs.

I have been really busy launching my own business Itaggy  www.itaggy.com

Itaggy  - Personalised and unique baby comfort blankets.

If anyone was interested, free postage throughout July and August within the UK!


Each Itaggy is made using an assortment of different coloured and textured ribbons which babies love to play with, and an essential aid for falling asleep and feeling safe and secure with. 

Every Itaggy is available in a range of  fabrics, designs and sizes.  You choose the fabric, you choose the colour scheme and add your personalised details.  Then we create the most perfect individual item your baby will cherish.

Personalised items are embroidered , so will never fade.

Every Itaggy is made to British Standard on Safety of Toys BSEN71

CE marking.  Every Itaggy conforms with health and safety requirements set out in the European Directives.  

Itaggy also offer a range of  personalised clothing, baby vests, baby sleepsuits, bibs and blankets

I will be back soon, with some crochet and knitting news.

Clare x

New Family Member

Hello, I am still here, just looking after a poorly family, both littlies have had bad fevers and now baby D has got a chest infection.  Big D (aka the other half) has been off from work since last Friday with the dreaded fever but is on anti b's for tonsillitis.  I was the only fit one until last night when I noticed an ache in my back, which got progressively worse overnight and this morning I feel quite unwell, the pain is not only in my back it is in my sides,  I have self diagnosed a kidney infection so off to the Docs. My emergency appointment is not until this evening!

Well as the title says  new family member.  I would like to introduce you to Dolly.  Dolly was my Ebay bargin, which I had to travel 487 miles for on Saturday morning to pick up.  I left the house at 5.15am and went on my merry way.  Big D was supposed to be going, but was not well enough.  I actually enjoyed the journey there which took about 4.5 hours, but coming back was not so good. Accident after Accident so my 4.5 hours turned into 6.5!

Now to me my dolly is very special, you see my machine and I were not on good terms, she was old and temperamental and I was loosing faith in her, so I started to look around as was recommended Juki who are well known for their industrial expertise.  They have ventured into the domestic market.  Well after much research and a honest conversation with my local machine shop, they said if you can get your hands on a industrial model, you will have a friend for life.  So that's how I found her,

She is a DDL 555 and is beautiful, named Dolly after my Nanna, who used sewing machines all her life.

She has her own table

Her own oil well

Want a closer look?

And now her own Nana's cosy

And I Love her very much.

Off now to rest back soon with lots of sewn goodies

Clare x

Ted Patch Tag and Bed well sort of!

It's been busy busy busy in my little workroom this week.  I spent all day yesterday beavering away on orders. I had 6 embroidered patches and 12 taggys to make.  I managed to get the last few posted out today.  I am really enjoying making these, but it is kinda putting a stop to productivity of the hooky kind.

I have finished my secret little project though.  It is a cute little teddy bear for my friends 50th birthday.  My I have enjoyed making him.  He has movable arms and legs as I button jointed him.  Sounds like I know what I'm talking about doesn't it.  Well in fact I don't.  This is the first toy I have made and never before have jointed anything.  But with the aid of the internet anything is possible, well almost anything.

Well, yes anything.  We did replace the front shock coil springs thing-a-me-jigs on our car last weekend, with a little bit of help from a manual and the net.  When I say we,  the only input I had was reading and researching and of course making tea!

I am a little under the weather at the moment.  Not quiet sure what it wrong.  Just feel, well not right.  I have a very bad throat and just want to sleep and sleep and sleep.  But that i'm afraid I'm not getting much of.  Little man is teething and has now got himself into a bad routine of waking anytime between 10pm and midnight, which he had decided is morning.  He may be able to survive on a few hours each night, with a top up during the day, but Mummy cannot! Those pesky teeth, they are trouble even before they appear right up until we lose them!

Well on that note, I'm off to make some tea and will return tomorrow with pics of teddy and some knitting news!  Can't post pics until she opens it tonight!

Ta Da Ta Da !!

Well two little completed projects to share today.

First is my little hoodie, all done, really pleased with this.  Will definately make another one of these, maybe in stripes.  I really enjoyed making this.  

So here goes,  completed project two balls of aran weight yarn.  Pattern said three.  I did have to open the third (but only to sew up the arms!)  Happy Mummy, Happy Bubba

Second completed project is a little paper mache blue bird.  Oh yes indeedy, we went one step further than covering balloons.  We modeled, shaped and taped, then made it bird like, it even has tail feathers and then got out the paints.  Next apparently is a giraffe!

Back soon with birthday present reveal.  Recipient has not received it yet.  So soon I promise

Clare x

Papier Mache and Muffins

Little man is not at Nursery today he is fine, it's me.  I have pulled a muscle in my chest!  pulling the pram up the hill in the snow yesterday.  I am very uncomfortable and it hurts when I breath in.  So there was no way I could managed that journey in the snow and ice again today.  So have a look what we have been up to on our home schooling day

Papier Mache, inspired by  small things  

Drying stage, will update with progress as we go!

Baking, recipe from Alice these are totally amazing and healthy too!

Hope you are having a good day.  I will be back soon with tales of knitting.

Snow Snow Snow

I do love a bit of snow, all crisp and clear and the whole house is really bright, beats those wet grey days.  (This is the view from the upstairs of our house.)  In saying that the walk to Nursery this morning was not lovely.  I put son no. 2 in the push chair, which promptly got stuck and became a pull chair.  I didn’t realise just how steep the hill is!  By the time I got home I was exhausted.  We have to do the same thing all over again at 12.00. 

Little man (son no. 1) loved the snow at the weekend.  He built a snowman, snow angels, snow balls, you name it he did it.  He has been so worried about his snowman melting, but it hasn’t melted – worse the unexpected happened, we opened the curtains this morning and we had a visitor overnight.  Someone came along and knocked the head off of his snoman!  How cruel, bless him he is distraught.  He isn’t even four yet and just can’t understand why someone would do such a thing.  We know for certain it is a person and not an animal they left tracks in the snow and over the wall!

I have enjoyed being snuggled up indoors though.  I managed to complete the body on my knitting and one arm.  So all that is left is one arm, the hood and the button bands.  I can’t wait to see this on my ever growing baby!  Well, not a baby anymore!

I also cast on for a new little project, but I can’t reveal anymore, as this is a pressie.

We also did some baking at the weekend.  We made some Soda Bread,  I have never made this before and am really impressed.  It is so easy to do.

And these scrumptious chocolate brownies, which I am off for a cuppa and one of these beauties now!

Hope wherever you are you are warm and well

Clare x

HOOKY BUSINESS

It seems I have less and less time for hooky stuff at the moment, but I have managed to crochet some squares for a blanket I am doing.  This is from a lovely book that I treated myself to last year and I want to make most of the things in it.

I have really enjoyed hooking these little square, but I have been a wee bit lazy in sewing in the ends.  So this will no doubt prove to be a bit of a task at the end of this project, but hey at least I will be warm in the process.

One of the things I wanted to do this year is to concentrate on knitting, so I have started a hooded top for my youngest Son (15 months).  This is knitted on circular needles from the yoke (top) down.  This is a new technique for me, but I am really enjoying it.  I love the fact that I can see the whole garment take shape without piecing lots of bits together.  I am just hoping that he won't be sixteen by the time I get it finished.  The pattern is really easy to follow and I am even managing to adapt it as I go, nothing too technical just the stitches used.  I  don't really want a ribbed waist on it, so I may change that as yet. I am thinking rows of garter stitch might make it a bit of a modern twist.

Can you see little mans hand in the last photo.  He many have to wait a while as yet.

The pattern is Everday Toddler Hoodie by Megan Goodacre and it can be found here Tricksyknitter

 have managed to add some items to my etsy shop today,  my little shop

We also have a fluttering of snow at the moment, but those skies are threatening more!  When D left for work this morning he threw a snow ball at the living room window.  Fun you might say, apart from the dirty mark left on my window, it frightened little man so much I don't think he will ever want to go out in it!

On a sadder note our lovely hens are having a run of bad luck.  It started with Lady our white hen pecking Ginger (yes she is ginger - a brown nick to be precise), she kept going and we had to separate them.  Mum knitted a jacket for ginger as she had lost a lot of feathers, and she needed to be kept warm.  She is also sleeping on a crochet blanket, I know spoilt rotten, well she is on the mend and looking better, but Lady had been poorly and not walking very well, end bound I thought, so I did everything I was supposed to do, but nothing worked, she has now gone to the better hen house in the sky.  I know it is silly but I do miss her.  She would be the one to wait at the back door and peck it when she wanted a treat.  In the summer they all pay visits from time to time.  One afternoon last year one ventured in as far at the living room!  So they are now a family of three and not four!

Well i'm off to make something scrummy for the boys as they are both home today with terrible colds.

Take care
C x

Resolutions of a sort

I don't generally do new year resolutions, why?  I'm not very good at sticking to them.  But this year I am making an achievement list, which is simple really.  Our aims are:

1. RECYCLE MORE
2. TRIM THE FOOD BUDGET
3. EAT ORGANIC AND LOCAL
4. GROW YOUR OWN SMALL PATIO PRODUCE
5. FINISH THE GARDEN
6. RELOCATE THE HENS
7. ENJOY MORE FAMILY TIME
8. START MY OWN BUSINESS (already underway and separate from our existing business)

Well, when I look at that little list I know that it is all achievable and hopefully enjoyable.

I do have some personal goals like, being more organised, getting fitter, dropping a dress size and improve my knitting.  But not resolutions these goals are with me pretty much on a permanent basis.  I would really like to concentrate of greener living as well (which is included in the above achievement list).

I did start yesterday with being a bit more organised.  I purchased a slow cooker on sale £27.00 (love a bargain).  I did have one many moons ago and used it a lot.  I think this will get a lot of use and will help to organise my daily routine and busy schedule.

So I will hopefully start meal planning, which should help to trim the food budget (No. 2).  Yesterday's fare was not bad we had butternut squash bake (I will share the recipe for this) and today we are having vegetable stew.  By the way we are vegetarians so this new purchase should help with trying new things too.

I am off to do a couple of hours work on the existing business and will hopefully start working on my new website tonight.  In-between looking after my two poorly boys, both have temperatures and snotty noses today!  

I will be back with pictures and recipes for the slow cooker soon.

Clare x

New Beginnings

I haven't blogged in such a long time, and felt very guilty for it.  Then the realisation hit.  I don't need to blog often just to please people.  My reasons for blogging are simple.  To create a little book of life's ups and downs for our boys to look back on in time and hopefully enjoy and remember!  So if you fancy popping by from time to time, then pour a cuppa and take the weight off your feet for 5.

Clare