Ma première B.A. de l'année...

J'ai finalement défait mon sac de voyage après avoir passé quelques jours au Luxembourg pour le boulot, et mon numéro de janvier 2010 de Marie Claire Idées est de sortie ... ainsi que le concours 'Autour de l'Amour' au profit de l'étoile de Martin (www.letoiledemartin.canalblog.com). L'association a été crée en 2006 en hommage à Martin, un petit garçon de 2 ans, parti après avoir lutté pendant 1 an contre une tumeur au cerveau. L'association soutient la recherche sur les cancers de l'enfant et au améliore au quotidien la vie des petits malades.. Bref autant dire que cette histoire m'a vraiment touchée dans l'avion de retour, et j'espère pouvoir contribuer, avant le 5 juin 2010.


Alors maintenant il va falloir trouver le bon projet.. Will keep you updated!

A zero - calorie doughnut!!

I wanted an easy and quick project after that cushion cover... and this is what I found a doughnut pin cushion... So the project is easy and quick, and useful. Bingo!



I did not want to buy more yarn, so let's just pretend it is a dark chocolate doughnut (I have not actually seen any of those, but someone should think about it).


Here comes the pink icing. My Dad is a chemist, and in any sort of chemical food stuff, it would be proud - all these possible E numbers!!! Well, I had some pink yarn left, and so it is used now! Otherwise still it is all organic food for me!






So here we are the perfect pin-cushion doughnut, made in a couple of hours.
If you are looking for this pattern, you can find it free on Ravelry. It was made by Nevadamama. I copied it below for ease. It is available at http://www.crochetville.org/forum/showthread.php?t=32761





Materials

Yarn: any brown for donut - any white for frosting (used what I had)
Hook: H or any you prefer (I used a 4mm)
Polyester filling (I used some fabric I had left from a patchwork I made for my parents)
Straight pins with colored heads (I do have those!!)
All the instructions are in American, beware.

Chain 18
Join to form ring

R1: sc in each chain around (do not join, mark beginning of every row)

R2: *1 sc, 2 sc in next sc*
Repeat to end of row

R3: sc

R4: *1 sc, 2 sc in next sc*
Repeat to end of row

R5- R10: sc

R11: *1 sc, dec in next sc* (sc two sc together)
Repeat to end of row

R12: sc

R13: *1 sc, dec in next sc*
Repeat to end of row

R14: sc
Finish off, leaving long tail for sewing
Fold so first and last rows meet, forming a donut
Whip stitch first & last rows together (center of donut) stuffing as you go

ICING (optional)
Chain 18
Join to form ring
Repeat rows 1-4 of donut

R:5 sc around, changing sc to 2 dc or 2 tr when needed, to form drips

Finish off, leaving long tail for sewing
Tack icing to top of donut & add straight pins (I actually sewed down the icing on the doughnut with the pink yarn)






Bon appétit!!!

Vancouver 2010 and the 6 Nations...

(excusez par avance le manque d'accent, mon clavier QWERTY n'est pas vraiment adapte)...

En tant que francaise en exil (enfin a 1h30 de la maison familiale, quand les eurostars marchent bien sur), je suis assidument les evenements sportifs du moment.

Nous avons d'abord Vancouver, par le net. La France a maintenant 7 medailles, donc 2 d'or!!! J'adore le ski et cela depuis que je suis toute petite alors autant dire que je suis gluee devant ma tele pendant les Jeux (dommage que je n'ai que BBC sport, et que les chances de medailles de Team GB sont... limitees?). Bravo les Bleus! Par contre est-ce que l'on peut changer de designer pour les tenues de nos athletes, parce qu' honnetement c'est pas super (je pense notamment a la tenue des francais pour le speed skating).

Et le tournoi des 6 Nations. Evidemment le match le plus important sera France-Angleterre, le 20 mars au Stade de France. Alors contrairement a certains je n'ai pas du tout de probleme pour choisir mon equipe. Je suis francaise, et meme vivant en Angleterre depuis 11 ans maintenant, je suis supporter des Bleus. M. mon futur mari est moitie francais, moitie anglais et est toujours un peu confus lors de ces matchs... C'est tres marrant quand on est tous les deux devant la tele !!

En bref, pour resumer: JO + Six Nations + tele = beaucoup d'emotion et plein d'occasions pour finir (ou commencer) de nouveaux projets. Notamment pour le mariage...

New cushion... on the bed

Well this is how the cushion looks like in his brand new home. I used Rowan Purelife, organic cotton naturally dyed, in 'logwood' and 'natural', 4mm needles in the end. I already had the yarn, was supposed tobe for another project... that did not happen clearly.

Still waiting for the buttons that will finish it off...

New cushion for the bedroom

I finally finished the Debbie Bliss Woven Cushion (in her Home book, 2005). I have had my eye on it for a long time, well since I bought the book. Took forever to actually finish, but I am very happy with the result. I changed the back as well, and made it with buttons instead of the boring ending she suggested (thanks to the Ravelry comments...).

Other projects

I am worried I get too bored for knitting projects sometimes. Anyway I have a few projects on the go at the moment, and I am hoping I will see the end of them sooner rather than later...

Here is my future laundry bag... It is not knitting but crochet. Hard to see at the moment, but you will see, it will be lovely and useful.

There is also the future cushion cover, again stockinette for the back is boring me... but hopefully in a few centimetres (well 10 to be precise) and I will be able to actualyl start the patter from Debbie Bliss book...

And finally a scarf that I started... 2 months ago... Again getting bored and I don't have a black coat to go with it anyway... But I am really intending to finish it...

While being away...

I just come back from a fab holiday in the Alps, a lot of snow - some sunshine and generally a lot of fun with the boys ...








And while the boys were 'happy hour-ing' I finished my new mittens. I love them. I knew I would love them when I saw the pattern on Kellbourne Wollens blog. The pattern is free at http://www.kelbournewoolens.com/blog/?p=19. I knitted mine in Lion Brand cotton green yarn. For a first project with DPNs, I don't think I did that badly...

Catherine Hirst has got a great tutorial on her blog to help out http://catherinehirst.wordpress.com/.