New boots!

I got some new boots this week! As you can see, they're Doctor Martins. I've needed a warm pair of boots since it got colder, but the rain was the worst. Now my feet are warm and dry! :D Last winter, when we had all that snow (I haven't seen that much snow since I was about 5!) I made do with a pair of socks, plastic bags over my feet, another pair of socks, and then a pair of converse shoes. Yeah, not the warmest or the driest. I love them already! I had a little bit of rubbing on the backs of my heels, but not enough to cause a blister. After wearing them twice, the rubbing is now gone. Hurray! Also, they're gonna last a long time! Dom has had a pair for 7 years or so, and they're only just starting to fall apart. 

I paid £63 (student discount!) for a pair of warm waterproof boots that are definitely going to last the winter, and probably many more. I paid £28 for a pair of brogues from Dorothy Perkins that lasted about 6 weeks. And I didn't even wear them everyday! After 6 weeks, a hole had worn through on the bottom. At least I don't have to worry about that happening with these boots. Also, the soles are almost bouncy! So comfy :)

Anyway enough about my boots. I took my Pendrell dress out of the wardrobe and spent an hour or so removing the zip. It wouldn't have taken so long, but I had stupidly finished the seams before trying it on. Here she is after I had finally freed the zip:

The poor thing. I'm still grumpy at her, but I'm considering working on her tomorrow morning. It depends how long it takes me to write up an essay plan. I hate writing essay plans.

In knitting news, I've finished another Christmas present! And half finished another! The finished present needs blocking though, but I should hopefully have a post up over at the Crafty Christmas Club sometime this week :)

In other news, I pre-ordered the Colette Sewing Handbook from Amazon.co.uk a few weeks ago. Yesterday morning, I got an email to say my order has been cancelled as they are no longer supplying it. But then today, it back up for pre-order!! I am more than a little angry. I have already ordered it from the Book Depository, so hopefully my order won't get cancelled this time. Grrr!!

I hope you had a lovely weekend :)

Ashley x

First present finished!

Hello! I posted my first finished Christmas present over at the Crafty Christmas Club! If you're my friend Becky, please step away from the link!

My post is here. I want to keep for myself! :) I've started a second present too which is going well.

Unfortunatley, the Pendrell dress has been stuffed in the wardrobe in a huff. I have some uni work to do so it doesn't look like we're going to make friends again any time today. If only the damn thing co-operated in the first place, I'd have a new dress by now! Humph.

Ashley x

Rosebud socks - Finished!

Yes!! I finally finished them! I started these at the end of June, had problems with my gauge and had to order bigger needles, got a blister on my finger from the needles which then split, and worked on other projects instead. So these socks took a long time to finish. They're worth it in the end though, as they're so pretty! :) I'm considering wearing over tights with a dress and some pumps to show them off! 

So the pattern I used was the Rosebud sock pattern in the book Toe up socks for everybody by Wendy Johnson. It's a lovely book and I want to make every single pair in it! My only problem is the gauge. The pattern says 8 stitches per inch on 2mm needles. I went up to 2.25mm needles and still only got 9/10 stitches per inch. I decided to go ahead and knit them on the 2.25mm anyway, but I do wish I had gone up another needle size. The yarn is Ranco Araucania which is lovely. The colour is amazing, and it feels hard wearing but soft. I haven't washed them yet, but I'll report back when I do. I'm hoping to get a little extra width by blocking. 

I'm wearing them now, and they're so warm! :)

Ashley x

ps. don't forget to click the photos so you can see the detail! ;)

A Crafty Christmas Post!

I posted my Crafty Christmas list over at the Crafty Christmas blog! If you've clicked over here from Facebook and are a close friend or family member, do not click the following link!! You'll spoil the surprise! 

For the rest of my lovely readers, my post is here :)

A little update on my Pendrell dress. I've sewn up the shell. However, I'm getting major creasing at the back! I think the zip is a bit stiffer than the one I used in the muslin, so it's causing it to crease and wrinkle. I'm going to move it to the side. The bust fullness is still too low even though I thought I'd moved it up enough. And there is too much fabric around my tummy. Grrr!! This isn't supposed to happen after two muslins!! *sigh* I'll get there.

Ashley x

The Crafty Christmas Club!

The Crafty Christmas Club is back! It's a place to share your Christmas Crafting where friends and family who follow your main blog won't see their presents! I've joined it this year, and I can't wait until I have a finished gift to share over there. I'm going to look through the posts from last year for ideas, there were a couple that really stuck in my mind :)

Are you planning a Crafty Christmas this year? 

Ashley x