Learning something new...

Many moons ago I wrote some 'Goals for 2013'. A few weeks ago I reminded myself of these goals and it seems that I haven't really been paying much attention to them.

I have mentioned that I wanted to do something that I have pinned on Pinterest every 3 months. In order to alleviate the guilt that has built up, I thought I could cheat and just learn something new. 

So I signed myself and the mother (most un-artistic person in the world) up for a Locker-hooking workshop at the Sewing Space in Hythe, Kent. 

It's difficult to describe what locker hooking is, but it is basically the process of hooking strips of fabric through a canvas into a pattern. This is such a cool way of using up second hand fabric and clothes that are no longer for this world, as it is quite fabric heavy. 

I was aiming to create a table mat using a blue colour scheme with orange highlights, but it was a slow process whilst I was learning. The photo above is what I managed to complete in 3 hours, but now that I (kind of) know what I'm doing I don't think it will be quite so time consuming. My plans are to make a large mat for my garden table out of bright fuchsia, orange and yellow fabric but use stripes rather than the rectangles I tried at the workshop. 

Some of the things I've used to inspire me are on my Pinterest board. 

I promise to post my first finished mat, when its done! 

Learning something new

So last weekend, on a rather chilly and damp Sunday I made a quick trip down the M5 to Weston-Super-Mare. Let me tell you, it is as glamourous as it sounds. I was heading to Loves Cafe, to meet with Hayley from Lovely Craft Works who had promised me that she would be able to teach me crochet in 5 hours, and not only that I would leave with something I had made. 

I learnt to knit a long time a go but can't remember how to do it at all, and I have never crocheted (not even sure if that is a word). 

We started the day learning the basic single chain, and then how to add to this with double chains to make rows. This would make a basic square. I choose pink wool and have kept my first 5 rows of crochet.

Pink wool and my first hook

My first 5 rows!!!

Once we got this far, we swapped and started again. Choosing colours to make our first product, a draw string bag that would house our valentines themed key chains. Hayley was keen to show us how to make something simple, but also learn how to change colours. 

I'm not going to say that it was really easy, as I had to think all the time about what I was doing to ensure I got straight and flat chains. Hayley was so patient with me, at first I was all fingers and thumbs but eventually you do get into a rhythm. It becomes all engrossing and is a great place for some escapism. It doesn't play well to my perfectionist tendencies as I became more and more obsessed with how it looked, which was basically wonky!

Row on row of crochet

Managed to actually do 2 colours

My finished article

One day I might be able to make all these lovely things

My practising hasn't gone so well I'm afraid, so I am looking forward to my next meet up with Hayleys' loopy group on the 1st March and finding out what other little delights I can try and make. I am really enjoying learning something new and my friends and family can rest assured that they may well end up with crochet birthday and Christmas presents for years to come.

Katie x x

My Space

I have not had a dressing table for over 5 years, in fact the last time I had one I lived with my parents in my old bedroom after returning home from uni for approximately 5 months before realising that it couldn't continue. I'm sure that all 21 year olds returning from uni feel the same. So I packed up, and headed to the big smoke. In the preceding 5 years I have moved 5 times, and 4 of those places have been merely temporary (wow, there are a lot of numbers in that paragraph). The problem with temporary places, and small one bedroom flats in both London and Bristol is that there is not a lot of space, so my lotions and potions were all kept in boxes and bags, under beds and in drawers and I was generally sitting on random patches if carpet or sides of beds or standing, sometimes having to stoop to put on my make up and do my hair, and rarely able to find the thing I desperately needed.

Finally we brought our own house in Bristol (the biggest move), and after a few temporary solutions whilst we were decorating I have finally been able to slot in a dressing table!!! I am totally thrilled with this addition to my house, and I have literally made the worlds girliest corner. I was able to unpack 5 years worth of lotions and potions, chuck away the rubbish and re-discover old friends.

Whilst I still have a few things to unpack and a couple more storage solutions to purchase I just wanted to show you my little corner and my make up finally all laid out ready to use. It is like total girl heaven and I love it, my husband on the other hand is not that keen! 

Ambitions & Goals for 2013

Picture credit from My Pretty Pennies

I don't really want to make resolutions for 2013, as like everyone else I will break them within a couple of weeks, if not days, so instead I have been thinking more about the ambitions that I have and the goals that I want to achieve over the next 12 months. 

I wanted to document them here on my little blip of the internet, so that I can keep you updated with how I do, and hopefully it might make some interesting posts for you all to read...

• Do more and see more - I'm really excited to get under the surface of Bristol and build up a greater appreciation of my new home town!
• Increase my followers on the blog.
• Organise, Organise, Organise!!!!  I want to get posts written up and scheduled every week, with tweets! Need to make some room for power hours during the week to do this.
• I would love to learn some basic HTML so that I can get to grips with a bit of editing and make my page look pretty.
• Learn how to use my sowing maching...and then make something on it (see goal below).
•  I will do one thing from my Pinterest Board "For When I Have Time..." every 3 months.
• Reading is one of my favourite ways of relaxing and for my birthday my friend brought me an amazing moleskin book journal, so I am going to start making notes on books that really inspire me or become a part of me. I sometimes feel like I have totally lost track of some of those stories that I found really special and I think this will make a great keepsake. 
• Become photo happy :-) The last few years I have been rubbish at taking photos, so I vow to take lots more, display more and organise them so that I can find them on my computer. Apologies to all of you that follow me on instagram, you might be bombarded.

I have loved reading everyone's resolutions, ambitions and goals for 2013 so please link your posts in the comments section below.