More monsters

Well, I confess I failed dismally at the NaBloPoMo thing, Frankly November was a horrible month with nothing to recommend it other than at least it seemed to go quickly. My right arm is incredibly painful and my poor family must be sick to death of the smell of Deep Heat and my constant whining. I suppose I'm going to have to go back to the doctors' next week but I don't know how to be taken more seriously. Oh! I could go on and on about how much my right side hurts but what's the bloody point? To paraphrase the great Kenneth Williams.

Instead here are this weeks sock creatures - I've nearly made back what I spent on my sewing machine in sales which is nice. A long way off the target I set at the beginning of the year but then again I did start 9 months later than I intended.

Henry the Happy Horse

This is my favourite one yet. Dave came back from work last week with two new pairs of over the knee socks he'd bought for me (should I be concerned? Surely he should bring me stockings rather than wooly socks? Have I really lost that much glamour?)and straightaway this pair were begging to be a horse. Henry's filled with aduki beans and toy filling so there's a lovely weight to him and he's very floppy. I'm really pleased with the way he came out but as yet I haven't had much reaction to him. He still needs to have a tail and I might give him some eyebrows too.

Ethel and Dorothy the sock pigs

I've been fiddling with this pattern all weekend, trying to work out how to make legs that weren't sewn and how to get both sides of the socks right way in, I'm nearly happy with them but not completely yet..
I haven't much response to them so far, maybe I'm wasting my time but I think they're really cute!
Anyway. I must go to bed although I really want some wine and a cigarette. No. Shower, bed, read Harry Potter. You'll feel better for it in the morning woman.

On The Wagon

Right - here we go. No more alcohol until Christmas. This is going to be difficult. I really want to do it though. I'm so bored of waking up feeling terrible, forgetting what I went upstairs for, not getting enough done during the day and so on and so on. In addition to this I want to start running again, doing some weights and getting life together. I know I feel so much better and able to cope when I exercise (and I love the smug feeling that comes with it too if I'm honest).
Plans for November
1. Run twice a week
2. Weights twice a week
3. Sort out the house
4. A great deal more fruit and vegetables.

Today's menu.
Breakfast was toast and Marmite, not great but the bread IS homemade.
Lunch Half an avocado, leaves, plum tomatoes and feta cheese.
Dinner Noodles, red curry paste, tofu, bean sprouts and Kale.

I need to get some juice too for smoothies. And find somewhere to hide it so Mia doesn't drink it all when my back's turned.

I just want to stay home

I have a horrible sore throat and a general feelin gof bleeugh so after a quick walk into town in the pouring rain yesterday I've spent most of my time at home with sewing machine. Nothing great has been produced but a couple of different shaped animals patterns which I'm going to try and improve next week

First a little elephant with a VERY long trunk. It wasn't intentional but as I was stuffing him I realised it was HUGE. I've coiled it so as not to frighten the horses as it looked a bit phallic if I'm honest. I'm going to try again with this idea but next time take notice of the proportions.

Next

This little pig needs legs but I think has worked quite well, again she's just a practice really but it's nice when ideas come together.

And lastly

This is my favourite monster of the weekend. I think he looks a bit unsure and scared of his new surroundings. Lord I sound mad. I think I might have a little lie down.


All of this month is going to be devoted to improving my fitness. I'm aiming to be teetotal until Christmas and really cut back on the amount of coffee I'm drinking. It's not so much the caffeine as the amount of sugar I have in it that I thin kis making me feel so rubbish. They'll probably be a great many tearful ranting posts over the next two weeks. I'm hoping I can run off the cold turkey symptoms but I'm going to be hell to live with. David wants to try as well. Goodness this is going to be a happy household this month.

Vincent the Lonely Zebra

I've been thinking of other shapes for the monsters and woke up Wednesday morning with an idea for a way of putting them together and here he is...

Vincent!
He has a sad little face and there are a few changes I'll do with the next one but I'm quite pleased with him overall

This is my favourite though

This is Trubshawe. They're both up for sale on MISI http://www.misi.me.uk/store_info.php?user_id=135 but I don't know if I want them to go...

Bye ZiZi and Neville!

It's been a busy week what with half term, my birthday, our wedding anniversary, making Halloween costumes and Lily being ill. I feel as though I've achieved nothing but I know I haven't stopped moving. Oh well. Back to work on Monday and into some kind of routine.
What I need to do is get making - while I haven't had much time for jewellery or monsters it's been a good week in my shops. Both ZiZi and Neville

are off to new homes and I've been asked to supply to a website with them.

And on Wednesday I had a fantastic present (aside from the ones from my lovely family) a gallry owner who'd seen my jewellery on Folksy asked if I'd like to exhibit in her gallery! I've wanted to be an artist for as long as I can remember and I walked round with a little glow all day at the thought that I was going to be in a gallery.

All this does mean however that I must make some stock for the school craft fair next month having just (possibly) sold most of what I had

Lauren Child at the V&A

My daughters have learnt to read from Lauren Child's books so were VERY excited when they heard she was giving a talk at the V&A and signing books afterwards. It was a whole day of craft and design events to celebrate the opening of the Sackler Centre. THere was so much to do, making wall hangings, jewellery digital photography and animation festival....It was great and I wish we'd got there earlier so we could have spent more time on each activity but the girls still enjoyed it and then of course Lauren Child. She was an absolute sweetheart even when we gave her a battered old copy of Don't Look Now she laughed and said how much she likes to see books in that state because it shows much it's been loved. Which in this case is certainly true.

Ninja AAAAIIIEEE!!!

I can't seem to get the design right for this yet, I've made two but I'm only going to show one as the first really was awful - I blame the hangover. The picture isn't great either, actually nothing I tried on Wednesday worked. I'm going to keep plugging away at them though and maybe by the end of the weekend I'll have produced one I'm proud of. Although I'm quite fond of him, I think he's going to sit in my car and threaten people who don't indicate on roundabouts.

Beware....MONSTERS!

I don't know why but I've become obsessed with monsters over the last week. I can't stop making them, everytime I get a couple of minutes to myself I'm at the sewing machine creating another. I love the way they seem to develop thier own personalties as they go along. Disco Dave at the top there is currently boogeing his way on over to his new home in Tyne & Wear
But this is my current favourite ZiZi


I've got another five sitting on my bookshelf waiting to be finished and in progress...

NINJA'S !