red shoe diary

july breton top

2011-07-10T04:14:00.001-07:00

I loved the outcome and wearability of my black jumper that I decided to make another one, but this time inspired by the water/boating life of Stockholm. Its another stash buster...so a free jumper with wool donated from my grandma and some left over rowan freebie wool.
I like it... now what'll be next; and will I ever post the pictures of my sewing...

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June skirt

2011-07-04T10:40:00.001-07:00

Inspired by one of the free patterns on grosgrains website, here is my new paperbag skirt. Ben doesn't love it; says its too bulky and heavy...I have to agree but thats kinda why I like it. Sorry for the self-portrait..will have to get better at those.
More projects to follow including deconstructed macaron dress; and a penciltastic skirt.

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May's Project (with a bit of March thrown in)

2011-06-14T01:37:00.000-07:00

I'm catching up slowly with the newly made item per month. I know i still have yet to post for March..
so here it is - not the best photo - bad hair and I'm not sure about the styling but if i don't post it now it'll be 2012. The pattern is rowan hepburn made with 4 ply wool (which was free with my rowan subscription). So it's a free jumper!

And here is May's
I worked really hard to finish it in time for stockholm. Its called "plain and simple" by Veera Valimaki. It's a simple t-shirt shape with buttons on one sleeve and collar. I didn't do the massive collar it suggested - purely because i started to run out of wool - but i love the finish. Also the wool i inherited from my Grandmother; so in effect it's a free jumper too!

The excitement over free things is going to become a resounding feature over the next year. We're in the process of trying to buy our first house...which means absolutely no spare cash for material/wool so it'll force me to dive into my stash and be creative.
My stash did get a little boost the other day. I was proudly telling Ben how good i had been about going into the local sewing shop (darn it and stitch) and seeing some wonderful pink/orange wool plaid material; how i had resisted temptation and walked away without buying any.
The following week he presented me with a bag full of presents (just because...) and among them was 3 meters of said material! I'm a lucky girl....guess what's going to be in June's post!

Stockholm - Running

2011-06-12T01:29:00.000-07:00

So after all my carping about being sick and tired of running - I'm so glad that we did all the training - it made such a difference!
We not only completed the Marathon but we managed to knock 43 minutes of our previous time coming in at 3hrs and 59 seconds (the secret goal was to try to run it under 4 hours but we weren't sure we could so we didn't really tell anyone! he he).

I'm so proud of myself and Ben - i certainly couldn't have done it without him! Yay us!

Loved stockholm by the way....if only we could afford to live there (£10 for a glass of wine...really!) We managed to treat ourselves to coffee and cake though.

running fatigue

2011-05-07T09:35:00.001-07:00

So we are approaching the final countdown to the Stockholm marathon....3 weeks today. We have our longest run of 22 miles to do tomorrow. We've already run 26 miles this week, our legs hurt, our feet are tired, we are dreading tomorrow. .why do we do it? It is also our 9 year wedding anniversary tomorrow. So to help our cheer I baked biscuits - check out the bracelet that Ben got me as a pressie..I also got some really sweet swallow earrings from tatty devine. I'll post those later.

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aprils project

2011-05-07T09:18:00.001-07:00

I know, i haven't posted march's project yet, but I thought i'd get last months out there before I get too behind. It's a simple little bag for my friends birthday....pity that I just found out her husband just bought her 6 new handbags!!

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Cats and Jacques

2011-04-15T22:57:00.000-07:00

It's been a funny old month for sure. Our lovely smokey cat went onto his next life - I'm certain he and Liz Taylor are now best buddies and he's getting caviar and venison as we speak : ) We miss you Mr smokey-cat.

So...we took a holiday to France

The very same street where
Gene Kelly knelt down to pick up some paper! eek!

We had a Jacques Demy pilgrimage to Rochefort... it was great fun. If you haven't seen Desmoiselles de Rochefort you really should. It's a fun 60's musical riot of colour; frenchness and wonder.

February's creation

2011-02-26T05:08:00.000-08:00

I caved - my stash busting start to the year had a bit of a hiccup when I passed a shop with a marimekko fabric sale...£10 a meter....i couldn't stop myself..
oohps

So, I've made myself a Macaron dress from Colette Patterns using the purple fabric and some black twill cotton that I had left over ...see there is some stash busting going on

(Check out my new haircut too)

I really love the skirt on this pattern - the pleats and the pockets are yummy. The waist-band is a little tight on me, so not sure if it's a dress I'll be wearing out to dinner.

The running is going really well - we had a race last weekend - half marathon and we beat the 2hr mark (I ran 1hr, 56minutes and 47 seconds - phew!).

Knitting is going well but no completed item for February - but half way through this rowan sweater-vest (love that phrase).

March is a busy month - we're off on holiday to France, have another race and my sis and nephew are visiting. Not sure how much creating I'll be able to do..but hope to post some small bits.

New Year (Chinese) and Paper Dolls

2011-02-06T09:46:00.000-08:00

Yes, I'm late with my new year's post so I'm saying Happy Chinese New Year to everyone instead.

2011 has been going well so far...resolutions and plans include:

Knit one thing a month
Sew one thing a month
Learn some French
Beat 4hr marathon
Beat 2hr 1/2 marathon
Buy a house

All very exciting stuff - the running has been good, but exhausting - in a bit to get better times we are running 5 times a week. We've only been following the schedule for 2 weeks now - that's 10 days of running and over 40 miles run already. bleurghh.

The sewing you've already seen with my phone posts - i love my new phone and the snapping and posting is so easy...but i'm afraid the results aren't that great...maybe in better lighting. I'll keep trying.

My big success so far this year is my paper dolls jumper - i'm delighted with the way it turned out..i love fair-isle knitting. It took me bloomin ages but it's done and I'm one happy camper.
Hope that eveyone else's January went well.

black skirt and new glasses

2011-01-17T11:55:00.001-08:00

Its the same as the green one but slightly shorter and in black. It works great as a skirt to cycle in, I'm pretty chuffed with it. Oh and check out my new glasses. My friend pointed out to me that I haven't done my usual new years resolutions post....I have made some (of course) but will wait till I've got a good slice of time to write about them. So until then. ...

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lady grey lining

2011-01-06T10:26:00.001-08:00

Sorry, not the best picture but here is the lining.

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lady grey in black.

2011-01-06T10:24:00.001-08:00

Finally finished and got around to taking pictures of my lady grey. I like it. It has a nice bright yellow lining and no buttons just a tie belt. So for 2011 maybe I'll take on the classic Mac.

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kermit skirt

2011-01-06T10:06:00.001-08:00

Don't know why but really wanted a skirt this colour. Got the material a little while ago and found the perfect skirt pattern in Sept burdastyle. My first attempt at burda patterns. I love it. I'm gonna make one in black too

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Yippee!! Marathon completed and new top

2010-10-02T13:45:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm rather proud and smug to say that I, Phill Sharpe, completed my first ever marathon! : ) i know some of you might think i'm a bit sick for saying it, but i thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing...when's the next one; or more importantly where?

Ben and I had a fantastic time in Berlin - it's a great city. We got to re-visit some of our favourites from last time (the Bauhaus archive and the Daimler Art space), and discover some new places too.

*NEW BERLIN TOP*
I managed to sneak in a quick sewing project just before we left for Berlin. It's an adapted version of a Wendy Simplicity top. I chose not to insert elastic but use ribbons instead for the shoulders only. I then cut out circles from two different black materials and attached them. I was really pleased with how it came out - not sure if the detail comes through.

Now it's all hands on deck for the Lady Grey pattern which finally arrived yesterday!

i have been doing stuff...honest

2010-08-22T11:54:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a while since I've posted. The green dress from the re-fashion I've been playing around with cos i wasn't quite sure...i took off the sleeves, reduced the width of the shoulders and re-attached, but didn't re-attach them quite right. So I'm still playing with it.

I've also made a really cute black blouse for work with a tie collar...will post photo's the next time I wear it.

Marathon training has been a bit hit and miss, there's been tears, limping, sore knees and more tears. I'm hoping great success will come with the next run.

Now you know how much i love my pashley - and i really really do, I've ridden her to work and meetings a couple of times this month and I adore her but...and there is a but...she's just a bit heavy for long weekend rides or putting on the back of the car to go further afield - I'm not sure totorro could take it!
So my lovely husband got me an early birthday present... a new speedy bike and oh my it's so much lighter and quicker and easier to ride than pashley. Now, I adore my pashley and do not panic out there, she will still be ridden and from my point of view she is a bike for life...no selling for me..but for a quick dash up the hill to work, or a long ride with bento on a sunday I'm lucky to have a new alternative. And I plan on making my own version of the po campo bags...watch this space

I have been doing sewing but just little bits - like a little bag, and our new coffee pot cosy for breakfast sundays...(improved with the re-discovered checked table cloth

I love these owls on the bag - I've had the material for a while and wasn't sure what to use it for...it's become my new day to day bag.

That's all for now...

Refashion Saturday

2010-07-03T12:59:00.000-07:00

So me, and two friends Amy and Mel decided to scrounge around in our local charity shops and see if we could find inspiration and some re-fashioning opportunities.

And I had some great success.

I found a great Margaret Howell dress at the bargin price of £4.99. However it wasn't quite right for me (please excuse the photo with my dress underneath - i couldn't be bothered to completely undress) - so with a quick snip off the length and some elastic into the arm cuffs voila! I'm really happy with it. And it's got lovely big pockets....and its Margaret Howell (who i only just discovered in last month's Vogue - Ageless style issue - She's a uk designer, and the dress is really nicely made and 100% cotton - yay!

My next great find was a Diesel skirt- for the slightly steeper price of £8.99 (ouch). The skirt was too big and a little weird with loops and straps that meant you could kind of hitch up parts of the skirt - (I think, i was a little confused by it).

Anyway, i little unpicking, some taking in and hey presto a new dress!

Oh..and I ran 20 miles in the morning - phew! What a day : )

Sticky hot

2010-06-29T12:30:00.000-07:00

Oh its been hot by British standards this past week.
We had to get up at 5am on Saturday to do our 18 mile run before the heat crept in. We did it though!

And my Red Cross Running Shirt arrived. Oh it's so glamorous! I know i need to work on the stylings but at the moment i figure everyone will be too astonished at my bright red, breathless face to worry about what I'm wearing. Remember though if you want to sponsor me just head on over to my site
here.

Speaking of shirts though, whilst recovering from the 18 miles, I managed to make headway on my work shirt. Oh and can i just highlight the wonder of my wardrobe edit - i really like having my work clothes separate from my play clothes - it really helps in the morning - no more dithering! (Sorry to all those who have to wear a uniform!).
So here it is - it had it's first outing today and received two positive comments. I just hope it doesn't unravel in the wash!

Holidays

2010-06-28T12:30:00.000-07:00

No knitting or sewing on this post - I've just had the most splendid holiday. It was relaxed, quiet, beautiful, serene oh and there was plenty of wine and good bread.

I'm very proud of my little car Totorro making it all the way to France and back without a mishap. Here is Totorro proudly sitting in a French town square, with Ben proudly showing off the redcurrant sparkling wine that is made in the region.

The beaches were beautiful - we kept up with our training and ran 16 miles along the coast (yes, on sand - ow my thighs). And we saw two seals that came onto the beach to cheer us along.

And my little holiday present - was a little cat milk jug - perfect for our new tradition of Sunday morning breakfasts at the table.
I even asked for it in French and had a little conversation with the shop owner (how proud).

Wardrobe spring clean

2010-06-06T10:00:00.000-07:00

I was a woman on a mission. I managed to go through my entire wardrobe, colour code it, filter out the work from the play clothes, note those items that needed adjustment and I tried to be really strict with removing those items that either just didn't fit me; were no longer in keeping with my style (I know..what style..no sniggering please), or i just didn't wear.
Some have been sold on e-bay, some are destined to be used in my quilt, and some may have potential re-fashion potential.
I rediscovered this dress that i made a couple of years ago....the fabric is really soft, it's really simple, falls to ankle length and i really like it (I know i have to tidy up the top a little now that my sewing skills have improved a little).

Oh and here is a pic of the nightie i made (please note, i had only just got out of bed when this pic was taken - but i had a good nights sleep so it does the job); i also made a dressing gown - albeit from a men's pattern in blue and white striped material - it's very 80's, lots of material and Ben said it looked like a stock brokers jacket....it is not staying.

As part of the wardrobe clear out, i worked out what i needed, namely two more work tops as the first requirement. So i went to Masons in Abingdon, delved around and found the material for my first top. I also went to the V and A quilting exhibition and found these lovely buttons in the shop...perfect.

I'm also taking part in the japanese pattern sew along being run by Cecili - I've taken a gamble and ordered material on-line....it should arrive any day now. Pattern drafting later on today...it may take me a while

Mad hatter

2010-05-23T02:22:00.000-07:00

So finally, here is the hat I made...i'm wearing it on our anniversary weekend away in London. Ben even took me on the carousel. Seems strange to think it was quite a cold weekend when now we are bathed in glorious sunshine.
The hat was made from the same pattern pack as my cape (still yet to blog a picture of that). I pinned a flower brooch onto to the hat which i got from the Uniform Project. I'm pretty chuffed with it. It's even got a marimekko print lining.

I also made myself a little nightie - Also with marimekko print - i really love it and it almost seems too lovely to keep inside the house! Next plan is a lightweight dressing gown. I found some great stripey material at a local shop which will be perfect. I also found some floral curtain material which looks good. Do you ever feel weird about dismantling someone elses work - i felt a little bad about unstitching the curtains and lining - it was all handstitched so neatly.
We've got a holiday in France coming up and i wanted to make something for that....i'm not sure what yet. My friend suggested a little jumpsuit/playsuit thing but I'm not so sure.....suggestions welcome

Purple bamboo

2010-05-03T12:04:00.000-07:00

Here;s the purple bamboo vest I've been working on - i really like the feel of it. I worry that the weight of the bamboo will stretch the straps and it will become indecent, but i guess i can always unstitch, shorten the straps and sew back up. I've not blocked it yet so don't know if that makes a difference with bamboo?

On other knitting.. Ben's jumper is complete, but huge, and looks a bit too home knit - I'm afraid it's a frogging job and i'm on the look out for something else to make with the wool.

We had a really rainy weekend which meant that we only lasted for one race at brands hatch for the motor racing (shame, shame). And we didn't even run...which makes me feel a bit rubbish, so it's a fresh start tomorrow when hopefully the sun will come out.....

It's not so grim up north

2010-04-25T09:05:00.000-07:00

Just come back from mi hols up t'north : ) We managed Durham, Newcastle, Whitby, York, Leeds, Manchester and Sheffield all in a week.
Highlights definitely included La Rosa hotel in Whitby; yummy fish and chips; the bridges and warehouses of Newcastle, last minute luck with laura marling tickets in York, tiled hall in Leeds; drunken champagne and fried chicken on canal st Manchester, and spotting snooker stars in Sheffield.
All in all a fun trip but we are both knackered.

On the crafty front I decided to make myself a top for the holiday - inspired by Lex again, using some of those remnants and bringing back to life an old top that i'd made too tight around the arms. (I loved the shell mirror - courtesy of La Rosa Hotel and of course my paperbag waist skirt)

Oh and I was inspired to make a quilt for Ben and I. I initially thought of making a quilt for 2010 with a different patch for each month incorporated into it, but then Ben said how about a patch for each of the years we have been together....so I'm going to try and work a patch or two each month 12" x 12" and hopefully have something to put together come the end of the year. My only experience so far is of a wonky quilt i made for my friends baby but never gave it to her. (So i might steal some patches from that one).

On the purchased front: I fell and bought a People's market top on e-bay (to be blogged), and i got two brooches from the uniform project auction (but surely that counts as a charity donation doesn't it!). I'm just waiting for them to arrive. Back on the no-shopping wagon for next month.
Oh and also over the holiday I got to wear the fab dress that Ben bought for me in london (I'm a very spoiled girl).

Paper-bags

2010-04-09T12:59:00.000-07:00

OK I've been inspired by Lex's paperbag skirts - they look really comfy but a bit quirky too - she hasn't published the tutuorial so i thought it was time for "lets try and make it up"! I've had some blue cotton material that's been around since my failed trousers experiment and it seemed perfect for it.....and voila...the skirt - with some white edging which i'm not sure about (i did a white contrasting belt too but it seemed a bit "hobbs" (UK clothes shop). I really like it and wore it all weekend.
The weekend by the way was an adventure. It was mostly spent in East London checking out:

whitechapel gallery (great sandwiches and interesting photo exhibition on india, pakistan and bangladesh);
Spitafields market where Ben bought me a dress and i bought him a yellow ukelele;
Brick lane (where crowds queued for the american apparell sale);
Drinking champagne in threadneedles hotel
Design museum for an amazing African exhibit (enlightening but still not a continent high on my wishlist),
Visit to the Barbican to see the birds in the curve by Celeste Boursier-Mougenot - an incredible space with zebra finches landing on guitars and cymbals creating music - and one landed on my shoulder : ) (Barbican birds)
Memory lane in the form of going to our old house, having breakfast in the old cafe down the river

Finally we headed west - homeward bound via the Tate Britain to see the Chris Ofili exhibition. I really liked it the colours and textures were so vibrant and just didn't translate in a postcard/book for me to take away. I even liked the elephant dung!

Birthdays and visitors

2010-03-22T12:23:00.000-07:00

Eek I'm behind again. My excuse... it was Ben's birthday - i took him to london for dinner, to see the play Enron (what a thinker that was, billions of dollars my mind can't compute but at least i know what a hedge fund is now - a weird topic for a play but i really enjoyed it), we stayed over in a new hotel (which bar the 4am fire alarm was fine).

Then we went to the Ashmolean museum in Oxford which has just opened a new restaurant on the top floor - it was ok...the food was salty, it had a weird atmosphere but i think it will come into it's own when the terrace is open in the summer

Then Friday we went to Crufts! It was good fun seeing all the dogs, checking out the behind the scenes action afghan hounds in scarfs and clips and enourmous wolfhounds. We've decided that a pointer is the dog for us...just need to convince smokey the cat!
We stayed over in a hotel nr Tamworth (thanks mum and trevor for the christmas vouchers) and then had another dinner out when Ben's folks visited on the Saturday.

Oh and the wool arrived for the library book of mens knits and I made Ben a really quick knit hat - it's made with British sheep wool that is undyed and it still smells of sheep! : )

My sis and nephew Jack were visiting from Texas, so i had a few days with them....for someone who is a bit unsure around children (I just don't know how to entertain them) Jack made it really easy for me - he is really great and i adore him! Had good fun with my sis too, a bit of sister sister time in london window shopping and eating fish and chips - it was fun.

AND....this weekend we ran our first "official" Reading half marathon race - we made it in 2hrs 4mins - very pleased, even though we were overtaken by a camel at the last hump (get it!, but really putting a hill near the finish point, now that's just mean)

So that's why i haven't written in a while....as far as projects go - there is a blue jumper for Ben which is knitting up quite quickly (my bamboo camisole is on the backburner whilst i knit this one), and also i sewed my car freshner, some cushions, and my first hat....photos to follow at some point.

bibby

2010-02-28T12:24:00.000-08:00

Good news we managed our second half marathon run - phew - it had a couple of hills in, the one towards the end was a bit of a killer and i almost cried..but we managed it; and only 20 seconds slower than the last one.....bring on the reading half marathon race - yippee!

Other highlights this week including watching the original movie Fame and realising that i hadn't ever seen it before (musta been confused with the tv series); the yummy dinners, soups and desserts that Bento keeps making with the goodies from our new veggie box. It's proving a great success (only because of Ben's great prep and cooking (and a little bit of help from my new found friend Nigel Slater - who i often remarked was a bit of a book review tart, until i saw his tv series and he seemed like a thoroughly nice chap who cooked yummy food with lots of butter and salt and buys his custard in a pot!)).

I'm working on a new knitting project -i have some purple bamboo to use and after much deliberation i'm making a little camisole type top -it's quite a slow knit though
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/frock-camisole

I've done a little bit of sewing also and although it's a little bit overworked cos i had issues with the neck of it and it didn't go quite according to plan - i like the overall look of it and want to wear it, regardless of it looking a bit homemade. It's a variation of one of Lex's dress/t-shirts (Lex's website) - i just did the ruffles and added a band/tie to the bottom.

Other plans include making a lavendar bag to hang in my car (instead of a bought car scenty thing); and also i need to decide what to put forward to the shopping court (held on a monthly basis to try and kerb the needless shopping i do and use the great wool, material, books, clothes, dvd's i already have - so far, so good - i think it's just going to be sewing cotton); oh and run 14 bloomin miles next weekend cos we misread the running schedule - doh!

twit twoo

2010-02-23T14:24:00.000-08:00

Well, as is the course of february, the resolutions have slipped, i've barely begun lent and i've already stuffed my face full of chocolate and biscuits> so apologies for the delayed post. I'll try and keep to my weekly schedule (and i really must do some french)
However, I'm pleased to say the owl jumper is finished and i love it. The colour didn't come out nearly as badly as i thought and actually in some of these photo's the colours and the hair perhaps give it a real 70's feel. The owls i think didn't turn out quite right, so they look like quite fat, really old wise owls - i kinda like it.
Next project is going to be a bamboo camisole i think...plus some more sewing at some point : )

I had a great weekend catching up with some old uni friends who i haven't seen for about 3 years. I like the fact that it didn't matter that we hadn't really been keeping in touch - we could just continue where we left off - some of them are quite different to the friends i have now, which was kind of refreshing - different conversations, different views - it was lots of fun so thank you vix for organising it.

oh and for ages i've been meaning to write about the places i want to visit....so far on the list:
Korea
Hong kong (again)
India
and see, i've forgotten so this is why i need to write them down...

Sewing

2010-02-07T11:08:00.000-08:00

Oh i've run away from my sewing for some time cos i haven't known what to make or what to make it with. I went out to dinner with my friend who told me about the infinity dress - it sounded amazing so i reached for my material box and found this weird pink/purple patterned stretch that i thought would work well. I didn't have quite enough to make a circle skirt so i made a straigher one.....urgh disaster - it really didn't look good.
So i tried to make a simple top - the neck was too scooped for me

and so i turned it around...i kinda like the idea but i'm still unsure about the pattern - thoughts are welcome...

but at least it broke my sewing drought and i decided to make another white top - i need to run it through the washing machine as i have a feeling it might shrink a little which wouldn't be a bad thing.

I started looking through my stash thinking i have all this material but a lot of it is just scraps and not big enough to do anything with.. and then I came across Lex's website - of course i can embellish, create broaches and all sorts - duh! So maybe I'll have a go.

On other news - Project Runway season 7 has started - i love that show but i can't seem to be able to download the episodes - i'd gladly do it legally but Lifestyle won't let me subscribe. hmph.

Proud I am!

2010-02-02T11:02:00.000-08:00

Yay, we did it, we ran our first half marathon. Amazing. It was ok actually. And of course ever since we've been gorging on beer, cake, papad and biscuits because "we earned a treat".
hmmmm.....
Anyway i can't believe January is over already. I'm still working hard knitting my owl jumber and have been neglecting the sewing a little bit. Day off on Friday so maybe I'll do a little bit then.

The no shopping pledge is going well. I've just passed through the shopping court a new pair of running socks and a running bra.... not something i feel i can make. So it's to the shops for me.

Oh and I've discovered a French radio station on my car radio so i get to listen to a little bit of French everyday. I know it doesn't replace the learning but at least it helps keep my ear in (I'm sure I've greatly confused news stories about train station toilets and drug detection but at least i'm trying).

Better late than never

2010-01-25T23:43:00.000-08:00

My resolutions are slipping..i'm falling behind with my french, i missed by weekend blogging session and i almost shopped! (aghast). I know!
However, I'm trying to claw my way back before January ends, so I here i am blogging about my new cardigan - which i love, and also the scarf i made with bargain wool (i think it cost me £3 for the entire scarf).

Dancing with Gene in a Shift Dress

2010-01-17T12:40:00.000-08:00

No photos of my own this week...it's been a case of more snow, and lots of movies. I went to see Nine with my friend Clare - I liked it, lots of fun, some impressive performances, and a really pretty actress Marion Cotillard plays the wife of the director...she wore a great shift dress which looked stunning (all of her clothes were great actually, and she makes me want to dye my hair and cut my fringe). Anyway her shift dress made me want to create a work wardrobe for myself of a similar shift dress style - all well and good if I'm an office worker but I'm not; I need to get in awkward positions and be dignified when i do it. So either cullotes (sp?) or trousers have to be the way forward. I have some thinking to do.

We've also watched a lot of Gene Kelly movies (I got a box set for Christmas). I find him to be a very charming performer, who dances with such ease and makes some good movies (not so sure about the 3 musketeeres, but Out on the Town and An American in Paris were rather good). I'm looking forward to watching the others. Comparisons with Fred are fruitless - different dancers and different styles - both great, and in my dreams i dance with both!
On the knitting front I made a hotwater bottle cover for my friend but forgot to photograph it (a bit of a rush job i'm afraid), and the cardigan is almost there - just a few more hours work so watch this space.
Oh and we also ran 8 miles today - go us!

Let it snow

2010-01-09T05:29:00.000-08:00

So this week has been a snow-filled adventure. I've had 3 days of working from home as i couldnt' get to work. We've taken some amazing walks with the snow looking so sparkly and beautiful - i made my first snow angel, and a snow bunny and met a pig!

I've also been doing a bit of knitting. I finished up a jumper that I've been working on on and off for the past few months...it's one i'm not quite sure about a) the colour on me and b) the style - it doesn't particularly flatter the smaller chested among us...but does that matter? Thoughts are welcome. At the moment i'm thinking of using it as a yoga type top - it's made from stretchy synthetic stuff (check out ravelry for more details). I've also learnt that I'm either long in the body or too impatient to knit things the proper length - had to add the band around the bottom. (Also the sleeves are slightly different lengths - oohps).
My current project is a beautiful mohair cardigan which is coming along really quickly. I'm learning my lesson from the previous project though and knitting both sleeves at the same time to ensure they match.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2010-01-02T07:37:00.000-08:00

So true to form it's Jan 2nd and I'm mostly sticking to the resolutions. However i foresee a problem with this weekly blogging lark...what if i've got nothing to say or show, like today....ah well you'll just have to put up with my mundane ramblings about my day to day existence (which i find all very exciting of course, but to the reader, perhaps not so much)

Anyway, we watched Fred and Ginger dance the new year in, and got lost in Shotover park on New Years day.

This morning we went running and i started on the wii fit active programme - quite an active little game, the 5 mile run is tomorrow.
The state of the union and shopping court was held over curry in Wheatley - The state of the union is strong; the shopping court has allowed boot repairs; vogue pattern off ebay; running tops (for B).

On the shopping front; i was hoping to sign up for another term on wardrobe re-fashion but i've missed the boat. So i'm just gonna go ahead and make my own pledge - no buying new clothes for a year! So there! (Of course you understand that there will be exemptions allowed once every two months in case of emergency, and i'm not sure that the pledge includes shoes, and btw i got some red converse high tops for christmas - yipppeeeeeee (my 13 year old self is just sooooo excited!).

So there you have it.....the non shopping should mean that i make a good dent in my pre-christmas wool blow out....i'll keep you posted

End of year round up...almost

2009-12-31T11:40:00.000-08:00

I know, as my friend reminded me - I haven't blogged since October. Of course it being the beginning of a new year I have resolved to blog more frequently - once a week. Plus learn french, run a marathon (already entered in Berlin), stop buying clothes and other junky stuff that i don't need, and of course sewing and knitting. Speaking of which I have been doing some, and i know i still need to up-date the laptop case and the cape pictures, but i present Ben's Jumper and other random christmas gifts (lavendar bags, pin cushion and hand warmers)

So we had a great run up to christmas with some fun days in London - we saw lots of exhibitions at the V and A, and weird one of outsider art at Hampstead and i got to see Rufus Wainwright and family and other random guests at the Albert Hall - a bit weird but a lot of fun - it was like some strange family christmas that you had just walked in on.

And Christmas itself was wonderful (ignoring the odd cold, infection, suffered by some hosts and guests) it was really good fun, lots of games, good food (that even a powercut had a hard time spoiling) and wonderful presents.
The best yet - and I feel that this should really have it's own post because it's so great, is the amazing sewing box that Ben painted for me. You see I'd seen one for sale in a design shop with a price tag of £250. I coveted it but am too poor to blow that kind of cash on a sewing box. So Ben worked really hard, as a surprise painting this one for me...and I love it - it's better than the one i saw in the shop.

So thank you Ben.

HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone and I'll be back blogging very soon if resolutions are to be believed

speedy speedy...almost

2009-10-21T12:45:00.000-07:00

Went running at the weekend with a mission to do 5 miles in a reasonable time...and we did 43 minutes - way better than our 58 minutes that we did the previous week. yay!....and then we were knackered for the rest of the day. But we did do some wandering around the costwolds which was quite lovely and i had my first experience of Lardy Cake - Ben and I hardly dented it and i had to take it to work for the hyenas to finish it off - it was yummy but just too much.

I managed to finish my cape too; and Ben''s laptop cosy - as always pictures to follow - this time you get to see glimpses of our trip to Budapest and Vienna.

typepad comments awol

2009-10-11T02:04:00.000-07:00

I'm testing this out cos when i did some tweaking my comments box disappeared on my posts and so I'm hoping that this post it will appear......call me shallow and approval seeking but i like it when people comment but if i don't even give people the option...

Happy birthday to me...

2009-10-11T00:45:00.000-07:00

Yay it's my birthday...and as i had to remind myself i've just turned 32 (kept thinking i was 33 for some reason).
We've just returned from a week wandering around Budapest, eating stodgy, rich, yummy food and a couple of days in Vienna where we took part in our first race....a 5k night race. It was really cool to be part of it 15,000 people (mostly austrian) running around the beautiful city of vienna at night, we made our target time of under 30mins (all you serious runners out there you know how slow that is), we got a free goody bag and t-shirt. Whilst in Budapest we also took advantage of Margaret Island which is a virtually car free island of park and a nice spongy running track; we threw our running regime out of the window a bit and ran for 10miles and then went for curry : )

So i had a lovely time, and now today is my birthday Ben created the fantastic board game "The Game of Phill" where i won prizes including a trip to London to see Les Mis, and he's taking me to see "The September Issue" at our local cinema and then out for Italian at Luna Caprese.....I'm supremely spoiled

New things....see i'm not so lazy

2009-09-29T12:11:00.000-07:00

OK so it's been a little while since i've written but I promise I haven't been lazy - I've been making stuff. This is the rowan pattern i've been trying to finish...it took a little while to complete, and before it was blocked it looked godawful but with a little bit of re-shaping i kinda like it. It still looks a little big but it's coming along. I do get quite a few comments asking whether it's hand knitted - i guess it just has that feel, it's certainly cosy. One of the cool things is that the wool used to be a blanket. Well I bought it, knitted it into a blanket and used it for a few weeks until it was decided that the wool was too moulty.....so it's been re-fashioned.

And this is the dress I've made - from a remnant piece of cotton found for £5 in a local shop. Ben reckons it's a maternity dress; i reckon it looks like a nightie...but i'm hoping pair it with some cowboy boots, maybe some chunky tights come winter and you've got yourself a fun winter dress. I wore it out a few weeks ago and it felt pretty good...maybe a bit too baggy though.

The re-fashioning thing is certainly keeping me out of the shops. I like it....maybe I'll increase my pledge next time.

2009-09-03T12:55:00.001-07:00

I'm trying out the new typepad method, I've done the cutting and pasting of HTML so here it goes

i know it's the same photo...

2009-09-03T12:26:00.000-07:00

as last time but i couldn't help it i love these shoes, and they got their first outing at the weekend - a car to and from the restaurant and parking across the road, and they didn't hurt my feet - yay. I love my robot shoes

It's really weird, there is a lady at work who kind of reminds me of my mum but i can't put my finger on what it is about her. Today she said completely out of the blue that I remind her of herself when i was her age, she was into the same kind of things as me...fashion, making clothes, culture, films, arts.....weird.

Wardrobe Refashioning

2009-09-01T13:56:00.000-07:00

wardrobe refashioning - i've taken the 2 month pledge...now watch me go ..and not buy anything for a whole 2 months, including my birthday - eek.

10k - yay

2009-08-31T11:17:00.000-07:00

I did it, i did it i ran 10k....Ben's watch broke so he doesn't think he's run it...but mine showed 10k and i ran an extra 500 meters just to be sure that it was definitely 10k. In my view target achieved...another new years resolution to tick off (as well as my visiting the dentist last week...filings fixed and i'm good for another 5 years...erm i mean 6 months).
Yay and you know it wasn't that bad..i could have run some more at the time....now i just feel like sleeping
so that's 6 miles odd; i'm almost a quater of a way to a marathon, and over a fifth of the way. Yippee, zzzzzzzzzzzzz

Knitted bag

2009-08-29T04:59:00.000-07:00

ohhps i almost forgot to blog my bag...here it is - lined with some old trouser material and knitted with some wool taken from my grandma's stash.

oh and a little phone cosy i made for my phone

Pashley

2009-08-29T04:40:00.000-07:00

We bought my new baby home today - the lovely pashley sonnet bliss - isn't it pretty!

I'm very excited but slightly worried about riding up the hill outside our house. Plus someone at work got their seat stolen the other day so I'm a little bit scared of the scallies of oxford taking a fancy to it...so to begin with it might be a ride to work and back and save the cycling to work visits for another time.
oh and the reworked cape - here's a different picture - I like it much more now the collar has been removed and i've added an extra panel at the front - it's a bit wonky i know but i kinda like it

Run, Philly, Run

2009-08-28T13:53:00.000-07:00

Yep, running is back on our agenda...i've even bought the slick black running leggings and a sports bra - and it must be doing something cos i managed to run 8.5km on Thursday - the 10k isn't so out of sight.

It's a bit of a commitment at 3 days a week, but i'm trying to stick to it and moving my social nights to a strict Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.
Half marathon is the goal by november - no race planned as yet but it's exciting.

On the sewing front i've re-worked my cape, and i'm quite pleased with it now - photo's to follow. I've also made the coolest little clutch bag which I'm a little bit in love with - I just need to get my camera out. The camera will definitely come out tomorrow for the arrival of my new Pashley bicycle. I'm so excited - oohh maybe I'll do a photo on the bike, wearing my cape and holding my clutch (not sure riding and carrying a clutch bag are compatible but I can just pop it in my basket). he he

In addition to all this i've visited the dentist (one of my new years resolutions for this year), and bought some new material for a new pair of trousers for bed, a thick woolen cape for me, and a plaid dress - i've signed up for the re-fashion wardrobe challenge for 2 months and I'm starting to panic.
Photo's to follow soon

new shoes . . . And phone

2009-07-20T13:23:00.000-07:00

lucky old me, i've just come back from latitude festival and had a really great time. Grace jones was barmy but amazing. Anyway i got a new phone and a new pair of shoes and thid is an attempt to combine the two . . . .if this works you should see a lovely pic of the said shoes as delivered by the phone . . Here we go

Bruges

2009-06-13T14:42:00.000-07:00

Just got back from a few days in Bruges. A really pretty city - we both had great plans to run every day - but in reality we ate badly, read some books and wandered around. I think during our time there, we managed to substitute every meal time with chocolate at least once.

One of the many examples of chocolate meal substitution...this one was breakfast.
And below two of the fine other belgian delicacies- the fry and beer

So having come back home, we went for a 6km run this morning and felt a bit better about ourselves (still ate some chocolate that we had brought back though).

Getting to know my seam ripper

2009-05-17T13:17:00.000-07:00

So the lovely Bento is away at the mo and i'm left to my own devices. I wandered off to headington in search of paints and other goodies to paint the chairs in the house. I stumbled across this circular tablecloth in the charity shop...in the spirit of re-fashioning i thought I would give it a go

After a lot of false starts and searching for patterns and spending far too much time with my seam ripper i've come up with the skirt/dress
My intention was that i'd create a lovely flowy circular skirt; then it was too long and i made a kaftan dress thing. that looked too much like an irish dancers costume but by that time i'd already cut it; so my longish skirt was created - perfect for work; and converted into a summer dress - perfect for weekends! Yay two for the price of one (or a pound each!)

I'm kinda pleased with the results. I hope they look ok and they get the bento approval. I must remember next time not to jump in feet first...if i take my time and do things right i should be able to break away from my dependency on the seam ripper

knitted gifts

2009-05-17T13:11:00.000-07:00

I always forget to take photo's of the gifts that i make for people; so this time i remembered:

It's for my friend Mel; she requested a cushion like the bag that i gave her for christmas and here is the result....i hope she likes it

My new creations - red top and capetastic!!

2009-05-03T05:17:00.000-07:00

Oh no not again

2009-05-03T04:56:00.001-07:00

Yes, i seem to have done it again....not posted for a year.
Well in keeping with my yearly update it is now May 2009!
I'm pleased to say i've ticked some things off my to do list from 2007!
Yes; my debt is all paid; i have a new tattoo (see below); i am doing yoga every day (almost but at least twice a week); and i've made some wearable clothes....and i'm actually going to post them this time

Oh Lordy

2008-03-15T02:23:00.000-07:00

Indeed! Shame, shame i know my name. I haven't blogged in so long. eek. such good intentions and all that.

It is now 2008. I can confirm that the weird ballet wrap thing has indeed been re-created...in the form of two scarfs given to my ma and ma-in-law for christmas...the thing wasn't right for me and they made much nicer scarves. I wish there was extra I could have kept for myself.

I also re-knit the beret..it's now too big but so much cooler...photo's to follow

The running thing is going ok.. a bit stop start but plans are ahead for 5k and 10k runs in the coming months which is a good sign.

It's been Ben's golden week this week which ended in disaster again with the flight to Madrid being cancelled cos of bad weather and us both not knowing what to do with ourselves for the rest of the week. I had a bit of a revelation yesterday whilst shopping in Birmingham (an experience not to be repeated). Why am i so keen on looking for other things....dresses, furniture, places to live, shoes.....when i already live in the best place, have some really nice clothes and really have no need for anything....why am i always looking for the next thing, why can't i just enjoy what i've got - which is far better than most things out there anyway! what is it that i'm looking for?

Holidays and running

2007-07-01T06:51:00.000-07:00

I've been on annual leave this week and so managed to get some things done, including a few sewing projects...to be blogged soon.

But most excitingly today we did our first running session. We went and got trainers yesterday, the one hurdle we had to get over before we could start on our mission. Well its my mission really and Ben is kindly keeping me company. You see I want to run a marathon. Its one of those things that i think would be a real achievement - more of the mind than the body but I'm sure I'll be telling a different story once I'm complaining of all my aches and pains.

I'll let you know how we get on....

Knitty

2007-07-01T06:20:00.001-07:00

I've been meaning to upload my knitting projects for a while now but have only just got around to it. So I present the Phillie collection!

This one the beret from Kim Hargreaves collection. It took me a few attempts to figure out the instructions and even now i think its smaller than it's meant to be but I like it

The weird ballet wrap type thing below is another Kim Hargreaves design and yet again I had a few attempts and I'm still not sure about it. Its that chunky wool that makes it a bit,.. well..... chunky. As Ben said, its the wrong season for it, so its gonna stay in my wardrobe until winter and then we will have to wait and see....it may be re-incarnated. Watch this space
.

The anarchic gloves, or peace gloves depending on which way you hold your hand - are owned by a lucky Bento. He says the fingers aren't quite long enough so I need to work on another pair..and this time make sure I have enough wool to finish them this time

I can't resist it....floras again

2007-07-01T06:08:00.000-07:00

OK this one is growing on our balcony, it only just opened. The colour is amazing! I like it and the good news is there are plenty more which have yet to bloom

2007-06-10T10:43:00.001-07:00

Today was a good day - tennis (I lost but nothing new there); allotmenting (yum rocket's ready) and in the afternoon a beautiful walk under blue skies with brief stops for reading under a tree.

The picture shows our donut! Its the big tv mast that tells us that we are near to home.

I'm so lucky to live where i do.

2007 List

2007-06-10T10:02:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of the year Ben and i set out what we would like to achieve in 2007 - a slightly more positive and lax version of new year resolutions seeing as we have all year to achieve them.

So as we are 6 months into the year I thought I would re-assess to see whether i'm on track.

Do yoga twice a week - hmm just started this week, but plan to carry on.

Go street dancing - we've just got a dance mat - does that count, probably not but i can't seem to find any street dancing classes in oxford

Knit a jumper - yay! Done that one, twice!

Make two wearable items of clothing from scratch - so this doesn't include the jumpers and I was thinking more of a sewing type thing. Not done this yet but i've ordered some material

Stick to a budget and decrease debt - I'm trying! and I'm getting much better and being much stricter and watching what i spend and trying to account for every penny. I have high hopes for myself with keeping this one going.

Become a master - tick! Graduation on July 12th

Get a tattoo - being birthday number 30 i wanted to treat myself, but of course in accordance with the goal above i have to save up some money for it

Basic car maintenance - hmm kinda. I'm getting a bit more knowledgable but not quite there yet - if i needed to change a tyre could I? No. But i know where the oil goes now.

At least I've completed some of my tasks, and have plenty more to focus on for the rest of the year. The only one i want to add is to start running. I have it in my head that i want to complete a marathon in 2009 - so that gives me two years to get my fitness level up to the job. I've said it out loud now so I have to do something about it.

floras 2

2007-06-07T10:45:00.001-07:00

The peonies

Floras

2007-06-07T10:32:00.000-07:00

OK here it is first post and the topic.......flowers.....now tulips are my favourite flower by far, the shape, the boldness, the history and the power but i must confess Ben got me some awsome peonies I'm just waiting for them to burst open, the colours are great..all good inspiration for the next tattoo design