Knitting is undoubtedly a sexy activity... RAWR.

My sister found this picture on the ever so vast world that is the interweb. As soon as I saw it, I knew it was destined for our blog. What could be better than a voluptuous red-head wearing a half-knitted top with a saucy slit up the side of her skirt surrounded by wool? Nothing I say!

I love to see the stereotypical image associated with knitting being thrown out the window. I'm sick of it being associated with grannies sitting in a rocking chairs knitting working their needles through squeaky acrylic wool.

Don't worry my friends, I shall be continuing this rant at a later date but right now the Law books beckon and the knitting must be formally abandoned.

Just announcing to the followers of the knit-wits that for the next two weeks the blog shall be residing in the "lockdown" zone. With these exams looming closely on the horizon we must devote ourselves to our studies... Don't worry we shall be back in a fortnights time with lots more knitting, baking, crocheting, sewing and we shall be introducing tutorials!

Have a lovely two weeks and to those doing exams, g'luckzys!

Smooches

Bríd x x

Manly Knitting.

This scarf was a mere WIP (work in progress... Hahaha! Knitting acronym) back here: http://craftystudents.blogspot.com/2010/01/college-knitting.html I made it for my severely awesome amigo Niall who is kindly being my man-hunk model below.

The scarf consists of a classic vertical drop of knit two purl two in my much-loved lamb's pride worsted. Always a winner!

Knitting for a man is a difficult task to undertake I believe. You never know if they'll like it. They are fussy in ways that most women I know could never be! You have to get it right or else the fruits of your labour will lie in a crumpled heap under a pile of smelly socks at the back of a wardrobe that hasn't been cleaned since lord knows when. There's nothing more disappointing than spending hours making something and then never seeing the recipient wearing it. Most frustrating thing a knitwit like myself can experience.

I think that when knitting for a man, the most important thing is to keep it nice and simple. I am usually a huge fan of little embellishments on a normal basis. But on this occasion I had to put that aside to make something wearable. I don't think a man would appreciate a little smiling heart or a cluster of woolen flowers in the same way that I would! Also, the wool is super important. Most of the men I know are far too blunt to sport a horrifically itchy woolen wonder even once or twice for the sake of your feelings. There's a science to this I say!

Now that I have inducted Niall into the world of knitting by making him a scarf maybe I can take his knit-witted-ness to the next level and teach him to knit... Now there's a plan!

Apologies for the current spell of inactivity in knit-wit land. Summer exams are approaching and we both have an entire semesters work to cram into two weeks. Lamentably, crafting must reside on the back burner until the old zim-zams are finished... *sigh*

Have a great weekend.

Le grá,

Bríd x

Another Sunny Day. Another Scarf!

I knitted this piece of neck-snuggling loveliness up recently. I bought the wool in a little shop in Bruges in Belgium. It's a deliciously light cotton and proved to be the perfect component for a spring-time scarf! It must be said that there is something oh-so-wonderful about going on a little wool spree in anywhere but Ireland. I could honestly rant for days about the extortionate price of wool in the Emerald Isle. Don't worry, I'll spare you all an ear-full!

Once again, I must thank my sister Clare for being such a wonderful model. Anyone who offers to roll around in semi-damp grass for the sake of a photo deserves some sincere gratitude! However, as Dublin decided once again not to be rain-soaked, I felt it necessary to take some more outdoor shots!
This scarf represents my first proper experiment with the domain of crochet. I used an old book of my Mum's to help me tackle some shell edging and the flower below! I must admit that I found it rather difficult at first but as soon as I got the hang of it, I was in AWE! I cannot quite believe how quickly crocheting transforms a ball of wool into a little flower... It's like knitting coupled with caffeine pills! Hahaha!

I think I need to give the scarf knitting a rest for a while! As I said in the last post, the monotony drives me somewhat insane. However, while in the throes of study for summer exams where the brain is working overtime, it is quite lovely to switch off and do relaxing and mindless knitting!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Bríd x

Something to keep you nice and warm!

This is a little something I knitted up for my friend Yasmin. I knitted it to match the gloves I knitted for her in an earlier Knit-witted moment (shown here: http://craftystudents.blogspot.com/2010/03/in-keeping-with-my-current-obsession.html) My sister offered her sexy self to be my model. You may not believe it but yes, this is in fact a sunny day in the typically rain-ridden Dublin!

I knitted this using Lamb's Pride Bulky! I am such a fan of that wool. Moss stitch was once again the stitch in the spotlight. A little rose served as a perfect embellishment piece to match the gloves. The little beads were a lovely souvenir from the sunny wonderland of California. I picked them up in a craft metropolis called "Jo-Ann". It's literally a supermarket for craft, aisles are filled with everything one would need no matter what they intended to construct! I was in paradise and that's putting it mildly!

I must admit that I am always happy to finish off a scarf. Row after row of the same stitch makes me go a little bit insane. It always takes So LONG to finish as well. I think that now I need to do something that will be quick and easy to make. Quick gratification is needed! Or maybe I just need a little dose of patience. Hahaha!

Hope you all had a lovely Easter!

Bríd x

A Little Bit of Love!

I know I said I wouldn't post another... I know I promised you all that I was overcoming my addiction to these little entities. I know I announced that I was moving onto other knitted wonders However, one of my favourite ladies in the entire universe, Beth, needed something in which to put her little pieces of cosmetic joy. The temptation overwhelmed me and I was powerless to resist it... Yes my friends, here is yet another make-up bag!

Nat gave me this red wool from her very own massive stash-pile. It's a nice cotton that proved very easy to work with. The pattern for the knitted heart came from this fabulous blog: http://mochimochiland.com/weblog/2007/02/free-pattern-hearts/ However, I only knitted one half, sewed it on, stuffed it a little and then glued on my beloved googly eyes (I am a devoted fan of these eyes).

The minute she asked me to make the bag, I knew I had to have a little heart on it! She's one of my closest friends and she introduced me to this quote: "Friendship is like peeing on yourself: everyone can see it, but only you get the warm feeling that it brings". If that doesn't deserve some love then I don't know what does! Hahahaha!

I parceled him up and gave him to Beth. She seems to be quite pleased with him indeed! There's nothing quite like making someone happy with your Knit-Witted work!

Sleep well everyone!

Bríd x

A Bow For Brid

I have expressed before my sincere love for the colour combinations of baby blue and brown but I can't help it, I've arrived back to crafting with this combination. The way it looks so classical yet fresh gets me all hot and bothered!

I whipped up this little hairband when I saw these two bits of ribbon lying waisted at the bottom of the craft mess which constitutes my room and gave it to Brid as a gift. :-)

Natalie

A Little Housekeeping

Hello to all our lovely blog readers!

We are in a wonderfully chirpy mood here at "Craftystudents" as we have been shortlisted for the Smedias Blog Of The Year Award. Yay. :-) Thank you Smedias!

Bear with me just a moment as little birds pull back the strands of my hair, falling on my face, into a neat bun and tie the ribbon of my apron in a perfect bow behind me with their little beaks, Disney style. Just one more second as I fill my lungs with spring air that is heavy with the scent of daffodils and as I rest me arms a moment, weary from my housework on the windowsill.

Can you hear me singing so sweetly through the window, across the ethernet and into your sitting room? Why yes! I do believe you can! Now listen closely, I have much to tell...

First of all I have a huge announcement to make! "Craftystudents" are embarking on the world of video tutorials! We will be telling YOU exactly how to make your favorite "Craftystudents" items and showing you step by step too so even if you've never picked up a sewing needle before in your life you'll soon be joining the Disney hall of fame for your immaculate housewife skills and be satisfying your recession riddled back pocket too. The first tutorial will feature rosettes for bags, lapels and hairbands made out of your dad's old tie and for no cost at all! What could be more crafty than that? We will be posting in the next few days, so keep checking back.

Lastly, in honor of our new found technical skills we will shortly be featuring a guest post in the form of a video tutorial featuring none other than the ravishing Elaine Lavery, cook extraodinaire and recent 1st place prize winner of UCD's healthy food competition. Mmm...

Have a lovely week, do something wild! (If you really wanted to topple the boat you could follow our video tutorial later this week, hehe.)

Natalie

xx