Now the weather's colder...

I lost some of my crafting 'mo-jo' over the summer - 

It seemed far too hot to work on large woolly projects,

 then I lost interest in a smaller-scale crochet bag.

The darker evenings and horrible weather have had one bonus -

I've picked up my hooks again!

 

Since the beginning of the month I've made these children's blankets.

(My Mum knows some-one who hands them out as part of a Charity project)

 

 

I make them with a large hook and chunky wool - so they grow quickly and are soft and snuggly..

 

I also made my first ever 'wave' pattern scarf.

I gave it too my younger niece as a birthday present because the colour was perfect for her and I know that she loves long 'Doctor Who' style scarves.

 

 

I've also finished my latest granny square throw. 

I've just got to get through the process of finishing off all those ends...

 

I've learnt a lot about picking up stitches, keeping my work neat and changing direction in this throw.

It's not perfect - but I'm pleased with the overall effect.

 

I'm wondering whether I've got the confidence to try making a jumper next.  I used to design my own knitting patterns so I've got some idea of where to start in terms of shape and tension. The wave pattern scarf has also convinced me that I can work neatly in lines as well as squares, which is probably key to making something to wear.  I love making the big, chunky charity blankets while we are travelling to work, but it would be nice to have a evening project for myself too.

 

In the meanwhile, I still don't feel like finishing the crochet bag.  Isn't it funny how some projects seem doomed to lurk for months at the bottom of the craft bag....!

 

Jx

 

PS - Yes - I really do play the harp!  It's been part of my life for so long that I rather take it for granted - but it is a rather nice thing to have in the corner of the lounge!!!  Thank you for all your lovely comments on the last post.

Work in... very slow... progress!

I started this granny square project at the end of February.  The idea was to produce a piece of crochet that made me feel 'spring-like' - hence all the greens, yellows and browns.  Normally I do heaps of crochet during our shared commute round the M42.  Unfortunately the Easter holidays and lots of days when I've had to drive myself because Mark has been away, have really slowed down the final stages.  Nevertheless, it's starting to look like a proper throw....

 

Here's Tom inspecting the details...

 

 

"I like this corner Mum... can I play with those threads..."

Once Tom got bored and moved on, I took another photo.  Basically I've tried to make a floral pattern in each of the 36 squares.  I then popped a double crochet border (in yellow or orange) on each one and stitched it together with a raised single crochet seam.  I've now started a granny stripe border.  I'm working one side at a time and rotating the work every six rows or so.  This has created a nice detail at the corners.

 

My plan is to use it as a throw over one of our garden chairs - during that long hot summer we're going to have (Ha ha!!!!).  Alternatively I can always huddle up under it if we have the usual chilly summer!

 

I've found the granny stripe border seriously addictive and already have plans for another garden throw where the stripe are more of a feature.  The problem is that I also have 'unfinished business' with a lot of blue wool and a 'wave stripe' blanket...

 

Hmmm.  So much crochet and so little time.  Maybe 'Mr Ofsted' and 'Mr Btec Verifier' are just going to have to wait for their paperwork!!!

 

Jx

Homemade with Love

On Monday afternoon I stopped in WH Smith for a few minutes and started to brouse through the crafting mags.  I'd actually got this month's 'Molly Makes' in my hand when I noticed a new publication...

Now I'm really strict with myself when it comes to this sort of purchase - difficult choices had to be made because only one mag was going to be allowed through the front door!  I decided to go with the new one and it's great.  The articles and projects are divided into six areas - texture, colour, taste, vintage, fun and up-cycle.  There's some great photography and projects ranging from simple (which suits me) to things that appear pretty advanced.  I was particularly interested in the article about Artists Trading Cards - which prompted a bit more web research and some low-level creativity last night. 

 

I suspect that Mark is going to have a quiet weekend - crafting projects call!!!!

Finally... time to blog!

You've probably guessed that the last couple of weeks of term became increasingly manic.  I tried to keep reading your posts and commenting but I completely ran out of time when it came to posting on my own blog.  Anyway, here's a quick summary of the last few weeks..

There were concerts and Year 11 Parents Evening (on the PENULTIMATE night of term - stupid school!)  There were also pre-Christmas meals and drinks with family and friends AND a trip to see Mark's Dad and Brother in Oxford.

In the middle of all of this I was crocheting like made to finish a blanket.  I made it as a Christmas present for my friend who showed me how to crochet back in March.  I made a label which read "For my Teacher" - she was really delighted with it!

My Mother-in-Law stayed from the 24th ~ 27th so the whole house had to be nice and tidy.  She's actually pretty relaxed about these things but I like my visitors to feel as if I've made a bit of effort.

Mark was responsible for the tree.  He likes lots of lights - this year there are over 300!  Thomas is transfixed every evening by all the twinkles!

We had Christmas Eve at my house then went to my Sister's for Christmas Day.  This is the table set for 9 of us at my Sister's house. 

 

On Boxing Day we loaded Mark's Mum and my Parents into the old Discovery and went for a picnic.  The weather was a little unrealiable so we went up to Ironbridge and went for a short walk by the river.  Here's Mark and his Mum on the famous 'iron bridge'...



 

We were surprised that there seemed so many people around on a cold mid-winter day.  Then we realised that they'd come to see some lady Morris Dancers, who were clearly maintaining a local tradition and dancing on the bridge on Boxing Day...

 

 

Since my Mother-in-Law went home yesterday I've been making the most of a few days of 'R+R'.  It's been too wet to walk long distances so I've curled up on the sofa and started one of my Christmas books.  I've also started to crochet another blanket with some wool from the stash.  We went into Worcester this morning and had a little look at the Sales.  Mark spent some Christmas money on a much reduced PS3 Game but I wasn't really inspired to spend my money.  Most of the shops appeared to have dragged anything that needed 'clearing' onto the rails but there weren't any bargains.

In the end we left the shops and went down by the river to walk by the floods.  Fortunately the flood defences seem to be doing their job and people's homes and businesses are dry.

Now I'm back in the 'blogosphere' and catching up on all your news. 

Season's Greetings to you all!  Jx

Inspired by Bagpuss..

 

Inspired by bagpuss's pink and white stripes, my latest Motorway blanket is a blend of

 bright pink, a sparkly pink and white yarn and lots of plain white for the background.

The light was going when I took this photo - but I hope that you get the general idea..!

 

The target audience is a young girl!

Hopefully it will soon be brightening up the life of a young person somewhere..

 

I'm still crocheting away in the passenger seat, but I've abandoned these blankets while I work on a Christmas gift or two.  Firstly I want to create something for my friend who taught me how to crochet back in February.  She loves handmade gifts so would appreciate the fact that I'd made something for her.  Then, if I've got time, I'd also like to make something for my Mother in Law. 

 

Unfortunately December seems to have caught me by surprise!

We've been ridiculously busy with work AND socialising loads.

On top of all that we seem to be commuting seperately quite a lot too,

which means a lot less crafting time.

 

I hope that you all have a good week.

Jx

Just Pottering

Today I've had a lovely day of quiet pottering.  I started by catching up with everyone's blogs over a mug of coffee first thing.  Do check out pearl@serenitycove's most recent post.  It transported me into a full-on Christmas mood!

 

Here's this week's 'Motorway Blanket'.  I decided to have a bit of a change and make a blanket for a baby this time.  The yarn has a a faint colour change in it (pink, purple and cream).  I added some soft white DK yarn and used both together to make the heavier edging.  I got it all from the Hobby Craft shop near school.  I just went in to pass a little bit of time and discovered that they have got a 'three for two' offer on all their yarns at the moment.  For once I didn't feel as if I was being slightly ripped off!  I asked how long the offer was going to be on for and got the typical large chain reply - "We're not sure..."

 

 

Those of you with sharp eyes will have spotted the new suite.  Thomas adores it and has chosen the chair in the corner as his own.  Fortunately the blue and beige colour combination seems to hide cat fur quite nicely!  Unfortunately the colours don't exactly go with the pale green theme of the rest of the lounge.  I'm going to have to get myself organised and sort it all out at some stage.... Probably Christmas or the January Sales.

 

 

Hope that you are all having a good weekend!

Crochet in the Dark

Here's the throw that I've been making over the summer.  I've always loved the effect of mixing loads of different colours and textures together - almost like a piece of patchwork.

 

 

I've made it in a range of double knitting yarns - but every square has been bordered by the same cotton and wool blend (called Duo).  It's a lovely soft yarn and it made a gorgeous scalloped edging.

 

In this picture you can see most of the yarns that I've used.  The pale colours tend to be cottons, while the slightly shiny thread is a silk blend that's been hanging around for years in my wool stash. There's also some Sidar Denim and Click. 

 

As you can see, I still need to spend a bit time finished off the ends.....

 

Here's my other project - crocheted over the last two weeks or so during our commute round the M5 and M42.  The throw was worked on 4.0, 4.5 and 5.5 hooks and it's really dense and snuggly.  This little blanket was worked on 8.0 and 10.00 hooks so it grew very quickly.  I've also discovered that I can work it in the almost darkness of a passenger seat at 7.00 in the morning.  Good use of commuting time, I think!

 

I got the idea of blending double knitting yarns from one of my Mum's friends.  The darker yarn has a sparkle in it which is quite attractive with all these Autumnal colours.  The fourth row is a normal chunky wool, while the seam and the border are two 'normal' double knitting shades mixed together.

 

I'm going to keep the blue and brown throw for myself - but Mum has friends who can find a good home for these little chunky blankets.  I've already done 5 squares of the next one.  It's nice to think that my 'lost commuting time' can be turned into something positive for someone else. 

A 'Micro-break' in Wales (aka The Brecon Wool Raid!)

After another mad week at work Mark and I decided to give ourselves a 'Day-cation' yesterday.  We trundled off down to Brecon in BJ (the old Discovery).  Someone, somewhere, was keen to see that we had a good day - BJ ran out of fuel just as we rolled onto the forecourt of the petrol station at Abergavenny!  We actually had to push her to the pumps.  Fortunately she didn't seem to mind having air in her fuel lines too much and Mark got her started again so that we could continue our journey through the hills.

 

Wool was one of my main motivators for suggesting a day out in Brecon.  This is the wonderful wool shop tucked away in the entrance to the Covered Market.  They are fantastically over-stocked and have masses of yarns that may have gone out of stock everywhere else months ago.  This was the case yesterday with Sidar Denim.  I've always loved working with this yarn and was gutted when it went out of production and disappeared from my local wool shops.  They have finally got round to putting it in a clearance sale in Brecon and I picked up loads for £2.35 a ball.  A real bargain!  They also had big balls of Hayfield and Robin DK yarn for £1.55.  Irresistable!

 

 

After a lovely lunch at the Cathedral tea-rooms we left all the wool in BJ and went for a walk by the canal.  This was the gorgeous sky over the Brecon Beacons.

 

My camera struggled with the depth of shade under the trees but I couldn't resist this photo of the reflections.

 

We walked down to the aquaduct, where the canal goes over the River Usk.  It's a pleasant flat walk of about 3 miles - perfect for shaking down lunch!

 

We then drove home across the border, past Hay on Wye, Hereford and back into Worcestershire.  This is my 'woolly loot' spread out on the bed when we got home.  As well as Sirdar Denim, there's some clearance cotton mix yarn, clearance Snuggly and a few other bits and pieces.  I calculated that I paid just over £2.00 per ball on average - not bad for Sidar yarns. 

 

 

This has all been safely stored away with all my other recent woolly purchases.  Mark was remarkably understanding about the amount of wool I bought, given that it was all a great bargain, BUT I am banned from buying anymore until some of it has been made up!

 

Going round in squares..

 

Since the beginning of term I have been doing most of my crochet in the passenger seat of Mark's car.  This is fantastic because it gives me at least an hour and a quarter of guaranteed crafting time every day.  It's also caused some general amusement because I can whip out my current granny square in pretty much any location.

 

Yesterday the girl managing the reception at a Jaguar Repair Centre was particularly bemused.  "I think I've seen knitting..."  she said, "but I've never seen THAT before."

 

Mark had a particularly scary accident on the motorway the other week when the car in front of him clipped a small metal bar.  It flew up into the air and would have gone through Mark's windscreen.  Fortunately he reaised what was happening and took his foot off the accelerator.  Unfortunately the metal bar still hit the bonnet of the Jaguar.  As a result we were at the Repair Centre yesterday.  (I guess I need to point out at this stage that we only have a posh car because Mark works for Jaguar Land Rover..  It's a company car.  There's no way we could afford one in the 'real world'.)

 

Anyway, I'm getting close to completing my main crochet project - the throw that I've been making all summer.  Now I've started to work some squares using chunky wool on a 10 mm hook.  It's fun and fast but I'm not sure that I'm as satisfied with the effect.  I've also got a 8mm hook that I haven't really experimented with yet. 

 

I'll post some pictures over the weekend of all the 'work in progress'.

Welcome to my Wool Stash!

I was really pleased when I realised that my local Wool Shop ('Em's' in Droitwich) was having a sale.  I paid £1.00 per ball for all this lovely yarn on Saturday morning.  Mostly it's a cotton mix which I really enjoy using in my crochet projects.

 

 

On Sunday afternoon I spent some time bringing order to the general chaos of my wool stash.  I moved it from one of the high level cupboards in the little bedroom to the space under our bed.  I also themed it by colour and wool type.  Here's a picture of all the bags lined up across the bottom of the drawer.  Somehow there's something deeply satisfying about the sight of all this work waiting for my attention!

 

 

I'm making good progress towards the completion of my latest granny square blanket.  I think I should be able to post pictures of the finished article in a couple of weeks time.  It's great to maximise our commuting time by doing a bit of crochet in the passenger seat.   Yesterday was an especially awful day and we ended up spending over 2 hours in the car.  It didn't feel anywhere near so bad when I looked at the squares I'd made!

 

Wowed by Welsh Quilts

Last Friday Mum and I spent a very enjoyable time learning more about Welsh Quilts.  We went to the Town Hall in Lampeter where Jen Jones has based her collection.  This year's exhibition is all about comparing Welsh and Amish quilts.  There are some really beautiful examples of both traditions in the display and its fascinating to see the similarities.  Many of the quilts on display are more than 120 years old and the detail in the handiwork is really inspiring.

After lunch we took ourselves to Cae Hir Gardens, only a few miles away.  These gardens have been fashioned from a steep 6 acre hillside site and they are really pretty.

While Dad enjoyed the planting and design, Mum and I enjoyed the outdoor exhibition of modern quilts.  There were about 40 quilts displayed around the different sections of the garden. 

This is a detail of one quilt that particularly caught my eye..  the fabric has a musical theme then a treble clef design has been stitched all over the quilt.  I hope that you can make it out from my picture.  I understand that it's this 'secondary design' which is typical of Welsh quilts...

This was the view from the top of the garden. 

We chatted to the owners for a while when we made our way back down to the coffee shop at the bottom. They explained that this was the first quilt exhibition that they'd ever tried but they had definite plans to do other one next year.  I think it was a lovely idea that worked really well.

Since I got home I've tackled some of my projects with renewed vigour.  There's nothing quite like seeing some-one else's beautiful finished work to 'get the crafting juices flowing' again!

Thanks to Mrs Thrify for the 'One Lovely Blog' award.  I will try to respond properly to it this time!

Work in Progress

Over the last few weeks I've been busy with my crochet hook and I've started a new project.  I pulled together some wool from my stash in blues, brown and pale peach.  I then bought some 'vari-coloured' wools to bring the theme together.....

My plan is to make squares of 6 rows, combining my colours in various ways.  All the squares will then have a 7th row of a pale colour (maybe cream, natural or beige) and  I hope to be able to crotchet them together with a ridge effect in the same pale colour.  At the moment I'm working on the corners.  Here's the first one laid out on the floor of the conservatory (with a bit of the second corner in the background). 

I'm taking my time with this project and really enjoying the porcess of messing around with the colours and yarns. I've no idea when it's going to be finished!  I have, however, finished a couple of cushions to go with the throw.  It's been nice to snuggle up with things that I've made myself during the last few days.

Finally, thank you to everyone who commented on my previous post.  I found everything that you wrote really helpful and I'm resisting the urge to charge around like a lunatic just because it's stopped hurting quite so much!

Wishing you all a lovely weekend!

Relaxing at the weekend..

Here's the throw that I started in Bournemouth a few weeks ago.  Since I took this picture on Saturday morning I've done a couple more circuits of pale lemon.  I don't think I'm going to make it much bigger but I will probably finish it off with a dark red edging....

On Saturday my Mum had a Coffee Morning at her house so I popped round for a little bit.  The books were only 50p on the book stall so I picked up a couple.  I've just started 'The Soldier's Return' and I think it's excellent.  The 'table topper' will be perfect for the little table in the conservatory (and it was only £2).

I then drove over to Pershore to meet up with some friends for coffee.  I was a little early so I wandered down to the St Richard's Hospice Shop.  This charity has a double unit in Pershore so there's a massive china and homeware section.  I found this lovely little blue and white jug (for £2).  It goes brilliantly with another little jug that I found in the Oxfam shop in Stratford last summer.  It also goes well with my general 'blue and white' kitchen theme.

When I got home I discovered that I'd been lucky in the raffle at the Coffee Morning.  This is what 1kg of chocolate shells looks like.......!

Unfortunately (fortunately...?) I don't actually like chocolate shells that much.  However my lovely pregnant colleague absolutely adores them.  I brought them into work this morning and gave them to her before school.  In a few weeks she is going to need all the energy she can muster - so I've given her strict instructions to eat as many as possible every day!

Doodles and Crochet

I love today's 'Google Doodle' and couldn't resist popping into this post.  Before today I'd never heard of Juan Gris and had no idea that it's the 125th anniversary of his birth.  To be honest I'm not that keen on cubism generally but the musical theme going on here is really cool.

Thanks to all of you who commented on my last post.  Most of the blanket was done over the last two weeks during my commute.  I'm also working on a larger throw for the lounge - which started out as my first ever piece of crochet in Bournemouth.  This has gone past fifty rows now so it's a pretty large square and also quite heavy.  It's not terribly conveniant to wrestle with it in the passenger seat of the car.  My plan is to complete the throw at home in the evenings and start a complimentary cushion cover during the commute until Easter. 

After Easter the baby arrives and we will know whether to crochet in pink or blue.  My colleague hopes that she's having a boy - but nothing is certain in  these things!

Finished Projects

I finished the cot blanket for my colleague's baby last night.  She doesn't know whether she's having a boy or a girl so I went for a neutral colour scheme......   (The teddy is one of my collection - she was a Valentine's Gift from Mark this year.)

I keep all my gift bags and re-use them when I can.  This bag was perfect for a 'Mum to be'..

My colleague was delighted with the blanket when I gave it to her before school this morning.  She wants me to make some more bedding when the baby arrives.  I'm really pleased with the end result, given that I've only been able to crochet for 4 1/2 weeks! 

Irish Crochet

I have a lovely French friend C., who comes round most Friday evenings for a chat.  I did A level back in the dark ages so we mostly chat in French until my brain begins to fry.  Then she talks French and I reply in English.... it's great fun!  Anyway, we were chatting a few weeks ago about crochet and my faltering beginner steps.  Since then - while I've been plodding round my granny squares - C. has rediscovered her passion for crochet too. 

At the moment each Friday session starts with a crochet 'show and tell'.... C. politely compliments me on the fact that I'm still going round in squares, then produces the most beautiful pieces of work from her bag.  She is currently working on 0.8mm and 0.5mm hooks with ultra fine silks and cottons.  She's creating amazingly delicate flower motifs.  They are stunning.

She explained last night that she intends to work some Irish Crochet.  Apparently she will have to work loads of these tiny flowers then pin them onto a piece of frabric.  After that she will crochet them together using chains and other simple stitches.  Once she has finished the linking work, she can remove the material and the effect will be somewhere between lace and a free-style crochet picture.  I've had a look at some examples on the internet and added a couple of my favourites to this post.  I think it's absolutely gorgeous.

I think I'm a very long way from being able to follow in my clever friend's footsteps - but I now have a crocheting goal.  I would love to be able to be able to produce something like this!

Silver Linings..

I had grand plans for some serious walking this weekend but today hasn't been quite as I expected.  I've been able to enjoy the good weather - but only in the garden.  The sun has brought out the first flowers on the Magnolia in my front garden. I think it must be at least two weeks early.

This is the reason for our change of plans.  "Winnie" - our aged Range Rover - failed her MOT yesterday.  This wouldn 't have been a significant problem but she then decided to have a major transmission failure on the way back from the testing station.  I got home yesterday afternoon to find oil all over the drive and Mark sulking in the lounge!

Anyway, some succinct coaching language (along the lines of "Get out there and at least find out what's broken") persuaded Mark back outside to find out the extent of the damage.  He made a shopping list for the replacement parts last night, collected everything together first thing this morning and has been working on the vehicle all day (helped by Thomas)

I am seriously proud of him.  His friends said he'd never be able to fix her this time... but he has!  In addition, he's saved us hundreds of pounds.  He's still got to do all the work on her to get her through the MOT re-test, but there's a fair chance that we'll be able to go walking tomorrow.

Every cloud has a silver lining.  I've pottered around the district and discovered another local wool shop.  I've also had time to do some more crochet.  I'm on the 50th row of my throw and have started the baby blanket for my colleague.  My parents are coming round for dinner tonight so I've also had time to prepare the meal.  To be honest, it's been nice to slow down a bit!

Back to Malvern

Thank you for all your kind comments on my previous post.  I did a lot of sorting out in my life this week and reached Friday exhausted but much happier.  I'm now 'rocking and rolling' again as normal! 

I've also really pushed on with my crochet.  I love the fact that I can do it while Mark is driving us to and from work.  The commute had always felt like a lost hour or so.  Now I've got something pretty to show for it.  Here's the throw so far.

The wool that I bought last week for this project has been more or less used up, so I had a fab excuse to go back to 'The Knitting Parlour' again today.  This time I haven't messed around.  I bought a couple more balls of the pale yellow, three balls of a pale apricot and three more balls of the red multi-colour wool.  I hoping that this will give me enough to finish the throw and create a couple of matching cushion covers - although the cushion covers will have to wait until I've done the baby blanket for my colleague.

Actually I've had an amazing day today.  Last week I noticed a beautiful evening gown in a shop in Malvern.  Today Mark went shopping with me and we went back to this shop to have closer look.  I tried on several dresses and they all had that elusive 'wow' factor.  In the end Mark bought me one!  We go to quite a few formal events each year and I've been 'rotating' several long black dresses for about five years.  This dress is completely different and I love it.  Unfortunately I can't post a picture quite yet because it needed a couple of small alterations to fit me perfectly.  I'm picking it up in two weeks time.

Just to finish off our lovely trip, we also went out for lunch.  I had a goats cheese salad - which was delcious.  I adore the combination of goats cheese and walnuts but I never bother to do it at home because Mark hates both of them!

Hope that you are all having an equally nice weekend!