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Bring out the bunting

I can see by my choice of crochet projects that my thoughts are turning to Spring.  And indeed it is March so it is officially Spring!  Although there was a brief moment of snow this morning as I ran out to get some milk.  

These little crocheted bunting flags are making me very happy.  The colours, the simplicity of it all - what more could you want?

They consist of three rounds of your basic granny square and then edged with a chain stitch border and a couple of loops in the corners.  All strung together with a bit more crochet - although I am tempted to try a bit of ribbon here as an alternative.  

I seem to be making lots of bunting lately and I think it has taken over my tea cosy obsession.  Maybe tea cosies are a winter project and bunting is for spring?  I did see a nice tea cosy on 'Call the Midwife' last night (which I have to say was deeply traumatic - I thought Sunday night drama was meant to be nice and cosy and gentle not a whole hour of me saying "Oh my God!").

Anyway more bunting pictures to come...

 

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Apple Flapjack Teacosy

I found the greatest Apple Flapjack recipe.  It is quick, simple, few ingredients and tastes AMAZING!  I made 2 batches in quick succession and they all went!  I convinced myself that because they contained mainly oats and 2 apples that they must indeed be healthy and I chose to ignore the whole pack of butter and the huge amount of sugar and syrup.  

I love those recipes where you have to melt butter and sugar and syrup in a pan - it's like some kind of magic going on in there!  It's a great recipe for children to make too as it's so quick and there's not a lot of messing around.

I've also been making a lot of teacosies! (I'm never sure if it's one word or two).  I just can't seem to stop. I've hit upon this pattern which I invented and which I now love and have to keep making in as many colour combinations as possible. 

The possibilities are endless.

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Successful sewing

Well I've been quite pleased with myself for making this phone case for my daughter and her continuing love of the Unicorn.  This is the first time I have made a lined pouchy thing and I always have a mental breakdown when I have to think about which side you lay the fabric and how it will work when you turn it the right way out.  So I held my breath for that bit - not being sure if it would work.  I was so pleased when it did.

I did break out in a mild sweat for some of the sections but that is just normal for me and sewing.  I still don't find it a thoroughly relaxing activity but I have improved massively over the years as I have built a little tiny bit of skill.  It used to be that my ideas far outweighed my abilities but this little pouch has brought me a lot of joy and satisfaction to know that I built it from scratch with no pattern or anything!  I have to admit there was a previous version which the phone just did not fit into but it very happily turned out to be useful for holding tissues so you know, every cloud!

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Blowing away the cobwebs

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I found this pile of granny squares in a bag the other day.  They were the first things I worked on when I returned to crochet and I had just wanted something easy and pretty.  I had then obviously just stuffed them in the bag at the end - not being able to face all those ends and the trouble of turning them into an actual blanket.  

I was never very good at finishing things but I am working on that!

I'm going to border it in navy blue.  I'm not so keen on the classic black granny square blankets and I think the navy will make all the colours I have used so far really 'pop'.

I've also been working on a new tea cosy pattern and some different colour choices. 

Ron, meanwhile, has mainly been working on eating my magazines!

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Beryl

This is Beryl.

She is so beautiful.  I got her for £2.00 in a Charity Shop and I'm thrilled to bits with her.  She is a custard jug.  There was another one, slightly bigger, for £2.50 which I didn't get because I only wanted something to keep my felt tips in but I love Beryl so much that I may have to go back and get her big sister.

She makes me happy every time I see her.  I think we all remember this set from our childhoods - village halls always seemed to serve their tea in it and would have a full set in their cupboards.  When I bought it the lady in the shop said she had a full set of it at home but she doesn't use it any more.  The shop was full of wonderful tea sets that were so pretty but which I knew I wouldn't use either.  What a shame - what will happen to all this wonderful stuff?

I also got these to add to my growing collection of vintage patterns.  I don't know if I'll ever make them but I like to have them.  Maybe I will be inspired when the Great British Sewing Bee comes back on (February I think!).  I have been looking at sewing some clothing - I would love to make a dress but maybe a skirt would be a better starting point.  

I love the fact that the pattern on the left has a picture of a horse and a dog on it as if this outfit is entirely suitable for mucking out the stables in!

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Softly, softly

This week has been soft and slow as we have succumbed to feeling poorly with days off school. It has enforced its own pace upon us which has been reminiscent of the pre-school days when you could just snuggle up for no reason in the mid afternoon and read books - complete with funny voices. I know when you are in those days they seem endless and sometimes frustrating. But when they are gone they are gone forever and school life takes over in such a powerful way. Everyone's life becomes about school not just those who have to go. Your working day, week and year is dictated by the school routine, the costumes they need, the trips to be paid for, the homework to be completed, the when and where of holidays. Knowing the next time you will get a cheap holiday is when they have left home! I think we will be seeing the week out at home as little improvement has been made on the health front. There will be more stories, more baking - cheese scones just cannot be beaten! And the newly discovered but non-photogenic butterscotch pudding - who knew, what a texture, it's just so puddingy! I decided on a project for my dusty pink alpaca - a chevron lace scarf. I am finding it slow going and the wool is tricky with the 2.5 mm hook but I am very happy with the look of it and the slow and soft nature of it suits my week entirely.

Crochet shawl

I have been making this shawl for the last few weeks.  It is in Simply Crochet Magazine No 26.  I had wanted it in time for the cold weather and I have just made it - it was so cold last night!

Of course I didn't make it quite the same as they did.  They advised to join the hexagons as you went along but I am not keen on that method and I found it left a messy join so I decided to make them individually and join them at the end.  So I laid them all out and took time to arrange them beautifully ready for the joining.  But then...

I turned my back for 2 minutes and when I came back there was Maude.  Why do they always sit on your projects?  There's a whole house to be sitting around in.  Sofas, chairs, blankets, dark corners, airing cupboards, you name it - we have options here.  But no.  Bang in the middle of it too! I decided to remain calm and carried on...

I was glad I did because I am really pleased with it.  I am particularly pleased with the colours which are different to the pattern suggestion.

The pattern suggests Sylecraft Senses Lace which is a 4ply and then you were to double it up and use a 5mm hook.  I decided to keep things simple and went for the Stylecraft Special Aran which does not need doubling up and uses a 5mm hook.

For the main hexagon colour I chose Silver - 3 balls - as you can see that is all I have left of it after joining etc so it was a good use of the yarn.  Then Meadow (green) for the centre of each flower.  The flower colours I chose were: Cloud Blue, Aspen, Plum, Pomegranate and Fondant.  I hadn't seen the colours in the flesh and just ordered them online but I wasn't disappointed and I think they work really well together.

I am not one of life's great finishers so to complete this leaves me with a great feeling of satisfaction - and hopefully warmth!  I shall wear it in bed like a little old lady, reading my book with a cup of tea!

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I thought I would take a look at my current wips.  There aren't as many as I thought.  I think it's because the other million and a half are still in my head! This (above) is some teacosies which I am still enjoying making.  Ahh the colours - the joy, the possibilities!

This is the shawl from Simply Crochet magazine which is all complete and ends tied in and everything - just need to join the hexagons.  It did say to join as you go but I find that method messy and unsatisfying so I'm doing it my own way!

I want to get on with this one a bit more and get it finished but it still needs a lot of work.  Thankfully the weekend beckons - plenty of time for crochet!

 

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Unicorns I love them...

I can at last show pictures of the Unicorn cushions that I made for my daughter's birthday.  She turned thirteen at the weekend.  I'm trying hard not to think about that fact and that she may only be here with me for another five years.  Make the most of it, make the most of it...

Anyway she loves Unicorns - who doesn't?  So I set out to make her some cushions for her bed.

I am so pleased with them.  It's been a long time since I did any patchwork and I didn't plan it out extensively before I started, I just went for it and it paid off!  More importantly she loves them too and thought I had bought them (high praise!)

The green unicorn fabric is Heather Ross Far Far Away and the purple is by Timeless Treasures.  

After presents were opened we all enjoyed a delicious breakfast...

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So there I was the other day, just sat there having my daily cry when there was a knock at the door - of course!  I hurriedly wiped away my tears - although it still looked as though some awful thing had befallen me - and answered the door.

And there it was.  The parcel I had been waiting for.  

I had ordered it at the very last minute on New Years Eve just before their special offer expired.  I mean I had been coveting it for weeks but for some reason I just had to eek it out until the final minutes of expiry.  

I was NOT disappointed!  I haven't ordered wool online before because I do like to see what I'm getting - I like to touch it see it in the flesh and I just love all that wool stacked up in a wool shop.  I love it as much as I love haberdashery.

This was the main reason for the order.  The Drops Alpaca was on offer and a friend of mine had received the most beautiful Alpaca scarf for Christmas and this got me thinking that maybe I should make myself one.  I haven't settled on a pattern yet and I've no idea if this is enough but I loved the colour and was excited to see it in the flesh.  Plus who could resist that happy Alpaca on the wrapper?

I also bought this - just as a random purchase really and to avoid having to pay postage I thought I may as well spend it on some yarn.  I have absolutely no ideas for this yet but again I love the colour and the feel and I'm glad I was a bit adventurous.  Any ideas for what to make with this?

The rest of the order is some Stylecraft Aran to make a shawl with but more on that another time.

All of this excitement had taken my mind off my daily cry.  I love that - one minute you are sitting alone quietly sobbing and the next you have your own wool shop laid out before you.  To  top it all, when I turned around this was happening in the corner...

Sparkles!

Meanwhile in Ron's world...

nothing much had changed.