Jubi - late

Can I be the last to wish you all a happy Diamond Jubilee? Ahem. To me the spirit of the Jubilee is continuing for the rest of the year because of all the other celebrations that there are going on. Going to watch the Olympics, Dads big birthday getting together with far flung family (my particular fave) So that's my excuse and I’m sticking to it. I decorated the house, a lot of it was what I had leftover from the Royal wedding last year so I’ll not bore you with that but I did make some fireplace bunting based on the Easter bunting that Sandra made at Cherry heart.

           

Other than that I had a very exciting time when the torch bearer lady brought her torch to Pilates and……..

It was so lovely but sadly I look huge. I wouldn’t care I've lost way over a stone recently too. On a positive note my hair was behaving. I am told that they all were allowed to keep their torches and uniform for £200 quid which is not bad as they are selling for about 3 grand on Ebay. Not judging, that's a big lot of cash.

I am also in a good mood because someone who seems to know all about it has left me a message on my Inside crochet post saying that its going in and that I should keep my eyes peeled. Woo hoo. I do hope I’m not in bother for spilling the beans. I really did think that was it for the Magazine but I was told earlier that it was taken over by a new publisher. I’m so pleased.

A great weekend to you all I will be knitting bunting, how about you ?

Not inside crochet

A little while ago I became utterly overexcited about being asked to crochet professionally. The editor of Inside crochet magazine asked me to make one of his designs and submit it to the publication. It was primarily to cut down on time spent posting things as he lives in Canada. I spent weeks doing, undoing and redoing a lovely garment which I sent off at Easter and which they have been sitting on since. Well, today I have heard they have gone bust and that it wont be published. I was going to have my name in it too.

I had waited ages to show and tell as I was worried about people seeing it before publication but as it wont be in…… How would you like to see the finished piece?

You may remember I showed you the yarn. Its from knitshop colour blue green. 60% cotton plied with 40% wool. Its lovely, I used 5 balls and was sent 10 so got to keep the remainder.

The collar

The back

Front

The fancy hem.

I blocked it all  too. I even block granny squares, it makes a world of difference to a finished piece.

This garment is a cover-up for over a swimsuit.

The guy I made it for is trying to get it back so that he can try to get it into another publication so we might see it in print but lets not hold our breath.

I am sad that a moment of notoriety has not come my way but that is nothing to the loss of income for those concerned. My heart goes out to those people.

Anyway I do hope you have enjoyed seeing it, it was challenging and hugely enjoyable.

ta blooming dah

I’ve been a bit in limbo waiting for something else to happen that hasn’t and so I have had unexpected time to work on granny picnic. I have used the Jan Eaton pattern in her 100 squares book. I have also been highly influenced by Attic 24 in terms of how many in the starting chain and number of stripes etc. I have used an edge that Alice invented years ago and that I ferreted away in the old brain. Its very pointy and I think, buntingey. I did have half an idea to make it multi-coloured but simply wanted this project finished. Today we have spectacular sun and I really aught to be digging but a photo shoot is less strenuous. I hope you enjoy reading the pictures!!!

Not dead

Why is it that I am so bad at sharing whats going on? I did think that I was doing better but no.

Anyhoo this is a flavour of what I have been getting up to.

Just in time for the weather turning lovely and warm we decided to rip old fire

and replace it with one that matches the furniture.

 

This has been something that I have hummed and haarrd about for 5 years. Its done now!!

I have been inspired to make a new super colourful blanket for picnic season, its huge and has been nice to be underneath during the chilli spell but we are having a heat wave here, well less freezing snap.

I love it, bright colours are not really me neither do I do random colours, far too stressful so I have copied Attic 24. I say copied I did leave out the Fondant colour, didn’t fancy it.

Granny gorgeous but oh heck all those ends!!!!

I have also made some baby clothes

               

My friend Louise and I also did a Valentine inspired swap, my things have yet to materialise Stateside but look what I got……

Pretty stamps

Gorgeous wraps

Fabric, buttons and stickers.Drum roll please brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

The most lovely HAND MADE quilty hanging. I swear it is so perfectly made, the hand sewing is microscopic. I want to hang it next to the new fireplace so I can look at it always. I’d love to have a go at a simple (ish) quilting project as Louise has sent me other fabrics in the past too and I would love to do justice to them. Anyone got any good ideas?

I will try not to let it all stack up and attempt one a week, hope you have enjoyed the catch up.

Lou

Christmas round up

As promised I have the Holly pattern for you. I know that there is a very famous holly pattern out there from Attic 24 but this is very different and doesn’t have an amazingly long tutorial. Oops sorry about that. I also have a symbol pattern. I find them really easy to read but I appreciate that many people do not so I have tried to write this down too, aaarrrgghh.

Chain 10, dc in the second ch from hook.working into the foundation ch htr in next tr in each of next 2 st. ch3, sl st into 1st of 3ch. htr in next tr in each of next 2 st. ch3, sl st into 1st of 3ch. htr in next st. Into last of foundation chain work dc, ch3, sl st into 1st of 3ch, dc. htr in next, tr in each of next 2 st., ch3, sl st into 1st of 3ch. htr in next, tr in each of next 2 st ch3, sl st into 1st of 3ch. htr in next sl st in 1st ch.

I made 2 sewed them together and used a modified tiny tiny flower as a berry. The modification is just do round 2 and forget round 1. Or you can do it unmodified if you like.

Thanks to all the supportive comments re the housework vs crochet debate. You told me exactly what I wanted to hear and I can show you the result of the rest of the day on Friday, I even had it blocked before bed time. Here are the details,

Yarn: Galaxy 2 balls (it has sequins)

Pattern: South bay shawlette

Finally may I introduce to you my very good friends. Good looking bunch aren’t they?

They visited us for the weekend and we had the best time ever. The lady is my bestest buddy from school and my chief bridesmaid and has NEVER failed to be there for me when I needed her. Her Daughter, (girl genius) is my goddaughter and its always a joy and privilege to spend time with her. Our husbands first met when we honeymooned in France at their home when we were too poor to afford a holiday, it was a risk but they hit it off. Their son has had an amazing year and is a face that you will be seeing a lot of. He will be staring in the BBCs dramatization of the borrowers 7.30 boxing day bbc1. He plays James the boy who discovers the borrowers. I am very much enjoying fame by association (I’ll take whatever I can get)

 

I’ll be back after the big day now, I hope you all have a great festive time whatever and however you celebrate.

Love to all

Louise

xxx

Good heavens woman where have you been?

I thought I was doing better but it appears not. I have been up to things but just not showing them. Here is a round up

Made this which is needed now the frost has arrived this morning . It is knitted and went well I think. Its a lacy pattern which is something I wanted to have a go at, but it is just a scarf. There seems so much more to learn with knitting. For example I fancy having a go at this but it talks about wrapped short rows. There is a link but knitting at the computer is a bit hard. I need something like it ( no bow) for wintry running as I get earache.

Had a birthday (lets not go there) but yes lets because it meant that I was sent pressies, including one from far away.

My blog friend Louise sent me treasure of the utmost deliciousness. I don’t have many friends that would get me craft things for a present yet it is what I yearn for.

One of my friends is a paper crafter and she has encouraged me to dabble a bit in fact we made these at a class recently.

 

I made her this for her birthday and I love it so much I nearly didn’t give it. I will make myself one next week during half term. Details here

So you see its all go, I ‘m just not very organised and I am not famed for the written bits. More pictures and less writing is what I say. I will go and scrape the frost off the car and head to Harrogate, it would seem that Spanish weather is a distant memory now.

Slackblogger

Yep that's me. I have not given much thought to the art of blogging recently. I worried that I was getting all samey. Anyhoo I thought I’d drop by and do a catch up.

On the odd fine day we have been out and about. We went to Brimham rocks, just the other side of Harrogate. Have any of you been there? It was busy with all sorts of people we even came across a Goth wedding in the open-air.

It was a fantastic place to take a teen who is now too old for so many activities that he loved. Can’t think why we haven’t been before and will definitely be going back again.

 

On the hooky front I have been in one of my creative black holes. Well until this arrived from the US.

Fantastic or what!!! Well I just had to make something, its so soft and the colours are so yummy.

So, buoyed up by my cabling efforts I had a go at making this.

Big mistake, HUGE!! I got into such a pickle, It was awful. I made so many mistakes and had no idea how to put them right so I frogged the beggar and decided to stick to what I know.

Its a neck warmer. Not too bulky but cosy. I love the pattern, its quite like a knitted cable I think.

If you fancy a crack at it I found it on Ravelry here but I won’t lie to you I found it hard to start with and seriously rewrote the pattern but once I got away with it it flew. I think that they are going to be very on trend this winter.

I am off to relax a bit as its been eventful to say the least and has involved mousetraps and cheese. I am going to an important wedding anniversary party on Sunday with family from all over the place so I need to paint my fingers to match my toes.

Have a lovely weekend dear friends.

Lou

Happy days

First of all thank you all for your lovely comments and interest in my running. I really never thought it would be for me and to be honest I really do appreciate how lucky I am to be my age and still have relatively sound knees for running. I do have issues with one from an injury in 2005 but even that is being improved. I have repeated week 3 (run 90sec walk 90 sec run 3mins walk 3 mins times 2) because I just knew I would not be able to run for 5 mins which week 4 demands. I am also resting a day between runs which is sensible n’est pas?

The summer fair went ok and I sold a few of my wares, we had a natter. I made Alice flowers can you spot them?

 

This week I am mostly staying home while we have renovations to the house. We are spending a fortune on nasty plastic soffits and fascia's. Well I say nasty but it actually looks smart and dead right for the type of house we have. (Not listed or particularly old) So! The rotten and potentially leaking wood is gone and so is the bank account but hey!!

The only problem now is that the windows look tired.

Thanks also for the good words on the knitting. Maria says I am bi- stitchual!! I like that. I got cocky last night and attempted to cable a square that I thought I could send to Sue. Sorry Sue its not happening yet. I am off to you tube to find out where I am going wrong. I think the book I have bought is a bit pants. It couldn’t be me could it?

Been on you tube turns out I was not doing enough rows between cable stitches. Are you laughing at me?

That's how I learn. Do it wrong first then understand why the right way is the right way.

round up

I sometimes wonder how I persuade anyone to come see what I’ve been up to at all. I am so envious of those bloggers who think ahead and write a blog with a focus. So here I m with a round up of what is occurring (Welsh accent optional)

Big excitement, Parcels! First my blog friend Louise and I are having too much fun for our own good swapping themed treats. Funny thing was we used the same pattern from Alice to  make 2 very different things. I will let her (if she wants too) show you what I sent as it hasn’t arrived yet.

I love it all thank you Louise. The next parcel came from Sue at SIBOL

She sent me a coaster commemorating the Royal wedding. Ahhhh.

I am in the early stages of putting together another blanket for the group. I am edging in purple and joining as I go but can’t finish it as I am making this…..

As a rush order for Mums cruise at the end of May. Sublime merino 4 ply in Gigi. Carefully chosen to go with her frocks. A fabulous and addictive free pattern with the lovely traditional pineapples. I will show you more when its all done.

I’ve also been gardening…..

Marvelling at nature…..

Sending the family off to their new homes.

I will try to do better and focus on one thing but the manic phase is upon me and I am so scattered. Aaargh.

By the way thanks for all the kind advice you guys are the best. Thomas and I are fledgling geocachers (there's one to focus on!!!)

Lovely happies to you all

Lou