On the go - Jemimah blanket

Good morning dear ladies

The sun is shining here in my part of Yorkshire and, whilst it is cooler than recently, it is a lovely bright day.

I thought you might like to see what I am currently working on. While making granny squares for Hawthorn's project I realised that I have never made a granny square blanket! I still had quite a stash of Stylecraft left over from previous blankets so I decided to make another one for my new niece. It will be bigger than the other blankets I have made her. I want this one to be a 'snuggy' (as my son calls them), that is a large, cuddly blanket for snuggling into for story times and cuddling. This is it so far....

I am really enjoying making this blanket. Each square (there will be nine) is made up of 19 granny rows and each has its own character, despite using the same colours. I have been hooking in the sunshine and admiring the lovely colours of the squares...

It is incredibly fast so I should be finished it soon.

Thank you so much for the kind and reassuring comments you left on my last post. I think the stress of returning to work after so long away is getting to me. I go back in two weeks and although I no longer feel depressed, I am very sad about going back to work. I have so loved being a stay at home mum, having more time with my little son, crafting and cleaning and enjoying my house and garden. Still, it has to be done so I just need to get on with it. My sister recommended this book.....

It is about how to get your mojo back using nutrition; about how what we eat has dramatic effects on our moods, our energy levels and our happiness. It arrived today and I will start it tonight. I'll let you know how I get on!

I hope the sun is shining on you today. Much love xxxx

Oh dear......

Mmmmm it's been one of those weekends.

Firstly, I did this....

I left my crochet hook embedded in the crochet on the sofa and then sat on it!!! Ooops. Much as I love them, there is an obvious disadvantage to bamboo hooks!!

Yesterday we went out into the Yorkshire Dales to make the most of the splendid Spring sunshine that was promised, only to find that Grassington and surrounding area was bathed in....grey cloud. Well that is not strictly true. We had a little sunshine but it didn't last long. Still, we had a lovely time....

Little S had a fabulous time running up and down hills, counting lambs and throwing pebbles into the river.

I had planned to take photos of a couple of gorgeous little shops I had seen in Grassington at the start of our hike.......but I'm afraid this was the last picture as the battery went dead halfway through the walk!!! Grrrrr

Today I decided to do some baking (dodgy photo alert).....

Flapjacks that crumbled and broke up.......scones that didn't rise. However, both taste very good so not such a disaster.

But my circle in square blanket is going very well and slowly growing. These photos were taken a little while ago and I have 100 squares now.....only another 100 to go. Oh dear! xxx

Being busy

Hello!

Thank you so much for all your comments about my fabric choice for my first ever quilt. Although I am itching to start it, I first of all need to finish off some crochet and then I have planned to make something small and simple to get to know my much neglected sewing machine.

This is what I am currently working on.....

A friend of my mum is expecting her first baby and so I was asked to make a baby blanket. I decided on this ripple and got the pattern from Lucy's excellent tutorial at Attic 24. The only brief I had was not to make it too girly so I cut out the baby and deeper pinks. I also added a thin white stripe every so often to break up the colours a bit. Pleased with it so far!

And this is something I just love....

I have been admiring the many gorgeous blankets I have come across online that use this particular granny. I decided to make one for myself and just had to make a little sample to see if I liked it. Rather than white, I have chosen a colour called parchment which is rather like a cool, light beige. This seems to make the brightness of the circles just zing out of the square! I love it and every so often I take the little sample out and admire it. Can't wait to finish it! Not looking forward to all the pesky ends though!

Oh and I managed to finish yet another fat granny.....

I have to say that I am getting a bit bored with the granny stripe now (having done four!). I had planned to make one for myself but am making the circle in a square instead.

Happy Thursday! xx

Getting there

Hello...bright and sunny morning here in my patch and I am feeling brighter and sunnier too. Did you know it is nearly Christmas? I mean almost Christmas? Yikes! Where did 2010 go? Well I have been preparing. I made my Christmas cake last night, fed it and put it to bed. I will unwrap it and feed it again a few more times before it is decorated by my very excited 7 year old!

This was the yummy dried fruit mix soaking up brandy....mmmmm

And I have actually finished another gift........

Yay! The zig-zag stripe is finally finished. You know I almost ripped this as I just wasn't enjoying the colours...and even up until I did the edging last night I wasn't sure. But I love it! It is cosy and soft and full of colour.

Ooo it feels fantastic to finish something after what seems like an age! Still have more to finish though....my Gretel beret by Ysolda has had to be put on hold until I finish Christmas gifts. I have made some progress and am really enjoying the pattern....

And I have bought myself a little treat to attempt to make some socks!!!

Aren't the colours fab-u-lous?!!!! xxx

On the go #1

I don't know about you, but at times I feel overwhelmed by the amount of yarn and unfinished projects I have around the house. Each project has its own bag or basket and they are all over. What does it say about me? That I am not a completer finisher!!! I love the starting of a project...planning, sourcing and choosing the yarn, getting the yarn through the post and opening it (the very best bit!!!). Do I have a short attention span? Maybe I do. I know that I like to flit between projects; a bit of blanket, a bit of baby jacket, a bit of aran knitting. It keeps me interested. Some projects get left for longer than others. However, I never throw anything away and at some point I always return to unfinished things.

I recently rediscovered a stash of crochet squares I first began a couple of years ago.

I remember finding the pattern in Jan Eaton's excellent book on crochet blocks.

I was fairly new to crochet and so some of the blocks, on reflection, are a bit shabby. And the colours....mmmm. Not sure. I had convinced myself that I hated the colours but now...well.... I actually quite like them. Exotic, spicy, warm. What do you think?

It seems such a shame to not do something with these squares and so the other weekend I laid them all out on the table to get a better idea. I think I have enough to make a smallish throw. Yes, these squares have been moved out of the cupboard and upgraded to the on the go pile in my hallway! So I'm now in the process of joining them together and am thinking ahead, planning the border.

The thing is, when I finish a forgotten project I get such a buzz. I feel a real sense of achievement and closure. I can put that thing to bed and don't have it cluttering up my home or my head. Now there are only another five or six......and my aran yarn for a beret is arriving this week......oh dear