Stocki's Beautiful Bloggers' Blanket

Thought I'd show you the squares I am about to send (I know Jill, I am cutting it fine!) for the Beautiful Bloggers' Blanket for 2013.  Do you remember last year's blanket?  It was stunning, loads of colourful cotton crocheted squares, lovingly and painstakingly sewn together and offered as a prize to the lucky blogger picked from the hat.  As you well know, blankets really make me tick....and this one...made by so many different hands, is really special.

Anyway, although time is short, there is still time to join in and be in with a chance of winning this year's blanket.  Pop on over to Stocki, read all about it, and get crocheting.

My first square is called Impossible Hexagon, made in four different colours of Sirdar Sublime cotton.

The second square is called Alter Ego, again using the same sirdar cotton.

The third square has the same designer as the square above, this one is called 'On the huh'.  I did really enjoy doing this one, I thought the pattern was really clever.....something a little different.

The last square was just crocheted as I went.  This was made in some beautiful variegated cotton, Katia Samba that I bought from Stocki's new etsy shop.....you should check it out, she has some gorgeous handmade things, worth bearing in mind if you have a special gift to buy.

Anyway.....why not get your crochet hook out, find yourself some cotton.....and join in the fun!

Next Step Sock Knitalong wk2

Well, my sample socks as you can see, have been done and dusted.....

I flicked through all the patterns in the book, and was immediately drawn to some beautiful cabled socks....then I checked back with reality and chose some more simple ones, which the book referred to as being good for a beginner....yep, that's me!

I bought some regia yarn on line and being rather click happy, clicked on 'buy it' before I checked the colour box....oooops......this was maybe not my first choice, but hey ho, its sure to brighten someones day!

On the advice of Sarah, I knitted a swatch (I know it would seem I mean business!) and then ploughed on in (not being totally sure I had understood right!!)

I am a little further along than these photos that I took this morning, but light has totally gone now, so just imagine them about 0.5mm longer (I now think socks should always be made in chunky yarns)

This has been (so far) a great leaning experience and I am wondering to what new ways I can put these exciting skills, I've been wandering about toe-up-ten-at-a-time socks.....therefore kitting out the entire family in one go......

(I may sound slightly insane, but this is  because after 2 months of conversations with the delightful British Telecom, no phones, new numbers, no broadband, long conversations to foreign lands, lost numbers, they have finally set us up with a new working line and broadband.........in the meantime, they have cut off my in-laws phone.......I have spent well over an hour this evening trying to explain this to numerous people and have listened to 'The Four Seasons' more than you can imagine......)

Anyway, if you want to catch up with all the other sock knitters, pop on over to Sarah at Crafts from the Cwtch......I'm sure you'll see far more sock than you are seeing here!

Thankyou for all your lovely comments last week....wow, you really are a lovely lot!

Next Step Sock Knitalong

When I drew up my list of projects for this years Year of Projects Blog-a-long, I decided to include some knitted socks.  I bought myself the book Toe-up 2-at-a-time Socks after reading Marie from Underground Crafter's review last year and then put it to one side until the mood struck.

I was enthusiastic to join in Sarah's, Crafts from the Cwtch knitalong, as I had previously made two beautiful Veera shawls with the support of fellow knit-a-long-ers, so when socks were on the agenda, I knew that it was meant to be.

I've started on the sample socks in this book, having never knitted socks before, I wanted to make two at a time...... as I am lazy like that.

I cast on and after getting my head around moving the circulars back and forth, it seemed alright.  I turned my first heel and thought....not so bad.....put the knitting down, picked it up tonight and have turned the second heel, but with a mistake....gggrrrrrr!  Thank goodness these are only sample socks.

I have knit these on 4mm needles on Sirdar Crofter Chunky (I have used the same yarn for both balls and just tried to keep a mental note of which sock is which)

I plan to finish these off quickly now as they are only samples and get on with something wearable!

If you would like to see the patterns and progress of all the other knit-a-long-ers, then check out Crafts from the Cwtch link-up.

Year of projects 13.01.13

I've probably said it before, but boy did that week whoosh by!

The boys have all returned to school and my day is a little more orderly now that littlest has started full-time. This means though that there is quite a lot less in-car crochet.....more time to be at home (cleaning uuggghhh!) and hopefully more time to be a little more....organised.

Well, somewhere in all the orderliness ;-)  I managed to finish off hubby's scarf. It is just a simple knit two, purl two rib made in Kingcole Riot DK.

Fairly plain.....very manly (as someone rightly pointed out last week!) ....will it be worn?  We will see.....

There has been little other crafting this week, it has mainly been cleaning, our new house is a big project!

I have turned my attention to Stocki's beautiful bloggers' blanket for 2013.  It requires crochet squares, any design, any colour, just made from cotton.  So here I am thinking I am organised with my library book full of ideas, until I realise that the writer of said book writes in a crochet language I don't understand.  Backup plan....ravelry, where I found this lovely pattern.

So there is my first of four squares.....please check out Stocki's crochet blanket, last year's blanket was absolutely stunning....go on, get involved!  Be a  part of such a fantastic effort.

Well, it's a good thing this meeting isn't in person, as I have been suffering with the lurgy and have spent the day feeling sorry for myself, surrounded by tissues, blankets and more tissues.  I don't 'do' having a cold and one day of it, is quite enough!

Hope that you have all had good crafting weeks....I'm looking forward to catching up with everyone over the next few days.  Thank you, as always, for your lovely comments...any advice on keeping one's head whilst continuously cleaning, gratefully received!

Year of projects - 06.01.13

It has been a while since I did a YOP update, so here I am, a little behind schedule, but here never the less.

This was the blanket I was hurriedly finishing so I could wrap and send for my sister for Christmas..you'll be glad to hear it was done on time and was well received ;-)  The pattern was simple, and I used doubled-up chunky weight yarn and a silver cotton thread also....the effect was a subtle twinkle.

This is my 'in the middle of' project.  A very unlikely event happened just before Christmas...I heard my husband utter the most magical words

'can you make me a scarf?'

No longer were the words uttered, but the casting on began.  I knitted non-stop until I had finished the ball only to find it was a little on the short side.....so another ball went on order which arrived yesterday and knitting has resumed.....I am certainly not going to pass up the opportunity to make something requested!  Especially when the request comes from somebody who is not always particularly interested in the things I make!

This will be done in the next day or so, and then I think the socks on my list may be calling.  I am set to go, book at the ready.....

This afternoon, we took a walk to the beach which is closest now to our new house.  This beach is just a field away, a surfers beach, a little precarious to get down to....the beach that I may attempt to go to each day and take a dip in the sea when the weather becomes a little more conducive!  We'll see!

Really looking forward to catching up on all I've missed since November....have a happy crafting week.x

Bye, bye 2012!

I've pondered how to sum up 2012, and after much beginning and then backspacing, I've decided to just keep schtum......We got to about five weeks ago and then .....well, it really doesn't deserve the blog-space. It is sufficient to say that my family and I are dearly looking forward to the New Year.

Amongst the rubbish there have been a plethora of smiles......here are some recent ones.

(I giggled nervously as we drove through the monkey enclosure.....not sure I really 'enjoyed' it as I was feeling a little stressed that this cute monkey and his friends would make mincemeat of our car!)

Looking back at my last  new year's eve post, I see we went for a wood walk, and today we were also up to our ankles in mud and rain, trekking through my favourite walk in the trees.....lets hope there is far more of that in 2013!

In 2013..........

I am hoping to find  our things which are still waiting to be discovered in one of the many boxes we moved but haven't  yet opened. 

I am planning to over-do the sparkle that was somewhat sparse this Christmas.

I will make it my personal mission to discover whether a traditional English trifle should be jelly-less (this one has caused some debate in the most unlikely of situations).....please feel free to add your two-pence worth.

I will wear vests.

I will read.

I will again contemplate the idea of swimming in the sea everyday........contemplate.........

I will knit socks

D'you know.....I've cheered myself with the endless possibilities that 2013 holds....I've reminded myself how much I love being part of this little community.....thank you for making my year!

A VERY BLESSED AND HAPPY 2013 TO YOU ALL!!

Christmas ornament swap 2013

You may remember some time ago (in October?) I joined in with Christina Lowry's lovely ornament swap with much enthusiasm and excitement as Christmas IS my favourite time of year.

I had an idea of crocheting some baubles and went about looking at various people's patterns for making a ball.  I settled on this pattern here, as it sounded to make the firmest, most spherical ball.  The jury's out actually as to whether that is true, as unlike the pattern writer, I found the halves hard to match and sew together invisibly.....probably my bad maths (increasing), losing count while trying to listen to children's natter and yep, not using a stitch marker...will I never learn!

I used Kingcole Riot and the jewel colour changing suited the project well I thought.

I made about five of these, but in all honesty, the others are still languishing at the bottom of a project bag somewhere.....ah, well, just think how far ahead of the game I will be for next year!

So, as all good swaps go, as I made something, I also received something....I was not disappointed and received a beautiful patchwork tree from the clever  Elisabeth of  Sharks Dinner.  She has a pretty blog, and is brilliantly talented at all things sewing.....check it out.

Thank you so much Christina  for organising such a lovely swap!  My new decoration is just gorgeous!

(I am not ignoring the fact that I haven't blogged for over a month, just choosing not to clutter this post with 'other stuff')