Long time no blog!

Thought it was about time I updated my blog as my ears are ringing from the nagging from certain persons (begins with "L" and ends with "izzie"). This may be a long post, so brace yourselves :-)

Well, I swanned off to Portugal for a little while in May/June and because they've had such a wet winter/spring all the wildflowers were still out and it was a real pleasure to see. Just after I'd taken these pics, and been crawling about in the "mato" or scrubland, my neighbour was busy strimming all the wildflowers around her house. I accused her of being a flower killer but she pointed out it was because conditions were perfect for snakes to start breeding/hiding/lurking! Glad I didn't know that before I wandered about in my flipflops.

The weather was really weird for the time of year - either cold and windy and we were sitting about in fleeces (in June!?) or it was a heatwave. Very peculiar and I've never seen it like that in all the years we've been going there.

Even this poor "Dama de noite" or night-blooming jasmine was a bit confused - the flowers usually close up tightly during the day. Although the beautiful scent didn't arrive until night, it was very odd seeing the tiny flowers open all day long.

So, whatever the weather, a girl has to get her crochet hook out - it's the law :-)
Our lovely neighbour had been into the house and made it ready for us - we had no idea she was going to do that and I was really touched by her kindness.  She even climbed over the wall to get in because she couldn't get the gates to open.  Anyway, I thought I'd make her something to say thank you so I had a little play about and came up with a little cotton bag/pouch and a beaded bracelet.

 I got a bit carried away with the pouches after that - I think I made 6 or 7 in total although quite what I've done with the rest of them is baffling me at the moment.

Then I got the doilie bug again.  It's really strange because they're not really my cup of tea at all but I find the rhythm of the patterns really relaxing (although very frustrating sometimes and I could speed unpick in the Olympics).  Anyhow, here are a few (the last 2 are, erm, quite large to say the least!) -

And it wouldn't be the same if I didn't do at least one Diabolical Doilie while I was in Portugal, so here you go - not quite as vile as some of them but even so.....

And finally, for now, Liz pointed me in the direction of a Flickr group making African flower hexagons.  Not being one to choose the easy route to anything, I decided I'd make diddy ones (1.25mm hook and size 10 thread).  Haven't quite decided yet what to do with them - think I'll make you wait for that :-)

Right, I'm worn out after all that.  Toodlepip as Liz would say.

P.S Quite why Blogger is NOT putting pics/text where I want them, I don't know.  Anybody else having problems?

That Blanket

After a long time, I've finally done what I can with those squares that were knitted by various people, including children, for a charity blanket. It's been a challenge to say the least - all different sizes/tensions/definitions of "square". There were 100 of them in the end and I've crocheted round each one, sewn in all the ends, and produced 1 of 2 blankets.

Can't say as it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, but I've done what I can with what I was given. I sewed them all together first making a flat seam and then I've oversewn along the front of the seams to try to tidy it up a bit more.
Oh well, one blanket down, one to go!
This is it in its unpressed state - somebody else is going to take responsibility for that!

My youngest niece had a birthday recently and whilst she was at my house, she played around with some wool and designed a little pouch she'd like made (she was hoping for an i-Phone, but it didn't happen - she just got a pouch, lol). Happy to oblige, I faffed and made her this - it's about 11cm x 8 cm if I remember rightly. I filled it with little packets of seed beads she'd asked for (all wrapped individually) just for a bit of interest :0)

And that's me for a while - instructions from the osteopath to take time off from the computer etc are being followed - I'm off to lounge about under a tree in Portugal for a little while. Bye for now!

Awwww! (and other things)

I looked after my niece today and we were lucky enough to be invited to a beautiful farm where they had not only some foals but just look what else. Awwwwwww.

This lovely lady is called Kara and she's a Kerry blue terrier. She's 7 years old and has just had her first litter of babies. She's the friendliest, most gentle dog I've met for a long time, and looks very proud of herself :-)

Loooook, aren't they just gorgeous! 6 weeks old and with very sharp teeth and claws but adorable all the same

This little foal is only 2 days old and still a bit wobbly, and although I'm not a horsey person, I was very brave and said hello to Mum at close range.

A lovely way to spend an hour or so, and my niece was beside herself with happiness. Bless her.

Before we went out today, Rachel has been watching & helping my Mum make some lemon curd and wanted to have a go at something different. Ta dah! We give you .... lime curd. The little taste I had earlier was delicious. Pity I can't eat bread but I'm sure I'll find something to slather it on to.

Just to annoy Lizzie, here are some raspberry and white choc muffins and some much healthier oat, apricot & pecan cookies.

Sad news now. My old girl has finally been consigned to scrap heaven. I was very sad to see her go as she's been my faithful companion for 20 years, but she was starting to wreck my shoulder with her heavy steering, and bits were starting to drop off/go rotten. Sniff.

Still, I have a fab little new car which I'm learning to love and for the first time ever I've named a car, and my new companion is called Snowdrop. (I'm losing the plot again aren't I?)

Finally....I had the most evil migrainey headache last weekend and seriously thought I was hallucinating when I looked out of the window and saw a large chicken walking past. It then skateboarded past the other way. On closer inspection, it turned out to be one of the kids over the road trying to film tricks on his skateboard - quite why he did it dressed as a chicken I've no idea, but it was hilarious to watch :-)

Other than all that, I've been attacking those "squares" for the charity blanket. Nearly there now, but the box they're in is like the Tardis. I keep thinking I've finished but they seem to be multiplying. Once I've finished tidying them up, I've got to work out how to put them all together.....it could be a while, lol.

Oh deary, deary me!

What on earth have I gone and done?

A few weeks ago my local wool shop had an all-night knit to make squares for a blanket to be auctioned off for a neo-natal charity.
(I made some squares but didn't go to the all-nighter.)
Wandering home from work on Thursday, the lady who owns the shop beckoned me in as I trundled past (I affectionately call her my dealer, as I have been known to have a slight yarn addiction). She had a HUGE pile of squares and a partially made blanket covering the table, and she was looking decidedly cheesed off.

Well, having taken up the challenge of attaching a few more squares to the blanket, I looked at it a bit more closely.
People have put a lot of time and effort into making the "squares", children included, but it was a bit, errrrm wonky to say the least. Different tensions, different sized stitches and the general concept of a 10cm square seems to have been lost on some.

I'm going to do my very best to make it into something that will raise as much money as possible for the charity, but this is what I'm up against....

Front of blanket as it was



Back of blanket as it was

Uh oh

Look at all those ends (Sarah, help!).......

I know it's for a very good cause, but I really should train my mouth to behave itself a bit better sometimes -
Imagine my horror when I heard my it saying things like "give them ALL to me and I'll see what I can do" and "do you mind if I unpick it and start again?" and, even worse "would you like me to crochet round them to make it easier to sew together?"

My beads, my beads, my poor beads! They're going to be neglected for a while to come, but it's all for a good cause :-)

Oopsie

I got beeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaads, they're multiplyin'
I think I'm loooooooooooooooosin' contro-o-o-ol
It's the power, they're supplyin'
It's addictifyin'.

They'd better shape up, into things I like
'cos I got the urge to bee-ee-ead
They'd better shape up, and behave themselves
Or I'll be in a bad moo-oo-oood

They're the beads that I bought,
Woo hoo hoo honey
They're the new beads I got
Woo hoo hoo honey....

Erm, I had a teensy accident on my favourite bead site. Oopsie
Here're just a few, and I mean literally just a few.

I can't even see half of them 'cos they're so small (size 15s), but I've finally got a new work lamp. Ever-so-slightly deceptive on the website I bought it from as I thought it'd be your average desk lamp size, but I think it may come in useful anyway and it's got a base as well so I can either clip it to my work tray or stand it next to me.

Now I've finished the housework, guess what I'll be doing this weekend. Ahh, happy days.

Still no soap, but .....

Well, I still haven't made any soap recently, but I've got itchy fingers to start again so it's on the horizon.

In the meantime, just a couple of bits and bobs I've played around with when I'm not dashing around between work & family or just collapsing in a heap on the settee....

A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine was wearing a lovely, snuggly soft neckwarmer she'd made and being a slight yarn addict I couldn't get it out of my head. So, you just have to give in to the urge sometimes and I trotted off and bought a ball of Rowan Cocoon yarn in a shade called Kiwi. A departure for me as I'm not really a green kind of a girl, but it's a really subtle colour. I can't remember the last time I knitted anything so I had a play about and eventually worked out a cable pattern for myself. I'm quite pleased with the end result - fingers crossed it doesn't make me itch or I'll have to give it away.

Today being a wet, grey Sunday some choccie brownies have suddenly appeared in my kitchen as a counterbalance to the yukky weather. Made with dark choccie, cranberries & coconut, they're all squidgy in the middle and I may or may not have had a smallish nibble already. Bliss. Oh, and they're non-dairy so I can scoff the lot. (And I blame Lululiz entirely for putting the thought in my head as she was bragging about scoffing Tiffin she'd made yesterday).

Now that I've got a new beading lamp, I've been playing about with this pattern I got from the last issue of Bead & Button magazine. It's a bit fiddly and I've questioned whether or not to carry on, but I've been told to keep going so I'll perservere. All will be revealed when it's finished. I've got so many beady things I want to do, I feel a fairly major beady shopping accident coming on. Yipee.

Hope you're all having a happy, crafty Sunday.

Hatching a new brain cell....

I've been very bad at blogging the past few weeks as there've been all sorts of things going on here in my little corner of Lalaland. I've finally signed the warrant for my old car to go to the big scrap heaven in the sky, and I'll be very sad when she goes (getting rid of things is excruciating for me), but excited to get a new car that will start when I need it to.
I'm just over 2 months into a new job and I STILL can't get my head round some of it which is really frustrating (I know I'm a bit dizzy at times, but I didn't think I was particularly thick!). It's all a case of learning how all the agencies fit together and all the acronyms etc that they use. Never having worn corporate knickers in my working life, it's taking me a bit of time to get used to it all and so I'm growing a new brain cell to keep my other one company - hence the little duckie above, as she sits on the eggcup I'm using to hatch the brain cell.

What else have I been up to? Hmm, not sure where to begin so I'll just waffle through it.
My sis asked me to make her a nice big blanket for snuggling under on the sofa. She provided the wool and asked if I'd make it like the scarf I gave her for Christmas. With just the one working brain cell, I said "yep, no problem" without realising just how much work would be involved. I crochet pretty fast, but I reckon in all this has taken me between 80 and 100 hours to do. The pics don't show the true colours - they're more of a lovely rich mossy green and a subdued teal/turquoise. By the time I finished (no wonder I was very warm crocheting round the edges) I reckon it ended up about 6 feet long by about 4 feet wide (sorry, don't know what that is in metric, but think large rug!) and really heavy as it's an aran-weight yarn. Anyhow, she loves it and I had a really sweet call from my little niece to tell me she was snuggled under the blanket with Mummy watching a nice film. Awwww.

Even standing on the sofa I couldn't get the whole thing in one picture, so the pics are a bit rubbish I'm afraid.

Now for a lovely surprise (despite the very rude comments by a certain other person). I had an unexpected parcel the other day, beautifully wrapped and in a lovely box. I've been coveting Manos del Uruguay yarns for a long time now, and Lizzie made me a beautiful scarf for a Christmas prezzie. Click here to read her very, erm, charming post about it (and her pics are much better than mine). Despite the rude comments about little ol' me, she's done herself proud with this lovely prezzie.

What else? Oh yes, with my first pay cheque for a VERY long time, I treated myself to some beautiful hand-dyed cotton yarn. I have no real idea of what to make with it, but I'm leaning towards a lovely blanket just for me (or a pashmina type thing, or, or .....)

For no reason other than they made me smile, just look at these daffodils I bought at the weekend. They've all opened and have a wonderful scent. Well, I can pretend it's nearly Spring.

And finally, before I go for a lie down after that lot, I've waited nearly 3 years for this orchid to flower again and she's now been in bloom since the beginning of December. Not only has she given me beautiful flowers, but there are 2 stems of them. It was well worth the wait.

And that's me for now. Off to check the progress of my new brain cell as this one is exhausted now. Toodlepip.

PS Don't put some eggs on to boil and then sit down to write a long blog post. Oops.