Granny Triangle Shawl

This is my new shawl. It's a granny triangle mainly in dark green with
stripes of soft yellow, blue, beige, pink, white and green colours.

The dark green yarn are Rowan merino wool and cotton mix that I picked for our

wedding anniversary this year. We celebrated our seventh last August and wool is

supposedly the traditional gift for this anniversary year. To make it easier for my

husband I said I'd be happy to receive some nice new yarn and to help him further,

I chose the yarn and colour myself. I'm not one for big, flashy presents and neither

is my other half, so this suited us perfectly. But I really was pleased and excited.

I wanted to create with my new yarn something that's a lovely reminder of the day

 that was also useful and not just decorative. This shawl, I feel, fits the bill just right.

My Rowan wool were not enough, though. Once again, my stash of leftover
yarn came in handy, adding colour as well as size to my shawl.

And it is a good size. The base is about 63 inches wide and wraps around my
shoulders easily. All that merino yarn makes it cosy and snuggly and it's wonderful
to wear on cold days like today. The granny triangle is a simple pattern and I made
progress quickly, finishing it off with a row of double crochet stitches. It's a treat
to have and in my book, a really brilliant present.

I hope you're all having a lovely weekend. We're off for a walk soon and I'll be
making more of my orangey chocolate cookies when we get back. Then the
Strictly results show after dinner, and Planet Earth II. My kind of Sunday.

See you soon!

Cowls for Christmas

Hello! How was your Christmas? I hope it was beautiful and
peaceful, and full of joy, warmth and good cheer. Sorry I haven't been around these past few days. I took a break from blogging and all
social media over the holidays and it was nice. But it's also good
to be back again and today I've got the rest of the presents I've made
to share with you.

As you can see, they're all cowls. I actually made four in total
this Christmas. I wasn't really planning to but they turned out to be
 my favourite gifts to make this year. I've enjoyed crocheting each and
 every one and I'm happy to report that they've all been well received.

 The first one I made was for my mother-in-law. I showed it here back
 in November. This dark grey one was for a new friend I'd met through Instagram. It's a Christmas present and also to say thanks for
the lovely felt garland she'd made for us.

I used Drops Andes, a super chunky wool and alpaca mix, with

a size 9 hook and this pattern by Sarah Hatton. I don't often crochet 

with chunky yarn but I enjoy it when I do. Projects work up quickly

and take less time to finish, and with a lovely, soft yarn like this, 

it was even more enjoyable.

The girls also asked for cowls after seeing the one I'd made

for my mother-in-law. I was going to make them pom-pom slippers 

but decided to give in to their requests.

Markie's cowl is made with rows of trebles in various colours.

She was quite specific about it being colourful and I think we've

got colours here.

I used the same yarn for Lulu's but with little granny squares.
This took me longer to finish as I got distracted making other things
but I did manage to get it ready by Christmas Eve.

The yarn were all Drops Merino Extra Fine, one of my favourites.
Both girls like their cowls although they haven't actually worn them
outside yet. It's been quite mild lately and warm, cosy woollen accessories have not been needed that much. But better this than
ice and snow if you ask me. I'm a warm weather girl at heart and

 I'm always happier when it's not so cold.

So that's my Christmas present making done for this year. I wonder
what I'll be making for Christmas in 2016....


Enjoy the rest of the Holidays and happy New Year in advance!
See you soon!

A Crocheted Cowl

I've ticked another item off my Christmas making list this week.
 I've finished crocheting this cowl which I've made especially for my mother-in-law. I hope she likes it. It's been an easy and fun make and
the yarn, Drops Cotton Merino, is always a pleasure to crochet with.

 The pattern is based on the Stars Cowl from issue 57 of Inside 
Crochet magazine. I started off with the first two rows from the pattern. The third row has 'deep double treble crochet' stitches or ddtr in a different yarn colour to create the stars effect but I decided to just keep
 going with the first two rows. The cowl turned out much simpler and
not at all like the original but I prefer it like this. I like the fan-like
 pattern and the texture that had been created by the stitches and
 I'm pleased with it. The muted shade (it's beige) will go with various colours and outfits so hopefully she'll be able to wear this often.
 It measures about 98cm in circumference, not wide or long enough
 to wind round the neck twice but I know she likes to wear cowls
 draped down like in the photos here and I think it's just the right
 length for her - hopefully!

I'm currently making a very colourful cowl for Markie and I'm going
to start on the bunting soon.

 How's your Christmas making going?

 Take care and have a great week!

Granny Flower Square Pot Holder

I have finished one of the gifts I'm making for Christmas. It's a

 crocheted pot holder and it's for my mother-in-law. She really liked 

the pot holder I made for our kitchen last spring and I thought it will be nice to make one for her too and give it as a present this Christmas. 

I started making this while waiting for a doctor's appointment. I had
a feeling that the clinic will be running late and brought along
 my crochet hook, some yarn and my copy of Melody Griffiths' 201 Crochet motifs, blocks, projects & ideas. I really like the granny flower square in the book and wanted to see if it will make a nice pot holder.
Sure enough I had to wait some time before I was seen and by then

 I had finished the flower and was working on the first round of yellow trebles. I love a portable craft project and I'm so glad I had this to
keep me busy in the waiting room!

Back at home I carried on with the outer yellow rounds until I had

an 8 inch square. For the back I made the treble square, also from

the same book, then joined the front and back pieces with double

crochets and slip stitches.

 I also made a loop, sewed the yarn ends and it was done! An easy, 

quick but very satisfying project. I used a 4mm hook and Drops Muskat
yarn, a lovely mercerised cotton, that were leftover from other projects.
 I have to say I'm really liking 201 Crochet motifs, blocks, projects & ideas. It's a great resource for crochet projects; the shapes for my bear

 and (soon-to be finished) fox bags were from here. 

I really hope my mother-in-law likes this. She appreciates handmade

 presents and I always like making things for her so fingers crossed
this pot holder will be well received on Christmas Day.

Thank you for your lovely comments about my blanket and
 my other projects. Hope your Christmas making are going well.
 Have a good week, everyone!


.........................


We're going to have our second pop up restaurant next Saturday,
November 28th. We have a new menu, including mushroom
arancinis for starters - Yum! We now have a blog too. Hope you
can visit when you get the chance. Thanks!

Winter Project Update

Joining in again with Jennifer's Winter Project Link Party.

My crochet blanket here which I started making sometime in September
has grown over the past month. I think it's now twice as long since my
last link up post. I'm quite surprised actually but also very pleased about this. It's still very much in the making process but at least it's growing
despite the other projects that have lately been occupying most of my
crafting time.

A few weeks ago I couldn't resist making this crochet bear bag
which was a hit with my girls and of course I had to make another one.

 I've chosen a fox this time and I've made all the bag pieces now. They're just waiting to be sewn together and the handle made and it's done.

I've also started making gifts for Christmas. This one's
for my mother-in-law. I'll show you the finished item soon.

Also for my mother-in-law, a crocheted cowl. Well, hopefully. I'm still
not sure about the pattern so I'll see how how this goes. I also have
 a bunting to make for a friend's baby and maybe crocheted slippers
 for my girls

With all these it does look like I won't be able to make as much progress with my blanket in the coming weeks with me even busier with present making. But I'll try and pick it up whenever I can. I have a feeling it will
be my little refuge when all the festive making, decorating and other goings on get a bit too much. A cup of tea, quiet time in a corner with
 my blanket......now that's a happy thought!


Hope it's been a good week for you all. Enjoy the weekend!

Sidetracked by a Bear

 I got sidetracked by a bear last week. Blanket and costume making
had to be put on hold because this sweet little thing was demanding
to be crocheted and made into a bag.

The idea came to me one morning while I was thinking about presents 

I'd like to make for the girls and it kept nagging at me until I gave in. So

 I got my hook and yarn out and the pattern that I've worked out in my head seemed to have worked. Yay!

My bear is made of cotton yarn both DK and aran. Her face and nose

were crocheted on the round but her ears are double crochet triangles*

that I've slipstiched round to make them less pointy. I've even made

a loop and attached a button at the back so it can be closed like 

a proper bag. 

I'm really, really pleased with her. I'm usually not very confident
with crochet and wouldn't attempt anything without a pattern to
follow so I'm very chuffed with how this has turned out. And the
girls love it too which always makes it even better.

I'm glad to have been distracted by this little project because it's
given me lots more ideas. Someone said this will make a cute cushion and I do think it will work. I'll just have to make it much bigger and
add two more loops to close the opening. That's definitely something
I'd like to try soon but first I have to make another bag so the girls can have one each. They love this bear but I might make a fox or a cat
 for the next one. I'm not sure yet, we'll see!



*from 201 crochet motifs, blocks, projects & ideas by Melody Griffiths

Blanket Making

I'm joining in with Jennifer's Winter Project Link Party. My winter
project is a blanket that I started making last month. I wasn't really
planning to make one. I bought some discounted cotton yarn at the
beginning of summer hoping to make another shawl for myself
but I sort of fell out of love with the idea over the school holidays.

I thought a blanket or throw for the living room is more essential
and will get more use so that's what I decided to make instead.
 I'm usually wary of starting big projects like this because of the size
and the amount of time it takes to finish them. I've tried making a
blanket before. My first attempt had the granny chevron stitch which
was nice but I couldn't decided what colour yarns to use and gave up
on the project after just a few rows.

 I've done better with my second try. My granny square throw is now
 a good size but it's been months since I've taken it out of the basket
 and worked on it so it still remains just a WIP.

But I'm feeling more hopeful and positive about this new blanket.
With Lulu now at nursery twice a week, I have more time for making
and crafting so it should get finished, and I'd be very pleased if this
can happen before Christmas. I'm sure it will. As they say, third time lucky!

Having said all that, I'm actually going to take a break from it
next week while I make a costume for Markie and I'll be starting
making Christmas presents too. But I'll always be picking it up
and adding stitches whenever I can. I like it so much I really
can't leave it for long, so fingers crossed for more progress to
report here next time.

Thanks to Jennifer for organising this link party. Do visit her
wonderful blog if you haven't already and you can also have a look
at what everyone else is busy making this autumn and winter.

A Crocheted Rug

Hello. I hope it's been a good weekend for you all. Thank you for
stopping by here and for all your well wishes this week. My knee is healing and I'm feeling so much better. The new antibiotics seemed
to have done the trick. Lulu is recovering too and is back to her usual
chirpy self which is just wonderful. However now it's Markie who's
got the 'tummy bug' that her sister had. I was hoping she'll avoid it
but no such luck. She'd spent most of today curled up under a blanket
 on the sofa but she's looking better this evening so we're keeping
our fingers crossed.

Anyway, I said in my last post that I'll show you the rug I've made
 for their bed room so that's what I'll do here and I'll tell you all about it.

I started off a few weeks ago with this big ball of yellow fabric yarn
and a size ten crochet hook. It didn't take very long for the rug to
grow and take shape but then I ran our of yarn and had to order for
more. It was finally finished last week and we're all happy with it.
Now there's a little more colour and warmth on that bare space
next to their bunk beds and it feels much nicer especially when
 they're playing on the floor.

I've never used both yarn and hook this big before and it took

me awhile to get used to them. I've had to rest every now and

again otherwise my fingers and shoulders ached if I worked on it

for long periods but I'm quite happy with the fabric yarn. It's soft, 

didn't have many knots and the colours were even throughout. 

I got the idea and pattern for this from Mollie Makes issue 51
though I changed yarn colours in a slightly different way. I initially
wanted dark pink for the outer rounds but it was not available and
the pale pink is so pale it's almost white. Lulu suggested orange,
confidently assuring me that "it' s a good colour, Mummy" and
she's right. It's bright and cheerful and all three colours go well
together. I think next time I'm stuck for ideas I should just ask her!

So that's it, my latest finished project. Thank you again for your
visits here and for your comments. Hopefully Markie gets much
much better tomorrow. Take care and have a good week!

Getting Yarny

It's been three weeks since school started and we are now
firmly back to everyday life with school runs, homework, etc. Both
girls are settled and happy at school and I am beginning to really
enjoy the days when Lulu is at nursery and I'm on my own at home.
I'm usually busy pottering and catching up with various jobs and
of course, crafting. I've seldom had whole uninterrupted hours of
sewing or making before and having this free time now is just
fantastic. I have started two new projects, both crocheted and
both in preparation for colder days ahead: I'm making a blanket
for our living room sofa and a rug for the girls' bedroom.

I'm following a pattern from Inside Crochet for the blanket and so far
it's going well. I really like the clusters of trebles and the wavy lines
they make. It's working up fairly quickly too which is very good
and exciting.

The rug was also making up quickly but I've had to take a break
last week after running out of fabric yarn. It's going to be nicer and
 softer underfoot for the girls once this is made- and colourful too!
I've just bought some more yarn and hopefully I'll get this all
finished in the next few days.

Once the rug is made I'm planning to start on a cushion cover
I found in this old crochet book. It's round, with a big flower and
can be made with any DK yarn- perfect for these cotton lovelies
in my yarn stash.

Aside from these three, there are many other things I'd like
to make this autumn and winter, including another patchwork blanket
 and an embroidered picture for the girls' room. I think there's a better
chance of getting some of them made now that I have Mondays and
Fridays free. Plus the cooler days and darker evenings are also very conducive for making with yarn so I'm feeling very hopeful about
these projects. I just have to stop faffing about now and get cracking!

Hope you've had a great weekend. It was lovely and sunny here
both on Saturday and Sunday but we're back to grey, cold and wet
today. Anyway, have a good Monday everyone!

Honeycomb Lace Shawl (part two)

Hello. I hope you're all having a great weekend. I'm back here
 today with another finished project to show you: my second
Honeycomb Lace Shawl. I made my first one  back in spring and
I loved it so much I decided to make another one. But this is not for
me though. It's for a lovely lady who's been very kind to our family
and we'd like to give this to her to say thanks.

 I worked on this throughout the summer holidays, finishing the last
rows this week. I really hope she'll like it. I've made it extra special
 by using Drops Cotton Merino wool. It's the softest yarn and the
 nicest to work with and I've really enjoyed crocheting with it. I've also
 made this shawl much wider than mine with 264 foundation chains instead of the original 222. Hopefully it will be lovely to wrap round
the shoulders and it will feel nice and warm for her to wear on
very cold days. The pattern is from issue 65 of Inside Crochet and
 I used five and a half of 50gram balls of yarn for the whole project.

I'll be back soon with our latest baking (mis)adventures, and
maybe even with another finished crochet project - I'm hooking
a rug!  Enjoy your Sunday!

Honeycomb Lace Shawl

Hello. I hope you're having a lovely day. I have a finished project
to share with you today: my crocheted shawl. It was actually finished a couple of weeks ago but it was only yesterday that I got around to taking photos of it.

This shawl is designed by Sally Shepherd and is in issue 65 of
Inside Crochet. I started off with another pattern that I found online
 but halfway through the project I decided I wasn't happy with it and
unravelled my work. I was looking round this website and saw the
Honeycomb Lace Shawl. I thought I'll give it a go and I'm very glad
 that I did!

The pattern, which is a repetition of three rows with decreases as you
go along, is simple and easy to follow. I really like the lace-like design
it creates. Simple but very effective.

This really is a shawl for summer but because I used a slightly heavier yarn (Drop Merino Extra Fine in pistachio) than the recommended
cotton, it feels heavier and cosier which was what I wanted. I want
to wear this all year long and I think I'll be able to.

If there's one thing I'd like to change, I think I'd like it to be a few inches

wider. The base is about 50 inches wide, wide enough to wrap around

the shoulders comfortably but if I'll make another shawl- and I'm 

planning to- I'd want it to be even bigger and wider so it's even more
snugly and cosier. That's in my to-make list now, but first I have

teachers' presents to make.

And if you're wondering, I used five 50gram balls of yarn for this shawl.
It's been a great pleasure to make and fun too.

Thanks for stopping here. Enjoy your week whatever you're up to.
See you soon!

Easter

Happy Easter to you all! I hope you're all enjoying this Easter weekend.

My husband and the girls have been to church this morning and now
they're off to spend the day at Nanny and GrandDad's. I'm staying at
home with an ear infection and it's annoying me that I'm missing out
on all the Easter fun - and food - today. Poor me. I think I'm going to have a cup of tea soon and help myself to the girls' mini-eggs. I bet
 that will make me feel a bit better.

The rest of our week has been better, thankfully. The girls and I have
decorated an Easter tree, our first ever. I haven't done much Easter
decorating before. When the girls were younger I just didn't have
the time or the energy. Now that they're a bit older and they like
to get involved, I decided I should make time for it.

We used whatever Easter-y things we could find around the house.
The cute wooden bunnies and flower pegs were from last year's sales.
Good thing I remembered them and where I've stashed them away. Markie helped make the little flags. She loves washi tapes too.
We were going to make pom-pom chicks but I decided our pom-pom makers were too big so we just made simple pom-poms instead.
 Lulu helped me with these. She said they look like sea monsters.
Do they? My husband agrees with her.

Markie decorated a hard-boiled egg (with a little help from me) for the school's Easter egg decorating contest. They chose a winner for every
class. Markie's egg didn't win. She wasn't too bothered by it though
which is good. I think she did a great job with drawing the face and
decorating the dress.  She's still very much into drawing flowers and
butterflies right now. It used to be rainbows and princesses.

I walked down to church on Good Friday.  My square of fabric and
everyone else's had been sewn into a long patchwork panel to make up
the Garment of Suffering and at one point during the service it was brought to the altar. Anyone who has been bereaved over the past
year was invited to help bring it to the front. It was very moving.
I felt grateful to be there. Later on I felt so tired from walking home
but it was Good Friday and a little suffering  wasn't something to
complain about. I also realized I'm quite unfit. I haven't done quite
enough walking up and down the hills of Sheffield lately. I used to
do this a lot, while pushing a buggy too. I blame driving, though
I don't blame Lulu for not wanting to be in a pushchair anymore.

Sorry, I think I've gone on enough now. I hope you're all having
a great Easter day. I think I'll go and have that tea now.
See you soon!