Craft time

My first visit to the craft room since the flower-a-thon earlier in the year. A good crafting friend had a birthday coming up abd I just couldn't bring myself to go out and buy a card, I had to make one for her.

I'd seen Julie's gorgeous concertina cards and knew I had to recreate one. My biggest struggle was that I've sold off or cut down almost all my 12x12 designer paper cardstock!

Luckily I found an unopened pack of Stampin Ups Sycamore Street, an old SAB and set to work

I forgot how much I enjoy cardmaking. My shoulders hate it, but the mind enjoyed it LOL

Most of my free time is still spent on the current crochet project. I love working on this, and of course I have my puppy shaped shadow helper!

It's coming together, the colours are gorgeous!

 

Life is wonderful

So exciting, one of my many packages arrived last week.

I really didn't know where to start! But I was good and made a start on a shawl for my mother in law's birthday present. I misjudged how much yarn I needed and have had to order more, so it will feature on another post.

I also received some gorgeous cotton yarns ....

I set to work making up this hexagon pattern by the fabulous Lucy of Attic24. I plan to join as I go so I'm going to get a whole load of circles ready so the blanket grows really quickly!

 

Friday evening we were really lucky here in that the weather was beautiful. We were out for the evening, to see a theatre production of Agatha Cristie's 'A murder is announced' so we had a really early dinner in town and then had a lovely walk along the prom.

The views were amazing, we could see all the way back to Hastings.

The show was fantastic, if it does a run in your town its well worth going to see.

Yesterday we had to take a day off from home improvements/bathroom and take advantage of the lovely summer weather so we took a drive out to my favourite gardens at Great Dixter, Northiam.

They are full of colour most of the time, but I think this time of the month has to be the best!

 

Just look at the lovely meadows in the Orchard.

The borders are full of planting schemes that can be used in any garden at home.

Just breathtaking.

And today.

I spent the morning filling in job applications and the afternoon watching tennis and crocheting .... Can life be more perfect?

 

A Mandela

I'm still stitching.

I've finished a mandela for Lucy, she's put out a call and hopes to get as many as she can to put on show at Yarndale in September this year. I stiffened mine last night with copydex glue and will get it into the post to her to tomorrow.

I used Lucy's patten as I'm not a very confident stitcher, but I have to say I really enjoyed it.

The next project is coming along nicely. It's a Beautiful Multi Stripped Baby Blanket, I'm following a video tutorial on YouTube by Wooly Wonders Crochet.

I'm not 100% sure I will make it up to full blanket size as I have nowhere to put it, but it may make a nice scarf?

My order is in for a shed-load of cotton DK yarn which I cannot wait to arrive ... I have a project I've been aching to have a go at.

 

Crochet Tote Bag

I am so pleased with how the bag hooked up. I made it up bigger than Lucy's instructions and changed the handles but other than that, its all Lucy. I'm using it to hold WIP projects, so I can grab and run.

It took just less than a week to complete, fitting it in here and there. But I will admit to taking it away with me last week and hooking my way to and from Wales in the passenger seat ... It really makes the miles fly by!

I used Stylecraft DK Special yarn and a 3.5mm Clover hook.

As a learner, I pretty much winged it on the size and guessed on18 rounds for the base and then started to work my way up. The bag is 36 rounds in height (including the handle rounds).

As you can see I used 'Lucy' colours.

I am thrilled with my new crochet bag and am thoroughly enjoying my new hobby. I just hope I can keep it up. I thought I was on the road to recovery but my left shoulder is still in a lot of pain as its in the process of thawing and my right shoulder is now starting to freeze!

 

A Star Blanket

I haven't updated the blog for a while again, but I have been busy.

I finished a granny stripe blanket all bar the border, which I can't decide in on so I've put it away until I come to a decision.

The next project was another blanket for my daughter who is about to fly to the Falklands for a few months .... It's a tad chilly there she tells me. She requested a star shaped blanket.

She saw the blanket on Pinterest, it was one of many that I'd pinned. The pattern is here.

We were both really pleased with the result, it took me about 3 weeks to complete.

My current project is Lucy's Tote Bag. Its coming along very nicely.

We've just had a long weekend in Wales and of course my hook and wool had to come too!

 

A Star Blanket

I haven't updated the blog for a while again, but I have been busy.

I finished a granny stripe blanket all bar the border, which I can't decide in on so I've put it away until I come to a decision.

The next project was another blanket for my daughter who is about to fly to the Falklands for a few months .... It's a tad chilly there she tells me. She requested a star shaped blanket.

We were both really pleased with the result, it took me about 3 weeks to complete.

My current project is Lucy's Tote Bag. Its coming along very nicely.

We've just had a long weekend in Wales and of course my hook and wool had to come too!