Commitment and tangled yarn...

I'm still trying to unpick the mess on my desk and turn it into a concrete idea for a project. It feels like a big thing, making plans for a new blanket and committing to design, but I think it's the right way to go. Commit to an idea, then do it. Yes?

 

 

It always starts with yarn... this is squishy, merino, aran weight yarn. Soft, warm, and quick to work up into a large project, good for blanket making. Not so good for the time of year maybe?! The colours though - perfect spring colours.

 

 

We always get a lovely mix of blue, pink and yellow in the garden at this time of year. Sturdy bergenias surrounded by self-sown forget-me-nots. More often than not a rogue dandelion or two pop up nearby, not wholly unwelcome, very cheery and great for the children to pick freely!

 

 

Ponies too, enjoying the spring sunshine and an alfresco bath this week! A concession to my littlest desiring a dip in the paddling pool. Not yet, but soon I'm sure...

 

 

Back to the blanket plans, I've been swatching...

 

 

Chevrons, zig-zags, ripples... in jewel-like colours. It's coming together, not fixed yet, but getting there. I might even tuck it away for a bit and mull it over, get on with a few summery bits and bobs in the meantime and wait for the right time. Not sure I'm ready to commit to this one just yet!!

 

 

xx

New Camera, crochet and reward charts...

 

I've got a lovely new camera and I find that I'm behaving just as I did when I got a lovely new camera when I was 16!

 

I'm taking photos of all sorts of not terribly interesting things, not terribly well...

 

 

...and lots of the cat!

 

 

She stays still marginally longer than the children (who automatically start flinging their arms about, pulling faces and posing whilst never actually staying still!)

 

 

I spent most of last week catching up with the post-holiday tidying, noticing that the party decorations from Martha's birthday (well over a month ago) are still up and trying to plan to make best use of that precious time when I have the house to myself.

 

 

And we made a new reward chart (as I previously said about not very interesting photos....). I've a little bit of a crush on all thing monochrome at the moment (blamed completely on Instagram), so marker pen and white card is very satisfying.

 

 

 ...and trying to unpick my crochet plans from my very messy desk and get on with them.

 

 

xx

A new way to stay in touch, a competition, and a free Spring Chicken pattern...

Hi, I hope you've all had a super Easter, and a good holiday. This is just a quick pit stop to tell you about my lovely new newsletter....

 

I've been pondering a suitable way to keep you all up to date with news of my craft fairs, shop updates, that kind of thing, without filling up my blog with them - you might not want to hear about it after all! Hence I thought I could write a newsletter, it will involve a bit of shop talk, discount codes, a nice free crochet pattern and a bit of blog news too, what do you think? It's nice to get a friendly email every now and then, and you're welcome to reply too...

 

To get the ball rolling, I'm running a competition. Sign up by midnight (GMT) on 13th April and you could win a £20 voucher to spend in my online shop, or at a craft fair if you come to see me in person. All subscribers will get a free pattern for this Happy Spring Chicken, I'll include it in my first newsletter, along with a discount code for my shop to say **Thank You!** for signing up and staying in touch.

 

 

The sign up form for my newsletter is at the top of the right sidebar..... up there.... and I'll pick the lucky winner on the 14th April.

 

Look forward to hearing from you xxxx

Stashbusting

Hi! I'm still here...

My head has been full of craft fair plans and neglected laundry recently, so not much in the way of blog posts I'm afraid. The neglected laundry is tedious, and the craft fair plans, well interesting but constantly in flux and prone to crises of confidence. I will share all that with you soon.

 

Today however, I couldn't resist giving you a little peek at my stashbusting blanket...

 

 

I'm soooo pleased with it. Who knew I had all the yarn to make such a lovely thing hanging around in my house?

 

I've made 90 granny squares. I faffed and fussed over where to place them yesterday morning with a large mug of coffee, still in my PJs, with children and the cat tip-toeing around the edge.

 

 

It took a while, trying to make sure the colours were evenly spread out, no two the same next to each other, that kind of thing (the last one is always the hardest to place!). Lovely spring colours though, many of them rescued from this project here.

 

 

Each row turned into a neat pile, and numbered so I remember where they go.

 

 

I was worried about joining them with navy. It happened that I had somehow collected lots of navy yarn, it needed using, this is a stashbusting blanket after all, but seeing all the colours spread out on the floor I was suddenly concerned that they might lose some of their zing surrounded by such a dark yarn.

 

I needn't have worried.... I love how the blanket is turning out, it's my favourite one to date I think.

 

 

If you've been making any stashbusting projects I'd love to see - leave me a link in a the comments below and I'll come and have a look.

 

xx

Clearing out and tidying up...

...this is an ongoing process with three small (but growing fast!) children in the house. There is a constant tidying, sorting and re-organising of neglected toys and grown-out-of clothes. No sooner than one area is dealt with another starts to looks like the bins at the back of a toy shop. Add this to a small house and it's easy to feel like we're living in a wasteground for unloved, mass-produced, clutter.

 

We keep the local charity shops well stocked!

 

It's easy to blame it all on the kids, however, with their brightly coloured nik naks being the most obvious of things filling the house;  kids' stuff is always on view, under foot and in the way.

 

But, I must confess to having a good amount of my own 'stuff' hanging about. It's just a little more tucked away - a high up shelf full of bags with untouched projects, a box of embroidery threads and sewing paraphernalia, jars of buttons, drawers of fabric and yarn, another bag down the side of the sofa, a box under the bed... you get the idea.

 

Time to turn my attention to my own clutter and bad habits. A bit of clearing out and ruthless decision making is in order and I've made a good start. I've ebayed a few things already (it helps when you get a few pennies for your old things) and at the weekend I pulled out a large bag of cotton yarn, wound all the balls up neatly and plonked them all on the table.

 

 

Honestly, it was a little overwhelming and I wasn't sure how to even start making a decision about what to keep and what should go.

 

I sorted it into yarn weight, dk and aran, then spent a lot of time looking at it, telling the children not to fiddle with it and left it on the table overnight! You really can't hurry these things...

 

 

Sunday morning, armed with fresh coffee, I realised the shiny cotton had to go - I don't like it and I won't use it. Similarly, there were some left over bits of finer than dk cotton, too fiddly, that could go too. The rest of the dk could stay, it's yarn I like and use, so I put it away in a drawer.

 

I'd made a granny square with some of the aran weight cotton. Simple granny squares help me think, really they do, so I made a few...

 

 

The granny squares could be a cushion cover, I thought, joined and edged with the navy yarn. I carried on making squares. How many would I need for a cushion cover? Four? Nine, maybe? I looked at the yarn and started to organise the colours - bright granny squares with navy surrounding them. A blanket! I'm sure there's enough.

 

A bit of maths later, and there is enough. I'm not in need of a new project, I know, but in terms of decision making this has made it easier. The dk yarn is sorted and the aran yarn - I will keep what I need for this blanket and get rid of the rest. Ruthless! I'm ignoring the voice in my head telling me that I might need all that chocolate coloured cotton for a future project I haven't even thought of yet. I'd better do it quickly before I change my mind...

 

 

There is more clearing and yarn sorting to come, I'm sure. I'll share how I worked out that I had enough for a blanket too - useful for a bit of stashbusting I think.

 

xx

 

p.s. I'm planning a bit of blog tidying also - if you spot anything that isn't as it should be, please let me know!

Finished: Baby Sunburst Blanket

Here it is! Finally!!

 

I've been itching to show you these pictures...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the centres I used Rico Essentials Soft Merino Aran in shades:

Fuschia (15)

Lemon (63) this is in fact a slightly greenish shade

Melon (06)

Dusky Pink (92)

Petrol (25)

and Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran in Cowslip (64)

 

The body of each square is worked in the Rico yarn shade Cream (61) and each is edged, then joined, with Aubergine (10). Once joined, I finished the blanket with a picot edge in Lemon.

 

 It was all lovely yarn to work with, and worked up satisfyingly quickly being aran weight. I think it helped that there were only 20 squares - it was done before I had a chance to get bored! It has made a very warm, squidgy and soft blanket indeed. Perfect time of year for a warm blanket too!

 

Oh, and in case you were wondering, it has gone to live with my new niece Maya. She's a peach.

 

xx

Old thread, new thread, and a blanket...

These things have been occupying me.

 

 

A finished blanket! It's cosy and lovely and woolly and blankety. It is also off to it's new home tomorrow, so once I've safely delivered it, I'll fill you in on a bit more info and some more photos - for now it is only fair that the new owner gets to see their new blanket first...
 

Generally, I'm really crap at sticking to one thing and seeing it through (craft things, that is, I hope it doesn't apply to everything I do!). I get a bit bored, other projects look more interesting, etc., etc. Focussing on one project at a time seems, so far, to be helping. I've still a stack load of WIPs, but the next one I pick up won't be put down until it's done, and that's a satisfying feeling. Having finished one project already this year feels great, I'll definitely be doing more of it!

 

A small caveat to this (and I kind of knew there would need to be at least one) is that I will be keeping a few bits and bobs to sell ticking over in the background. For fairs, when they arise, and to pop online too.
 

 

 

This stitching isn't for selling however. I was inspired by this on Pinterest and decided to use up some of my fabric scraps. Although I love my sewing machine, I quickly realised that it should be a hand-stitching kind of project really - a digging out some old threads on wooden reels and spending far too long trying to thread a too small needle kind of project. It's coming along, slowly. And it's a nice kind of slowly, that is often accompanied by a cup of tea on the sofa and some mindless telly. Just right for this time of year, I highly recommend it.

 

xx