Sunday afternoon

And some secret crocheting for Mr Chops' birthday next week.....

All finished now except the arms which I will do tonight.

It's been so hot here today.  Oscar found a shady spot though

He's not looking very impressed - probably thinks I might steal his spot.  Why he thinks I would lie under the picnic table is anyone's guess, but then I am not a cat...who can fathom their minds!!!!!

Also finally got round to putting pva on the back of my funky flower wall hanging thing, pattern, of course, courtesy of Lucy at Attic 24 :)

Of course, that's the back view but it is still drying.  May even get it finished and put on the wall by next weekend :)  We shall see.

Found it...

And this is what naughtiness looks like!!!  They bit through the fence and there's another wire one around the pear tree which Samba dug under to.  Honestly, look at her, she has no shame!!!!

Here's a better picture of my little creature from 'Crochet Bakemono' (got it in hobby craft). I did change a couple of things but it is essentially the same.  Then I got to thinking, 'How difficult can this be?'

So I made this one.....well, here's the start.  I actually took the mouth off in the end because it was wonky but not enough to look like it was supposed to be.  She also has red arms now to match her bottom.  No name yet but I am toying with Phylis...what do you think??

I'll take another photo of her in all her glory later - it is far too hot to go out at the moment.

Ta-ra

Has anyone seen....

my camera??  I can't find it.  I have loads of things to photograph and the weather is perfect but it has gone awol!! Nothing at all, you understand, to do with the absolute mess on my desk.  I wanted to share a picture of the crochet amigurumi I have just finished and also the naughty rabbits who seem to think that 2 fences put up specifically to protect the newly growing (it is growing a BIT) grass are a challenge to them...or an open invitation to find their cheeky way in and graze to their hearts contents....honestly...some bunnies!!!

Back to the drawing board..

actually cutting table.  Made a peg bag today and it is an epic fail...maybe not that bad, but it is not fit for purpose.  I know what needs sorting and I shall get onto it forthwith so I can make some to sell :)  After I have used the first one though as it was made out of 'need' :)  It's not even big enough anyway! But as a bonus, the fabric, LUSH corduroy, is from the charity shop :)

Here are a couple of pictures of greedy rabbits as well....

Ta - Da!!!!!!!

Lucy from Attic24 always does a Ta-Da when she reveals something she has finished, and, as this is her ruffled cushion pattern, in an hommage to her I shall do one too.......

I love love love it...and thankfully the birthday girl liked it too...so that's good. I am a bit of a yarn snob, but Justine, from EmmaBearForever, said that Stylecraft Special DK was really soft so I gave it a go...and she was right ...really soft and a lovely drap for the blanket I am making for MrB. It's from Deramores.co.uk

And here is the Birthday Girl...

Mother-in-law with the boys...look how sensible they are being...paragons of childy virtue ;) 
Mr Chops made and decorated the cake.  She's not actually nine but a lady never reveals her age :)


 

Try again

to show you the pear tree blossom

And here is His Majesty Lord Magic of Magicville having a relax under his chair on his fur rug.

  He really is the cutest rabbit in the world.

was trying to upload more pictures from Southwold but, again, it keeps telling me that the server connection has failed :( It is from an external hard drive so don't know what that is all about.

Holiday in Southwold....

the pictures are enough.....

More later.....

I just can't stop...Crocheting!!

so I haven't!!!  I've added more to my 40th birthday blanket....

Obviously not needed to be finished until teh end of September so I have started another one in the meantime to keep my busy.

Not very clear but this gives a better view...

Although the light is far too bright (not that I am complaining about the sunshine!).  So that's my Ripple blanket from Lucy at Attic 24.

This is a mahoosive granny square that I started on holiday (pics of that tomorrow) using rather scrummy merino dk mostly from The Knitting Goddess , but also some others that I had left over from other projects.  It is lovely and warm to crochet...it keeps my knees warm as I go :)

This is the green that I am using at the moment. The colour is much more green in real life. Think mixed cabbage leaves and you have the right colour.

Do you like my yarn cake?  I usually have to use a nostepin and wind it from the swift but now I have this...

It does amuse e that it looks like something from the 1950's but I guess if the design works then there is no need to change it.  So they all hook up to look like this.....

And then you end up with one of these beautiful things....

...a yarn cake.

I know they are not interesting to most people but i think they look wonderful.  The winder winds much more loosely that I would with the nostepin and so the yarn is much more relaxed and I don't feel like it needs to go back to a skein once I have used it.

So, I have been crocheting away...a bowl, a kind of plate (obviously not to eat off!), a holder for my hooks, a wonky winged bird, a cat (waiting for his legs) and another circular blanket, only just started, that I am making from sock yarn.  As it is only 4ply it is going to take a long time but that's fine with me.  I wil try adn get photos of them this week.  It is nice to record how they grow. 

Talking of growing, we have been doing quite a bit of gardening.  We moved the trampoline out of the way as it was blocking our view of the flower bed and vegetable patch completely.  We can now see the pond as well.  So, we have a large patch of bare earth.  Mr C headed for the garden centre and came back with a pear tree :)

Would love to show you a pic of the beautiful white blossom but blogger is not playing ball. Another time.

Here's a random pic of our new house guest, Magic.  He's the rabbit, not the cat!  He's inside with us for a bit because, sadly, his lovely friend Diamond (we didn't name them!) has died and we can't bear to think of him out all night alone in his hutch.  He is missing her loads but slowly getting better.

Been busy, busy, busy...

Tidying,  so things now look like this....

Much nicer to look at than it was. I had a lot of plates on there but have out them away underneath.  They are mostly cups that belonged to grandparents and great-Aunts, I love them all.

And I have been sitting here

(check out the 'old lady' lamp - I am practising!)

making lots of these :)

I also  watched this young man in his school production of Treasure Island

I assure you it was Treasure Island and not Hair!!!  Still refusing to have it cut but I told him he might have to tie it back at school soon so he is contemplating a 'trim'!!

More later...blogger is not letting me upload photos very easily and it is taking ages :(

Busy.....with my hook...

Starting to make this Ripple Blanket courtesy of the very talented Lucy from Attic 24.  If you like crochet, you MUST look at her blog, it is amazing!

I am doing 4 rows of each colour and have now started my fourth colour...it is so easy...or maybe, more likely, Lucy has made the instructions very clear.

A mahoosive granny square that now had the green border finished...

which will become a cushion cover.

I can't believe how many years I have wasted thinking I couldn't crochet!!

I've started.....

So I'll finish!  Eventually.  I made several of these blocks quite a while ago when I was on another 'use it, don't buy it' mission.  I made a red one into a stand for my tea pot the other week and finished these this morning. They are lined with insulated wadding so they are excellent for putting hot things on.  If I ever get round to it I will put them in my shop.

Now, I said I would get back on here to talk about selling knitted Jelly Babies for the Milton EACH where my lovely nephew William goes.  I have knitted 3 and am starting another but haven't sewn any up. I will get them sewn up, stuffed and photographed at the weekend.  I would like £5 each for them and all of that money will go to the hospice :)   William is currently back in hospital due to lots of fits at the weekend and they are trying him on new drugs. I really hope he can come home tomorrow.

Manic Monday....

Teaching a lot this week so have to cram everything into 2 days.  This is one of our new designs that will go on a bag.....

I also have a sewing table that looks like this......

And I keep forgetting to show this present from my lovely bestest friend, the Kazebo...she got me several things for christmas but this is the one that made me SQUEAL with delight.....

Mini milk bottles...in a mini crate!!!!!  How cool are they!!!!!

I LOVE THEM!!!

Jelly Babies

Emma asked yesterday to see the purple jelly baby.  Unfortunately, this is the state it is in at the moment.....

The other arm is actually finished now and I have finished the arms of a lurid green one but I have the dreaded 'sewing up' task. I find it frankly bizarre that the one thing I hate about knitting, given that I am a self confessed sewing addict, is the sewing up.  Am thinking I might knit all the bodies for 5, sew them up, knit all the arms, sew then up....you get it.  I don't have a picture of the 2 I previously made as they were for my rather delicious nephew, William (who is now a star of the screen but I shall leave that for another time).  I think one was orange and one was possibly green too.  Am thinking a whole load to sell to raise money for EACH where William goes so will be mentioning all that in another post.

Here is what they look like when they are finished.  It is a Jean Greenhowe pattern.  The photo is taken from her site, hence the link back and why it is a bit grainy...I love her stuff but SO much sewing up.  I have knitted a fair few of her patterns and I love them. I once spent hours knitting the topsy turvey Cinderalla doll for my niece and each of my boys have a couple of Robin hoods and the like but these Jelly Babies are really quick.  Mostly because they don't have separate legs and you just stitch them up.

I did get a photo, albeit rather rubbish, of the cushion though.....

The fabric is from the same collection as previously. Emmabear wanted to know.  It is Shangri-La by Moda.  I'm sure it's all from that same collection but I might be wrong.  It is a few years old now so probably not that easy to get hold of.  I LOVE IT

Here's the back..... It's 'vintage' Laura Ashley, don't you know :)  The fabric was my parent's bedroom curtain's about 30 years ago and then they became  our dining room curtains in our old house...and then I mercilessly butchered them and used them.  I had no idea it was vintage until I was looking for some online.

I feel a terrible headache coming on.  Mostly due to over indulgence in food, last night,  that Gertie Gallbladder does not like.  I am away to lie down in a darkened room for as long as I think I can get away with it!

I'm on a roll....

Today is the first day since Christmas that I haven't sewn!  I have made a tea cosy, a tea pot stand, a cushion cover, a quilt top, 3 small pieces to go on the wall, 2 huge other patchwork bits made from scraps, on of them half the size of the bed, 2 messenger bags, appliqued designs on 2 other bags...err..I think that might be it...but I may have done more.  I don't know what's got into me!?!!  The weather has been so dull, rainy and windiferous that I haven't taken many pictures but I will...I don't set myself very high standards with photography but it is nice to see what you are actually supposed to be looking at! Plus, Blogger is really giving me a headache adding pictures at the minute and I have no idea why.

Hoooo-blooming-rah!!  Finally, his has only taken 15 minutes to add the photo. This is on of 3 that I made form stuff I had.  Was thinking of maybe a runner by joining them all or table mats, have to make another, but decided to back them and bind them and display them on the wall going up the stairs.  It is a large expanse of boring magnolia (previous owners) and it desperately needs some colour.  I love my house but it is dullsville in the colour department and we don't really have the funds spare to decorate.  Our old house was full of colour so I do feel like we are all washed out here.  Never mind.....one day.....We'll get it done eventually....Mr Chops needs a new bedroom carpet first.  Life will still go on, even with magnolia walls.....unlike the very shallow moment I had when the dishwasher broke down the other day...but that is another story :)


I did knit this morning though.....a purple jelly baby :)