I need.

Hello everyone,

My name is Sally and I am a crochet-holic. I know this is what I've become :)

I went to my wool shop as I had to get 2 balls of white DK. That was all I needed, ONLY 2 balls.

 

So why when I walked out did I also have these?



 

But they are lovely, they are soft, they are squidgy and oh so mmmmm.And they remind me of ice-cream :)

When I got home, I went through my books and decided I would have a go at making a Mandala and my new purchase would be just the yarn that was needed.

It was soooo lovely to work with and it wasnt long before the Mandala was completed.

I was so pleased, I knew just the place for it.

Then I began thinking, you could make place mats for the dinner table, coasters to go with said place mats. Maybe a table runner to match said place mats and coasters.

The only problem was the colours I had, although very lovely, would not go with the colour of my dining room.

 

So off to the wool shop I went.

And home came these lovelies to join my other lovelies. So now I can make my place mats, my coasters and my table runner.

 

I think I had better stay away from the wool shop for awhile and get some of my WIP finished. I'm sure I have enough to keep me going for bit.

 

Sally x

 

 

 

 



Proud Mum

Hello everyone,

It is a beautiful sunny day here in Kent, hopefully the summer is here.

I would just like to share with you all a very proud mum moment.

My eldest daughter Jess joined a rowing club 2 years ago, just as a way of keeping fit, meeting new people and having an interest outside of work.
The first year flew by and they entered a couple of competitions as novices.
When her 2nd season started she and her team that she had been training with were asked if they would like to move up to the next category, which was Intermediate. It meant harder work, longer training and a lot more commitment. So they decided to give it ago.

The training was tough, I saw her rowing in the middle of winter, with snow on the ground. The splash droplets from the oars would freeze as bobbles to her clothing.
Her and her team kept at it and her coach put them in for a few competitions.

 

He then asked them if they wanted to go all out and enter the women's rowing competition at Henley. It would mean at least 10 training sessions a week. Weekends were given up and they had practically a non existent social life.

An Intermediate team from her rowing club had not been entered at Henley for 5-6 years.

On Friday it was the time trials to see if they could enter the competition. They won and were put through to the quarter finals on Saturday.

 

 

Saturday was the quarter finals and they were all quite nervous.

Unfortunately they didn't make it to the semi-finals.

But those girls worked hard for where they got at Henley.

As I said no other Intermediate team from her club had ever been put forward for Henley before.

 

I was so proud of Jess and her team members, I know there were times when she did think of giving up, especially on the cold river on a Saturday morning in the middle of winter when all her friends were having their Saturday morning lay ins.

Congratulations Twickenham Intermediate team, I'm sure all your mums are as proud as me :)

Jess, with her team (Jess is 4th from the left)

 

Now Jess is just waiting for the next season to start.

Good luck girls.

x

 

1 down 2 to go

Hello everyone, well I think we had our summer on Wednesday. It was a beautiful day, I sat out in the afternoon crocheting and I even caught some sun.
It was also the first time we were able to eat our evening meal outside and that was so nice. But the sun has gone again and we're back to the grey, overcast skies.

 

But on a cheery note I finally finished my quilt.

Before I started crocheting, I was making 3 quilts, all of them nearly but not quite finished. I got the crochet bug and they were put to the back of the queue.

But my daughter Amie asked if I would at least finish hers before I did anymore crocheting.

So crocheting went on hold this week,(apart from Wednesday when I was in the garden) which was extremely hard as it kept calling me every time I walked past. But all was worth while.

 

I sat till gone 2am this morning finishing the binding.

And I'm so glad she asked me to put down my crocheting.

 

and finally finish it :)

 

And what was especially nice, was the smile and the hug I got when she got up this morning to her quilt finished and waiting to go on her bed.

 

So now I only have 2 to finish and maybe I should have 1 day a week spent on them to get them finished. Then I wont feel so guilty when I see them folded up in the corner.

 

Have a lovely day ladies, I have some crocheting to catch up on. x

 

 

 

 

Fathers Day

Hello everyone,

I hope you all had a lovely weekend. The sun came out for us on Sunday afternoon which was lovely after the so yuck weather we have had in Kent up till now. Maybe summer is slowly on her way.

We had a family get together on Sunday as it was also Fathers day. Which is wonderful, because now the kids have there own partners and homes, it's not always easy getting everyone together. But not only do children and partners come, so do the pets.

First we have Lily who loves a vegtable or two and steals them from my veggie patch if she can get into it.

 Then there is Alfie, who is so layed back and is never fussed with all that goes on around him. Lily and Alf are mine and the kids call them my replacement children.

 This is our new addition to the family. He's my daughters, he's 5 months old and his name is Harper. At the moment he is all legs and still not always able to control them. He loves coming to our house and playing with the others.

This is Logan, who is my sons dog. He is a maximum of 10" high and loves to rule the others. The silly part is, they let him.

 

 

Then we have Talulah, who thinks she is a dog and spends her time following all the other dogs about

Finally, we have Maria. She has no cares at all. Just as long as she gets her sleep :)

 

 

 

 

So with all here for dinner, along with ours and their pets, the house is bedlam.

Everyone is talking at once and trying to catch up on all the latest news.

Dinner was lovely, wine was lovely, company was great.

We made the most of the early evening sun, and managed to sit out for awhile with coffee and apple pie.

 

I love it when we can all get together, but also I like the silence that comes at the end,when everyone has gone home and you know they are all ok.

 

Me and Mr S, sit there soaking up the quietness and relive our wonderful day.

Hope yours was  as good :)

 x

 

Google+ Or BlogLovin

Hello,

So I have recently heard rumours about changing to Google+ or going to Bloglovin as a way to continue following people and their projects.

HOW CONFUSING!! 

I have signed up with both and I think it's a case of waiting for the changes to happen before truly knowing what the changes will be.

At least by signing up to both I know I wont lose anything (hopefully), Bloglovin seems a little more user friendly where as Google+ just confuses me but I might explore the Crochet and Crafts Communities... There Are tonnes!!!

Apparently I do this to claim my blog on bloglovin... excuse the code I thought it would disappear but apparently they are not that advanced!

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/8282809/?claim=h3p2er5vwqx">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Crochet conundrum

Hello everyone, bit of a gloomy day here in Kent. I dont think we've seen the sunshine for a few days now, it's just been chilly and windy :(

Ok I have a coundrum going on that I hope someone can help me with.

Years and years ago when I was still at school.......actually it doesnt bear thinking about how many years, lol. My mum collected the Golden Hands craft books and it was from these I taught myself to crochet and many other crafts too.
I remember making a couple of granny square throws and attempting a lacy throw made from a pearlised cotton.

When I found a crochet hook  a couple of months ago, in an old bag of knitting needle, that was the start of my new found love of crochet and becoming addicted.
I made a granny square baby blanket first, then a wrap for a friend of mine. The wrap was a pattern from a magazine and very easy to follow. Then I discovered that my treble and the magazines treble were different.

Golden Hands taught me to:
(1) wrap the yarn round the hook, insert hook into stitch, yarn around hook again.
(2) Draw the yarn through. There are now 3 loops on hook. Wrap the yarn around hook once more.
(3) Draw the yarn through the first loop on the hook, leaving 3 loops on the hook.
(4) Wrap the yarn around the hook again and draw the yarn through the first two loops, leaving 2 loops on the hook.
(5)Wrap the yarn around the hook and draw the yarn through the remaining 2 loops to complete stitch.



But the magazines instructions and nearly all other "How to Crochet" books say to:
(1) Yarn around hook, insert hook into stitch, yarn around hook again.
(2) Draw the yarn through, 3 loops on hook,Yarn around hook.
(3) Draw the yarn throught the first 2 loops, leaving 2 loops on hook.
(4) Yarn around hook and draw through the remaining 2 loops.


So the Golden Hands treble is slightly longer. On looking through my collection of books, I have only one that tells me the Golden Hands way and that is a beautiful book called "Essential Crochet" by Erika Knight.

So has the treble changed over the years or has there always been 2 different ways of doing it.

It would be interesting to know what one you ladies use and if you knew there were 2 ways of doing a treble.

Sally






 

Click click for baby

My son(Aaron) and daughter-in-law(Abby) are expecting their first baby, our first grandchild.
He's due in August and there is a whole hive of activity getting ready for his arrival.
We spent the weekend around their place decorating the nursery, although I think me and the kids were more of a hindrance.
My partner Mr S is a painter and decorator by trade, so really we were just the gofers. What would take us an hour takes him no time at all. And rubbing down is my most dreaded job when it comes to painting.

I have to admit we did spend quite a bit of time supervising and gofering while Mr S did most of the work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 But the end result was lovely and all that's needed now are the finishing touches.

I saw somewhere on the Internet, some crochet bunting and wondered whether to make some and put Bubba's name on it to string up in the nursery. What do you think?

 

So with baby coming, I got out the knitting needles, bought some patterns and some lovely babies wool. The choice out there is astounding and found it very hard not to buy one of all :)

The last time I knitted was when my 3 were babies, but you never forget how to knit, and being small size they don't take long to make. So with a click click clicking of my needles, so far I've made these.

This is the first cardi for Bubba....

 

 

 

and the next....

and this dear little one with the hood.

I'm not sure what would be a nice amount for a new born as they grow so quick. I have started a fourth one and have some cream for a fifth. Just need to get some cute little buttons now to finish them off.

What do you think?

 

Black and White

Ok, so I have now rediscovered my love of crocheting. Wasn't really sure what I wanted to make next, so went to my wool shop.
I was in such a dilemma, what colours did I want. In the end i just bought a large selection of different colours and went home and just stared at them. I loved them all, so i needed to make a blanket that would be able to use them all and if I wanted to add more colours I could.
Next big decision was what motif did I want, there are hundreds of them out there to choose from. After going through books and scouring the Internet I decided on two :)

 My first motif is going to be the Granny square it has always been my favourite and I love seeing blankets made from it. But I've found the hexagon and it means I can make a Granny square type blanket but with a patchwork quilt design. Having made many patchwork quilts this means I can combine my two favourite crafts. 

My second motif I found in a magazine and I love the 3D effect it has. As I can't choose between the two, even after making one of each I've decided to make both of them. A black blanket and a white blanket. I am so going to enjoy this, I'm already excited about  picking the different colours and watching them both grow.

 

Chic shawl

MMy next crochet discovery was a magazine in Sainsburys. Crochet had come along way since I last made my blanket of granny squares. Inside was an amazing shawl to be made. Who could I make this for? I'm not exactly a shawl person myself, but my friend Crissi was. So back to the wool shop I went. With so many beautiful wools about it was a difficult decision but  I settled on a soft grey, by Sirdar and it was a dream to work with.

These pictures do the shawl no justice and I wish I had taken the time to take better pictures.
I was so pleased with the way it turned out I even thought I might make one for myself.
Crissi loved it :)

Hello Ladies and possibly gents, if they have an interest in crochet and crafting.
I hadn't picked up a crochet hook for over 20 years, when i found one and decided i would have ago at a babies blanket for my eagerly awaited 1st grandchild.
 I visited the local woolshop and it was like an Alladins cave. I cant believe how much wool has changed. I wandered round touching and cooing at all the different textures and colours, it was fabulous.
This blanket was my first project. I found it so theraputic and relaxing, I was already trying to think what i could make next before I was even halfway finished with this one.