The boys are incredibly excited, hourly counting the stockings to see if it is getting any closer by re checking the remaining filled ones.  I have decided that if they don’t calm down, making December the loonngggesttttttt month ever I may occasionally empty a couple extra, then refill them that night, just to keep them on their toes, well, it’ll make me smile anyway!

I have finished all the patches for ‘Zany’ and the jumper is now completed bar the edgings and the band around the bottom.  Which I think will take a while.  That and the fact that I HATE SEWING IN ENDS MUM, there are 104 patches and several new balls of wool, each patch has 2 tails, that makes a minimum of 208 ends to sew in. 208! I love my mum, but do I love her that much?

I can’t show you a proper picture as I don’t want mum to get either a) excited or b) disappointed.  After reading about the pattern on Raverly I was surprised that it wasn’t as difficult as it seemed but you do need some crochet knowledge as the instructions really are quite poor.

I’ll post some pics and more info when I’ve finished it, which, with 208, yes 208 mum, ends to so in, may be a while!

Guess who got a job, go on, guess….

ME!

I am now officially Project coordinator for the Rural Vale for Age Concern.  It is my project to set up and do with as I wish, so long as I work with local community groups, businesses and individuals to help combat isolationism in older people!  I am so excited, it has my name ALL over it!  I have no idea what I’m going to do, but I can’t wait to do it!!!

Big appologies for aall the excalimation marks, I found out on Thursday and I’m still not sleeping due to excitment.  I had convinced myself I’d messed the interviews up and had spent the previous 2 days crying.

Did I say I HAVE A JOB!!!!!

I thought I should have a sort of talisman and doing what I do, I thought I’d make a scarf to go with my smart coat.  I bought a reel of grey yarn from a charity shop ages ago, loads of it for 50p.  Its a lovely silvery grey colour and quite fine, laceweight I’d guess,  Idon’t know what it is, but its soft and fairly firm.  I tryed a couple of different patterns, I knew I wanted it lacy and not straight.  Nothing really looked right, so I frogged it several times and just sort of made it up as I went along, got to a point I liked and repeated it several times, then just increased stitch size on the edges, and added a picot to make the triangles.

I’m pleased with it, I used a 4mm hook and blocked it to show the pattern off.

While browsing ravelry to find a nice scarf pattern, I found this, from lionbrand and really liked it.  With Rich working away now I tend to go to bed earlier, the telly is full of dross, It’s so cold too.  But I’d just finished my last book, then I remembered we had a spare radio now Tom is in the spare room, so I got a signal in our room and I listen to 4 extra now, its great!  But my hands were itching…and that pattern was calling me, perfect for a bit of late night crocheting, simple, chunky, warm…

I had 4 and a bit balls of King Cole Aero in my stash – a week later and hey presto

I had to alter the edging a bit as I knew I didn’t have enough yarn to finish it as written, also I had added an extra repeat of the pattern as I wanted it nice and big, but I think its turned out great!  It is so warm with a nice weight to it and with my new scarf pin (whittled this weekend at the woods by my eldest!) it sits perfect.I love how it sits up like a collar, elegant and warm too.

I have been crocheting, lots actually!  3/4 way through ‘Zany’ for my mum, I am thinking of turning those crocheted and knitted squares into a blanket and have done some bigger ones, I need opinions though so will photograph and will be asking you soon, also it was a good friends 60th last week.  If it wasn’t for this lady me and my other half wouldn’t get any nights out at all really and the boys adore her and strangely she adores the boys!  She loves bright colours and chunky jewellery so I bought her a gorgeous silver and turquoise bracelet and was going to make a box to put it in, but it was a funny size, so, resort to what you know!

I’m not sure what the thread is, just a mercerised cotton I think in ecru, I used a number 2 hook.  To make the pulls for fastening I was going to do that twisty thing with a pencil and a door handle to make a cord, but I wanted neat ends that joined up, so I googled how to crochet a double crochet base which gave a lovely cord.  Before I sewed the ends together I threaded on a crocheted curtain ring so you could pull them to fasten it.

I will be back soon asking for advice re blanket!

Look!

Can you see?

So utterly useful and beautiful too, all bits  I use all the time are downstairs on the bookcase, so now I don’t have to route through drawers!

My mum bought me a cloth kits skirt, this one:

This is my version, it fits beautifully and I love it. 

There was also a lot of fabric left over, and something about the printed lines really grabbed me, so I got cutting, sewing, patching followed by a little running stitch to join the dots together…There is something about lines that I like and I really enjoyed hand sewing again, not sure what I’m going to do with it though??

The print is from a swap with Emma of bagladee fame, the stripe was an edging for a skirt, the grey and old blouse and the cream is an old table cloth.

I’m not sure about the cream, its quite overpowering I think.  I may just do a thin strip to break the colours up, I’m not sure till I start cutting them out and seeing how they look.

The block pattern on Rachels blog that we are all following is lovely and great as it is quite open to interpretation and more importantly, easy!  They have set up a flickr group so we can see each others progression, some of the fabric choices are gorgeous!

I’m also getting on with my patchwork crochet/knit cushion, what do you think?

Yes, you are right, there are 3, yes 3 knitted blocks, two in stocking stitch and one in cable!  Me, knitted cable!  I don’t think I could manage more than a square, and a 4″ one at that!  But I’m pleased with how its coming on.  I really enjoy working new stitch patterns, the yellow is Relief Trebles, the blue is a Woven Stitch,

the red is an Up and Down Stitch and the green is Basketweave Stitch.  All taken from The Crochet Stitch Bible,  my favourite stitch book.

Strangely, to get the colours looking something like they actually do, the camera is changing them, the function that gave the best similarity was the ‘retro’ setting – what do that say about my colour choices?!

Talk about an amazing find, Dan-yr-Ogof, the Welsh Show Caves, (which are brilliant by the way, you can even get married in one, its gorgeous) have a campsite on the side, in the middle of the Black Mountains.  It was bliss.

We got there on Saturday afternoon, had a little explore then settled down to just, well, chill.  There was a little bubbling stream running through the site that provided some welcome shade, I pitched up with some cushions and my crochet

Adam built dams and picked a couple of pound of blackberries

and Tom whittled a fishing rod cum weapon, hours went by in complete contentment!

The next day we went for a trek up one of the Black Mountains, hard going but so worth it, just us, a few sheep and shed loads of fluffy catapillars!

Look who figured out the timer on her camera!!

We were in fact away for less than 24 hours, but if felt like a week, I love where we live!

This is their schedule:

21 Sept – Intro, interview and supply lists

03 Oct - Block how to

17 Oct -Top how to

31 Oct - Layering tutorial

14 Nov - Free Motion Quilting tutorial

28 Nov - Hand Quilting tutorial

12 Dec - Finishing and binding

I’m really looking forward to the hand quilting, I have done a bit, but I’ve sort of muddled along, it’ll be nice to learn how to do it properly.  I also like the simplicity of the block they have chosen, and that you can interpret it as you want.

They are running it along in flickr (hopefully the button will take you to the link, if not have a look at Rachels blog ) and there is even a prize at the end for the best one!!

Right, I’m off to sort through my fabrics, I’m aiming for another cushion cover for the setee, if you’re interested you still have time to join I think, Rach has a post explaining the patternand fabric requirements, ready for the first lesson on 3rd October – I’ll be seeing you in the classroom then!

 Look at this, isn’t it fab, my mum was working on this last  time she came down to stay, I love it.   I did manage something similar in crochet when she had explained how it worked, but it just wasn’t the same.

4ish years ago I sat down and finally taught myself to crochet and its the best thing I have ever done, I love it, I feel i have found ‘my thing’.  But no matter what stitch you do, you can’t get that fineness of knit.  lacey, yes, crochet is indeed better for that but I love basic stocking stitch, I don’t know why, I just love the fabric it produces.  I have achieved it with tunisian crochet but boy is that time consuming.  I can also crochet cable that looks really good, but not quite as good as knitted cable, in my opinion.

So as I like to have a cople of projects on the go and I wanted a break from ‘Zany’ I found an old pair of needles size 8 which looks like a 4/ 4.5mm crochet hook and a ball of dk.  Suprisning I could remember how to cast on, knit and even purl.  Its not the neatest, I thought you slipped the first stitch, but they are too loose, but for a first attempt I am mega impressed with myself!  Look

Not bad for a first go eh!  So as I can’t imagine ever managing anything above a square I have a plan.  I’m going to crochet another cushion cover for the setee’s but in patchwork.  I’m going to buy several balls the same colour, I think and crochet lacy squares and knit stocking stitch squares, and maybe a bit of cable if I’m feeling brave.  Actually as I write this I may do it in several autumnal colours, I don’t know.

Zany is progressing too

not sure where to go next though, I keep looking at the schemetic but can’t quite work it out.  I think I need to draw it out myself.  I’ll keep you updated.

I’ve done 4 of the 104 motif’s required and joined them and suprisingly it seems pretty straight forward so far. The motif is a simple 3 rounds and the joins are lovely.  Am I missing something?  I worry I am, it can’t be this easy…

The schematic seems a little unclear but having joined 4 I can read it better now, the cross in the circle being the 9 chain loop

I don’t know, I don’t want to count my chickens before they have laid, or is it roosted, either way mum, you might have it for Christmas!

Disclaimer: I won’t specify which Christmas.