Good-Bye To 2013

It's been a very busy and productive year here at Linda's Crafty Corner.  I have enjoyed every little bit of it mostly because of all you lovely blogging friends who have joined me and left me such lovely comments.

Most Bloggers post a mosaic of the projects they have made throughout the year but I'm not going to do that as my projects, patterns and idea's link at the top of my blog is there for you to see at any time

This year was made even extra special because of The Stash-Buster Challenge and I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who joined in and made it such a huge success, also a big thank you to Ana for co-hosting it with me.

So for the last time this year please link up all your last minute 2013 stash-busting projects, the December Link Party will end midnight on Tuesday 31st.

Here are your favourite projects for November 2013

Erin's Owl Blanket

Lisa's Scarf

Ana's earflap hat and booties

I hope you will all join in again for 2014, this time it will be Stash-busting for Stashaholics you can read all about it on January 1st.

I would like to wish you all a Happy New Year and all the very best for 2014 :)

Just Managed To squeeze It In!

I was determined to finish this before the end of the year and I'm so glad I was able to get it done.

Granny Ripple Baby Blanket

I loved making this, I do urge you to try it.

I used three different shades from my stash, I made lemon the predominant shade because I have so much of it, then lilac and a varigated yarn with the same colours.

I love making granny ripples they almost produce themselves, lovely rhythmic ripples, you can just let your mind wander while the hook does the work.  The last time I made a granny ripple was here and I was determined to make another.

Florence the sheep just loves this blanket too.

She wanted me to take a picture of her so that she can be introduced to Fluffy, if you haven't met Fluffy yet take a look at Merediths blog, baa lambs want blogging friends too you know. :)

You can find the pattern for the blanket here it took 340grams of yarn

I have busted 620 grams of yarn this month that makes my grand total for the year ta da.......8182 grams that means nearly 82, 100 gram balls of yarn...I'm happy with that, I'm challenging myself to beat it next year :)

See other amazing totals here, I will be updating them over the next few days.

As Promised.

I hope you have all had a lovely Christmas with your loved ones it's amazing how quickly it passes, all the preparation that goes on for weeks before the big day and it is all over in the blink of an eye.  Still I'm sure we all have some lovely memories to look back on and before we know it, dare I say it.... Christmas will be here again :)

Remember those lovely parcels I received from Linda from Chalkys World that I left under the tree?
well here are the lovely contents revealed as promised.

I just love this little tile it's so beautiful and Christmassy, I would love to do a tapestry of this picture and hang it above my mantelpiece, I can imagine myself standing there singing Christmas Carols gazing up at the beautiful scene before me ahhh...

and buttons! lovely, lovely flowery heart buttons they are so cute I could eat them..well maybe not quite but you know what I mean don't you :)  
Thank you so much Linda I love and appreciate every single thing, you are so generous bless you!.

Then just when I thought things couldn't get much better, look what came tumbling out of a Christmas card.

These beautiful flowers from my friend Helen from Helen crochet, if you remember Helen sent me these too and I used them for my flower project which I did finish ages ago but I haven't had time to show you yet.
Thank you so much Helen I love them. :)

I had a fabulous time this Christmas it was made extra special because I got to meet my new daughter-in-law, she is from Syria and managed to get her visa just in time for Christmas, she will be living here in England now it makes my heart sing to see just how happy she has made my eldest son.  

I am still waiting to meet my son-in-law he has been waiting for his visa for nearly 2 years now it would have been lovely to meet him too, hopefully he will be able to join us too very soon. 

The end of the month and year is almost upon us so you have just got time to link up all those stash projects you have been making this month and if you have forgotten to add anything from previous months this year add those too.

Coming soon

Stash-busting in 2014 are you a stashaholic??

Knit a Block A Week Challenge

Did I finish my last stash project of the year?

Last Minute Essentials

Thank you for all the lovely comments about the little Christmas tree decorations and I do apologise for not answering them all but life is a little crazy just now as I'm sure you will all appreciate, but please keep those lovely comments coming I love each and every one of them.

Every year family and friends drop in to say Happy Christmas which is all very lovely of course but don't you find that some people just don't seem care where they lay their mug of tea or whatever it is you have so lovingly prepared for them. I can't count the number of times I have had to quickly snatch a steaming mug from polished table and place something protective underneath.  
The thing we have to ask ourselves is this...can one have too many coasters? the answer of course is no, we need to have some set out for immediate use and of course some stacked in strategic positions just to set out when needed.

If you remember I made these last year as part of the Beyond the Square motif Challenge

Everybody loved them and they were used throughout the festive period, I made quite a few for friends too.

To add to my coaster collection this year I have made these

Lovely Christmas stars, who would have thought they they would make such lovely coasters but they do and people will just love placing their mugs on a star it gives the base of the mug a lovely frilly edge see...

Don't you just love that mug :)
These of course are Kara's granny stars you can find the pattern here.

Then I had to make more of these because I just love making them and they really are the perfect coaster

Ana's bloom coasters , if you remember I made some in the summer here and as you can see I have made these in Christmas red and green you really can't have too many I have put the regular ones away for now until after the Christmas festivities,

This will be my last post until after Christmas but I will be back shortly after to talk about stash-busting I am very curious to know just how you have all done in 2013 three things to ask yourselves...

Have you busted all of your stash.?
Do you need to continue. ?
Do you need to start ?

There will be more about the Knit a Block A Week Challenge too so lots to keep us busy in the New Year.

Here's hoping that you all have the best Christmas ever! xxx

Christmas Tree's

When I was just eight years old my mother gave me the job of decorating the Christmas tree and I have done it every year since, so by my reckoning I have erected and decorated 53 tree's in my time and then of course there are those I have decorated at work on the hospital wards and now in the Day Unit with a bit of help along the way of course.
You may think I would get tired of the whole Christmas tree thing and I must admit the thought of bringing it down from the attic and getting it all set up and decorated does feel like a bit of a chore, but once I get started and reacquainted with the decorations I soon begin to enjoy myself.
Each year I like to make something new for my tree and this year I have been making these cute little Christmas trees.

I loved making these

They are very easy to make too

The tree is made in two pieces, the tree itself and then the trunk is made separately and added on at the end.  

You still have time to make some they take just a small amount of yarn and are very quick to make. I have made lots for little Christmas gifts for my friends.
You can find the pattern here  

Then I saw this one and I just had to make some of these too.

I loved the simplicity of it.  They make lovely wall hangings and are great fun to decorate.

You can find the how to on Luna's blog

I have forced myself to stop making decorations for this year there will come a time when there will be no more room on my tree! 

I am trying to squeeze one last stash-buster project in before the end of the year, I'm not showing it to you just yet in case I don't get it done but after making little tiny things it feels good to start on a big project again. 

See you again soon. :)

Santa Has Come Early!

Hello, everyone I hope that by now all your preparations are almost done and you can begin to relax and enjoy the festive Season. Thank you for all the lovely comments about the Bow knot scarves I'm glad that you liked them. 

I know this is the Monday Smile slot but this has put a great big smile on my face and I just had to share.
If you remember I won Wendy's giveaway and promised to show you the beautiful table runner once I had my Christmas decorations up so here it is....

 

Isn't it beautiful! it goes with my décor too, my table is round and as you can see it fits across the centre exactly, when I take it off to serve Christmas dinner it will fit exactly across my sideboard too in fact there has been quite a bit of arguing going on between sideboard and table as to who should get to wear it so I had to promise to share.
Mr Giraffe and Miss fairy lamp love it too you can tell can't you. :)

Thank you again Wendy it has been much admired and envied already and I will enjoy using it every year.

Another big thank you goes to Linda from Chalky's World, when Linda asked for some help with her blog I was so glad that I was able to help a little with one of the things she was having difficulty with, I really didn't expect this.....

What a lovely surprise and how very generous. So beautifully wrapped and I just love the little crochet heart, thank you so much Linda.  Now for those curious folk who want to know what's in the packages well.....

You are just going to have to wait like me because I'm not going to open them until Christmas day, don't you think I'm good? I will show you after Christmas honest. :)

Don't forget to click on the tree calender top left it's a cute little gift idea today.

Have a Great Week!

Bow knot scarves

Welcome to everyone who is joining in with the Block Challenge in 2014, it's going to be so much fun and I can't wait to get started, for those who are thinking about it don't worry you will be able to join in at any time.

How is everyone's Christmas preparations coming along, have you managed to finished making your Christmas gifts? mine will be on going right up to the last minute because most of them can be made in a couple of hours or less anyway.

I just love these simple to do Bow Knot scarves, I saw the pattern for this one earlier in the year and have had it on my to do list for months.

Crochet
Sparkly Bow Knot Scarf

I love this pretty scarf and was very happy with how it turned out it is very quick to make I made this one in just one evening.
I know it doesn't show up very well but this is a sparkly yarn and it looks so much better in real life. it's just perfect to wear with a sweater, dress or with a coat.
you can find the pattern here.  

Or perhaps you would prefer a knitted version

Knitted
Bow Knot Scarf

 I have made quite a few of these and given them as gifts and everyone loves them and wears them a lot. Simple garter stitch a perfect result every time.
You can find the pattern here

The beauty of the Bow knot scarf is all you need to do is pull it gently over your head, no need to untie it and there it will lie looking pretty and keeping you warm at the same time.

Even better when you have the yarn in your stash, lovely gifts that cost you nothing but a little bit of your time. :)

Knit a Block A week Challenge.

I have been hinting for weeks so I think it's about time to let you know what I'm going to be up to. I am challenging myself again and inviting you all to join me,  I always work better when I'm challenged don't you? I find it very motivating. Last year I was given this book for my birthday

and although I have had lots of pleasure looking through the book I haven't actually made many blocks from it as yet.  So because I had so much fun with the Beyond the square challenge with Barbara back in 2012 I decided to do it again but this time with knitting.

I know lots of you love to knit, for you this challenge can inspire you to try out new patterns and stitches you have never tried before. 

For those who want to learn this is the ideal opportunity, there are simple blocks to make in this book and step by step, directions on the knitting basics.

I am challenging myself to make at least one different block a week out of this book so is anyone else up for the challenge?  These blocks are all 6 inch square when made in Dk yarn so they will be easy to join together to make something beautiful.

I'm not trying to promote this book in anyway but I do think it's a good one to have in your craft library... please read the customer reviews about it before you make your decision to buy it if you don't have it already. 

I plan to start this challenge at the beginning of January, I'm telling you about it now so that you can put this book on your Christmas present list if you want to join in.

I have already told the ladies from Loving hands about the challenge and many of them can't wait to get started, I hope you will join in too, lets see who can make the most!

Please just leave me a comment if you would like to join in and I will list your names and give you more details about the challenge later.

The Challenge is now up and running!

You can see finished Blocks and blanket here.

The Monday Smile

Hello and welcome to the Monday Smile, I hope you all had a great weekend and are having fun with your Christmas preparations I'm enjoying making Christmas ornaments at the moment I like to make a few for the tree each year.

Thank you for all the lovely comments about the side to side socks, they can be made in an evening so still time to make some for gifts.

I will be telling you all about the new knitting challenge tomorrow so don't forget to pop back to see what it is all about.


Hope you enjoy these pictures :)

May you enjoy your apples and honey . . .

May you find it easy to give and receive . . ..

May you carry your loads with ease amid hardships. . .

May you learn and teach well . . .

May you move with as much joy and ease as you can . . .

May your home be filled with fresh air and light . . ..

May your tense and angry times be short-lived . . ..

so that you come back quickly to your comfortable ol' self . . .

May you play with friends . . .

and hear beautiful music . . .

May you take exquisite care of yourself . . .

Have the most fruitful days on every possible level!

Have a great week!