November Stash Buster Link Party

Welcome to the November Stash-buster link Party and thank you for linking all your lovely creations to the October Link up, if you haven't already do take a look at all the lovely October makes for some great stash busting idea's and inspiration.

Here are your September favourites...

1. Rainbow bag created by Macy at 30yPunto
2. Autumn Blanket by Sigrid at Cat Cotton
3. Potholder by Preeti at Creat-E-witty Unleashed
4. Pat A.LH Banket
5. Short Sweater by Sandra at haekelfieber
6. Lace Scarf from Knitting and so on.

Congratulations ladies and thank you for linking to the stashbuster link party.

November Stashbuster Link Party

Rules

• Please grab the stash-buster link party button.
• Everyone is welcome to join in but Stash-buster projects only please.
• All crafts are welcome either complete or works in progress.
• Link the picture from your actual post and not your blog address.
• Be polite and click on at least 2 links and leave some nice comments
• Please mention the link party in your post or display the party button in your sidebar.

Keep visiting your October link party projects too because I will be showing the most clicked links on the 1st December. 

Happy linking! 

An InLinkz Link-up

Any LH pictures are projects made by ladies who are members of Loving Hands, clicking on the picture will show you an enlarged version, if you would like any information about any of the projects shown please just ask in the comments section. 

Yarn Along

Another one of the four projects I began at the beginning of October was the Greg CAL, I'm really enjoying this one.  This week the pattern for the fourth square was published...

Ian

Now Ian is a tad fiddly to say the least because you are crocheting behind the stitches of the previous row, after my first attempt I was ready to give it up and go for the easier alternative square provided but because I love the texture of the design I stuck with it and I'm glad I did because I love the finish. I'm hoping to get all eight finished to day and then I will start to join all these four boys together.

You can see my other Greg CAL posts here

I finished this book much quicker than I thought I would I went to bed on Saturday night determined just to read for half an hour but actually it was 1 30 before I could put it down, I just had to finish it.  Thank goodness the clocks had gone back and I had an extra hours lie in.  If you haven't read this already then I can recommend it was a real page turner.  To be honest I had guessed what had gone on but couldn't figure out the how so it kept me interested right to the end.

I'm now reading this

My one criticism so far is the size of the text its very small for my ageing eyes, of course I could have got it on my Kindle but this was a freebie so I will persevere.  I've only read a few pages but I'm liking it so far.

Joining with Ginny's Yarn along why not pop along and see what others are making and reading it's fun. :)

A Finish!

It feels good to actually complete something for a change, at the beginning of October I started four new projects these socks being one of them, it looks like I will be working on the other three for quite some time.

I have discovered that I really enjoy making socks, this will be my third proper pair, I can't get over just how perfect they look and they fit perfectly too, but don't be fooled they are far from perfect, I still make so many mistakes but who cares as long as they fit and look the part that's all that matters right?

I made these with a long circular needle using the magic loop method and used the yarn I bought at Yarndale Artesana linen/silk/wool Dk

I'm not sure if this yarn is really good for sock making because it doesn't have much stretch but they feel comfortable and are lovely and soft.

I was scared that I wouldn't have quite enough to finish the toes but I had just enough with a tiny bit to spare.

I used Christine's Basic 6 ply Boot Socks pattern which can be found here

 I love how the colour changes with this yarn depending on the lighting these two pictures were taken in my kitchen and they look much brighter than the one's I took above in the sunshine.

Sorry I know picture overload :)

Have a great week!

linking with ..
cooking and crafting with j&j

Yarn Along

I have been meaning to join in with Ginny's Yarn Along for ages, seeing Amy's post last week jogged my memory and so here is my first yarn along post.  I think it's a great way to keep motivated and to see what projects others are working on.

For this week I'm going to show you my Spice of Life CAL progress, as usual as with most of the  CAL's I work on I'm way behind  but as long as I'm finished this by Christmas I will be happy.

The edges are a bit wobbly and I haven't tackled any ends yet either but both will be dealt with by and by.  I'm enjoying the making of this blanket, I have finished part four and am about to start part five which is just a repeat of what we have done already but in different colourways, I have a feeling that I will be doing a bit of tweaking here and there by adding a few different stitches along the way. 
The Spice of Life CAL is hosted by Black Sheep Wools and Sandra from Cherry heart

I've just started to read this...

Bob one of the lovely clients that attend the Day Unit came in with a pile of books the other day and this one caught my eye.  I can't really give it much of a review at this point because I've just started reading it but I'm liking it so far.  It's about Cynthia who's entire family vanishes when she is just 14 and the story goes on to relate how this affects her as an adult then things begin happen that stir up the past.  

My reading time is usually restricted to bed time so it could take me a while to finish it but so far it's a page turner not such a thing good when you should really be going to sleep so that you can get up for work in the morning. :)

Joining Ginny for Yarn Along

Coming Along Nicely

Today Block 21 will be released for the 2015 Moogly Afghan CAL only four more to go I can't believe it, I'm just dying to get these blocks all sewn up into a blanket.  

Here are the last three that I made starting with the last one...

Block 20
Fan Dance by Dolly Plum

This is one of the alternative choices the one chosen French Corner although it's a beautiful square I don't want any corner squares in my blanket so I chose this one instead which I think is amazing.  
I found the first rounds very easy but got very lost later on, my stitch count was way out, I found the instructions very confusing and hard to follow, I'm not blaming the designer because others have made this and found it very easy, I'm sure it's my feather brain that finds it very hard to concentrate sometimes.  

The only way I was able to complete it was by looking at pictures of the block and trying to figure it out, it was with a huge sigh of relief that I finally got a finished result, not perfect by any means but it will do just fine for me. 

Block 19
Dream Circle by Carolyn Christmas

I think this one is just beautiful too, you know there are some very talented designers out there and well done to Tamara for finding all these beautiful blocks. 

 I enjoyed making this one and I was able to follow the pattern quite easily I love it!

Block 18 
Colorburst Afghan Square by Christine Mullen

I enjoyed making this one a lot, it was super easy, some of the people following this CAL were a little apprehensive about making a square from side to side instead of in the round because it's harder to control the size but maybe I was just lucky because it was one of the few that turned out a perfect 12 inches square.  I loved the pattern for this and I have a feeling I may be using it to make a blanket or even a hat or scarf.

Now I'm off over to the Moogly blog to see if number 21 is published yet. 

See you soon. :)

Joe Meets Tom

I'm right on track for The Greg Mystery CAL and loving every minute and just wishing that there were more crocheting/knitting hours in the day, don't you just hate it when life gets in the way.  

I love how each square has a name, you met Tom here now I would like you to meet Joe....

He looks a little dark here so below you have him basking in the sunshine..

 To get Joe to match Toms size I needed to change some treble rows into half trebles because he was working out just a teeny bit bigger

But it all worked out just fine in the end and as you can see they seem to be getting along just fine together.
So now I have nine Tom's and twelve Joe's.

Part three was released yesterday and this time we will be making Tim here is a sneak peek...

now as you can see Tim is pink and I'm hoping that there's not going to be any gender issues here but so far so good and I'm sure that once I've completed his fifteen brothers he will be fine, after all there's safety in numbers and boys like pink too don't they?

We can now start to join these lads up too so once I have made a few more of Tim I will be doing just that.

Hope your week is going great, be seeing you soon with more Moogly squares.

Five On Friday

This and That

Hello you lovely lot I hope that you have all had a great week, this week hasn't been too bad for me but I have to say that last week was a different story.  
1. Me
If you can remember I told you that I had two impacted wisdom teeth that needed to come out, well I'm glad to say that they have well and truly gone but what followed was not pleasant at all, my face was bruised and swollen and I was in quite a bit of pain but what really got me was the day following surgery I rinsed my mouth and it came out of my nose! Apparently this is quite a common complication because the roots of the tooth are so close or in some cases inside the sinus it can leave a hole which is what has happened to me.  It may close up itself or I may need surgery, in the meantime I'm having to be careful how I eat and drink and I'm not allowed to blow my nose which is a bit of a pain as you can imagine. Has anyone else experienced this I would love to know how you coped. 

2. Gardening Things
I have been trying to get the garden tamed and to do that I need good weather, I'm pleased to say that the sun actually shone yesterday and I was able to get out and tackle the front garden.

I love this Eucalyptus tree but it was a very stupid decision on my part to plant it right at the front of the house as these trees can grow up to 20 feet, my Aunt did warn me but I was sure that I could keep it under control, the plan was to have it as a 4- 5 foot bush haha some hope.
Before...

 and after

I do feel just a bit silly perched on top the ladders in the middle of the street but I think that my neighbours are used to me by now the crazy lady over at number 21. :)
Still quite a bit of work to do out there but at least I've made a start.

3. Christmas!!??
Yesterday my daughter and I visited a local garden centre as we often do because they make the most yummy cheese scones and cupcakes but this is what greeted us when we got there...

can you believe it? Christmas stuff out already it's just the first week of October for goodness sake we haven't even had Halloween yet.  It quite put me off my coffee and cake I can tell you, what do you think is it only me or do you not mind that Christmas is coming earlier and earlier every year. I know we start early on our Christmas crafting but that's out of necessity.

4. Crochet
If you read my blog post at the beginning of the week you will know that once again I have succumbed to not one but two CALs, thank you for your lovely comments it's nice to know that I'm not the only one that has this addiction, anyway I'm pleased to say that I have managed to completed part one of Cherry Hearts Spice of life CAL 

I love this one because it's an ideal stash-buster blanket, I'm making mine in Aran yarn and it's quite a challenge trying to get the colours that I have to balance but that's all part of the fun I think, I'm loving it.

5. My Blog
I was very surprised to find that Linda's Crafty corner has had over a million views 1,038,399 to be precise and counting, I don't often go into my stats and did so quite by chance, it's very humbling to know that I have been visited by so many lovely crafty people. So I would just like to say a big thank you to all of you for visiting and please come back again and again. :)

Have a great weekend! 

Linking with Amy's Five on Friday.

Am I Crazy! ?

I'm going to tell you the facts and you can make the decision.  I have at present countless works in progress all at various stages of completion sometimes I get them down to just three and I think to myself that's a nice number to work with and then along comes yet another crochet/knit along and my head starts to spin with various  colour combinations and possibilities.
At present I'm working on...
The neverending totally scrap blanket.
The neverending totally scrap hexi blanket.
The Moogly Afghan 2015 CAL

I do love making blankets as I'm sure you can see and I'm really enjoying working on these and there really is no hurry for the first two they can be picked up and put down whenever.  The moogly one is almost up to date and there are only four more squares to make so the end is in sight.

I have just started working on..

A cardigan for me with a free pattern I found in a magazine, hang on I can hear you say now didn't she start a cotton cardi in the Summer what happened to that? well it didn't get very far I'm afraid I decided the pattern wasn't clear enough and I had no idea if the sizing was going to be right so it got frogged right at the start.  Now this one will get finished I'm determined! 

I love the richness of the red and it's an easy straightforward pattern that I can do while watching TV.

Remember the yarndale purchase..

I have already started making socks with this and am getting on quite nicely.

So what's the problem, lots of things to be getting on with I should be satisfied BUT NO! not me I can't just leave it at that because I see this.....

The Greg Mystery CAL

I resisted I really did but what is a girl to do when it's going round and round in her mind and really won't leave her alone, especially when you have as much stash as I have and you just know that you already have enough yarn to do this. 

Part One 
Tom is complete....

and I'm about to start Joe part two, the next part will be revealed on the 12th October more details here I will be able to catch up I know I will but with this one I'm not so sure....

The Spice of Life CAL with Sandra over at Cherry Heart

I saw it loved it and really wanted to do it but resisted for weeks and then all the lovely works in progress pictures kept appearing on facebook and I gave in as I knew I would, I may be behind they are onto week four already but it doesn't matter I have gathered every last scrap of Aran stash I can find, although the pattern is for Dk I have decided that I love Aran weight blankets, they are lovely to snuggle under on a winters evening.  I'm hoping I can get this finished for a Christmas gift for someone I have in mind.

So there you have it it's obvious don't you think I have a CAL addiction, I also have lots of UFO's that I haven't even told you about but we'll leave those for another day. :)

Have you got a CAL/KAL addiction?
What CALs/ are you working on right now?

Hope you're all having a great week.

linking with Jennifer's....

Cooking and crafting with J&J