Two Seconds and A lovely Gift

 The Second Christmas Mosaic Cushion.

I loved making this and watching those cute gingerbread people appear row by row.  I used yarn left over from the Queen Blanket. and had just the right colours for those cute little gingerbread people.

This is the back side of the cushion,  just plain htr sts (hdc US) overlapping in the middle making a opening for the pillow pad to easily slip in.  

All finished off with Christmas buttons and cheerful red tassles.

then there were two 😀

Pattern..

Panels taken from the Letitia Holiday blanket 

I really can't decide what panel to use for the next cushion I think it's a toss up between the ornaments and the candles decisions decisions😕 

The Twelve Days of Christmas Sampler

The Second Day

If you can remember I have challenged myself  to complete a day a month so I'm on track by managing to finish this just before the end of November, I try to work on this in the afternoons while we still have decent light, I know that next month will more challenging craft wise so fingers crossed that I'll get day three finished in December.

You can see all the details about this Sampler on Jo's blog here

A Lovely Gift

Thank you so much for all the Happy birthday wishes, I had a lovely birthday despite the restrictions, I was kept busy all day long with lots of doorstep visits from my lovely friends and family, phone calls and messages. I got lots of  lovely cards, flowers and gifts but I want to show you this one in particular because I wish that I could make something similar myself.

I happened to admire a bag that my friend Jennie was carrying a couple of months back, apparently one of her friends had made it for her and Jennie asked her to make one for me for my birthday

I love it and can't wait to use it and feel so touched that she did that for me, thank you Jennie!😘😘

Now how about a nice walk along the beach with me, I know that it's cloudy and dull and not that warm either but I never get tired of walking right next to the shoreline and dodging the water as it laps too and fro. It holds an endless fascination I could gaze at that seemingly endless stretch of water for hours.  

Have a lovely weekend😘

Click here to see the great parties I will be linking to.

Knit A Lot To Save A Tot

 The Knitting Needles Are Out Big Time!

My needles have been in hibernation for quite a while until recently. My first love was knitting until crochet came along and nudged it to one side, but I always go back to it given the smallest excuse and this is one of those times.

The Sun Newspaper published this last weekend Do Your Knit Asking for knitted baby blankets

Without even really thinking about it I dove into my yarn stash and found some appropriate yarn, do you know I can't even remember where or when I bought this, I do remember it was on sale and I bought four 100 grams balls I have a feeling it's discontinued now but it's lovely yarn and I like the fact that it has both pink and blue shades so can be used for a boy or a girl.

It's coming on slowly, because although I'm enjoying it I have to be careful with knitting as it hurts my joints now which isn't really surprising since I have been knitting on and off for 60 years. 

I'm only going to make one blanket because when an appeal goes up like this I know that they will be inundated with donations because everyone wants to help. 

The Socks 

I'm at a crucial stage right now turning the heel so they aren't at the nice  pick up and do a few rows stage this is the bit that needs a bit of time and total concentration on my part...

I'm quite pleased with myself actually I think I've matched the yarn almost perfectly. 

What something else!!

Yes indeed and it's another charity project....

See if you can guess what it's going to be, the colours could give it away but then again.🤔

Look what came in the post I was amazed because I hadn't ordered anything, I have discovered I have to be very careful what I say around my family, I did just happen to mention that I had never had one of those posh looking food mixers handheld yes but never hands free. I was watching Bake Off At the time are you watching? who is your favourite to win?  Anyway I digress....

My lovely daughter ordered it for my birthday, it came a couple of days ago but I refused to take it out of it's box until it was my birthday day which is today yay! I can't wait to use it healthy things only of course.😉

Have a lovely weekend.😘😘

Parties I will be linking to.

A Mosaic Christmas

 New Mosaic Christmas Patterns seem to be published almost daily and it's hard to keep track, of course when I see one I want to make it because every single one of them is beautiful.

I had intended to make the Letitcia Holiday Blanket shown below but decided that I couldn't justify making another blanket at the moment and have decided to use the pattern to make cushions instead.

I really enjoyed making this it was a really fun project. I used the stitch count for the small  size and just followed the pattern with a few slight changes.  I added a green panel at the top and bottom of the cushion to get the correct height and at each side to get the width which I overlapped at the back to form an envelope opening in which to insert the cushion pad, I made four button holes and will add Christmas tree buttons although it doesn't really need any, I'm waiting for them to arrive or I would have shown a back view as well.

(If anyone would like to make this and would like more details just let me know)

I used Dk yarn

Green - Home Bargains (just £1 for 100 gram and it's good quality,soft and squishy) 

Red and navy - Stylecraft Special Dk

White Sparkly (although it doesn't show up in the photo) for the trees and plain white for the pom poms (snowballs) From Wilco.

I bought a cushion pad from Amazon sized 20 x 12 inches.

I plan to make more cushions using the other panels from the pattern and if they turn out as cute as the one above I will gift them at Christmas.

I have complied a list of  Christmas Mosaic Patterns and will add it to my Mosaic Crochet Post and will update it as and when new Patterns become available.

I have already included this blanket in the original post but I'm highlighting it again to remind everyone that  part of  the pattern is free and the full pattern discounted until 23rd November......

LETITIA HOLIDAY CAL
DESIGNER Rosina Plane

MOSAIC CHRISTMAS

by BebaBlanket

 CHRISTMAS BLANKET
by  Meagan Burke

OLD FASHIONED CHRISTMAS 
by  Robert Sophie

REINDEER CHRISTMAS
Pippa at TheCraftPixie

The pattern for the Christmas Banner is coming soon!

by Lucille Schubert

Click here for 

More Christmas Mosaic

Even More Christmas Mosaic

Christmas Crochet Mosaic Roundup

Click here to see all the great Parties I will be linking to this week.

Socks and Flowers Still in Bloom.

 There seems to be an awful lot of sock making going on in blogland right now and I have been trying to resist the urge to join in as I really don't need any more socks, I have looked back and found that the last pair of socks I made for myself was in April 2017 it doesn't seem that long ago!

I really enjoy making socks and could quite happily have a pair on the needles all of the time but I'm trying to be sensible, how many pairs of socks does a gal need! I have noticed that handmade socks never seem to wear out I'm still quite happily wearing the first pair I ever made back in May 2015 and they still look brand new.

So why did I start...well apart from being influenced by everyone else's sock making, I was in a weakened state because I had just finished her Majesty the Queen (thank you so much for all the lovely comments in my last post about her by the way😊) and was between projects which is quite a dangerous place for me to be, I need to have something to work on all the time!

To be fair I've had the sock making urge for a while and when I found sock yarn in my stash that was it...

It's so nice to make something mindless for a change because those mosaic blankets do take a bit of concentration.

I will be casting the second sock on too so that I can knit them both together and avoid second sock syndrome which I am quite prone too. I'm following the basic 4ply sock pattern which can be found  here

I was able to get out into the garden yesterday and do some work because we've had dry weather for two whole days! I have been wanting to give the grass it's last cut of the season but it's been too wet 

Before

After! still lots of  baby apples on my little tree

Autumn leaf clear up, these went into an old compost bag and will make great mulch for the flower beds once they have broken down.

I love this Fatsia it has done so well this year and it's produced it's own Firework display.

And here is Ben (you can read about Bens makeover here) quite unperturbed about the leaves surrounding his feet, I was going to put him indoors for the winter but he insisted on staying outside he says the cordyline tree shelters him quite well and he refuses to give up his pipe  and smoking indoors is a big no no.  I will keep an eye on him though and if I see any signs of distress, inside he will go pipe or no pipe. 😉

I'm going to pick whats left of the dahlias and enjoy them indoors before the frost strikes.

 So this weekend I will be working on my socks and a couple of other things I've started to be revealed later, why is one project never enough? have a count and see how many you are working on right now, counting the sewing I have five plus one which I have put aside for now to be completed later.

I am also planning on making a lemon drizzle cake which was shown on Lorraine this morning .....

Recipe here if you fancy making it too.

Have a cosy weekend.😘😘

Parties I will be linking to.

Her Majesty Takes A Bow.

The Queen Blanket.

I thought it only fitting that this beautiful blanket should have a post all to itself but having said that I am never completely satisfied with the photo's, it's impossible for me to capture the beauty of this blanket, you need to be up close to feel the texture and see the true colours.

The lighting has been so poor lately but I managed to get a couple of photos outside by pegging it on the washing line this morning

There she is in the sunshine blowing in the wind and only just in time as it is throwing it down with rain now.

The work on this blanket has kept me totally absorbed as you have to concentrate on the pattern, though it has to be said that many mistakes were made and had to be unravelled, some are fixable without having to pull it back and I got quite good at doing that as the blanket progressed.

working the double border, goodbye you pesky ends! 

Joining the double border with reversed sc (crab stitch)

I would definitely make this blanket again because there is the opportunity to make it totally unique, when you see all the different colourways and different interpretations of the pattern on the Facebook group page you want try them all but I will move on for now at least and try something different.

Stats..

This is the Queen Blanket 

The designer is Tinna Thorvaldar and you can find the pattern here

I adapted the pattern to make a medium sized blanket, it measures 110cm x 160cm

I used 1135 grams stylecraft special Dk in the Ruby Colorway.

I have felt quite bereft over the weekend, although it's always exciting to finish a large project you still miss it especially something that has entertained you for so long. I hadn't got a clue what to make next because there's so many possibilites and until I make a decision I always feel quite out of sorts and low of mood. 

Thankfully last night I started something new and I'm on top of the world again, to be revealed later along with a Crochet Mosaic Update. 

Stay safe everyone! 😘

Parties I will be linking to.