End of 2020 Reflections

The sun is shining and it's a beautiful but very cold and frosty New Years Eve here in my neck of the woods and although its sunny I'm not in the least bit tempted to venture outside as the roads and pavements are treacherous with black ice hiding beneath the pretty frost covering.

I'm pleased as I'm sure most of you are that this year is coming to an end, what a year it's been, we have all been through a lot and I have to be honest it has been hard to keep my head above water at times. Although living alone doesn't bother me one little bit, in times like this it is hard as you don't have your usual social network of friends to keep you afloat and you can't see your family as much as you would like to.

Thank goodness then for our blogging community it has kept me sane, visiting your blogs and reading and seeing what everyone has been up to has been a valuable source of  inspiration.  Those of us who have the ability to craft in whatever medium or bury ourselves in a good book are lucky because we can switch off  and immerse ourselves in our activity and feel all the better because of it.  

I am determined to feel optimistic for 2021, I know many will die because of this virus before a vaccination can reach them, my heart goes out to all of those who have died and the many who have lost loved ones but thanks to the skill and the dedicated work of our brilliant scientists we do have our light at the end of the tunnel. 

My thanks also goes to the health care professionals and front line workers who will be working flat out around the clock not only to treat those who are seriously ill with Covid but to deliver the vaccine as quickly as is humanly possible. 

Wishing everyone a safe and much happier 2021

 

 

Two Thirds a Fun Gift and a Happy Christmas.

 The Third Cushion

I didn't go as far as I had planned as far as these cushions are concerned but I think three is a fair number for this year.

The plan for these was to put them in the Library Christmas Raffle the proceeds of which goes to the Air Ambulance, this didn't take place this year because of Covid but I'm sure it will resume next year.

They will be carefully packed away until next Christmas, I may even add to their numbers between now and then because they are really fun to make. 

These cushions are crocheted using the Mosaic Crochet technique and I have used panels taken from Letitcia's Holiday Blanket Pattern.

There were so many other Christmas patterns I wanted to try out too but as always time has run out for this Christmas I must make an earlier start next year.

The Third Day

I am right on track with my Twelve Days of Christmas Sampler

Or almost, I'm sure some of you will see the mistake I have made in the sewing of this, I will carefully remove the affected part and stitch it again. If you can't see the mistake then there's a puzzle for you Spot the mistake😃 

A Fun Gift

What a lovely surprise! a huge than you to Jo from Through The Keyhole who sent me this rather lovely box packed with these little packages

It was sent as a thank you for joining her in the Sewing of the Twelve Days of Christmas Sampler, I should be thanking you Jo for drawing my attention to this and rekindling my love of cross stitch. 

There are twelve bags one to be opened on each of the twelve days of Christmas starting on Christmas day, each bag contains a mini skein of yarn to be used in a scrappy project.  Isn't that a fun and thoughtful thing to do? Thanks again Jo I am really touched.

And Finally 

I hope you all have a safe and a very Merry Christmas. xxx

A Sock Finish and A Walk with the Ducks

Before I start on anything else lets just give this weeks stars of the show the recognition they deserve ta daa...

To say that it's been a while since I made any I was quite surprised at how well they turned out, it must be like riding a bicycle once you have learnt to ride a bike you never forget (not that I ever learnt to ride a bike!) same goes for making socks.

You will note that it's the yarn that gives them the wow factor these are the easiest socks you can make, I have tried others with cables and such but with a variegated yarn a plain sock pattern will do.

I have decided these socks are going to be gifted but I won't say to whom for obvious reasons. 

I have used Winwick Mums Basic 4ply sock pattern.

I have just had a root about in my stash and have found this yarn....

I can't remember how I acquired it but I'm pleased I have found it as I've been toying with the idea of making a hat with sock yarn for myself, I don't suit hats it has to be said but when one is walking along the shore and the cold north wind is blasting you directly from the sea who cares what you look like as long as your head is warm don't you agree? 

Anyway what I want to ask is, has anyone made a hat with sock yarn before and if so, does it keep you warm? I'm asking because the yarn is so fine. I'm thinking it's pure wool and if I make a long enough brim so that it can be folded back giving double protection to ones ears then it should work don't you think? 

More Craft Talk

I have been experimenting with Tapestry Crochet ...

It took me a whole afternoon to make this tiny square. It's fiddly because you carry your second colour along the row and enclose it in the stitch you are working on. I want to explore further there are loads of tutorials on YouTube if anyone wants to give it a try. That little swatch will be used as a little coaster. Has anyone else tried it? I would be interested in your thoughts. 

I have also been working on another Christmas Cushion the front is finished so I will finish the back hopefully this weekend and then I can show you that next week.

Joe's Pond and a Walk in Rainton Meadows.

A couple of weeks ago we actually had a bit of sunshine and slightly higher temperatures, what a difference it makes.  A friend and I decided to drive just slightly further afield and walk in Rainton Meadows.  It's beautiful to walk there in the warmer months but like everywhere else quite stark in the winter. Joe's Pond is situated right next to the meadows and more than makes up for the lack of lush greenery and like I have said before, if there's water to be seen in any shape or form it adds to the walking experience and even more so if there are ducks and swans involved.

As always I took dozens of photos choosing just a few out of the many is always hard.

So here we are the last weekend before Christmas already, I have a feeling the shops will be crowded and I'm glad that I don't need to join the throng, I intend having a walk to my local town centre before the forecasted rain begins to pour, to find a Christmas tree cookie cutter because I fancy making some Gingerbread Cookies following Jules from A Hidden Gems recipe here

Wish me luck! if it's crowded I won't linger and will get one from Amazon instead, with Covid numbers rising so rapidly I can't understand why people would want to crowd into shops.

Have a lovely and safe weekend 😘

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

Christmas Decoupage, A Blanket And A Bit Of Sewing

It's been a week of dull, cold shivery weather with the sun hiding behind grey dark clouds making only the briefest of appearances, it's been hard to force myself  to go outdoors, so much nicer to stay warm inside and play with crafting things.

This week I thought I would give my hands a bit of a break from  knitting and crochet and devote my time to decoupaging pebbles and anything else that decided to put in an appearance, be prepared for visual overload.....

This little jam jar looks lovely when lit from within with a tea candle

This bottle looks nice in daylight.

But even better lit up at night I love the reflection in the window, two for the price of one.

They all look so festive lined up along the windowsill in my conservatory but I will gift lots of them to friends, just a little token to show them I care, but then thoughts turn to now how will I do that and I hit upon the idea of little gift bags. I had a search about and gathered some supplies,  I should have done this months ago but honestly there just isn't enough hours 

It didn't take that long but I have lots more to make this weekend and then I will make the rounds, lots of doorstop socially distanced visits to friends to drop off these little tokens of  Christmas cheer.

Just before I go I finished the Baby Blanket ...

It's soft and squishy and has been sent to the Sun appeal for Preemie babies which I spoke about here. (Pattern below) This is a nice easy pattern perfect for knitting while watching TV. The socks are nearly finished too I'm right up to the toe shaping, it looks like I'll have another pair of cosy socks to wear really soon.

Have a lovely weekend 😘

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

Blanket Pattern as Requested

PATTERN TO MAKE A 24 X 30 INCH (61 X 76 CM) BABY BLANKET kindly devised for BLISS by Marilyn Marsh 

YOU NEED: 250grams Double Knit yarn and 4mm needles (size '8') 

Cast on 128 stitches and knit 17 rows. At beginning and end of next and each following pattern rows you will knit 9 stitches for the border to prevent it curling up. 

1 st row: knit 9 (knit 10, purl 10) repeat to last 9 sts, knit 

2 nd row: knit 9 (purl 10, knit 10) repeat to last 19 sts, purl 10, knit 9 

Repeat these rows 6 times 

15 th row as 2 nd row. 

16 th row as 1 st row 

Repeat 15 th and 16 th rows 6 times to form the pattern (28 rows). 

Repeat the above 28 rows of the pattern a further 6 times, the blanket should now measure approx. 28 inches. Knit 17 rows then cast off. B

The week of The Christmas Pud and a bit of A Chat

 I don't mean edible puds although I do like those a lot but I think I will be buying those rather than making, no I'm talking about knitted Chocolate Orange Covers.

My local Macmillan Cancer Support have asked for these to sell for fundraising, I wish I had started earlier but I only got to hear about this a couple of weeks ago, now you know what that yarn was for I showed you back here but before I got started I wanted to finish my Christmas cushion first. 

I get bored when making lots of the same thing all at once, I don't mind making one or two now and then but because time was of the essence I have put all my other craft projects to one side for this week to make these.

These are a doddle to make thanks to Marianna's easy pattern here but they are somewhat fiddly and you do have to be in the mood. Added to which they are knitted and as I'm still working on the knitted baby blanket and  socks it's put quite a large strain on my hands and they are starting to hurt, so after I have finished these knitting projects I had better stick to crochet for a while as that doesn't seem to bother them as much and I'm missing it, I haven't done any crochet for nearly two weeks and I'm starting to get withdrawal symptoms I want to start on my third cushion.

Yay! twelve complete.

Advent

I'm feeling a little bit sad that I didn't get an advent calendar, looking around blogland many of you are opening tantalising little packages and blogging everyday, what fun! I will have to be sure to be more prepared for next year. I start off with the best of intentions but somehow time seems to get away with me and I leave things too late. 

One thing that I do look forward to every year is The Drops Christmas Calendar, I love clicking on those little doors everyday and finding a free festive pattern behind them. 

A new Supermarket

A new Morrisons supermarket has opened near us, it was supposed to open years ago but the building has remained empty until now. I went for the first time yesterday and was quite impressed it's a nice store bright clean with friendly staff. It will be even better when they are allowed to open the restaurant when Covid restrictions lighten, we are in tier three at the moment.

I can't believe I actually took photos of a supermarket but I guess you have to get your excitement where you can in these strange days haha.

Melting Moments

I tried out the new mixer and it works😆 My friend Babs mentioned that she had made some of these and it brought back memories, we made these at school and I haven't had any for years so of course I had to make some and they tasted even better than I remembered.  I got the recipe from the Bero Book which I love,  I know you can find all sorts of amazing recipes online but I always go back to my trusty Bero Book have you got one? I have the latest edition but I have also got an earlier edition too it's falling to bits but I treasure it as some of the older recipes aren't in the newer editions. 

You can find a similar recipe here or order a Bero Book here.

Guess what I'll be doing this weekend 😄

Have a lovely weekend.😘

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

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.