A Bed Runner, Embroidery and Inspiration strikes Again

 It's another beautiful sunshiny day out there and I can't wait to get outside and do some garden tidying, as always I'm full of good intensions but always seem to get side tracked with one thing or another.

Can you remember last week I mentioned I had intended cleaning my car but my next door neighbour had parked beside me so I put it off because his car was so close, can you believe when I looked out a couple of hours later there he was washing his car he certainly didn't let the close proximity of my car stop him it's a pity he didn't wash mine too haha.  I did manage to wash mine earlier in the week, I'm getting the spring cleaning urge at the moment and while it's there I have to make the most of it because it doesn't last long, it's amazing how a bit of warm sunshine can motivate you.

On the crafting front I have finished the bed runner ta da.....

I enjoyed making this so much, granny squares are always a big hit with me and if there's a circle in the centre then so much the better.

I made this with yarn that I had in my stash except for one small ball of dark green, I had run out and had to buy more to finish it off, luckily you can't tell the difference between the different brands of yarn. 

Stats

Each square weighs in at 9 grams and the whole bed runner weighs 406 grams 

It measures 20"X48" and as you can see below it's the perfect size for a single bed. 

Bed runners are made for people with dementia to enable them to recognise their own bed. 

You can find the circle in a granny square here, I have used it before as you can see in the blankets below

Wades Blanket

The embroidery is coming along nicely too, I find embroidery so relaxing it's lovely to pick it up and sew a few stitches when I have a spare minute or two.  I have finished one of the daffodils I'm embroidering, this is part of  A Year Of Flowers SAL hosted by Stitchdoodles, I started it last month which means I have to try and sew the January and February flowers to catch up. if I don't it doesn't matter I can continue over to next year.

The other daffodil is nearly finished, the free pattern for this can also be found on Stitchdoodles under Birth Month Flowers here hopefully this will be finished by the end of the month.

Inspiration continues to strike, I have seen this beautiful Polygon in Mosaic crochet the designer is called Vio Vieux and she hasn't even written the pattern yet but she intends to hopefully quite soon because I would love to make it.  If you would like to see more of her designs you can find them here on Ravelry 

I have still to finish my Bunny garland for the u3a meeting next Wednesday, I'm thinking a few carrots would finish it off nicely 

and I'm in the process of making another 24" square for the Remember me blankets.

For those of you who have expressed an interest in the Geometry Lessons SAL with Mikey don't forget it starts next Monday the 28th March.

Right I'm off to cut my grass the first cut of the year.😊

Take Care until next time 😘😘

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Bit's And Pieces

 Hello all you lovely people, I hope you are all having a good month so far, I know that there is a deep sadness in all of our hearts at the moment because of what is going on in Ukraine but let that encourage us us make the most of what we have and live each day to the full.

Here we are past the mid point of the month and my poor head is spinning with  ideas of what I want to make, I'm like a butterfly at the moment (certainly not in the beautiful sense you understand😂) flitting from one project to another.  

I want to make a spring garland, something simple and pretty here is the start.

Some little primroses, I'm going to keep it very simple, more of these and a few blossoms and leaves.

I would like to make an Easter garland too along with a little Easter display, I like to decorate my Crochet board at the u3a monthly meetings to attract new members to my group and because this will be the last meeting before Easter it should really have an Easter theme. I'm thinking a bunny garland the start of which is below.

and maybe a little basket of Easter eggs and a chick or two, the meeting is week after next so I had better get a move on.

On the charity front I have knitted these prayer squares, which are given to bereaving parents.

I am in the middle of making a bed runner and I'm revisiting the circle in a granny square which is a pleasure to hook

I would say I'm halfway through so hopefully it'll be finished next week and I'll be able to show you the finished bed runner. 

Then there's the Embroidery, I have almost finished one birth month flower which is the daffodil for March, this is part of the Year of Flowers  SAL which I have just started over on Stitchdoodles, 

and inspired by Kathy from Kathy's Quilts I have started this as well, a simple but very meaningful stitchery because of what's going on at present.

Embroidery pattern  by Joy at Days Filled With Joy

and if that wasn't enough I have heard about a new crochet technique! you know I have tried so many techniques in crochet and have loved many of them, there are some which take an awful lot of time and patience and I haven't succeeded in becoming proficient simply because of the time it would take for me to understand and to practice to get it right. The one I'm thinking about is interlocking crochet, I did try but didn't pursue it further because I decided I liked the mosaic technique of crochet more and the finished  product.

This time it's waterfall crochet and I'm really excited to try it. Mikey from the Crochet Crowd will be hosting this, I love his video tutorials he makes learning fun, it will start on the 28th March and I can't wait to at least try. The blanket they are making is below it's called the Crochet Geometry Lessons SAL 

Thank you as always for all the lovely comments and the good wishes about my fall I did have some achy joints afterwards but thankfully they seem to be easing and I am trying to be more mindful in my daily activities.😊

Leaving you with some early Spring loveliness...

Daffs almost ready to unfurl

The view outside my conservatory door

 

I love succulents and cacti, this morning that tiny flower appeared 😀

Well the sun is shining and my garden beckons, I was going to wash my car but my neighbour's drive is right next to mine and he has just parked his car, I'm thinking I can't wash my car while his is so close (that's my excuse anyway haha) So I think I will make a start on cleaning my Summer House instead.

Stay safe until next time. 😘😘

Linking with...

Slow Stitching Sunday 

Handmade Monday

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Crochet, Embroidery and a Fall!

 This week has gone past in a blur! so much to do and so little time..

I have been busy on the craft front and have managed to make another 24" square, it consists of four twelve inch squares, two of which I made last May for the Patchwork CAL.  This was another project of mine which never got completed, I had intended to make a full blanket but I found that it was difficult to get the squares the same size and there were so many ends to weave in I got fed up with it and only managed to make these two...

They are joined by two c2c squares which is my absolute favourite method of crochet at the moment it's so quick and easy.

Making these large squares for the Remember me with love blankets is a great way to make use of unfinished projects, I have found yet another batch of squares which I'm hoping to to use for this purpose too.😊

 

A remember me with love blanket is made up of six 24 inch squares making a blanket of  48"x72", these are then given to end of life patients and then handed over to relatives once the person has passed away.

I have completed that stitchery at last!

The Potting Shed

I have been working on this on and off since the beginning of the year, it's by no means perfect but I do like it now that it's finished which is a relief as I was falling out of love with it half way through. Mine looks nowhere near as good as the one in the magazine where I got the pattern from but I have come to the conclusion that it really doesn't matter, never strive for perfection and then you won't be disappointed. 

This is the magazine ..

 On to other things....

I had a fall this week. thankfully it wasn't serious but it did hurt when I crashed to the floor after tripping over the door ledge, I was lay there for a good five minutes until I could actually move myself, I think it was because of the shock and the impact. I wasn't sure at first if I had broken anything but thankfully I hadn't.  

Now why did I fall? because I'm always rushing too and fro with things on my mind, thinking about what I'm going to do next and then what I'm going to do after that. In this case I was thinking about my next crochet project and I had been into the garage to collect the yarn that I needed for it, at the same time I was thinking about whether I had enough fabric to make a pair of curtains for my bedroom with the fabric I made the pentagon bowl with below..

Picture the scene, I stride out of the garage with armfuls of yarn and fabric when I went to step into the house I couldn't see the door ledge because of all the stuff I was carrying and misjudged the height and over I went arms outstretched trying to break the fall, everything scattering to the floor, I crashed into a bamboo chair which shot across the floor crashing into another chair and it banged up against the wall, I lay stunned with all this mess around me.

Lesson to self, Slow down, carry small loads and think about what you are doing! I have told myself this many times but in the heat of the moment I forget.  I think as we get older we have to try to discipline ourselves to really think about what we are doing. 

I always make sure that my stairs are always well lit and I say to myself take it slow and hold onto the banister, I have never fallen down the stairs however I have fallen up them, I didn't apply the same rule when I was going up as to when I was going down and so I tripped over the top stair and crash landed onto the landing a few weeks ago, luckily I missed crashing into the radiator and just landed on the carpet and although I was stunned I didn't hurt myself .  I have been lucky twice! 

Please let it be a lesson to all of us who are getting on in years, it's so easy to fall and break a bone as we get older, be mindful.

As always thank you for all the lovely comments and suggestions I got from my last post I do appreciate them all and all your suggestions are always taken onboard.

 What are your plans this weekend? It was my grandson Mikey's fourth birthday earlier in the week and so my DIL is planning a little party for him this weekend so I'm looking forward to that.😊

Leaving you with beautiful crocuses in full bloom in my front lawn..

Take care until next time. 😘😘

Linking with

Slow Stitching Sunday 

Handmade Monday

Oombawkadesigncrochet

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Running Late

 Another new month and a promise of Spring but before I step into March I need to tie up my February loose ends, I always seem to need an extra few days to do that but to be fair February was a short month.

The Monthly Birth Flower

Violet

I have to be honest I just finished this yesterday, I did enjoy sewing it but the leaves are sewn in chain stitch which is a first for me I have never embroidered leaves in chain stitch before and honestly I don't think I will again I'm not sure I like the finish, I found it quite hard to get the stitches even and neat, it will have to do, I won't be redoing it that's for sure.

You can find the free templates for the Birth Month Flowers here

Another thing I did manage to do thank goodness was to give my embroidery threads a bit of a tidy.  I couldn't for the life of me decide on a proper system of how to store them, there are just too many, this was them before stuffed into a bag and thoroughly tangled.

Yes I was ashamed and I don't know how I dare show you that photo! 

In the end I sorted them into piles of each colour 

and then just put each colour into a plastic bag and those were were then placed into a drawer.

not perfect but better than the way they were before and, they can all be found in one place.

Learning Italian seems to be taking up an awful lot of my time without me seeming to get anywhere. It is obvious that my ability to  retain knowledge has gone right out of the window. We were given a list of about 20 words to learn, I applied all the methods I used to use when studying in my younger days even going so far as as writing each one down several times, by the end of the week I had managed to remember just one! I kid you not, it's like banging ones head off a brick wall.  I have decided not to try so hard and who knows one day l may wake up fluent in Italian haha, perhaps I should just give it up as a bad job.

My February

   

1. A Little herd of miscarriage elephants.
2. Another Pentagon bowl, that's two and I may make one more.
3. My valentines day treat, it's cherry flavour but I wasn't impressed, it will be the original Turkish Delight from now on.
4. Violet February birth flower.
5. Tidy embroidery threads at last!
6. New fridge freezer. 
7. Memory box for my DIL
8. Fridge magnets waiting to be placed onto new fridge freezer.
9. The attempt at learning Italian continues.
10. End of life blanket square.
11. My attempt at needle felting below.

 Thoughts for March

• Sew the March birth flower (daffodil)
• Try and finish an embroidery work in progress.(yes it's still not finished)
• Make at least two end of life blanket squares.
• There has been a call out for knitted and crochet Teds (I'm thinking about it)
• Prayer squares.

There are several other things buzzing around in my head, this is the problem too many ideas and not enough time, added to which I'm hoping that the weather improves and if it does there may be a bit of gardening going on which means there may be very limited time left for crafting and for Italian come to think. 

What are your March thoughts, have you made any plans?

Take care until next time. 😘😘

Linking with 

Slow Stitch Sunday over at Kathy's Quilts