Blanket....quite a big one!

Getting ready to block

I think I mentioned in my previous post that I was in the middle of making a large blanket-if I didn't I am. I started it in November I think, (it was after I'd finished D's mums Christmas cushion because I remember thinking how I'd swapped one project with lots of squares for another!) I remember saying I wanted something 'big' to keep me going. I think by that I meant to make myself feel productive and also to focus my mind. At first I was really productive, making lots of the little squares at a time, sometimes I'd do a large amount of the Middle circles maybe 20ish, then I'd do the next couple of rows on the 20 and then start again and the next couple of rows-I hope that makes sense. At other times I'd just do the squares from start to finish. I know I ddn't work out how many little squares I'd need until I was quite a way in.

Then December came and I found myself feeling really down for various reasons: the weather, lack of light, money worries for Christmas... It's really quite a long list to be honest. in my mind I was going to spend quite a long time over the Christmas break with this blanket, in reality when December 28th came around I had to really force myself. I remember thinking that I may not enjoy it but I was going to bloody well do it! Not the best motivation really but as the days went on I came to like it a little, then a little more and now I'm really looking forward to finishing it-not to get rid of it but to see it in place.

Cleo 'helping'

It will be going on the bed in the spare room-it still makes me happy that we have an actual 'spare bedroom' by that I mean one that's set up as a bedroom and is available for use at any time. Before we moved we had a tiny spare bedroom which D also used as his office/study/studio but in our new home he has all these things in a big attic room just for him, lucky boy!
Anyway, I had been hoping to get the three first rows finished by last night-a tad ambitious, but I have got rows 1 and 2 done and am 2 squares into row 3. The squares are all done-but they need some of their edges doing-they have three rows around the edge, I have been blocking them when I've done the first row and then doing the next two and attaching them.

One of the things i really love about making blankets is that once you get past a certain size, they warm you up and keep you cosy while you are still making them!

Hoping you and yours are all well x

And a Happy New Year!

Hi- I am of course aware that I haven't been here, lets both pretend that I have been here as regular as clockwork..and move on, thank you very kindly! If I am honest I started to really struggle before Christmas which became really clear when I couldn't even be bothered to pick up a crochet hook or a ball of wool, everything and I mean everything became too much of an effort. To the extent that once D had gone to work I would go back to bed and easily sleep for another 3-4 hours. However, I feel slightly better most days and I have taken up the hook again-I am nearly finished on quite a big project-I will take some pics this afternoon..I promise!

And what have you been up to I hear you say..well, wellity, wellity, well...we had Christmas, D's mum loved her cushion (in Delft colours) or she made noises like she did, who knows.
We have both been ill, various flu and non-flu type viruses (virusi?) but we have come out of the other side now thankfully. D has also gone back to work now, he gets three works off for the Christmas break but a fair amount of that is used up by working from home-so not really 'off' for three weeks.

For around a week now we have been getting snow, the top photo was (i think) about 3 days ago. We live on quite a steep hill which isn't that clear from that picture but what is clear is that you cant really see anything into the distance-normally we can see rolling fields, trees in the distance, windmills turning...and you know what..I love it! I haven't been out in days but I do love it! The chickens however, not so keen and I cant say I blame them, the floor is nasty, wet and cold, the ramp to their house is cold and icy, they just keep sitting in their eglu peeping out.

These are the steps up to our garden, the bushes are laden with heavy snow-yesterday snowed non stop until about 5pm. Getting up these steps didn't feel too tricky, there is ice under the snow but it feels 'OK'. However, having to bend myself almost double to get under the branches while wearing my pj's, dressing gown, thick socks and walking boots wasn't the most fun so far in 2015!

And this is the view coming down:

That does look a little tricky I admit but it was fine, even the wobbly step!

Have you got snow, or are you in the middle of summer right now?

Take care x

Trying a little something

hellooo
I have been a little quiet I know-could be so quiet around here that I'm the only one reading this anyway...which is fine.
Been having a bit of a rubbish time of late, family stuff, ill relatives, failings out and me feeling very low just some of the issues. I do really try not to feel down or low but it's not always that simple is it? I'm finding I am sleeping a huge amount at the moment, always a 'sign' I find. I kind of think if at least I am able to be aware of my moods then that must be a positive thing surely?
Anyway, enough of that. Since we have moved we have pretty much lived a quiet life but in the last five weeks we have three sets of weekend visitors which has been great, we eased ourselves in with just two people, a friend of D's from school and his partner. We had a nice sociable afternoon and evening which led into a very late night and a huge amount of washing up the next day after a yummy cooked breakfast but to be honest I even enjoyed that part too! Two weekends later we had a crowd descend on us, three of D's cousins, their partners and a teenage child...again a hugely late night including cocktails and lots of chat. Next morning, even more washing up but not a cooked breakfast. Two days later we got a dishwashers-the one that is integral to the kitchen has never worked-unlike the oven that managed to work for three days after the move! Did you know that if someone sells you integral appliances in a house you buy there's no pressure on them to either make sure the items work or that they tell you if they don't...very annoying...
Anyway, onto the last visitors we had some friends stay this weekend and again a good time had by all (I hope) as were cocktails again, sadly we are now out of tequila :0(


So, that leads to the little something I have been trying out. I have been looking for a crochet pattern for a heart for quite a while, a 3D one not a flat one and last night I found one here:

http://justpootling.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/i-hearts.html#comment-form

I went to bed last night thinking of these very sweet hearts and as soon as D went to work I got going. Mine is obviously nowhere near as good as the lovely ones on the blog but then it is my first! I'm planning to make many more though I have to say! Yet again I am having trouble posting photos but if D can help when he gets in I'll pop it on later

Be well all x

Swapping christmas

Helloooo
I know I have mentioned the 'C' word again but I have just signed up for a crafty swap here:


http://creativechaosnz.blogspot.co.nz/2014/10/send-us-christmas-swap.html?showComment=1413186692838#c5751965465079624918


I have put my name down for swaps in the UK, there seem to be a few people over here with the majority being in the UK, I really like the idea of fitting as much as you can into a tub....I like the challenge!

Anyone fancy joining me?

Starting Christmas

I'm probably a little late starting christmas presents in October but I think I'll be fine, we hve such a small family and an even smaller number who will appreciate handmade gifts.

I have made a quite plain granny shawl for an aunt of D's-she is very unwell and I am planning on giving it her soon. She is in hospital at the moment, as she was 2 weeks ago (she has been home in between but was readmitted yesterday). The last time she was in she was struggling with being cold and as she had a 'drip' in her arm it was very awkward to get a dressing gown on without dislodging it. Another relative said to her while I was there that what she needed was a shawl. I thought I may have had some wool at home that I could use but it turned out I didn't have enough of any one wool. So I bought a couple of balls of James C Bretts 'Marble' chunky-I love this wool it's so cozy and is also sold in 200g balls which makes it a very good buy at under £5 a ball. I haven't taken any pictures of it but this is the colour I chose-D asked me to try and get a wool with blues and purples if possible so I went for this one, it's actually a bit darker than it looks on the pic and is kind of peacock shades. It didn't take very long at all and I am really hoping she will like it.



The other Christmas gift I have now finished is for D's mum. She collects blue and white pottery and has a huge collection on a beautiful dresser. I was looking on Pinterest recently and found a lovely picture of a crochet cushion cover in blue and white. When I showed it to D he straight away said how it's 'Just like my mums pottery!' So, I tried and tried to find a pattern that exactly matched the one we had seen but I struck out. So I went to an old favourite and made some squares using Patricia Hewitt's 'Sunburst' pattern. I used three shades of cotton 'wool' and made the border to each square in a white yarn.

 I am really pleased with it but just hope his mum is too..only time will tell!

Please don't be silent..

A few hours ago I found out that someone I knew-not a good friend or family member has died. It was a terrible shock, she was a mum of young children, she herself was young and as far as I knew she had not shown signs of being unwell. The thing is she wasnt unwell it seems she became a victim of domestic abuse. I will not go into details-they do not count. What does count is the number of (mainly-but not solely) women who are assaulted-or worse by the person who professes to love them.  Yet again, I am breaking the promise to myself to keep this blog 'light & positive'. I am going to admit hear that I have been a victim of domestic abuse-not D, never D. In the years before D, the father of my children told me he loved me, he would cuddle me in bed, kiss me goodnight. He would also tell me how I should 'get rid of' our 6 day old son because I was feeling weepy & down. He would tell me how I wasn't 'quite right in the head' because I saw a counsellor for a while. He would call me fat & tell me how sexy other women were. All things that are probably quite minor. He also made me have sex with him in return for money or for clothes. If I refused he would be angry and have terrible moods. One day, he took it further and told me that night he was going to assault me or 'batter me up & down the house'. And all this time I did nothing. He didnt do anything that night but about a year or so later he did and still I didn't leave. It took years for me to leave. It isn't easy and if you haven't been through it I don't think you can fully understand it.
Eventually I left, it's years now and there have been many flashbacks and scary times. I upset D because he knows that after all this time deep down I still think that one day he will show his true self, I love him more that I could have ever imagined and trust him as much as I could trust anyone.
If you are suffering, please get help, start here:
www.womensaid.org.uk/

can you tell what it is?

This is a kind of halfway house of a post. I am partway through making something and although the crochet part is finished there is still another day (hopefully thats all) to be done on it.

I have been through my stash and decided I have quite a large one (oo-eer) and that really I cant justify buying anymore until I use up at least some.
I very rarely use aran wool but I bought quite a bit-6 balls for a throw-that I have never completed and that I'm not overly enamoured with. So I decided maybe it would be good to use all that up and then I know I have only two (more special) balls of aran in all of my stash. 
I decided to give a ripple a go-I have done it before-twice-once with a cowl/scarf which again, is ok, but not something I cant live without-I know I'm abit flighty with my makes. The only time I tried it I made a baby blanket- a rainbow one and I loved it, the end product...making it was a nightmare. However, after making this itam I cant see why, this was a drem and as I was using aran yarn I was able to use a 5mm so it grew at a reasonable rate.
So here we have it...on my knee as I hook away. 

And here it is laid out on the table...it runs almost exactly from one end to the other conveniently, any guesses? thats it pretty much in its entirity-Since the photos I have added a thin border-of doubles down each side and there is some slip stitches needed...any ideas?

I'm hoping to finish it tonight or tomorrow morning and I will post a picture of the finished item-unless Ive made a pigs ear or it, then I'll deny this ever happened!
Juliet x