Woot! Half Term

Ahhh time to rest.

I've got a bit of Half Term-itus, sore throat, cold sore (aarragh) and I'm just generally a bit worn out.

We've all been taking it easy and Mr CN has got the week off too, so we're looking forward to some days out together.

My little granny squares are increasing......

....even though Mr CN looked and said, 'That'll take a long time to be a blanket', well yes he is right, but I'm at a bit of an impasse at the moment ~ I'm not sure what to start which is most unlike me. When I finish off one project the next is usually already hatching in my head, but not much is coming up at the moment, so these are filling the void.

I have started a felted tea pot cosy but it won't take long. Now, before some of you start laughing (and you know who you are!!!!) I ALWAYS use a teapot to make tea. I also like my tea strong and hot and unless you have a cosy it'll be strong but not very hot. I've gathered together some feltable wool ~ New Lanark Double Knit (worth checking out if you've not seen it before) which was in the stash...

and I've got going.

I have been finding some inspiration in my latest Amazon purchase. This is a cracking book, the best in the One-Skein Wonders series in my opinion.

There are socks, hats, gloves, scarves, baby clothes and some lovely shawls. I really like these sideways socks might have to have a go at them.

May's squares for the friendship blanket have been despatched. As you can see both of them came from the Vogue Stitchionary Book I got a few weeks ago. I'm rather pleased with them!

It's not been too easy taking garden pictures it's quite grey and windy and the plants are moving too much! I did manage to catch these Snapdragons who have self seeded in the gravel under the patio door.

Well I'm off now ~ no ironing for a change (!) just watching TV and knitting.

Ah Bliss!

Have a great Bank Holiday and a super week.

Byeeee..................Clicky Needles.

I've Rippled it all Up!!!!!!!

Hello!

I'm very excited today.

I'VE FINISHED MY RIPPLE!!!!!

I started it in March last year, when I managed to cut a small piece off my finger and knitting wasn't an option. All of my oddments have now gone.

(Well mostly.)

They've been turned into this.

Ta-Dah!!!!!!!

More views.

I'm so, so, so happy with finishing.

It's very bright and cheery.

There are bits of projects in every stripe, a Clapotis I made ages ago in some Alpaca, the silver on the border, leftovers from a scarf a made for my friend B, another stripe leftovers from a pair of gloves. When I look at it, it makes me smile with the memories of past projects. A feast for the eyes!

The main yarn is Stylecraft Life DK which in itself was leftovers from another ripple I made for a colleague's baby. Here it is.

So, has this finishing made me put down my crochet hook I hear you ask? No. It's made me realise how much I like a bit of hookyness so I got some more (cheap) acrylic and...............

....I'm making little granny squares!

Little piles of hooky colour.

I've also managed ~ at last ~ to get the border on my latest shawl to lie flat. It took an iron and some steam but I got there in the end.

A single ball of King Cole Riot, I bought it because I loved the colours. I'll get the pattern written up soon.

As the weather forecast for today was wind and rain (and it is) I spent yesterday pottering around in the garden. With the recent rain and warmth everything, including weeds is growing at a rate of knots. I had a dig around and added our own compost.

Some lovelies I came across.

A centaurea with a bumble bee.

An allium about to burst into bloom. These are the football sized alliums, that produce the lovely seed heads.

An astrantia ~ I've got red and white ones of these,

and a double flowered clematis.

Well that's me about done for today.

I'm going to work squares for this month as May is creeping away from me.

Have a good week.........Clicky Needles.

All moved!

Hello all!

A fairly quick post from me today ~ the ironing is beckoning. :-(

At last moving has finished ~ we packed up the last two classrooms at school on Friday they've been carpeted and we unpacked them today (Sunday).

Life still isn't completely back to normal but maybe soon.

I had a wander around the garden this evening and snapped all of these Aquilega (Grannies Bonnets). They seed wherever they fancy, cross with each other and produce a super display.

I think my favourite is the pale blue and white one.

I finished off my crochet bag and lined the strap with grosgrain ribbon to stop it stretching so much. I started this in July 2009 and then just forgot it. Anyhoo all done now, it's a bit like a Tardis ~ so much room inside.

I'm very excited at the prospect that my Ripple it all Up blanket is NEARLY DONE!!!!!! I've had a bit of a push on it of late and I'm now putting the border on. I'll give you a little peak but you'll have to wait for the big Ta-Dah.

The last thing to show you a little ball of yarn.

I dropped into my LYS for chat with Lucy and came out having had the chat with this too. Called Jawoll Magic it's sock yarn with a bit of a halo in lovely colours. It seemed to want to come home with me so there we are.

It was DD's 16th Birthday on Tuesday and DS's 12th Birthday on Wednesday and

she had her Prom last week ~ the limo they went in was very posh ~ she starts GCSE's tomorrow so we've all got fingers crossed. (Maybe more scarily, she has now officially left school).

Must go now, to do that ironing.

Hope you have a great week.........Clicky Needles.

Hello Everyone

What a rubbish blogger I've been.

Not sure why I missed last week - it was a bank holiday weekend and I was in lazy mode.

Anyhoo, I'm fine and things are ticking along nicely.

The 1st of May saw me, DD and her BF up at 4.15 am so she could morris dance the first day of summer in much like we did last year.

When we arrived on Painswick Beacon it was dark as the lights at a Tesco prove. It had also been raining.

The dancing started, the rain stopped .......

.................. and sure enough the sun rose. The dancing was followed by a bleary eyed breakfast.

Those trellis that DS made are now in pride of place on the front of the house. The postie can now stop walking on the clematis as they lie on the path.

The garden has been looking lovely, I really like the way this perennial wallflower goes from pale lilac to dark purple.

A very blousy poppy.

These pictures were taken last weekend, over the last few days we've had thunderstorms and lots of rain. Goodness, did we need it? The grass was looking parched and the ground got really hard.

Knitting wise I've treated myself this week. This book contains 202 different cable patterns!

I've been making one of the Phoenix Friendship Blanket Squares a cable pattern and I'm running out of combinations! I won't run out again! It is a lovely book with clear illustrations, charted and written instructions.

Talking of squares, here are the two I made for April's swap.

These are the ones I received.

I saw this whilst in the magazine section the other day. A fairly new mag called Simply Homemade with lots of different crafts in. I'm not sure I'll get it again but I do like the ribbons and buttons.

I got a lovely parcel the other day. Sent by my friend B, she had been to Les Creisiers for a few days and visited the Plassard Factory shop. B had a rummage around in the bargain bin and found four of these balls. Quite chunky ~ I think a scarf or maybe gloves. What a super surprise!

I have been knitting ~ a small glimpse of (another) shawl which is blocking at the moment, so I'll give you a proper look next time.

My blue crochet cotton bag is nearly finished ~ just need to put the lining in the handle.

The new extension at school in very nearly finished, and we've been hard at work removing everything from two of the classrooms on Friday (there's four classrooms in total), so new carpets could be laid. Today (Sunday) has been spent putting all the furniture, books etc back in. Next Friday and Sunday will be a repeat performance with the other two classrooms and then maybe, just maybe, life will be back to normal.

Righto time to go, have a great week....................................

Clicky Needles.