A crochet story . . .

The story starts a few years back, not that long after we'd moved to England, when a friend & I pootled along to a workshop at lovely Harry & Floss in Alcester to make pretty fabric flowers - and that's where I first met Diane.  (You can read all about that here if you'd like.) 

 A few months later, and once again Diane was sharing her crafty skills with me, this time teaching me to crochet.

 Having been a knitter since I was six years old, I'd only ever dabbled in a little attempt at crochet but never quite mastered the art.  So very patiently and with lots of encouragement, Diane set about remedying that and very soon I was completely hooked.   Over the weeks, we spent many an hour at my diningroom table, nattering over tea & biscuits & hooking, and creating lots of samples & grannies . . . some square, and many others not-so-square  ; - )

Fast forward a few years to 2016, when lovely Diane asked if I'd like to teach some crochet workshops for her at Harry & Floss -  I never hesitated and jumped right in with a resounding yes.

I was afterall, taught by the best : - )

And so it was that earlier this month, I spent a fun & fabulous day with some lovely ladies, passing on my crochet knowledge and teaching them this delightful skill.

 It's such a privilege to have the opportunity to pay it forward, don't you think ?

all set up and ready to go . . .

it was hard not to be distracted by all the yummy fabrics around us too . . .

see what all you can do with some simple crochet stitches ?

the cushion on the right was my first ever granny square project, and I still LOVE it . . .

there's a whole lot of concentration going on here . . .

Diane kept us topped up with teas & coffees , and of course, the essential yummy cake too. Cake and crochet just seem to be the perfect combination methinks.

It was such an enjoyable day, and the lovely ladies all did really well.   I'm already looking forward to the next one . . .

Oh, and if you're ever in Alcester - do pop in at Harry & Floss, it's a treasure trove of yummy yarns and fabulous fabrics. Or follow along with their crafty adventures on Instagram or Facebook if you like.

'til next time,

xoxo

ps. Linking up with Small Things Yarn Along today - another source of lovely yarrny goodness.

Spice of (Highland) Life - all the details . . .

Thank you so very much for all your kind and lovely comments about the Spice of Life blankie in my previous post  : - )

I'm glad you love it as much as I do . . .

I've had several emails and requests to share the details of the yarn & colours I used, so for those of you who are interested, here they are:

Drops Nepal - Off White (0100)
Drops Nepal - Light Beige Mix (0206)
Drops Nepal - Beige Mix (0300)
Drops Nepal - Light Grey Mix (0500)
Drops Nepal - Grey Mix (0501)
Drops Nepal - Medium Grey Mix (0517)
Drops Nepal - Purple Mix (4434)
Drops Nepal - Navy Blue (1709)
Drops Nepal - Aqua Blue (8908)
Drops Nepal - Pistachio (1477)
Drops Nepal - Deep Ocean (8905)
Drops Nepal - Grey/Purple (4311)
Drops Nepal - Grey Green (7139)
Drops Nepal - Light Olive (8038)
Drops Nepal - Light Grey Green (7120)
Drops Alaska - Grey Pink (40)
Drops Alaska - Purple Mix (54)
I bought the yarn from Wool Warehouse - their service is always excellent and their yarns are very  reasonably priced too.
I used approximately 100g of each colour (2 x 50g balls) but that's not an exact science as I modified the pattern a little, and used these aran weight yarns instead of a double knit as suggested in the pattern.
The pattern can be found on the lovely Cherry Heart blog here.

Any further questions or info required ? Just go ahead & ask and I'll do my best to answer.

Happy crocheting . . .

xoxo

The spice of (Highland) life . . . a ta-dah !

A little while ago . . . ok, I admit it was actually last year . . . around September-time I think, I decided to join in with the lovely Cherry Heart 'Spice of Life' CAL - and as usual when it comes to me and a CAL or a KAL, I always start off with great gusto and a determination to keep up.  But somehow life has other plans and nine times out of ten, by the time the "Along" is half-way through, I've already fallen behind schedule.  

But this time I decided almost right from the beginning that my Spice of Life blankie would be a slow project.  

And so it was that it lived in my WIP basket at the side of the sofa waiting patiently for me to pick it up whenever an opportunity presented itself.  As a result, I really loved making it and am delighted with the end result.

I used a mix of Drops Nepal & Alaska yarns which were so lovely to work with, and the colours I chose are inspired by the beautiful highlands of Scotland - the land of my birth, and one of my most favourite places in the world.

Think deep blue lochs, pretty purple heather, mauve thistles, endless shades of green, natural bracken, skies that change from blue to grey with the seasons, and even those funny, furry highland 'coos' . . .

 

So there you have it  -  

Ta-Dah . . .

my Spice of (Highland) Life blankie 

 -  and that's another WIP ticked off my List. 

 YAY 

 : - )

Hope you're having a happy week,

'til next time,

xoxo

ps.  I didn't quite stick to the exact pattern, mostly because I really just can't resist a scalloped edge  !

Linking up with the weekly Yarn Along over at Small Things today - do pop over and see what everyone else is up to.

Catching up . . .

Hello lovelies . . .  well, I started this year off with a determination to find my seemingly lost bloggy mojo and here we are, already almost at the end of January and still nary a post since the beginning of the month.

I'm not sure where it's been hiding (the mojo, that is) - perhaps in a little corner recuperating from the higgledy-piggledy-ness of the past few months.  But here I am again . . . it's Monday,  the chores are done, the dog is walked, and I've got a cup of tea and a yummy biscuit to hand, so let's catch up - shall we?

Here's what I've been up to over the last little while . . .   some crocheting, a bit of sewing, a dabble in clock-making, and lots of walks and play time with the two most-adorable-pups-in-the-world . . .

. . .  more sewing, a little knitty project, taking time out to read, sorting & tidying my craft space, enjoying the first snowfall of the year, and taking much delight in having my little quilt featured by @craftastherapy.  : - )

So that's it for now, neatly condensed into three little collages.  Hope you're having a happy January, and let's chat again soon.

'til then,

take care & be blessed

xoxo

Christmas in the making . . .

Less than a week to go before the big day, and I'm happy to say that this year I've managed to finish my Christmas makes ahead of schedule.   Can I get a woo-hoo ?

I should confess though that I did rather curtail the List a wee bit - for once realising that with everything else going on right now, I just wasn't going to be able to make it all. 

You know that thing where you pin a whole lot of fab ideas on Pinterest, then time runs out and you think, oh well, maybe next year . . . ?

Anyways . . . meet Ed the Elf . .  he's my favourite Christmas creation.  Isn't he just the sweetest elf you ever did see?

  The (free) pattern is from lovely Julie at Heart & Sew, and he's pretty much made from my yarn stash. He's a chubby little thing (too many mince pies, methinks) and despite that mischief & mayhem seem to follow in his wake, I'll miss him when he flies north to his forever home.  But I'm sure he'll be just as well-loved and treasured there too.

 I hope he writes, or calls occasionally . . .

My other favourite make was a whole tribe of little snowmen . . .

I just loved this idea from the Tilda Christmas book and had so much fun making each of them unique in their own little way.

Most of them have been gifted to lovely friends, but these two have stayed behind to cheer up the diningroom for our Christmas dinner  : - )

 

So that's all my handmade gifts and makes ticked off, and I'm looking forward to a relaxing, crafty time now.

How's everyone else's Christmas making coming along ? Are you all done too ?

'til next time,

xoxo

Every cloud . . .

 . . . has a silver lining.*

Hellloooo. . .   it's been a while, hasn't it?  Way longer than I'd both anticipated or expected.

  So much has happened since my last post - some good and some fairly rubbishy.
 A much-loved one and a most-adorable-pup-in-the-world are not well, and requiring just a little bit more tlc for now ; and then there's the bit where I most suddenly and unexpectedly found myself without a job from one day to the next.
 But such is life sometimes, and quite frankly the best option is to focus on the positive and keep moving forwards.
 So on the brighter side of things, here's what I've been up to lately . . .

• A lovely day out in London with a cherished friend that included a first-ever visit to the oh-so-delightful Loop . . . be still, my beating heart . . .

• Getting a few yarny projects finished and new ones started whilst keeping above-mentioned much-loved one company . . .

a sweet little cardi and a delightfully mischievous elf-in-progress.

free pattern from Heart & Sew

• Finally finishing this quilt - it's a gift, so I'll show you more once it's been delivered . . .  but in the meantime, thank you lovely Natalie at Hungry Hippie for the pattern & idea.  Do pop over and have a wee peek.

• Working on my Spice of Life CAL, just a few rows at a time whenever I can.  It really should have been finished ages ago but I'll get there eventually. 

• Making a couple of scrappy Christmas wreaths, then teaching a whole bunch of lovely ladies to make them too.

the sweet little angel is a Vanilla Squirrel creation - ain't she sweet?

• Sharing an oh-so-yummy early Christmas dinner with my Book Club gals at Lord Morton's  -  it's become our annual tradition and is just the perfect pick-me-up, complete with carol singing, champagne swilling and laughter of the best kind.

• Fuelling my addiction   delight of all-things snowman, and creating these happy Tilda inspired cuties:

 

Aah, it's good to be back  :-)   I'm off to catch up with your news now . . .

Wishing you a happy Monday, filled with silver linings.

'til next time,

xoxo

* this sweet cushion is made by Velvet Paws -a kind gift from a lovely friend. Dankie my skattie, xx.

knit, purl, pray . . .

"The knitter knows that time spent creating something beautiful and uselful can also be a time to be quiet and reflect. "  - knit, purl, pray

It's really quite exciting when someone you know is an actual published author, 

don't you think ?

It was a few months ago that my lovely friend Lisa told me she had another book coming out, so when knit, purl, pray dropped through the mail box last week, I couldn't wait to open it.

It's the perfect accompaniment to those reflective days when you just need to take time out from the busy-ness of a day to sit and be . . . and knit.  Or crochet, or weave, or spin . . .

The book is divided into short sections that you can dip in & out of it, and chapter titles like Lessons from my Knit Bag and I Speak Knittish made me smile.  

To know Lisa, is to love her  -  seriously, she's sweet, kind & funny,  and has the most infectious laugh  -  and her loveliness shines through in her writing.

It's not just for knitters of course, crocheters and other creative souls will enjoy it too.  There's even a chapter called Comfort for the Furry - I'll need to read that one to Ben & Jerry sometime ; - ) 

And in my yarn basket this week ?  I'm loving being a part of the Spice of Life Blanket CAL.  Apparently there are about 5000 of us from all over the world taking part.  Wow . . . that's a whole lot of pretty yarns being used . . .

I'm linking up today with Ginny's weekly Yarn Along at Small Things - do pop over & have a little peek at what everyone else has on their hooks & needles too.

http://www.gsheller.com/2015/10/yarn-along-249.html

'til next time,

xoxo

Mostly I've been playing hooky . . .

. . . raiding my stash, and buying some new bits & bobs here and there, to gather enough yarn and pretty colours to join in with Cherry Heart's Spice of Life CAL.   

Are you crocheting along too?  

Would you believe there are over 3000 lovely hooky peeps from around the world taking part - and it's so much fun seeing everyone's progress and different choice of colours. 

It's a beautiful sunny, autumnal week here but the definite nip in the air at night provides the perfect excuse (as if I really need one) to curl up on the sofa and crochet.

Still on the topic of all-things hooky - my lovely friend Lazy Daisy Jones is hosting a little crochet hook up game on Instagram for October.  Do come and play . . . it'll be so fun.

So if you're a fellow hooky-lovin' 'grammer, pop in @lazydaisyjones for more details, and whilst you're there, come see me too @gilly_makes and say hello. 

It starts tomorrow, 1st October and each day LDJ will post a little prompt, so join in and let's see what all our other crochet addicts enthusiasts are up to.  See you there  : - )

'til next time,

xoxo

Linking up today with Ginny over at Small Things, for the weekly Yarn Along - do pop by and enjoy the yarny feast.