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

Yarn whispers . . .

If you too are a knitter or a crocheter, or just in general have a penchant for yummy yarns, then I know you will understand and appreciate just exactly why I absolutely HAD to buy this pretty stuff.

  So my story goes like this . . .

On Monday morning when I arrived at Sew Me Something (yes, it's not just full to the brim with gorgeous fabrics, beautiful patterns and all-things-habby, we've also got several shelves full of fabby yarns), there was a box of oh-so-pretty Noema yarn from Louisa Harding and a new pattern book, just waiting to be opened.  

So I did just that, and popped it in a basket on one of those above-mentioned shelves from where it just kept catching my eye,  a . l . l.  d . a . y  -  and I'm certain I could hear it whispering "buy me, buy me" too.

So quite honestly, it would have been quite impolite of me to have ignored it.  Don't you agree ?

And what if I had ignored it and then someone else had snapped it up ?  I mean that doesn't even bear thinking about, does it ?   ; - )

And that dear readers, is how I came to be starting yet another knitting project before I've finished the previous one.  C'est la vie . . .

And on my reading list - 

The beautiful Outdoor Living by Selina Lake which is full of lovely inspirational ideas, just in time for summer ;  and the new novel by Jonas Jonasson, whose previous book The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out Of The Window and Disappeared, I thoroughly enjoyed.  So I'm looking forward to reading this one too.

Linking up today with Ginny for the Wednesday Yarn Along over at Small Things blog - do pop over and see what everyone else has on their needles and hooks this week too.

'til next time,

xoxo

Yarning along . . .

I'm determined to get my two quilts-in-progress finished properly before I get started on a new sewing project, so I've been quilting away furiously whenever I've had a moment over the past week or so.  But that of course means that my crochet WIP has been a wee bit neglected, so with a bit of time to spare yesterday afternoon and an episode of Smash to catch up on, I plonked myself on the sofa, turned on the telly and retrieved my hook & yarn from their basket.

The result ?

Another sweet little cushion for the sofa in my dressing room.

It was a quick project to use up the leftover yarn from the wavy striped blankie (that's it over the back of the sofa - see a better pic here ).

And doesn't this sweet little faerie go just perfectly with the sweet little cushion ?

She fluttered over from The Faerie Factory a couple of weeks ago - I just couldn't resist her.

So with all this quilting and crocheting, there's not been an awful lot of time for reading lately but I am half-way through Bay of Secrets by Rosanna Ley which is our current Book Club read.  And there's an ever-growing pile of lovely mags on my bedside table at the moment too - perhaps they may need to wait a little while though.

I really, really must get these quilts finished first  : - )

Linking up with Ginny at the Small Things YARN ALONG today - do pop over and see what everyone else is reading and creating too.

bye for now . . .

xoxo

Yummy stripy Yarn Along . . .

You know when sometimes a week just seems to run away with you, and before you know it, it's Thursday already and you still haven't put the new plants you bought on Monday in the ground and you really, really wanted to do that whilst the sun was still out and before the rain that is forecast for Thursday arrives ? Oh and to top it all, it's hay fever season and it seems particularly and annoyingly bad this week ? Etc etc etc . . .

Right, that's the whiney bit over - it's really not a bad week at all, just a busy one : -)

 So, just a quick post - joining up with Ginny's weekly Yarn Along - to show you my finished crocheted cotton Stripy Ripple blankie.

 Once again, the pattern is from Cute & Easy Crochet by Nicky Trench. {I do LOVE this book}

 It's the first time I've attempted the ripple and it really was quite simple once I got the hang of it, and I sewed in the ends as I went along and completed each stripe which made it less of a schlepp once the blanket was done.  And the edging was fun and easy to do too.

As for the reading - the latest Making mags are tempting me on my bedside table, just waiting for a wee moment to be read.

Roll on, the weekend : - )

Jumper joy . . .

Ta - daaah . . .

Last night I finished sewing up my cosy chunky charcoal cabled jumper - I'm so chuffed  : - )
It's a perfect fit, and oh-so-deliciously snuggly & warm.  Just perfect for the drop in temps that the weatherpeeps are forecasting for the weekend ahead.

So the next project in my basket is another crocheted garland.  It's kind of an on-going/filler-in project as the little flowers are so quick & easy to make.

And I'm reading the three new crafty books that Santa brought me for Christmas - it's a lot of fun just paging through them, ooh-ing & aah-ing and making a list of all the fab things I'd like to make.

I received some fabulous fabrics from Santa too, and have plans for three new quilts buzzing around in  my head, so it's great to garner ideas & inspiration from these lovely books.  Oh, and the next row in the Bee in my Bonnet Row Along arrived in my inbox today too . . . Yippeee . . Looking forward to getting that started too.

Linking up  with the Small Things Yarn Along today
 

Happy middle of the week - hope it's a good one,
xoxo

Yarn Along Wednesday . . .

I'm linking up with the lovely Small Things Yarn Along today.  Do hop over and have a wee peek at all the lovely yarny & booky posts . . .
 

At our last book club meeting of 2012, we all took along a favourite read, placed them in a pile on the carpet and then picked out one.  So, on my bedside table this week is "Paths of Glory" by Jeffrey Archer.  It's based on the life story of George Mallory and I'm so thoroughly enjoying it. 
I can honestly say I've never really fancied rock climbing (I do like walking in the mountains though), but I do marvel at the courage (or is it madness ?) of those who take on the challenges of high peaks.   This book was my pick from the pile, and it came highly recommended by its donor - I'm glad I chose it.

 Oh, and is anyone else loving the new Homemaker mag ?

And on my needles? A charcoal, chunky, cosy, cabled jumper that is knitting up so quick & easy, that I may just do another one the same when this one is finished. In a different colour, of course.  The front and both sleeves are done, and I'm just about to start the cabling on the back.  I reckon if we have another rainy weekend, I'll get it finished in no time ; - )

So that's my first knitty project of the new year well under way - YAY . .  a good start, don't you think ?

Happy Wednesday,
xoxo