lets get wrapped up warm and go out for a walk ............

My dad is recovering well from his hip replacement but unfortunately due to the snow and bitter cold weather he hasn't really been up to going out. On Tuesday it was dry and not quite as cold so I picked my mum and dad up and we drove to Marple Bridge for a little wander and then some lunch.

The day was quite grey and dreary but we enjoyed our short walk. The melted snow had raised the water level in the river which runs through the village. As we walked down the hill into the village for lunch we could see the river running fast and furious under the bridge.

Some of the local stores were selling bulbs and spring flowers which added a rich splash of welcome colour to the small shop fronts. Also gave me some inspiration for a lovely bright crochet ripple blanket - sounds like another project!


talk soon x

yarn along - tiny mitts

I have continued with my baby theme and have just knitted some tiny mitts to go with the tiny pom pom hat I made earlier in the week. I was amazed at how little yarn I needed for the mitts, they weigh 11 grams for the pair, so a great  way to use up small amounts of yarn.

I have put my latest novel to one side and have dipped back into the book that Kate bought me last year - The Crafter's Guide To Taking Great Photos by Heidi Adnum. as I really want to improve the quality of my photography. The book has DIY tutorials and advice from other crafter's about photographing specific products, so hopefully a bit of something for everyone. If am being honest (don't tell Kate) I didn't really put any of the advice into practice when I initially read the book last year but this time I am going to give it a real go. So hopefully over the next few months you will notice the difference.

If you have time pop over to Ginny's blog she not only fills me with inspiration but also takes the most amazing photographs.

Talk soon x

52 weeks of happy - 5/52

Another week and 4 more things that made me smile....................

1. Manchester City beat Stoke in the 4th round of the FA Cup - my hero Zabaletta was the goal scorer

 2. a vintage plate with home baking - always warms my heart.

3. choosing new yarn and pattern books - what more can I say .......

4. my new teaspoons from John Lewis - I adore them

talk soon x

new baby hats .............

One of my friends is about to become a grandma, in fact any day now. She is very excited and is so looking forward to the arrival of her little grandson.

Even though I still haven't started my second sock and I know I have several blankets on the go, it felt absolutely OK to start a new baby project. I just adore knitting tiny hats and it's so cold at the moment that they are a must for all new babies, they love cosy hand knitted hats. I thought that at least two should be knitted up as quickly as possible and I was also excited about using my new clover pom pom maker to add a little bobble onto one of the hats.

The first step was to choose which hat to knit, I couldn't resist using one of Erika Knight's baby knitting patterns. Next was colour and yarn, I had some lovely Rowan cotton yarn in my stash so was all set to go.

my first ever baby pom pom hat ...............

I love the colour of this one .................

don't they look cute ...........

I couldn't resist making some more tiny crochet hearts ................I might make some bunting

What a blissful way to spend a few hours .............

talk soon x

baking with little ones - part two ..............

As promised it was Finns turn to excel in the kitchen.

We started with biscuits and made buttery vanilla biscuits which are easy to make. They don't need any rolling out, you just form the dough into little balls and then it's straight onto the baking tray.

Finn got really stuck in and enjoyed making his biscuits. When they were baking in the oven he sat on the floor to watch them cook through the glass door.

We decided as we were making icing for the buns we would drizzle some across half the biscuits and leave the other half plain. They worked very well. Mary Berry would be pleased, they have a bit of a snap but not too hard.

Then we went onto the buns, I cheated a little as I had some plain ones that I had already made and saved in the freezer. It's handy to have a few dozen in the freezer as sometimes the little ones get fed up waiting for the sponge to cook and cool, they much prefer the action. So I had defrosted them overnight and they were all ready for Finn to decorate. We put different toppings onto saucers I added the fondant icing to the cakes and Finn did the rest

Finn definitely believes that more is more he couldn't have got more toppings on the buns if he had tried. Quite a few orange buttons and mini eggs seemed to go into his tummy and a few were shared with grandad.

Another fun day and a full cake tin to be taken home to share with his brother and sister.

talk soon Sue x

baking with little ones...........

I decided to rest my hook and knitting needles and spend a few hours baking with two special little people. Daisy had come for a sleep over and Zachy had come to play and they both wanted to bake. This is quite tricky with two budding chefs who are very competitive, under four and both want to be in the thick of it, fingers into everything, mixing stirring and pushing buttons, as well as trying to eat all the mixture.

We made a big batch of sponge and flavoured some with vanilla and some with cocoa. To the vanilla we added some chocolate chips, although quite a lot of the chocolate chips went into my grandchildren's tummy's and didn't quite make the mixing bowl.

The buns were decorated with chocolate icing, mini Easter eggs and orange flavoured buttons. We also made some melting moment biscuits which they enjoyed rolling in oats.

I couldn't spend the morning baking without making one of Mr R's favourites so I rustled up a lemon cake. The biscuits and the lemon cake were from my Mary Berry cook book which my daughters bought me for Christmas - so far everything has worked really well.

The children were great and as they have quite short attention spans I was able to tempt them with an odd ten minutes watching television in between different stages of the baking. The bit between going into the oven and then being cool enough to decorate is always hard to explain - but not as hard as the challenge of waiting for the icing to set before they can start eating the finished cakes and biscuits.

It's lovely spending time with my grandchildren, I am so lucky that they want to spend time with me and seem to love baking, I've got Finn coming over for his turn in the kitchen on Sunday morning which will be fun - not sure what we are making yet.

Talk soon xxx

the magic of leftover yarn ...........

I have had a little play with my new pom pom maker -  the tension doesn't seem quite right I think I need to make a few more with different yarns.

little pom poms ...........

As I was looking through my bag of leftover yarn I found a few other little bits and bobs I had made - I need to think of something to make with them.

mini crochet balls .........

crochet flowers ...................

I love the little crochet balls, although the crochet flowers are really cute - but to date my tiny crochet hearts are in the lead.

tiny cute baby hearts ................love them

 Have you any ideas what I can make with all of these little goodies.

Talk soon x

My creative space - more about socks

When I finished knitting my sock it felt such an achievement that I thought it was worthy of it's own very special "my creative space" sock post.

Although I am a little anxious as I'm not feeling very excited about starting it's matching friend - it feels very daunting. I couldn't wait to start my first ever sock but if I am honest I didn't find it fun it was tricky and really didn't fill me with the desire to knit another one - is that wrong!

I confessed this to Kate and she gave me a bit of a talking too, she felt the pleasure I would get when the pair was completed was worthy of all the trouble and hard work.

Not sure I wanted this mature philosophical response from my daughter - I think I was hoping for a well done mum for completing a sock, it doesn't matter about the other one or at least now you know you can knit a sock!

I have kept the lonely sock where I can see it and feel sure that very soon I will be overcome with guilt and the overwhelming need to get those wretched 4 needles back out (who am I trying to kid) - have you got any one sock stories to share.

Talk soon but before you go why don't you pop over to Kirsty for her weekly "My Creative Space" post x

Yarn along - another pair of wrist warmers ........

Don't tell anyone but I have started something new - now that's a surprise! I finished my first ever sock last night and wanted to have a little break from 4 needles and didn't want to pick up my blanket.

After some thought I decided to knit a quick pair of wrist warmers as I found two lovely balls of this scrummy echo chunky yarn in my stash. It's made of 100% pure new wool with a unique home spun quality about it. I had used some of this yarn before Christmas to make my friend Barbara a snood and I felt that a matching pair of wrist warmers would go down well during this really cold snap.

I'm sort of between books at the moment so I dipped into Mr R's newspaper this morning - I am really bad at keeping myself up to date with the news and current affairs. But an article grabbed my attention about joining the 100 club. It's remarkable that for every five baby girls born today two of them will live to reach a hundred - isn't that amazing and by 2060 it's predicted to be three out of every five.

When the British tradition of sending a telegram from the Monarch to all centenarians began in 1917, King George V dispatched 24 celebratory messages. This figure has increased year on year and in 2011 it had reached a record breaking figure of nearly 10,000.

I can't decide if I want to live until I'm a hundred, I suppose it depends on health and financial circumstances, I wonder if I would still have a penchant for making blankets. What do you think - would you like to live that long?

Anyway back to more important things - I hope you like my wrist warmers and find time to visit Ginny's yarn along post.

Talk soon x

52 weeks of happy - 4/52

This week has been cold and snowy with ice underfoot, I haven't stirred far from home as I don't like driving in these conditions and also haven't been feeling very well.

Thinking about things that make me smile and feel happy are even more important at times like this, I hope you like my images -

1. A tasty lamb joint with rosemary from the garden, ready for lunch with my parents - yummy.

2. A sneaky rest all wrapped up in my favourite blanket  - so warm and toasty.

3. The sun has come out I hope it melts all the snow away - the garden looks so bright.

4. Kate's calendar has arrived, I ordered it from America in early December - so happy it's here at last.

Talk soon x

my first ever sock ..........

I have to say the title is somewhat of an exaggeration as currently I have only managed part of a sock not the finished item by any means. I have wanted to learn how to knit socks for a long time and it seems to be a popular knitters goal as it features on many must do or wish lists. 

My friend Pam has been promising me a sock tutorial for ages - I lead such an exciting life! So last Friday my sock day arrived I was very excited much to my daughters dismay - so poised with my borrowed DPN needles away I went. It was slow going as I really have trouble mastering the art of knitting with 4 needles but Pam was patient and before long my sock was growing and I did begin to get the hang of it. I know that I am still on the easy bit and much more telling tasks have yet to follow, like heel and toe shaping.

 I am a little worried that if I do manage to make a sock I will become one of the people that get "second sock syndrome" and never manage to complete the second sock!

I will keep you posted on my progress.

talk soon x

tiny heart bunting ....................

I started Saturday morning feeling a bit unwell, also it was really cold and everywhere was covered in a carpet of snow so not going out weather at all. I decided that I would have a quiet day snuggled under my favourite crochet blanket and that I would do some of my knitting - although wasn't sure what to start with.

Have you ever had a restless day when you have lots on the go but nothing that you really want to do. After promising myself that I wouldn't start lots of different projects I have completely failed and it's not even three weeks into January - oh well maybe one or two projects are OK but I seem to have lots of stuff competing for my attention. I think I need to list them, although it may make me feel worse  - not sure but here goes.

1. knitted blanket on a circular needle
2. knitted patchwork blanket
3. granny square cushion
4. snood for Alex - he is getting cold playing football (so very worthy transgression)
5. my first ever sock ( more about that later)
6. small pompom garland ( recently bought a small pompom maker not sure why! but love Lucy's garland)

I couldn't get into anything so I started to read some of my favourite blogs and then I found what I was looking for ta dah - a very cute and easy crochet heart - yes I know I had already dipped into heart making earlier in the week but this heart is really tiny and is worked in one round using a magic circle. So after a quick "you tube" refresher on making a magic circle loop away I went.

Everything else was forgotten (even my aches and pains) and I sat warm and cosy under my blanket busy making hearts - other half just can't understand my love of tiny cute, pastel coloured little things -  as not that long ago I made lots of tiny crochet balls (have to say they are still in a bag somewhere) I was determined that before the end of the day my baby hearts would actually be made into something that I would definitely use.

I am proud to say that I did as planned and I have used my gorgeous hearts to make some tiny bunting and it's already been put up in my sitting room - hope you love it as much as I do.

little hearts all needed tails sewing in, then attaching onto a chain and then stringing across my shelves - perfect

I really must get on with Alex's snood now as I have promised it will be ready for football training next week - I will come back to my induction into the mysterious art of sock making tomorrow .

talk soon x

my creative space ................ play tent

At last I have got my sewing machine out and I have started to make the cover for a wooden play tent we are making for Jake. This has been an ongoing project for months and sort of got put on hold when we realised that the wooden frame for the tent wouldn't fit into the car, so would make it difficult to transport to London.

We have now decided that we will take the frame apart and transport it in pieces and reassemble in London - not rocket science when we put our minds to coming up with a solution. I cut the fabric to size today and I have hemmed the two long edges, we will staple it to the frame when it's reassembled.

frame, fabric and sewing .....................hope it all goes to plan.

I will photograph the finished result when it has pride of place in Jake's bedroom. I had quite a lot of fabric over which I will take with me and hopefully Kate and I can make a couple of cushions to go inside the tent.

hope you have time to visit Kirsty over at my creative space.

talk soon x

yarn along - I have so missed my crochet hook ........

My lovely blanket's are still on the go but I have picked up my crochet hook for a little break from knitting. I've just received the first issue of a new crochet magazine and it's delightful - full of ideas, patterns, features, inspiration and much much more.

I have got a short subscription where you can have three issues for almost the price of one, then I am going to have to make the hard decision of either keeping with my Mollie Makes subscription or changing it for the Simply Crochet magazine. I can't have both as they are quite expensive, but I have a few more issues before I need to decide.

such a fab magazine .....................

It is so full of temptation that I couldn't resist starting a mini project, I decided to crochet a heart motif for my yarn along project this week, which I think is adorable - you will be so tempted when I show you the pattern............

isn't it gorgeous...............

   

I love my little hearts .............so quick to make

I hope you are all feeling excited about your yarn along projects and enjoying your books as much as I am enjoying my Simply Crochet magazine, please pop over to see Ginny for even more inspiration.

talk soon x

52 weeks of happy - 3/52

Another week has flown by, I hope you like the images that made me smile and feel happy this week.

I received my copy of Mollie Makes today which is always a special day and makes me smile.    

     

The house felt especially cold so I turned the fire up high and snuggled into an armchair and dipped into my favourite magazine - bliss.

Outside the garden was grey and dreary but I noticed some lovely new buds coming into life - the wonders of nature even at -2 degrees.

Lastly a homemade Bramley apple pie - yummy I can't wait for teatime.

talk soon x

I love Sundays - especially quiet ones at home.

A quiet Sunday at home, I have had a busy week and feel so ready for a rest day. I've spent a lovely morning pottering in the kitchen, didn't feel like food shopping so I have had the challenge of cooking a meal from very few fresh ingredients.

I managed to make a tasty sausage casserole using carrots, onions, celery, tomato, cannellini beans and  veggie sausages I had in the freezer, all topped with sliced potatoes.

Then I made some muesli flapjack which is a recipe from my new Mary Berry cookery book, also from the same book I made a cherry and apricot fruit loaf, although I didn't have any apricots in my store cupboard so added chopped dates and raisins instead.

They are all cooling at the moment and smell yummy.

So with dinner sorted and baking for lunch boxes made I am now sitting down with my knitting. Not long to wait and then I can watch Manchester City on the television, it's a big game today which we really need to win - keep your fingers crossed.

Talk soon x

blankets, blankets, glorious blankets ...........

I have started another blanket it's a patchwork blanket made up of hexagons. The pattern has been written by Erika Knight and the recommended wool is Amy Butlers Sweet Harmony produced by Rowan. I bought some of the wool from John Lewis last week in the sale, it's lovely to knit with, although I am finding knitting with 10mm needles quite tricky. It feels quite strange jumping from knitting a blanket with a 4mm circular needle to such chunky needles.

The hexagons are knitted in four different stitches. I've knitted one in moss stitch, bobble stitch and rib so far and the fourth which I have yet to start is knitted in cable. I haven't got a chunky cable needle so I am looking at adapting a dpn  if I can find one thick enough.

I love the colours and textures of the patchwork hexagons I can't wait to see them all stitched together, although I have a long way to go before I reach that stage.

I have been reading quite a few new blogs over the last few days and feel that I am in a club with like minded women who all get excited about yarn and love making crochet and knitted blankets - it feels so good to be amongst friends who understand.


Talk soon- hopefully with more photo's x

my creative space - beautiful buttons

A new year and the first of  "my creative space" posts. I can't wait to show you a lovely crafty Christmas present that Kate bought me, it's a Cath Kidston button making kit which includes some beautiful fabric.

can't wait to get started ..............

The instructions include a template which I have just traced onto parchment paper, then you cut out your fabric and away you go............

I have used fabric from the kit and also some Liberty scraps that were left over from Kate's wedding favours and place settings.

They are adorable - Holly Becker made some fab bow tie pins with some she made, can you suggest what I use mine for, my head is full of ideas but would love to know what you are thinking.

Take a minute to peek over at Kirsty's blog for some amazing ideas.

talk soon x

yarn along - loving my knitted blanket

I have to apologise about my yarn along post as I am showing you the blanket I started last week, I am loving it so much and haven't been tempted to start another project yet.

 

I have just started my 4th ball the blanket is growing slowly but it's simplicity is very therapeutic, my mind can drift away thinking about all of the other projects I want to start or even what to cook for supper! I have just dipped into a book I bought just before Christmas, it's all about making homegrown presents from the garden. I have only just had the opportunity to look at it properly, it's full of amazing ideas with beautiful illustrations and simple instructions. I bought it here I am already planning the gifts I am going to make during the year.

Hope you have had a good crafty week and have time to visit Ginny for some more inspiration.

Talk soon x

52 weeks of happy - 2/52

Good morning - I am really enjoying writing this weekly post it makes me feel happy thinking of what has made me happy - if that makes any sense to you.

1. beautiful yarn - I've been back to John Lewis and bought my own sumptuous sweet harmony yarn. I am   going to knit a patchwork blanket with it. ( Don't tell kate as I have copied her idea)

2. a glorious coffee with my friend Barbara - we meet every Monday and chat for far too long!

3. mini prep bowls - I love them and can't wait to use them, I have just bought them from my favourite store.

4. an abundance of cup cake wrappers - another fab purchase from John Lewis, I just need to whip up a sponge mix.

keep happy - talk soon Sue x

new responsibilities - and getting back to normal ........

Kate and Jake went home yesterday which felt like the end of the Christmas and New Year festivities. It's time to get back to my normal routine. The house feels very quiet and tidy. I have taken down all of the Christmas decorations and they are packed, labelled and stored away until next December.

This year I will be doing some extra grandchildren minding to help my daughters. Vicky starts a new job on Monday, which will be fantastic for her as she has been trying so hard to get back into the workforce. 

Currently I look after Vicky's three children, Alex, Finn and Daisy after school on a Tuesday and I look after Zach and Noah on a Wednesday for Laura. I will now be collecting Daisy from Nursery school on a Wednesday lunchtime and she will stay overnight and go home on a Thursday after I pick Alex and Finn up from school. 

Wednesdays will be busy but Daisy, Zach and Noah always play so well together. I am looking forward to this special time with the little ones as time races by so quickly and Daisy and Zach will start full time school in September.

With my extra child care commitments I feel it's important that I take time to plan my week more carefully so that I can make the most of my free time. I want to continue with my creative pastimes and I am thinking of learning some new crafts this year. The house also needs some care and attention, and some decisions regarding priorities need to take place.

I managed to grab some time with Mr R (aka as husband) to discuss the household projects that needed to be completed this year, and we decided to start with the lounge and give it a freshen up and make over. During the evening we called at B&Q to pick up some DIY supplies and I bought some paint match pots to experiment with, as I have not decided on the new colour scheme, although I do want it to be quite neutral. 

I think I am turning into Kirsty as I really want to go to auctions and second hand sales to find some interesting vintage furniture. 

Our lounge isn't a very big room so I will be limited by room size and also the things that can't change, I will have to keep the current sofa, chairs, carpet, TV and light fittings. New things will be curtains, cushions, possible new/old units and accessories plus new colour scheme. It feels very exciting - I am looking forward to the challenge.

Talk soon x

52 weeks of happy .... 1/52

I have decided to join in with a 52 weeks of happy post, I have been inspired by Jacquie, Kelly and Jen's idea of celebrating the joy that small things can bring by capturing and sharing 4 happy moments each week.

I will try to do my post on a Tuesday so this is a catch up post so that I don't miss the first week of January.

Today has already been filled with lots of happy moments that have made me smile and smile, it was hard to only pick 4.

1. My lovely breakfast of granola and blueberries  - yummy and healthy

2.  Breakfast with Jake before he goes back home to London - I will miss him so much

3. Helping Kate plan the yarn for her hexagon blanket - the pattern is amazing (I want one)

4.My Cath Kidston Christmas present - it fits perfectly in my handbag (I can't wait for rain!)

Hope you like my first "52 weeks of  happy post" of the year and that you feel inspired to join in.

talk soon x

yarn stash ..............

January is always a time for replenishing my depleted yarn stash. This week Pam and I went over to Black Sheep in Culcheth and we came away with some amazing bargains.

I could hardly contain myself when I saw some Noro silk yarn reduced to £2.99 per 50g ball from £8.99, and then Louisa Hardy yarn reduced to £2.49 plus lots of Debbie Bliss and Rowan bargains - such bliss.

My only worry is I am going to John Lewis later today and I must must not go anywhere near the haberdashery and yarn department as my yarn drawers are full and my purse is empty - why do we have so much temptation to deal with ....................

let me know if you have any tantalising yarn stories x

New Year catch up ............

Happy New Year -  I hope 2013 is going to be a fab creative year for everyone. I've had a lovely family Christmas and New Year. It has been mainly spent at home, although I did go out for lunch on New Year's Day which was a real treat.  I love cooking and entertaining but I had got somewhat exhausted and it was really nice to be cooked for.

I have been tempted to write a list of all the projects I want to do this year. Which would include knitting, sewing, crochet, and also some new crafts but after all my Christmas lists I have decided to save that job for another day.

I often have a basket of half done projects but I have been quite good this year and apart from a bag of granny squares waiting for some inspiration and another bag of crochet flowers (went a bit crochet flower crazy) the only big outstanding project on the go was my crochet blanket. I have had the luxury over the last few days of sitting, relaxing and catching up with my crochet hook and have finished my blanket, it's not quite as big as I planned but I am very pleased with it.

The finished blanket measures 116 cms by 130 cms and completely covers my dining room table.

I used 23 balls of Debbie Bliss Amalfi which is 2300 metres of yarn, equivalent to 1.42 miles wow that's a lot of yarn.

Blankets seems to be a common theme at the moment Lucy from attic 24  has finished her beautiful ripple blanket, Kirsten from Cozy Things has finished her colour block blanket, and Jules from little woolie is still happy hooking her blanket.

I have got quite a lot of Amalfi yarn left so my plan is to make some small granny squares and then crochet them together to make a couple of cushions to match my blanket. I have already made a few squares but feel tempted to start some knitting, and now that my crochet blanket is finished it feels ok to start my new knitted blanket project.

I'm off to pick up my knitting, although not quite used to the circular needle yet

talk soon x