A Pause For Breath

Last time that I posted was in January (I can hardly believe that it's been so long) and I sad that my New Years resolution was to get out and about more and get as much as possible out of every day.

Well I sure have been doing just that!  And that is what's been keeping me from my beloved blog.  I have been out walking as often as possible with little ol' Molly but always along the same stretch of canal. And as the weather was bleak a lot of the time, I wasn't at all inspired to take pictures and I was sure that you did not want to see a constant repetition of a grey dull canal walk.

Thankfully we have been getting much better weather lately and I did take a few piccies on my last outing.  The picture above is of a silver birch.  Unfortunately you can't see the striking metalic looking bark on the above photo but still I love the contrast of the tree against such a stunning blue sky.

In this photo I adore how the sky and bridge was reflected perfectly on the canal.  Here the canal a  looks a rich sapphire blue.  Natures inspirations.

I have also been spending a lot of time working on the studio in the garden.  often with the help of some little hands.  I did take some photos today of it but they turned out horribly and so now I think that I'll wait until it's all finished to show you.  I'm really pleased with how it has turned out so far and I can't wait to get settled in there.  We were in and all ready to go when I realised that there was on oil spill on my work bench.  It all had to be sanded down and now it just needs to be painted. But to be honest, I don't mind so much as I've really enjoyed the decorating aspect of getting into the studio because here is where I have been able to put my stamp on it.

Pardon the poor photos here but I took them on one of the more wintry mornings.  I've been working slowly on a new blanket for the studio.  I wanted to go for a vintage selection of colours which sadly the real colours can't be seen here. I've used a lot of Kerry Woollen Mills aran yarn which I've had lying around for a long time while I looked for it's perfect project.  I'm really happy now where it has ended up.  The squares are a delight to work and only take a few minutes from start to finish.  Hopefully the next time I get some pictures from it the light will be much better.

With the spring beginning to appear here in Ireland.  I feel like I have more energy and want to get out into the garden and slowly tidy it after the winter.  Already I can see new growth appearing.  So when I'm finished in the studio that will be my next big task.

I'm also hoping that when I'm in and settled in the studio that I will be able to get more sewing, knitting and crochet done in my own little space.  at the moment there is no room for anything and so my stuff is just stacked up in the corner looking messy.  It takes me ages to find anything and that is really putting me off doing any real work. So fingers crossed when all is sorted out I'll have a lot more crafty stuff to post about and not just pictures of the canal again!!!!

Heading off for now.  Slowly trying to catch up on some of your wonderful blogs.

Chat soon,
Rosie xx

AWOL

I went AWOL lately from blogland due to an ickey uckey virus that absolutely knocked the wind out of me. All that I seemed to be able to do was sleep.  I felt like I should have gotten down on all fours, drawn whiskers on my face and pinned a tail to my bum because I was living just like the cats in our house.  On my better days I managed to get a bit of stitching and sewing done.  I was feeling very low through all of this time because it was taking so long to pass but now in a strange kind of way I've realised that it has helped me a great deal.  I've been having a bad pain flare up since May due to my severe insomnia but all the sleep that I've been getting lately has broken that fatigue-pain cycle for me.  Slowly I feel like I'm getting a little more energy every day and my pain levels are beginning to drop at last.  Granted I am now writing this post at 2 am in the morning but I'm just a little giddy over something exciting that's happening tomorrow.  Well it is for me anyway!!

Yippeeee  I just can't wait!!

I've got a few crafty pieces finished in the last while but i never got around to showing them to you, so here goes.

After working for so long on the granny stripe blanket, I needed a break to something different.  I wanted a quick project so that I could at last see something done and totally complete.  The blanket at the mo feels like its taking forever to finish.  I found this little beauty of a pattern in Inside Crochet and it just hit the spot.  I just don't know what it is about me and doilies right now but I want to make lots of them and in lovely bright colours too.  Maybe it's because I'm just not quite ready for the winter that's knocking on the door!!

Sorry for the poor photo here but the light was not too good the afternoon that I took this picture....I know, I know that doesn't excuse the creases in my cloth, what can I say only sorry again.  I've been wanting to try making notebook covers for a while now and this was my first attempt.  I must say that I really enjoyed it and I learned a hell of a lot in the process.  I know that I'm certainly going to be making more of them.  Look out in your Christmas stockings everyone!!

I went to a patch work class the other day and one of the first projects was a rag cushion.  I'm so loving how it turned out.  It's a simple but very effective design and such a great starting point for a learner like me.  My biggest fault is that I'm not very good at cutting things precisely the right size and this class is perfect for me to learn this.  I'm really looking forward to the rest of the classes to see what will be coming next!

This little baby I made quite a while ago but forgot to show it to you.  It's one of my favourite things that I've ever made.  I love how it's not in any way perfect, nor did I worry if it wasn't.  I love the mix of colours.

I love that I finally managed to do buttonholes on a sewing machine.  I love the unexpected bright colours of the back.  And I love that it's the first cushion that everyone goes for when they sit on the couch....even the dog!!

So that's all from me now.  I hope to catch up on some blogs in the next few days.

Rosie xx

PS  Thanks for all the lovely comments on my last post called Like Minded People.  They were so lovely to read.  Sadly though I had to delete the post due to spam that kept popping up in the comment box.  But thanks again, I so enjoy reading all your lovely thoughts and comments.  They really help me to get to know you better.

Yummy Crochet!!

Dont you just want to dive into this!
This big basket of yarn has brought me a lot of pleasure of the last few weeks.  The bright colours have cheered me in the most stressful of times and just the thought of sitting down to crochet with it was like an instant sedative.
A couple of months ago I decided to buy an Attic 24 pack of mixed Stylecraft yarn for a blanket for Benny the studio. (Work on Benny has been severely held up due to turf!!! Very frustrating indeed).  I don't normally ike using acrylics but I wanted something that would be tough and durable and easy to wash as it was going to be used as a throw for the kids couch in my studio.  I must say this has totally won me over.  it is so easy to work with and soft to the touch.

I have not altogether stuck to Lucy's pattern and changed some of the colours and removed others that were in the pack to suit the studio when its finished.  The only mistake that I made is that I think that I may have made it a bit too long!!  I decided to make it 300 sts on the foundation chain as I need it too cover the couch.  Ehh but too much there Rosie!  Now the blanket measures a whopping 2,5m.  Hence the reason I could only get some if it in the picture!!  But I'm thinking now that in the winter I can always bring it into the house and use it on one of the kids beds to keep them nice and snug.
 For such a plain pattern it is totally addictive.  I can never wait to chose the next colour and I love seeing all the different combinations coming together.  I quite often have wrecked the heads of the family asking "what colour will come next?".  I think that they are just picking the first one that their hands land on at this stage, just to shut me up!!!

Over the last few evenings I have noticed how the nights are closing in faster and faster.  After such a long winter, it has seemed like the summer months have just not lasted long enough.  It saddens me to see the long nights returning so quickly after the glorious weather that we've been having.  I have loved this hot weather this year.  It happens so rarely here in Ireland unfortunately.  So I just couldn't understand why my kids hated it so much.  They hid in the house and cried that it was too hot to venture outside until the evening.  What?? I remember hot summers as a child where my parents would bring us swimming every day whether that was to the coast or to the nearest river or lake.  We were all good swimmers at very young ages so that was the one passtime that we all did together.  Fun times.

One other thing that I've loved most about this summer is that my garden has blossomed brilliantly and the bees and butterflies have been attracted by all of the different smells and colours.  Just sitting in the garden stitching and listening the the hum of the bees busying themselves has been pure heaven.  The unmistakable perfume of the sweet peas wafting through the breeze.

The white sweet peas here are a perennial plant and are unperfumed but are perfect for cutting.  They are more robust then the perfumed ones and last longer when brought into the house.  I like to mix them with the pretty, delicate blooms of regular ones.  It has brought me so much pleasure to bring in posies of flowers from my own garden and display them on the kitchen table or windowsill.  They have been often given as gifts too to family and friends when we visit, tied with pretty ribbons and wrapped in pretty tissue paper.

My other favourite in the garden has to be my lupins.  I have quite a few of them in quite an array of colours.  I love how the blooms last so long on them and they just keep flowering all summer long.  I have sat for long periods just watching how perfectly designed that the individual flowers are to accommodate the bees in their job collecting pollen.  As the bee lands on the bottom lip of the flower, that is the darker pink triangle at the bottom, the whole bloom opens out to reveal the golden treasure inside.  The bees finally hurry off home with their legs and tummy covered in a thick fur of sweet pollen.  Isn't nature magical?

Anyway must pop off for now.  Chat you all soon.  I have something very beautiful to show you.
Rosie xx

Sweet Birdie Cushion

Monday's are my busiest, it being my main cleaning day of the week.  But this morning as I sat among the chaos of toys, dolls and lego with the laundry baskets piled high with clothes waiting to be put away, I just was not ready to face it.  Out of the corner of my eye i spotted some fabric that for days has been willing me to use it.  So deciding that the mess would still be here tomorrow, I decided to have a quiet crafting day to myself.

I bought this lovely birdie material in Ikea a few months ago and i must say that I'm totally in love with it.  I needed it to cover a couple of stools that have seen some better days but I bought more than enough for the intended job.  I'm always in need of new cushion covers with all the pets that are in this house.  So decision made, all housework can wait!!

Mitred corners have daunted me and I've often found that written instructions for them in books can be quite confusing.  But I was determined that I was going to conquer them.  This I did not quite manage to do.  More of a gentle nudge than conquering!  It may be a little on the wonky side and I need to use a point maker on the corners but all the same I'm proud of this first attempt of mine.  And it's robust enough to be able to survive the battering that cushions take in this house.  It will probably be thrown straight on the floor by the kids when they come home so that they can sit on it while playing the xbox.

In other news, my pile of granny squares is rapidly growing.  I've already reached half way -  out of 35 out of  70 finished.  When I say finished, I'm not including weaving in the ends.  With the last blanket I found that the overall finish was better when I weaved the ends after the squares were all crocheted together.  Even though I was dreading the thought of all those ends, it turned out to be quite therapeutic.  I put on my latest audible book on my phone and mindlessly weaved in the ends slowly.  Better get back to more crocheting if I'm to have it ready for the campervan in the summer.

Rosie xx

Campervan Blanket

I'm so behind with my blogging lately and I've got a lot of catching up to do on everyone's posts.  The two week Easter break with the kids has taken quite a bit out of me and last weekend I was barely able to lift my weary frame out of bed at all.  So I've been having a very quiet week slowly stitching away on my new blanket while listening to audio books.  I find that its a great way to relax and catch up on my books at the same time.  I also needed to recharge my battery so that I could be ready for Friday......my son's birthday party.  And boy was I right to gather my strength.  A whole afternoon with twenty odd screaming boys and girls running riot in the house and garden.  For some reason we seemed to pick up more kids on the way as the afternoon proceeded and so even though we had bought lots in, we ran out of food, sweets, party bags and drinks for them.  But it was great to watch the kids having such a ball.  The boys being boys, attached the trailer onto the go-cart and with the biggest boy peddling the others jumped into the trailer or anywhere they could hold onto.  They started at the top of the slope at the back of the garden and flew as fast as they could past the vegetable patch, the greenhouse, the flower garden, down the drive and out the front gate.  I'm surprised that neither the dog nor any cat was completely flattened in the process.
I couldn't really say that the girls were any quieter though.  They bounced on the trampoline until they were red in the face and chased any dog that they found in the area.  But they had more time than the boys to come over and chat to me......and tell me when they were hungry again!!  All of the kids were as mad as march hares.  They were very funny and I laughed a lot even though I was totally exhausted.  There was just one little boy who was very quiet and sat contentedly playing with lego in the sitting room.  Maybe he had enough of the madness of the other boys after a long week back at school!  But I'm glad to say that they all went home happy and smiling even if completely wrecked with exhaustion.

Apologies now for the bad photos.  I only remembered tonight to photograph them.

I started the campervan blanket a couple of months ago but only made a few squares.  I was deciding colours and trying to figure out which yarns I could use up out of my stash.  I want to make it twice as big as the toddler blanket, so it will be 70 big squares in total.  This is really going to make a great big dent in my stash!  All those odd DK balls left over from other projects will be used up....I hope.

With this blanket I'm only going to make Granny Squares.  Some very basic with only two colour changes and others with three.  I want the colours to be the main feature this time.  When I started, I had wanted to do the border round in a yarn that I had in my stash for a long time.  It was Rowan Cashcotton in wheat.  I was soon to realise that I was not going to have half enough to finish the whole blanket.  I searched for it on the internet but unfortunately it was discontinued.  The only place that I could get it was France and the postage was twice the cost of 10 balls of yarn!!!  So I had to make do with what I had and I decided on a really warm mustard colour in Bamboo.  So far it looks well with the colours that I've chosen.  Well I think so.....do you?

Do you recognise this greeny colour.  I had a little left over from the last blanket and I just couldn't resist using it!!  Hopefully next time I will have some better photos of these for you.

Now before I go, I wanted to make a little request.  My son was treated and cared for by the staff in the paediatric ward of our Regional hospital.  The nurses and doctors were kind and caring and put my son and us at ease through all of his tests and illness.  So I wanted to give something back.  I was talking to one of the nurses at the Special Baby Unit for premature babies that is also in the ward and she was telling me that they could do with some help.  They have problems getting hats and cardis small enough for these little babies and so often have to rely on the generosity of knitters and crocheters to make some for them.  So I am calling out to you for and help possible with this.  Even if it's just a little pair of baby mittens that would be really great.  They need hats with no holes or bobbles and the cardis can't have any holes either because tiny little fingers can get caught in them.  I will post a few links tomorrow to some free patterns.  i wish that I could do one of those fancy link back boxes for my sidebar, but you know how computer illiterate that I am.
To anybody that can help out, I would be so grateful and I'm sure that the nurses and parents at the Special Baby Unit would be too.

Rosie xx

Toddler Blanket

This is my big "Ta Dah" moment.  Finally I've finished my Toddler Blanket and I must say that it's been my favourite project ever.  Initially I was not so happy making it because I didn't really like the colours that I was using and I was convinced that it wouldn't work out but slowly I found other colours in my stash to add to it and brighten it up.  I will confess now and I did break my stash busting promise that I made at the start of the year.  I needed something to crochet the squares together that would bring it to life and when I spotted the green in the local yarn shop, I just knew that it would be perfect for the job.  But I did only buy three balls and I did use all of it on squares and the border.  So here it is......

Well?? What do you think?  Did it turn out ok?  I decided to use a double crochet stitch to join the squares instead of just a slip stitch because I love to see the obvious join and to make it not too uniform, I set them going in different directions.  Maybe not to everybody's taste but I like it like this.

I had to do the border a couple of times to get the tension right and that was a little frustrating but i got there eventually!

Folded and ready to wrap up into a nice parcel.

I met my friend today after 7 years and it was just like she had never left as we sat down on the sofa together chatting and gossiping and just catching up on all that we've missed out with each other.  There was a lot of laughter because I saw her little son for the first time and he had the most infectious giggle and we just couldn't help joining in with him.  I was very sad when our visit came to an end and I cried after she left not knowing when the next time would be that I would see her again.  But the thought that she loved the blanket cheered me and that she would have a little bit of me to bring home with her again.

Rosie xx

Nearing An End

Last weekend was Paddy's weekend here in Ireland but unfortunately I was not out celebrating like a wild thing.  Instead I headed down to my Mum's house with a roaring temperature and a very bad kidney infection for a little bit of mothering.  After all that's been happening here over the last few weeks with my son being in and out of hospital, I craved the comfort of being with my mother.  I needed somebody to wrap me up in a duvet and make me water bottle while I drank hot cups of tea.  I was a sad sight, cocooned in a duvet on her couch while sweat dripped from my forehead.
But my Mum being my Mum made me feel better in no time at all.  And I soon had the energy to sit on the floor and do the lay out for my toddlers blanket.  All the squares are now finished and it will easily cover a single bed.  So it should do the little man in question a while yet.

There are 35 squares in total with varying shades of green, blue and pink.  With the base colours of white and grey.  I hope that they work out as well as I hope.  We were both happy with the lay out when we tried.

I used only three types of blocks. One square spinner, a plain granny and a mixed colour granny.

Now is the hard part.  I think that I'm going to crochet the blocks together instead of sewing, to make it more robust for a toddler.  And then on to weaving in all of those millions of ends!!!  I think that a sit down with an audio book for a few evening will do the trick.  I'm in a hurry for this blanket to be finished now because my friend B is coming home from Oz next week with her Hubby and little man.  I can't wait to see her as it's been at least seven years since we've last met.  I'm getting excited just thinking about it.

Wish me luck with the finishing off and I'll chat you all soon.

Rosie xx

PS Thanks for your comments on my last cry for help about bloglovin on my phone.  I've still not had any joy with that but I've sent and email to the help board and am awaiting an answer.

What Will I Do NOW????

We woke yesterday morning to a beautiful bright blanket of snow.  It was a day that I had been dreading for a few weeks now.  It has been on my mind during the day and creeping into my dreams at night.  I had an appointment in the hospital for tests and I wasn't sure how long I would have to stay in.  Now I love a break every bit as much as the next woman but I could easily think of several more desirable places to go.
After several hours of being sedated, poked and prodded, x-rayed and scanned and injected with needles that looked big enough to use on a horse, they told me that I could go home once I found out the results from the consultants.
Firstly they said that I had a hernia.  Fair enough I thought, I do take a bucket load of medication each and every day.....this is not an exaggeration by the way!  This is something that I can deal with.
Next they told me that my fibro is slipping back to what is was before and presenting itself in some different symtoms.   That too is okay.  I've been fighting it for the last nine years.  I'm just going to have to fight a little bit harder.
But the most crushing of all came last.  When I had thought that I had a trapped nerve in my shoulder last week from crocheting, I was wrong.  I had thorn the dorsal muscle in my back.  The proper name was big and had lots of letters in it and could only be pronounced by a champion at tongue twisters so the doc gave me a simpler one to remember.  He told me that I must rest lots in the next few weeks and try to stretch it.  But also I mustn't do any knitting or crochet........WHAT??  Me not do any knitting or crochet.  Is he mad?  I would go mad.  This is the only thing that keeps me anyway sane.
But he said that I must just grin and bear it.
Today was my first day of going cold turkey and the yarn withdrawal was cruel.  Several times I caught myself picking up my WIP and starting, only to be screamed at by one of the kids for being naughty.  I know that I'm going to be dreaming of nothing but yarn for weeks until I can once again wrap that lovely soft yarn around my fingers as I hook in and out and make some bright and colourful granny squares for the campervan blanket.  And what of the toddler blanket?  If I don't finish it soon, it will have to be a teenagers blanket!!

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Before I go, I must thank everybody for their help with my sewing machine query.  I've had a lot of tips and ideas to try from your comments and emails.  From talking and singing to the machine (I might leave out the singing one through, I've known tougher machines than this to come to a screaming halt at my singing) and thread and bobbin changes to even rebuilding it with the help of youtube.  I'm sure that I shall figure it out soon.  I will have to as I now have no other craft to keep me sane for the moment.  It will give me an excuse to catch up on my sewing jobs and not be so easily distracted by my yarn stash.

Thanks for listening to my ranting on.
Rosie x

What A Week!

Trying to keep to my resolution of only working on one project at a time this year, I've been working very hard on the toddler blanket that I want to finish. And with the broadband being out of order for nearly two weeks, I've been putting in more hours than I normally would.  But unfortunately being more of a knitter than a crocheter, this put quite a bit of strain on me an by Sunday night I could no longer move my arm.  I had managed to trap a nerve in my shoulder !!  what a wally am I??

So now that I can't knit or crochet for a while, what will I do next, I ask myself (not so politely I must be honest).  Perfect opportunity to get started on my sewing.  Thankfully the fabric for the gigantic curtains has yet to arrive and I can potter on at the smaller things that need doing.  I chose a beautiful selection of fabrics from my stash to make some cushion covers.   I cut out what shapes and patterns that I needed together with any trims that I had.  All ironed and pinned and sat down to my sewing machine to get started and what do you think happened?  The tension would not set on my machine.  Believe me when I tell you that the air was nearly blue in the kitchen today with all the words that I screamed at the sewing machine.  But no matter how much I tried the tension just would not set.  Whether I turned it up or down, I still ended up with massive loops at the back and stitches not even catching at the front.  Wish my Dad was still with us, he would have fixed it in a jiffy.  Would any of you know how to fix this problem, before I fling it into the bogs of middle Ireland, preserved by nature to be discovered in a few thousand years as some ancient artifact.

I just don't know what is going on with the technology in this house.  It's like an all out strike.  First the internet, then my sewing machine and finally the kids xbox.  

This has made me wonder if all this technology is really worth the effort.  

Is there enough benefits to qualify all the work and costs that are involved when something goes wrong?  

Were we lost before without it or did we just cope fine? 

Is simplicity the answer? 

But then again I wouldn't be able to follow all your lovely blogs.

I'm undecided!  What do you think?

Rosie xx

Little Birdie Hook Pouch

It has been driving me mad lately that every time that I need a crochet hook, I'm never able to find the one that I want.  I've had to pull apart bags, boxes and drawers.  So this week I finally decided to do something about it.  I went through my fabric stash and picked out some of the pieces that looked nice and summery (to cheer me up in this awful weather).



How to make:
Firstly you need to decide the length of the pouch that you need.  I have quite a lot of hooks and because some of them are large wooden ones, I found that the best spacing was 4cm for each hook pocket.  I have 11 pockets and so my pouch is 44cm long.
Next cut out the outer fabric and the lining. They should be 30x44cm in size
The pocket material is 15x44cm in size.

Using a tight zigzag stitch, make the pockets by sewing the pocket fabric to the lining at 4cm intervals.  Do not sew this with the outer material pinned on because you do not want the stitching to show at the front of the pouch.
Handstitch a trim along the top of the pockets, ensuring that you don't accidentally close them up.

Cut out some applique shape that you like the most.  For me it's birdies.  Love em! And with a piece of bondaweb iron it onto the outer piece of material.  For decoration I finished this with a blanket stitch around its edge.
Using bias binding sew the front and the lining pieces together.
Put your hooks into the pouch and roll it up.  Mark where the side meets the back and sew on a snap button for closure.
Fold down the top of the pouch until it meets the top of the pockets and iron well.  This will keep your precious hooks safe from falling out.

CraftyRie

I've just discovered this and I think that it is great idea a directory for all the mad crafters out there.    I've just spent hours looking through the different blogs.  Inspiring to say the least.  Pop over.  Believe me when I say that it's well worth it.  http://craftyrie.blogspot.com/
http://www.craftyrie.com/2011/10/universal-craft-blog-directory.html

Er, there is no crochet? What's goin on?

This is what a friend mailed to me after she read my blog. I love to crochet but as of yet I've not put any patterns or pics up here. But unfortunately most of the pieces that I've already finished have been sold or given away.
So Pam this is all that I have to show you, half a cardi and four squares for a blanket. But don't worry there will be lots more to come.