Back again

Oh well, I have totally missed doing my Christmas and new year posts. To be honest after I started feeling less sick from morning sickness I think I got a big of blogaphobia!! I have a fancy mobile device and most days instead of turning on my laptop I have a browse through all your blogs on that. It's quicker and easier but impossible to write a blog post on far too fiddly. Anyway I am over my phobia now partly thanks to a nice email from Cuckoo basically telling me to get my bottom in gear as its been three months since my last post.

So much has happened that I decided to make a mosaic of our my latest craft projects. Mostly Christmas presents but that's old news now.

I am feeling really big at the moment and my pelvis has started to give me some problems but it will be worth it in the end only about 85 days to go now. I have been going through all little OB's baby clothes from the loft, washing and ironing and packing away in readiness for the babies arrival. Knowing my luck it will be a girl and all these blue clothes will be useless.

I have been obsessed with nest building lately trying to get all the rooms in the house in a totally finished state. And we just had to have a new king sized bed- mostly because the stray cat we adopted wee-ed (how do you spell that???) on our old mattress on Christmas day. Thanks, susie. So a trip to ikea meant a king size mattress and bed with storage drawers was purchased I have always wanted a bit more space especially as my tummy is so big now and we desperately needed more storage as all the linen has had to be removed from the nursery wardrobe. This leads nicely to my current craft obsession- crochet trimmed pillowcases. I searched for new bed linen everywhere and couldn't find anything fabulous, so I am making my own. I have long admired rosehip's pillowcases and now I can make my own. I tried out some fabrics I had in my stash as testers and I am really pleased with how they look, in fact I love them -they look like proper pillowcases.

I have just got to add the crochet to complete the look. If you would like to make some too check out this blog  you go girl . I have added the tutorial button to my side bar.

A Happy week to you all, I am off to make more pillows,

Sarah

Lost my mojo

I have been away for ages I know things have happened. I have totally missed the end of summer. Just before we went on our holiday my power lead for my laptop packed up. I ordered a new one but it didn't arrive for weeks and when it did it was the wrong one, so I had to reorder and wait again.

I can't blame my time away fully on technical problems as I have been having my own technical problems. Whilst we were away on holiday I discovered I am expecting again... hooorray. Then about 8 weeks of constant sickness and tiredness hit me. I have only just started to feel better at 12 weeks.. hoorrray. I totally lost my mojo, I have not read any blogs could hardly be bothered to switch on the tv let alone the laptop. I have done nothing for 8 weeks except trying to get through the day, looking after little OB and looking forward to early nights. Crochet and making has been totally blown out the window I hope I feel well enough soon to start making again because I miss it. I also want to make something beautiful for the baby. I started a ripple blanket when we was away in France and the top picture is a picnic blanket I made before we went which I intended to finish while we were away. The french must have thought I was a bit nutty crocheting on the beach in 30 degree heat. It's still unpacked in my crochet basket I can't even bear to think about doing any more to it at the moment. Hopefully my mojo will return soon.

I had my scan on Tuesday and everything is looking ok so far so fingers crossed. So you will have to bear with me until I feel that I have the energy to do anything.

Broken laptop

I am having technical problems at the moment normal service will resume soon.

More hooky

There has been alot of hooky action at my house recently. I was spurred on to finish by the local village show. I entered a crochet cushion last year and was amazed to win first prize, my aim this year was a trophy and I got it, hooorrray. I suppose its important to me to achieve something as I am mostly a SAHM. Most of my life involves the little one.

So after seeing Lucy create the Japanese flower scarf earlier in the year I knew I had to have one. I start immediately as Lucy showed us the pattern, I bought the book from Japan via etsy and bought some Debbie Bliss andes. Which by the way is beautifully soft and has a shiny lustre, its easy to work with and has a nice selection of colours. I chose about ten colours and started. I did about 7 flowers and stopped because as it grew I wasn't sure I would wear it so thought it pointless carrying on. I didn't like all the random colours put together and thought I would prefer it if it was just 3 different colours white, light blue and dark blue so I stopped, I also got distracted by the spring throw. 

I left it for about 3 months then as the show approach I thought I should finish it. As I worked on it I liked it more and more and when it was big enough to drape over my shoulder I began to love it. Its so lovely and soft and I thought it would be nice to wear with most things on my summer holidays if it gets chilly in the evening. So.....

May I present to you my Japanese flower scarf.

Taaa daahh.

        It also won First prize in the show. No surprise really as it was the only entry in the crocheted wool section, ha ha. Now I love it and

can't wait to wear it on holiday.



Have a nice sunny weekend, may it be filled with flowers maybe the hooky kind

Sarah

Shows, reveals and prizes

This is an epic moment my spring time throw is finished.

436 squares made and crocheted together and a gazillion ends weaved in. It's been a torrid love affair we have had our ups and downs but we got there in the end.

It all started with a new book back in Febuary 'Cute and Easy Crochet' by Nicki Trench found in my local WHS. So many projects drew me in with their candy colours and bobble trims I just had to have it. Jam jars cover, crocheted teddy bears and the blanket in soft candy colours. I needed it in my life.

6 months later and it's mine all mine and I love love love it.

It's amazing that I have made it I learnt to crochet last year and have only attempted cushions so far. I can't believe I did it. I made it from rowan hanknit cotton so it is a substantial blanket and I lost count how many balls of cotton I used, I made alot of orders as I kept running out. It weighs an absolute ton I guess about 30 balls it weighs half a stone. Just don't tell my husband how many they cost he is quite good at maths he will find me out.

I was spurred on to finish when I met Nicki Trench at the country living show in London and actually saw the blanket I was making. I discussed the yarn and colour choices with her. I added some new colours on her advice, used up some oddments of yarn I had and I threw in a ball of Amy butler for good measure because they didn't have the orange colour in the handknit cotton range.

Well here it is in all it's glory.

I entered it into the local village flower show on Saturday. At 5pm I emerged from the handicrafts marquee clutching my 'Best exhibit in Crochet' trophy. I was amazed but I didn't give a gushing speech. I thought it a little over the top considering it was just me and one other lady that entered the catergory. Oh wel......l it was exciting anyway I never win anything. 

I have my japanese flower scarf to show you next I can't handle the excitment today so I'll show you that next time, also a 1st prize winner at the show.


Have a great week,
Sarah

Today I am loving

I love my new boot sale find, a vintage tea tray full of beautiful roses.

Perfect for tea in the garden.

More roses in my garden they smell gorgeous and are so pretty.

When I was a kid i always wanted a playhouse in the garden with an upstairs??!! Well its a bit late but my wish has come true. My sister's friend gave us this playhouse as she was given it but it wouldn't fit in her garden. It needed a new roof and a paint so here it is fully restored.

Isn't it amazing?? I love it.

We planted the window boxes with pansies and sweet peas its so cute and our kids are so lucky. Actually i think I love it more than the kids do. I want to fill it with vintage toys so a few more trips to the boot sale are required.

I had a moment of weakness last week and bought the water carrier I loved in the Sarah Raven catalogue. It wasn't as bad as full price, well thats what I keep telling myself. I wanted to buy the green one but within about an hour of receiving the sale email they had sold out. I was trying to buy it on my phone at work but I had to keep stopping, blooming customers then they had sold out. I want it for when we go away in the caravan, I can see myself merrily skipping to the water tap bringing it back to our caravan adorned with bunting and placing it on my cath kidston inspired table. I do live in a bit of a dream world most of the time.

Its my friends birthday on Sunday so I made her a little toadstool house cake. My sister helped and we were in fits of hysterical laughter as she annouced it would need underpinning as the top began to slide off.

Have a fun filled weekend, unfortuatley I have to work boo hoo.

Sarah

Driving me potty

We have been potty training for a few weeks now, we have good days and bad days and I think it is going to take quite a long time. I think people say boys do take longer.

As a reward for his potty training we have been moving little OB into his big boy room this week. I was more excited than him. Before he was born I felt like I couldn't get excited before he arrived as I suffers from a few problems so I never got to do the nursery decorating in case I jinxed it. So I have really indulged in everything I ever wanted for him. Though firstly we had to do boring stuff like replastering and painting and lots of dust and mess. And clearing up a room that was used to dump stuff we didn't know where to put. The whole of the upstairs has been a real mess and it is great to get everything neat and tidy for 5 mins at least.

We bought his new bed and furniture from ikea which looks really good. It has a tent over the top which makes it looks like a den, we could hardy remove him from the Ikea's display. When he was little I bought his bedding from Babou and it turned out to be lovely quality. I love having well ironed sheets so I bought from there again new curtains, quilt and sheets. The overall look is very fresh, soft and cosy. Hopefully he will be able to use them for years and years.

I also invested in stickers to make a mural for one blank wall and I am really impressed with the overall result. Helicopters, diggers, dumpers and sky scrapers all the things he loves.

We have my nan visiting this week which is lovely she is 86 buts still seems alot younger to me she has a positive outlook on life which continually inspires me and she has so many interesting nostalgic stories to tell. I could listen for hours about where she used to live in London with her parents and sister and aunt's family living next door. The parties they had and fun even in the dark days of the war. She tells me about the clothes they used to make sewing and crochet which is were I get my interest from. So far we have gone shopping, had lunch in a country pub, visited Ikea for the umpteenth time and been to the boot sale. So a great week so far and the weather hasn't been too bad either.

More progress on my springtime throw its almost finished I just need to crochet 436 squares together wish me luck.

What happened here? Are those little feet I can see in the corner?

Have a great weekend may it be filled with pretty things and sunshine.
Sarah