Life is a tea cosy of roses

I was busy looking through some of my un-finished projects on Saturday hoping I would find something like an un-decorated, plain tea cosy which I had in mind to make for one of my lovely colleagues who is getting married after being with her partner for a long time and 4 children later. She is getting married this coming Saturday and I thought it might be good fun to make her a wedding gift from the heart which I hope will provide many comforting cosy cups of tea as they watch the kids grow up and spend the rest of their lives together.

I used the lovely Alice of Crochet with Raymond's blog tea cosy pattern found here to knit the basic tea cosy and then I knitted up and crocheted some roses in different rosy yarns I had left over from various other makes.

I'm rather pleased with it and once I had secured the roses I hooked up some leaves from 100% DK cotton and attached them. The sewing the flowers and leaves on takes time and can be a little fiddly but all in all it's well worth it for the end result.

Happy day Y and K for the 3rd of December 2011, here's to many cups of rosy cosy tea in the future xox

Thanks for popping by and see you soon.

Hello my deer's 

(I found this little fella in Sweden back in September isn't he sweet? 

Hope you have all had a fulfilling week?

Mine has been a busy one with a capital B and this weekend is jam packed with people to see, places to go and new things to be learnt. I just have been itching to blog again despite nothing particularly interesting going on. I must be addicted! Yes, that's what my family think. Soon I will be joining "Bloggers Anonymous" :0)

We eventually got around to having our lovely e-bay 1920's doors hung and I must say we are as pleased as punch with them. I just can't believe how we put up with ugly, characterless 1960's doors for 9 years. All good things in time is what I say. Your home is always a working project I think.

I have had these pretty irises to watch coming into full bloom from Andy to cheer me up on the grey days.

I was fortunate enough to find these two lovelies in a junk shop to put in Alice's stocking. I love old printer's blocks and keys are an absolute favourite of mine. I seem to give Alice a key most years, not sure why, I just do. Maybe it's me giving her the key to a new year in her sweet life?

I scrambled up into the attic to finish off a couple of A line skirts I have been making with this Amy Butler pattern I bought in the summer.

I've made these for a friend of mine who wants to sell them in her retro/vintage clothes shop. Did you recognise any of these prints? Maybe you slept on the left hand one and pulled the curtains of the right hand one :0)

The orange paisley sheet was brand new found at a car boot sale last year I promise, I don't think I would make clothes from used sheets, quilts only.

The ric rac is old too, I love that burnt orange colour.

I think it will be funny if I see someone walking around in these! I did once see a lady wearing one of my vintage button clips that i made and that made me smile.

Other than that it's soon becoming the season to be jolly and I've been playing with some lovely bright red cotton making something weird and wonderful for Alice's after school art teacher. If it turns out how I expect / hope, then I'll show you this fun concept.

Even Dolores (my hand made chicken) is getting into the swing of things!

Happy days to one and all xox See you all soon xox

Emerging

Quietly, discreetly, in the stealth of night some angel wings have emerged from their cocoon in the small of my hand.

They have emerged as I have, out from the blues to say thank you all for your sweet, kind words which have really touched me xox

These have been hooked up using a 3.5mm hook with Debbie Bliss cotton found in my stash using the fab tutorial entitled "How to crochet angel wings" {beautiful title in itself} on Kate's lovely blog Greedy for colour found here. 

I think some teeny tiny wings may very well need to emerge from the angel cocoon hiding in my teapot xox

Where have you got angels hiding?

Therapy

Firstly can I say a very big thank you for your comments on my chevron blanket, much appreciated and enjoyed and believe it or not I feel a little shy {almost narcissistic} about showing my makes on the net but it's lovely to know that there are lovelies like you out there who appreciate makes of the yarn variety. 


Blogging, I find is good for confidence building too. For those of you who know me you may think I'm quite a confident person but we all have vulnerabilities, seeking human approval about various things. Unfortunately I suffer from melancholia, blues and depression really. Mostly, it's under control but sometimes it slips through the cracks and I crumble again. I've been having a few low confidence days recently... especially this morning. So, I allow myself to feel what I was feeling, listen to Shawn Colvin and Jane Siberry , drink copious cups of tea and immerse myself in something creative to keep my black dog at bay. There is nothing more therapeutic for me other than keeping my hands busy or stopping to read a good book or some poetry and of course going out for a walk. 


So I got out some of Alice's water colour paints and painted. I can't draw anything beyond doodling and stick figures but I love Scandinavian patterns/design so I was kind of inspired by some wrapping paper I bought a while back and drew some flowers and other shapes using pretty colour's to bring me back to life again.

Not particularly brilliant, I think I'll just stick to simple shapes next time, but it's really really helped lift my mood which is all that counts.


Anything yarn related is always a mood lifter for me, so I got busy making my idea for Alice's teacher's Christmas present last night. A couple of mug hugs which I plan to embroider her teacher's names on a piece of felt and fill the mugs with some festive chocolates.

These are so easy to make and I think they make a lovely personalised handmade gift for teacher's and don't cost a fortune!


I also made myself go out into the beautiful sunshine today for in my wellness I know what an incredibly blessed and rich life I have. I never want to take my privileged life for granted. Mother nature showed me all the small things this morning and the silence was something I was grateful for.  

I love Sylvia Plath's poem:

Mushrooms Overnight, very  Whitely, discreetly,  Very quietly  Our toes, our noses  Take hold on the loam,  Acquire the air.  Nobody sees us,  Stops us, betrays us;  The small grains make room.  Soft fists insist on  Heaving the needles,  The leafy bedding,  Even the paving.  Our hammers, our rams,  Earless and eyeless,  Perfectly voiceless,  Widen the crannies,  Shoulder through holes. We  Diet on water,  On crumbs of shadow,  Bland-mannered, asking  Little or nothing.  So many of us!  So many of us!  We are shelves, we are  Tables, we are meek,  We are edible,  Nudgers and shovers  In spite of ourselves.  Our kind multiplies:  We shall by morning  Inherit the earth.  Our foot's in the door.

Thanks for stopping by, I feel so much better now. Blog therapy who would have thought ? 

What do you do when you feel blue?

xox

Journey of definition's

Hello, I'm back with my blanket in tow...listening to this song

I have adored making this blanket.

It was comforting, all encompassing, each stitch mindfully accomplished.

I think I may very well mourn not having this beauty of knotted V's to work on.

I'm going to take you on a little journey {whilst you munch your popcorn/maltesers/winegums/sweeties/chocolate buttons/glass of wine - delete as appropriate}

through the different definitions of what a chevron can mean/be.

So here goes

(oh yes don't forget to put your tongue in cheek before you embark on this journey)

First definition:

1. (Military) Military a badge or insignia consisting of one or more V-shaped stripes to indicate a noncommissioned rank or length of service

Yes, these are V shaped stripes

Plenty V shapes and stripes

Commissioned: For cosy couch days in

Length of service: 105 rows x 230 stitches

Second definition:

2. (History / Heraldry) Heraldry an inverted V-shaped charge on a shield, one of the earliest ordinaries found in English arms

Yes, it has been my shield, this Autumn of 2011

Something to hide behind while I continued to create my coat of arms against the freezing weather {sometimes world} 

Definition three:

3. (usually plural) a pattern of horizontal black and white V-shapes on a road sign indicating a sharp bend

No black and white, only 70's inspired retro-like colour's please. 

Yes, there have been times when it has driven me around a sharp bend!

Definition four:

4. any V-shaped pattern or device

My darling chevron blanket you are no "any V-shaped pattern", you are THE V shaped pattern :0)

{found in this divine book here}

Definition Five:

5. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Architecture) Also called dancette an ornamental moulding having a zigzag pattern

Oooooh chevron blanket you ARE a dancette of fine art

Ornamental

You Zigg You Zagg

I heart all of you

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoyed the little journey of definitions xox

Forthcoming attraction

I've been a-hookin' away this last weekend {perfect Saturday grey heavy day weather for it}and will be revealing the one, the only, the mammoth, the blood, sweat and tears inducing CHEVRON Blanket!

See you soon and don't forget to buy your pop corn :0)

Cheery moments

It's that time of the week when I get to stop, think and reflect on some of the reasons to be cheerful this dark, grey winter week. As you all may have gathered by now, Reasons to be cheerful is Penny of Planet Penny's blog fame's brainchild and I'm hoping you may have some reasons to be cheerful to beat the winter blues and if so, you might want to check out her blog and join in.


So here goes...

My lovely husband Andy running me a candle lit bath after a stressy day at work. Just what the doctor ordered!

The sun shining on bunting I made for Alice ages ago (as you can see she likes to collect badges on it), shining in her room before it set. It was most pleasant to have a few rays come our way after all the greyness.

Knitting a very sweet Debbie Bliss baby cashmerino yarn cardigan for my sister in law who is expecting her first baby in the Spring. This yarn is so sweet and soft. What do you think of the colours I chose? I bought them on an impulse thinking they were "gender neutral" but the more I knit this up the more I think it's more boy-like rather than girly! Oh well, here's to a 50:50 chance ;0)

A thrify bargain of 10p for a ram and an ewe from a charity shop to add to our homemade nativity set next month. I've always loved children's little plastic animals.  

And last but not least a little more autumn from our country walk on the weekend.

It felt a little like the road less traveled, it was wonderful

Cheery wishes to you and yours xox

Plenty

Plenty Provisions Store in St.Leonards-on-Sea is one of my favourite local shops. The lady who owns and runs it re-located from London to the coast a couple of years ago and set up her dream store providing wonderful organic dried and fresh foods, eco-cleaning products, fair trade chocolate and coffee etc. It's a delight to peruse the shelves for something delicious.

She has also followed her dream of having a coffee and cake or deli sandwich mini-cafe at the back of the store and some sweet tables and chairs to sit out on the promenade for you to relax in and bask in the seasonal sunshine. 

Not only do i love all her provisions (which also include selling some beautiful cards and handmade vintage fabric lavender bags) but the BREAD she sells from her suppliers The Lighthouse Bakery in East Sussex is manna from heaven. Melt in your mouth kind-of-stuff.


The Lighthouse bakery bakes all sorts of gorgeous artisan handmade breads, they also have an award wining bakery school with various courses. The courses are a little on the pricey side but a girl can dream can't she! (I promise I've been good this year Santa ;0)


I bought a loaf of our favourite treat bread this week...

Plaited chocolate bread, Say no more!

The great thing about this bread is that you can freeze it and have it available for those chilly dark evenings when you fancy a sweet treat.

Or...

If you are anything like my family it will be warmed up in the microwave and gobbled with melting butter in one go! 

A girl can dream about frozen chocolate bread can't she xox

Dearest Blog

Dearest Blog


I have so much to tell you about, photo's to share with you, experiences and feelings to log but I am tired today, oh s very tired. It's been a very tiring weekend with our "autumn clean-up", charity shop recycling {5 HUGE black bags of linen, toys, clothes and some books and other bits and bobs},finishing decorating and furnishing Alice's room and re-arranging most of our upstairs before Winter truly arrives.


I'm so relieved to have Alice back in her room again, she chose apple white paint for the walls and I've made her some cushion covers from Ikea fabric we bought back in the summer. It was nice to be able to amble up into my attic space and sew again over the weekend.


Her room is all looking rather pre-teen and we had a ceremonial goodbye to the flowers I painted on her pink walls when she was 2 years old. It feels like a new chapter, an exciting new beginning despite Winter approaching and us hibernating more. Our little girl is growing up each and every day.


In amongst the chaos I managed to carry on furiously crocheting away on my beloved chevron blanket until much to my horror I realised that somehow I had been casting on more stitches than the original 230 per row, making the blanket inconsistent and super duper wavy instead of flat! I felt sick to my stomach as I slowly but surely un-ravelled 17 rows = wait for it...3910 treble stitches

Oops I meant stitches, I really am rather tired.

I was not particularly pleased with my silliness and so have had to remind myself to be mindful of the art of crochet rather than the hurry of a completed project. To cheer myself up I've started knitting a sweetly striped cardigan for my sister in law who is expecting her first little babe in April next year. Aaaahhh the joy and comfort of having more than 1 project on the go. 

Somehow I feel nearly normal again.

So, it's cheerio and hope you all have a snug and super week ahead. I'm off to snuggle up with Alice and her hippo Rose {as seen below in the photo taken by Alice} to read books and tell stories about our day before she goes to the land of nod xox