June Round Up.........

..........A hectic month, some makes, crafting and colour............

I feel like I have packed a lot in this past month......

Having a little rest and family time now!

Be back soon though!

xxx

The Rose....

xxx

Dilemma...........

This was started with the intention of being a cushion cover.  One side completed.

Something simple..................something small I thought.........I like it though.......and think will look nicer as a blanket..............oooooohhhhhhh nooooooooo.............not another blanket..........

So, I have stopped for a bit to have a little think............it looks like it should be a little vintage blanket for Baby Bears bed. Just a small one. It's snuggly and deserves a pretty little border........oh why do I do this?

xxx

Time For......

.......these babies to come back out and stand proud in the summer sun.........

The day is overcast and muggy here though! Nevermind,  I really needed a colour boost..........and strong coffee...to get me going!

I hope you all had a good weekend. Sunshine? Showers?

Mine was a mixed weekend......today though is quiet, so I have managed a bit of housework so far. I am giving myself a big pat on the back. I have no motivation, and I am a pants housewife, so I had to try REALLY hard to get started! Half the house tidy again after a weekend of chaos and mess. Stop for a cuppa and a bite to eat then at it again with the rest of the house.

I know tomorrow it will look like it has never been touched, and I will HATE that I spent a whole day doing something I loathe all for nothing. But at this moment, the house is quiet....and relatively tidy, so I will spend 5 minutes enjoying it!!!!

Have a lovely monday!

xxx

Finally Finished Ta-dah Part Two........

............This is definitely a long time coming.......finally finished........blimey......two finished blankets in a month......I need a rest now!

Last year, I bought a book and fell in love with a blanket in it.

Bought on Ebay

I was still fairly new to crochet, but I had to have a go......so I made a start...then I stopped........then I started........then I stopped. I had too much buzzing in my head. I made a few hexagons...........

.......liked what I made.............

.....made a few more....decided what colour combos I liked and what I didn't (the yellowy/orangy one had to go as Mr H said it looked like a fajita kit packet!).

The pattern said, well,  I am not sure really, it was in Japanese, but I took it to be that it was 34 hexagons in total, but laid out, it looked like a small lap blanket (the picture in the book showed it and it looked rather small), so I doubled it to 68. That's why it took so long. I left it in my pile of WIP's until two weeks ago when I made the last 20 hexagons and started to sew it all together and put the border on.

So....want to see the finished article?

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So......do I like it?

Well, it's funny...........this blanket is soooooooooooo not me in one sense. I mean, it has loads of colour, no one can say it's not vibrant, and I love vibrant........but the combinations are not ones that come naturally to me. I think it's the lack of white I found hard. I like bright colours, but I always seem to stick some white in somewhere to make the colours pop. I did think about adding white. Check out here to see what the blanket looks like with a white border around the hexagons. I think it looks totally ace like that too. The colours pop right out at you. I had already made a similar blanket from another japanese book, remember this one?.....

..........so I wanted this one to be quite different from that one.

This latest blanket is bright...yet muted. Sounds weird. And...........I even put lavender in there! I found making those hexagons REALLY hard to do, but the funny thing was, when I laid out the hexagons without the lavender/purple shades in, it looked wrong, like something was missing. When I put them back in, it seemed right!

I also realised when I went to make the last 20 hexagons that I had not read the pattern properly and a set of stitches was wrong in a row, (a combination of inexperience, and hastiness me thinks!), but the great thing about crochet is that it's no major deal. I also think that the pattern required you to stitch them together as you went along. I did it at the end. As a general rule, I don't really like putting things together as I go along as there is a tendency to group colours too close together so things end up a bit colour patchy! Having said that.....two WIP's I am having to stitch together as I go.........it just means I have to keep putting it at a distance to check what colours I am putting together. It slows me done. Never blessed with patience me!

All in all, I ♥LOVE♥ it! A completely different kind of project for me, but none the less, I ♥LOVE♥it! It looks bright and vintage looking.

The Bears love it, but Mr H is not quite feeling the love that I am for it! He says it looks very seventies and he is no fan of that era! I think this will be a garden blanket. It looks at home outside don't you think? 

So........I am blanket pooped! Smaller projects now. I have so many WIP's to be getting on with...but silly billy Nessa decided to start yet another new one! Might have that done by next week so watch this space..............!

Have a super weekend. I hope there is a little bit of sun for you if not a HUGE heap this weekend.....and if you have rain........put on those wellies and raincoat and be young again.......it's fun to jump in puddles!!!!!

XXX

If You Love..............

....the first two issues of Mollie Makes.........watch this............

Love it!

xxx

Sunshine in a Jar..............

................when it is dark and wet outside............bring the sunshine inside..............

Spread on warm bread, fresh from the bakery...I couldn't resist.......and I have my own little morning of sunshine right here in my kitchen........yummy............x

Today has been a day of..........

Pottering........

....munching........

..........and doing oodles of laundry.........

.........where does it all come from?...........

..........why does it take a whole day to do?............

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THANK YOU............

................for your kind words about my Spring Blanket. It was so lovely of you all to take the time to comment and like it as much as I do! I know what busy lives you lead........I read every one and mouthed a silent little thank you after reading each.

Thank you also for noticing, and your comments on the apple cosies bit in the new issue of Mollie Makes Magazine! I have no idea how they came across the pic or my little old blog but it was lovely of them to ask if they could stick it in!

xxx

The Finally Finished Ta-dah..............

Morning all....how are you?

Have you just had a half term break? If so, did you survive it well?

Mine was a rested one! We did nothing but simply chill! Life has been so full on of late, it was nice to just wake up and not have plans. I still have a lingering cough, but feeling better now. Thanks for all you well wishes....you're an awesome bunch!

well....................


....The Spring throw........


..........goodness me, it feels like I have been doing this blanket FOREVER! 

432 squares made......

432 squares sewn together.......

432 squares ends weaved in......

I actually would have liked it a little bigger too. I contemplated adding a few more rows.....but I think I just was so desperate to see it in all its glory, I just couldn't hang on any longer!

So.....here it is in all its glory............

Do I like it?..................

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!! ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

I finished it midway last week. I was really excited , but still not feeling 100%, so as soon as I finished it, I folded it up and put it to one side. I have spent so many hours on this blanket, my fingers were sore from all the sewing in of the ends, and I just wanted to be completely well enough to appreciate the finished result!

So I waited a few days until I felt decent again, then got it out and began to drink it all in.......... spend several minutes just looking at it and feeling happy with what I had achieved!

I really, really, really, really do love it!

Sure, I would have loved using the yarn recommended, but a) the purse just really couldn't afford it, and b) if it could have, I wouldn't have wanted to use it....AT ALL!!!!

My blanket is more vibrant. I really loved the chalkiness of the colours used in the one in the book..........

 ....and I think at some point I would like to make one more similar.......but I am REALLY happy with what I have. The colours are brighter....but you know me..........love my brights........so I am not disappointed.

All my crochet makes are made to be used and to be loved. The Bears really love wrapping themselves up in the blankets and that brings an immense smile to my face. I wanted this blanket to be the same (although, at the moment I am struggling with wanting it all to myself just draped lovingly on my bed! I know that will not happen though!) 

I cannot stop looking at it, touching it, smiling each time I see it. I truly love it! I loved it the first time I set eyes on it...and that is what kept me going. I made a scarf last year I nicknamed the 'Dr Who' scarf as I made it really long so that it could be wrapped round me a couple of times, not sure if anyone remembers.....

I completely love that scarf. It is sort of made in the same way....maybe that's why I love the blanket so much!

The squares were quick to make but the sheer number was really rather off-putting! 

Crocheting them together wasn't so bad, but the angle that I seemed to do it, gave me a headache each time.

(I left the tin out in the garden with all the strands for the birds. It was fun watching them dive in and take beak-fulls up into their nests!)

I did feel elated when all the squares were together, but that turned to horror when I turned it over and saw the sheer volume of ends I had to weave in!!! However....I am glad that I did it that way. If I had sewn in all the ends of each square as I went along, I honestly think I would have given up as it would have taken so long to reach 432. I sort of resigned myself to the fact that I would spend a week just sewing in strands, but knew that the end was so near and that would keep me going! I had to make sure I did a REALLY good job as this blanket was going to be used and abused by the three bears, and I didn't want it falling apart after all my hard work!!!!!

This is a simple little blanket project, but it is a big one, and you have to have patience and really want to see the finished result!

I used various yarns, different brands, acrylic mixes, all the same weight, just to get the colours I wanted. To be honest, I couldn't say exactly how much it cost me, but hardly anything compared to what it would have cost had I used the yarn they recommended!

So.......a big sigh......one more blanket completed. I have a mountain of other WIP's to be getting on with, but I may just have another little ta-dah moment by the end of the week....my little crochet fingers are smoking!!!!!!

Right, laundry and toy tidy are calling me now. After the half term break, the house looks like a bomb site! The boys have an inset day today too, only Baby Bear is at nursery, so a little break to get some housework done............the real world is so exciting!!!!!!!!

xxx