Teacups and Motifs.......

And so it continues.

The days are racing.

I have so much to do.

Far too much to spend ANY time on crafting.....

....yet I still decide, on a whim to make a crafty make and start another blanket.

I know! Am I crazy or what?

...my crafty little make?....oh....a little teacup...

I'm not sure why I suddenly decided that I needed a teacup pin cushion in my life......I just did. 

It's not as if I don't have enough little pin cushions to keep me going. It just popped into my head and called my name.....very loudly.

I wish I was the kind of person that had these thoughts, and then just filed them away in their brain under 'must make someday'. It seems I am not that kind of person, and once said thought enters my head, the only way I can get it from being my only thought is to make it and get it out of my system.

I had seen one somewhere, in a magazine perhaps.....or maybe Pinterest. I remember it wasn't actually the centrepiece of the image I was actually looking at and I cannot even remember paying much attention to it, but my mind must have registered it. I decided (once again on a whim one day) that I think I should like to make myself one.

No pattern, but it was straightforward enough to put together.

I did try and do a google search to see if I could find the picture that gave me inspiration for it, but, as I thought, it was a bit fruitless as the teacup wasn't the main attraction. I cannot even remember what the main attraction was in the image. I did come across some pretty crocheted teacup pin cushions though. Quite a bit of inspiration on that search alone.

I'm rather pleased with my whim of a make. Made from a very vague, not quite there memory, it turned out well and will serve a good purpose. I like the little handle, I like the saucer, and I like the froth on the top. Maybe it will make me thirsty. I do love a super drink.

From teacups I went onto motifs.

Again, spur of the moment.

I do have my wavy blanket (which I have yet to name) to be getting on with.....although I seem to have marked that a long WIP.

I just had the urge for hexagon motifs in subtle colours.

My colour range is coming along nicely and I am really rather happy with it. I have a passion for greys, pinks, blues and neutrals at the moment. I am feeling satisfied. I like it when that happens. I always dread that feeling when you put some colour combinations together that look so lovely in your head...but when push comes to shove...they leave you feeling flat.

I simply have no space for another blanket. I am thinking I need to be ruthless and get rid of some of my earlier blanket makes to accommodate the newer stuff. I shall think on it more.

Until then, teacups and motifs put a smile on my face.....

XXX

Changing tastes......

If someone ever asks me to describe my taste, just thinking about how to answer gives me a headache.

I've often looked through home magazines and come across houses that are decorated in one flat colour. The same colour on the walls and floors. The same colour in furniture, textiles and accessories.....and the same in EVERY room in the house. The owners using words such as 'calming' and 'fluidity'. 

I do envy them. 

 If only I had one colour that I loved. One palette that I could be happy to have my whole house in. Flippin' 'eck, that would save me so much mental fuzziness.

Having said that if only I had just one STYLE that I loved, i'd even be quite happy with that.

But, i've realised i'm a total mish mash girl.

I wake up each day loving a different style. It's not a good thing for an ordered head. Good job my noggin isn't an ordered one.

I love bright pops of colour.....I love soft pastels.....I love new and contemporary.....I love old and battered...I love light and airy....I love closed in and cluttered......arrrrgggghhhhhhh

I use a fair amount of bright colour in my creative makes, but generally in my house and day to day living, I tend to stick to pastels. I find it more calming in a hectic day.

Looking through my blog it's probably quite easy to see what shades I like to put together.

I've posted before about my loathing of lilac. Actually, it's a particular shade of lilac. That almost luminescent shade of lilac. I've said before, how it actually can make me feel 'ill'. No joke! The closest I can get are purple, heathery shades teamed with a dark green.

I also had a HUGE issue with orange......pumpkin orange to be precise. 

I have always had a problem with Halloween, because it is associated with pumpkin overkill and the sight of them gave me headaches. It was never such an issue with me years ago. Here in the UK, Halloween was something that you recognised, maybe someone you knew was having a dress up party, but generally, that was it. It was all a bit, half hearted. We seemed to put more emphasis on Guy Fawkes and Bonfire Night a week later. Well, certainly, in my neck of the woods. It's really only in the last few years that Halloween has become a huge thing with trick or treating being pushed hard in the supermarkets and pumkins overflowing at the ends of the shopping aisles.

I realised that because of this, I never really introduced any yellow into my home. Simply because it was close to orange on the spectrum. I decided to make the change a couple of years ago and yellow started to come into my home. Warm, buttery yellows. I actually really liked it. It seemed to lift the rooms.

Then, something happened. I made a scarf with some golden, yellow, ochre yarn. 

I adored it.

I bought this yarn last October too. I fell in love with it on sight. I didn't manage to get anything made to take advantage of it in the cold weather, but it's on the list this year.

 

And then, can you believe it.....I made the Serendipity blanket and added pumpkin orange in the mix! I still wasn't hung up on the colour on its own, but the blanket simply didn't work without it. The depth of the pumpking orangy colour seemed to balance the paler shades of the yellows and pinks. I think this was a slight turning point for me. 

I also decided, that what with all my shawl making, I needed a tan coloured one. I walked past my local store and saw a bulk of dark ochre yarn for sale which I knew would be the perfect shade for my shawl.

Remember this pic?........

I don't think I ever posted a pic of my finished shawl. It was using the same japanese pattern that I had made a few of previously.

I made it big, and I love it.

I seem to have become a bit obsessed with the shade since.

The next few crochet projects seem to have been heavily influenced by this colour obsession.

I had a few balls of the lovely tan/ochre yarn left over from the shawl and wanted to use it in a blanket somehow. I had been itching to make some sunburst granny squares for a while so it seemed a good match. On doing a little search for sunburst granny motif tutorials, I came across the very lovely and talented Dottie Angel blanket that used the same shade of yarn and a sunburst motif. I had the other two shades staring at me in my stash so it was a no brainer to be (ahem) heavily influenced, as the colours worked so well.

I just tweaked my blanket a bit to make it a little different.

Very simple.......sunburst motifs and granny cluster edging. As much as I love all the new spangled techniques and patterns that are out there at the moment, I think a simple granny blanket is by far my all time favourite.

This new season seems to be influencing me a lot this year. I've definitely made a shift into earthier colour combinations instead of bright and 'in your face' pairings.

The leaves are turning. The golden hues are calling out to me.

However much I had longed for, and have loved the warm summer days we have had this year.....I am ready for cosy. I am ready for layers. I am ready for scarves, wrist warmers and hot drinks outside wrapped up warm. I am ready for it all.

Not bright.....not pastel......but warm ochre. Leaning towards the orange, I am surprising myself!

I've also got it in my head to make another blanket in some delicious new shades.....well....shades that I have always loved, but realised i've not yet made a blanket in to date. It's a project I CANNOT wait to start.

So, I have surprised myself with my 'shift' in taste.

Not sure it will 'fit in' anywhere in my home. I'm realising my house, my life, my head will just always be a mish mash, a chaotic mess. I don't do 'calm' and 'fluidity'. I often wish that I did, but I'm not built that way.......so I embrace erratic colour, 5 style combinations in one room......chaos.

It's who I am, and who i'll always be.

xxx

The great big cup debate......

I was on the phone to my dad the other day. He and my mum are having a new kitchen put in. We were just having a chat about the progress and he explains what an upheaval it all is, having to clear out all the cupboards.

"And can you believe", he exclaims, "we counted that we have 88 cups". "Eighty Eight cups! Have you heard of anything more ridiculous?"

I think at this point, he expected me to raise my voice in utter astonishment and disbelief that they should have so many.

ERRRRRRR NO!

"That's not that many" I churp back at him. 

I told him, that were I to count all my cups that I have in the house, I could beat them hands down on that score, and that, I'm sure my mum would concur, different cups suit different drinks.

He thought this was utter tosh, and that one cup was enough for one person day in and day out!

I think it's maybe a bloke thing. I'm not sure.

I thought about my little cup love. I really do love to have different drinks in different cups. Actually, a cup can make or break a drink in my opinion! Sounds a bit mad, but a drinking experience is quite an important one for me.

I like my hot drinks HOT. I LOATHE luke warm tea and coffee. My favourite cups are ones that are a good size, not too huge, so they get cold before I have finished. They have to be thin too so that they don't cool the drink down too quickly. Chunky stoneware cups I steer clear of. I only buy those for the males in the house to drink from. Finding the prefect cup for the perfect drink is one that excites me. It probably tells me how sad my life is! ha ha! But it's so true!

 I have been happy at finding my spotty little cup and saucer. Perfect for my morning tea or coffee. It's a really good size.....and it has a saucer. I do like a cup and saucer. It's not too thick, and its spottiness brings happy thoughts to my head.

I did spot a cup in a DIY store the other week. I hummmed and ahhhhed over it. I picked it up and held it in my hands. It looked very pleasing to the eye. It was all mis-shapen, like it was just slapped down on a potters wheel. It was a good size, bigger than average, perfect for me. And it was thin, it was going to keep the drinks nice and hot. Best of all, it was in one of my most favourite shades. 

It was indeed, the most perfect cup.

I did hear a wafting of a voice asking if I actually needed another cup, but it was destined to be mine!

I was not disappointed. It really is the perfect cup for me, and has been making my drinking experience a very pleasurable one.

Anyone else like me?

I spoke to a friend too on this cup debate, and she thought that it must be a family obsession passed down. However, she did contact me again a little later to say that she had been amazed to realise just how many cups she owned when she actually counted them!

Who knew a cup could be such an appealing thing!

XXX

Obsessive ta-dah......

It seems that I have a little obsession.

As if I don't have enough.....

....I just seemed to need to make one more.

Eeek

I was a really wanting to indulge in my love of grey this time round.

My thinking was warm grey with a slight white edging.

But neon pink snuck its way in, and the slight white edging seemed to want to more attention than I was prepared to give it. We argued, and it won. But, I'm glad to say, I'm happy it did.

It's oh so soft

A bit cobwebby

And, incredibly warm.

It's softness means that it's great too for turning round and wrapping round the neck on a frosty morning with a jacket on.

I'm secretly in love.

I'm not entirely convinced this shawl obsession is all that healthy.....

...but it sure puts a lovely big grin on my face.

Snug...as...a...bug...in...a...rug

The pattern is very similar to several I have made from a japanese pattern. 

click here if you fancy a go at making one to snuggle up in on a cool Autumnal evening.

xxx

Ta-dahs of sorts and a whole lot of waffle........

And so.....

As the trees are starting to turn from a vibrant green into something more coppery, so a new season awakens from its glorious sleep.

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This has been a relaxing summer.

I have loved it.

A brilliant summer in fact.

A creative Summer.

I have come through this summer realising a few things.....

1. Every once in a while, it is necessary to stop the clock and step away from it all.

2. I am an opposite loving girl.

3. It's very difficult to completely disconnect from technology.

4. My tastes are changing.

5. I cannot tell the difference between caffeinated and de-caffeinated tea......a good thing.

6. I adore quiet, yet I cannot live without music.

7. I'm still no gardener.

8. I cannot live without taking photos and capturing a moment.

9. I'm never going to whittle down my crafty 'to-do' list.

10. Basil is an essential in life.

Hummmmmmmmm.......

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So, this summer has been good. The Bears have been fab, the weather has been decent, i've relaxed and been happy as Larry getting my crafty mojo on.

Whilst I have left Instagram and been away from my Blog......I have been on Pinterest a fair bit. See, it is difficult to completely disconnect! I have been gathering inspiration for various bits and bobs I have wanted to make or wanted to do around my house.

I have been a busy bee.

I don't think I had intended to get a post out so soon, but I found myself with a few spare moments. I thought as I had been charting the progress of my pixelated blanket, it was really only fair to show you how far I had come with it.

So, here are the fruits of my summer.......

Goodness me, it has taken me forever. For something started that was supposed to be fairly small, it ended being a whopper of a blanket.

Now, this is a ta-dah of sorts, as it's not actually finished yet in that picture. It still has a big lace edging to be put on the top and bottom and the sides cleaned up. But it was the only opportunity to get it laying flat with space around it to show off the actual picture!

The 'Rosy Posy' Blanket

And in case the photo above still doesn't lend itself to size proportions, here's a pic of me on it.

I started this blanket in February. To be fair, it's had a lot of time just sitting. I had no idea of my yarn need with this and had to keep ordering more and just waiting for it to arrive. It took 2 whole weeks of sewing in the ends. No matter how hard I try, I just cannot be a person who sews in as they go along. I just would get so bored that i'd never complete any blanket. I find it much more motivating to get to the end and seeing it almost finished spurs me on to sew in the ends. These ends were actually mega satisfying to sew in so it didn't bother me. It was just the sheer volume that was really daunting. I could spend 4 hours at a time sewing them in and open up the blanket and I hadn't even scratched the surface!  There were 1152 squares in total, so 2304 ends to sew in. I did do a little dance of joy when the last end was sewn in. Pheweee.

It is taken from Cath Kidston's 'Stitch' book. After making my hot water bottle covers with cross stitching and then doing a little bit of actual cross stitching, this was a natural progression. I liked this pattern and was originally going to do a pin cushion, but it occurred to me that it could crochet up well in a bigger squared pixel format. Once the idea was born there was no stopping me!

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I also made a few little doilies for my table.....

These were very pleasurable to make...and really rather addictive.

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I also FINALLY finished my 'Kaleidoscope' Blanket.

This blanket was started at the same time as the 'All Boys' Blanket and the 'Serendipity' Blanket. I kept faltering on this blanket last year. I wasn't sure if I liked it. I made the decision to leave out yellow from the colour mix. About half way through, I wan't sure that it was working without it in. I kept walking away from it then coming back to it. One minute i'd hold it up and love it as it was, then the next I wouldn't. I persevered and it was only when I finished all the squares that I decided that it worked for me and I was right to leave out the yellow. The pom pom border worked well, so I am pleased.......not only that I actually finished it....but that I love it too.

I love its slight crazy nature. It's a good garden one. Very cheery that's for sure.

It has been a faithful one all summer

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So, you'd think i'd be blanketed out right?

Well, no actually!

You see, there were to be a couple of new additions to the big family. I was to be an Aunt again. Two babies were due to arrive. One I knew was going to be a boy, and the other was a surprise. 

One of my little regrets was that when my bears were babies, I hadn't mastered the art of crochet, and they went without something home made. So, I wasn't going to let this opportunity slip and I was going to do my Aunty duty and make them each one.

I wanted muted mixed colours and nothing too sickly and pastel.

The babies were due within a week of one another so I knew I had to get my skates on.

The first one I started was a wavy one which I called.....

❤❤❤ 'PORTOBELLO' ❤❤❤

I completely ADORED making this

I really loved the colours together. It'd been a long time since I had crocheted a wavy blanket and I loved every minute of working on this.

I was pleased with the end result......so were my tribe too. I would love to make a big one in these colours for myself.

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On to blanket number 2.

I was originally going to make a little granny square baby blanket, but I decided I wanted to try something a little different, so went on a Pinterest search.

I found this by the very talented Ingrid Jansen from Wood Wool and Stool

Isn't it great? Not being a massive fan of black in my crochet, but I knew that I would look super as a baby blanket in pastel hues and with a lighter edging. So I set to work.......

I called this......

❤❤❤ 'CAROUSEL' ❤❤❤

Gosh, I REALLY loved this one too. It worked out really well I think. I think i'd like a bigger version of this for my bed too. No wonder I have so many blankets!

I really hope the Mums to be like them. Eeeeeek.

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Well, You'd REALLY think that after FOUR blankets, i'd be ready to give them a rest.....

Uhhmmmmm, not quite it seems.

I'll leave that for another post. I've also been laughing myself silly. Autumn fever has taken hold with me and i've been scratching the usual random, spontaneous, creative itches I get, and making the most ridiculous Autumn stuff in mega heat! Trying on full winter garb when you are wilting is laughable, but I guess that's me. I have provided my family with a lot of entertainment recently. I'm a complete muppet. That's never going to change.

Right, this has been a mammoth post. Probably 8 posts rolled into one! Apologies. Probably my first proper creative post in a while. Information overload! 

Geez! 

Oh well, I thought as I had the time and the motivation, I might as well get it all out. You never know when my next post will come!

Thank you, for taking the time to read me and get through it all. You did well!

I'm parched now......

......a nice hot cup of de-caff I think.

Cheerio

♥

xxx