My busy January.

I saw this pattern and had to make it.  It took me just three evenings to crochet it. I used the yarn used in the pattern but had to search around for it from a UK dealer. Its a wool mixture called Bamboo Ewe and the colours have delightful names: Geranium, Lipstick, Sprout and Snapdragon. I think the names are as lovely as the colours themselves

I love the bright colours and wore it to church on sunday. I had lots of admiring comments which was nice.

Crocheting is back in vogue! 

As is knitting..  my efforts for the January challenge for SOM group was in my previous post.

Lovely and stripy socks, just what I like.

And of course I stitched a reindeer for  the Christmas Ornie challenge.

Now I need some new sock yarn for February and I have dug out my JC Christmas edition for my February ornie.

As well as this I have managed to work on all three of my WIPs and will show pics next time.
And I stitched Jaclyn's RR... So quite a busy month.
If you haven't already signed up, don't miss  my free givaway, sign up now. The draw is on the 12th February

Happy Days and enjoy your crafting whatever it is..

A RAK Givaway

My friend Sue was offering a PIF on her blog and as I have had a beautiful  needle case from her before, I couldn’t wait to sign up.. and I was the only one!!

So perhaps with so many Challenges, SALs, Exchanges and WIPs finishing off blogs, going on , PIFs have for the moment taken a back seat... So with this in mind I have decided to do RAK instead... this could be anything to do with cross stitch, so come on sign up for a giveaway from me in the next year.

Just leave a comment here and then give a link back to my blog on your blog to qualify. I will chose three.

I shall make the draw on Saturday, February 12th.

I should explain RAK is a Random Act of Kindness, so it is a givaway..

First 2 makes of 2011

I have joined Knit a sock a month! And these are my January socks. I loved the stripy colours and they are

so easy to make. I am going to make a patterned pair next.. so surfing for some sock yarn!

.

And I have also join Christmas Challenge 2011.

Just stitch a Christmas ornie each month. I thought they could be presents for my friends instead of just a card next Christmas. This is stitched on 28C even weave with a gold thread. Dmc 666 and trimmed with red rick-rack. Its backed with red Christmas fabric.

So I am well pleased with myself.. two presents for next Christmas already!

A very busy and happy weekend!

We have had such a lovely weekend... its true when you do something for someone else it makes you happy! Saturday we invited Mike's DS and wife and little GS for the day...They came here to my house in Essex as it so much nearer to travel to than Coventry. We had a lovely day with them and they gave me these lovely roses.

 Their second baby is due in April so exciting time ahead.

***

Then Sunday we had asked my DD and her DH and my lovely grand children to come for sunday dinner!  They gave me the tulips, and brought wine and mint chocs.

We cooked this huge leg of lamb and with roast potatoes and a selection of veg, it was all eaten.

The children cleared their plates and my granddaughter finished off all the gravy as she loves her grandma's gravy and always had extra gravy.

My grandsons were lovely and I had extra hugs from Theo my youngest (he's 10) as he said he hadn't seen me for ages! He gave me his school photo and its lovely and one photo as a book mark which is lovely too. He is leaning forward with his arms folded on a table and it's a great pose, which he did he told he did because he had a mark on his tee shirt!! LOL
 I  had such a lovely day..exhausting but so enjoyable.
                         I bought the daffodils on friday when we went to Basildon shopping.

To me they mean spring is on its way!

So we had a very busy time but it was so enjoyable...

A present, a buy and a make!

I love the bright colours of this, its one of those funny little tea-pots that lifts off to reveal a cup underneath.was given it for a christmas present and I love it. It will look lovely on my dresser.

Last week we went to Stratford, just for a wander around and I saw these in one of the many little knick-nak shops. They are salt and pepper pots. I doubt if I will ever use them but I didn't buy them to use just to have them on my dresser and to look at! Perhaps if I did an afternoon tea with friends I would put them out on the table! They are so cute and cup cakes are all the rage.

And I made this ages ago and kept forgetting to photograph it.

This stands on my mantle shelf in my house in Essex, where my real home is!

I like to have bitty things around and to the friends who have said to me in the past, all those things to dust...... poof!! I only dust them now and then, because I am too busy stitching!

Happy days and happy stitching!

The way to live your life!

For all you ladies who like me like to live life to the full.

Click on the D and enjoy!!

Dancing

Three very different WIPs and a PIF and 2 new Challenges!

I have stitched a little bit on each of my WIPs this week and think all three are showing progress, so I am pleased..

Rosewood Manor,' Spring Quaker': Bothy Threads 'Buzzy Days'

And Celtic Lady 'Summer'

I have kitted up Rosewood Manor Quaker and Quilts and will

start this when I have finished one of these. I am going to use 32C cream linen, and the recommended Valdani floss

To keep myself busy I have also joined two new blogs,

Knit a pr of socks in a Month

and

Challenge for a Christmas Ornie a month!

And of course I am taking part in Stitchers Haven RR..

And if you would like a beautiful stitched something, then pop along to Sue's blog as she is doing a PIF.

Happy Stitchy Days, whether it is stitching, knitting or crochet... Enjoy

Much better... and the sun is shining!

Thank you to you all for your very kind words last week and to those who emailed me. What ever it was that pushed me into feeling so down has gone! And they were only words from someone I never see, so who cares??

Perhaps it had something to do with this....I stitched this for some one in my church who had been diagnosed with cancer ( Oct 2008) She is fine, completely cured and looks great! I didn't know this till today but she has this hanging where she sees it every day and every day and some times several times a day, she says a prayer for me. I was astonished when she told me.. how little things we do for some one can have an effect on us too. So thank you Su, I needed those prayers.And this morning church was wonderful, the preaching was completely uplifting and great worship songs too.

And the sun is shining today, albeit very frosty; the house is at last clean and tidy after Christmas (took it all down on thursday 12th night, which exhausted me and meant I slept really well !)
And DH and I have had some very pleasant evenings together,  alone again...bliss!
My stitching is all getting done and I am loving it all.

I don't know why I decided I didn't like stitching this, because I have quite enjoyed it this week and had to stop myself from finishing it, after all I joined the 2011 weekly SAL to get it finished so I have all year!! LOL
I will start my Chatelaine for the SAL and do that when it is finished.

My Summer Celtic Lady is showing progress too. This HD Polstitches fabric is gorgeous to stitch on, so soft.

 I think it is beginning to look like I have done some thing on it.

AND ta-da my latest stitching is.......

My Rosewood Manor Quaker Spring.. I absolutely love it! I didn't use the pale grey fabric as the paler colours just didn't show up, so used a 32C Cream Belfast that I had in my stash. I think the smaller stitching makes it look so delicate and I love the colours! Can't wait to stitch some more of this, this week!
So I am back normal and alwayssmiling again..So hip-hop and skippity do and happy days to all and wishing you many happy stitchy hours.

Miserable me!

When is wet and miserably cold outside or I feel miserable, I think of this summer meadow.

But today it just hasn't worked.

I am having a horrible day.. for some reason only known to herself, my MIL has said some horrible things about me. I can't work out why because I have always been pleasant to her.

It could have some thing to do with the fact that DH has said we are moving away from Coventry.They have become very reliant on their son for shopping and various Dr appointments lately, which I have never objected to. It has made me feel miserable and I want to run away!! Silly me...... I am a grown woman...... but I am a grown woman with my own house so it is possible for me to just go.

I won't of course,  I wouldn't give my DH that sort of grief.

And this cold wet weather doesn't help how I feel.

When I felt like this before, we were in Tesco's and I saw a woman there with one of those scarves tied round her head, as women do when they have lost their hair because of chemo. It made me snap out of my mood right away and count my blessings. So that's what I should do now!

Evidently MIL has regretted saying what she did, although she hasn't said this to me. Anyway words are like feathers in the wind, you can never get them back.

I have these growing in our conservatory and pots of daffs already sprouting, so lots of things to cheer me up.

And I am blessed in too many ways to mention... the house needs a good clean as we still have Christmas cards up and our tree as we always leave it all for 12th night..so I am off to clean in our bedroom and throw off this black mood!
House work is the panacea for all sorts of things for me and it gets me feeling pleased with myself! Sad or what???LOL
I am getting on well with all my stitching and I think I will start one of the new charts I have all kitted up, yeh!!

Review of 2010 and Plans for 2011

In 2010 I took up knitting and crocheting again, something I did a lot of when my children were little. I am still knitting socks  like there is no tomorrow! I love this stripy yarn you can buy these days, its all so pretty.

And I had completed a lot more stitchy projects than I thought.

And I did a few other little things as well. Beaded scissor fobs, a button heart for DH for valentine's day and a summer and autumn throw for our little settee in the conservatory. Quilting was a brand new project for me.

So in 2011, I am going to finish my Summer Celtic Lady, SAL my Rosewood Quaker Spring, quaker sal SAL my Bothy Threads 'Buzzy days' http://2011weeklysal.blogspot.com/ and I am sewing  a Block of the Month Quilt..As well as that I am in a RR with the new group called Needle Craft Haven  I have other stitching projects all kitted up and ready to go and I want to make another quilt for our bed in Billericay. And of course we are moving there, so a busy year!

 Happy Crafting all and enjoy yourselves!