Mad Day at the Beach

We have a tendency in our house to have mad moments and just doing something, anything on a whim. Due to hubby not being well we don't plan anything specific so when he's feeling up to it we just go with the flow and see where the day takes us. Except yesterday was a definite mad moment. Kids on school holidays, eldest out with her boyfriend and the youngest 'bored' already, so hubby decided lets take the dogs for a walk on the beach at Mappleton over on the East Coast. We visited Mappleton last year and it was beautiful, lovely huge beach, you could walk for miles.

I thought it was a good idea so suggested that he check the weather for the area and times of the tide. It is approximately 80 miles from where we live and I was thinking it's a tad too far if the tide is in. I was assured that we were up for light showers and the tide was not an issue, so of we go. Car packed, Daughter in the back with a long face because we are dragging her away from her iPad which she is on FaceTime all day with her best friend and off we go. On route we decided fish and chips for lunch from Hornsea then on to Mappleton for the beach. Well I'm sure you won't be surprised if I told you that as we approached Hornsea the so called light showers were persistent rain. We parked up, found a fish and chip shop then sat soaked in the car while we ate them. Car completely steamed up and I suggested lets turn around and go home. It had taken us 2 hours to get to Hornsea. Hubby said we are already wet so why not just pop to the beach and see what it's like. So 6 miles down the road later we park up and yes you guessed it the tide was well and truly in. I had to ask myself what weather and tide information had hubby looked at because it was or he was wrong on all counts. Still there was a small patch of beach that we were able to get on and it stopped raining. Down to the beach we go, the dogs loved chasing the pebbles and getting their feet wet. Youngest though was not impressed.

Even though it was wet and the tide was in we and the dogs did enjoy ourselves. Daughter maybe not so much. A four hour round trip for a bag of chips and 30 minutes on the beach is a bit mad but thats who we are. Next time though I think will check the weather and tide reports.

Una's Donation

Last year the lovely Una from over at Great Balls of Wool blog donated lots of 4ply oddments that she had leftover and wasn't going to use. I agreed that I would use her donation to make something for charity. I sat yesterday and with my fabulous wool winder turned all these oddments

into 4 large mixed cakes (balls). I joined all the little bits together has I went and doubled it up by winding two strands together at a time. I ended up with a mixed pattern that changes all the time.

I decided to turn my donation into pet blankets. This is the start of my first one. As you can see by winding two strands together you get a thicker wool plus a mottled kind of effect.

I decided simple granny squares would be good with my trusty 4mm hook. I think I could possibly go up to a 5mm hook. I am making them 20 rounds in size and I will possibly have enough for 2 blankets, maybe even 3. So huge thank you Una for your donation. I kind of enjoyed winding it all.

I shall post a photo of the completed blankets when I have finished.

Crochet Therapy

Although I love the snow, we have had quite bit over the last couple of weeks and that has meant no sunlight for photos so today a glorious sunny day, I thought I would take advantage.  I wanted to use up some of my oddments so that I can concentrate on something new. So I have made two small pet blankets one a typical granny square, the other a C2C (corner to corner). I want to make the C2C blanket again and I shall make a few to donate to our local cat protection league. I gave the granny square blanket to our little jack russell Lacey, she loves it and while taking photos she decided she liked the other one too.

She also loves the snow!

I am now working on a two tone pink mini granny square blanket. I am using a bright pink and a light pink finished with white, I shall share once complete.

I just had to buy!

Morning everyone, yet another dark and nasty stormy day here in West Yorkshire. I need the weather to play nice and let the sun come out just for 1 day so I can take photos. Last weekend I found out about a garden centre not too far from me that was selling wool. I thought two of my favourite things in one place, wool and plants. I told hubby who said we will pop along and see what its like. Well, I then found out that the wool was 50% off. Forget the plants get in the car we're off, I told him. So with a view to 'just having a look' off we went on Wednesday. I was like a kid in a sweet shop, shelf after shelf of lovely squishy wool and yes half price. As you do when confronted with such a bargain I filled up two baskets and carried more to the checkout. Seen as it was lunchtime we decided to stop for lunch when finished at the garden centre. While re-fuelling I looked on a couple of websites and discovered that most of the wool I had bought was much better than half price. So after lunch we went back this time with a trolley and I filled that up too. There is a chance I just might be going back again soon with my friend Dawn too. Here is photo of my lovely haul.

I came across another blog called Repeat Crafter Me where I found a pattern for a lovely little jacket, I adapted the pattern slightly which I will post hopefully tomorrow, but in the meantime here is a photo  of my version made using the fabulous Stylecraft Vision in Lagoon. The wool is 80% acrylic / 20% wool and is lovely and soft.

Morning everyone, well we have a wet and miserable day here today which means no photos of my latest makes. I like to take my photos in the morning when the sun is coming through the studio window, so I suppose I shall have to wait for the sun to come out and play. I tried a light box but I only have small studio and it just didn't work for me.

On Sunday I should have stayed in taking my photos but it was a such a lovely day and we really needed to blow away the cobwebs so we went for a walk instead to our favourite place. Tingley reservoir near Leeds is approximately 1.25 miles, its flat with a pathway all the way around and it doesn't seem to matter what time of year you go its beautiful. There is a sandbank at the beginning of the walk which allows the dogs to paddle a little before the walk. Penny our big dog was so excited that she didn't want to come home.

Belated Christmas Wishes

I am sending you all belated Christmas wishes and hope everyone had a lovely time. I myself have had a chest infection but over that now (yeah), My family and I all had a lazy Christmas just chilling and appreciating the fact the my husband is still here with us after having a double heart bypass just 9 weeks ago. So I know feel after a very stressful year that its goodbye to 2014 and I'm looking forward to 2015.

Now I don't normally go in for new year resolutions but this year I am. My studio/office is where I keep all of my woolly loveliness plus all my other craft items from buttons and ribbons to scrap paper and card plus beads and embellishments and because of the recent stresses everything has just been piled up in heaps and I feel claustrophobic.  So with this in mind I have been researching storage ideas and thinking of how to clean up my space and make it more workable.  The 1st thing I am doing is sorting through my woolly oddments that have been left over from projects and organising them in to different categories. I alway make sure that I use 100% of the ball of wool, so the beginning of the ball is my current project, depending on the project I might have a good sized oddment left over, I then make something for charity with it like a baby hat or bootees or granny squares which will be joined together later with a main colour to make a blanket which will then be donated to charity, if there is anything left I add to my little hats bag to make innocence hats to raise funds for AGE UK. After all that my offcuts when weaving in the ends are kept in a little bag and when it's full it is sent to my good friend Maureen for stuffing handmade toys. I'm going now to play with the wool winder and start my organised 2015.

Happy New Year!

The end of the rainbow

Yeah! I have finished my latest rainbow blanket and it shall be winging its way to my customer later today.  Although my arms are aching a little today after a mammoth weekend of crochet to get this loveliness finished I really enjoyed making it again. The simplicity of the V stitch gives a soft textured finish especially when using Stylecraft Special DK yarn. It's funny though how you just don't realise how long it takes to make a blanket this large until you are making it for someone else. When its a gift for a loved one you just hook away and don't think of the time aspect, when making to order you realise just how much love and effort goes into making something that is going to be loved for many years to come by someone you haven't even met. I hope a special little girl in Bristol is going to love her new blanket.