So Thread Weight Does Matter!

I was so proud of the lovely threads I purchased in the last post.  Not at all suitable for what I am planing tho.  Hmmmmm..... time to bust out the stash that I am hiding in a box under the shelf in my stashroom.

A few months ago in a complete buying frenzy I ordered a huge box of 4ply cottons from Jimmy Beans in America.  I couldn't decide on a colour so I just said - What the heck - and ordered one of each.  It was one of the best boxes I got to open last year, hands down.

So I had a quick play last night and this is what I came up with.  I think it's a lovely spread of colours and this weekend - long weekend at that, I shall have an experiment with this chosen few.

Shopping for Apples :)

 I went out on a good deed today to get some apples for my horse, Lily.  Well to be totally truthful that was a ruse to drop into  the yarn store to see if there were any colours of crochet cotton that I adored.  There was, I bought and then ran out of time to buy the apples.  Ooooops!

I have a plan for these colours - hopefully my play tonight will prove that my plan is a FANTASTIC plan.  It's always a good thing when a plan turns out to be so.

It also involves some twigs I went hunting for a few weeks ago.  I didn't realise how hard it would be to find twigs that were the right size and the right type and had the right shape.  I was pretty pleased how they turned out and they have added a very minimalistic look to my not very minimalistic lounge.  Poor Tom has been wondering where I am headed with this look - he just knows in his heart of hearts that this won't be all that is happening on the dresser.

So there we are.... we have the twigs and we have the yarn.  I can see that there won't be too much happening in my world outside these two things.  Update tomorrow!!

Rainy Sunday Sew Fest

I used to be a regular little patchwork addict but in recent times knitting and crochet have become the passion of choice.  I still dabble but the addict-factor is at an all time low.  This weekend I did venture into my sewing room and had a wonderful time - a wee bit of cutting and a whole lot of stitching.  The view from my sewing seat is wonderful even on a rainy Sunday - the birds all hang out in the trees outside my room making it a very nice place to be.

Here's a small peek at some of the applique I have already done in the centre of the quilt.  It's a lovely quilt - Jesse's Garden.  I have been working on the applique on and off for quite a few months but it is coming together quite nicely now.

Here's a wee look at the border I have been working on.  It's all attached and when I have a chance I'll get a photo of the completed border.  I am totally chuffed with the way it all went together - not a tuck or pleat in sight. Magic!  Hopefully I will get a chance next week to get to work on some more flowers so the branches aren't looking quite so bare.  See you all then with more blossoms.

Whhhiiiiizzzzzzz .....

there went three weeks of my life.

It happens to me every year, part of the joy of being in retail at this time of year.  We had a very very busy season this year which is great and now I get to appreciate 'normal' time and get all of my 'normal things done.  This in a way is a great thing, otherwise I just might not realise how special my life can be.

I have been a wee crocheter in my spare time.  The baby blanket is coming along at a great pace - for a turtle that is.  I am a wee bit nervous of the colours, I have found out that I am going to be a nannie to another boy - which is a very exciting thing.  So now I am a wee bit concerned that this blanket is a bit 'girlie' compared to Rydah's technicolour one.  So as a backup I have started a hexagon blanket in bright cottons.  I am not too sure about this either but I just love the way that this one looks on this blog.  So there, procrastination has struck but I am sure that one of these blankets will be just right.

Then I have been making something for me.  I have always loved these stones on this blog.  So that was my Christmas treat, to sit and cover a stone.  I just loved it!  I have now made two and they look rather fine side by side.

Snacking Seagulls in the

I took these photos a wee while back but they just make me smile when I look at them.

We were out having coffee when this rather lovely seagull decided that the ground was just not up to his standard.  Cheeky thing happened on a plate which was still half full.  Not sure if this occurred because of a fussy human didn't find the meal up to standard or if the chef hadn't put the love into the meal when he/she cooked it.  But anyways the seagull was just totally impressed with the offerings on the plate.

Other folk sitting around were just horrified at the fellow but I think because I was making such a fuss of him there were too scared to chase him away.  I always loved Johnathon Livingstone Seagull - so this fellow became my Johnathon. and if he is a she then she will be my Harriet.  How do you tell if a seagull is a she or a he?  Fascinating question.

Super Amazing Blankets for Super Beautiful Grandkids - part 2

I thought I was going to have a few years off before revisiting the baby blanket marathon.  But no - another call from that darling boy, I'm going to be a nannie again!!  So exciting - but wow, these two kids of mine have got their work cut out for them for the next few years.
So the planning started again.... what to make, what to make.  So many choices I must admit that I jumped from one idea to another - ooooo.... and I must admit to the fact that I jumped from one purchase to another.  So much fun!
First up on the idea was some lovely hand dyed yarn from a local lady who operates under the name of Olive and Emma - here.  I purchased her lovely rainbow yarns and lots of grey - I had intentions of knitting a blanket with rainbow hearts, just like the hottie bottle cover shown here.  But then when I thought about it and remembered that these kids live in the tropics and this is beautiful merino - not the most intelligent idea of the month.
So onto the second idea - I found a beautiful crochet motif blanket in a magazine I sell in the shop.  It is in a warm beige with bright coloured flower motifs sewn around the edges.  Exquisite.  And then I found some equally fantastic yarn in cotton and silk to make it.  I was so geared for this wee one to be a girl that I hadn't really given much thought to what I would do if a wee man appeared on the scene.  Plus I really really love the rug and could see it thrown over my couch.  Sigh.... where to go from here?
Well I have certainly taken the long road of getting to the blanket I would actually make.  I was sorting through some drawers and found some cotton yarn I had bought a year or so ago to make a blanket for my bed.  I hadn't been happy with how the crochet squares had turned out so it had been put into the replanning drawer.  Well here was the perfect use for it.  I already have a ripple rug on the go - I saw it a while back on Attic24 and had started one of my own.  I just love rippling so I finally got to a place to start my own new ripple rug for the new family member.  The photos below show just one weekend of rippling and I am super pleased with the results.  I am sure that the colours are going to be fine for boy or girl - I will wait to complete the borders when I know more.  Brown/Blue for a wee man and Pink/Green flowers for a little lady.  Oh - I so hope it's a girl.... I can just see a mass of flower motifs being worked into a very special flowery border.    But we shall wait and see - only a few months to go now.

So that's the story of the baby blankets.  I do think this wee family will stay at two parents and two kids for a while and I can start making other bits and bobs for these two very special young peoples.  I do love being the Nannie, even if it is from afar.

Super Amazing Blankets for Super Beautiful Grandkids - part 1

Now anyone that knows me well knows that I like nothing better than starting amazing beautiful projects that I get totally obsessed with.  The success rate for completing these projects is relative on a few things.  First up is whether or not another bigger obsession appears that totally obscures the previous one.  Then there is happiness factor - whether I just LOVE the project and can't put it down because it is so goddamned fantastic.  Then there is a responsibility factor - whether I am going to be held accountable for completing a project.  That last one doesn't happen too often as usually the projects are for myself so I can tell myself that there is no hurry and tomorrow is another very beautiful day to think about getting back to a project.

So anyway - where is this post leading?  Well 15 months or so ago my very precious son rang to tell us that we were going to be grandies.  Yikes!  Was he ready - hell, was I ready?  Well once the dust settled and I got to know his lovely gal and decided that yep he was ready and I was ready - well then the planning all about what I was going to make started.  Well I hummed and harred until I settled on this lovely blanket on Ravelry found here.  The next issue was what colours - these kids of mine weren't making it easy by not finding out whether they were having a boy or a girl.  So I settled on bright and found some bamboo/wool mix in delicious colours.  And I commenced knitting….. and I kept knitting….. and then I knitted some more…. until the day arrived when all I had to do was sew in the ends.  WOW!  For a day I was no longer a procrastinator - I was a FINISHER!!

So here is the finished product next to my kiwi's (just to remind young Rydah of his kiwi roots) and here is the young man himself under my beautiful FINISHED project.  But the story does continue - more in a moment or maybe a day or two.