Can I call this post 99b....

Its just that I am not ready to call this post 100 as my give away goodies are not quite ready...
so I am calling this 99b....

I wanted to show you the lovely items Lesley from Tintocktap sent me...
I managed to post her parcel yesterday... and I hope it arrives safely and that she likes it as much as I enjoyed making it...
This was the cosy crochet swap organised by Mel and it was really tricky trying to crochet something cosy in last weeks heat wave... but look what Lesley has made me....

A Fabulous cushion... it is soooo clever and pretty...
I also received a pom pom key ring kit... a ribbon flowers project pack and a crochet book....
and don't forget the double chocolate fingers... (they are chilling in the fridge)

The cushion was soon grabbed by Jamie, and was grabbed back by me...

It really clever though... its a square that has been sewn around the cushion and then has an envelope style opening with buttons... how cute is that... under the front flower is a recessed bit that I haven't looked at hard enough yet to work out how Lesley did it...

The book is half crochet and half knitting, and I have spied fingerless gloves, beanie hats, and a lovely afghan blanket... but the afghan takes 24 balls of wool and if I managed to get the wool for £2.50 a ball it would cost me £60 to make it... Yarn work is not cheap is it....
but it is oh so addictive! ;D

Thank you so much for my lovely parcel...
you are way too kind...
Take care
Alex
x

Hello again...

Hello.... I am sorry I haven't posted in a while but I have been sooo busy that I have just realised that I hadn't blogged in an age....

Well since the Fayre... sorry Fete I was washed out and worn out for a few days... we did make just over £2,100 so that was well worth it in the end....
Then Jamie was off school with a cold, which Danny had a little bit of and luckily I dodged it... mind you I could have turned into an orange the amount of juice I was consuming...

I have been trying to clear the house up but with the introduction of Louie the kitten I tidy and he pulls stuff out again, rolls around the floor and then goes off for a nap!

The garden had a make over at the weekend, so both 60ft hedges cut (they run down either side of our long narrow back garden and boy did they need it) and the lawn cut and the front hedge cut, oh and my car died.... my dear little Mitsubishi RVR has a sea lion living in its rear wheel... that was the only way I could describe it to Mr P... apparently that's the noise of a wheel bearing going and then it developed an oil leak... So it was decided that it would be easier and cheaper if Mr P rode his motor bike to work and I got his Freelander mot'd.... so that has been done and I am now driving a soon to be half soft top Freelander.... I have just bought the soft top off eBay... so the dry weather will hopefully return soon...
Creatively I have been trying to complete my Afghan blanket.... that I started using the green, gold, red, charcoal and silver Paton's Jet wool...

The blues are going to be the beginnings of another blanket... not sure if it will be a ripple or a afghan....

I have had to order more wool to finish it though...
and it will be a Christmas present for a poor unsuspecting relative...
If any of my family are reading this they will all be crying "oh no... whats mad Auntie Alex going to give us now"
Mind you the amount of wool this blanket is eating it might be cheaper to give everyone a £20 gift voucher and keep it for myself... lol

I have been reading lots of these looking for inspiration for my Cosy crochet swap which I hope to post tomorrow, and my Seaside swap that I need to complete by the end of the month

My Auntie Bridget bought me some crafty books from her book club, the only one I won't need is knitted cakes... as I don't knit!

I am about to "frog" this crocheted hat... I used a cotton mix wool and its too floppy... it was a good experience to make and it only took an afternoon, but its not right...

The hat band is nice though so I might make it into a bag or something...

Well that's me... I have been crocheting and cutting and sewing and making a few other bits and bobs but I can't show you any of those just yet as they are for swaps and the big 100th post give away.... this is post 99 so next time will be the big reveal....

ooohhhh how exciting!

take care
Alex
x

Thank goodness for that.....!

Morning everyone

I have been waiting all week to show you what I made for my Secret Easter Swap and this morning Leanne at Lizzie the Quilter has received my package....

I was really nervous about so much, would it arrive in time for Easter, would it arrive at all! would Leanne like it... etc etc!



Well I made 3 things and sent 2 of them... First I made a crochet beach bag and after 6 balls of Rowan cashmere soft and 2 balls of King Cole cashmere I finished it only to realise that it was quite a heavy piece of work especially once I had lined it
I will take a picture this week and add it!

Then I made a Daffodil wall hanging which I designed myself and used a heart shaped hanger, unfortunately I lost this on the Thursday and I was suppose to be posting it on the Friday!

PANIC!

Now I don't usually panic but oh my I was so annoyed that the little hanging had disappeared I phoned my mum, I phoned Joanne I even had my children looking for it....

I gave up and did the only thing I could and spent all weekend making another item.....
and Miss bunny was born!

I was late posting and on the Monday I was frantically packaging my parcel and I picked up a pile of fabric to put it away and there was my wall hanging
So I quickly stitched up the opening where I turned it and popped it into the box
Hence the lack of photo! doh!!

Leanne has emailed and she loved the wall hanging and little Miss B plus I sent some fabric from my stash and some chocolate hearts.... so all's well that ends well.

The lovely lady that has organised the swap was Julie from Bush baby jag and I would like to thank her for organising this lovely swap, she has had a few swapee's let her down at the last minute though and I think its a real shame when people sign up and then don't send something, I realise that it takes time and postage cost money but I feel its a really nice way to make new friends all over the world and its worth every penny and every hour of my time.


Happy Easter everyone
Take care
Alex
x

Golden Hands..... happy heart!

I have found my stash of Golden Hands Monthly, I was a year old when this was published.
I picked these up when I was working at the Scrapstore, someone brought them in and I loved some of the makes and the step by step tutorials for embroidery, macrame, crochet, and toy making are wonderful. In one of the magazines it teaches you how to iron a shirt! and in another it teaches you to pack a suitcase....could this be why the world is on the state it is ?
We need to go back to basics!

Luckily for Mr P I can't knit, otherwise I would make this for him..... lol

I do however love this lion, I am going to have a go at making a variation of this lion, Toys in the 70's were huge!

Crochet place mats, maybe not for me but I reckon the pattern could be used for something else!

And this is the quick tutorial that has helped me to accomplish a granny square....

TaDa!

Unfortunately I don't have a lot of wool in the same colours, all my wool has been donated by friends and neighbours, I probably have enough to do a small cot or pram blanket.
A friend of mine at the village cafe has just had a baby boy, so if it turns out okay I will give it to her as a new baby gift!

I am off to make tea and have some fun with my stash of buttons that I have just found, and have a rummage in the fabric stashes that have been brought out of storage!

My lounge is a complete mess!
I had better clear it up before Mr P gets home! HeeeHeeee!

Take care
Alex
x

Oh dear...where is all the time going?

I am seriously running out of time, I was talked into doing a craft fayre on the 12th of November and I am progressing into panic mode as I start to doubt the quality of some items I have made and wonder if I will have anything finished for the evening in question.... Joanne from her little patch of heaven is sharing the stall with me so I am popping around tomorrow to draw up a battle plan.......

I have drawn up the layout for Cakes make the world a better place's painting and she has had a look and given me the go ahead with one alteration, well a painting wouldn't be complete with a cake stand, I think I will have to fill it with fairy cakes too........mmmm yummy! and I will be onto that project after the 12th is out of the way......


I have been crocheting a sampler blanket testing out all different types of crochet styles, I am not sure where I am going with it next as I have reached that self doubting stage, plus I could easily sit and crochet all day, but unfortunately my house pixies have not been taking on the slack of me not doing the housework, however I must thank my wonderful mum for doing a stack of washing up on Tuesday night when she baby sat so that Mr P and I could go to the PTA meeting, thank you Mum!

The PTA meeting was a scary event as I realised that the Christmas Fayre is only 4 weeks away and I have a ton of prizes to source...... (4th Decemeber)
the Christmas concert in the Church with Sherborne Town band is only 6 weeks away (18th December) and the Santa's Grotto is the following day (19th December), and I will need to get 200 presents for that and wrap them!

I also have a 4 page PTA newsletter to do and advertising for all of the above.....

Oh dear, Oh dear!

I think I am definitely going to arrange a wrapping evening and get a few parents to lend a hand!

Crochet and craft...arty things!

I have been crocheting with metallic thread which is quite stiff and I made a panel box, I think I will embellish it with some dangly beads...... the first thing I crochet which wasn't planned it just ended up being a weird bag, and a pair of granny gloves, I have 3 panels for another box.

I have 16 hours of 12 days of Christmas to do based on the fact that I got 15 pictures done yesterday in 5 hours, I have just realised that I am a swan short so I will knock up another one this afternoon......My friend (the Brownie pack leader) is so pleased with them that she is colouring them in herself, I think the brownies will be adding glitter and sparkly things and then using them for a parent production.

The maids a milking were fun and when I put them all together I realise that some of them look familiar and some are quite buxom.

I like the one below she looks like Britney Spears!

I have completed 3 of the ladies dancing they are quite fun too.....

Well I had better get a wriggle on I have the village cafe this morning and I had better get the little man ready, I think I might take some crochet with me.... I am so hooked it is untrue and I have 3 bags of wool from the Scrapstore, which a local shop donated, some are half balls others are new and I feel so much more alive with all these lovely colours around me.....

must go toodle loo!

* Alex *

Mad as cheese and as busy as can be!

12 Days of Christmas

I have asked to draw the outline images of the 12 days of Christmas, and it is something I have always wanted to do as the images are so fun.... I have 78 pictures to do in total as she would like them individually drawn.

I have drawn the partridge in a pear tree...

The 2 turtle doves are done too......

3 French hens are busy laying......

and 2 of the 4 calling birds are singing their little heads off.....

70 more to go and I am afraid I will probably show you them all!

sorry, I am a very sad muppet!

Granny squares
Well I think they qualify as granny squares, I have learnt to read crochet patterns and I am feeling very chuffed with myself...... this is the second making of this square as when I got the end last time I hadn't counted enough stitches in the middle and it left me with a strange end result that looked as naff as it was.... I still have a couple of bits that I went wrong on but I think for my second attempt it isn't too bad.

Jewellery making

I made 3 necklaces Thursday night, I am getting better at the fiddly bits and after purchasing some Gold plated clasps and findings that have tarnished I am sticking to Stirling silver only.

Beaded Crochet gift bags
I pre-threaded some thin crochet yarn and made up a pattern for some little bags with a double crochet frill around the top. When ever you want a bead, you pull it up the thread and place it in the stitch and bobs your uncle fanny's your aunt...... I could probably get a less random effect if I planned it and counted stitches but I haven't gotten that far yet.

The canvas, table top easel, acrylics and brushes are poised to get started with April's painting but I think I would be a pushing my luck if I took over the rest of the kitchen with a painting project at the moment......
I think I have been bottling up all my artistic needs for so long that as soon as I took the lid of and let my fingers free and gave my mind permission to have creative thoughts again I just can't stop it ...... and to be honest I don't want to....

Thank you for reading my insane ramblings and feel free to leave me a comment...

tara for now

Alex xx