A christmas Angel

Hi folks,

Last year I made white lacy stars to put inside my Christmas cards, this year I chose to make angels for my cards in both white and an icy pale blue.

I have a few favourite crochet books I return to again and again and this pattern comes from one of them, 75 Lace Crochet Motifs by Caitlin Sanio.

It's such a pleasant way to spend a dull winter afternoon and puts me in the mood for the festive season as we don't like to put our decorations up too early.  So on a miserable wet and grey day last week  I cheered up by lighting a few candles and settling down with a spicy chai and a slice of festive spiced honey cake to write my cards and choose an angel to suit each person.

A little crochet, some candles burning, a hot mulled drink or gingerbread latte, perhaps a mince pie or two.... how have you been enjoying advent?

Til next time,
Hx

Crafting Gifts

Hello,

Have you been crafting gifts for Christmas or like me left it a little late? I've been working on two gifts this week and can now share the first one, a crochet hook holder.

This is for someone who started to crochet a little while ago but doesn't have many hooks yet. It's quick to make so ideal when time is short as well as  being a pretty gift for a new crafter.

The pattern was from Cute and Easy Crochet, worked in double crochet stitch with a simple trim using chain stitches along two sides in a contrasting colour.

I chose a pretty cotton fabric to line the hook roll which I spotted in our local craft shop. This shop is an Aladdin's cave and is very friendly too.

A small piece from a fat quarter was plenty to line and make the pockets to hold the hooks.

I changed the ribbon tie used in the pattern to twin crocheted cords as the hooks seem to stay in the roll more securely, especially important as the person the gift is for will take it back and forth to work in her bag so she can crochet on her breaks.

I think it will look nice with a set of multi-coloured hooks inside, I used a few of my own just for the photos.  Have you made any gifts? Or perhaps you are still working on something?

Til next time,
Hx

Ooh Shoes!

Hello folks, recently someone asked me if I could make them a couple of pairs of baby shoes to be given as gifts, one for a boy and one for a girl. There are gorgeous baby bootees and shoes all over the internet but as the first pair were needed in a bit of a hurry I turned to my tried and trusted Nicki Trench book Cute and Easy Crochet to make these little shoes.

The original pattern was for slippers made using two colours on the upper however I wanted to change it up a little so I changed it to using one colour for the sole and a denim blue for the upper. The yarn is Sirdar Flirt, a bamboo and merino mix which is now discontinued but luckily I had a little left which I could use for a pair of baby shoes.

I added two crocheted laces to make them a little more fitted on the baby's feet and change the look of the shoes before nestling them in teddy bear printed tissue paper ready to go.

Just as I was thinking of starting a pair of Mary Janes for the baby girl, on a day out with N I spotted the Super Cute Crochet For Little Feet book by Vita Apala.

How could I resist? Once I saw the baby point shoes I just had to have this book so off home with me it went and I headed straight to my stash to find out what I could use.

I didn't have any pink cotton but did have some cream Wendy Supreme Luxury Cotton 4 ply yarn left over from a previous project.

I found the pattern clear and easy to follow and they worked up quickly. I'm not sure I don't prefer them in pink as they are so pretty, the cream contrasts nicely with the pink tissue paper though and the person who asked for them loved them.

So here they are, ballet point shoes for the tiniest of ballerinas, a girl is never too young to put on her dancing shoes is she? I think I'll be making more of the little shoes from this book, they are ideal for using up odds and ends of yarn left over from other projects.

Til next time,

Hx

Finishing Old Projects

Hello folks, it's been such a long time since I last blogged I thought I'd start again with the finished projects I had on the go at the start of the year.


I actually started this back in autumn last year, hooking the odd few rows here and there through the winter. I have shown this yarn before but as it was destined to be a gift for a friend in the southern hemisphere, as it took shape I could no longer show it to ensure it was a surprise. I had to wait impatiently until it reached it's destination in the now wintry southern hemisphere.

It's a Tunisian cowl, I've posted about the yarn and stitch before here. The stitch is a lace stitch and the pure merino yarn was so soft and squishy it was a real pleasure to make. As Tunisian crochet uses a long hook similar to a knitting needle it was made as a scarf and then joined before I finished it with a picot edging. This was my first attempt at Tunisian crochet and I was pleased with how it turned out, I hope it will help keep my friend cosy over the winter.

Back in February I showed the start of these cotton socks. I didn't know then that I wouldn't be crafting for so long or that I was overly optimistic about getting back to crochet and blogging at Easter. The pattern is Lemon Drops from Garn Studio and the socks are made using a cotton sock yarn from my stash and a 2mm hook.

The yarn makes the finished socks look quite different to the photo on the pattern as the pattern used a solid main colour and a contrast but I think I like it. Even though they don't look very summery they should be cool.

I found this pattern hard to follow to begin with and had to resort to the online video on the Garn Studio site, I'm still not sure if it was the pattern which was difficult to understand or my brain not working properly. I made the feet a little shorter to ensure a good fit for a small foot and I was really pleased when I finally finished them. They are now ready to be used inside a pair of wellies by my sister for dog walking through soggy fields and muddy woods. I finished them just as we got wonderfully hot sunny weather so they weren't needed until now. 


I'm now playing about with some lacy thread crochet and Paisley motifs again and hope to show you some soon.


Til next time.

Hx

Happy Easter

Hello everyone, I hope you are having a lovely long weekend. There hasn't been much crochet going on around here lately as I've been unwell for some weeks however last night I picked my hook up again and made some of these little egg cosies for breakfast time. They are from the book Cute and Easy Crochet by Nicki Trench and are so simple they were ideal while I don't feel up to anything more difficult. They are also perfect for using up odds and ends of leftover yarn in your stash, you know the ones, too small to really do anything with but you don't want to throw them away.

Easter is a very quiet affair for us this year as I haven't been able to do our usual activities and can't entertain, I hope to return to normal soon. In the meantime I wanted to with you all a Happy Easter and in these troubled times, a peaceful one too.

Happy Easter!

Hx

Half Term Treats

Hello there,

Isn't is lovely to feel Spring on it's way? Cold, frosty nights followed by bright, clear days, I love them. This week has been half term here so today I'd like to share some half term treats with you. It's been a little strange this year as the schools are off at different times so it was unusually quiet around here as the kids in this area have just started their half term today.

My first treat was hooking up some of these sweet little hearts for no other reason than they are so pretty, though I can use them to decorate the house as a nod to Valentine's Day too.

This is from a pattern in one of my favourite crochet books, 75 Lace Crochet Motifs and I used size 10 crochet cotton with a 2mm hook. If you fancy making some hearts too there are lots of gorgeous patterns about. I like this one which I think would be pretty worked in pink instead of red.


My second treat was this magazine, I couldn't resist the cheerful cover of primroses and the article on the gorgeous crocheted blankets by Amanda Perkins "Capturing a rainbow in wool".

I love the bright colours and Spring beauty running through the pages. If you haven't seen this magazine before it has articles about nature, the British countryside and crafts as well as food, just about everything I love. I enjoyed flicking through it while enjoying my next treat with a mug of tea.
 

Stem ginger biscuits. I used a shortbread recipe and added finely chopped preserved stem ginger. Making these little biscuits is almost too easy. We really like ginger so I used quite a bit in the biscuits. This is my recipe if you would like to try them.

175g plain flour
115g butter
60g caster sugar
2 pieces stem ginger, finely chopped
Extra sugar to sprinkle

Sieve flour into a bowl and stir in the sugar. Cube the butter and rub it into the flour and sugar to form a dough. Add in the chopped ginger., roll it out and then cut out rounds. Place on a lined baking sheet and bake until firm and lightly coloured, about 30 mins. Transfer to a cooling rack, sprinkle with sugar and store in an air tight tin, if they don't all disappear before they are cold that is!
 
Unfortunately our planned half term trip to Perthshire was cancelled when N came home with a nasty virus last weekend. After a couple of days of staying in bed (for him) and lots of exercise running up and down the stairs fetching drinks etc (for me), he was better in time for the sun coming out so we managed some time pottering in the garden in the sunshine which was lovely, I really appreciate the happiness in these moments of simple pleasure. The garden is really too waterlogged to do much so we contented ourselves with a tidy up before it got too cold again. There have been more bright days this week which have made it a joy to potter about and spend time crafting in good light. I've done more of my cross-stitch project and sticking to a theme of small projects here is a little peek of my newest project. Can you guess what I'm making from this small piece?

Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while might recognise this yarn, it's the same one I used for the tunic I was making last year. I got all the way to the end then decided I didn't like it on me and unravelled it, making for hours of frogging. Do you ever finish something then change your mind and rip it all out again or it that just me?

I hope there are lovely Spring/Autumn days and holidays to enjoy where you are too.

Til next time,

Hx

January Reflections

Hi there, as January draws to a close I hope this dark, quiet month has been as pleasant as possible for you all. Contrary to the tradition of making resolutions and change at this time of year I think it's important to be kind to ourselves and brighten up our lives with small treats, pretty things and activities which bring us pleasure.

I've had a few classes cancelled this month so I used the extra time to indulge in some afternoon crafting, a few bright spells allowed me to do some more of my Parisian cross-stitch. I've been doing this cross-stitch for a long time as I only do small sections at a time and I find I need very good light for some of the colours.

When the light wasn't so good I made some more alphabet letters.

One of the small treats I've been enjoying is this Clover Yarn Cutter Pendant which was actually part of a Christmas gift from my sister. I got it in antique gold colour, it's really good and much better to carry around than scissors, it has happily cut everything from thread and fine cotton to DK acrylic very easily. I don't usually take my crochet out with me but feel much more inclined to now I can simply wear this pendant, I can't imagine not having it now.


In our family January included a celebration.

It's a birthday, my Mum's to be precise. This year celebrations were changed at the last moment due to this.

It snowed. This the viburnum I showed you in my Happy post, now dusted with snow. As the snow was heavier where my Mum lives and she is a little unsteady on her feet these days our planned lunch was hastily changed to coffee and cake at her house so she didn't need to go out.  

The letters are for a crochet project which has been in my head for a little while now, I made the letters up as I went along so I haven't written up a pattern for them yet. I also have another small crochet project I've been working on but as it is a gift for someone I must keep it under wraps for now. 

With all the storms lately plans have had to be flexible, we have cancelled this weekend's snowdrop walk thanks to high winds, heavy rain and hail. The last few days have definitely been ones for snuggling up indoors with some crochet or cross-stitch, hot chocolate and a film. I'll leave you today with something pretty.

These beautiful pink and white tulips I'd like to share with you, I couldn't resist them when I was out yesterday. I adore tulips, they brighten life up and will bring much enjoyment over the next few days. It's lovely to have flowers inside to brighten these winter days while I wait for the garden to wake up from it's winter slumber. I hope you enjoy these tulips too.

What has made you smile in January? Do you have any tips on how to make winter days brighter or anything you couldn't imagine doing without?

Til next time,

Hx

HAPPY

Hello there, mid January already, where does the time go? I do hope you all had a lovely festive season and have much to look forward to throughout 2016. I've been absent from blogland for quite a few weeks thanks to a neck problem which curtailed both my crochet and computer time, thankfully it's on the mend now and I can once again pick up my hook and catch up with people.

Small projects are what I need for the moment, something I can pick up and put down easily, so crocheted alphabet letters like the ones above are just perfect. Happy. What makes you happy? It's the little things that make me happy so I thought I'd share a few of the simple pleasures making me feel happy this January including these letters.

Pale pink flowers coming out on the Viburnum in our back garden. I love this plant, when there is nothing else out in the garden, including the snowdrops, I can rely on these little pink flowers for cheer. It brightens up the view from our dining table during the dull days at this time of year and I thoroughly enjoy seeing them. I snapped this photo from the window during a brief break from all the heavy rain there has been recently.

Another simple pleasure brightening my days is tea and cake. Earl Grey and Dundee cake anyone? Is there anything prettier than fine china teacups and saucers? I love pretty teacups and found these in a thrift shop a while ago. I couldn't believe how lucky I was to find them as the pink roses match the ones on my Maxwell & Williams cake stand very well, even though this china is decades old.

Although some things are out of our control, I often find happiness in taking the time to notice the small, simple things in life. As I returned home yesterday I stopped and took a moment to look and see if the shoots of the snowdrops had come up yet in my neighbours garden, and they have! I'm enjoying these short, dark, cold days of January, watching the birds feast on berries in the garden and feeling lucky to have a warm and dry home when so many others haven't. Spring, my favourite season, will soon be here, but not just yet and in the meantime there is tea, cake and crochet, what more could a girl want?

Wishing you all a happy and prosperous 2016.


Hx