Jumping on the band wagon

I've been admiring all the beautifully crocheted tea light holders and wishing I had one for myself. Well now I have. As you can see it's a very basic attempt and I've no idea what stitch it is but I'm chuffed with my effort and might have a go at a few more.

See you soon.

Melanie x

Ta dahhhhh just for once

Hello there,

Long time no see.

Just thought I'd show you my little nephews beanie and mitts that I've knitted for his birthday.

Still loads of WIPS peeping out at me from my knitting bag.

See you soon I hope.

Melanie x

Watching Nirvana on the telly and remembering fab times when I was young and carefree. Good times.

Have a great weekend everyone

Melanie x

Back from hols

Hello there,

How is everyone?

Im back from a fantastic holiday in a beautiful place called Flushing near Falmouth in Cornwall. We have had a lovely time and i so do not want to be having to go back to work. Boo hoo....

A few pics of what ive been up to whilst dodging the showers (some lasted all day) in Cornwall. Didnt spoil our holiday. When you have a dog the rain is neither here nor there as Charlie choco still needs his walks two or three times a day. Thank goodness for waterproof gear. Very glam especially with a pink brolly.

This is how far i got with my second cable and lace sock. Thats the ankle, heel flap and heel turned, now just have to finish the foot. The heel flap, turning the heel and grafting the toe are the only bits that are done with just two needles. The rest is knitted using four double pointed needles. Some people use five needles but i find that to fiddly so just stick with four.

This is the beanie i was working on for my nephews first birthday. For some reason the piccie has come out on its side..... ive no idea how to fix this and get it right way up.

Just have to start the second mitt now and then the set is complete. Second sock mitt syndrome DOH.

A little baking was called for today. Something naughty but delicious to cheer up a dismal day.

Mini cup carrot cakes. Very tasty with a cuppa after my afternoon walk with Charlie.

I cant remember if i showed you these. Socks that i knitted for Mr back a couple of months. Knitted on two needles so have a sewn seam. He loves them and finds them very comfy with his wellies. I caught Charlie wandering around the house this morning with one of these socks in his mouth along with a hide chew and a cat toy. The other sock was in Charlies basket. Im shaking my head still in disbelief as i write this.

Stay safe from any spooks or witches that may be scurrying up and down your pathways over the next couple of evenings. Ooooooooyyyyyooooo.... Thats supposed to be a ghosty sound by the way he he.

 Happy halloween

Melanie xx

knitting and catching up

Hello again,

Im sorry i havent been around much lately. Lots going on in my little world at the moment.

Thankyou all for the lovely encouraging comments about my attempts at crochet on my last post about a month ago. Truth is i havent been any where near those squares for so long that i cant even remember which knitting bag / box that ive hidden them away in. I think you are either a crochet or a knitting gal and i most defo am a knitting gal he he.

This is my latest project. Im making a beanie and mitts for my one year old nephew Jay. Little angel boy. Im using Debbie Bliss baby cashmerino and its an absolute joy to knit with. So soft and smooth as im knitting and perfect for a delicate baby skin.

These little hand warmers were made in a day with a ball of yarn out of my stash. Its a cotton mix yarn and knitted up ok but probably wont offer much warmth. Ok for cooler autumn days maybe.

This little beauty is the first of a pair of cable and lace socks knitted on double pointed needles using Rico Poems yarn. I am so chuffed with this sock as ive never followed a lace pattern before and i really enjoyed knitting this up. Have still to start the second and i plan to do this on saturday in the car on our way to Cornwall for a weeks holiday yippee. I love road trip knitting and listening to radio four and feeling that holiday excitement. Alot of knitters suffer from second sock syndrome meaning it never gets knitted and the one sock ends up all lonely stuffed in with other wips. I dont exactly get second sock syndrome but i do have to knit something else in between times before starting second sock.

These are cranberry and orange muffins and sound very healthy but in reality are filled with a lot of butter and sugar but very delicious especially with a cuppa after a very cold and windy walk on the common.

Horses grazing on the common.

This is the view from my front door that greeted me yesterday. It lifted my soul and kept me smiling all day.

God bless you all and wishing everyone a wonderful weekend.

Melanie xx

Crochet practice

Not sure how far forward I'm getting with this crochet lark. All these ends to sew in not to mention needing to crochet at least a trillion more squares if I'm to have something snug and cosy come the winter time. I do so love the colours though and the gorgeous softness of the yarn. Another bargain bucket find from good old John of the Lewis.

Might have some socks to show you soon......

Xxx

Round up of the last couple of weeks

Hello everyone, hoping your all well and enjoying a bit of late summer or should i say early autumn sunshine.

Im sorry ive been a bit quiet of late but have been having trouble blogging with my new ipad so am back to using old lap top. The ipad is ace but for some reason i cant seem to upload more than one piccie for each post. How boring is just one piccie to look at.

As promised at long last here is my lovely new Noro cardigan made with my bargain of the year which has made me such a happy lady ever since i found it lying squashed flat in its pack at the bottom of the sales bin at John Lewis.

The name of this pattern is Tea Leaves and is a design by Melissa LaBarre and can be found on ravelry.com. I think it cost me about two pounds to down load the pattern and this is the second cardigan ive made using it. Its knitted on circular needles so no seams to sew up. Big bonus.

My next project is now on the go and somehow or another ive been guilt tripped into knitting my Mr a pair of wooly walking socks. What a struggle to find a pattern for anything other than 4ply that is knitted on double pointed needles. Im using a double knit self patterning yarn and knitting them on two needles so they will have a seam.

Ive had a lovely afternoon sat in the garden with Charlie doing a bit of knitting and enjoying the late summer flowers. I think my garden is at its best at this time of the year.

Can you see the wasp on the sedum flowers. He loves the colour as much as i do.

Some autumn berries for the birds that dont migrate.

Well ive been back at work for a week now and my lovely holidays seem ages ago. We had a peaceful relaxing week in Cornwall with Charlie choco.

And 48 hours in Paris. A treat from my fabulous Mr. I love that man so much, he really is the best.

How wonderful to stroll along the The Seine and listen to music.

My first ever real cocktail....i know, i cant believe it either. It was delich and but i cant actually remember what it was.

I hope i havent bored you but its been so lovely to post more than one piccie and ive probably done an over kill now.

See you all soon and have a lovely week. Hope the sun shines for everyone.

Melanie xxx

Afternoon tea

Anyone fancy a cuppa and a homemade cranberry flapjack? Well what are you waiting for....come on over, the kettles on the stove and the leaves are in the pot.

Feeling a bit at odds this afternoon as I think I've lost a follower. I was so chuffed to have nearly 20 followers, and every time i get another i get a bit OTT with blog happiness. Oh well nay er mind. More flapjacks left for me.

Thank you for the lovely comments about my noro cardigan in my last post. It's very nearly there now. Only have a few little odds & ends to sew in and and will then ta dah it on here. I so cannot wait to wear it.

Big hugs everyone and see ya ll all soon.

Melanie Xxxx

This is my noro cardigan not quite finished but very nearly there. I'm loving working with noro yarn especially as this was my bargain stash from a few months back. You may remember
the post with this yarn and the Debbie Bliss that I found in the bargain bucket at John Lewis. Well I've only one skein left and the cardi will no longer be a WIP can't wait.

Sorry for my lack of posts but we have a new computer and I'm struggling with uploading pics and blogging full stop. It just doesn't do want I want it to when I want it to DOH.....

Am loving reading everyone else's posts though. Better than any craft magazine.

Hopefully see you again soon my lovelies.

Melanie xxx

My first proper crochet make that involved following a pattern. Pretty naff but I'm chuffed.

Melanie Xx

More WIPs

Yawn how many more of these will i find hidden away in carrier bags shoved under the bed, behind the sofa, in the laundry basket.....

This will eventually become a pair of honeycombe mittens.

One whole completed fingerless mitten knitted in self patterning double knit yarn.

Not sure what i was thinking with this one. Needless to say ive only completed one so far. Bed sock knitted using sidar hug chunky yarn. Knitted on two straight needles so has a seam. Not my favourite knit ever and might yet frog this and put the yarn to better use.

The aim of showing these WIPs was to make myself feel guilty for not finishing what i started. Trouble is at the mo these patterns just are not inspiring me.

Saturday night me and Mr had a cosy sofa saturday night with a plate of homemade lasagne and a bottle of red. After supper we cosied up and watched Brighton Rock on dvd. We had both been really looking forward to watching this as we had both enjoyed reading the original Graham Greene version. The film is slightly different as its set in a different era with a few other changes, but was still very good and didnt disappoint.

Off to bed now to read my latest find and loving this one.

TTFN my lovelies,

Melanie x

More catching up

A few weeks ago me and Mr had a rare day off together. My beloved is head of chemistry at a local boys grammer school and you will probably remember the teachers strike from a few weeks ago. It was really lovely to spend a week day together as we rarely get to do this and most of our weekends are spent doing the usual housework, DIY, shopping yawn yawn. So off we pootled in our car to the gorgeous georgian city of Bath. Bath is only a forty minute drive away along beautiful peaceful country roads. The sun was shining and a fab day was had by all.

Anyone who reads Mollie Makes will have seen the spread about Bath in issue two and I for one couldnt wait to get back and visit. Mr was issued with instructions to amuse himself for two hours while i spent some time finding all the lovely shops written about.

I was not disappointed.

Firstly as we sat sipping lattes down a sweet little side street, sat outside enjoying the sun, and there straight in front of me themakeryemporium.com This is the most amazingly incredible shop selling sewing and making gorgeousness.

Fabric, handmade felt, buttons, beads, threads, ribbons, stamping bits and bobs just to name a few. The lovely lady that runs the shop was very chatty and welcoming and made my visit feel extra special. I came away with a little bag of goodies and spent some of my birthday money on lovelyness. More on that another time.

Next on my map was woolbath.co.uk Another little treasure trove of gorgeousness and please buy me yarn. Set down a little side street underneath a georgian arch this took a little bit of finding but was well worth it. Again the two lovely ladies running it were very welcoming and friendly. The varity of yarn here is just simply stunning with amazing colours and textures i was spoilt for choice.

Sorry about the piccies but i pinched these all from google images as i didnt take my camera with me.

I had such a lovely time and when me and Mr met back up again we had lunch in yummy scrummy Cafe Rouge.

Anyhows back to the future now and here is a sneak preview of my top down cardi that im knitting using my lush Noro bargain yarn....droolllll... I really do have a thing for Noro and this particular yarn is made up of wool, silk and kid mohair. Its lovely and soft but has a warm sturdiness to it that will stand the test of time hopefully.

Welcome to my new followers. It really makes my day when i get a new follower or comments left following a post. I love reading other blogs and im chuffed that people think mine worthy of following and leaving a lovely comment. There really are some kind thoughtful people out there in blog land and alot of very inspiring talent.

Big hugs,

Melanie x