Socks on time

Hello my lovelies,

Well what a horrible old day it is today then. Pouring with rain here so gonna stay in and have me some lovely crafty time with my knitting and possibly may make a couple of birthday cards for friends who have birthdays next week.

Got up very early again and sat peacefully knitting for an hour. Oh i so love the early morning when all is quiet in the house and it could just be only me in the whole world. A perfect way to start the day.

Did a three mile very wet run with Charlie choco. Another good way to start the day if you have the energy. Most sensible people would still be in their beds on a sunday morning. I do love getting out for a run and try to go at least three times a week if poss. Its a really good time to think things through and plan my next crafty make he he.

I thought today i would show you some socks that i have knitted over the last year.

This pair were the first that i ever knitted and my first ever attempt at using double pointed needles and knitting in the round. Takes a while to get the hang of it because its a little bit fiddly at first but once you get going... bobs your uncle....and you never look back. WARNING sock knitting is addictive and the choice of yarns.....need i say more....simply amazing.

These bluey green socks are ace and my absolute faves in the whole world. My beloved, bless him, got me the yarn and knitpro double pointed needles for christmas and i sat all of boxing day knitting these because my villiage had a power cut that lasted all of christmas and boxing day. It was a pretty miserable christmas for most of my neighbours, but little old me was quite happy and cosy sat in front of the wood burner knitting socks with my fingerless gloves on and a rug over me knees.




 

I thought i might sort out my stash boxes today but only got as far as photographing them MMM tut tut. Today would have been a perfect day to have a sort out but im in the cant be bovvered frame of mind. Lazy article my nan would have said.

Tat ta for now my lovelies, im off to get crafty. Hope you are all having a lovely restful weekend.

Melanie xx

Still asleep

How early am i up? grrrrr .....something woke me up early and now i find myself blogging with a lovely cuppa at 5.30am on a saturday morning.

google image

Am not going to write much because my poor old brain is not functioning at full speed ( not sure it ever does) yet.



getting there slowly. need to divide for arms now.

Knit across 42 sts, move next 45 sts to waste yarn, cast on 10 sts at underarm using backwards loop method.....Ay whats all that about?.....and at that point im stuck. Thank goodness for google searches. What the airy fairy is backward loop method. My poor brain. Did i tell you its only 5.30am on a saturday. No work day saturday....yawn and again yawn. Reach for the teapot and topping up my cuppa. I can feel a bit of toast and honey coming on in a bit.

The stocks in these smell gorgeous. Pressie from him who cares. In his words ' Me and Charlie got you some flowers' that Charlie is a clever dog bless him.

Any way cheerio for now me old chinas cos im off for that bit of toast and yet another cuppa and maybe a few more rows of knitty time. Bliss. Hope the sun shines for everyone inside and out.

Melanie xxxx

A lovely time was had by all

Hello my lovelies,

How are we all on this mizzely drizzley old day? Hey we cant complain about one day of rain when we have had the warmest spring for a long long time. I did so want to get out in the garden and do a bit of tidying up and planning what to do with the spots that need some colour injection. Any whoooo its given me a chance to do a little bit of house work and stuff.....yawnnnnn.

Me , hubby and Charlie choco came home yesterday from a perfect weeks break in Falmouth, Cornwall. We stayed in a barn conversion near the boating haven of Mylor Bridge. I feel soooo relaxed and full of inspiration but OH NO, ive got to go back to work tomorrow DOH.

Swift Barn Mylor Bridge

Charlie having fun

My favourite place in the whole world. Porth Kidney sands at Lelant near St Ives Cornwall. This feels like home to me and its where i will eventually live if only in my dreams.

For a couple of pounds you can catch a ferry boat ride over to Falmouth from Flushing. It is so gorgeous to go shopping on a boat.

Flushing / Falmouth ferry

Such beautiful wild hedgerows. Foxgloves and Honeysuckle grow wild everywhere in Cornwall. And the scent on evening walks is heavenly.



Falmouth Harbour at sunset




Restronguet Creek.

  My latest knitting project. Tea leaves cardigan by Melissa LaBarre. Again its knitted in the round on circular needles and is top down. Im loving top downs as there is none of that sewing up nonsense that i hate with knitting. Its a Madeline Tosh pattern that i found on RAVELRY. Against my better judgement im using Life DK yarn by Stylecraft simply because before the holiday funds were in short supply and i didnt want to spend loads of dosh on posh wool. However im quite pleased with the effect and you know at the end of the day Stylecraft yarn washes well time and time again, and if this turns out well it will have only cost me around fifteen quid for a hand knitted cardi. He He bonus.

See you soon and hope you all have a lush, creative, happy and sunny week.

Melanie x

Unfinished business

At last a day off. Time to spend finshing bits and bobs and tying up loose ends. Most certainly not a day for boring old time wasting housework although i have put three wash loads on the line to dry. Cant waste a dry windy day when the laundry basket is overflowing. Anyway i kind of like hanging the washing out when the suns shining and the birds be a tweeting and thinking ive got the whole day in front of me woo woo. Talking of birdies and tweeters, ive discovered yet another nest of young uns right under my nose. Well actually they are up in the roof and the comings and goings are like Piccadilly Circus. Even Charlie choco is curious because of all the activity.

And so to today. Did i mention my self imposed ban on anything houseworky?

Finished at last. Well almost.... It still needs hemming which means by the time ive neatened the edges and hemmed it, it will be sitting slightly just above my knees. Hmmm slightly above my knees and me nearly forty four years young. Go girl i say and flaunt those knees he he. Im so chuffed with this skirt. Its my first proper attempt at dressmaking and i even managed to put a zip in. Cant wait to wear it now.

Hanging around in the tree with no leaves

This was labeled as an easy to follow pattern but id beg to differ on that one. Sadly my figure is not like the one in the picture but still not bad for someone in their forties who enjoys the odd treat or two or three. Thankgod for running. Anythings allowed if you run three times a week.

Another unfinished business now very nearly complete. Just needs two buttons sewing on and blocking.

It will defo look better when is been blocked. The pattern for this short sleeved cardi is called Tappan Zee and can be found on Ravelry. Its really quick to knit because its knitted in the round with circular needles and constructed from the top down so no fiddly sewing up front and back etc. I used my lush knit pro circular needles for the first time with this project and its my favourite knitted thingy ever.

My lovely gorgeous generous fabulous husband (Andrew) has only gone and booked a weeks holiday for us next week in my beloved Cornwall. We will be staying in a barn conversion near Falmouth and Charlie choco is coming with us also. I so cannot wait for saturday and im planning what knitting, crochet, reading material to take with me.

A few piccies of Charlie enjoying past cornish holidays. Hes such an amazing swimmer and loves the sea. So wish we lived there.

See ya all soon my lovelies.

Melanie x

new life

Days like today just make me feel so happy and warm inside. Full of warm happiness and contentment. And what has made me so happy today? Ive just been for a walk with Charlie Choco through the woods and i found not one but two sites with nesting birds. How amazing is that? The first is high up in a tree. I think it must be woodpeckers because there are lots of perfect holes pecked into the trunk of the tree and the nest must be in one of these. Me oh my what a racket they were making waiting for mummy and daddy woodpecker to bring home some scram. The second nest is very well hidden in an old cotswold stone wall covered in ivy. I didnt go looking because i didnt want to upset the parents but again they were having a party in that nest because i could hear them all the way along the lane.

Do you like my shells hanging in my tree. This poor old tree has never thrived and this year it hasnt got many leaves on it. I love shells and always collect them when im in Cornwall or Scotland. I especially love ones with holes in because you can thread some twine through them and hang them up. They tinkle like little bells in the breeze.

My latest make is a hexagon blanket to pop over my knees when the weather gets cooler. Blimey the rate its taking me to crochet these little hexxies up il be an old lady needing a warm blanket. I got the idea for the hexagons from reading MeMe Rose. I loved how her hexagons looked when they were sewn together and i loved the effect of the colours she had chosen. It got me thinking that i needed some colour in my life so off i popped to the wool shop and am so far pleased with the effect. Unfortunatley my camera does not do justice to the lovely colours.

Before i go i just want to say thankyou to the five lovely people that follow my blog. I know that in the whole scheme of things five followers is not many compared to some blogs but im so chuffed that ive got any followers let alone five of you. All of your blogs inspire me so much and i love getting home from work and cosying up with a cuppa and my computer and catching up on the days events in blog land. I hope you enjoy reading my posts as much as i enjoy yours.

Talking of cuppas.... i can feel a cuppa and big slice of cake moment coming on. Oh well it is sunday and ive been a busy bee all day and am thinking that after a spot of afternoon tea i might just sit out in the garden and get on with some hooky time.

Hope you all have a fab week. See ya soon.

Melanie x

Finished......at last......

This weekend i was determined to finally complete my crochet cushion and pop it in the window seat of my study / project room.

So what do you think? Im pleased with the outcome because its been years since i crocheted and it took me a few false starts to get going again. Do you know, i havent got a clue how to follow a crochet pattern. My mum taught me how to do squares because that was all she knew. Apparently we crochet in a funny old fashion. That is we hold the yarn and the hook in our right hands and we change the hook to the left hand only to pass the yarn over the hook.

Do you like my knitting bag? Its one of three knittng bags that i own. I got it from John Lewis in Bristol a few years back now. It was in the sale and i saw it and thought... just gotta have that knitting bag.... Its my favourite bag of the three. I made a fabric one a few months back and popped a piccie of it on one of my earlier posts. And the third isnt really a bag but more of a wicker basket that i found in a second hand furniture shop. I used to keep projects in there but at the mo its holding what seems like a million knitting needles and some other bits and bobs.

Im itching to start something new with the yummy yarn that i couldnt help but buy last week and the green and pink crochet cushion was getting in the way of some new inspiration thats popped into my head during the last few days. I blame all the lovely bloggy posts that i follow.

Heres a sneak preview of something i started yesterday and may finish later today time permitting. Again this is something that i havent done for years but have been so inspired thanks to all the lovely blogs that i read. Being creative is so very theraputic and i think sometimes we get so caught up with busy work schedules and feeling tired that we dont give ourselves enough down time to remember how to enjoy ourselves.

Anyone fancy a slice of choccy cake? The kettles just boiled so pop round now.

Wishing you all a lovely creative crafty week and see you soon. Hope the sun shines.