Sunday 28 May 2017

NEW KITCHEN FIT DAY....

Not bad progress with the kitchen fit yesterday, one unit we found wasn't big enough, even though the plan said it was correct.....ooops!
So a new unit was ordered and will arrive Thursday, righthand side of the cooker hood, gaining a bit more storage as it was a 300 that needed replacing with a 400. 
Some end panel we decided wouldn't work on the island.... £300 saving there then, fabulous.
All carcasses were made up in 2 days, well done Phil.....still a huge number of unopened boxes thought.
Yesterday Andy fitted almost all units and 2 doors on....what a fabulous piece of equipment he used too a Laser spirit level, it turns corners, does up and down at the same time, amazing thing.
All the wonderful fancy pull down and pull out guts to add today, cant wait. 
All the easy release and soft close doors, door handles are first on the list i think today....these will make the biggest impact i feel.
Gas pipe was moved by the gas fitter so the cooker can be relocated in its new position.
Then Andy can work his magic on the fabulous chunks of wood and we will have a beautiful new wooden worktop and sunken sink and the old tap will be refitted...lots and lots to do.
Then my input and I can get all the stuff that is all over the house at the moment can be put back in the wonderful new cupboards. Then we can make the Island...cant see it all happening today can you?



BUT...the mess every where i cant bleileve, on the stairs, in the lounge and outside too.....let's hope by the end of today it will look at least a lot tidier


wish us luck and i do hope it all looks a lot better by tonight ?

Friday 26 May 2017

Exploring your chosen yarn....

Still trying to make a final decision on yarns and motif style for the new kitchen blanket...I've tried so many options, definitley 
SHADES OF OATMEAL, BLUE AND WHITE 
James C Brett,  Marble space dyed yarn
Aran tweedy alpaca, wool mixes in beige/oatmeal shades
Cream life wool mix 
and a beautiful new random dyed yarn i bought the other day is super soft and shades of the palest blues and aquas....

But what motif to use? I love this stage of the game, the playtime, the experiment stages, something simple, something detailed?
 Exploring the best combinations of yarn and pattern

using tiles for inspiration maybe?

not the right colours, yet to be tried in the chosen colours
but lots of Blue, white, beige and charcoal experiment happening...
 'v' stitch I love lots, a simple granny square got to be in there some where and 
of course a few flowers...


 A possible off shoot: maybe a bag or wrap with flower pins? 
 of course there's got to be a cat or two helping...

 the triangle wrap pattern work well too...a blanket this time?

with a few Bobble Flowers thrown in too?

I want to make them all for the new look kitchen that arrived yesterday and we hope will be installed over the new week...watch this space 

Well done B&Q, no missing parts
 all present and correct, so screw divers at the ready...2 units put together last night
lots more to do today.....

NEW DINER SERVICE?
Got my eye on a new Blue and white dinner services too. Something with blue edging, i've seen one in Sainsbury and one in Dunelm and I'm sure there are dozens more out there i will love and not be able to make a decision about !







Tuesday 23 May 2017

Early preparations for a Workshop at Home...

A few years ago we bought one of the huge extendable Norden tables from Ikea, after a couple of years I decided it was just too big for the space. So we divided it into a work table in a small room in the old house and used the middle leaf for another project and made a smaller table from the second half.....I still have the half table and 8 chairs....not big enough for at ,east 11 people

Having thoughts of doing a workshop at home i needed a that large table again, to seat around 11/12. We found the same long table for sale on eBay at a fraction of the cost and collected it last night. 

My workoom at the moment is in desperate need of a huge tidy up, planned as soon as we've got rid of the old kitchen units piles up along one wall (new kitchen arrives tomorrow and the old one will be recycled over the next couple of days...off to be used in friends garages and workroom). 

So still a little cramped right now but Phil bless him put it all together for me last night after i cleared enough space for it down the centre of my workroom....lots of tidying up and sorting out to do but it's just perfect for a workshop and with the half Norden table I still have it will sit around 12 easily.....and when the old kitchen units have been removed will have a good space all the way around at the moment its pushed to one side a little.





So many blankets hanging on the back of all the chairs...really must sort out at least one double cupboard at the end of the workroom to store some of them or there wont be enough room to sit on the chairs!

Sunday 21 May 2017

WORKSHOP AT HOME: From tile to crochet motif....

 WORKSHOP FOR THE FUTURE: Take a tile as inspiration and make a fab new motif to play with....... link to site i found it on

 Added to the centre  of a larger mandala motif?.....



It would make a great blanket too...



Afternoon update: another version slightly flatter and opened up a little, less textured....



Friday 12 May 2017

Pick 10 colours then add ten more?

When i started the 4 colour square and flowers i did wonder how long it would be before my usual 10+10 would come into the equation...not long about 24hours.


I just couldn't resist the pull of all the soft pastel Crofter yarns  from Sirdar that i had a few sample balls of. This yarn has  a long enough space dye length to make the Amelia, Belinda and Camille flowers and mixed with some Batik Alize from my local shop a perfect combination for a soft muted colourful wrap. 

 
 mix of the Amelia and Belinda Flowers for this wrap 




So along side the Camille below in just 4 colours 

i am making a rainbow of soft muted Amelia/Belinda mix flowers into a wrap for me. I'm using lots of Crofter dk, and Batik Design Alize. With the odd bit of this and that thrown in




Amelia Flower pattern HERE 

Belinda Flower Pattern HERE

Wednesday 10 May 2017

I Have my Guest bedroom back again...

James and his wonderful gf Bethany moved into there fabulous 3 storey home on Friday. 

We all pitched in and helped them out, not allowed to share pictures sorry but its going to be a fabulous home for them once they have finished making it theirs.

......but now i have my guest bedroom back I'm redecorating and i've gone all girlie and using a soft vintage pink with the black and white, but delicate wallpaper that is already up didn't want to actually add new wallpaper for now.
It used to look like this... 

I've taken the blind down and let the light in and added a few pink bits and pieces to make it look pretty, a man free zone for now.



It get the sun in the afternoon a very warm and cosy room later in the day and now its gone all pretty in pink, the new motif s one for the Pattern club, a blanket in the making i think.



IN THE PINK
New long runner for the end of the bed or as a wrap...lots of colour experiments happening right now with old motifs for a wrap or bed end runner, which to use is the problem!

Workshop motif...
probably too big...but might look great in vintage pinks?



Amelia and Belinda motifs from a couple of years back...possible







are looking good options so far, very pretty and look that's fab in the vintage pink, loving the 

 Loving 'Camille' in pretty vintage pinks...a mix of the two.

boxed motif for a bed runner and Camille for a wrap?