Sunday 31 July 2011

Feeling Blue again....blue crochet Grannies to come

Finished the second cushion late last night, so waited to take some decent pictures this morning,
after the reeeeally bad photo's of the second Daisy Granny cushion from the day before...
sorry about that
Did a stripy back to this one, but made the stripes more solid looking, by crocheting into the back of the stitch only
Love making these cushions and quite quick to make too
2 down 2 to go...blue shades next to go with the blue pots and the gorgeous blue Hydrangea that said
buy me, buy me yesterday in Homebase...bit expensive but isn't she gorgeous?...
so shades of this plant and the pots for the 3rd cushion l think...
and the Clematis and the Jasmine are blossoming too
adore this shade of pink

l Love Flowers...don't you?

Earth laughs in flowers.  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Have a Special Sunday everyone
off to find the blues
hugs to all x

Saturday 30 July 2011

Second Daisy Granny Square Cushion, New Blue pots and the sweet smell of Jasmine

Already have several blue pots in the garden, yesterday l found a few more in B&Q 
£17.50 for a set of 3
Changed my mind about the Clematis and the bin store when l found a sweet smelling Jasmine, such a pretty little flower too
Made another Daisy Granny Square Cushion...making 4 in different colour ways to go on the garden chairs
Started late so not quite finished but another hour should see it finished
a blue version will probably be next....pictures not brilliant light wasn't so good
Love making these little daisies 
Daisy Square PATTERN HERE

Have a Super Saturday everyone
hugs xx

Friday 29 July 2011

One of those bagged crochet projects......finished

Had a little bit of a sort out yesterday but l got distracted and finished one of those little bagged project from a couple of weeks back
Another New Pastel Daisy Granny Square Cushion finished
Chunky yarn and a 6mm hook....bagged was 7 daisy squares so added 2 more and joined them together made a back and hey presto a cushion made
It was a good idea to bag the million of possible projects..l keep picking up and finishing one every now an then
Same pattern as l used for the daisy square rug

ROOTED MINT...
The Mint l popped into water on the window sill a month ago has grown lots of roots so l'll pot each sprig and hope they grow outside
Phil finished the bin store and l found a Clematis that will go in a large pot to the one side and grow over the store...got the plant, got the potting compost, just need the right pot now!

Have a a Fabulous Friday everyone
hugs to all xx

Wednesday 27 July 2011

Finally finished the Guest bedroom curtains and new cushions

Been sitting on my work room table since l didn't get them finished for the Status Quo weekend!..ooops
was on the 'to do' list but l didn't plan on doing them this afternoon..but all of a sudden
they were finished and up!
The metal wall art l bought a couple of months back looks at it's best over the bed.....it looks like it's part of the bed don't you think?

Front garden tomorrow and collect my new glasses...gone up a magnification and they are the palest lilac colour..never had lilac before!

Thanks for a fab evening girls..and great idea to do a spar weekend before Christmas

hugs to all xx


Tuesday 26 July 2011

CROCHET TRIANGLE INSET GIANT GRANNY PROGRESS

 Managed to squeeze a couple of rounds on the GG last night taking about 35/40minutes to get 
all the way round now
still trying to decide on the pattern...flower or circle...to add to the other GG
Bought and started the bin cover store yesterday but Phil had to go to work so hoping to finish it this morning
peek of it so far
Really only wanted it to be 4' high but the panels we liked the best only came in 6' panels so hoping to conceal  everything and l will add a wooden planter to this end and grow a climber of some kind over it

This little recess is almost always in shade and never used as we thought it would be, so most of the storing will go on here, behind were we sit in the garden

Thanks for the cuppa and a great afternoon girls
Dinner with old work mates this evening too

Have a Terrific Tuesday everyone
hugs to all x

Monday 25 July 2011

aaaargh! something has attacked my big hosta...

A little beastie has had a go at a few leaves..so slug and snail patrol from now on
Second pot of Red Lilies is starting to open up this morning and the skies are blue again...in for another lovely day l hope

Not done any more crochet for a couple of days what with the wedding, wasn't she a beautiful bride and that dress was really stunning, tall and slim with a beautiful smile and a special day

Off to get some timber to make a bin store today after abusy day yesterday 
We managed to eventually, get round to cleaning the conservatory roof....that was a mucky job

All the windows inside and out got a clean and the front garden, walled border, is ready for re planting
 More Hostas l think...something that likes shade and will basically look after them selves but last a long time

Cuppa with Annie and Jo this afternoon
cya later girls
Thanks for the camera info and tips..seems ok this morning after a fiddle with settings etc, but l might put a new camera on my Christmas list! lol

hugs to all
hope you all have a wonderful week
xx

Saturday 23 July 2011

SOMETHING WRONG WITH MY CAMERA

Never taken such a diabolical set of pictures....just a few  worth a peek...most disappointed with them
BUT.....
 the sun shone, the bride looked amazing, as did NooNoo and the whole Wedding went off perfectly
Beautiful LACE dress and the palest of peach roses with pearls 
the Bridesmaid dresses were more of a green than a blue shade in the picture and stunning
NooNoo went down a treat with everyone
Bit tight getting through the gate and up to the Church but we did it
 Beautiful Bride beautiful Flowers
and the bows looked lovely
Pity about the 'snaps'
Definitely need to look at my instruction book, kept getting black picture, or buy a new camera!

Off to the Evening 'do' for an hour or so tonight
Enjoying my WW meals so far and won't be eating anything tonight
promise lol
Hugs to all x

Crochet corner insets to Giant Granny finished

Not got much time this morning wedding at 1 and we need to leave about 11.30..half hour journey and then decorate NooNoo and get them all to the Wedding..quite exciting 
Finished the Corners of the triangle inset GG, leaving the sides open l think
Pleased with the little leaf and flower corners though

DAY ONE OF THE DIET
2 cups of tea a small thin steak that needed eating up, a boiled egg and two Ryvita with light spread
will add the cals later right now the bath calls
Have a super Saturday everyone and catch up later
Hugs to all xx
Thnaks for all the support

Friday 22 July 2011

NEW START TOMORROW

Determined to get to grips with my weight gain in the last 18months so l've been looking at the Diet chef...Jenny Craig....very expensive that one £199 to join before you get any meal packages 
I'm not a cook, much rather play hooky than spend hour in the kitchen and Phil bless him, always want to feed me up with his fabulous cooking and my will power is zilch 
SO...thought l'd see how much Weight Watchers meals etc would be and compare them
7 meals, 7 puds, 7 soups, 7 cakes, about half the cost of Diet Chef and didn't bother to work out the Jenny Craig one
l'll add fresh veg to the main meal or a salad
Ryvita to eggs for breakfast and the soups for lunch
and some fresh fruit and half a pint of Skimmed milk for tea each day
Going to stick to about 1000-1200 cals per day
Wish me luck...it's just got to work, so fed up with nothing fitting!

CORNER FILL IN ON THE TRIANGLE INSET GRANNY
Fiddled and played and slept on it until it came to me
Just the sides to sort out now...might need to sleep on that one too lol
hugs to all x


NooNoo's Wedding Bows

Played for an hour or more yesterday trying different ways to make these, eventually a folding and scrunching of each loop was the most successful, tied with wire and then pulled into peach perfection lol

A 25m roll of ribbon made the 'v' shape Ribbon mirror to mirror length and 6 loopy bows

The Bride has given her approval 

Definitely a Christmas present decoration in the making, just a little smaller may be

HOLLYHOCKS
The Hollyhocks are still hiding a bit so l needed to get in an odd position to take the pictures.....I left it a bit late to add a stake for support and they have grown a bit twisted and bent but great to watch the flowers bloom up the stem one by one lol...definitely on the 'to grow again' list
Pretty double flowers..
The little grouping of pots from about a week ago has bloomed too...


ROSES
Can some one tell me a bit about Roses please?
Last year we only had about 6 flowers in all, this year they just keep coming
l've fed them a few times and l keep dead heading them too..will that make them bloom more?
A fight with a rose bush when l was first married and my first garden, put me off Roses for a life time
All of these we inherited in the new garden, the bushes looked small so l thought l'd keep them, although l did prune very heavily thinking that's what l should do, plus a little bit of hatred for them l'm afraid lol...
But they seem to have come good and my love for Roses is blossoming slowly

As you walk down the fairway of life you must smell the roses, for you only get to play one round.
Ben Hogan 


Have a Fabulous Friday everyone
hugs to all x

Thursday 21 July 2011

Crochet Triangle Insets to a Simple Giant Granny

Thanks for the lovely comments YOU ALL always make me feel better about what l'm making, when l'm not sure of myself.....thanks blogland friends
Yes l agree it does LOOK complicated and intricate, but it isn't if you can make a SC triangle and a basic granny square you could make this design up real easy

Decide on the number of stitches you need for each triangle and make your granny size a multiple of that number then do the single crochet triangles all around your granny then a chain to join the points and a couple more rows of SC then back to the basic granny clusters again and keep going
still deciding on the fill-ins for the holes 
Still trying to decide on the border for the other GG (underneath the triangle one in the above pictures)
but thinking it will be flowers or circles in the same blended colours...still experimenting
both GG's, as you can see will need blocking, a bit wavy at the moment 

Tension
How is your Crochet tension?
I'm afraid my tension is quite loose and varies quite a lot
One good thing for that is....
 l can always gain a couple of inches to finish a row, by undoing a foot or so and re-doing it, 
holding the yarn tighter lol

NOONOO WEDDING
Ned to spend an hour or so on the wedding ribbons and flowers for NooNoo...the wedding is on Saturday
should be some pictures soon but not until after the wedding don't want to spoil the surprise

Tickets booked for the Shrewsbury Flower show on the 12th August..another day out with our great friends Dave and Alison...can't wait

Have a Thoughtful Thursday everyone

Life is a waste of time and time is a waste of life, 
so waste your time and have the time of your life !

Hugs to all xx

Wednesday 20 July 2011

CROCHET TRIANGLE INSET IN A GIANT GRANNY SQUARE BLANKET

Thanks everyone, thanks Blogger and Thank goodness for CROCHET...l'm all sorted now

NEW GIANT GRANNY BLANKET WITH TRIANGLE INSETS
A few days go l needed to crochet but not think to much, so l started a giant Granny square in memory of my very 1st granny square blanket l made over 45years ago....wish l knew what happened to that one!
I found and used a small blended sample as the inspiration and got started
21 rounds later l was bored with it....
so l scribbled a few ideas down on paper and decided to try out one of the ideas on a small cushion size sample first
I found a small granny square that l had started months ago made of ends and small balls, added the triangles to it...wasn't sure where to go next but laid it down and let it morph a bit
then l knew where to go...so added the chain to make a square again and liked it so much l kept going and now have two Giant Granny Square blankets in the making...
sorry about the awful photos...semi dark when l took them last night and this morning...lol
The corner holes are too big to leave so l'm thinking a flower of some description or l quite like the circles
Continuing on using left overs in all colours, mixing 2 strands of DK and a 6mm hook

I'm thinking l'll try a different scribbled idea on the blended Giant Granny if the one idea works then l think the others will too
Good to be back on track and happy playing hooky


Have a Wonderful Wednesday everyone
hugs to all x

Life loves to be taken by the lapel and told, 'I am with you
 kid Let's go!'
-- Maya Angelou --

BASIC GRANNY SQUARE PATTERN

Thanks everyone, thanks Blogger and Thank goodness for CROCHET...l'm all sorted now
GIANT GRANNY BLANKET
Made 2018 for my New Grandson 

Hardanger blanket a combination of granny squares 


USING COLOUR IN A GRANNY
Can make for some very exciting blankets...even in just 2 colours. 












BASIC 4 ROUND GRANNY SQUARE EACH ROUND A NEW COLOUR
US Terms,

dc, is ch2 to start, 
4mm hook for dc
5mm hook for Aran, 
6mm hook for chunky or 2 strands of dc
Sets of 3dc are called Granny Shells.

NOTES: Up to about 4 rounds working on one side of the granny square is OK, if making a larger granny then it is best worked alternate sides, turning and working both ways on a large granny square will stop any misshaped square and keep it a square. 


Finger wrap of 5 wraps or ch4 and sl st into a circle.
ROUND 1:  cont.in same col. ch2 counts as first dc, 2dc, ch3, 3dc, ch3, 3dc, ch3, 3dc, ch3, sl st, to complete.
[3dc, each side, ch3 corners]

ROUND 2: Att. new col. in a corner sp, ch2, [counts as first dc], 2dc, ch3, 3dc, in corner sp, repeat in each corner sl st to complete.
[6dc, each side, ch3 corners]

ROUND 3: Att. new colour, ch2,] counts as first dc] 2dc, ch3, 3dc,  3dc in side sp, repeat for each corner and side, sl st to complete. 
[9dc, ch3 corners]

ROUND 4: Att. new colour, ch2[counts as first dc]
2dc, ch3, 3dc in the corner sp, 3dc in each side sp, repeat for each corner and side, sl st to complete. [12dc each side, ch3 corners]