Day 6 of
#yarnlovechallenge
it’s not too late join in. Theme for today is…
mistakes.
Deciding to sort this odd sock pile when I could have been crocheting…what was I thinking!!!
Mistakes…
Category: life
A yarny HUG in 2017
A yarny HUG or Happy Unexpected Gift.
A new project launched here at the nest which will run over the course of 2017. Aiming to distribute love, joy and hope at random through yarny little gifts.
May rose keyrings…. pattern by Attic 24
a yarny HUG
I will post more about this over the coming weeks.
There will be the chance to join me if you wish,
Take it, embrace it and be a part of it!
xxxxx
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2016 Montage
I love this time of year; for me it’s a real time of reflection, a time to look back in wonder at the year gone by.
And what a year it has proven to be, both personally and here at the Nest too. This year I have created a montage of my favourite memories, both hooky and the not so hooky!
January 2016
Started with a lovely little trip to the worlds smallest library…in a phone box and finished with felt flowers.
February 2016
Was filled with my Flower Fiesta installation and saw the release of a yarny little leaf pattern…on the house of course!
March 2016
Maybe one of my favourite months this year as it was full of hookiness, creativity and some much needed soul restoration . Some much needed time away from studying for a PGdip, juggling placements, family, home and a whole heap of essays! There was the Robins Nest Square pattern release, followed by a tutorial for joining with a double crochet and a BIG thank you.
April 2016
Well, April really did whizz by under a heavy cloud of essay pressure, but I did find time to look for some lovliness and learn a new yarny skill despite a Woolly dilemma.
May 2016
Was permeated with bluebells, al fresco dining and a woolly win.
June 2016
Left me feeling chuft!
July 2016
was celebrated with a yarny give -a-way and a growing pile of PHD’s
August 2016
Brimmed with crochet goodness; hooking al fresco, completing the very V blanket and tutorial and not forgetting the graffiti robin.
September 2016
Saw the calm before the storm, a quilting Ouch! and the launch of The Grandma Collection.
October 2016
Oh my days!
October held the secret of happiness…alpaca walking! Enough excitement for one month you might think, but there was also the release of The Grandma Mary Tea Cosy pattern. Too much!
November 2016
Was bleak to be honest, but there was a WOW and a fond farewell
December 2016
Ahh December and homemade damson gin, hooking virus style (post coming soon) and planning for project 2017 (launching in the New Year!!). And there you have it…a whistle stop tour of my 2016.
I do have one more special thing to add before I sign off for 2016 and that is to you…Thank you so much for journeying with me, I love having you along. I am always amazed by folk dropping in and reading what I write, it humbles me to my core. I hope in return you have enjoyed and been inspired, encouraged and been blessed.
Here’s to a very yarny 2017!
xxxxx
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Introducing the Grandma Mabel Tea Cosy…
I am thrilled to be finally introducing the ‘Grandma Mabel’ tea cosy to you. The second cosy in the Grandma Collection
Dedicated to my Granny Mabel, whom I knew as Granny Jason. Granny Jason was named so by myself when I was still in terry towel nappies. Named after her dog Jason, it was my way of distinguishing between my two Grannies.
Granny Jason was born in August 1914 in Southern Ireland and in her younger days enjoyed driving tractors. Moving to England in 1960 when my Mom was a little girl, she worked in factories and finally as an Auxillary Nurse before she became too unwell to work. I was privileged to have had her in my life for just 10 years before she left this world at the age of 73.
I have precious memories of my Granny Jason, who although unwell always found a way of making me feel loved. She was a humble and unassuming woman, who was always busy in the kitchen and always had her hair done and was house proud. She would always give you the best of what she had and keep the worn out and old things for herself.
She loved shoes and made daisy chains and made the dog (Jason) a cup of tea with a sugar in, poured into his bowl, each time she made my Grandad a cup of tea…which was often!
Granny Jason was often unwell, seriously now I realise as I am older, but she tried hard not to let it show. I remember as a small child counting her tablets into a big medicine jar. There were all sorts of pills; round ones, oblong ones and all sorts of colours…
I loved this job…
maybe it was the beginning of my fascination with public health and my nursing career.
But I think family was the most important thing to her, because she cared so much about her family and cared so well.
This cosy has been inspired by my memories of her. The buttons representing those many colourful pills that I used to count, not understanding the gravity of how poorly she really was. The pretty colours of the cosy reflecting her beauty and the lace representing the finest dress a tea cosy could have.
I know Granny Jason would have been proud to put this cosy on her teapot, to put that teapot on her hostess trolley and wheel it from the kitchen to serve her guests.
So that is the Grandma Mabel tea cosy in all of its glory, I will post the pattern in the week.
xxxxx
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Autumnal sunshine low in the sky
playing hooky
new pattern coming soon
home xx
crispy leaves
hungry birds
an autumn carpet
top secret hooking!
more leaves…
keeping me busy…
new wool delivery
A fleeting glimpse of the super moon…
cheers
my happy hooky space
buttons
even more leaves
cheeky alpacas
road trip
planning patterns
Farewell Autumn…
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Wow…
Humph!!…did you hear that…or is it just my tinnitus again? I think it was the sound of me falling onto the sofa from a parallel universe; where the last few weeks have spun by in a blur and may have possibly been the fastest few weeks in history.
I was hoping to have posted this weekend about the second tea cosy in the Grandma Collection, but that may well be next week end now…so sorry. It would have happened, but I think that in exiting the parallel universe I left my little pencil case of hooks as I can’t seem to find them…most distressing.
There has been quite a bit of Christmas hooking going on, but that will have to remain under wraps for now, enough to say I am in love with the pattern and can’t wait to share it with you all.
So, whilst I acclimatise back into the earthly realm, I will leave you with a little snap shot of the last few weeks…
Oh ok then, just a very quick look at some of the Christmas hooking…
xxxxx
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Alpaca Walking…yes honestly!!!
I have been so looking forward to writing this post; you see I have been on the most amazing adventure. However, this post should really come with a warning, so here it is…
This post will make you fall in love; quite a bold claim I realise, so it might be advisable to get yourself a cuppa (or a glass of something bubbly!) depending on what hour of the day it is that you are reading this…and if you are sitting reading this and you are in England then oh my, I take no responsibility!
So warning done, now for the adventure.
It started a month or so a go when the lovely Mr. R booked an anniversary trip of a different kind (don’t worry, this is ‘U’ rated honestly!). So on Saturday, after counting down the days, we got up early with the boys and headed on a short road trip. Destination…
To say I was excited was an understatement, it took every ounce of control I had not to burst through the gates looking insane. You will be pleased to know that I think I managed to appear fairly normal!
We were greeted and welcomed into the most amazing farm house by Trish, Zoe and Helen
We were made to feel so welcome and were provided with as much coffee, tea and squash as we desired. The girls allowed us to relax and take in the view as they chatted and answered all of our questions that we could think of about alpacas; whilst Pip and Tavish the farm dogs snuggled up to us for a bit of fuss.
After a laid back cup of coffee or two we pulled on our boots and headed outside to be greeted by these lot
Right to left
Teddy, Zeus, Tex, Arnie and Brownlee…
all adorable and all ours for the next two and half hours, well not quite, I think Trish had sussed that I was verging on gaagaa over them!!
Arnie chose me to be his walking buddy, he led the pack and was well behaved; gentle and funny. His top lip got all jittery when he stopped to have a scratch.
Inquisitive and cautious he constantly surveyed the path ahead, peering his neck around corners to check it was safe to continue; his ears a constant twitch.
We wandered and explored and all the time Trish and the girls guided and chatted and generally put us at ease. The countryside was just glorious…(Mr R. had ordered the sunshine) and walking with these beautiful creatures filled me with an incredible peace.
We paused for a long while next to a babbling stream, drank more juice and paddled, whilst these guys watched us. We had time to take photo’s too
and Yarny and Arnie bonded a little more…
(Did you know that alpacas have the most delicious smell; a bit like popcorn).
Eventually we wound our way back through orchards and fields back to the homestead, where I tried to put Arnie in the car without Trish noticing. Alas, this did not work and I had to settle for one more photoshoot in the glorious sunshine.
Before we were treated to more luxurious hospitality, in the form of mince pies and hot cross buns…we had a little chuckle at the clash of Easter and Christmas nibbles, I don’t think I have ever come across that combination before.
At the end of this unique experience,
I felt like I had partaken in a little peice of heaven and I can’t wait til I can return to Temevale alpacas to get up close and personal again with these adorable creatures.
xxxxx
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A lovely week
Well put out the crochet bunting….I’ve qualified!…a long hard slog, but it is done.
So of course celebrations have been ongoing (both alcoholic and non alcoholic), but my favourite (and the one I am going to share with you) was a blissful week at home, pretty much to myself. Doing this sort of thing…
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A quilting OUCH?
Oh deep joy!!!
The lost hours deep cleaning the back of beyond in my teenagers wardrobe has resulted in screams of delight followed by screams of pain as I fell off the ladder!!…but, I have finally found the long lost quilts….and sprained my ankle. That aside look, look at these…
My bravery in summoning up the courage to venture into the teens room was rewarded well, when on tip toe I stood on one foot, precariously balanced on the handle of the step ladder, which of course was not tall enough. It was also painful to stand on for longer than a second and peering my head into the deep dark recess of the cupboard I could see what looked like a familiar old sewing bag. And so I grabbed a pillow and placed it over the handle of the step ladders (as in the style of an episode of Casualty*); where the impending injury is starkly apparent to all but the poor human it is about to befall. I gave a large tug at the bag, screamed with delight as I cast my eye upon my long lost quilts and then drew in sharp breath as my foot slid of the handle of the step ladders and I plummeted to the floor with the quilts in hot pursuit. I will spare you a picture of my bruises!
It was worth it though.
This is a beautiful single quilt patched from a jellyroll…I made it whilst recovering from surgery some years ago. I have part hand quilted the main section and will have to ponder about how I finish the rest.
This is a lap quilt I began making years ago, before I learnt to crochet. It is a Tilda pattern and I remember the roses around the little cottages took a long time to hand sew. I really must get this quilted before this winter. Alas my PHD mountain has just grown some more!
xxxxx
*Casualty – a BBC drama about an accident and emergency dept
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Graffiti Robin…
*There is still time to enter the yarny give-a-way here*
I stumbled upon an arty robin last weekend, well I say stumbled… it was more like rode. I dusted off Bella and wheeled her out into the day light, hoiked her onto the bike rack and off we all went.
It had been way too long since the last time we had an afternoon out in the countryside together, and as we cycled our cares flew from us and we felt light. We stopped at points to play in the stream
race each other,
or just to admire the scenery and breathe out.
And then we stumbled upon this…
(You may have to lean back and squint a little)….Not everyone’s cup of tea, but talented and arty non the less, and it made us smile!
We rode on some more, and returned home fulfilled and tired. The perfect excuse to put up my feet and get out my hook.
I didn’t move until I had finished the main body of this Very V blanket, but I had been undisciplined throughout and had not woven in the ends as I had been hooking!!! Oh my, that is what I have been doing this week…Its a good job I don’t mind weaving in those ends isn’t it!
Now to border it before next Friday…
xxxxx
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