Isolation

It feels like I am writing a confession .... It has been 3 years since 🤔 I wrote on my blog, but suddenly we have a lot off time on our hands, the world has more time on their hands! 

Mine started 19th March when we started social distancing, I missed celebrating my Mothers 80th Birthday,

My Mothers birthday also fell on Mother's Day, she collects the Nutcracker Soldiers so I found a beaded Nutcracker Soldier so set about making him, people who bead will appreciate the work that went into him, took about 20hrs.

Wasn't quite the same, my Mum opened her present while I was on the phone with her.

Afternoon tea

This was afternoon tea at Mama Doreen's in Harrogate we had a great time didn't feel like 30 years had passed. We then went onto have a meal at the Fat Badger in the evening. We are all going to meet up in September again hopefully we will all keep in touch now.

Tension square

Started the tension square took ages to do the double crochet foundation start only had to get 30 stitches to start, will take me ages to do 180 stitches.

Measurement are as required for the tension square with a 5mm hook even though I have only done 2 colours, don't want to waste my wool.

I am a bit of a Sci-Fi fan watched this while doing it.

Love all the Marvel films.

Away for a few days and no scissors!

Away to the East Coast today to open up the Caravan for the season, loverly warm day waited till after lunch to come didn't want to get stuck in traffic going for the day, stopped for a coffee at Costa, then popped into Tescos for these

What do I need cloth pegs for except to hang out washing, no I am going to turn them into a sea of colour, my birthday present in December from Hubby was the wool for Attic 24's Moorland blanket. 

Got the kit from Wool Warehouse the always but their wool in a loverly net bag useful for storage, after all the different stitches I learn last year doing the dancing on the beach Cal I feel confident to do this, this blanket was done as a Cal but I decided to keep it to do over the Caravan season March to November.

Since the ball bands will become detached I have used my pegs to make these all labelled with colour, shade number and brand, I even referred to Lucy's blog post how to make them, 

The problem came when I needed to cut the wool, I could not find my scissors, with all the pairs I have not one pair in my bag, fortunately I found a kit I had bought to stitch and as luck would have it, it included a pair of scissors.

Next step a tension sample but I will start that tomorrow.

Reunion

I don't know where time has gone, this group of loverly ladies was taken 30 yrs ago when I finished my Nurse Training, we are meeting up today for afternoon tea and then a meal this evening.

Speedy February part 2

I did go home  and dig something out to work on, I took part in a CAL on Facebook last year, through the CAL and YouTube video's I learnt how too increase my basic knowledge of crochet, I have finished the squares that were taught and I have decided to add another 8 before making it up, I have started number 4 this evening it is called Jacobs Ladder.

I like to go to craft shows, my 1st show of the year is generally in August with festival of quilts ending with knitting and stitching in November usually by then I have gone too 5 shows, but this year I have already attended a quilt show at the Yorkshire show ground then I have seen an advert for a Wool Festival taking place in Leeds at the Grammer School in April which I intend to visit.

This is the Quilting Antics stand where I bought a pattern and the wool tweed for it, and I found the lining fabric on another stand.

There was a quilt exhibition as well, loved the above but hate stitching curves.

Fantastic machine embroidery on this quilt.

The colours caught my eye, this quilt was layered up then areas cut back very effective.

Up close not much to look at but from a distance was brilliant unbelievable made up from squares.

Here is the stash I bought.

I also received this through the post this week, but wasn't happy with the postman, he has been putting packages through our gate but didn't leave a message with the post I found it after it had been raining so the outer package was wet, fortunately the contents were dry.

This was the eagerly awaited little box of crochet with the Attic 24 pattern, I follow Lucy's blog and received the wool for my birthday for her recent Moorland blanket Cal which I intend to do over the summer while at the caravan as it doesn't involve YouTube as our internet assess isn't brilliant.

Speedy February

I can not believe we are already at the end of February, the year is already going  fast, I was at a quilt and embroidery show on Friday and the ever present Xmas stockings and fabric could be found but then I know you need to start early if you are making gifts.

I am sat in Costa at the moment staring at my empty cup reading some blogs

trying  in to feel motivated my dogs are in the car waiting for me to walk them, I have not posted much on my blog in the last 6 months but not much to show, I have all sorts at home awaiting my attention so when I get home I intend to get something out and finish it.

New love

Since my last post I have been doing the Dancing in the Sea CAL, it was a 14 week CAL which I have obviously gone over, but for a while I have wanted to learn how to crochet and thought this was a good opertunity I could do the basic and found any classes I went to only gave me the basics which I already know. This CAL had a YouTube video for each square which was fantastic as I am a visual learner. I have now made it to the last 4 squares there where 48 in total. I am feeling pretty pleased with myself.

This to me was the hardest square which happened to be week 3. Unfortunately the Cross stitch has been put away for the moment, I am still going to a monthly quilt group so my Alphabet quilt is still a work in progress nearly ready to start quilting it.

I am finding the crochet very relaxing and not as hard on the eyes I have also signed up for the Mystery  Little Box of Crochet this is what came in July.

I feel my Jack Russell is going to love my blanket as at every opportunity she is in the middle of it.

Something new

We all love our SAL's, BAL's, QAL's and KAL's well I am trying something new, I have always wanted to learn how to crochet I can do the basis, I can manage a granny square, but crocheting in straight lines scared me as I could never tell when the row finished or how to start it properly, I could never find a class that delivered what I wanted to learn till I saw this CAL.

I received a newsletter from the wool wearhouse at the end of March advertising wool for this CAL I already have the wool in my stash for one of Attic 24's blankets but you guest it, it has straight rows so have not started it. This is what caught my eye.

There is a lot of people all over the world doing this CAL, the demand for the kits has been phenomenal, and the companies supplying them have not been able to keep up with the demand,  

This is the colour way I have, there is a choice of 3 colour schemes.

I will say more about it later.

March's FNWF

I am a bit late posting what I did on Friday night, I have been looking through my stash and found this last week.

I bought this at a quilt show a few years ago, it is a kit using Red Rooster Fabrics  called A's, Bees & Dandelion Seeds designed by Jacquline Paton. It contains all the fabrics required all I need to do is cut it out with no mistakes.

I have started on the center panel 

When finished it is 36 x 39 inches, last year I took a free motion quilt class so I am hoping to do more than my usual straight line quilting.

Feb's FNWF

I worked on several projects all while watching down loads of Vera a Detective series which I have continued to watch over the weekend now on series 4.

I started to make a bag for my cutting mat and rulers from my stash before Christmas,

This is the front

And this is the back

I attached the D ring tabs and put the lining in, then  it was complete I have already made the strap which is detachable.

I also completed this CCN ornament  "Fa La La"

I got this one out to work on that I had started another CNN "Merry Merry"

York

Out shopping in York today the river is in spate, 

Gifted gorgeousness

We are already half way through January it seems to be going fast or does it only appear so the older you get?

This is what I stitched for my Mum's for Christmas as gifts.

I originally made myself one at a class I attended at the Viking Loom with Stuart Hillard.

I had it finished by the end of class, they are maded using adhesive foam so they do not collapse.

I also made one of my friends a thread keep.

Friday night with friends

                                                           

I enjoy wandering through Blogland seeing what everyone is stitching, find inspiration from what everyone is doing.

Friday night was an eventful night it started out with going to York with Hubby as he had an exam to sit 6pm to 8pm so I got to sit in costa reading my kindle then wandering around Marks and Spencer managing to pick up some bargains in the sales.

Once home I had recorded Abyss which is over 3 hours long so I sat and watched it while stitching with friends all over the world.

This is what I was doing CCN Fa La La.

New Years Goals

Well it is the start of another year, already getting use to writing 2016, just finished 2 nights over new year. When I look back at what I stitched over the year it wasn't much, like many off us I dabble in many crafts such as knitting, basic crochet, beading, quilting and of course cross-stitch.I have many WIP's and last years goal was to finish a few, didn't really do that just added to my pile of WIP.  There are many SAL out there to join in I have decided that I am going to try some of them as a tool to try and help me finish a lot of my WIP's.

                                                           

I have decided to use the above group to try and help me focus, you post once a month on a specific date and you can dip in and out over the year.

The 1st work in progress I pulled out was this

This is one of the CCN's ornaments I received on auto ship last year with fabric and threads so far I have completed 2 of the 12 and started 2 more, one is the above called "Fa La La"

I did sign up to IStitch's Advent stitch along every day  in December till the 24th, you received a line to stitch so that you had an advent sampler by the end off course I started it then got distracted with other things like finishing Christmas presents!

Last year I dipped in and out of Gifted Gorgeousness this was stitching done for gifts or received as a gift or something  to stitch that was originally a gift or anything that you squeeze into the rules, I have signed up for this again.

While shopping at Morrisons before Christmas I received a voucher towards some flowers for my Birthday, so while I was shopping on Tuesday I treated myself to these Roses.