Half term

I have been tagged by Lindsay

1. What was I doing ten years ago?

I was struggling to cope with a two year old who couldn't sleep due to chronic colic, which left me feeling like a zombie! we had moved into a beautiful old victorian house in Worthing which needed a lot of work and the neighbours weren't very friendly.

2. Five things on my to do list today:

Work, go to the post office, washing, ironing and packing. Yes I managed to complete all of that.

3. Five snacks I enjoy.

Fruit salad, a cup of tea, banana, ice-cream, Chocolate (flake, galaxy, minstrels, revels & Green and Black milk choc you get the idea!)

4. Things I would do if I was a millionaire,

mm, Well it would have to be a cottage in the country with roses around the door and a back garden as well, larger than the shoe box and postage stamp we currently live in. Share my good fortune with family and donate more money to cancer research.

5. Places I have lived:

Epsom, Sussex x 2

Now I am supposed to tag other blogs but if you don't want to do the tag it doesn't matter:

Lucy Locket

Moogs mum

Willows cottage

To everyone else If you wish to join in and I haven't tagged you please do so - Thankyou

The Baby blanket is coming along nicely and I have made all the squares and they need sewing together. But another project must be made before I get on with the sewing up. One of my friends from school is leaving and I have decided to make her something special (I won't say what it is because I know she does read my blog occasionally)

We are off to Dorset to visit the family as it is half term for us. So I will take my new project with me and continue the blanket next week. I hope you have a good week filled with lots of crafty fun Jane x

Happy Birthday

Its my birthday today, the sun is shinning and the birds are singing - perfect. I had turned off my alarm so I could sleep later than 6am, but a delivery lorry started crashing his metal cages around and I woke up at 5.55, everyone else is still asleep. I found some birthday cakes on the web which look amazing, I think this is my favourite - it even has my name on! Tony bought me a Tatty Teddy cake last year, (I'm a big fan of TT)









My Mum made me a delicious coffee cake last weekend and for a joke put 60 and 18 - subtract them and now you know how old I am. Whilst we were on Easter break I was busy with some crochet the bag that started off as the Giants shoe sole turned out like this. I was delighted with the finished bag. So I made another version for my Mum's neighbour, but forgot to take a photo. I also made a baby blanket for a friend who's expecting in September, I do hope she likes it. Now I'm experimenting with hyperbolic crochet! Back soon Jane x

Easter Holidays - Hurrah!

They are here at last - our holidays. So Em and I are off to visit my parents in Dorset whilst Tony stays at home as he has to go to work :( But then Em is off in the caravan for a holiday with my parents. Tony is joining me later in the week and we are going to Cornwall for a long weekend. We are hoping to visit: The Eden Project, & Lost Gardens of Heligan plus whatever else appeals to us while we are there. I finished making a bag for Lesley's birthday although it was a little late arriving.

Nothing on the needles at the moment but I am crocheting a bag in 5 ply garden twine but as it is very hard on my fingers I'm only doing a couple of rows each evening. Tony says that it looks like the sole of a shoe for a giant! Can't decided what to knit next, perhaps socks - not sure. Hope you have a good week, Jane x

Having spent a week working on the back of my cardi, it suddenly occurred to me i should check my measurements! Oh dear, despite doing a gauge swatch i discovered that the tension was coming out at 21sts instead of 19 sts, yes i had to pull it all out, lots of it too.

So back to the start and more stitches to compensate for the tighter gauge, at least i discovered my mistake then and not when i had finished the back.

Before i started the cardigan i made a shawl in different crochet stitches, i wasn't working from a pattern. I started with an 8 stitch chain and then increased at the end of each row. i used rows of dc, tr, dc, (UK) and then added clusters, more dc, tr, dc, blackberry stitch etc basket stitch, plaited clusters, basket weave, shell pattern, ripple stitch and finally squares in dc with a little flower appliqued on.My youngest daughter fell in love with it, and has adopted it!

Hokie Healing

These are the 25 squares I made for Hokie Healing blankets.

Knitting Crochet or Cross stitch

For several years i have cross stitched pictures, gifts etc then came Hokie Healing so i got out the crochet hook and gradually made some squares for the many blankets that Gina and the team at Mosaic yarn shop are putting together. Now having read much on the web about knitting and wool i decided to have a go at knitting something. Now the last time i did some knitting was approximately 15 years ago! I have decided to make a cardigan from a pattern on Knitty.com. with some yarn i have in my very small stash. I must during the summer holidays (20th July) find some yarn.