BUSY............

There's been very little yarny action in my little neck of the woods over the last couple of weeks. Half-term week saw me away with family and occupied with the fun and games of little people and then this week the realisation that I HAVE to get my school reports started has finally hit home!!!!

I really hate writing reports and would much rathe have a face to face interview with the parent's, which would be much more useful, but this is not how it is done, so I have had to bite the bullet and get on with it. Needless to say, progress has been slow but at least a start has been made.

In order to motivate myself to the cause, I've used the carrot of 'a crochet stripe for each report written'. As you can probably work out for yourself, that's not too many reports flying into the 'finished' folder, but it's a start. I'm really liking the colours of this blanket now that I've got a little more completed and I know Isaac is going to love it!

This weekend the younger Miss Snoops has been home and we've spent most of our time trying to get  a bit more of the garden under control. The heavy rain last week has encouraged way too rapid growth for my liking!

Of course, Oscar has negotiated well to earn an hour of ball chasing and swimming time at the lake each day.

It was warm and sunny and so lovely to see the pretty blackberry blossom in full bloom.

Back on it this evening. I have to write a couple tonight to keep to my schedule!

'GREAT OUTDOORS' RIPPLES....

It's been a pretty lovely Bank holiday here weather wise, so as little time as possible has been spent inside. We've explored the great outdoors close to home. I have had some little visitors, so not too much crafting has gone on! However, I have at last started a new ripple blanket for Isaac. It took me a long while to settle on a choice of colours for him and I'm still not sure that my selection may not change still further as I get rippling. Who knows, anything is possible! So far, I'm loving the 'great outdoors' colours and hope he will too as he gets older. I always forget how wonderfully relaxing crochet is, especially when the pattern is simple and colour is involved. 

 

Oscar has loved having the little people around and has spent his weekend running, swimming, and playing a new game called 'rugby'! Best not to ask....... ;-)

 After saying our goodbyes, I've tidied, washed and gardened and now it's time for some rippling with a nice glass  of red!!!!

Busy beeeee!.........

Here, at long last, is Isaac's little blue merino and silk hoodie. I had no idea a bumble bee was flying across it as I took the shot. How funny! I even captured his shadow! :-)

This is such a good pattern from Debbie Bliss's 'eco- baby' book. It helps not to have to choose buttons, because there are none needed, or to have to pick up stitches to knit the hood band! I hate picking up a large amount of stitches evenly.

It's nicely styled too with the little side vents and simple neck opening. All in all, it's a pretty good knit.

It's been a warm and sunny weekend in our little corner of the UK and Oscar has made the most of it!!!  Long may it continue!

SUNNY WEEKEND..........

Well hello little socks! Long time no see! I really should pay you some attention and get those needles clicking. I really like the stripes, but plain sock knitting in navy blue? I should have know better! It's not the most inspiring choice, but now I am sock number two, I can see the end may soon be in sight. For that reason only, I am marching forward with my task! 

The little hoodie that I had so hoped to show you this week is now complete but awaiting seaming.... another urrrgggghhhhhhh!!! I hate seaming and will need to do a bit at a time I think. With that plan in mind, the shoulder seams are now joined and the hood is attached and shames, so just the side seams and sleeves to go. 

To be honest, I've not had much time for knitting this weekend as the younger Miss Snoops has been home and we have made the most of the warmer weather and sunshine to enjoy the outdoors with Oscar.

 These little cuties certainly aren't very old but were enjoying the sunshine with Mum!

Oscar was enjoying the sun and water too, as always.

Love this boy to bits!

A little garden re-designing is taking place chez Snoops' too! We made a little trip to the local garden centre yesterday to make a start on the planting choices. Can't wait to see them in situ!

LET'S GET A MOVE ON..........

I seem to be an old slo-mo at present. This little hoodie for Isaac has been on the needles for a little too long for my liking. It's such a pretty blue and the pattern from the Debbie Bliss 'eco baby' book is fab. It's just that it's not very exciting to knit! To be fair, I love a bit of easy stocking stitch sin the evenings after a busy day in the classroom, but if I'm honest........ I just want to sock knitting.

However, Isaac is a growing boy (he was 1 year old on Friday) and these small people knits don't fit for very long! So it's time to fire up those needles. It's definitely coming along now, as the hood is almost done and then I'll just have the sleeves to make before stitching up. I've made this little one several times before and it looks lovely once it's completed. The added bonus is that there are no stitch pick-ups to make edgings or borders. The open neck and hood borders are integrated into the main knit. Perfect! I HATE picking up stitches!

These little beauties have also been waiting around for rather longer than I would have liked. However, my mission is to clear anything already started, before allowing  myself a new cast-on. Two new blanket packs are lying ready and waiting too and once I allow myself blanket hoodie time the poor old WIPs won't get a look in! I love seeing them sitting in the yarn bowl patiently awaiting their turn to be chosen. I love them all dearly! ;-)

Oscar met up with his 7 month old red setter pal, Alfie yesterday. They had a lovely time sniffing, chasing and swimming (well Oscar swam) around our favourite lake and country walk.

Then it was back to some plant potting in the garden. It's such a pleasure to be outside at this time of year in the garden. Peaceful and relaxing!

LOVING THE PATCHWORK.....

This last week has been a week of batik, little squares and another new sewing and quilting experience, alongside some fabulous weekend weather and special walks with my beautiful Oscar boy! 

I am a new quilter and am learning with the help of my dear pal Helen (Josiekitten), who is always willing to share her workshop experiences with me. I love sewing almost as much as knitting, but do less of it as there is always the upheaval of getting everything out and packing it all away again. I know,  I  really do need a crafting room! To be honest, what is there not to like when you have a charm pack of beautiful batiks to work with. 

Having stitched nine charm squares into a three by three larger square six times over,  each large square is then quartered to give twenty four smaller squares as seen above. I usually agonise over the best layout, trying to balance patterns and colours but this little beauty just seemed to organise itself.

After lining, backing and making then sewing the edging............. ta da!!!! Here it is! What do you think? I'm pretty pleased with myself.

I'm loving the colour and pattern mix and so pleased I eventually decided to go with the blue backing and edging. It finishes the quilt off perfectly.

There is still the little matter of actually quilting the finished piece, which I plan to do this coming week. The rows of stitches that you can see are merely securing the wadding to the patchwork top. 

Oscar supervised the entire process, right down to helping to hang it on the linen line in the garden for a photo. By the look on his face, he is so so wishing the quilt will be for him! He's not really a big fan of the pinks though.

This weekend brought glorious sunshine to our days and the younger Miss Snoops home for a visit. She loves walking Oscar and we enjoyed some super sunny, long walks. He sustained a very deep cut in his right front paw three weeks ago and needed stitches. Even though the bandaging was off a week ago, he still had to be kept on a lead for yet another week. For a ball and swimming obsessed boy like Oscar, he's been pretty restricted. So, imagine his joy to find himself 'off lead' again and free to race down into the river or lake for a cool down or sniff a special smell for just as long as he wanted. Heaven!

This place is just a five minute drive from our city centre home and is always a beautiful and peaceful  oasis to spend an hour or two.

I couldn't not include this last photo as these little beauties never fail to brighten my day. Such simple beauty!

This week, the family arrive for the Easter weekend, which I'm really looking forward to. There might an Easter egg or two, perhaps an egg hunt and even some Easter nest cooking for the little ones. We'll have to see. It's just good to be together!

SOCK DRAWER

Good evening! Sorry to have missed you last week, but I spent a very lovely weekend in Manchester visiting two of my children and their families. I have to say there has not been an awful lot of knitting going on chez Snoops' over the last week or so. My Advent socks are almost there, with just the last sock to complete. I'm loving the great colour match between yarn and needles! 

I've been dipping into a rather unusual read this week. It's a surprisingly interesting read by Marie Kondo, called 'The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying'.......... hmmmmmm! So, in true Marie Kondo spirit, I gave my sock drawers a makeover. I'm rather liking the fact that you can see every pair, as you make your selection for the day.

I've also managed to make space for a few more pairs!!!

We woke to a reasonable covering of snow this morning, that had  fallen upon us silently overnight. It has been bitterly cold and rather dull and miserable today, so a very rare stay 'indoors day' materialised.

There was time to get some sewing organised and started. So, a bit of measuring and a little cutting and the pieces were ready for another contact cushion. I really must move on to try other things, but at present I really love making these gorgeous covers.

I played around for a while with the colourful squares, but still change things around as I began the sewing together.

Here we go! This will be a second cushion for my younger daughter's flat.

It doesn't seem at all possible, but this was the photo taken when Oscar first arrived in our lives seven years ago today. He was the sweetest little pup on the planet and I can't begin to tell you how much joy and love he has brought to our family over the last seven years. He is smart, playful, loving and such a beautiful boy! 

This week has also seen me trying to choose a replacement tree for our back garden. Our magnificent Weeping Willow sadly died last Spring, after contracting HoneyFungus. The tree was enormous and very old and succumbed after being pollarded the previous year; essential for such a large tree in a city centre garden. I felt ridiculously sad about it's demise, but cheered at the prospect of another lovely tree gracing it's spot. The new tree has to be of a variety that will be unaffected by any fungus left in the soil and so, I think my choice will be this beauty. It's a Malus (Crab Apple), but just look at that beautiful blossom. Roll on Springtime!

FIVE TO GO.......

So near and yet so. I've been a bit slow with the needles this week, for no particular reason, although I really don't want this little project to end. I've loved the mix and match of crochet and knitting with each pretty little ball; filled with eager and excited anticipation with every round, to see just how the colours will work out.

It's been a relaxing and colourful journey from the very beginnings way back in July, when I received a little box containing twenty-four teeny tiny hand wound skeins and a cryptic clue, as part of my birthday treat from my dear pal Josiekitten!!!

The first twenty-four days of December each began with the slow ceremonial opening of the day's Advent calendar door to sneak a peek at the treasure wishing and then to photograph the little ball of loveliness.

Eventually, Christmas Day arrived and the long awaited cast-on began!!!! I vowed to stick to the day colour order and to that end I marked each ball band with it's respective number. I had to get my crochet eye and hand back into gear and readjust my tension a fraction and then we were away.

So, here we are with four and a half socks complete and eighteen mini-balls usefully employed. That just leave five more little treasures to go and one and a half more socks to complete, along with ten more crocheted Granny squares.

Then that will be it............................ until next year! :-)

I felt I had to share this lovely doggy collage with you, as Oscar had such a fun afternoon last Sunday with these two beauties, seventeen week-old Alfie and dearest Nellie who, at almost fourteen was very very elderly lady. Oscar spent his afternoon exploring the garden, playing with toys and generally doing what he loves to do ( anything yellow tennis ball related). Alfie spent his afternoon romping around behind Oscar, trying to impress and begging him to play. He really is the cutest little boy! Darling Nellie looked on, with a gentle wag of her tail; her soft, kind brown eyes still shining with enthusiasm for life, despite her frail body. Sadly, dear Nellie finally went to sleep for the last time on Thursday and crossed over the rainbow bridge. She had a long and happy life and is now at peace. So glad we got to see and stroke you one last time lovely lady!

SORRY I MISSED YOU.........

I'm so sorry I missed you last week, but we had an unexpected arrival! Little Isaac arrived rather quickly on Thursday, 5th May at 7.12p.m., a couple of weeks before we were expecting, so Mr Snoops and I made a very special trip up North. What little beauty he is, don't you think? He's still looking a little yellow in this photo, but after light treatment the jaundice is slowly disappearing.

We had the pleasure of looking after darling Evie for a couple of days: she is an absolute delight! It also meant that we were able to spend time with our other two grandchildren, Sophie and Jess, as well. A very special time was had! 

I had time to make another little sweater and a couple of hats. This one matches the grey and the green sweaters and the other has grey and blue stripes to match the grey sweater and blue cardigan featured a couple of posts ago. I don't have a photo of the blue and grey hat, as I completed it on our Thursday evening journey northwards, just after taking a phone call in the car to say that he arrived. Needless to say, a hat photo was no longer high priority! :-)

I LOVE these cute little buttons. They work just perfectly!

Since we've been home, I've made Evie a little cardi for her 'baby' doll. This is a great pattern (Little Kina), that I've used before, knit from the top down all in one piece. It's quick and easy and uses up oddments of yarn! ;-)

We may only have been away for six days, but at this time year so much happens during that time in the garden. The honeysuckle smells divine!

Fresh produce and 'first of the season's' goodies were on offer at the Farmer's Market yesterday in the city centre. We usually stool down through the park for a coffee and to buy some of this stalls wonderful produce. Just look at those lush strawberries; they tasted just as good as they look, as did the yummy asparagus; tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper and roasted for 10 mins in a hot oven. Delicious!

I just wanted to show you the new 'life and times' of Mr Snoops' feet! Two years ago came the first wearing of the knitted socks and now we seem to be going for 'how bright can you get'! These are his new socks for days when knitted socks just won't do :-(   He wanted brown! I said 'Why not stripes?' So, he went for stripes. Snazzy, hey?

Here's a pic of our beautiful boy, Oscar, taken this afternoon in the garden. He had been racing around with his pheasant, but stopped dead when he saw me with the camera, as if to say, ' You taking a shot of me Mum? Okay, I'll play ball!' Love my boy!