DOGS, DEFORESTATION and EASTER HOLIDAYS....HOORAY!!!!!

 Hello there! YAY!.... the Easter Bunny came and left me some chocolatey goodness....... to make me smile! Thank you Easter Bunny.

This made me smile too.... it accentuates a more humourous aspect of a currently serious topic. It takes nothing away from the real important issue, just adds a new slant.

It made me laugh! It's always good to spread a little humour! There, that's better, all nicely relaxed.............

.............. Hooray! Relaxed, full of chocolate and looking forward to a two-week Easter break. The holidays couldn't come quick enough and now they are here. Time to welcome Spring and recharge the batteries and finish off one or two little projects...... or should I say BIG project, in the case of the 'Special Ripple Blanket'. Our little granddaughter is due to be born in early May and I have not even reached the halfway mark yet. Oh well.... looks like this holiday is going to be filled with 'rippling'.

I have completed the 'Very Special Teddy' though and am really pleased with the results. It's a very easy knit and although I used the pattern in Debbie Bliss's book 'Simply Baby', it can also be found free here . It takes just two balls of Baby Cashmerino.

A couple of weeks ago I treated myself to a new craft book. Years ago, I used to sew quite a lot, making small baby dresses and little dungarees etc when my daughters and son were small and then progressing on to dance costumes and silk painted card stitching. My machine has been safely tucked away for a number of years, except for a brief dusting off two years ago, when I stitched the wedding stationery for my son and daughter-in-law's wedding. You can see the very simple design design here. I have recently been seeing some lovely Cath Kidston fabrics around the net (I'm not always a fan of her stuff, but have spotted some gorgeous designs. So, when I spotted this book I just had to have it. Call it a small Easter gift to myself.

It is laid out beautifully and all instructions are clear and simple. There are some really lovely projects inside.

It even includes all you need to make the very pretty bag shown on the cover of the book. Excellent value!

The weather here in the East has been rather 'hit and miss', with some sunshine, but also some pretty heavy showers and cold winds. We did manage to dodge the showers to take Oscar to, what is becoming,  his favourite place to hang out and meet his friends.

He's just five months old now and getting bigger and bolder by the day. The water park is perfect for giving him some freedom off his lead. He has learnt to 'come' on command and is very, very sociable with all dogs, humans, ducks and swans. They are not all quite so keen on him though!

Even though it has not felt very Spring like, with a sharp, cold wind blowing these past few days, there are so many signs that make the heart skippety happy with memories of warm sunshine and lazy outdoors days. The shots below were from our garden just this morning.

We're off to Pickering, in Yorkshire for a week next Friday. It's one of our very favourite 'get away from it all' places and I'm really looking forward to some peace and quiet, beautiful country and coastal walks, fine food, good ale and ................ introducing Oscar to our favourite peaceful place!!! I just KNOW he'll love it!

Have a great week everyone, wherever you will be and whatever you will be doing.

WHO WILL BE MY VALENTINE.......

 Good evening all! I've just flown in to post a quick 'hello' before flying out again to finish some school 'bits and bobs'. Hooray, thank goodness half-term begins next Friday and guess what happens on Saturday, February 13th? What! You know already? Have I mentioned it before? Surely not! I have? Oh well, never mind. I'm sure you won't hold it against me if I tell you again. We bring little Oscar home. WHOOP! WHOOP! I can't contain my excitement very well, but I'll try. Let's talk about some knitting to make my mind of him.

As you might imagine, there's not been too much of it happening this week. I've been so busy, what with school stuff and pet shop visits ( you've got to be prepared) and vet phone calls ( to book injections and micro-chipping) and puppy book reading ( you've got to know how to do it right) and ........ well, just daydreaming really.

Anyway, let me get on and show you a couple of things.

Yesterday, I rummaged through my 'little' (hmm! let's not go into details right now) stash and found some good looking red yarn. I chose to use the Debbie Bliss. I popped into John Lewis and bought some fabulous chequered 'East of India' ribbon. The 'East Of India' range is always so deliciously gorgeous. I spotted some perfect little wooden buttons too. I know, I've got lots, but I didn't have any like these!!!! I was ready!

I guess there may be some psychological 'stuff' going on in  my head right now, because I'm not normally a 'red heart' kind of person, but look what I was ready to rustle up .......

 

I'm so sorry that lovely red heart isn't quite in focus................... my camera took control and focussed in on the 'Let's have tea in the garden!' tin. Oh, if only! It is lovely though, to be able to look forward to those long summer days that are now becoming a forthcoming reality, rather than a distant dream.  So, what do you think? Do you like it? The pattern is here. Oh, did you think I'd designed it myself? No, I'm afraid not. I'm so sorry to disappoint you. My crochet is wobbly to say the least, unless I'm making a 'ripple' or 'granny square' blanket. But still, I think Ive made it look rather fabulous with my own embellishments and I hope you don't notice the odd error or two. 

The burning question is..... Who could this pretty little Valentine heart be for? Well, you are just going to have to wait until this time next week to find out. Be here, and I promise to post a beautiful photograph of my 'crocheted heart' Valentine. What's that? You think you know who he is? Are you sure? No, I'm not going to tell. You'll have to wait until the big day.

Before I fly, I'll just show you a quick pic of the little cardi I've begun for my little 'granddaughter to be', using some of the Rowan Baby Alpaca DK that I bought for half price in the John Lewis sale. There's not much to see at the moment, but the yarn is oh so soft and the colour so so pretty, I just had to show you.  It's a very pretty light lilac colour, although poor light doesn't really do it justice.  I'm hoping it will be finished by this time next week.  

 I won't show you my 'ripple' today as not too much has happened with it this week. I've only managed a couple of stripes. Hopefully, there'll be a few more colour changes to show you next time.

I bought this book a week or so ago and am feeling very excited by it. I plan to make one of the dolls with leftover yarn from the 'ripple'. Yes,  also for my  'special' arrival!

I first spotted it on Ravelry. I think I'm going to make Abby. 

So many projects, so many ideas, so little time! Better to busy than wondering how to fill your time though. Now there's a thought! I don't think I have EVER had to think too long about how to fill my time. My problem has always been, how to make enough time and get some sleep. 

So, on that note I'll say 'GOODNIGHT!' Have a good week and see you soon.

JUST IN CASE I EVER NEED A BUTTON......

Good evening! Hope you've had a good day. I don't usually see you on a Thursday evening, but this week I've popped back to share my 'playtime' games with you, from the now, seemingly distant 'snow days' of only a week ago. It's not often possible to spend an hour, or two, or three.... tinkering and playing and trying out new things over on 'Big Huge Labs'. The site links directly to  'Flickr' and there are all sorts of fun and original things you can do with your photos. Easy too! It was great!  All the photo effects used in this post have been made there.

  Josiekitten showed us the beautiful new buttons she had bought from 'Knitting 4Fun'. I knew there and then that I had to get some and after a few quick and easy 'clicks', three lovely little packets were soon winging their way to my front door. I have always had a small (but steadily growing) obsession for pretty buttons, going right back to my early childhood, when I would pick up a pretty button from the pavement and keep it in  my pocket for weeks or put it in my 'treasures tin'. I seem to have always loved 'tins for things' too. Now, I can buy myself pretty buttons! These have been bought with my 2010 crochet projects in mind.  Have a look, I think you'll like them.

Bright Buttons!

 

Christmas Buttons!

 

Square Buttons!

I played about with some of the effects and came up with these!

Oh, I guess I ought to show you the rest of my buttons while I'm at it. A large number of them, especially the older and less colourful ones, live a quiet life in large Kilner jar. I like them being in there because I see in and get that lovely warm feeling inside when I espy a favourite, or a button left behind when it's friends were used on a little cardigan or jumper when my children were small. Many of the buttons in this jar belonged to my 'dad'. Yes, my dad! He was a naval officer and well used to darning his own socks and sewing on his own buttons. He kept them in a little round tin covered with animals. I still have it and it still contains his threads and darning needles and the little lump of beeswax that he used to run the thread through to strengthen it, before using to sew on a button.

 

Here are a few of my favourites....

                

This one's my 'Hockney'!

              

   
Phew! There are rather a lot of buttons. Just must show you a few more. These are my 'baby' buttons. I won't need a trip to the shops for my 'special baby' buttons, now will I!

So, here they all are! Not SO many you when you see them packed away.

   

There is just one last little special 'treasure'. I've been very naughty and treated myself to a lovely spotty Kath Kidston button tin. I've had my eye on it for ages and ages and ages in our local John Lewis. I hoped it might appear in the sale, just for me at a 'just for me' sale price of 10p. But no, I guess those kind of dreams don't come true. The little green 'envy' goblin finally got the better of me. It's for my nice, new, bright crochet buttons.

                            

Now I just need to get on with the knitting and the crochet, so that I can use the buttons.

Have a good weekend!