Birthday Wishes

Today is my Auntie's birthday - she's a splendid 80!  So HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUNTIE HILDA.

Here is the card I made for her. 

I crocheted some small simple flowers with crochet cotton, added some embroidered felt and beads for the centres.

For the corners I used some flower stampers in a colour to match the crocheted flowers and added little touches of crystal glitter glue.

I hope she has a wonderful day.

Loretta - Finished

Now that I'm back in the swing of things I've made a effort to finish Loretta which is the textured tee I started back in August.  I know the weather has gone cold now for wearing a tee but I'm just glad to get it finished. 

The pattern is from Rowan's magazine #50 and it's by Marie Wallin.  I used Sirdar countrystyle double knitting to make the smallest size and used only 200g (636 metres). 

I made a number of modifications to the original pattern - the most significant one being that I changed the collar to a scoop neck.  I also did short row shaping and a three needle bind off for the shoulders in order to get a less bulky seam. 

The colour is cool mint but it's very difficult to pick up the colour in the photos and it ends up looking almost white. 

I didn't really enjoy making it at the time - maybe because of other things on my mind - but now that it's finished I'm pleasantly surprised by how much I like it.  Since taking the photos I've slipped a long sleeve top underneath and I'm wearing the knitted top as a tank over the top.  This means I'll still be able to wear it and show it off despite the colder weather. 

Celebrations

Eve and I went to the cinema yesterday to see The Three Muskateers.

Despite the fact that the critics seem to dislike the film, we thought it was great fun.  We really enjoyed it - escapist, funny and action-packed. 

The reason for our trip was by way of a celebration. 

After eight anxious weeks, yesterday I was given the all clear regarding lumps in my breast.  The mammogram, ultrasound scan and biospies had all proved inconclusive, so two weeks ago I had to have an operation to remove the lumps for further testing.  Thankfully, it's all over now and I can put it all behind me. 

My heart goes out to anyone else going through this awful uncertainty.  The feeling of not being in control of your life is so stressful and upsetting. 

So today life gets back to normal - I'm in the driving seat again - and I need to get on with my knitting!

A Lovely Present

I have recieved a wonderful present from Grace - just to cheer me up. 

It's a 1939 edition of the Penguin Guide to the Lake District. 

It was written at a time before too many tourists and cars filled the Lake District - very quaint.  At the end of each chapter there's a little drawing of penguins on their travels. 

Although the Lake District isn't that far from us (only 86 miles from Liverpool to Ambleside according to the book) we don't tend to visit very often.  We had a wonderful holiday in Coniston a few years ago but haven't been there for a while now. 

This little book has inspired me to go and visit more often.  The place names are so delightful - Buttermere, Grisedale, Tilberthwaite and Eskdale. 

The only problem can be the weather - a bit bleak in winter - so maybe when the Spring comes!

Cute Little Crab

I love searching the novelty patterns on Ravelry.  Here's something I saw and quickly made for Eve.

It's a cute little crab - it looks a bit lost on it's own, so could do with some friends. 

The pattern is by Helen Fey and is available as a free Ravelry download. 

The crab only took 15 minutes to make - so easy and quick - it seems a shame to leave him all lonely. 

Jam Jars

My favourite comfort food is apricot jam - love it. 

The best apricot jam is Bonne Maman apricot conserve. 

And the jars are really cute and useful when all the jam's gone!

The other day I spent a very relaxing hour colour sorting my buttons into the jars. 

Very decorative.

Kitty Softie

I've just finished making up a lovely big crocheted softie cat - and because I'm feeling organised at the moment I've taken photos immediately and now I'm posting them - I feel so in control!

Anyway, here are the photos.

The pattern was brought to my attention a few months ago by the hard-working Sara at Tangled Happy.  It's always good to have someone spotting the interesting patterns for you!

The pattern itself is by Jules at Little Woollie.  It is available in two instalments, here and here. 

The Kitty Softie is about 18 inches (46 cm) tall, so is lovely and cuddly.  I used double knitting weight yarn,  just under 100g of my main colour and oddments of the other colours but colour schemes could be adapted to supply. 

A very enjoyable make. 

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Eve and I went to the cinema last night and saw Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. 

Great cast - and Gary Oldman was superb - but the film was confusing and difficult to follow.  We enjoyed it but it took us a while afterwards to work out what had been going on.

Crochet Jacket - Finished

I finally finished the crochet jacket last weekend.  It's been too hot to wear it and take some photos until today, so here they are. 

The pattern is from DROPS design and is actually called 118-25 Jacket with fan pattern in ”Muskat”.  It's available for free here. 

The yarn I used was James C. Brett ripple, which is double knitting weight.  This yarn is horrible to knit with - it tangles and knots very easily - but was lovely to crochet with.  I used 16 x 50g balls - I had originally bought 20 balls for £10 - so the jacket was very economical. 

The jacket looks grey in colour from a distance but it is actually a combination of greens, pinks and blues with a slight sheen to them.  It looks lovely close up. 

Having used 16 balls it is quite weighty - but this makes it feel quite cosy. 

All in all, I'm pleased with the result - a very nice jacket for wearing this Autumn.