Happy New Home

Some very good friends of ours have moved house,,,

 

Their new home looks a little like this!!

 

Its exciting finding out where things will reside inside, viewing familiar pictures and furniture in a different light and position!

Their garden is large, green and full of promise - they are looking forward to spotting what grows where and when!

As summer colours fade, and not knowing what is hibernating in their garden, I thought about adding some brightness in the form of consensual yarn storming! 

Using existing blooms and butterflies from other projects, 

hooking more flowers, a heart,

  and adapting a stray hexagon from the Christmas scarf made for someone in the same family...

....a jolly string was made.

It weighed in at 48g and  along with 8g of crocheted cotton bricks on the house card that's 56g busted.

Just after a rain shower on my first visit to my friends new home 

we chose a suitable tree and a couple of appropriate branches

which coincidentally can be seen from the kitchen window.

The next day my friend texted to say it catches the last of the sunlight in the evening!

Hoping they have many happy colourful times in their new family home!

x

Time Flies!

Sometimes I wish I had a TARDIS and perhaps more hours in the day!

The recipient of the TARDIS and Dobby is a keen young photographer and has very kindly sent some of his fabulous images for me to share. 

They are all so great it was difficult to choose, but here is my selection:

As the TARDIS was an early project its interesting to see how some of my stitches have changed!

 

The one below has to be my favourite! 

Its great to see the TARDIS and Dobby from a different point of view!

Barefoot....

...sandals!

Today has been quite sultry and warm, at times the sun did burn through the haze..I cast my mind back to the glorious days of unbroken sizzling sunshine, sparkling sapphire blue sky, lush green sweet scented grass... and found the photos to accompany the memories!

Two friends have summer birthdays, 

and I imagined would have plenty of opportunities to casually stroll in barefoot sandals, 

 on sunny soft sandy beaches. 

One friend is a big daisy fan...

This daisy is a modified version of the nine petalled flower I designed, 

with a border to link the petals together, a loop for the toe.....

....and two long chains to twine around the delicate suntanned ankle of the recipient!

Unfortunately the model above is of a pale skinned variety!

 Her present last year was borrowed by and shared with her daughter,

 so this year a pair of  floaty butterflies hatched especially for petite feet..

 hooked with creamy cotton and three coloured strands of sewing thread...

Whilst trying to compose a triangular pattern for the second friend I realised that my heart pattern would fit the bill nicely...

this is the original heart pattern (one of two hooked for Ruby Wedding anniversaries this summer)

 

and this is the augmented barefoot sandal style

made with two tone cotton and a strand of sewing thread.

They were all given, at the end of  summer, with an explanation of their use 

and a comment hoping they can be used next year!

The sandals busted 28g  in toe-tal

 and the two anniversary hearts beat 8g 

36g

Hope you have some sunny September moments and memories of sand between the toes!

Random Drops of Wooliness!

One of the highlights of the summer is our annual picnic with some friends we see just once a year.

We meet in a park around teatime, usually on the same bench, share news, play random games with a frisbee, laugh, watch the sun set and stay until the sky has become dusky and the bats are flapping!

This year was no exception and emboldened by my confident friends and family I did something I had been itching to do for ages! (Following many other brave woolly folk - including Zoe)

Firstly 6 woolly items were hooked!

Two of my butterflies

a random flat flower

and one with a hyperbolic vibe...

By now I was really in the swing, had not been following any patterns...just going with the flow...in the sunshine...I could feel more experiments germinating!

This spider is just a sphere with four strands of wool tied on 

(two on each side making eight legs in total)

and with 3 trebles into each stitch of a row of  20dcs...

 ....a curly caterpillar!

They were packed into a bag accompanying the picnic, and when we were all together in the park each of us picked out a woolly item and chose a location to drop or hang them!

 The spider, one butterfly and the wibbly wobbly flower were hung by our three friends on a strong oak (described by one of them as a tree of life)

 

The light was fading and the breeze blowing!

We attached ours to a willow..

So after a long time I have been brave enough to be part of a collective that decorated an open space  (whilst busting 22g!)

The best news is that another friend who regularly walks through the park has reported that the oak is still blooming with the flower and the oaken butterfly is still fluttering!

Birthday Bag!

A special little girl turned six this week, here is her pressie!

The bag was hooked a while ago. 

The front is based on the granny square my friend Tracey designed for Craftseller magazine

 Once the square was complete the back and inside were made from continuous alternating colourful rows of trebles.

It had hung around in my nearly finished box awaiting something to line it 

(that did not require sewing!) until I found a little purse that just fitted the space perfectly!

The finishing touch - a handle in a simple row of chains using all four colours...

You might think you have seen it before....

...same first three rounds...

grannies are soooo versatile!

This months Inside Crochet has lots of gorgeous granny inspired projects,
thanks to Tracey I have been able to indulge in a copy!

As the bag was made before I was stash-busting I am only counting the handle 

which hangs out at a surprising 29g !

Happy Birthday J!

Recharging....

The school holidays are coming to an end here....

we have enjoyed lots of beautiful warm sunshine,
 lazy mornings, fresh air
and family time.

we were spectating, not participating!

 A few books have been devoured,
new technology installed (yet to be mastered!),
music has filled the air....

its been a chance to recharge batteries,

although I usually need a few days to get back into the weekly routine.

Its also been an opportunity to recharge the stash!!

I love looking at fellow bloggers thrifty finds
(and have been in awe of  Wendy's keen eye as seen on September Violets).

A while ago I found these gems in charity shops:

Some of the threads and the cream cotton have already been put to good use!

My stash has also been boosted by these beautiful skeins that were part of a very generous lady's down sizing.

The shop they were purchased from closed down more than 20 years ago!

Some bright acrylic from the same source will be used for some winter scarves for charity.

Whilst recharging there has been some
crochet hooking,
designing,
a bit of a spin,
oodles of ideas

 and lots of photos for inspiration....

so with some of  the creations....

I'll be back...

(we watched the Terminator Quadrilogy too!)