Dilemma

Any ideas anyone - I'm in a bit of a dilemma! I chose to do this pattern known as the Ripple Pattern because of it's effectiveness. It is meant to be crocheted single stripes of different colours, but because of the yarn I have chosen I have decided to crochet a complete ball to make wide stripes. I like the way it has turned out so far, and I have also worked out I possibly need another six balls of yarn.

The first two balls of yarns completed ten rows each with yarn left which will only reach to about the middle, and because I didn't want to start a new ball in the middle of a row I broke the yarn at the begining of the row and started a new ball.

I managed to crochet ninety-nine percent of an eleventh row leaving just six more trebles to crochet. Do I 1.) undo the eleventh row and start a new ball on the tenth row or 2.) do you think it would notice if I crochet the six trebles in the green? All opinions welcome.

I managed to finish the knitted dolly in time for

Caitlin's daddy to take home.

Looks nothing like the original!

Cake, Catch-up, Frustration and Other Things.....

It has taken me nearly two hours to upload all my images! And three hours to do this blog it has crashed twice! I am quite glad it somehow saves what you have done. So I am very frustrated, the phone has rung at least six times, but despite everything I did manage to multitask while doing so. In the days since finishing the quilt for Denise, I have been catching up on the little tasks that I keep putting to one side to do later. You know mending etc.

I have put the bells back onto the Alex's Christmas socks.

Now they can be put away for the next ten months

Repaired this necklace for one of the customers in the shop

I'm still waiting for the the lady to collect.

Restrung these for another customer The red beads are a nut of some kind and when they are stacked on to of one another they make the nut the large black beads are a seed of some kind. The necklace itself is very very light and very fascinating wondering what the seeds are.

Darned Alex's jumper.

There were fours holes in all I hope the moth

had indigestion after eating this!

Made up these cards for shop display

As you see I am not much of a paper crafter

give me a needle and thread and material any day!

While I was waiting for the pictures to upload I extended my husbands pockets in his trousers I made a bit of a mess of them so now I have to reinforce them with some hand sewing. Why can't they make trouser pockets deeper! Now the "cleaning lady" loses out of the few pennies found down the side of the chair ;~( !

About eighteen months ago I repaired this

the same lady came into the shop with this

hoping I can do something

with it - her dog chewed it........

After making Caitlin's blanket I thought we would like one.

I thought I would do it in the Ripple Pattern which seems quite popular.

I kept doing it wrong but eventually got it sussed!

The pattern can be found here

I have used King Cole "Splash"

756 Summer Fruits, 811 Apricot, 812 Lemon & Lime

I want to finish this and stitch all the clothing and hair

securely to the doll before tomorrow

as Caitlin's daddy is staying overnight.

I gave these as presents for Christmas, I thought they were a present that will last for a while after Christmas and brighten up dull days, well..........I only planted my at the end of January because I forgot it, this is what it should look like by now!

Now I have caught up I am going to try and get some more of these done! Oh and while I was multitasking I made one of these, but cannot eat it till tomorrow!

Do you share our sense of humour and

find this article very funny?

Alex and I did!

Valentines and Baking...........

Happy Valentines Day Everyone

My flowers!

I made a Swiss Roll inspired by Simone the other week
As you see not the best specimen in the world

but I expect it will taste nice!
I forgot to trim the edges and for some

reason the mixture didn't spread properly
and that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

I always remember making a Swiss Roll in Domestic Science at school, and the teacher sending me with a message to some other teacher, then on my return to the classroom got told off for not being there to take my cake out of the oven! When I said that she had sent me on a message her answer was well you should have said your cake was in the oven, well somehow I don't think she would have wanted to say that as that would have been classed as being cheeky!



I also made some Macaroons
my recipe and they are like almond flavoured meringues

Pre Heat oven to
17o degrees C or 325 degrees F or Gas 3

2 egg whites whisked till white and and stiff
add 3 1/2oz sugar and continue whisking till stiff
mix together 1/2oz sugar and 3oz ground Almonds together
then fold into the mixture also adding
a few drops of Almond Essence.
Cherries optional

Spoon onto a prepared tray I have used those washable baking sheets
but you can use Rice Paper.

After about 15 mins remove from the oven and let cool for a
short while

299 squares later!

Just before Christmas my friend Denise and I went round the local charity shops. As she was buying herself an Astrakhan coat - which Denise spent the winter in we watched two ladies investigate some material, when they decided it was not for them we grab it, didn't um and ah about it, we bought it!

Not thinking what we were going to do with it, we bought it home and over a cuppa we set about cutting it in half. We decided it would be a shame to just cut it for the sake of cutting for cushion covers and the like. Then Denise said she wouldn't mind a couple of quilts for her daughters. Well Christmas and the snow came and went and I text Denise that I would start one quilt, she asked if I could complete it before half term because she would be visiting her daughter at Cambridge University.

I folded one of the halves of the material into two and laid it on the bed, with the amount that was hanging over the bed I refolded it only to find there was enough material for three quilts each! I had already purchased the Dark Brown material to edge it with and the wadding and sheeting for the backing I set about making a quit with one third of the material.

As Denise had left the whole thing to me, I decided the best thing to do was to quilt each coloured square. It took me from Thursday 4th February to today to make it, quilt it, hand sew the handmade bias and put the finishing touches, embroidering Hannah's name on the back. Can I put this in as one of my 20 minuters? I'm a bit like a dog with a bone I have to finish it especially as I promised it for someone! One of my other quilts is here if you wish to have a look, one day I will put the first quilt I ever made about fifteen years ago.

A-pruning we will go...........

Every year we say we are going to prune before the shrubs

start shooting and every year we don't!

Well today we did!

Have to warn you we are not gentle pruners!

These pictures are not pretty.........

Off with their heads down to their ankles!

Told you!

Before these pictures were taken

everything was as high as the fence

six foot!

I am really enjoying.........

joining in with Simone's Friday Cake Bake and Fi's 20 minute craft, except mine sometimes goes on all evening! More about the 20 minute craft when the next project is finished!

Today I baked another one of these. This time I used Tetley Tea and I can say it was just as nice except the fruit sunk. I do have a lot of trouble with that - any tips anyone? I do sift the flour. I did try and disguise the fact with lots of butter but not very well!

I would like to say thank you to Simone for my lovely PIF gift.

These minature Irises are the most beautiful shade of violet
and the photograph does not do it justice.

Do you remember..........

.........when I showed part of this cross-stitching

and this part of the cross stitching

Well I can now reveal as the recipient has received a special parcel

Go on scroll down....................

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*Kits are available to purchase here