August -ish

Ah, monthly(ish) round up. Seems this is the way to go blog wise in this season of life. I'm OK with that.

So, crochet
The wrap cardigan is done, the niece is here. I forgot to take pics of the fished item before I posted it but I am going to visit my sister in a few weeks so hopefully she'll be OK with me posting a pic of niece actually wearing it (there will be many pics!)

And allotment
I've had potatoes, courgettes and rosemary from it this season. I'm pretty happy to have got that much from what was a piece of waste ground. There's also a lot of infrastructure in place now and a lot more clear ground. I'm hitting Pinterest to start my planning for next year. I just need soil first, lots of soil.

Writing
Hmm, might be time to think about renaming the blog. No poetry to speak of, tho I have been journalling a bit more (mostly as a reaction to needing a place to get my thoughts out after some counseling sessions). I've been reading though; two whole books and another half since last month! And I'm officially considered a 'regular' at our local library (the friendliest library assistant in the north ever said so) and have been invited to join a new book group there. Oh the dilemma, as it would mean another evening out and is most likely end up not even reading the text and having to be Rachel taking about robots in Jane Eyre (please tell me people still get Friends references).

And in other news
Climbing, well bouldering. It's something I've been really getting in to, and have been prioritising that I have a session most weeks. It makes me feel strong; shows me what my body and mind are capable of, which is very often more than I'd ever imagined, and I'm massively better at it than I was six months ago (whilst developing a mantra of not competing myself to the mountain goats who seem to populate every session I go to!)

Here's to September, we're nearly there. My favourite season, birthday month and personal new year. I can feel myself thinking of plans and grand schemes, could be dangerous!

Change of plan

I'm due to become an auntie (!!) sometime in the next six weeks and I've been working up a jumper on and off for about two months. Then last night I realised I no longer love it, I've done one of the arms wrong and it's looking like I don't actually have enough of the wool to finish it. Too many challenges.
So yesterday eve it was all change, and after an amazing evening of crochet I'm up to this...

I'm praying it stays as straight forward (I'm one stitch out, one!) because if it does I should have it done in time.

Allotment update - June

Strictly speaking this beautiful creation is on my husband's allotment (next door), and truthfully he did *all* the work involved however it's too lovely not to share!

The rest of mine now looks like this...



There are rucks of potatoes growing at the bottom, a bed full of flowers coming up the shed and a courgette in the middle.

Repeat to self "it's not just waste ground anymore, it's not just waste ground anymore"

At last...

Apologies for the lengthy silence. It's taken a while to get my latest creation finished.



It's a new baby gift for a friend, and since baby only arrived last week I'm counting it as done on time (especially as I haven't visited yet)!

Spring progress

Lookee! There's actually stuff growing...



And the ground is clear enough to start on more beds



I can start to picture it much better now. This piece of waste ground has a bountiful, leafy, colourful future ahead.

More projects

I've been doing more crochet for gifts so no pics yet (and one of them I gave away without photographing it!)

But also more practice squares that I'll turn into dish cloths

Moss stitch and Back loop only double crochet

Update for Feb

I've been doing some stitch practice, and I do feel I'm getting faster and neater. Most recently it's been back loop only (blo)

I'm going to put these cotton thread practice pieces to work as cleaning cloths/dish rags.

I've also been working on a few really cute projects, but they're for presents so I don't want to share them just yet!

Creative crochet (again)

I've tweaked a bootie pattern so it matches this gorgeous Minnie Mouse inspired hat, and my modifications worked!



They're going to my cousin in law's little girl, who arrived last week but just a bit earlier than expected.


For the hat I made the bow smaller
Row 1:ch5,
Row 2: 3tr (in2nd from turn), sl St, 3tr, sl st
Row 3(actually *under* row 1): dc in each, all the way round to edge whole piece)

And left the button eyes off

For the booties I:
1) continued the sole color for an extra row (ie change colour for row5, but don't finish off first colour, keep it attached to weave in and then use for the strap)
2) added an extra row of dc all the way round after row5
3) finished off colour 2 (black) instead of using it for the strap
4) wove sole color along the side, secured it with 3sl st in same St, then ch14to make strap
5) attach strap to opposite side with 3sl st, then turn and dc in each st back to original side and finish off
6) left the buttons off-i like how the wider strap looks without them.

Original patterns (US terms, my modifications are in UK terms) here;
http://mammathatmakes.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/two-tone-strap-shoes-for-preemies.html?m=1
http://mammathatmakes.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/rosies-cozies-intro-and-minniemickey.html?m=1

Freestyle Crochet

Thanks to crochet the fact that super kid's night light is more like the Blackpool illuminations doesn't need to be a problem.
I present...



a poncho for a plastic rabbit!

If/when I redo it I think I'd use half trebles for all of it. The full trebles are letting quite a bit of the light through still.

A capsule too far?

I'm starting to think I might be getting too gung-ho about the idea of a capsule wardrobe. I'm feeling unsettled by how it's looking anyway. Discomfort is a sign of change right?



I forgot to do a before pic (which is what these kind of posts are really all about of course) but there are two hefty piles of clothes on my bedroom floor...


One to go, one to hide

I love our play-tray

A friend of the family brought superkid a late Christmas pressie today. She started pretending to scoop and lift straight away so I threw this together.



Total hit, and who knew that there was so much construction required in the village of Sylvania?!

More Crochet skills!