Sunday 22 November 2015

Birthday week...

So this week has been my birthday and the celebrations have all revolved around food
Hubby made me a lovely brunch



We had tea and cake in the afternoon



And in the evening we went out to dinner at Zizzi's


Later in the week, I went out for yet another meal, this time with the lovely girlies from work
We went to Bill's Restaurant, which I haven't been to before, but I will definitely be going back!
I had Mac Cheese and Lemon Meringue, and it was so yummy!



I had some amazing presents, 2 new bags and scarves to add to the collection


And a few more crafting items to keep me amused!



There has been precious little time for crafting, and there will be less and less as we near the mad season, but I have made a few more shawl flowers, i'm just struggling to work out how to continuously join, but i'll get there slowly...











Sunday 15 November 2015

Posy Scarf...

"I had a break
I didn't intend to
It was a week
But turned into three
I haven't been lazy
Lots going on
Not much crafting
But changes for me..."

So the 'Posy Scarf ' is complete.


The ends have been tidied away and it was laid out and blocked



For the first time Doris got unwrapped and put to use.



The days have been dark and grey, but Friday when I was home from work, the sun showed it's appearance, and we had some light and brightness.



Firstly we had an indoor shoot near the window with rare natural light.



But I couldn't resist taking her out, into the rays of the sun, with the dark green bushes filled with bright orange berries as a background




Meanwhile, I have still be working away on making lots of pink posies, when I have a field full, then I can then face the task of working out how they can join for the shawl pattern...


So after my prize winning last month, it's like buses, I won another prize! This time it was a Woodland prize pack from a group of amazing crafters
It's been exciting getting different packages through the door, so far I have received these goodies...


Cards, notebook and print from @bycharlieshand and 3 prints from @erryberrydesign
I'm feeling extremely lucky!





Sunday 25 October 2015

From one little posy...

If you cast your mind back to prior my holiday, you may recall I was working on my posy scarf. Having got past the fiddly stage of working out the join, it just needed completing.



I can happily say it is now finished. Once in the rhythm of the join it flows quite nicely, but still takes a bit of concentration to make sure it's going correctly. It just needs to go on the blocking mat now so that it can be photographed in all its glory!



I had intended to then move on to a new design, and I've been having a little play!



After looking at the scarf and with my new yarn purchases I thought how lovely it would look as a shawl.
So I set about doing some colour swatches.



After eliminating one, I was undecided between the other two, and after posting my picture,the response was split too.



So I listened to my gut instinct and went with the warm soft pinks. I made a few centres, and now have started with the petals.



I'm hoping, as the joining will be the same in theory to the scarf it won't be too hard, but we will see, as we will be working in odd numbers in a row instead of even!
I still kept looking at my other colour swatch, and decided that this more contrasting colourway would lend itself nicely as a cushion. After more glances I thought how nicely a little hexagon would slot into the gaps!



So now from one little posy, we have a scarf, shawl and a cushion...

Sunday 18 October 2015

Knit and Stitch show


It's that time of year again, when the Knitting and Stitch show arrives in London. I had a free day and I was looking forward to going, especially with  the hope of seeing people I follow on social media.
I took in the smaller rooms first, as the the large market place with lots of goodies can be quite exhausting and I wanted to be fresh to be able to enjoy people's inspirational work. The first person I came across was Louise, and her fabulous knitted taxidermy animal heads, great fun and bigger in real life.



I was absolutely delighted to see some works of Sophie Digard a French ladies work I have admired from afar for awhile and something that I never expected to see in person.


The pieces were as outstanding as I expected, as the intricacy and colour palette are unique. Such tiny exquisite stiches in a beautiful blend of colours and array of patterns.




I stopped for a refreshment before starting to tackle the boggling mix of stalls. One that really stood out was Spin City, selling her spindles and roving, but it was her personality and passion that shone through in her demonstrations. She must be repeating herself 100s of times but this doesn't dampen her energy. She made it look so easy and so much fun, a spindle is definitely going on my Christmas list!
Picture courtesy of spincityuk.blogspot.co.uk
Of course I had to pay a visit to the Stylecraft stand. Unsurprisingly it was bustling with eager customers, and the bubbly ladies were eager to help. The stand was a mass of colour not only full of their yarns but the blanket displays of Sue Pinner and Janie Crow. Sue was also there in person, another good reason to stop by.


Of course I couldn't leave empty handed, but at least had come with a vague idea that I needed more of a range of pinks. I chose from colour shades rather than sticking to one style of yarn.


I didn't find it too overwhelmingly busy this year and I was able to walk around and browse with ease, the hardest thing of course is resisting temptation! As you can see from the above picture, I may have picked up a few other balls from other stalls!! 



Whilst I was away on holiday Stylecraft hosted a Blog tour. For 10 days a different blogger would write a post about a piece they'd designed using the new Stylecraft limited edition colours, and each day there was a pack of the yarn to win. Typical, it was to happen whilst I was out of the country. Of course all the posts were there to still be read,(and most of the blogs I follow anyway) and the patterns available to enjoy, but I only had 3 days left to enter the competition.
I couldn't believe my luck, I won!! A whole 10 balls of squishy yarn, in a beautiful range of colours, via Hand Knitted Things. I know it sounds cheesy to say that I never win anything, but I really don't, so this was really exciting news for me, plus of course the prize was yarn, and things don't get much more exciting than that! I can't wait to have a play with the beautiful colours!



Thursday 15 October 2015

Costa...

We managed to escape this year, for a much needed break, and Spain was our destination of choice. We had a very early flight, so our first day was just spent browsing the local area by foot, in a dazed tired state, but we still appreciated the warmth of the sun, and surrounding beauty.
For first full day, we had pre planned to take the Benalmedena sightseeing bus, and got ourselves a great 2 day deal.
Our first stop-off was at the cable cars. Hubby was a little trepidacious, as it went up the side of Calamorro mountain, but it was fun and could see all along the Costa del Sol coastline.


We made it up just in time to see the falconry display at the Valley of Eagles


Some beautiful birds, with huge wing spans. One did fly off for a bit of a tour, I hope he made it back ok!
We climbed the rest of the way up to the top, to see the outstanding views layed out before us


After our ride back down, it was back on the bus for bit more of a view of the town.
We got off early, so we could take a stroll down the promenade.


With shops and restaurants to our left and the sea and beaches to our right we had plenty to look at on the stroll back


But all along the way were great art works on the paths to distract us from the long, hot walk back


Day two, and it was back on the tourist bus, this time we went to the Dolphinarium, which we only  went to as it was part of the package. Again our timing was impeccable and we arrived just in time to see the dolphin show. These adorable creatures showed off their skills, leaping and acting on command.


There were plenty of animals to take a look at after the display. The penguin enclosure with its mix of breeds, swimming and waddling were beautiful.


After our packed lunch, we headed to Paloma park, another pre planned destination. This park totally lived up to its reputation. Initially our views were lush greenery, palm trees, and chickens!! Winding our way round the pathways, we then spotted some stunning peacocks, with extremely long plumage.


We've heard plenty of squawks coming from the tops of palm trees on previous days, but this time we were able to spot what was making the raucous noise. Bright green parakeets.


Best for me, later in the afternoon, was spotting the lovely bunnies. Shading themselves under bushes and out on the lawns nibbling.


There was just one incident that dampened the mood briefly, when we were approached by 2 gypsies trying to sell us flowers, invading our space. On their departure hubby knew something wasn't right, and found he had been pick-pocketed, but he went straight after them, and got our money back. We decided we needed a strong coffee and cake after that!


It was then round to the top end of the park, to the Cactus area. There were a huge variety in all shapes and sizes, tall and fat, fluffy and spiky. 



This park had everything lakes, trees, flowers, birds, animals, sculptures, exercise areas, green space and cafes


I can honestly say this is the best park i've ever been to!!

Day three, was a rest day, lazing by the pool and soaking up the sun rays, just moving on occasion to fill ourselves with a bit more food!


Day four, and we took the public bus up the mountainous roads to an Andalusian village called Mijas

                            

With the traditional white houses, and tiled roofs


There were plenty of steps up, but worth it for the views


They still had the traditional 4 legged taxis


The 17th century shrine at the cliff side


And an array of colourful fountains


We stopped for refreshments and ended up with the hugest slice of cake!


Day five and we hopped on the public bus to Fuengirola as there was a massive weekly market, the stalls seemed to go on forever, but we managed to pick up a few gifts


After we ate our pack lunch, we spent the rest of the afternoon  relaxing on the beach


Day five, We stayed local, walking along the promenade looking around the shops for more gifts, and took more time to relax on the beach

Each night, after dinner we enjoyed an evening stroll, whether along the beach or the promenade. It was still lovely and warm , and relaxing to hear the sound of the waves


For our last day, we took another stroll around the marina


and a last look around the shops. I found the best shop and could have spent a fortune, with clothes and bagis in a rainbow of different colours!


It was the hottest day and our flight wasnt till the evening so we made the most of the sun rays and sat on the local beach


I enjoyed paddling and foraging amongst the shells and found my first piece of sea glasss


Of course throughout our time I took plenty of pictures of flowers! A whole bright, colourful bunch of petals for future inspiration



We were sad to leave sunny Spain and head back to England to face a long stretch of  Winter, but we have some lovely memories...