Colour Play

As promised I am back to share my little ta'dah moment with you. The reversible granny squares cushion I completed before Christmas is having it's moment in the spotlight today. If you're anything like me and love to play with colour, then this (I'm sure) will be right up your street.

I painstakingly went to the effort of sewing in all the loose ends, hundreds of them. I could have left them as they would have been hidden on the inside of the cushion cover, but my obsessive side knew I wouldn't be satisfied unless they were all tidied away. I pulled up the centre yarn tails on each individual square tightly, closing up all the holes, which I think resulted in a rather nice effect.

As you can see from the pics one side is made up of 121 x two round granny squares in a bright palette, and the other 49 x three round granny squares are a more muted palette. I crocheted the two sides together with a simple half treble crochet stitch.

It's really nice to be able to swap and change it around as the mood takes me. I really enjoyed the process of putting it all together. I suppose it satisfies both my fun side and my more relaxed side. 

So there you have it. My first ta'dah moment of 2014, and I hope to share many more. I'd like to extend a warm welcome to all my new readers. I'm so glad you found me.

Till next time 

x x x x x

Optimistic

Dull, dull, dull. What a grey day it has turned out to be. The sunshine that greeted me this morning upon lifting the blind in my bedroom, has now disappeared to leave the world outside once more shrouded in darkness. Some might say it's the perfect weather for a lazy Sunday indoors, and I agree. 

After the essential chores have been done, I plan on planting myself firmly on the sofa with a basket of yarn to hook up some more colourful circles in squares, to add to the handful already crocheted up over recent days. 

The gorgeous blooms that sit upon my window ledge today are inspiration enough. The amazing deep purple and zingy green of these floral beauties has given me a thirst to create something bursting with the same vibrant colour. Surrounding yourself with colour is so important at this time of year. It really does help to stave off those January blues. 

I took another trip to Cambridge before Christmas, to have a mooch around the shops. I love to go to places where there's an abundance of smaller independent retailers. Somewhere to find unique gifts you wouldn't generally find elsewhere. 

The intention was to only buy for other people (honestly), but when I spotted a rather jazzy looking snood wrapped around the neck of a mannequin, in the window of a little shop called Mayhem on Sidney Street, I just knew the temptation to treat myself would be hard to contain. 

I was instantly drawn to it's multicoloured loveliness. This 5ft tubular scarf was a steal at just £12.95. I couldn't believe my luck. It was worth the trip just for that, and my sister kindly gifted me a lovely pair of red gloves for Christmas, so I'm well set up for the cold snap that's upon us now.

It may only be 12 days into the new year, but I'm already feeling optimistic that 2014 will be a good one. I'm really looking forward to all the sporting action coming up, from the Winter Olympics to the Commonwealth Games. Closer to home we have a wonderful river festival to get excited about in July. I do hope the weather is kind to us again this year.

I can't thank you enough for the messages of support and comments received recently. I appreciate you all, and will be back soon with some crafty updates.

x x x x x x 

A Creative, Colourful, Crafty Year.......

Happy New Year

Sparkle & Light, Merry & Bright

Season's greetings dear readers. I do hope you're well, and have enjoyed the festivities thus far?!! Not meaning to start this post on a downer but as I type I can see the River Great Ouse rushing past my window, all swollen and angry. I can't help but think of all the people who've had to contend with flooding this past week, and how utterly devastating it must be, especially at this time of year. Nature is a wondrous thing but violent and destructive in equal measure. I send my thoughts out to all those affected.

I've spent the past few days indulging in plenty of yummy food and festive entertainment. The run up to the big day was quite hectic to be honest and I didn't get in half of what I'd planned to do. I know I'm not alone there, and I'm sure most of us can breathe a collective sigh of relief now we're safely on the other side. This is the best bit for me though, the part of the holiday's when you can veg out in your favourite PJ's, watch copious amounts of films, and graze on all those treats you've stockpiled in the cupboards. I cannot wait for four o'clock every day, when the light fades and all my twinkling fairy lights come into their own.

My crochet hook has been badly neglected in recent weeks, but I did manage to finish a few projects before the Christmas madness took over. I thought I'd give you a preview here today of the squares cushion, and then do a proper write up when time allows. I think it deserves it's proper 'ta-dah' moment!

Until then, I send warm wishes to all and many thanks for your presence here at Annie's Place through 2013. 

See you in 2014 

x x x x x 

Christmas count down, comfort food & crochet

So the month of November is swiftly drawing to a close, and a new exciting one begins. I have butterflies in my tummy, and feel all dizzy with excitement for the count down to Christmas.  I'm looking forward to homes everywhere becoming festooned with lights and decorations. 

There are some gorgeous old Victorian houses in the town where I live and it's a bit of a tradition that we either take a slow drive, or walk around to have a good old nose at their beautiful festive displays. Trees that are dressed to perfection, and proudly displayed in the huge bay windows so often a feature of this period, create the most amazing ambience. I confess to being a wee bit jealous of the folks that live in some of these homes. I'm a sucker for old buildings that have a lot of history attached to them, especially at this time of year when they really come into their own. 

Not that I'd want to live in Dickensian times, when poverty and disease were rife, but stories like A Christmas Carol effortlessly transport you to that era, and I for one thinks it's simply magical.

Source

Speaking of magical, who's as excited as I am that Channel 4 have commissioned a three part fly-on-the-wall documentary going behind the scenes at Liberty of London, as it gears up for the festive season????? I know where I'll be at 9pm on Monday 2nd December. 

As you can see from the pictures above the diet is well and truly out the window. We have a new Morrisons supermarket opened up locally and the cream cakes are simply to die for. I can highly recommend the fresh cream muffins and the raspberry and fresh cream turnovers. I dread to think what the calorie count is on these scrumdiddlyumptious treats! So naughty, but ever so nice!

I'm on the home straight to completing another cushion cover project. Just those awful yarn tails to deal with then I can crochet both sides together. 

I've decided to go for a reversible cover this time around, using some of the country cottage patchwork squares I made earlier in the year, along with the teeny weeny brightly coloured squares crocheted up a few weeks ago. 

I think it'll be a nice contrast having a muted palette on one side, and a bright zingy one on the other. I'm getting impatient for the moment I can share my 'ta dah' with you.

Well that's it from me for now. Thanks to all that visit Annie's Place regularly, and to those that leave lovely comments I appreciate every word. Those of you that are a bit shy, do say hello. I'd love to hear from you.

Till next time

xxxxxxxxxx

Ambient light

Dear readers, you may remember back in July I wrote about finding the most amazing woodland retreat not too far from home, namely Rushmere Park. I absolutely fell in love with the place and couldn't wait to return to witness the awesome transformation from Summer to Autumn. 

I was so excited on the short drive from home, conjuring up images in my head of the wondrous sights awaiting me. The trees were sure to be making their transition from green to gold to red, and every hue in between. I couldn't wait to stroll amongst the enormous canopy again, and to enjoy the crunch of leaves underfoot. Care to take a walk with me?

Oh it was such a joy to explore, and I spied an abundance of cute creatures on route too. There were squirrels galore, whom sadly never stood still long enough for me to get a decent picture. Mr Robin Red Breast on the other hand was more than happy to oblige. Isn't his rotundness just adorable? 

I love, love, love this time of year. Any excuse to get wrapped up in scarf, hat and gloves, boots on, camera round neck, I'm there! There's something so enchanting about the landscape this time of year.

And the sky, the wispy white clouds set against a sea of blue. 

It's just magical.......

The cherry on top is coming home, popping the kettle on for a nice hot cuppa, lighting some candles, and cosying up with some crochet in my favourite corner. 

Happy............

x x x x 

Blogiversary & Teeny Weeny Granny Square Love

Hey there lovely readers, November sure is whizzing past and it has come to my attention that this lil' ole blog of mine has reached it's first birthday!! Wow, what a year it has been! I've received tremendous benefit from embarking on this journey. Having the opportunity to share a little part of my world with you has been an incredibly uplifting experience. 

I want to thank each and every person who has thought to drop by over these last 12 months, and for every kind word written. I'm overwhelmed by the interest that has been shown in Annie's Place, and hope you will continue to visit with me when time allows. I've rustled up some celebratory cupcakes, do help yourself to one......

This last few days I've felt in need of something easy peasy to work on, an instant colour fix if you will. So what could be better than hooking up some oh so simple, straightforward, itsy bitsy two round granny squares, joining them as you go. 

Uncomplicated is my mantra this week, and I think this project fits the bill perfectly don't you?. I'm seeing a rather jazzy cushion cover in my future. These happy little multi-coloured squares are a pleasure to crochet, and the tessellated effect that's produced is so instantly gratifying. You really should give them a try!

I hope any grey days are interspersed with 

many sunny moments, wherever you are 

reading this in the world today. 

Back soon

x x x x x x x