Organising

At the end of my last post I said I'd be back soon, and believe me I had every intention of fulfilling that promise. However my plans were well and truly scuppered when my desktop PC decided to finally give up the ghost. My trusty little Windows XP that I'd been using for the last 9 years decided it had had enough. 

I pressed publish on my last blog entry and went off to do some grocery shopping. Upon my return I tried to power up my computer, but to my horror I was met with a blank screen and an error message telling me there was a missing or corrupt file. My heart sank as I realised this was not going to be an easy fix. 

I won't bore you with the details, but it's safe to say this caused me much inconvenience & unavoidable expense. I suppose it's not all bad news though, as I'm now the proud owner of an all singing; all dancing shiny new model. I was quite happy pootling along with my old XP, yes it was slow and had limited capabilities, but it was sufficient enough for my needs. However I'm glad I was forced into upgrading my equipment and operating system, as it's just highlighted to me what I was putting up with for so long. Not only that but I hear XP will be unsupported by Microsoft as of April 2014, so maybe it was all a blessing in disguise. 

Another good thing about being forced offline for a bit was my ability to get a lot more done at home. I utilised my time well, sorting, organising, and cleaning. It feels good to have a place for everything and everything in it's place.

Sadly I'm down to the dregs of my Schachenmayr Catania yarn, which I have used for many projects over the past year. I'm using up the odds and ends making some circles in squares, and joining them as I go. I really must invest in some more of this lovely cotton yarn. Perhaps I can factor it into the budget under essential supplies for health & well-being! Sometimes that's the only way we can justify the expense ;) 

Thank you for all the comments you've left for me recently, and hello to each and every new reader that's bobbed by this last few weeks. I hope you make yourself at home here. 

x x x x x x x x x x

Tea, cake and crochet

February 1st, can you believe it? It feels like I've barely come up for air this last few weeks. Lots on the horizon, but not a great deal to share with you here today. 

However, there's still plenty of tea drinking, cake eating and crocheting going on. I'm making some slow, but steady progress on one of my many blanket WIPs. It's all been quite yummy!

The sun is out today hoorah, so I've been able to take advantage of some good light to snap a few pics of the wristies I crocheted up in super quick time. I used the lovely Catherine Wheel Stitch from Erika Knight's book Crochet Workshop, and some Hayfield Bonus DK acrylic yarn in a lovely powder blue colour. It's not the best yarn for the project, but was cheap enough for me to experiment with, so I'm happy with the outcome. 

So in the words of Porky Pig 

(which is what I'll end up like if I don't stop eating cake)

"That's All Folks"

Back soon

x x x x x

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