Finally Finished! :: Stash Busting Hex

 I finally have a FO to show you! The Stash Busting Hex is finally finally finished!

Started in Coventry and finished in Bournemouth. It took 5 months to complete, what seemed like a gazillion balls of white yarn and the need for me to drop my perfectionism and just go with it. (Ssssh I got the pattern completely wrong!)

However it's done and I love it. I wanted the colours to kind of radiate out from the yellow in the middle. I'm not sure I really got that effect because of the multi coloured centres. But it did use up all of my little pesky balls of stash though - which was the whole object of the stash buster! 

I must admit it's huge. Waaay bigger than I ever intended it to be. But with winter in full force here, it's coming in handy. Along with this....

I know! Another FO?! What's gotten into me! This is a garter knit scarf. Yes I've gone back to basics with the old knitting. I may have been a little over confident jumping straight in with DPN's and Noro. But this yarn is gorgeous - I believe it's called Twisted by King Cole (although I've lost the label) and it's kind of rainbow jewel tones twisted with brown. Which made the old garter stitch a little more interesting. Lovely.

Anyway I hope your January has been lovely so far - I can't believe we're almost into Feb already! I don't feel like I've recovered from Christmas yet!

xxxxxx

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Source Jason Combs

I just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! I know that I am a day late but this is the first quiet moment I have had in days. We had a lovely family day here and our first Christmas Day walk on the beach! I hope that your day was wonderful, cosy and filled with Christmas cheer.


As it is unlikely I will be back before New Year (I have a birthday to plan for New Years Eve next!) I will wish you all a very

HaPpY NeW YeAr!! 

See you in a brand spanking new 2012!

xxxxxxxxxxx

Flickr Favourites

I was really hoping that I would have a finished stash buster for you this week but after a nasty ear infection which  resulted in a numbing of the face, lots of making a grown woman cry and a wee visit to hospital, I have to say I have made not a single hex in the past seven days. In fact I really haven't done much. Housework, Christmas prep and even getting dressed just seem like too much hard work! But life stands still for no one so it's time to get re-motivated and inspired to face a bright new day tomorrow. Because that's what us mum's do isn't it? Get on with it.

So how about a rather festive Flickr Favourites? I haven't done one for a while and browsing my favourites always inspires me.....

1. Christmas crochet bunting, 2. Merry Christmas Flickr Friends!, 3. Crochet stockings, 4. It's beginning to look a lot like..., 5. Crocheted Snowflake Ornaments 1, 6. My Christmas Tree, 7. One ornament down..., 8. is it too early for this?, 9. I Love You and I'll Miss You

I love all of the crafty decorations around the web, particularly the stockings and baubles popping up this year. I suspect that I won't get round to making any now but I do plan on going snowflake crazy after watching  Elf  this evening!

OTT? Yes. Oh so very yes. But  oh so pretty all the same!

I'm thinking that with three kids I could have a whole production line thing going on ;)

Crikey! How is it that one hour on the internet is two hours real time? I'm off to bed.

Have a lovely week  xxxxx

A week of smiles...

• Only 30 hex's to make and join before the border on the stash buster. 30 sounds a lot but I've been making these for months. 30 now seems like a doddle believe me.

• Discovering Just Me. This girl is crafty and witty. A winning combination in my book.

• Free kindle books. Now that it's dark before 5pm I'm stocking up on my reading material. The fact that I can get whole books for free never ceases to amaze me. And it makes my purse smile. 

• Shreddies and warm milk. I know. Not sophisticated at all. But I live off this stuff when it's cold and love it. 

• Brocantehome and Positively Present. Reminding me that life is too short to live in the past or save up happiness for the future. 

• Pinterest. How can something so simple be so addictive? 

• Coming to terms with the fact that there simply isn't enough money to have the kind of Christmas that we are used to here and being fine with it. Because Christmas isn't about the mountains of plastic tat that my children have become accustomed to is it?

• Taking a break from both Facebook and the news and feeling better for it. I'm starting to wonder if I really need to be constantly updated on what the world is doing.

• Stumbling upon PeonyAndParakeet on Etsy. I LOVE the texture and colour in her art. After Christmas I shall be treating myself to a wee postcard =]

Wishing you a cosy and festive week m'dears because it really isn't long until the big day now is it!

xxxxxxxxx

Out and About...

I love Heathers 'On my camera' posts and I hope she won't mind if I steal her idea! There are so many things that I would like to share but don't warrant a big post individually. So here are a few snippets of my month in picture form.....

 I love old style phone boxes and Bournemouth has them everywhere. 

The carousel is in town! I loved these as a kid but haven't been on this one. My daughter has though!

I LOVE Bournemouth's beach huts. They start off as yellow and go all the way through the rainbow. 

One day I will get a camera that will allow me to nail this kind of shot. Shadow jumping.

The Christmas lights were turned on in town tonight. Of course my rubbish camera phone will not pick the lights up properly. But I love them anyway. 

Watching waves today. There's nothing better.

XXXX

Queen of the Castle

 

First of all I would like to say thank you for the birthday messages!

As it was my birthday and I could decide exactly where to drag the family, we trotted off to Corfe Castle yesterday. I'm sure I've mentioned before, I do love a good castle. My mum also jokes that I have 'Queen of the castle syndrome' because I LOVE being up high. For those who haven't come across it, there is a rhyme we used to say as kids when we were up high....

I'm the Queen of the castle and you're the dirty rascals!

When we started out the sun was shining and the Autumn colours were amazing. The castle is on top of a natural mound  and looking up I had high hopes for spectacular views from the top.

We were greeted by this dashing fellow at the bottom ...

.....and set off into the castle. Now Corfe Castle is a ruin but it's still a lot of fun. The kids found hidey holes everywhere and had fun playing hide and seek while us adults looked out on the view..

As you can tell, the blue sky had vanished the minute we hit the entrance and the mist? Fog? Had started to roll in. For me it made the view very atmospheric but I would like to see it on a clear day too. We did find a good spot to watch the steam train go by....

And have a good view of the village of Corfe...

Where we stopped for sweets in a cute little sweet shop, I was quite taken by the window decorations (and the fact that I could buy fizzy cola bottles!)

We took a little stroll around the village and came across this Wishing Chair..

Which I think is related to Enid Blyton's first novel The Adventures of the Wishing Chair. Although I've yet to look it up, apparently Enid was evacuated to Corfe during the war and her Famous Five books (which I LOVED as a child) were inspired by Corfe Castle. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong though!

Anyway, all in all it was a glorious day (even with the mist!) and I suspect we shall be visiting Corfe again in the future. Thanks for sitting through my photo's with me!

xxxx

ETA I forgot to ask, does anyone know how I reply to comments directly in blogger? Quite often I get direct messages from blog owners in my email. I would love to do the same!

Goodbye 20's!

Yes I'm recycling last years photo!

It's that time of year again. I'm now no longer a 20-something, which is plain weird. As I've said before, I don't mind getting older and I do plan to grow old gracefully (well as graceful as I can be anyway!)....but I certainly don't feel older. I'm always waiting for that moment when I think 'Ah I'm an adult!' but it never comes and I guess I should be thankful for that in a way. Or horrified - depends which way you look at it.

Last year I posted about setting goals on my birthday for the following year...normally I set them, forget them and move on. This year I had written proof (via blog) of my goals a year ago. Shall we see how I did?

1. The annual lose weight/make an effort to become healthier   


 I have actually lost 2 stone (although I put on a lot of weight first!) I still have some more to lose though.

2. Graduate from uni


'nuff said.


3. Tackle my disorganisation/stick to a routine


Things are getting better regarding the routine. I'm still very disorganised though!

4. Finish a Crochet project (!)


Well I've yet to finish a blanket (although close with the stash buster!) but I have finished.....

5. Teach myself embroidery

Nope. Didn't do it - still hooked on crochet.

6. Give my mum her completed blanket!

Again the mumzy's birthday blanket is not finished.

7. Make an item of clothing.

I made some mittens last year. Yup I'm counting it.

8. Get better at photography

A working camera would help! I also feel that this is kind of a subjective goal. I do like to quantify things. I should have worded it better.

9. Make something to give to charity/a good cause.

Noooo I can't believe I haven't done this yet!

10. Give blood.


Just in time - last Monday

11. Finish my daughters patchwork quilt.


The fabric I need to finish it is winging it's way tome as we speak (now that I've remembered it!)  - I can't believe another year has past without me finishing this for her! *smacked hand* 


I also didn't stick to the 365 photo challenge (which I still want to do!) soooo I make that 6/11. Gah! Do I class that as a fail?! Let's move on.......


So this years resolutions are going to have a sparkly new page all of their own, so they don't get lost waaaay down my posts list and I'll remember them before my birthday next year! I intended to update them as I went but due to intermittent blogging I must admit I forgot I had them down on here. Anyway I'll roll over some of the ones I didn't complete last year and add some new ones. Some of them I really need to do but most of them are little things to make me happy. So here we go.....


1. Find a new job (A necessity!)
2. Complete a walk in Worth Matravers (without feeling like I should be air-lifted home.)
3. Tackle my disorganisation (again.) 
4. Read at least 10 of my to-reads (List on the way) 
5. Embroider one thing.
6.Make something to give to a good cause.
7. Finish Patchwork quilt. 
8. Finish the Stash Buster
9. Walk more.
10. Knit ....something.


I do have a couple more private goals down on the list but I think ten fairly light hearted goals are enough for blogdom (especially as I forgot about them last year!)  


Right I am off to eat cake and be merry! Have a great weekend! xxx




ETA I just had the fright of my life when I posted this and the date came up as 10th November! I swear it is the 11th....I've checked! Naughty Blogger! x