Category: craft

craft

Another oops

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Ok so I’ve been doing crochet and watching telly instead of my house pottering.  I’ve managed to finish one side of the thingy I’m doing.  Well when I say finished – it is finished but the shape was looking a little bit -well um- wrong.  It seems I should have 16 shells on the edging but I have 18.  I think a rip back to where I know I was correct and see if I can take it from there.  I’m relieved it’s wrong ’cause that explains why it doesn’t look right.  I’m not even sure that makes sense!!

craft · Husband · Life · Television

Looking Forward To The Weekend

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Well himself has to work this weekend and while it is a shame there is a silver lining and that means I get me time.  The instructions for this morning was – “Don’t wake me when going to work”  so I was woken to the cries of ” Deirdre my alarm didn’t go off!”  so much for a lie in.  Well actually it was – I had woken up at about 7ish and had managed to go back to sleep for the best part of an hour and a half before the bedlam started but subsequently postponed.

Anyway – today is my day for pottering and as per usual catching up on stuff not done during the week – happily I can say that it’s not as much as usual.  There is a glimmer of hope that I might get something done in the garden but that is slowly fading as dark clouds form overhead.
On the other hand I do have shopping to do so that could turn into a little outing…

Tomorrow is going to be full on relaxation.  I started a little crochet project for lunchtimes in work but brought it home ’cause I couldn’t resist and while we were away I bought a postcard that looks like it could be a very interesting blackwork project.  So tomorrow at 11am it’s Country Tracks and breakfast, then crochet/sewing and come 4pm I will be watching the Munster Hurling semi-final Waterford against Limerick.  I am not a sports fan so it is odd that I’m rather fond of GAA – I really don’t know why.

craft · Life

Crochet Greed / Specs.

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I tend to dabble and generally don’t do too much – but the bit that I do I enjoy immensely.  There is one website that has a wealth of patterns – www.crochetpatterncentral.com.  However every once in a while it would send me to pattern on Lionbrand.com.  For this site you had to log on and because there are times when ‘couldn’t be bothered’ is my motto I never signed up.  Yesterday I signed up – I’ve looked through the first 11 pages of crochet patterns and I think I’ve come across about 5 patterns that I definitely want to do.  I think I may have to quit my job or manage my time a bit better ’cause I have a feeling that I’m going to be VERY busy.  To make it worse/better – now that I can drive officially I can now go off in search of wool shops – I’m going to be so broke!  I can’t wait!!

Actually I am broke – I got new glasses yesterday and boy oh boy but recession is obviously not in an opticians vocabulary!  On the other hand the frames were rather fab.  The down side is that because of my lense prescription they couldn’t do it there and then so it will be this time next week before I have a new face.  That was part of the discussion we had last night – himself only wears glasses for reading on the other hand I have them on all the time.  So while frames aren’t overly important to himself they are to me ’cause they are going to part of me.  It’s like being able to decide what eyes you have or your nose or mouth… not sure if that makes sense and when we were chatting I managed to phrase it a bit better but  I can’t remember what I said now – that’s the problem with having conversations late at night 😉

Anyway – sunny day means I shouldn’t be on the computer.  He doesn’t know it yet but we’re off to out look at stuff – it’s not that interesting -we’re going shopping.

craft

Crochet Grumble

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Sorry about this but I’m about to have a grumble.  I love to crochet and haven’t managed the knitting thing really – I’m not as hooked on it so to speak (sorry!)  Anyway I’m wandering around on the internet and I tend to click in on things that mention Knitting & Crochet in the hopes of seeing something nice or learning something new and all I see is a load of knitted stuff and the only crochet on the page is in the title itself!  Harumph!

What has brought this on is a visit to a BBC website on Learning Crafts – naturally I was drawn to the Knitting and sewing section ’cause in the blurb it mentions crochet. However there is only one crochet pattern and even that was adapted from a knitting one -don’t get me wrong it’s a good cause it’s just unfortunately the one I came across this morning that sparked me off on my little rant.

If you hadn’t guessed I feeling that crocheters (?) are being not so much left out in the cold but as suffering from drag along charity – if that makes any sense.  Anyway I really should get over it ’cause if it attracts more people to the craft then it can only be a good thing – it just annoys me when I have to wade through the knitting stuff to get to the crochet- why did I suddenly get an image of archeology?

I’d best be off before I tie myself up in knots with a circular argument.

craft

Knitting

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I think I may have mentioned before that I don’t knit. I just find it too awkward. I feel as if I’m missing a spare hand. So with this in mind – I’m knitting (eek)
I was out and about during my morning coffee break and I went into one of the wool shops near the office. It was there that I came across this wool. I decided on the colour Cupcake and with my new wool there was a book of easy patterns (at least I hope it will be easy)  Anyway I came home with pattern book and decided upon the One Button Wonder and that was when I choose the colour and promptly bought a pair of needles and 10 balls of wool.  I have most of the back done but have now hit upon a piece that requires me to try and figure out what they mean.  Once that is done the back will be complete and then it’s on to whatever is next on the pattern.  Somebody in work told me that I could have it done for Easter but somehow I don’t think so.   I am painfully slow so I will have it done for Christmas.   I will admit that I’m thinking of cheating a little and getting my mother to sew it up for me.  Now that I’m on the topic of my knitting and what it is that I’m knitting – I really should go out and get a button otherwise it will be a wonder!

Over the weekend somebody suggested that I look to continental style knitting – I had a look and tried it out and couldn’t manage it at all.  Mind you I’m amazed I’m after getting this far with what I am doing.  It would seem that I don’t craft with finesse.  I am very awkward while I’m doing whatever it is I’m doing but it turns out fairly alright when it’s done – except for cooking – taste yes but presentation leaves a lot to be desired.

Anyway back to my code breaking.

craft

Digging out the sticks

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Last year my MIL was in hospital and I thought it would be nice if I made her a blanket and it would have been if I’d actually done it.  OK to be precise I did start the blanket and then got a bit cheesed off doing it and besides she was out of hospital and doing fine without the blanket.  I’ve been tripping over this bag for the best part of a year and the couple of rows have been taunting me so I decided to take it into the living room and get stuck in while I’m watching telly.  Me & crochet + telly = watching wool and listening to voices from corner of the room.  If you are wondering what kind of blanket I am – I want to say making but that makes it sound like I know what I’m doing.  So this is the stitch that I’m experimenting with – if it’s successfull then I was making it but up until then it will remain experiment.

craft · Family · Food · Niece

Ooops!

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This is the post were The Vintage Kitten will kill me hence the Ooops!  When I last posted we were off to my sisters for dinner as it was my mothers 60th.  For starters we had scallops on a bed of parsnip (i think) with a mixed leaf salad and here it is: Starters It was absolutely gorgeous. For our main course we had baby potatoes with thyme and chicken breast stuffed with spinach & goats cheese covered in a chorizo sauce. It was fantastic! The dessert was supposed to be birthday cake but somebody forgot to collect it from the bakers (don’t ask!) so we had profitta rolls. At this point I remembered that I was supposed to take photos – palm/forehead – doh! So apologies but the food was just to good and besides my pictures wouldn’t have done it much justice.

On the other hand my BUNNIES! arrived let me introduce to my little ladies.
Ava & Little Rosie:
Ava & Rosie

This is Little Rosie:Little Rosie
I plan to have her on my locker to keep an eye on me

This is Ava:
Ava
I only have this one on loan as I will give it to my niece when she is a bit older. Her name is Aoibhe but pronounced Ava.

I have to admit I’m absolutely enchanted and smitten by them both – I might even be naughty and keep both! Oh decisions decisions.
I must say a huge Thank You to The Vintage Magpie for making these little ladies you and they have made me very happy!

craft · Life

Crochet

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Last night I picked up my hook and started to crochet. I hadn’t done any since October/November and when I read a post on the blog Posy I just got the urge. I had seen on various sites that people had done ripple blankets so I’ve decided to give it a go – I have a fair bit of wool that doesn’t appear to be doing anything so last night I did the chain, first row and a bit of the second row and it is the width of the bed. I don’t see it as something with a deadline so I will probably finish it quicker. I don’t know what it is about deadlines but I when I have them I tend to put the project away and pretend it isn’t happening.

About last nights snow – well it didn’t snow for too long and it started to melt and turn to slush unfortunately the temperature dropped and outside is like an  ice rink.  I was supposed to go out for a spin in the car with my Dad but we have wisely put it off for today however it does mean I have to walk all the way to the shops for dried cat food – I am a lazy mammy.

Christmas · Cooking · craft · Life

Thoughts for the New Year

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I don’t like to make resolutions but I do make lists of good intentions.  Unfortunately for me we all know about good intentions 😦

Anyway Christmas is always December 25th so why this year did it take me as such a surprise?  My preparedness was lacking to say the least and that is such a pity as I absolutely love Christmas.  Throughout the year I have my markers – I’ll recover until my birthday and the look forward from then on.  However I allow myself to think and get ready for Christmas very late – not 2009.  Any festive stitching and other crafty projects that I want to do will be done throughout the year come what may.

The other thing that I am hoping to do more of is baking.  Not sure what or why – do I mean baking or cooking – both I suppose.

I always look to the new year with great hope but then it zips by and I’ve managed to achieve nothing – well maybe not nothing but certainly not as much as I’d have liked.

The one thing I’m definitely going to do in 2009 is lose weight.  I’m nearly 2 stone above my goal weight so I’ve to knuckle down come the new year.

Christmas · craft

National Craft Fair

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This evening we are off to the National Craft Fair – this is not to be confused with the Knitting and Stitching. At the K&S you buy the stuff to make yourself and at the NCF the stuff is done and being sold at fairly hefty prices. The price part is why I wouldn’t sell any of the stuff that I make/do ’cause between the cost of materials and time put into it you couldn’t get somebody to pay that price not when the high street shops cost even less then the materials you’ve used.
So this evening I’m planning on getting some essential oils (Lavender, Juniper & Frankincense) and a hat.  I’ve been saving for the hat so this year I will have the cash.  I was disappointed last year not to have that amount of money spare 😦  The year before I picked up a beautiful hat so I’m looking to add to the collection. Erm I seem to have lost the photos I had of the hat – I will just have to get some of the new one instead.

There is also a food hall.  I’m not going to buy any tea this year – I tend to go oh that lovely lets get some and then don’t use it – I don’t know why.  However there will be all sorts of other foody goodness.

I will post a list of goodies purchased when we get back.