Summer Holidays ...

My summer holidays have been spent at home this year, finishing those little jobs off that you just haven't been able to get around to the rest of the year. This last week has been my summer holiday and although its only a week it is feeling a lot longer which is wonderful and proves I have relaxed, and with it being a bank holiday it continues a little longer! A little crochet has been done, but there has been many an adventure!

Those adventures started before I broke up for my summer holiday with a trip to the Black Country Museum, a wonderful place that I never tire of. The purpose of the visit, as well as pleasure, was to look at the crochet displayed throughout the museum as part of my diploma ... I'm not sure whether the crochet gave me a perfect excuse to go to the Museum, or the trip to the Museum gave me the perfect excuse to look at crochet ... but either way we had a perfect day!!

 

The street in the distance is a new part of the museum with another fish and chip shop ... no guesses as to what we had for lunch ... nom, nom, nom!

 

 

 

The view of the old street from the pub ... only soft drinks were drunk I might add!!

 





Much chip eating is always to be had at the Museum ... !! And now for some crochet ...

A beautiful doily ...

 Sometimes I take photos that astound me that I have taken them ... this one is so beautiful, I love the light, the flowers and the candle ... and the crochet of course!

 

A pot cover!

And a window dressing in beautiful crochet!!

The one thing I couldn't understand, and I regret I never asked the question, all the ladies in the houses were knitting ... not one was doing any crochet!!

And now for a few more lovely photos from the Museum ...

 

I love the notice on the other side of the window ... it seems at complete opposites to the flowers on the window sill indoors!

I doubt this view is taken that often but I loved the higgledy piggledyness of it ... !

I was thinking this iron work could inspire some crochet ... ?

 

I have also been walking in the rain ... as part of an aim to get fit my friend B and I have planned a number of walks around the localish area, and the first one the other Sunday took to the beautiful ancient Wyre Forest and a 3.5 mile walk. As we began the walk the heavens opened, and thanks to the foresight of taking waterproofs we continued on the walk and glorious it was too, there is something wonderful about walking in the rain and I loved the walk! Of course camera came along too,

One of the sculptures in the forest ...

The rain hadn't started yet ...

A plant to identify ... and you can see the raindrops.

I took this for the drops of rain on the leaves ... if you look closely you can see them ... honestly!!

Now there has to be a story behind this ...!

Of course the walk ended with a visit to the cafe at the visitors centre and a hearty bowl of vegetable soup served with lovely crusty bread and lashings of butter ...

... and delicious it was too!!

Then we come to last Wednesday ... a trip to see Dirty Dancing at the Birmingham Hippodrome with H ... what a brilliant day!! The day started in Worcester where H and I popped, en route to the railway station, into a wool shop to begin our girlie day with a little yarn indulgence! Then to the station to catch the train into Brum,

and of course there was crochet accompanying us both, H took a baby's Ballerina's Jacket and for me it was the Indian Summer Shrug from issue 19 of Inside Crochet designed by the talented Emma Varnam . I decided to sew the ends in on the granny squares I had already made, and the train journey proved to be the perfect opportunity to do this.

After a wonderful mooch around Selfridges in the Bull Ring off we went to lunch at the Centenary Lounge and then finally off to the Hippodrome ...

It was an absolutely amazing production of a much loved film, I am only sad that it is over, but the dvd is calling and will be watched on quiet Saturday evening with a glass of wine me thinks!

And so to my summer holiday week, on Monday B and I went for a girlie day out to Waylands Smithy a 5,500 year old long barrow by Uffington Horse and Castle. It was a truly beautiful and peaceful place, and very quiet too. B and I just walked around in our own thoughts taking photos and breathing in the atmosphere.

It is needless to say that we didn't take this path ...!

Almost there!

I loved these trees, the engravings are probably relatively modern, but love them I do none the less.

 

An offering by a stranger to those that are our ancestors.

On Wednesday it was a walk and crochet time with Soo and Z, the walk took us up the Malverns to the Beacon where we sat and enjoyed the view with a cup of coffee.

On the Horizon you could see the rain approaching, which seemed to come nearer and nearer with every minute, the idea of crocheting on the Malverns was put on hold and a hasty retreat was taken back to the car perfectly timed as the drizzle turned into a downpour! So once safely back indoors and after a wonderful lunch of crusty french bread, cheeses, ham and olives, truly continental, we crocheted the afternoon away. My project after a request from my wonderful man was a grim reaper (I think it was a request for something he didn't think I would find the pattern too!) ... and I have to say he is rather cute!!

I would love to show off my friends creations ... I am so proud of their work ... and as Soo's Dad said to me on Wednesday ... It's all my fault ... Ooops!!

And so we have Z's ripple cushion cover ...

And her Bertie Batty ...

And Soo's Granny Squares which will create a beautiful and snuggly blanket.

And so to the granny stripe blanket ...

The more it grows the more I love it, I hope it will be ready for those cold winter days ...

bye bye for now ... xx

All things crochet ... and a little knitting ... gulp!!! x

Well what a glorious week, as well as catching the Olympics when I can it has been a week of crochet ... and a little bit of knitting!! Never did I think I would say that!! My Nan tried to teach me to knit when I was about 8 years old, but her patience ran out with me, and that has always been my memory ... I just thought I didn't get it ... !! Of course over the years I have tried and tried again, not very convincingly I must add, but try none the less. Then there was last night, a family friend had offered to teach me, I warned her that I may try her patience, but she was willing to give it a go. I received a phonecall to say 'Well I am free tonight' and that was it I grabbed the proverbial bull by the horns and took what knitting needles I had (and for someone who doesn't knit it was quite a collection!!) along with some yarn and off I went.

As I am a crocheter, I thought my issues with knitting were resolved when I saw the continental style of knitting, I can remember watching some one knit this way and thinking 'Oh right I get it ...!'. I thought I would be trying the continental style ... but I was was told 'Give the English method ago' ... and to show willing I did ... and what amazed me I got it ... my ends weren't great, my style wasn't the most fluid ... but I had it!! And I am actually quite proud of what I produced ...

The knit side ...

The purl side ...

Now back to my comfort zone of crochet, its always to go back to something that is second nature.

The Granny Stripe Blanket has begun!

Last Sunday I spent a wonderful day with two friends Soo and Z, sat in the conservatory with the heat of the day warming us nicely, with the aid of tea and jaffa cakes (nom, nom, nom) and BBC Radio 4 playing in the backgound we spent a few hours crocheting and nattering the day away.

Just to remind you I am doing this blanket from Attic 24, the colours are in the order of ...

aspen, meadow, spring green, aster, cloud blue, turquoise, lavender, sherbet, wisteria, plum, magenta, clematis, shrimp, pomegranate, fondant, lipstick, saffron. The colours sound delicious and look absolutely fabulous, I can't wait to see what the blanket looks like once its finished. I hope there is enough yarn left at the end to make a couple of granny square cushions covers to go with it.

So by the end of Sunday I had got to doing three colours and its already looking glorious ...

It has continued to grow over the last week, the next colour is  sherbert ...

And an update on my diploma in crochet ... the next batch of samples are ready to go ...

This batch includes;

• A sample of chain and slip stitch with straight edges;
• A square of quadruple trebles;
• A square of raised double crochet rib;
• A triangle of trebles starting worked to a point;
• A piece of double crochet using a wide range of hooks;
• A strip of crochet working the smallest stitch to the longest stitch.

The quadruple trebles, double crochet rib and the treble triangle are all resubbmissions ... so fingers crossed for this submission!

The next batch of samples are becoming more complex with the intorduction of tunisian, filet, broomstick and hairpin, and while I am looking forward to completing these I am feeling a little nervous as I am onto new territory. It is, as I would expect, going to take a lot of hard work and concentration!! Please keep your fingers crossed for me and any words of wisdom would be gratefully recieved!!!

And just for your perusal a few more photos from my week ...

A Whitby Glass Lucky Duck, a present from my Mom and Dad after a holiday up north, and a tradition started by my Nan ...

Hydrangea flowers from my garden, with my fences being replaced some of the plants in my garden had to be cut back, but at least I can still enjoy them ...

And a lovely close up ...

Bye bye for now ... enjoy the rest of the Olympics ... perfect crochet and knitting time x