Crochet Blanket Challenge of 2014 - Project Completed!!

Hi everyone, hope the New Year is going well for you so far!

Exactly a year ago today I joined in the Crochet Blanket Challenge.  Some folks in blogland used this challenge to make a mood blanket, crocheting a square a day, or a square each week, in colours that reflected the feelings of that particular time.  I chose to go for a slightly different plan, using washed out wintry tones, which bought to my mind a forest in winter.  I chose to make 7 row grannies, and aimed to make one each week (although on some occasions I managed to make more).  And, on 30/12/14 the project was completed!

Would you like to see?

It is so soft and comfy...

I am so pleased with the colours I chose...

I joined the squares with a double crochet seam as I liked the idea of texture...

The border is Sandra's (Cherry Heart Blog) Grannies Patches Border pattern, it is an absolute dream to make...

 Vital statistics for this blanket:

• Yarn - a variety from my yarn stash, plus 3 extra balls of Stylecraft Special DK to make up the palette of colours I wanted
• Crochet hook size 4mm
• 54 Granny Squares, each square had 7 granny rows plus an edging of double crochet
• Granny Patches border from Sandra at Cherryheart blog

I still have quite a few oddments of yarn left so I am having a go at a square lap blanket to use up what I have.  I then have another blanket challenge in mind, to start perhaps after my birthday on the 12th - surely a        girl/middle aged woman is allowed to treat herself to some spiffing new yarn for a project that will keep her busy until the next Christmas holidays ;)  I am aiming for a palette of greys and parchment this time, with perhaps a little bit of black and white.  I would love the blanket to represent the colours of birch tree bark (remember my love of the Marimekko birch tree pattern?)

Here is my finished 2014 challenge blanket folded up on the back of my crafting chair, all ready for the chilly evenings ahead...

 

 

 

I am so pleased that I stuck with the project, and am unbelievably happy with the result!!  Did you join in the challenge, and if so, how did you get on?  I would love to hear about it!

 

Helenxx

Bluebell Woods - and a new challenge...

Hi everyone, hope you have had a good week.  It has been nice to have a week off work, even though we have had a very heavy revision schedule here - GCSEs and final year of A levels.  But there have been interludes of fun things, like our road trip to Derbyshire and tea at our dear friends home.

Last Monday DH was also on holiday and we just felt like a walk - nothing too much, just a gentle stroll.  As we were preparing for something more challenging the day after... So we jumped in the car and drove up to our local Outwoods.  At this time of year it is bluebell season, and my goodness what a beautiful sight to behold!  So please, settle down, grab a cuppa and enjoy some bluebell loveliness....

Such amazing colour...

The perfume of these little flowers was heavenly....

Of course, as always, there was plenty of other things to see, I loved how the sunlight cast shadows on these ancient volcanic rocks:

Vibrant green moss on this piece of wood caught my eye, love the colour combinations and the textures, quite similar to some of the colours in my crochet challenge blanket...

And of course, how could I just pass by these lovely examples of birch bark and fungi...

As I mentioned in my last post, I just love silver birch trees, I went to our local garden centre yesterday to scope them out for a future gardening project, but they didn't have any in stock :(

I would love to buy some of this lovely fabric from Marimekko, but  I would feel terribly nervous sewing with it as it is so, so beautiful....

image courtesy of Google

...although I guess it would look great as a panel for a wall hanging...now there's a thought...and a legit reason for going to Helsinki to buy some, well saving on postage don't you know....;)

Well, time to stop daydreaming for now, as I am tutoring my daughter through her Art and Textile sketchbook compilation - have to give a shout out to my bestest friend Sue here, who has also been offering loads of support and supplies (we owe you BIG time dear friend!!)

We are going back up to the Outwoods later on, but this time there won't be any time or chance to snap photos as DH and I have both decided that we need to improve our fitness and so, spurred on by our sons, we have embarked this week upon the Couch25K programme - no laughing please!!  We did our first session this week, oh my goodness, it was very, very tough!!!  But actually felt loads better afterwards.  So it is session two today - lets see how we get on!!!  It was either this or the gym (which I hate with a vengeance, I find it totally boring) so we have chosen a route in the Outwoods, which is lovely - and I am sure it is even more beneficial as we get the fresh air as well!  Luckily we didn't see anyone we know as we were shattered by the end!

Have a lovely Saturday, Helenxx

Grand Day Out in Derbyshire

Hello everyone, hope you are having a great week.

Yesterday my bestest friend Sue, our two Darling Daughters and me had ourselves a road trip to Derbyshire, following the route of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site.  Our aim was to have a fun day out together, take in some lovely crafting supplies shops, do some small town browsing and have a bite to eat.  Three years ago Sue and I did a similar road trip, which I blogged about here.

Driving along there is much Industrial Architecture (which I love) to admire:

Rowsley -

Matlock Bath -

Belper -

Milford - 

We visited some lovely shops, including this one in Darley Dale, a veritable wonderland of all things related to embroidery, we all bought some lovely things.  The windows made great eye-candy too

I was drooling over this Midwinter coffee set, would look great with my growing collection

The staff are very friendly, it is a lovely place to visit, just be sure to save up some pennies first as there is so much you will want to buy!

We then jumped back in the car, and made our way to the pretty little town of Bakewell, which is only 10 minutes up the road.  We parked up and made our way to the little bridge - it is quite wobbly, rather like the Millenium Bridge in London, but quite safe of course.  And a great place to stand awhile and snap some photos

The river was running really quickly

But nothing could ruffle the feathers of these two stately creatures

We browsed some lovely shops, including the most amazing charity shops I had ever come across!  We stopped off for a bite to eat, and a bit more browsing.  We then decided to head back down the A6 to

it is a lovely little place to wander around, with a craft shop and mill museum.  But the things that took our eye on this visit were these little cuties...

The very essence of spring!

Some more feathered friends were there as well

The countryside was just beautiful, the green was so intense, so hard to replicate in photos...

There were even what I call Marimekko trees!

I think silver birch trees are wonderful, would love one in my garden

Driving back home along the A6 road I snapped some photos of the villages and towns we drove through (please do not worry dear readers, I wasn't driving!!)

Rowsley...

Matlock Bath...

and just had to take this photo in Belper, after all it was St Georges day!  And the building dates back to Georgian times too...

Thanks so much to Sue and the girls for a lovely day out, hopefully won't be too long before we can do something similar again!

Helenxx