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

New Years Day

Hello everyone, I hope you had a lovely New Years Day yesterday - we certainly made the most of it!

After a bit of a lie-in and pottering at home, we went down to see my Darling Mum and Best Brother to enjoy a New Year dinner.  We love to sit around her big table, enjoying each others company and of course eating good food!  BB always decorates her house for Christmas in grand style, with many of the decorations being vintage.  So many of them remind me of my childhood, and some belonged to my Mum when she was a child.  So I took the chance to take some photos and thought I would share them here.

The Christmas tree is very grand...

I love the star decoration, it was sent to her by our friends in Germany...

In the old days they used to light the tree with real candles, although of course that is not done these days, these are original candle holders that were used when my Mum was a child...

The reindeer is a recent edition, I always buy her a new ornament every year...

The Santa and his sleigh belonged to my brother when he was little...

love the sparkly tinsel...

The quite fiendish looking ornament was made by my eldest son when he was four...

This Santa is probably at least 95 years old, it belonged to my grandmother...

Merry and bright...

I drew this card for my Mum when I was 19 and at art college, she still displays it each year...

I remember being with my Mum when she bought this merry fellow in Woolworths in 1965...

Sparkly mini tree...

And spectacular hanging garlands...

We had such a lovely time,  my eldest son bought the Pointless Quiz Game book so we played many rounds, with I have to say some shocking results where I lost the jackpot round (a question about British bats) on a technicality - I said Horseshoe bat, but as I didn't stipulate either Greater or Lesser I lost...and was assured this was fair...hmmmmmm....and 7 Quality Street chocolates were the prize...#feeling robbed...

I hope you have had a lovely time over the holiday period with your loved ones, and that the days ahead are happy and full of everything you love best.

Helenxx

Welcome 2015!

Good morning and Happy New Year!  A whole New Year spread before us - hopefully we can all make the most of it and grab every new opportunity that comes our way.

Yesterday was a lovely day.  First there was some happy pootling about with some crochet in the morning (yes, I was the first to get up again, I love that quiet time before the household wakes up).  I had quite a lot of scraps of yarn left after completing my challenge blanket (which will have it's own post soon) so I am making a lap blanket for me - this is my progress so far...

I will make it as large as I can with the yarn I have left.  The rows are completely random in order as I am going with the smallest scraps to the largest left over to make the most of every bit of yarn.  But I am quite happy with the colour scheme so far.

Then my 3rd eldest son woke up and helped in the kitchen to make some veggie sausage rolls...

I had some puff pastry and home made mincemeat left so had a go at making pinwheel pastries...

These little treats didn't hang around for long because the rest of the brood were woken up by the cooking smells!

Then DH suggested a little trip out to the Peak District in Derbyshire - neither of us had been out of the house since Sunday so we thought we needed a change of scene.  In-between days are the best, enjoying being at home and just having time to "be", but eventually even the best of loungers can start to feel slight cabin fever looming on the horizon!  We love driving up to Derbyshire, sometimes if we just want to get out for a couple of hours we just drive up to Bakewell and back, the route is so scenic and there is always something different to see.  This time, being the festive season, the little villages were all dressed up for Christmas.  We ended up at the Peak Village retail outlet in Rowsley.  This is based on the site of an old railway station, with the old buildings preserved as shops.  The courtyard looked so pretty with all the lights...

I love how the old stations were heated with real fires, just look at those chimneys...

The snow was still laying thickly on the ground as you can see, but on the way home the temperature started to rise and rain started to fall.  This morning all the snow has melted away.

Once back home, DH cooked tea (he is an amazing cook!!) whilst I finished working on a little heart for my bestest friend Sue...

I wrote "2015" on the larger of the two buttons in permanent ink...

We always go to Sue's house on New Year's Eve to see in the New Year with her and her family, and I like to make her a New Year gift in the shape of a scented heart as a little "thank you". 

As usual, we had a lovely time, catching up with the gossip news, talking about plans for trips in the new year, nibbling on delicious treats.  When the clock struck twelve, DH cracked opened the alcohol-free bubbly.

Then we watched the firework display from London on the TV, as ever these were amazing...



image courtesy of BBC News

I would love to go to this display one year, it looks so spectacular.

Later today we are going to visit my Darling Mum to have a New Year's Day meal with her, DH and I will prepare it as she is still fairly frail after all her recent illness, but thankfully improving.

Happy New Year!

Helenxx

Goodbye 2014...

New Years Eve already - where did the last year go??

One of the very many reasons I love blogging is the way that it provides a lasting memoir of some the things that happened over the last 12 months, some of which might just slip the mind if not documented.  And often it is the most simple things that bring the greatest joy.

It also allows me to connect with other, like minded folk, all over the globe - which is an amazing privilege.

So, in true end-of-year review style, lets kick off with JANUARY (warning - this is a very picture-heavy post, cuppa and biscuit may be needed!!)

The few days remaining of the holidays saw me commit to the 2014 blanket challenge (which was completed yesterday, more detailed post hopefully coming up soon)...

And time for some cross stitch...

I celebrated a birthday...

And treated myself to some sweet scented hyacynths to ease me back into the return to work...

FEBRUARY...

DH and I celebrated our 26th Wedding Anniversary, he bought me this beautiful rose...

I joined in the Heart Swap and received these lovely goodies...

As part of our anniversary celebrations DH and I visited the amazing city of Cordoba in Andalusia, Spain...

And returned to Granada (yes, Granada, I have fallen under your spell)...

MARCH...

We enjoyed springtime walks in the countryside...

Where we met these delightful creatures...

I was very spoiled on Mothers Day...

APRIL...

The month started out misty and autumnal...

But then warmed up, allowing the bluebells to put on an astonishing display in our local Outwoods...

Spring lambs frolicked in the fields - this one looked so cute taking a bit of a rest from running and jumping!

And DD and I had a lovely day out in Derbyshire with my bestest friend Sue and her lovely daughter...

MAY...

Beautiful spring days full of sunshine and daisies...I was enjoying the garden whilst DH cranked up the BBQ...

A trip to Lincoln with DH for him to re-live his student days...

Cake is always welcome...

And walks in the countryside helped us to make the most of the two bank holidays...

JUNE...

World Cup fever hit the Moonstruck household...

The lovely weather continued, plenty of opportunities to hang the washing out to dry...

Strawberries...

These carnations flowered so beautifully, their scent was amazing...

JULY...

I broke up for the holidays...

Two milestone birthdays were celebrated...

And I achieved my Masters Degree...and on the hottest day of the year!!

AUGUST...what an amazing month...

We visited London...

and saw the 2012 Olympic Cauldron...

And went to the beautiful country of Belgium...

For the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix...

Where we met four times World Champion Sebastian Vettel...

Up and coming driver Daniel Ricciardo...

And the 2007 World Champion (and our favourite ever driver) Kimi Raikkonen...

SEPTEMBER...

Back to work, school, college and university, and in my free time I developed a love affair with making crochet pot holders...

The countryside started to turn autumnal...

The spiders came out to play...

And I was happy to see the autumn colour in my garden too...

OCTOBER...

Half term arrived, and DD and I made the most of it visiting local villages and stopping for hot chocolate...

And we had a trip out to Bakewell in Derbyshire...

I received these lovely goodies in the Autumn Swap...

And enjoyed inviting dear friends over for a Halloween meal...

NOVEMBER...

We celebrated Bonfire Night at my bestest friends home...

and enjoyed our yearly street fair...

I went on a lovely walk with my son to assist him with a photography project...

And I was so lucky to win this lovely apron in a blog giveaway...

and received these lovely treats from my dear bloggy friend Betsy...

and finally, DECEMBER...

I ran a little festive giveaway, and joined in with Julie's Advent Calendar challenge...

Santa came to visit our little street...

Snow fell on Boxing Day...

A lovely time was had with loved ones, with time to relax, reflect and just be...

Thank you for reading this little retrospective look at the year just about to pass by - blogging really helps to lock in memories of special times - some big and spectacular (think visits to Spain and the Belgian Grand Prix!) and some just small quiet moments, such as walking in the local countryside, crafting and enjoying the garden.  Precious Times with loved ones are forever captured in the archives to be enjoyed again and again.

Thank you - for reading and commenting on my varied writings throughout 2014, and to all my followers old and new - a special thank you!

I hope you have a wonderful time this New Years Eve, whatever it is that you do, and that 2015 is a Happy, Healthy and Peaceful one for us all.

Much love, Helenxx