Feet, a lizard and a 'how to'

In my mosaic-related excitement, I forgot to include these photos in my last post.  Dunno why, but I ended up taking lots of photos of the little nuts' feet while we were away - got to make the most of the boys' feet looking cute while they're little, because they sure as hell aren't going to look cute once they get hairy!

Big nut, who's looking a bit like he needs a bit of a going-over with the nail scissors.

Middle nut, who doesn't need a going-over with the nail scissors because he bites his toe nails.  

(I love him beyond all reason, but even I think that that's completely gross).

And baby nut, who's only just getting to grips with how brilliant feet are for things like running away from your naughty older brothers.

While we were in Wales, big nut, my nature boy, had an amazing encounter with a lizard:

We were all completely amazed as this fearless little chap came slowly up to big nut's hand and actually seemed to be checking it out.  I can't believe it didn't high-tail it off the rock and into a crevice, as there were five enormous humans looming over him stifling squeaks of amazement, but really he just seemed to be curious about the big pink thing that had arrived on his patch.  (Ah, I bet there are people reading this who are really blase about things like close encounters with reptiles, but we were all thrilled by it - suburbanites that we are).

Now, the main purpose of my post to day is to say..........................

check out my crochet tab...I have finally done the treat scarf 'how to'.

I'm sorry this has taken so long and I would like to point out that this isn't a tutorial, sorry.  I just hadn't planned on anyone else being interested in my little stripy creation and so I didn't take any pics as I was going along.  This is more of a 'how I did it'/pattern.  I really hope you find it useful and clear, but please just contact me if you are trying to make at and there's anything that you're not sure about - I'm really happy to help.  Edit:  I've just published the crochet page with the pattern on and now I'm really nervous! 

Oooh, brilliant, Mr N's just got home from the supermarket with chocolate - happy days x

Crochet update - May

Well hellooooo!  It feels like I've been gone for ages and, do you know what, it's great to be back!  I had had every intention of doing my monthly crochet update before we left for our hols last weekend, but I was ill for a couple of days and then ended up in a mad frenzy trying to pack everything for a family of five, for a week, in just one night....  All fun and games.  We had the best time away, doing lots of things together as a family, and I've got a load of photos to show you, but I'll do that in a separate post.  Anyway, we're back now and I've found my way round the laundry pile to the computer, where I've been trying to catch up on all your beautiful blogs and see what you've all been up to over the past week and a bit.  I have to say, it's almost like finding the world of crafty blogs all over again - you really are an amazingly inspiring and creative bunch and it's been lovely just sitting down and catching up on what you're all up to in crafty-blog-land.
So...my month in crochet terms has felt busy, but looking at my photos, it doesn't seem especially productive.  Hmmmm (or maybe I just need to be a bit more realistic about what it's actually possible to achieve when you have three children and a job...)  The first thing I did in May, was my treat scarf.  I love this project and I'm so pleased I did it.  I promise that I will be doing a 'how to' for this as I know (rather thrillingly) that a couple of people thought about making one too.  It is next on my 'to do' list, once I have posted my springtime throw ta dah (coming very soon!!!).

And the second thing, and the thing that's really been taking up all of my hooky time, is my springtime throw.  I have soooo nearly finished this blanket, I cannot wait to do my ta-dah post for it.  My first ever blanket...sigh...I feel like a fully-fledged crocheter (ha ha, was going to say 'hooker' then, but not sure that sounds quite right).

I spent a slightly silly amount of time on our week away, working on this beastie - Mr N kept finding me hiding in the bathroom/car/cupboard under the stairs feverishly joining squares together (he just doesn't understand, you know).
I really do feel that having made a blanket is some sort of rite-of-passage for me as a crocheter/hooker and I love having a big project like this to work on over a long period of time - something that I can come back to when those smaller, instant gratification-type projects dry up temporarily.  I have already decided what I'm going to do for my next blanket, which will be for our kitchen sofa, and I'm also planning a post on that in the very near future.  That's just five-hundred posts in the pipeline, then. x

Treat scarf ta-dah!!!

Soooo....yippeeeee!!  I have finished my scarf and I have actually worn it too!  I am so excited about this little project - I have loved everything about it: I love the yarn (Sublime cashmere, merino, silk), I love the stripes (hooooow long did I take to decide on stripes???), I've loved making it up, and I love, love, love the long, swingy-ness of it.  Hurrah!
So, would you like to see it in all its stripy glory?  I hope so, cos here come the photos....!

And here it is being rather cringingly embarrassingly modelled by a headless me; see, it's long and swingy:

ooh, and now it's short and wrapped up.

There are three things I have learned from this project: 

1) it looked best when I did only one chain at the start of each new colour change, even though I was using treble stitch (if I did two chains, it made the edge wavy - shame I only realised this half way through...) 

2) I need to work out how to get all the right sides of the rows facing the same side - is this what frogging is?  (Why does that word sound a bit dodgy to me?)  In this project I have the rows going right side, wrong side, right side (you get the gist), but I don't think it matters as you can't see it really.  

3) When you're doing stripes in highly-contrasting colours like this, I don't think weaving the ends in as you go works very well, because you can see the old colour yarn through the new colour row.

You live and learn...

It's not just me that's been a crafty bee lately either; middle nut came running out of school the other day waving this rather lovely little objet (check me out, a French word - ooh lah lah):

Willow weaving?  In Reception?  Brilliant!  This lovely fish now hangs proudly on our bathroom wall, and every time I look at it, I think about how proud I am of my boy, for so many reasons.

I'm going to leave you with this slightly dodgy photo of a lovely book cover I found the other day:

I keep seeing variations on this colour combination and I'm definitely feeling a slight tingle of inspiration.  Oh god, mentally I'm moving on to my next blanket, even though I haven't even nearly finished my springtime throw.  I.  Must.  Remain.  Focused.  I have two WIPs at the moment: my throw and my secret Fimo-related project; and I absolutely must get on with them before starting something else.  I really, really must...x

The treat scarf is underway!

To say I've been indecisive about what to do with my lovely, lovely Sublime yarn (which I blogged about in my 'we love Dorset' post), is a bit of an understatement.  I am normally Captain Decision (hmmmm, maybe I'm normally even Captain Hasty Decision) so it was a bit of a surprise to me to find myself in such a mahoosive quandry about this project.  I knew I wanted to make a scarf, because to not have this yarn worn against my skin would, quite frankly, be a crime.  But could I for the life of me decide what pattern to make?  No.  I could not.  In fact, I even had a wobble about the colours I'd chosen, and ended up swapping the petrolly grey one for another ball of the greeny colour. 
When I got back home from our few days away, and began to think about what I might do with my new yarn, I realised that to have only two colours is a bit of problem.  Just one colour?  No problem.  Lots of different colours?  Great.  Two colours?  Whaaaaat???
I initially toyed with this design:

But after making seven of the blighters, I realised that I just wasn't feeling the love for these swirly squares (pretty though they are).  So I unpicked the whole lot and sat down and scratched my head a bit more.  Then I had a cup of tea.  Then I looked on Ravelry.  Then I had a glass of wine.  Then I slept on it.  Then I realised the thing that had been staring me in the face the whole time: it could only be stripes.

Classic, lovely stripes.

And I'm really lucky, because I have a personal crochet assistant, who is on hand to help me at all times x

We love Dorset

This post today comes to you from sunny, sunny Dorset (hurrah!)  Well, we had to come here for Easter because nana (my granny) has the best garden of anyone we know for Easter egg hunts and this is a really, really important consideration when you're under the age of, say, 35.  Plus, when you're (only slightly) over the age of 35, you can get a bit excited about going to Hanson's, which is the amazing haberdashery warehouse I mentioned in my 'springy things' post.  Soooo...Hanson's...well, we've been here 24 hours and already I have made a little pilgrimage.  I had some Easter money from my parents-in-law burning a hole in my pocket, so decided to treat myself to some really gorgeous yarn to make myself a little something.  I managed to persuade Mr Nut that it would be a good idea to spend some quality time with his three children while my mum and I 'quickly' popped out, so I was able to really check out all the yarns and spend a looooong time going 'hmmmmm' and 'huuuuuh' and 'errrrmmm', while stroking yarns and secretly wishing I was very, very rich.  Anyway, I finally managed to make a decision and very pleased with it I am too.  Want to see the yarn? 
Okay, here it is:

Mmmmmmm, sublime by name, sublime by nature.

This is the softest, softest yarn you can imagine - it's 75% extra fine merino, 20% silk and 5% cashmere and I cannot wait to get making!  The colour hasn't come out that well in this photo, in real life it's a sort of cream, a petrol bluey-grey and a greeny-aqua colour.  Yum, yum, yum.  I'm not sure exactly what pattern I'm going to use for this - I think I quite fancy something along the lines of loopy flowers joined together, but I haven't made up my mind yet and I am open to any suggestions anyone may have!

And as if all that yarny excitement wasn't enough, my lovely mum bought me a rather splendid new cook book:

I love everything about this book: the title, the cover, the style in which the recipes are written and also the homemade, slightly economical vibe.  I'm already getting excited about making something to take to my gran's for Easter Sunday lunch (had better make sure we don't all get too carried away with chocolate in the morning.)
I just cannot get over this amazing weather we're having at the moment, it feels like high summer.  It's just brilliant, we've been spending whole days outdoors just soaking it all up and playing with the children.  My mum's garden is always beautiful and is looking especially lovely at the moment, with everything growing at a rate of knots.

 

 

 

 

 

Love, love, love the colour of this beautiful tulip.

It's just possible I might have gone slightly overboard with the flower photos today, but really, you've got to love it haven't you?
Oooh, Mr Nut's just presented me with a piece of cake and a hot chocolate - he really knows the way to my heart!  Better dash.  Hope you're having a lovely, sunny Easter too. x