My First Giveaway

Hello Lovelies,
I'm sooooo glad the sun returned today. A few dull,wet days had really got me down.

This is a little worrying as we head into Autumn (how did that happen !).My moods never used to be so linked to the weather.

On Wednesday the rain held off long enough for a meet up with friends I made in anti natal class. Our children played happily together and it was great to catch up with all their news.

I thought it would nice to do a little crochet as we sat on our picnic blankets ,so I packed my hook and yarn along with our picnic.

When it came to getting started I suddenly felt self conscious. I mentioned I had brought my crochet along. One friend made a comment about granny's house and the sound of knitting needles. My crochet stayed firmly in my bag.

It's so different with you lot.I love being creative ,it makes me happy,even on a rainy day.
Being able to share my creations ,with you like minded lovelies makes me extra happy.
Your kind comments really do mean a lot.

So whilst I was on holiday I made a little something to send to one of you,wish I could send you all something really ,but that might take some time!



Here is my finished cushion cover. The colours remind me of heather. Purple,blue,lilac and green.......


There is a cute flower in the centre,pattern from here........



And lilac spotty buttons to close.........



I'm hoping you like her .She was made as a thank you to my special bloggy friends,who understand my crocheting ways.
I also picked up this cute little seaside tin ,whilst on holiday, for you.....



If you would like a chance to give her a home ,please leave me a comment on this post.


In a couple of weeks I'll get one of the boys to pick a name out of the hat.




So don't be shy, now is a great time to start commenting if you haven't before.
Please make sure I can contact you ,in case you win .
Good Luck ,and have a great Bank Holiday if you are in the U.K.

Jacquie x

Holiday Images

We travelled by car...........



Then by ferry.........



Stayed in a lovely Static caravan.............



Which looked like this when we arrived.........



So .....I gave it a makeover......That's better........



We spent sunny days on the various lovely beaches.This is Ventnor ,which is so photogenic.......



The boys did loads of body boarding ............



Made sand sculptures with their cousins.......



On windy days they caught crabs.....big ones.........



and tiny ones.........



On a damp day we travelled on the steam railway...................



Third class was still pretty plush ,with lovely wood and old advertisments.....




During quiet moments I snuggled under GSB did a bit of this.........



We saw loads of vintage vehicles........






All too quickly our week on the beautiful Isle of Wight was over.

The boys brought home these.........



I brought home this........



I have since finished this pretty cushion cover which is part of my giveaway. I havn't got around to taking photos yet ,so pop back later this week for the Ta- dah and more details

Jacquie x

Back Home

Hello Lovelies, I've been away.

Yes the BM household have just returned from our Holidays.
So today I've been doing loads and loads of this........



...... a weeks worth of washing for 5 people . Never mind, we had a great time and I will be back soon with tales of our travels.

I just wanted to pop in and say how much I've missed you guys. Thank you so much for all your super kind comments on my blanket.

I've noticed I'm getting close to 100 followers, AMaZing !!
So as well saying thank you,I'm thinking a giveaway would be a good idea,to show how much I appreciate all my readers,and your comments .

I took my hook away with me, and in the quiet moments I hooked something to send to one lucky reader . It's not quite finished ,but nearly . More details to follow, in my holiday post.

As well as the mountain of washing ,I also returned to this in my garden.........




Wow , stunning Star Gazer Lillys in full bloom, from bulbs I planted in the spring.Their scent is beautiful too.
It's great to be back
Jacquie x

Ta -Daaaaaaaaah !!!!!

Weeeeeee, it's finished !!! My largest crochet project ,ever, is done,done, done.

Today I've spent quite a bit of time like this....



I was determined to finish it once I started the edging.

My edging is granny clusters in dark blue ,then a row of half double crochet(U.S. term) in light blue,then a picot stitch in the same colour to finish.

I wasn't sure if master BM would go with the slightly frilly look,but he said it reminded him of waves . Which I thought was very appropriate ,as so may of your lovely comments said the colours reminded them of the sea.........




Here we go with LOTS of GSB shots,folded.......







As you can see it ended up almost wide enough for a double bed,not sure how !




Love looking along the stripes ...






Not so sunny in the garden this afternoon but I couldn't resist a washing line shot.Well ,quite a few of the stripes have been completed outside.....




Yes I am very happy with how this has turned out ,can you tell!

Master BM is glad I've finally made him a blanket , over a year after I promised him one.
I'm glad it turned out so big as hopefully he will still use it into adulthood,well maybe .

So thank you again for all your encouragement, I know it would have taken me much longer without being able to share the fun.

And ,of course thank you to Lucy for more amazing inspiration,and the pattern!

Anyone out there who's thinking about starting one of these ,I would say do it.It's such an easy quick pattern,no concentration required,after the first couple of rows.

Happy hooking
Jacquie x

Sewing in the ends

Hello Lovlies.Thank you for all your comments in answer to my hook hold question.

In this instance the results were pretty even( 12 knives and 8 pencils)
A couple of you can switch between both !

Today I've put down my hook and picked up this........



Yes ,I've been sewing in the ends on my GSB.....



Now there's just the edge to do :0)
I've been studying how others have finished theirs.I'm thinking ,just a couple of rows,as It's already wider than I intended.

I'm so excited to be nearing the end of a large project ,especially as it's not taken me as long as I thought. I'm sure that's been helped by all your praise and encouragement so THANK YOU .

I promise loads of pics as soon as it's finished.
In the mean time I'll leave you with some pictures of the gorgeous butterflies who love my Buddlia.....




Back soon with the Ta-Dah !
Jacquie x

Pencil or Knife ?

Here's a picture of me crocheting .

As I was adding another stripe to my GSB it struck me that I don't really know what others look like when they crochet. Do I hold my yarn and hook like everyone else ?

I have been crocheting since I was a child so I can't actually remember being taught .

I've noticed that the only other person I see crocheting these days,my lovely sister in law, holds her hook like this..........



So a quick Internet search told me I hold my hook like a knife ( or overhand) and my SIL uses the pencil grip.

Some of my English crochet books don't even mention the knife grip,so I wonder which is most popular ? Which do you like ?

I've tried the pencil grip but it makes my wrist ache.



My Granny Stripe has progressed quite a bit this week,after a lull during the hot weather of July.

Yes it's actually longer the it is wide ,at last,but not a lot.......



55 inches long ,which is 62 stripes........



I think another 10 stripes will be enough .Then I'll be onto the edging ,yay.
I love the way this project is turning out ,hope you're not fed up with seeing it!

I'd love to know which hook hold all you crocheters out there use, so please leave me a comment
Jacquie x