Pink and Red

Hello Lovelies,

yesterday dawned bright and just a little frosty. Perfect November weather.

I've been joining my circles in the evening and was slightly despairing at the developing blanket. It looked so busy and I wasn't at all sure about the colours.

But seeing it in the daylight, I was so relieved to see it actually looks quite pretty...........

I laid my WIP on the bed, where the light is best, and took a couple of happy photos .

There's no red in this blanket...... which is quiet unusual for a red lover like me.......but there are three pinks.

I'm loving the way they look, without any hot red to overshadow them.

Soon the sunshine was calling me outside. I needed to go to the library to renew my reading book.

I'm really enjoying Little Women, but it's a long book and I don't get a lot of reading time, what with the above blanket vying for my attention.

I  love living within easy walking or cycling distance of the local library.........

After I had renewed my book I couldn't resit a bumpy ride down this dirt track.........

It always feels so good to get out in the countryside....it's a simple joy I never tire of.
 I can feel myself unwinding after time spent cooped up indoors.... at work especially. A big smile spreads across my face and my shoulders relax.

Lots of plants and trees are bare and brown. But there are a few pink leaves left on the Elder......

and this gorgeous pink Rose in the thinning hedgerow made me smile......

But all too soon the sun had been hidden by clouds and the brisk November breeze made my nose run and my cheeks tingle.....time to head home.

My fingers were going numb by the time I got indoors and I decided to light the fire for the first time in months..........

 And get out some yarn for a quick project that wasn't my blanket.

With Remembrance Sunday only a few days away I decided to make a crochet Poppy.

 I bought a little enamel Poppy pin at the supermarket the other day.....from the sweetest old gentleman.
 While it's not so easy to loose as the paper ones it lacks impact, and I love all the crochet and knitted versions that I've seen around this year.

A quick google for a pattern threw up THIS one by lovely blogger Lisa at Kandipandi's Pad. I loved the shape Lisa had cleverly created and set to work on mine straight away.

Lisa has, just yesterday, updated this tutorial to make it easier to follow.

For some reason the leaf got the better of me ....and I fell back on the lovely Lucy to provide an easy to follow tutorial for a similar one  HERE.

I copied  Lisa and used black felt for the centre.......cutting around a penny to get the desired size.......

Then I got out my beads and chose some tiny black ones to add a bit of shine and interest to the felt centre..........

In the end I was really pleased with how it turned out.

ta-dah.........

Oh, the light was terrible for photography though.....I tried my best.

Having mastered the pattern it was super quick and easy to made a second one for Mum.......

I havn't forgotten my promise to share the pattern I'm using for my blanket....I'll be writing it up soon.
Jacquie x

♥52 Weeks of Happy♥ 46/52

Hello Lovelies,

I hope you have had a good week. Mine has been pretty stressful at times but I'm, once again, focusing on the good bits. 

1. Armfuls of the softest yarn.

 Last year I gradually built up a small stash of luxury yarn. This year I sort of forgot about my stash building dreams and I really need more colours and balls to begin a big project. But on impulse, needing a portable project  to keep me busy, I took my current collection on a family visit with me last week.

They are various brands of cashmere and merino blends.

I have been wanting to make a really warm scarf for the winter and thought I would  use natural fibres as they are so much cosier than man made.

Without a pattern and wanting to use all my colours I chose the simplest solution for a girl who has just finished a blanket of many squares.......a scarf of many squares.

 These are tiny two round granny squares. 

Once again I'm using the join-as-you-go method and I really pleased with how it's looking so far......

The colours are  lovely and the yarn is gorgeous to work with. I'll take some better (daylight ) photos to share with you lovelies soon.

In case you were wondering, the book by my lamp is Anne of Green Gables........I'm back to reading classics I can vaguely recall from my own childhood.....like I did last Autumn

Gentle and heartwarming tales seem to be what I'm craving right now.

2.Bright Autumn walks.

Fresh air and quiet places are such a tonic, especially at this beautiful time of year.

 The golden Silver Birches are stunning.

 and so are  the frosty fallen leaves.

 Friday morning was perfect for a wander through the trees before work.

I just loved the sun shining trough the Oak leaves.....

These reminded me of washing on the line.

3. Finding another heart............

When I turned around from taking the oak leaf picture I noticed this heart shape in the trees trunk :0)

4. An Amaryllis . I was thrilled to find the Amaryllis kits were back in the shops this week . This will be the third year I've grown one of these beauties in the depths of winter.......... 

Today I'll plant this bulb and hopefully I'll have huge stunning red flowers to enjoy in a few weeks.

 I love watching these grow , first a little shoot, then leaves and a stem getting taller by the day. Then the bud opens oh so slowly. It's great fun to observe and the reward for a bit of care is really beautiful.

I picked up a couple to give as gifts too.....my first one was a gift from my sister in law , so it was nice to return the favour this year.

Thanks for reading and all your sweet comments.

Jacquie x