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

Summer Holidays :: part 2

Well today has been so enjoyable ,now I'm worn out !
I decided to take my 3 boys, plus my 2 nieces, out for the day. So this morning saw us spending at enjoyable hour here..........




This was made much more enjoyable for me because I had this .....



Which saved me over £25 ,hurray! It was great, but after an hour of flashing lights and loud pop music ,I, for one, was ready for some fresh air.

So we took our picnic here........



Bliss.

After lunch we walked around the lake, taking our own sweet time ,chatting and noticing nature all around us ,in what is actually a city park.
This lovely sanctuary has looked a little neglected and overgrown in recent years ,but today we noticed many improvements,particularly this lovely waterfall ,which has not worked for years,until now....


Also these fun stepping stones...........




There were baby ducklings which the children decided to name...meet Rosie and Jim....


One of my boys actually took this picture ...I was impressed.



The flower borders were also very pretty........




Yes we all had a great time ...and the cost? nothing,except a bit of diesel. Frugal queen would be proud of me.Check out her great blog Here.

Can I also recommend another frugal blog, new dress a day,what this girl can do with a $1 thrifted dress is truly Amazing!
Hope your week is going well.
Jacquie x

Summer Holidays :: part 1

Hello Lovelies,
Ooooh it's been 12 days since my last post .Not sure how that happened.
Well ,I suppose three boys may have something to do with it !

School holidays are definitely in full swing ,meaning I seem to have very little time to myself,but it's all good.

I'm writing this post whilst the little people sleep as it's the only time I can get near the computer.

When we are at home they are drawn to it like a magnet.Which I'm not that keen on.Not only because I can't update my blog ,but also because I'd rather they played outside,or used their imagination like I used to when I was their age.

So,consequently we have been spending a lot of time at the park,or swimming ,or with friends.

I've been feeling the need to get a bit more active myself lately,unfortunately crochet and blogging don't count as exercise! (bummer)
So I'm giving running a try.I found an eight week training plan to run 5k online ,which is pinned on my fridge.....



It's still early days ,week 3,but I think I'm getting a bit better. The boys come along on scooters ,or bikes ,so they are benefiting too.

We have also invested in a tent. I'm a little unsure about camping,but I think it's another good way to get the boys away from screens.

Here is our new purchase ,seems to take up most of the garden......



Looks quite cosy inside......


Nice place for a spot of crochet......


Luckily GSB is long enough to keep my legs warm....



Here's Mr BM trying out the "stove"...



We slept in it, in the garden last week ,went OK actually.The boys loved it. So now I suppose we have got to go away somewhere with it ,gulp. I may need a little while to psych myself up for that bit !

I'll leave you with a colourful floral fix ,pictures taken in my garden today....






Thankyou for all your comments on my last post. Blogland is so special,hopefully I'll get chance for another installment fairly soon.
Jacquie x