Hearts and Flowers

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Hello Lovelies, 

I wonder what it is about the  heart shape that is so appealing?

They have always been such a favourite of mine.....I can't have too many.

 Recently I broke my lovely red mug which was covered in tiny white hearts and I've been missing that big, cheerful cup. So I was very happy to spot this mug in the supermarket ( Morrisons)

It's got rows of patterned hearts and one of my favourite sentiments....Home sweet home.....Yes it really is how I feel . Our ordinary little, rather cluttered, but warm and colourful home is such a special place to me........

THIS crochet pillow has been on my long "to-do" list for ages. I love the clever switch of words and the beautifully simple finished item. I probably would have to add a bit more colour ( and maybe some hearts ) to mine though :0)

Anyway, back to the hearts. This crochet jar cover, an Emma Bridgewater tribute, I made a few years ago still makes me smile whenever I look at it's pretty felt hearts.........

 It was so easy to do. Just rows of Half treble crochet ( U.K. terms ) to fit your jar. I sewed the hearts on, but glue would work too.

This week I seem to have been noticing hearts in surprising places too. Like in the reflections from the grater when I was making packed lunches on Monday evening........

And in the bread for my sandwich yesterday..........

They seem to me, to be some sort of good luck sign....maybe that is a bit fanciful....but nevertheless they always make me smile.

Another thing that has been surprising me and bringing many smiles to my face are the number of flowers that are still blooming in my sunny, sheltered front garden .
These picture were all taken yesterday. I've never known so much floral beauty in mid November......

Dhalias, french marigolds, Zinnias, Rudbeckias, Sedum and Japanese Anemones.

Most are coming to an end, but this red rose is still flowering profusely and I was thrilled that my camera managed to take a decent picture of it , as it usually struggles with bright red.........

Isn't it gorgeous.

The temperatures are set to plummet next week so I picked what will probably be the last bunch of home grown flowers in 2013....

There is Lavender and , most surprisingly, one battered looking SWEET PEA in there too..... amazing.

What an Autumn we have have been treated to. Between the rain and wind there have been so many mild bright days, and lately, pretty morning frosts with crisp air and beautiful light. It seems 2013 will be an Autumn I'll remember as a lovely example of how special  time of year can be
Jacquie x

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Sunrise Corner

Hello Lovelies,

on Saturday night I set my alarm. All week I have to get up early, but I'm too busy to enjoy that special time of day.

On Sunday morning I peeped out of the curtains at 7am and was thrilled to see a clear sky and a touch of frost. 

By 7.30 I was heading out of the door with my eldest, who always seems happy to join me...bless him.

My disorganisation this week was to forget to buy any breakfast cereal....so I guess we should have headed to the shops, but I had other plans.

I do love to see  frosty fallen leaves and I love the crunchy sound of walking over  frozen grass.

We wander along the roadside then carefully climb over the icy style that marks the entrance to my favourite footpath........

it's looking particularly lovely this morning.

I'm surprised to hear a dog walker behind us. We let him pass as he seems to be in a hurry , and I want to linger.

I'm totally thrilled by the beautiful light created by the rising sun........

The wild roses that looked so beautiful here in June are now glowing red hips.......

The sunlight illuminates this disused gateway  and everything still looks fresh and green in it's glow......

But in the other direction there is a  backdrop of golden trees.
And the icy coating on the fields and roofs show this is a chilly November morning.

Here the sun had already melted the frost on the old tractor.........

But where it remains everyday objects become so beautiful and everywhere you turn is another glorious picture.............

My companion is first over another frosty style.........

and then we are next to the sheep field..........

It looks like these ladies are waiting for their breakfast and they hurry over to greet us..........

sorry girls, hopefully your owner will be along soon.

Here the path comes out onto the road and this is where I was heading.

Each work day I drive past this field and I knew that.....at this time of year...... and this time of day.... when the sky is clear...... you can see the rising sun , illuminating the field and silhouetting the lovely oak trees on the horizon.........

It's on a bend so I can never stop to admire it properly, but today I could.....so happy, sigh.

The rays are now beginning to melt the light Autumn frost. Each blade of grass has a glittering water droplet at it's tip............

The time is about 8am and we are beginning  to get a bit hungry so we say goodbye to sunrise corner.... 

and walk briskly home, noticing the stunning colour of these cherry tree leaves against the blue sky.......

And passing this lovely old  house, with the prettiest name........

It was hot buttered toast for breakfast, and after our fix of fresh air it tasted wonderful.

Jacquie x

p.s. do take a look at these photos in the light box .....by clicking on them.....if you want to see them more clearly.

♥52 Weeks of Happy♥ 45/52

Hello Lovelies, 

Here are my happy things from this chilly November week.

1. Bonfire Night. We had our usual food and fireworks at home. The food is always jacket potatoes, sausages and mushy peas with mint sauce ( baked beans for the children ).

The fireworks sadly did not include a Catherine wheel ( my favourite ) but there were some pretty rockets and roman candles to ooooh and ahhhh at.

My boys and their cousins still love the sparklers.......

2. Walking with a friend. Happily my lovely friend knew the path I got lost trying to follow last week.....

 it's a shame the weather was grey , but I will be back now I know where to go. I can imagine this view will be wonderful in the sun or snow........

it was still rather pretty on a cloudy day don't you think.

3. Baking with donated fruit AGAIN. This time it was over ripe bananas from my sister in law......I made THIS cake...it was scrummy......

Also on my coffee table is the December edition of Country homes and interiors. I bought this as a  treat to myself ( I have a subscription to Country Living and rarely buy any other magazines) . It was the free calender that tempted me :0)

 This year I had four different calenders and I loved it so I'm keen to do the same next year.

4. Colourful crochet. My next blanket is coming together. I'm going to sew these squares ( plus two more ) together and add a wide border..........

Maybe I'll have completed two blankets by the end of 2013....that would make me very happy.
Hope you have a relaxing weekend lovelies.
Jacquie x

November Light

Hello Lovelies, 

now the days are getting really short and it's dark before 5pm I feel the need to get outside and soak up some bright daylight whenever I can.

These photos were taken on Sunday afternoon. I'd been indoors all day and the weather had been pretty rubbish. 

Then at 3pm the sun came out. I pulled on my coat, picked up my camera and headed out to stretch my legs...the rest of the family were engrossed in a new DVD.

I usually walk about these familiar streets in the morning. I'm accustomed to seeing this cute little terrace bathed in sunlight. But the afternoon sun was already low in the sky and the streets were mostly in shadow.......

I decided to try and get a view of the landscape and headed uphill, then along this footpath behind some gardens........

 As I emerged from the narrow tunnel of fence and hedge I was thrilled to see the beautiful glow of warm sunlight cascading across the fields

Ahhhhh, just wonderful........

These pictures were taken about 3.45pm

 I could see for miles, the sky was gorgeous and the shadows were amazingly long........

I zoomed in on the distance and  loved the way the fields all look so small and patchwork like....

The hedgerows are rapidly turning brown now.

The view to my right was partly blocked by the large hedge.........

I could remember taking a photo of this view easily  in the spring,when the hedge had just been trimmed. Here it is........

After a bit of a struggle I managed to get a clearer shot.......

I love being able to compare the difference between May and November. And also to notice the amazing glow the setting sun creates. It adds so much to the beautiful russet colours of Autumn.

I walked home with a happy smile on my face, bight images of seasonal beauty filling my mind.

Thank you so much for all your kind comments on my latest blanket....they really are appreciated and I've answered any queries in the comments section.
Jacquie x

Seaside Patches Blanket....Ta-Dah

Hello Lovelies,
 At last ...it's a happy, happy Ta-Dah day :0)

 The last time I  had a full sized crochet blanket to share with you was back in February 2012 ....how did that happen ?

I started this latest blanket just over a year ago and you can read about it's inspiration and the reasons behind my colour and pattern choices  HERE

Soon the first row was complete.....

By December I had 100 solid coloured, four round granny squares.
In this project I've used the brilliant " join as you go" method. The best tutorial I know for how to do this is HERE..........

Sadly my momentum didn't last. In the early part of this year I spent quite a lot of my limited creative time drawing. And then when I picked up my hook again I decided to start ANOTHER BLANKET ( which is still a WIP )

In July my thoughts always turn to the seaside and I loved the way the colours in my blanket matched the colours in this photo of Cornwall so well.............

In August I took my blanket to see the Cornish coast and I have happy memories of sitting outside our caravan, watching the sunset over the ocean and relaxing with my hook.....

Progress then became slow again , a few squares were added now and then, but the end still seemed a long way off.

Then , as the weather cooled in October I found a new impetus. 

A few rows were added early in the month, then during my week off I really made a concerted effort to fit in some crochet time..........

By the end of that week my blanket looked like this..........

280 squares with all the ends sewn in ( rubbish photo, sorry )

I've learnt the hard way that sewing in all the ends after the fun crochet bit is done is horrible. So now I always do them as I go

I leave quite long ends in my crochet...about 6 to 8 inches. It makes the ends so much easier to deal with . I weave in about half of this length , then snip off the remainder. 

Then it was just the border. I say " just the border" but it's an important part of a project like this. It can made the difference between an O.K. and a great result.

 I used THIS method to avoid a wrinkly edge and took inspiration from THIS blanket  for the design........

All those busy squares needed framing with colours that wouldn't compete for your attention too much. So I've used a limited number of the blanket colours and I didn't include any of the lightest shades..........

I think it turned out great.

The edge is just a round of U.K. double ( U.S. single ) crochet. I was going to add a wavy edge too but middle son ( who's blanket this is ) said he preferred it plain.....I think he made a good choice.

And here is the finished blanket

TA-DAH.........

Oh , it may have taken me ages to finish , but I'm SO PLEASED with how it turned out in the end.

I love the range of shades from white to the darkest (Teal )
I love the completely random positioning of those colours. I didn't give too much thought to what colour came next , I just made sure each square was never next to the same colour.

It's not the biggest blanket I've ever made, but  it's long enough to cover you from your chin to toes, perfect for snuggling on the sofa when it's chilly............

It measures 64  by 42 inches.........

It might not be as attention grabbing as some of my more colourful projects, but it's very easy to live with....

I LOVE the seaside pallette so much...calming and fresh. Happy without being too shouty.....does that make sense. The design is quite solid too, with only small holes in the granny squares, so it feels warm and cosy.

I liked seeing the sun shining through it on Sunday morning, but it was pretty chilly and breezy in my sad looking November garden..........

I quickly took these pictures then headed back indoors to the warmth of the lounge.

The next time I looked this blanket had already been scooped up and put to good use........

and that really made me  happy :0)

For those of you who might like to know some yarn details...I used my usual acrylic yarn....  Stylecraft special double knitting in the following colours

Teal, Aster, Camel, White, Cloud blue, Denim, Cream, Meadow, Sherbet, Aspen, Turquoise and Silver

and a 4mm crochet hook.

So it is also an easy to care for, economical blanket.

If you would like to know how I make my granny squares do take a look at THIS tutorial.
 The border is ten rounds of granny clusters, that were so speedy and great fun to do after all those little squares.....I felt like my hook was flying along at lightening speed :0)
This whole blanket was a joyful , simple project that turned out even better than I hoped it would.
And middle son loves it.
Happy , Happy , Happy.
Jacquie x