Granny bunting and other lovely things..

Tonight I finished all of my bunting! I've chained it all together with white yarn but it was too dark to take any photo's.. but I will get it hung up tomorrow and then I can show you some pictures of it hanging pride of place in our kitchen. I'm so excited to see it up..!

I used Debbie Bliss DK cotton and I have to say, it's sooo nice to work with. So smooth and it all stays so well together and doesn't seperate at all. I've got a bit of each colour left and I think I might make a matching crochet jar jacket from Attic24 to go next to our calendar in the kitchen, at the moment the jar that the pens live in is currently very bare and needs some brightening up..!

Even though I have quite a few other WIP's on the go at the moment.. I've been browsing through this loveelllyy book I got a little while ago. There is a cardigan in there that is So gorgeous, I may just have to start knitting it for Rose..!

Do you like my new place mats?! A bargain from Matalan of all places.. they're are just so pretty. : ) They definitely do brighten up our meal times..!



xxxxxxxxxxxx

Lovely last few days..

We've had such a lovely last few days... After working through every day of gorgeous sunshine during the week, Ray had the day off on Saturday, so we packed ourselves up and the three of us went for a picnic in the park. It was pretty heaving there.. everyone seemed to have the same idea as us of what to do that day!

 I'm Attempting to lose the rest of my baby weight at the moment, so we were laden with healthy salads, fruit and snacks, plus the essential flask of tea. : ) We had such a lovely, lovely time.. but eventually ventured for a walk into town as it was veryyy hot and unlike me, Ray is a shade-lover not a sun-worshipper!

Both catching up on the latest news.!

We've been for a talk with the priest today as it's Rose's christening on Sunday, I'm sooo excited. Really looking forward to seeing most of my friends and family on the day and getting Rose dressed up all pretty for the occasion. Fingers crossed we don't have any messy accidents..!! My best friend Vicky is going to be her God-mother, she has her own blog.. you'll have to go and visit her here.

We spent East Sunday over at Ray's parents and had a really lovely day.. we've been so lucky with the weather! I've eaten a hugggee amount of cake and chocolate and so couldn't believe it when at slimming world tonight they said I've lost 1/2 a lb! Not much... but it's better than putting on any weight, which I was Sure I must have!!

Doesn't she look so happy..! I couldn't imagine before I had Rose how much I would truly love her.. I honestly cannot imagine not having her in our lives now..

Okay.. Off I go to try and finish off my granny bunting.. I Will get there soon!

Rose has got her 2nd lot of injections tomorrow morning and I'm dreading it..!!

Just a question... how do so many people have so many followers..? I love writing this blog now and I suppose it doesn't realllyyy matter how many people are reading it.. but does anyone have any tips for getting your name out there..? Making more people aware of it anyway...

Lots of love

xxxxxxxxxxx

Ta-dahh for my baby ripple blanket!

Hi everybody and Hello from Rose..!

Well, isn't is just lovely to start and finish a project within a relatively short amount of time. I started this blanket around 2 weeks ago and flitted between it and a couple of other crochet WIP's that I also had on the go and just finished it 2 day's ago.

Usually I find that a blanket takes such a long time to do.. it's really lovely when you finally finish it and get that real feeling of satisfaction. But sometimes it's just nice to get that instant gratification. Know what I mean? I know that it's on the smaller side of things as it's a baby blanket.. alright, a little bit of a Big baby blanket. But where as my hexagons seem to take a such a longgg time to do, with the ripples you can just ripple ripple ripple away and before you know it, you've gone and got a whole load of stripes finished..!

I suppose I got the blanket finished a little faster than usual because I have been working away on it whilst feeding Rose in the middle of the night. It's the perfect blanket to be crocheting at night time because your working with one colour for quite a while, so there's no fussing around chopping and changing colours in semi-darkness. No getting myself in a tangle with numerous balls of wool flying around the bed, everything's a bit more awkward when you have a baby attached to you... I speak from experience..!

You like?

I did plan to have the stripes going in the opposite direction.. but as I was a little too generous with my starting chain, it was a little too wide. Instead of being a baby blanket it was starting to look like it could fit a single bed! So I made the decision to have it around the other way and I'm starting to get used to it now..

I decided I would have a red edging for Rose's blanket.. I don't know if it was anything about a red rose that influenced my decision, but I really rather like it..! Plus, I didn't want it to look too girly.. if Rose ever has a little brother, then I'd like him to be able to use it too.

 See... She likes it..! : )

Okay.. I'm going to go and carry on with my crochet granny bunting.. I'm really enjoying making it and can't wait to get it hanging in my kitchen.

xxxxxxxxx

Progress so far...

I just thought I would show you what I'm working on at the moment..

My 'baby' ribble blanket is looking more and more like a 'toddler' ripple blanket as it's a little on the large side.. well, large for a baby cot blanket anyway!

I usually go for a much more planned colour scheme.. I'm always thinking whether or not one colour will go well next to the next one. But this time I decided that as it wasn't a 'grown-up' blanket.. I would just pick and choose whichever colour took my fancy at the time..!

I'm using Stylecraft Special wool and I have to say, I really am loving it. It's so lovely and soft and because it's a lot cheaper, I don't need to worry that it's cost a bomb to make.. I can just completely and utterly enjoy seeing it grow and grow and grow..!

It's been another absolutely beautiful day here in chichester and we've been for a lovely long walk with some of my NCT girls.. I had such a lovely time and here was my view of the little lady in her big girl buggy! It's scary how fast she is growing up...! Soon she'll be a whole 3 months old!

Okay, well Rose is fast asleep upstairs in her cot so I think I will continue with the 'toddle' ripple blanket!

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Another WIP.... oops!

Oh, look! I seem to have got a little distracted from my other WIP's... such as my hexagon blanket, the baby ripple, my tea cosy and many other smaller things. What a surprise! I will finish something soon and write a Ta-dah! post at some point.. I promise!

But look how pretty..!! I hadn't planned on doing any of the Japanese flowers as so many people seem to be doing them.. but alas, I seem to have caught the bug!

I decided to try out a japanese flower to see if I liked it, how difficult they were and also whether or not I could start to make them out of this yarn.. and I have to say, I love it! I may have to turn this lonely flower into a scarf or shawl.. I'm not too sure which one yet though..!!

Right! Off out into the garden I go! ♥

xxxxxxxxxxx

Green fingers

I've been a busy bee working away in the garden a lot recently...

When we first moved into here at No.3 the garden was an absolute mess. The lady that lived here before us didn't really like gardening (well, I'm assuming that as the garden really did look forgotten about). It was completely overgrown with weeds and of ivy.. masses of the stuff, it spreads like nothing I've ever seen before! And there really weren't any plants at all to be seen..

So after we had been living here for a couple of months, my Nan who is amazing at gardening came to visit us and helped me sort out the whole thing. We weeded the whole flowerbeds.. I say we, but as I was quite a few months into my pregnancy at this stage, I was told by her that I wasn't allowed to do it myself! So it was really Nan who was using the big garden fork to do all of the hard work.. I should point out she is well into her sixties by now.. There's really is no stopping her!

We planted a whole load of bulbs and also plants that she had brought up to me from Dorset and then throughout the autumn/winter months, I continued to plant more and more bulbs and new plants. I never realised how much I loved gardening until I had my own garden to work away in. I find it all so special when all of the little green leaves start to appear up out of the ground.. it's so exciting waiting to find out what they all are! (This is when I really should have marked where I had been putting things, as to be able to plan where to put the next plants! oops..! never mind...)

This is what it's looking like at the moment..! A lot of the flowers will be appearing in the summertime and some won't actually flower until next year but at the moment, I'm pretty chuffed with the results..! : )

The only problem is, now that I have little Rose it's a Lot lot harder to actually get anything done out there..! But mainly I manage just fine and when she's awake, I just have to prop her up on the table out there.. I'm not so sure it will be quite as simple when she starts toddling around and I have to constantly keep my eye on her!

(Sorry for the bad quality of this photo as it was taken on my phone.. but you get the idea..!)

xxxxxxxx

Enjoying the sunshine!

Hi everybody,

Well I haven't posted on here since last week because I've been spending a lot more time outside in the sunshine! Rose and I took a trip back to Dorset whilst Ray was working long shifts in A&E all weekend. We had the Most lovely time and were so lucky with the weather! I think there must have been a heat wave going on because it felt like the height of summer and it's still only April..! Was very nice to get a little bit of a tan though. : )

I had 4 days back in Dorset and I spent it relaxing, catching up with friends and family and we also went down to West Bay for one afternoon. So lovely in the sunshine and Rose's first trip to the sea!

Since having Rose I found my weight creeping up ever so slightly every week and even though I know I'm not huge, I wanted to nip it in the bud right away so I joined my local Slimming World which is very handily right around the corner from me. I've been going for 3 weeks now and had a bit of a boost this week as I was 'Slimmer of the week'! Sounds rather silly, but has been brilliant motivation for staying away from chocolate goodies this week!

I recieved a gorgeous bunch of flowers and card for my first Mothers day as an actual mother! I was very impressed that at the tender age of 2 and a half months, Rose managed to go out to buy them for me..!

I've spent the last two day's having a complete blitz of the garden, my Nan gave me loadsss of plants from her own garden ready to put into mine and I took a trip to Morrisons whilst I was there and got myself some lovely plants. It's such good value for money getting them in there, as plants at garden centre's around here are generally pretty expensive.. I'll have to take some pics and put them up on my blog soon.

I've been working away on the hexagon blanket but have taken a little break from it and begun another project..surprise surprise! I'm currently adding more and more ripple stripes to my baby ripple blanket.. I've gone for really lovely and bright colours and I really do Love it so far. (picture's to follow..)

Right, I'll leave you with a lovely photo of Rosebud

xxxxxxxxxxx

Mother's day gift.

I've been wanting to write this post for a little while now, but I couldn't write a 'Tah-dahh.!' post for this project until Mothers Day had been and gone, as I needed to wait for Mum to receive her gift in the post. Apparently she Lovvess it..! I hope that really Is the case and she does really like it!

I started the main granny squares that make up the front of the cushion back in August of last year, but I didn't get very far with them.. I wasn't sure if I really did like them enough..

I knew I wanted to make something really pretty from them though. So when I realised Mother's day was coming up, I thought I could make the perfect present for my Mum..!  : )

I wanted to make the cushion look a little more interesting to look at so I added on some crocheted flowers, I got the pattern for them from here. I didn't starch them before I sewed them on, which I probably should have because they do look a little bit wibbely wobbely! Well, I think so anyway!

I thought an edging on the blanket would finish it off nicely and I chose to use this pattern.. I was actually really happy with the result and I think it makes the cushion look a lot nicer and more feminine.

For the back I just crocheted a really big Granny square and then joined three of the sides together, as I was doing the edging. On the opening edge I crocheted two lots of the edging on both sides and then decided that I would use three lovely big pink buttons to fasten it up. They don't match.. but I think that makes it a little more quirky.

Here is the finished cushion on my sofa..! I do have to admit, I'm reeallly happy with the end result and wouldn't actually have minded having it live in my front room, instead of Mum's!

But I'm very happy to give it away to her..     : )     xxxxxxx

Right, off to bed now before Rose wakes up for a middle of the night feed... it's her first night in the big girl cot tonight..! Scary! Well... just scary for me really as it's going to feel so strange not having her sleeping beside me in her Moses basket.. I may wake up and wonder where she's got to!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx



I love having visitors..

Sometimes I find it hard being so far away from my family.. We're in Chichester for the next two years and then Hopefully we'll be going back to, or at least nearer to Dorset which is where I'm from.

I didn't get very homesick before I had Rose as I really love it here, but now that I have Rose it's hard when I can't take her to see my side of the family very much..

So it's really really lovely when I get my family visiting me here..!

This is my Nan and Grandad... I'm not quite sure why they felt the need to half tip up Rose in the buggy for the photo!?!

We had just had a look around a lovely church in Bosham, to be honest more for their enjoyment than mine..! Although it was very pretty inside..

And this is me..! We were so lucky with the weather.. it was lovely and sunny, yesterday the weather had been so miserable and dull..

It really was very lovely around there.. so pretty and suchhh nice houses..! Well, a girl can dream!

Right, off I go to carry on with the hexagons.. I will get there soon!!

xxxxxxxxxxx

A day of sorting and bright colours.

Yesterday I sorted through my craft area in the front room.. I tend to just put everything I use away anywhere and everywhere and so it gets so messy and un-organised. But I spent a bit of time trying to organise things. I actually found it really satisfying sorting these buttons into their separate colours, I just need to use them for something now..!

I had a package in the post..! Lots of scrummy bright coloured Stylecraft Special DK from Masons ready to turn into a blanket. I'm really trying to keep on going with my hexagon blanket and finish that before I begin another, but I very much doubt I'll be able to keep to that!

But for the moment it's all packed away neatly in my craft area in the front room.. all the colours look so pretty every time I walk past and see them all on the shelf, ready to get made into something lovely.

My next task is to sort out all of my embroidery threads... I do have rather a Lot of them, so it may take me a while..! I bought myself one of those boxes that looks like a tackle box, it's got loads of different compartments with little cards to wrap the threads around. It's be so lovely and organised when I've done it all, but it is rather a time-consuming job.. I'd better get going now!

xxxxxxxxx