Sunday, March 17, 2024

And The Fabric Goes To..........




Hello lovely lovelies♡ Top of the morning to you♡ A lovely welcome to you, this autumnal, Sunday morning ♡

There's a winner for my colour-filled, flowery fabric squares. A small gift from me to one of you,  lovely lovelies♡Thank you all for your beautiful words re my blogging anniversary♡ Each one of you sprinkled many a smile into my day♡ My Pete pulled out a name from the hat and.......Maggie, it seems the fabric squares will find a home with you. That's a wee bit exciting. So, if you can email me your postal address, I will pop these pretties in the post sometime this week to fly over land and sea, to you. How fun to think a collection of my fabrics will be fashioned into something beautiful, in another part of the world. Lovely Maggie, I wonder what you will fashion from these pretties?? Just look at all those joyous fabrics! Makes my heart sing! Oh......and the flowers do, too! =)

I've been playing with a few pretties this last little while. Riley's woolly makes are finished. A knitted jumper and a crochet  vest. I stitched a cute Tilda bunny, too, to be sent with the woollies to Riley for Easter. Goodness, the bunny was fiddly. The pieces were so teeny tiny for my fingers to manipulate. I'm guessing, as sweet as the little bunny is, I won't be chomping at the bit to make another anytime soon. Gotta love a bunny dressed in a Liberty fabric dress, though. A teeny tiny bunny for sweet Riley's teeny tiny hands♡








Remember my flower-filled Flower Meadow flimsy?? The quilt where hexie flowers jostle for space in a vibrant swath of joyous colour?? Well, I decided to begin the hand quilting. I was going to wait until Old Man Winter descended upon my little place to quilt this quilt but what can I say.....I just wanted to fill many moments with hand quilting happy hexies. Simple quilting with stitches skipping around each hexie flower. You know me, the KISS method of quilting is the mantra I live by. =) There are a few flimsies piling up waiting to be quilted, so best not to wait to whittle down the mountainous pile. Perhaps by Spring there will be a few more finished quilts to wax lyrical about. But then.....perhaps not. I'm looking forward to cosying down in front of the open fire and enjoying a little hand quilting,  when the frigid season takes up residence.





As it is Sunday I will enjoy a little quilting of my Flower Meadow quilt later this evening and visit the slow stitching ladies over at Kathy's place. Thank you for blessing my day with your sweet visit♡ Your visits truly are a joy♡ May your day be filled with many a smile♡ Have a beautiful Sunday, lovely lovelies♡

Until the next time......



Sunday, March 3, 2024

A Li'l Knitting.....A Li'l Stitching......And A Giveaway♡

 



Hello, lovely lovelies♡ A lovely welcome to you♡ Here, at the bottom of the world we have waltzed into days where cool early mornings greet warm days and at days end there is a slight nip in the air. Old man sun is arising later and nodding off earlier. Autumn. I can smell it. I can see a change in the light. It's a mellow, golden light with the sun's slanted rays beginning to reach further into the rooms of my humble abode, filling it with warm sunshine. One can always sense the beginnings of a new season, can't one??

This week I was lucky to find a few hydrangeas to pop into a few vases. Mostly, the hydrangeas are donning their autumn shades but if one is to delve deep into  the massive bushes there is treasure to be found. =) A few more weeks of blue happiness...how delightful.

A little more knitting to show this week. Throughout this little while I've continued knitting my sweet Riley's jumper.  The back, front and sleeves are finished. Now it just needs to be stitched together and the neckline to be knitted. I might do this later this evening for Slow Sunday Stitching.

I was listening to a podcast this week; two Norwegian knitting designers, Arne and Carlos, who said knitting and crocheting lowers blood pressure. Normally I would agree with them. The steady rhythm of knitting needles or a crochet hook does usually calm me, lulling me into a meditative mood, but this jumper, for some reason or other I would say there were moments when my blood pressure soared to heights not considered within a safe reading. I have no idea why this jumper caused angst in parts for it's the easiest of patterns. I have knitted many more complicated knitted woollies than this one.....I just kept putting wrong stitches in the wrong place. Let's just say I'm glad this pretty is knitted!

I've started a crochet pretty for sweet Riley. Another granny square pretty in the softest baby alpaca wool. These soft pastel shades are my daughter's favourite and with Riley's red hair these colours will look perfect on her. Another make-it-up-as-I-go pretty.






This week was my blogging anniversary. Twelve years ago I started this blogging journey, boring the 'world' with my musings of my life down here at the bottom of the world and the taking of much too many happy snaps of whatever it is I'm fashioning at the time; and.....flowers......oh the flowers. I thought to celebrate this 'momentous' occasion I would have a giveaway. I've been cutting 4" squares for a charity quilt and as I did this I thought wouldn't it be fun to gift one of you lovely lovelies a bundle of 4" squares from my fabric stash. So, out came the rotary blade and a glut of fabric squares eventuated. Let me know in the comments if you would like a sample of my fabrics. If you are not adverse to square after square of florals and 1930's fabrics, then you may just like this pretty bundle. There are about 160 fabric squares.....which equals 4 packets of charm squares.....so, not bad. Oh, I must mention that there is a little fraying on the edges but that should be okay. I know not why this is so as the fabric squares have been sitting in my armoire and have not been handled at all. Perhaps there are little beings who come out in the early hours of the morning and play with my fabrics within the confines of the armoire?? Yes...that must be it. =)




I mentioned I'm stitching a charity quilt for a fundraiser. It's a simple quilt with 4" floral fabric squares framed with bright and happy complementary kona solids. Florals again. =) Well, I am trying to use up my stash. A simple quilt which will be easy and quick to piece together and then machine quilt. Hopefully, my quilt will find it's way to someone who loves bright and happy colours, and pretty flowers. Surely there is someone out there who will not be adverse to my little quilt. =) I kid you not, there are many who live in this far rural outpost who are colour-phobe! Browns, browns and then some reign supreme in these environs. Oh dear, perhaps if the quilt finds its way into their home it will persuade them to see colour, colour, colour in a new light. Perhaps they will gingerly tickle their toes over to the other side....the land where glorious colour abounds. Perhaps they'll take a walk on the wild side. Forgive me....I'm being a tad mischievous.



Little jewels of colour glowing in the sunshine


Flowers and glorious colour! Just heaven!


As I sit here and reflect upon this blogging caper it strikes me what a wonderful place 'The Land of Blogging' is. There are those of you, who though I have never met in person it is as if I have known you all my life. I get a sense of "oh.....you too". I feel you and I would have many a merry natter, drinking tea in pretty tea cups as we while away the hours. The Land of Blogging is an inspiring and supportive place where from the comfort of my armchair I visit other lovely blogs and become energised by others' fabulous imaginations and the amazing creativity that is showcased each time.  I cannot believe that I have been blogging for all these years, prattling on with stuff and nonsense and that you lovelies keep visiting my little place time after time. I am humbled. I am continually amazed that you do. May I say a very BIG thank you♡ As I wander through my posts over the years; my journal; it brings to mind  the pretties I have fashioned, the words I have written.....the photos.  Now....if you would like to receive my little fabric squares don't forget to say so in the comments. I will let you know in two weeks time as to whose name was drawn out of the 'hat'. Have a beautiful day, lovely lovelies♡ May there be moments of glorious colour♡ For we all must have a little bright and happy colour in our days♡ May there be many beautiful moments that cause you to smile♡ 

Until the next time..............


Sunday, February 18, 2024

Knitting for my sweet Riley♡

 


Hello lovely lovelies♡ A beautiful, Sunday morning greeting to you♡

This week I've enjoyed a little knitting. A pretty jumper for my sweet Riley. A simple design dancing in colours of green and lilac. There have been many moments this past week where I have put my feet up, settled down in a comfy sofa and relaxed with the constant rhythmic clickety clack of knitting needles.....back and forth, back and forth.

The pattern is a Patons pattern with simple triangles dancing all over. I'm knitting in a soft 4 ply cotton yarn, Bellissimo Airlie in pretty shades of Lilac and Sea Foam. Love these soft, pretty shades together. Although the pattern is for wool, I decided on a cotton yarn as it's more suitable for the warm climate in which Riley lives.

So, as I was happily knitting along I realised I made a little boo boo way, way down near the beginning. Being a persnickety gal whose eye tends to always go to the aberration,  I unravelled lots and lots of loopy, curly yarn and started knitting again. So, so annoying to see all those stitches disappear into a tangled mess but it isn't long till stitches are picked up and I'm off and away again, immersing myself once more in the repetitive pattern.....relaxed by the rhythmic motion of my knitting needles.......but not too relaxed, as there will be another tangled, loopy mess of unravelled wool!










Pretty pink anemones for Granny, this week. =)

As it's Sunday I'm going to pick up my knitting needles and enjoy a little more knitting. I'm sitting in the fernery, with the sunshine filtering in as I knit, purl, knit, purl......with just my thoughts for company; thinking upon my sweet Riley. Just enjoying the rhythmic knitting and the quiet song of the morning......oh.....and a pot of tea......sip and knit.....knit and sip. Later this evening I will visit Kathy to have a bo-peep at what all the other lovely lovelies who enjoy a little slow stitching on a Sunday are working on. There is always oodles of fabulous inspiration being showcased there.  Have a pleasant Sunday, lovely lovelies♡ May you dance a little, sip a little tea and enjoy many smiles throughout your day♡

A pretty posy of sweet anemones for you♡

Until the next time.......


Sunday, February 11, 2024

A Crochet Finish♡



Hello lovely lovelies♡ Another week filled with summer days, summer flowers, and a little crocheting; has sped by. Another week joying in every moment of the warmth of hot days of late summer♡  

I can sense a change in the light in the early mornings and late evenings. An ever so slight change; so slight that you can hardly notice, but I can sense it. The hydrangeas are beginning to morph into their late summer, early autumn beauty. The sweet peas have come to the end and the roses are beginning to fade as well. The cosmos and dahlias though,  are still flowering without any hint that autumn might be thinking about returning to my little place. So, I'll be happily snippity snipping pretty flowers for a little while longer.

This week I've been crocheting my pretty. I started the sleeves crocheting single rows in different colours; the same colours as in the front and back. As I crocheted along one sleeve and had finished fifteen or so rows I decided I didn't like the sleeve in all the colours. The sleeve together with the granny square front and back just looked too busy.....even for me. What??!! I am that gal who loves busy, busy, busy, but not this time. For this crochet pretty, less is definitely more. But.......you never heard those words escape from my lips. =)

So I decided to crochet the sleeves in the same pretty blue as the border dancing around the granny squares of the front and back. And I must say I'm loving this much better. Also, I decided to make shorter sleeves rather than longer ones. I will wear a skivvy or a blouse under my crochet pretty.

I ran out of the blue wool early in the week and until I could purchase some more, I thought I would attack all those messy, tangly ends and weave them all in. A tedious job but of course, needed to be done. With all the threads having been weaved in I slip stitched the seams together.

BUT.....after trying on my crochet pretty I didn't like the wide boat neck. It was just too wide so I decided to make the neckline smaller. I just wasn't happy with it. But, to make the neck smaller it meant I had to frog the sleeve, undo the slip stitched shoulder seams, frog the scalloped neckline and  unravel the shoulder tabs......AND.... re-crochet everything again! Oh dear, back to where I was last Saturday! Such a pain in the derriere!

So, Friday and Saturday I began to right the wrongs of my crochet pretty; crocheting along; one treble crochet, two treble crochet, three treble crochet......until all the interlocking little clusters were done and my crochet pretty was finished. Sigh (a very big sigh)....yes finished....at last!











Another crochet pretty finished. Another woolly pretty in readiness for the autumn and winter seasons. I finished crocheting the sleeves and joining the seams this morning. I  thought  about crocheting a scalloped edging around the hem.....I still might. I'm loving this crochet caper. I'm loving how quickly it is to finish crochet pretties.   I started this pretty in January and it is finished mid February. Pretty good, considering I kept unravelling as I crocheted along Such a lot of unravelling. =) Though, I might put down my crochet hook for a bit and get out my knitting needles and fashion a woolly for my sweet Riley. She's growing  and will be in need of some sweet woolly pretties for the cooler seasons. A cardie perhaps with a pretty pattern. I'm off to browse through some pattern books.

Enjoy your Sunday, lovely lovelies♡ May you delight in many moments that cause you to smile with thankfulness and gratefulness♡ I know I will♡ I'll see some of you lovely lovelies at Kathy's place later this evening♡

Until the next time......