Beautiful Norfolk

At last the cheerier weather has allowed us to wander around the beautiful countryside that surrounds glorious Norfolk.  We are rather spoilt in Norfolk; within a short drive of my house I have the choice of beautiful sandy beaches, luscious green countryside, the world famous Broads or light-dappled forests, all perfect for a lazy dog walk.

On this occasion, we decided to meet with friends and stroll around Burgh Castle ruins.  Burgh Castle was a Roman Fort built to prevent Saxon attacks to villages along the River Waveney.  Now, three of the four original walls are still standing, and it has beautiful views over the Norfolk marshes.

There is nothing Sas loves more than to join his little pack and head out for a day of adventuring (both human and four-legged pack mates)...

Can you see the beautiful ruins in the background?

The lovely Hugo found it all a bit much at times

The view out across the marshes

A lovely little windmill stands in the distance

Our pack; 2 huskys, 2 beagles and 1 labrador 

Although the weather was still a little gloomy at times, there was breaks of blue, blue sky and even a glimpse of sunshine. I even began to think Summer could be on it's way...

Valentines

Coopers don't do valentines day.  Although I won't say no to a dash of romance every now and then, I like the spontaneous, thoughtful kind, rather than the 'the calendar says so, so we must' kind of romance that occurs on the 14th February each year.  I still had a lovely day though; Squitchy and I braved the gales for a walk around his favourite slice of Norfolk countryside.  Can you spot his furry white tail in the distance?

Whilst I was freezing my toes off, Sas was having the best time leaping through the overgrowth, smelling the abundance of wildlife that inhabits these hills.  He gets so excited to be roaming free off his lead and has such a happy look on his face as he races ahead of me, stopping to turn and check that I am following behind him every so often, making sure I'm enjoying myself just as much as he is.  It was worth losing a couple of toes for.  

I did get a couple of valentines treat.  My lovely mum bought me a huge bunch of roses as she does each year, and Coop even presented me with a box of my favourite chocolates (which he has promptly scoffed, but still, the thought was there).  I even treated myself to a little crochet time and a few new skeins of yarn so that I can make this fabulous Astrid Doll by Annaboo's House.  Another project on my list, but it gave me a reason to buy some Sugar n Cream to try.  It's an aran weight cotton yarn that's just arrived over here from America.  It's a bit rougher than the cotton I'm used to, but I'm keen to give it a try and see how it works up, and if it's the right kind of stuff for amigurumi, as I do love to work with aran weight yarn more than any other.  I'll let you know how it goes, when I get round round to using it, after the blanket, and the crochet club, and the beach house cushion and the....

Projects, Projects, Projects!

Arrgggh, what a miserable day it is.  Rain, rain, rain.  Poor Squitchy is feeling very sorry for himself as I won't leave the back door open for him to wander in and out of the house as he pleases, and so he's curled up on the sofa, occasionally huffing to make sure we know that he is one unhappy husky.

It is not such a problem for me though as I have plenty of projects to keep me busy.  Usually, January is the month that drags on forever where I have to watch every penny to make sure I can make it through to the 25th (otherwise known as payday).  And there's so many temptations; a final dash for some extra christmas presents, sales, splashing out for my birthday, January is definitely there to test me.  But not this year, no.  This year, it seems like I've been much more in control (plus I was very lucky to get money/vouchers for Christmas and birthday so I didn't have to dip into my bank account too much) and so I've had a little bit spare.  And what better way to spend it then buying more crafty goodness!  I hadn't really realised just how much I've purchased until I had to try and find a home for it in my craft room, instead of my usual spread around the house approach.  

There's been a couple of books:

First up is modern baby crochet by my fav, Stacey Trock of Fresh Stitches fame.  Yep, I know I bang on about Fresh Stitches, but I genuinely love love love her stuff.  Now, I'm not a baby person, (I spend all day with other people's kids, it's enough to put anyone off!) but whilst this book certainly has a focus on designs for a new baby's room, there's so many other things in it that would work in any house.  I've already made a cute little amigurumi bird, but have my eye on the sea urchin pouf (I started making a pouf ages ago with Zpagetti yarn and it looks pretty average.  I want to frog it, but know how long it took me to get that far.  Maybe this is the push I need) the asymmetrical basket-weave blanket and the colourful wiggle pillow (which my sister has also put in an order for already).  

Then I bought My Crochet Doll by Isabelle Kessedjian.  This is a truly beautiful book; the first half is photos showing all the items in the book, laid out in a really inviting way that makes you want to make everything on each page RIGHT NOW!  I love that the crochet doll is in fact just a tiny part of the focus of this book; it's all the accessories that go with it that catch my eye, like the teeny tiny camera, or the little bucket and spade for the beach.  My particular favourites are:

There have been a couple of other pattern purchases, but these are for top secret projects and will be revealed all in good time :) 

I've also bought my first big yarn pack of the year, from Wool Warehouse, the Attic 24 colour pack.  17 skeins of Stylecraft Special DK in an Attic 24 inspired colour range. When I opened my huge bag, I was a little uncertain as to how this might pan out.  Not all the colours were those that I would pick myself, and certainly weren't ones I've put together in one project.  But I don't know why I doubted Lucy, it's not often she gets her colours wrong.  I've already made a good start by following her granny stripe tutorial:

...but being that it's 240 stitches across (about the size of a double bed) I've still got a long way to go!  I've decided to weave in the ends every so often so I don't have a big pile to work through at the end.  I'm sure you will be hearing a lot about this blanket over the coming months ;)

I was also very lucky that timing paid off in my favour.  I keep seeing a very lovely embroidery design popping up on Instagram which made me very tempted to give it a try.   It's Sew Laugh Love by Leanne's House but unfortunately it's no longer available to buy as a kit anywhere, except in Australia which just so happened to be where my parents were over Christmas, visiting my sister.  Following a desperate email, and a long flight it made it's way over to the UK and straight to my craft room.  I'm really looking forward to learning a new skill and hope I can do it justice on my first attempt.   

So I'm definitely going to be busy for the next few months!  I'm excited that it's a mix of projects that I love like amigurumi, easy going pattern free projects like the granny blanket, and a completely new skill in embroidery.  What are your crafty plans for 2014?

 

My birthday :D

Last week it was my birthday and what a fabulous birthday it was too.  Not quite a big one yet, but creeping ever closer.  

It was a nice quiet celebration which started as every birthday should; with a modest pile of presents!  Lovely Coop treated me to a fantastic new close up lens for my camera accompanied by this fabulous book 'The Crafter's Guide to Taking Great Photos" by Heidi Adnum.  I've only had the chance to flick through the pages so far, but I can't wait to sit down and have a good nose through the recommendations listed for each craft and have a chance to try them out.  

I was also spoilt by my fantastic friends too.  Leanne Leanne bought me a beautifully bright lunch bag so that I don't need to take my lunch to work in a carrier bag anymore (i think she may be ashamed to walk in with me?!)  she also treated me to a new cowl as I do like snuggling into a warm wooly scarf on these chilly winter days.  

I was also especially impressed with my next presents from A Bunch of Buttons.  Check these out...

Yep, hand crafted stamps just for me!  I can't even explain how overwhelmed I was by such lovely gifts; I really am lucky to have great friends and family who know me so well.  

It was a beautiful day luckily weather-wise and so Coop and I spent the afternoon on Gorleston seafront, trying out Sasuke's new scooter.  Yes, you read it correctly; a scooter for a dog.  I had the same reaction when it was sneakily delivered to my house without my prior knowledge.  But actually it's quite good!  As you know, Sas is a husky and so requires lots of exercise.  Being able to pull a scooter satisfies his innate urge to pull but also means that he is getting more exercise than normal.  Although I was a bit sceptical, it's actually pretty good fun.  

Very beautiful Gorleston beach

There were a few hairy moments involving pedestrians...

Although Squitchy is an exceptionally well behaved husky, they do so love to pull on their lead.  Having witnessed Sas with a scooter, I now know how much he must be holding back on a normal walk, as scooter pulling is almost effortless for him.   And fast!  Boy can he soon rack up some speed.  I'm a bit of a chicken about things like this, but Coop looooveeed being dragged up and down the seafront, and we certainly attracted a lot of attention!

We also went out to one of my favourite meals for an extra special treat in the evening.  The Wildebeest is a glorious restaurant just outside the city which serves picture perfect food.  We splashed out on a three course meal...

Ahhh it was sooooo good!  It's not often that I clear my plate for anything, let alone all three courses but I just couldn't resist.  It also made a nice change to get dressed up and make a bit of a fuss; it seems like ages since we have eaten out for the evening so it really felt like the perfect ending to a fantastic day.

So birthday number 29 lived up to my expectations surprisingly (early January birthdays are never good - everyone is too full up and spent out from Christmas).  Best I start planning on birthday number 30 if it's going to beat this one...  

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

I love Christmas.  Completely and utterly love love love Christmas.  The weather, decorating the tree, the Christmas music, the shopping frenzy, time off and everything else, ahhh it just makes me so happy.  

1st of December means the Christmas tree must go up.  Not a day before (I am anti decorations in any month other than December) but as soon as it's officially December we are good to go!  I made a special trip to the supermarket this morning to treat myself to a new Christmas CD.  I've had the same CD ready in my car for the past 10 years so it seemed about time to mix it up a little and it was perfect music to work away to as Coop and I decorated the house.  

Some of my favourite decorations

In my house, much to Coop's frustration, a Christmas tree is not a Christmas tree unless the decorations are bright, shiny and multi-coloured.  I think this is a throw back to when I was little; memories of Christmas trees are lots of different colours, lots of different quirky little decorations and the most gawdy tinsel.  When we first lived together, Coop and I couldn't agree on decorations so we had a Christmas tree each!  His was very coordinated and well put together and a little like something from a magazine whilst mine was the exact opposite.  Over time, I seemed to have managed to force my decorations onto the tree in the lounge although Coop draws the line at tinsel. 

Isn't he lovely?!  Oooh I'm so pleased with how he turned out.  We also have a few other decorations scattered around the house...

This year, we popped along to our local garden centre just to look at the decorations, certain that we didn't need anymore.  However we came home with a selection of multi-coloured outdoor lights instead!  Almost as much as Christmas, I love Christmas lights.  Looking at other peoples' efforts as I walk Sas in the evenings makes me very happy so having my very own outdoors display is fantastic!   Coop worked away this afternoon for a few hours getting things ready just I'm time for when I got dark.  I'm sooooo happy with the results...

There's a 'Merry Christmas' sign, some multi-coloured rope lighting running around the top of our porch and my favourite piece, a cherry blossom tree.  Our neighbours even came out whilst we were admiring Coop's finished work to tell us how lovely it looked!  I also managed to sneak in a small multi-coloured light for indoors too which looks just right on my windowsill.  

The only one who wasn't so happy with all the Christmassy business today was poor Squitchy.  He's not used to being anything but the centre of attention so it's been a tough day for him as we've run around getting things ready.  In fact, he's currently lying across my lap looking at me with those big sad eyes, so I better take him out for a walk to appease him... x

ps. I realise that today should be a November round-up post but I"m just too excited about my Christmas decorations to write about anything else today!

pps.  Don't forget the Black Sheep Wools #creativechristmas competition is still ongoing!  Pop along to their website www.blacksheepwools.com to take a look at the free patterns available for inspiration and to enter their competition for a fabulous prize!

A husky in wolf's clothing

I guess you would have all noticed by now that there are two  three things that make me happy everyday; crochet and Sasuke, aka Squitchy to his friends. (Coop just saw what I’d written so I’ve guiltily upped it to three!)  However the two are a little mutually exclusive, Sas hates it when I pick up my crochet and settle into my favourite round cuddle chair, perfectly positioned by the window for good light in the day, and under the wall lights for nighttime hooky with plenty of room for my Ipad (for patterns and magazines), balls of yarn and bags of stuffing without it even feeling like a squash.  He knows that this means ‘do not disturb’ , and that I won’t give in no matter how many toys he brings or how much he patters his little furry feet for me.   (That being said, if he tilts his head in that way he does... well no one could resist THAT look - doesn’t he just know it too :D).  The second he sees the crochet case come out he slinks off to the kitchen with a suitably huffy sigh.  Crochet, in the same way, is not a massive fan of his exceptionally furry little body either.  No matter where I crochet, how well I store the yarn or how disciplined I am in closing my craft room door (oooh my craft room, I’ll have to give you a tour soon) everything ends up with bits of Squitchy hair in it.  My bestest friends now even just crochet through it rather than trying to  pick it out.  I gave up this never ending task a long ago.  

I’ve wanted to find something that would combine my two loves for a while now, but I couldn’t find a pattern that was cute enough, or realistic enough until I stumbled across this pattern by Adriana Aguirre.  Ok, strictly speaking it’s a pattern for a wolf, but wolves and husky are similar enough for me to snap up this pattern and commence work immediately after waiting to find something good enough for so long.  

I set to work on it using Chunky Special by Stylecraft.  It’s a pretty cheap yarn, around £2 for a 100g skein, and is a little squeaky as you work it along the hook, but it was available from my local yarn shop in the right colours, I’ve used it before so know it’s not splitty (which I absolutely cannot stand!), and  I got to pull out my 5mm hook which I haven’t used for quite some time.  

This is Squitchy's happy face.  He loves his new wolfy friend!

Photobombed again

I am pretty pleased with how he came out.  I particularly like the pointy shape to his head which is exactly how Sas looks.  I modified the tail a little so that it flares out and comes in just like Sas’ tail does more than what was suggested, but apart from that followed the pattern to the letter.  It makes me happy to have finally found and made something that I’ve been hoping to do for so long.  Are there any items that you’ve always wanted to make but haven’t quite found ‘the right one’ yet?