Small Steps Towards Making Some Changes

I've finally got around to organising all of my craft materials properly! I've been collecting corks for a while as I've got a piece of artwork I want to make using them!

I hope everyone is well and the change in weather isn't affecting you all too much; we had a night of heavy rain on Monday but I'm not complaining as it's filled our water butts to the brim and saved me the job of watering the garden for a couple of days after 3 weeks of non-stop sunshine. The sun returned yesterday and we enjoyed a lovely evening walk with Barry; he discovered rabbits a few months ago and enjoys the odd pursuit! I'm relieved that his Terrier instinct isn't too strong when it comes to the chase and because he's a giant Pansy/Girls Blouse he instead just chases until he gets within a few metres of them and then decides they're actually a little bigger than first thought and so he 'herds' them back towards their homes! It's funny watching his little legs racing across the field after the rabbits anyway and it's good exercise for him!

Barry is incredibly fit and when Jack and I went running with him last weekend we realised just how unfit we are! We're doing lots of exercise and healthy eating before America though (where we will be devouring copious amounts of naughty but tasty American food!). We fly to San Francisco at the end of this month and we can't wait to start our California road trip! We've booked a few activities in advance including a tour of Alcatraz after having multiple people telling us we must do it (the thought of wandering around a prison doesn't excite me, but I'll give it a go) and more importantly a whale watching trip at Monterey Bay!


I have to admit that I've been struggling a bit of late and I'm hoping when I come back from holiday I'll have a refreshed mind-set. I'm in the process of getting a small business set up with all of my craft and crochet bits that I've been making and I'm trying to do it properly in order to prove to myself I am capable (whereas at the moment a little voice in my head keeps telling me it will fail and the anxiety demons keep looming) and I really want to make a go of it. I'll hopefully have a proper website soon as well as an Etsy shop and I've got lots of ideas so watch this space!

 A recent baby blanket I've made, ready to add to the collection of handmade items I'll be selling soon hopefully!

An order I completed recently for a friend; cute little baby booties!

For a long time I've believed that I've made my bed so I must lie in it but family and friends keep telling me that it's never too late to make changes to do what you love. I'm not driven by money in the slightest and I find it depressing that the world revolves around it so much that to a certain extent you do have to take great care with every penny (especially as we, like most of the population, have a mortgage and bills to pay!). That's what makes going down different paths so tough; the unknown, something that strikes fear in my mind every single day. I do take each day as it comes, but I spend a good proportion of each day worrying about what the future holds. I feel like I'm yet to find my purpose in life other than making everyone around me happy, which has always been most important to me above all else, but perhaps I will now take Jack's advice a little and make myself happy too, even though I'm not quite sure how to do that! I'm sorry for being negative, I know sometimes it probably seeps into my blog posts, but sometimes being able to write it down does really help at the thought of strangers reading it but my readers always being so kind and supportive, especially when the only person I feel like I can go to for support is Jack. Obviously Jack gets it every day and I'm extremely lucky that he's such a good listener and that he always tries to offer advice and support, but at the end of the day it's only me that can make the changes and I've got to be brave and get on and do it - try and try again and all that!




Ending on a positive note, here's a beautiful Brimstone Butterfly in our garden :-)

I'll hopefully have more to report to you about soon and apologies again for the moaning!


Em x

My First Commissioned Piece Of Crochet!

Morning everyone, I hope you're all well! I'm going to start by saying that I personally won't be talking about anything to do with the EU referendum as I'm quite sick of it now. Yes I did vote, but all the negativity I'm hearing this morning is really starting to bring me down, I try very hard to always be a positive person. I believe that now votes have been made and after this initial phase (Where we're all a bit uneasy, the markets will jump around etc.), I think we need to be positive and move forward. There, that's all I'm going to say! :-)

Happy Lobelia in my new pot outside the front door

Moving onto my 'put your brave girl pants on' news; I finally plucked up the courage to believe in my crocheting abilities a little more and when my friend approached me and asked me to make some baby booties as part of a hamper she was putting together for her friend who's expecting in August I finally agreed and have been busy making them since the weekend. I'm not very good at believing in what I'm capable of and most of the time I use the excuse of "I'm just practicing" but I've finally been brave and I'm quite pleased with the results of these little shoes. I just need to steam them and set them a bit - they're equal sizes but I pulled on them quite a bit as I sewed the buttons on so they're a bit out of shape.

The finished item

I had good fun making these anyway; I had a pattern to follow but in the end I adapted it quite a bit as I wasn't pleased with the overall look of them. I call them mini loafers anyway and as the baby's sex isn't known I've tried to keep them quite neutral in colours. The yarn I used was a Katia brand, a beautiful soft merino and it's machine washable too which is great. I chose to do a cream sole and the remainder of the shoe is grey. I've finished off the shoes with a little button on the front and they should hopefully fit the new-born baby (they're 0-3 months in size).

Lovely soft yarn

I found these surprisingly easy to make, if a little fiddly because they're so small and dainty. My friend is very pleased with them anyway so that's a big relief!

Work in progress...

I've got a few other crochet and sewing projects on the go at the moment anyway with the view to selling them through an Etsy shop. I just need to be brave enough and believe in myself that I can do it! So watch this space (if I keep those big girl pants on)!


Em x

Having A Go At Amigurumi

I've had a nice quiet weekend at home getting on with various jobs while Jack is away. He's not back until Wednesday so it's just me and the Dog. I had a lovely long catch up with my best friend (Jess) on Friday afternoon; she had a wonderful honeymoon and we chatted about life in general for ages (the ups and the downs - you can always rely on your best friend to listen to your troubles and help in any way she can). I got lots of housework done on Saturday which included sorting 'that corner' and 'that drawer' out, surely everyone understands me when I say that - we all have a corner and a drawer where things get dumped for sorting at a later date! I then spent the rest of the weekend either taking Barry for walks or doing some crochet and have a go at Amigurumi.

One of Jess' friends is having her first baby at the beginning of August and Jess is putting together a hamper for her of various baby gifts. Jess has asked me to crochet some baby booties and I'm quite excited by my first official project, rather than using the excuse that I'm 'just practicing' all the time! I've been doing a lot of practicing to make sure I get my stitches and tension right and have discovered that they're actually not too difficult to make. I popped to the local wool shop a few villages away, called YarnFest and bought some gorgeous yarn to make booties with. Progress photos to come soon (I forgot to take any photos - a first for me!). Please do have a look at YarnFest's website and if you are this way then do visit their shop. It's in an old telephone exchange building in a village not far from me and they have a fantastic choice of yarn and other knitting and crochet accessories. The staff are extremely friendly and helpful too which I really appreciate when I still feel like I have so much to learn and the prices were very fair for good quality yarn.

I've also been practicing my Amigurumi recently and it's really good fun, if a little fiddly. I'm determined to make a teddy bear and other animals but my first bear attempt looks more like an alien! Oh well, practice makes perfect. I am however very pleased with how my cute little donut turned out (complete with sprinkles!) and a cute little whale too. I love whales; I intend to make another one out of a nice blue yarn that I have. Have any of you had a go at Amigurumi or (what I call) 3D crochet? I'd love to see what you've made and if you have any useful websites, books etc. that you can recommend then that would be great.

Little Whale in progress...

And the finished item, so cute!

And I love my little donut, looks so cute and tasty! I want to make some bigger versions now!

I bought these lovely stitch markers too from a shop on Etsy; they're handmade here in England and I like to do my part at supporting small businesses.

I'll hopefully have more projects to show you soon!

Em x

Hello March!

I can't believe it's the 1st of March already, how quickly the past two months have gone despite an extra day in February. I am however excited at the prospect of Spring being just around the corner. There's signs of its arrival already despite the drop in temperature recently; buds on the trees, blossom appearing, daffodils blooming and birds returning. I for one am ready for Springtime!

We had a lovely time on Saturday at Twickenham watching England beat Ireland in the Six Nations rugby game. I was very privileged that Jack took me to watch it, usually I'm last on the ticket list haha! It was a great game anyway and we needed those tries as an excuse to jump up and down to warm up! We then spent all of Sunday in the garden having a good tidy up. We had a big pile of old wood on the patio that we've finally managed to clear ready to replace two broken fence panels between us and our next door neighbours. I've planted some primroses in the patio pots for a bit of colour in the garden. My plants are all looking healthy in the garden though; the Hydrangea is covered in buds and the Rhododendron has really grown since I planted it last year. Jack's Mum gave me a Buddleia that I need to get into the garden and I also bought a Hibiscus reduced to £5 at the garden centre so need to find a place for that to go too where it will get lots of sunshine - difficult in our garden as it sadly doesn't get a lot of sunshine except for in the height of summer when the sun is high in the sky.

I'm in love with these 'raspberry ripple' primroses!

 

And I've also been trying to fit in some crochet in between learning lots in my new job - my brain has been pretty fried by the time I've got home each day but getting home early three days a week is so lovely. I've managed to make two coasters, my first coasters, and I'm pretty pleased with them.

 

 

Anyway, that's just a little blog post update for today; as I say my brain is a little weary so I can't think what else to write at the moment! I'll be back soon though!

Em x

Valentines Weekend & Crochet

Hi All, hope everyone had a lovely weekend and a belated Happy Valentines to you all! I know lots of people differ with their views on Valentines Day; we met up with our friends at the local garden centre café for a catch up and they're completely against it, whereas Jack and I have always celebrated it, mainly because I'm a hopeless romantic! Always have been and always will be - love a happy ending, love a chick flick, love a good Jane Austen book, I just love LOVE!

Jack and I went to Bristol for a trip out on Saturday; it was our first visit here and we had a wander around but mainly kept near the shops as the weather was abysmal. We had a nice lunch out though at Brasserie Blanc before heading home again. It was a nice day anyway and nice to spend time together and the first weekend Jack's not had to work in a long long time. I surprised Jack with a weekend away that I've booked in a lovely B&B pub in the Wye Valley. We go in April, take Barry with us and can't wait to explore somewhere new! I'll tell you more about it nearer to the time.

I did manage to make some time for some crochet this weekend and had fun having a go at some crochet flowers. I successfully managed to make a daffodil and a rose, photos of the daffodil below. I also made a cute 3D red heart following Just Pootling's instructions, which can be found on her lovely blog here. I'm quite impressed at my first attempt, there were no tears or tantrums and other than the fact one side of the heart looks bigger than the other it's turned out quite well for a first attempt!

 

I'm now going to try and make a whole series of daffodils in different yellow/white shades if I can, watch this space!

 

I also bought some lovely coloured threads from eBay a while ago as I wanted to have a go at thread crochet; I made a few initial attempts and did huff and tut a lot because it's mighty fiddly! Oh well, practice makes perfect yes? I hope to have some photos to show you soon...

 

 

I was a busy girl yesterday giving the house a tidy and spruce up. I made Jack a tasty lunch for work this week; Italian style beef meatballs in a red pepper and Bolognese sauce, with fusilli pasta, which should keep him going on these long days he's working at the moment. I made some soft white bread rolls; the dough of which went crazy in our warm kitchen while I was cooking our roast dinner. I dusted them with semolina before they went into the oven; I like the slight crunch it gives the bread.

The weather was beautiful here yesterday so we went for a lovely Valentines walk up the gallops and onto The Ridgeway. It was so nice walking along in the sunshine and Barry enjoyed chasing crows and running along at 100 mph!

 

A short while after returning from our walk a delivery driver knocked on our door with a beautiful bunch of red roses for me and Jack stood behind me with a proud grin on his face for managing to surprise me. They're beautiful and came with a lovely jug too and are now sitting on the living room windowsill next to my Gerbera which is beginning to flower again. I'm a lucky girl :-)

 

 

 

We also managed to collect my glazed pottery first thing on Sunday morning and I'm quite pleased with how it's turned out. It looks slightly like a child has painted it and proved to me that I must take more care next time but I'm happy nonetheless and Barry loves his new water bowl... not that he's told me that, I'm just assuming he does!

 

Excuse my spotty socks in the photo! Barry's Water Bowl

 

Pencil Pot for my craft room

 

Flower Pot

 

 

Lastly, while waiting for above mentioned bread to rise and while catching up on some paperwork I came across a bag of plant labels, so I decided to decorate a few in anticipation of getting started on some seed planting in the coming weeks. I'm determined to be organised this year and see how successful we can be at growing some of our dinners. The flowers I grew last year were mostly successful too so I hope the ones I plan on planting this year will be. I love Gaillardia and they come up every year full of beautiful orange/red/yellow flowers. I plan to put them in the front border below our kitchen window to add some contrast to the cream colour of our house walls.

 



 

It's my last week at work this week, it's certainly come around fast. Lots to try and get done before I leave, but we've planned a nice lunch out on my final day with my work colleagues so I'm looking forward to that. Then I've got a long weekend before starting my new job. I'm excited about getting started at my new job but I'm also super nervous about it :( I hope it goes ok...

Have a lovely week everyone, wrap up warm!

Em x

I've Completed My First Ever Crochet Blanket!

I did it!! Finally, I got around to completing my crochet blanket last night and I'm so pleased with it!

It's huge, soft and I can't wait to snuggle into it! I made it wide enough (just!) to lay across our bed, which is also the reasoning behind the colour scheme, so it matches the theme in our master bedroom. I therefore used purple (my favourite colour), grey and white, I then also did a quick bit of edging in a different purple shade, mainly just to make the blanket look complete.

 

I'm so proud of myself for getting it finished; I can have a terrible habit of admitting defeat sometimes and moving onto the next craft project before finishing the last, but this one I really was determined to get finished and it's been great practice for me as a fairly new kid to the 'crochet obsessed' party.

 

 

Now I need to decide what the next crochet project is going to be as this has spurred me on into making lots more crochet pieces for the home, please let me know your ideas! Anyone know any straightforward tutorials for crochet flowers? I'd like to master these next as I'm hoping to make some sort of tie back for our new bedroom curtains and I thought they'd look really nice with little crochet flowers on them.

 

On another note, I just wanted to show you a photo of the lovely illustrated prints I got from a delightful company called JillyJilly. I think they're really cute and I couldn't decide on which I liked more so in the end chose to get both; one for the craft room and one for the kitchen. They have a shop on their website (here) with lovely items, great Mothers Day ideas and all in beautiful pastel colours. I am a big lover of small businesses and designers because I always like to find something a little more unique and it's nice to know your purchase is going to make a difference to them coming up with more lovely designs in the future :)

 

So cute! Can't wait to get them framed and hung on the wall!

 

 

I'm in my final full week here at my old company and it's been rather hectic, hence a bit of neglecting on the blogging front (sorry!). I'm looking forward to finishing at this company at the end of next week, though I will miss the people I work closest with. I am however very much looking forward to starting my new job but I'm feeling very anxious about it if I'm honest... it's a step up and I just hope I'm capable. I'm probably being a sillyworryingbilly but I can't help it! But anyway, I hope within the next three weeks to have finished at this job, got my first week done at my new job and hopefully have some more time on my hands for blogging... watch this space! Lots of aims on my new 'happiness plan' for March!

 

Have a good week everyone!

 

Em x

 

21st December: Crochet Christmas Decorations

Hi all, hope you had a lovely weekend, last few days and then it's Christmas!!

Here's a few photos of some festive crochet pieces I've made recently and I've included links under the photos to where you can find free patterns to make them too. Most took about half an hour each to make and can be strung together to create a garland or hung individually on your tree!

Christmas Wreath

 

Holly Leaf

 

Christmas Tree

 

Em x

17th December: Handmade Gifts No.4 - Crochet Infinity Scarf - Free Crochet Pattern!

I'm usually very shy about showing off my creations, worrying about what others will think (worrying is my middle name!), but I'm so over the moon with how this crochet infinity scarf turned out that I want to show it off! I only taught myself how to crochet a few months ago and became a bit crochet-obsessed in the process. This was the second scarf I made having made myself a mesh-style scarf first. This scarf I've made for my best friend, Jess, as part of her Christmas present and I do hope she likes it.

 

I've made it in a lovely light pink colour with a soft aran & alpaca yarn. Jess loves this kind of colour so I think I've chosen well. I decided to do this scarf as an infinity scarf as they're my favourite and I didn't really follow a pattern for this but instead chose my favourite crochet stitches to put together to make a nice scarf with a pretty shell pattern in the middle. It took me a LONG time to make the scarf and at one stage I had to back track quite a lot as I changed my mind halfway through (as you do!). I'm hoping I'll get quicker at making this type of thing as time goes on and by the end I was speeding through the stitches. There's certainly something very therapeutic about sitting down with a crochet hook and yarn and creating something. Some might add that a cup of tea goes down well at the same time but I'm one of those strange people that doesn't like any hot drinks so I'll stick with a glass of water or lactose free milk (lactose intolerant too!).

 

Here are instructions on how to crochet this scarf. I've used abbreviations and I'm afraid there aren't any instructions on the different stitches but if anyone gets stuck please please ask me and I'll be happy to help. This is my first ever time at writing out my own crochet pattern and I've checked it numerous times! It was fun to be able to make up my own based on what I learned when making my last infinity crochet scarf and choosing an array of stitches (which was also good practice).

 

You Will Need:

7mm Crochet Hook

2x 100g balls of 4" Aran Yarn

Scissors

 

Abbreviations:

ss - Slip Stitch

dc - Double Crochet

tr - Treble Crochet

dtr - Double Treble Crochet

 

Important Notes:

I've used UK crochet terms, please see below for a conversion chart for reference. I've split my instructions into the three different sections of this scarf to make things easier. I also used 2 balls of yarn (as outline above) simultaneously to add extra thickness to this scarf.

 

 

 

Instructions:

 

Section 1:

• Chain 180. ss to first to create a ring, but make sure you check that the chain hasn't become twisted before doing the ss.
• Chain 1, then dc around and ss to first.
• Chain 3, then tr around and ss to first.
• Chain 4, then dtr around and ss to first.

 

Section 2:

• Row 1:
• Chain 1, 1 dc in 2nd chain from hook. *Chain 1, 1 dc in each of the next 4 stitches. Chain 2, 1 dc in each of the next 4 chains. Repeat from * until the last 2 chains. 1 dc in each of these last 2 stitches. Ss to first.
• Row 2:
• Chain 1, *1 tr, chain 2, 1 tr in 1-chain space (created in previous row). 2 tr, chain 1, 2 tr in 2-chain space (created in previous row). Repeat from * until round is finished. Chain 2 and then ss to first.
• Row 3:
• Chain 1, *2 tr, chain 1, 22 tr in the 2-chain space. 1 tr, chain 2, 1 tr in the 1-chain space (so kind of the opposite of what you were doing in row 2). Repeat from * until the round is finished, chain 2 and ss to first.

 

Section 3:

• Chain 4, dtr around and ss to first.
• Chain 3, tr around and ss to first.
• Chain 1, dc around and ss to first.
• Fasten off and thread in any loose ends.

 

Hopefully that all makes sense! I've done it nice and simple I think and the scarf was good fun to make. The trickiest part is making sure you don't get the ring twisted at the start. If anyone would like the pdf document of the crochet pattern to print then please let me know and I'll send it to you.

 

I'm really pleased at how the scarf turned out; it's quite weighty but lovely and soft so hopefully won't be scratchy around the neck. I really hope Jess likes it!

 

If anyone else would like me to make them one, for themselves or as a gift, please do let me know!

 

Here I am modelling said scarf, this one was too nice to model on the dog, not to mention too big!

 

And here it is all wrapped up, ready to give to Jess!

 

Em x

1st December: Lots To Do

The crazy month has arrived where there's lots to do, cook, make, wrap and most importantly EAT! You can keep all the sweet things, pass me the pickled onions and sausage rolls any day!

I've been busy making lists, I love list making and not a day goes by that I don't make yet another list. This time it's planning what I need to get done every day in the run up to Christmas, what Christmas presents I have left to buy, who I need to make Christmas card and tags for etc. etc.

I sent a little goody box to my brother and his girlfriend yesterday with an array of Christmas-themed items including tree decorations, chocolates, a winter-scented candle and cosy socks! It's their first Christmas living together which I think is very special, it certainly was for Jack and I a few years ago (just as they continue to be!) :-)

 

I need to put my creative 'knickers' on and get making because...

 

 

My wreath rings have arrived ready for me to have a go at some wreath making...

 

 

I need to make some more crochet Christmas trees to finish making my little garland...

My bargain card craft pack arrived - it's 'Folk Christmas' themed and I just loved all the colours. I've got no excuse but to get making more Christmas cards and tags!

 

Finally, I made a start on wrapping a few presents that will need to be posted to our friends in the coming weeks. My favourite part of Christmas is wrapping presents and I love using lots of tissue paper, wrapping paper, ribbons, bows and anything else to make them look pretty! Jack gets very frustrated when opening presents from me as he says they're an extra challenge - he especially likes it when I put Christmas confetti in his card hehehe! I think I'll have to give the confetti a miss this year; I can just imagine it exploding onto the floor from Jack's Christmas card and Barry gobbling them all up; Barry says "if it falls on the floor, it's mine". He shared a clementine with me last night!

 

 

 

We also had a very excited puppy (actually, I think I was more excited than Barry) this morning when we opened his advent calendar for him.

 

 

 

How are your Christmas plans going?

 

I'm very excited as our new sofa and armchair are being delivered tomorrow! This is our first ever sofa purchase, which we had to reluctantly made as the sofa we were kindly gifted by Jack's parents is falling apart. It's a very old sofa that's been in their family since Jack was small and it's very worn out now! I think it will stay with us for a while longer until we get around to taking it to the tip. I may do some more patchwork to it to see if I can jazz it up but the legs are falling off, springs have gone so it really is beyond much repair. Hopefully I'll have photos for you tomorrow of our new living room seating. The issue then is whether we let Barry join us on said new sofa for cuddles... it's going to be a tough decision..!

 

Em x

Easy Christmas Crochet Projects

All who follow my blog will know that I was bitten by the crochet bug a few months ago and now love it! It's not the easiest to learn in my opinion but lots of practice is making all the difference.

I wanted to have a go at making some Christmas-related crochet pieces having finished making a scarf for my friend as a Christmas present. Pinterest is amazing for ideas (the link to follow me on Pinterest can be found on the right-hand side of my blog) and I stumbled upon how to crochet a simple little wreath that you could then hang on your tree or wherever you fancy.

The photo below shows my completed wreath with a little red bow sewn on. I'm already starting another one and this next one I'm going to decorate with little beads. You can find a link to the free crochet pattern on how to make these cute wreaths here; I think the pattern is easily adaptable if you wanted to make a bigger version and it is easy to decorate with whatever you fancy. As I say, I'm going to have a go at sewing on some little beads, but sequins would also look great I think.

I've also had a go at a crochet holly leaf which was easier than I thought, if a little fiddly! I'm going to make another, sew them together and I have some mini red pom poms to use as berries to complete the set. Again, I'll probably hang these on the tree. Link on how to make these is here.

 

Next job is to have a go at some of the pretty crochet snowflakes I've seen; I've got plenty of white wool so there's no excuse. I'd like to make a few snowflakes and make it into a garland to hang up somewhere. Watch this space!

 

If anyone else has found some simple Christmas crochet projects please send them my way as I'd love to keep practicing... nice and simple though please ;-)

When does Jack Frost arrive?

After a weekend of mist, fog, wind, rain and more rain, I'd like to know when the weather will dry up and get cooler! I don't like this persistent mild wet weather, I hope the frosty but sunny days arrive soon.

Sadly the weather meant Jack couldn't get finished with his shed building, so instead we've almost finished the coving in the main bedroom. Just the tricky chimney breast to do (with 'inny' and 'outy' corners) and then it'll be over to me to caulk and paint the new coving. Our main bedroom will then be complete in terms of decorating. I'm going to buy a curtain pole (and curtains) this week, I'm getting a bit sick of our makeshift curtain (a big duvet cover pinned up!) but until we had finished the painting and decorating I didn't want to put some nice new curtains up. I did buy a book on curtain making as I'd like to give it a go, but I think I'll choose a smaller window instead of our huge bedroom ones (not sure I'll be that good!). We then need to finish furnishing the main bedroom; at the moment we're making do with two clothes rails, a few plastic tubs as bedside tables and a workmate as a TV stand!

I had a much needed hair cut on Saturday after god knows how long neglecting to find a hair dressers. I've had my hair cut by the same lovely lady for so many years that when I moved to Newbury almost 3 years ago it was really tough to find somewhere new (I instead opted to book a hair cut every so often when we went back to Cambridge to delay having to find somewhere new). I have however now found a lovely salon with very friendly staff members. The lady who cut my hair was lovely and it was a relief I have to tell you that they actually listened to what you're after. Hair cuts really aren't cheap anymore though hence why I don't go as often as I should. Jack's so lucky to be able to pop to the Barbers in the next village and have his hair cut for £5 but then it probably takes them less than 5 minutes to do it! Though the hair dresser blow-dried my hair beautifully (something I can never seem to do), it was totally wasted when I left the salon, scarpering to the car as quickly as possible in the driving wind and rain! Jack (ever the gentleman) told me how lovely my (bedraggled and now frizzy) hair looked nonetheless. We then rewarded ourselves with my favourite kind of weekend breakfast; sausage, egg and bacon bap!

I am nicknamed the Bacon Queen!

Other than venturing out to the farm shop on Sunday morning, the rest of the weekend was spent indoors (in the warm). We did brave the weather a few times to walk the dog but even he didn't enjoy the wind much! I finally managed to get my latest crochet project finished; I've made a scarf for my best friend for Christmas in a beautifully soft part-Alpaca wool. I can't post photos of the scarf yet in case she spots it on my blog! I'm very pleased with it anyway and after quite a few hours, it's given me a lot of practice with lots of different crochet stitches. I've been busy crocheting holly leaves and mini-wreaths too that I can either make into a sort of bunting or just hang in various places around the house - photos to follow once they're finished. I have also nearly finished our big crochet blanket for the bed, it's probably at double-bed size now and our bed is a king so just a few more rounds to do. I can't wait to snuggle up in it!

Jack's work colleagues love my baking so I made a giant fruit loaf yesterday which was probably all gone by 9am this morning! I always make mine quite boozy and leave the dried fruit soaking in white wine and brandy for at least a few hours before they go into the mixture so I hope they're not drunk now..

Making Fruit Cake

I didn't get any photos of the big fruit loaf but I did also make some mini fruit loaves, they're so cute! I love everything in miniature! Good things come in small packages, that was what I was always told :-)

Have a good week!