Happy new year 2019

Well here in the UK we are about 12 hours away from the new year but i would think that it is even closer for many of you.

So i will take this opportunity to wish you all a happy new year. May it bring you peace and happiness, love and joy and most of all lots of new crocheting projects.

Happy 2019

Roz xx

Happy Christmas Everyone!!

I am going to make this the last post before christmas as the next couple of days are busy with baking, christmas caroling and visits to the cinema (a christmas eve afternoon tradition for us).

I have finally finished my havana cal after about 12 weeks work. Yippee and boy does it feel snuggly.

The colours on the photo don't really do it justice as they are much deeper in real life. A very moroccan feel to it.

I originally made it narrower than that indicated in the cal, deciding a lap blanket would be preferable but i hadn't realised how many rows there would be before the border and how wide the border would be soo... not really a lap blanket, more of a sleep under on the sofa blanket lol

I've now started another blanket doing a sonic wave theme in autumal gold colours for my dad.. upon request from my mum. Keeping it simple to try and finish it as soon as possible so he can use it for most of the winter. 

So i'm going to finish this post of with a very happy christmas and if I don't get back on here I wish you all a very happy and hopefully peaceful new year. 

Ps.. for anyone in the UK...Madness are rocking in the new year on BBC1 yeeeesssss!!!! whoo hoo. For a die hard Madness fan for 37 years .. its the best way to bring in 2019 and hopefully a good omen for all of us

Take care, drink sensibly and eat well 

See you in 2019

Roz xx

Nearly there!

Hello
Hope you are all starting to feel festive and beginning to wind down coming up to a christmas break. I still have 5 full on days til I hit rest time. Its always busy in therapy world leading up to the big event as people want to feel well and no aches or pains while they are enjoying festive times with their families and friends. Although busy its a lovely week to work with everyone looking forward to their family time.

I have made it reasonably stress free with presents all wrapped at the start of the month and the tree decorated last weekend.

Picked Thing 2 up from uni in Birmingham yesterday. Wow was that a cold day. Really cold wind brrrr. But at least we got home before the bad weather hit.

Thing 1 came back today, with his dad, so everything feels good having them both at home with me. Christmas can start now.

So we are nearly there .... 9 sleeps to go before the big man makes his yearly appearance. Hope you are all on the nice list!!

And as another nearly there.... i am 4 rows off the back border on the havana blanket before i finish.. just not sure if i have enough wool to do it though.. and when i will have time to get more ... but its nearly there and thats the main thing

I have to make a blanket for my dad so that will be my next project i guess.

I'll let you go.. hope you are all enjoying christmas parties and having fun

Take care

R x

Three weeks today!

And it will be Christmas Eve... and the boys and I will have made our homemade christmas shaped chocolates, been to the cinema and will be sitting down to 'our' version of a three course meal. Basically all the things we really like. Prawn cocktail, Rack of smoky bbq ribs and an stone baked american cheesecake. The best thing is it takes very little to prepare so we get to spend really good quality time together all day... i am so looking forward to that.

Saturday I went to a Christmas Fayre at the Cathedral, which was located in the cloisters. They are like a walkway round a grass quadrangle... thing is every side looks the same and i couldnt find my way out. I thought i was going to be stuck in the cloisters for ever...

Managed to get the last couple bits i needed from the city and yesterday I finished wrapping everything up. Looks lovely all in red white striped paper and bags. Will look nice under the tree which Im going to do in our red and white theme.

Hope you all have managed to do some of your christmas shopping. Ive had to walk away from the havana cal as the constant same stitch working made my arm ache. Im doing little bits at a time this week but I have to admit its much more complicated than the actual blanket.. hopefully if i persevere it will be worth it but i cant see it being finished this year lol. EEEk just thought.. there are only 4 weeks to the end of 2018. So much has happened in this last year.

I spent some of my 50th birthday money couple weeks ago and bought a food mixer, only a basic one... i think a kitchen aid or a smeg would have been my dream.. but this one will hopefully do what I need it to do.

Today i made a Mary Berry victoria sponge cake. Think i over did it a little but its still very nice.

Before Christmas I'm going to make some coconut ice for client gifts, some chocolate brownies to take carol singing at Felbrigg Hall and gingerbread men (decorated) for christmas morning.

So not much to report on the crochet side of things but still lots going on at this crazy time of year. Remember the important thing is to spend quality time with our family and friend, the amount of money spent on presents doesnt matter. Do things that make you happy and try to stay stress free.

Enjoy your week Roz x

Christmas is a coming...

Well its nearly a month to Christmas and I feel more organised than usual. Pretty much have all my shopping down and probably wrapped half as well.
I have sausage rolls and truffles in the freezer.

Off to Bury St Edmonds Christmas market tomorrow with my parents so hopefully might pick up a few little extras there which maybe different to all the stuff in the regular shops.

But most of all I'm looking forward to the weekend of the 15th/16th December when my lovely boys will be home from university.
I'm going to pick Ben up from Birmingham and hopefully wander round the Christmas market there before driving home. It will help break up a journey which is otherwise a 6 hour round trip!

Now on a crochet level... which is technically what this blog is about... well im on the last part of my havana cal before starting on the border which seems to be a huge undertaking, especially as I've decided to do the large border

But i did stop briefly the other day to make two bottle holders in black crochet. I've ordered two carabiner clips so they can be attached to rucksacks... I've also put a bottle of coke in one and a bottle of Dr Pepper in the other which the boys like. I'm wondering if they will use them or whether they will hide them lol.


So i wish you an enjoyable last week in November because in about a weeks time we will be entering December and then the countdown really will begin

Roz

mosaic madness

Hello everyone, hope you are all having a good week!

I've got completely hooked on mosaic crochet and whilst continuing on with Tinna's Havana Cal i've been on a bit of a designing lark and am currently making a wide scarf based on my own design.

I'm not sure what i have enjoyed the most, designing it or crocheting it. 

At some point I will add the pattern on to this blog.

Thing 1 is coming home this evening til monday morning and Thing 2 will be home next wednesday til Sunday so a good week ahead. Looking forward to seeing my boys. 

Have a great weekend when it gets here

Roz x

Well hello everyone on yet another sunny October morning and its Saturday. Could it be better...?
Seems very wrong to have it so good when there seems so many issues worldwide. Hurricanes, tidal waves etc and now this train crash in India. Makes you wonder what next, so i think that if you have good days then you really need to appreciate them and the people around you.

Anyway, thats the deep part over... back to crochet.

Well with Sophie finished my plan was to finish my mononchrome blanket and i did attempt it. I took off one of the side panels which i just wasn't happy with and all it needs now is a border. But i got sidetracked... i stitched the daffodil squares together with a persian stitch border and bobbles at the end which gave me a scarf that I am passing onto someone for a 70th birthday present.

Anyway, guess you could have thought that i may then have got to that monochrome border but i chanced to stumble on another cal. Havana Cal by Tinna Thorudottir Thorvaldar through the Pippin crochet club on facebook.

This is an amazing Cal using mosaic crochet which I've never seen before. We are only up to week 3 out of i think 8 so still more to go but this is it so far...

Sorry not a great photo but you can get an idea of the wonderful patterns. Have had my creative head on this morning and albeit a few rubbings out and my head has been scratched thoroughly i think ive come up with a pattern that i want to try out on a scarf... i guess i will see if it works as i go along. Wish me luck.. i might be tearing my pattern up and abandoning it later..

Enjoy your weekends wherever you are and please remember it would be lovely to hear from you too.

Roz xx

Finished

Sophie was finally finished today. All 113 rounds of her and she is pretty amazing. Dedri written pattern was so easy to follow, so well written.

This last month has been a bit all over the place. Thing 2 started his first year at uni and Thing 1, along with crutches, started his 4th and final year. Plus I turned 50 eek.

The only bad news is that Bad Bob our cat, has been diagnosed with low red blood count and a heart murmur, which means he has a blood disease of some sort. Not sure how long left with him that we have but most of his days are good days at the moment and thats what counts.

So i'm going to sign off here for tonight. Just thought i'd give you a quick update.

Hope you are enjoying the same sunny warm weather that we are having rather unusually at the moment in England.

Roz x

What a week!

Thing 2 happily drove off with his dad at 5am last Saturday morning, towards Birmingham and his new life at Aston University. Excited and a little anxious.

A couple of hours later I drove Thing 1 to Hatfield to pick up the keys for his new home for his last year at Hertfordshire University.
A busy couple of hours ensued moving him in, he couldn't really help being on crutches.
We then drove back to Norwich as he had a physio appointment on Monday. Exhausted by the time we arrived back, having been up since 4.30am with Thing 2.

Thing 2 has met two hall mates today and is now happy being in his new room and environment. He's showed his dad round and unpacked.

Trying to cook tea later (a nice piece of gammon) the oven went bang and the oven stopped cooking. Think the heating element has gone. Thankfully being a range oven there is a second oven and so tea was saved!

Thursday saw another early start and then a very early stop as we couldnt even get out of Norwich (A11) before coming to a halt with cars backed up and going nowhere. Meant our normal 2 hour journey increased by half an hour

But we got there, finished moving in Thing 1 and then dropped hm off, crutches and all, with two geography friends, at University for his intro day.

I got back to Norwich by 12.30pm and out came the crochet. My head was spinning. This was it.. just me now and the cat. Going to be a very strange time and will take some getting used to .. will feel like they will just walk in for a while yet.

But on the plus side Sophie is going great guns and I'm on round 85. So very close and my 8 sided Sophie has now just got 4 sides and so is on its way to being a completed square blanket. Its taking my mind off being on my own after 21 years.

So here she is.... she does need a bit of blocking so edges are curling in a bit at the moment but you can see roughly how much work has gone into her so far..

So i wish you all a happy weekend, hope the weather hasn't affected you too much this week. Take care Roz x

Tough week

Sometimes we all go through tough times whether it be months, days or even moments. The loss of a loved one, illness or anything which just upsets our equilibrium.

If i'm honest this has been a tough summer with a special cousin going through a cancer scare (thankfully recovered after a major op), my sons turned 18 (April) and 21 (June), Thing 1 came home from Canada and we had to start the process of getting a knee injury sorted. Thing 2 did his A levels and achieved an AAB. Proud mum totally.

But this last couple weeks have felt like its all accumulated and caused me stress. Trying to get two boys ready for University at the same time, visitors from Finland, Germany and the Netherlands just before Thing 1 had his knee operation (this monday) I think pushed my stress levels up and caused me a few problems.

What saved me .. getting some of the jobs sorted, a good sort out of the house and crochet. Sophies universe is so complex (not necessarily difficult but whoa you need to concentrate) that if i pick it up i can't think of anything else. Its such a stress buster.

So I hope that if any of you also have stress issues, going through a tough time, its good to realise that others are too.. but pick up those hooks and let crochet take some of it away.

Happy weekend everyone.... oh and this time next weekend... both boys will be moving into their uni accommodation. A start of a new journey for me... so i think next week is going to be an emotional one. Tissues have been bought!

Roz xx

Sophie is 50 and soon I will be too

Wow yesterday evening I finished round 50 of Sophie. Isn't she beautiful!

I would recommend you all having a go at this beautiful design. It looks so complicated but as long as you know your basic stitches and can count you just need a bit of concentration. Any stitches you aren't sure of there will always be a youtube tutorial to help.

So Sophie has reached 50 and so has Banham Zoo (our local zoo) and to celebrate they have given away lots of entrance tickets to those of us who are also reaching this grand old age this year... which includes me.
Can't quite believe that in a couple of weeks I will have reached half a century... I just don't know how that happened. All in the blink of an eye really.

So today we are having a family day to the zoo. Thing 1 and Thing 2 plus the OAPS (my parents). I have treated myself to a new camera this year so will be practising my wildlife shots today. Im sure Thing 2 will as well... he likes to take over lol. Less than 3 weeks now before he leaves for his first year at Aston Uni .. gulp.

So have a great bank holiday monday if you are here in the UK and a great day if you are elsewhere in the world. Would be lovely to know where you are so drop a message if you are happy to .

Enjoy, have fun and I hope the sun shines on all of us
Roz x

To the Universe and Beyond!

Well hello there everyone. Definitely been a bit cooler today in my part of the UK. But while it is nice to have a day with a bit of rain I'm seriously hoping we still have some nice warm weather to finish our summer with.

I was going to do some work on my monochrome blanket this week but typically realised I was running out of the wool so had to put an order in. Then... fortunately or unfortunately depending on how you see it.. i stumbled across Sophies Universe  [www.lookatwhatimade.net]. Its a CAL and absolutely lovely. I have been 'hooked' and beavering away have reached round 35. I was feeling quite chuffed until i realised there are 113 rounds in this Crochet Along.

This is my effort so far and I can't believe how much work has gone into creating the pattern. Thank you Dedri !

My monochrome wool has turned up today but .... i think i'm going to be sticking with Sophie just for now

Enjoy your evening

Roz

Where has that year gone

I can't believe its been nearly a year since i was on here last, despite my constantly thinking i would keep this blog more updated. Thing 1 returned from Vancouver Island University in May and Thing 2 passed his A levels this week with an AAB so will soon be starting year 1 at his uni doing a Marketing degree. With both of them soon at uni i might eventually have more time to do things, like this blog, for myself. I know the house will be quiet without them here but a little freedom after 21 years will be nice as well. Ask me a week or so after they've gone if i still feel like that lol.

So a quick update on the crochet i've managed since last autumn. My granny square blanket has increased in size but still needs more squares. An ongoing project!

I also made a blanket to fit both my boys... typical they are 6'3" and 6'4". Thats two long blankets, done in the theme of norwich city football club. The one below is laying on Thing 2.

I also made myself a scarf with many stitches and edged it with bobble stitch. That edging took as long as the actual scarf!

The boys both got a covered cushion in baby soft wool from aldi. This is Thing 2s and Thing 1 has his in grey.

My sister bought me the Imaginarium of Edwards animals book for christmas and this is the polar bear. My first attempt. I managed four of them in total but the small fiddly stitches played havoc with my slight RSI that raises its ugly head occasionally so i had to stop doing them.....

I've also been doing a black and white blanket, will post a pic when i have one but i made it up as i went along. For those who know me well... i'm not and never have been a lack of colour girl but i've really enjoyed this blanket which also uses shades of grey. Its colourful in a non colourful way. 

And today... i bought a chromebook. After previously using a tablet this is heaven and has taken me so much less time to post. Happy times. 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend

Roz