Hygge Time

Hello again.. and so soon. Unusual for me eh!

Well  I thought I would share my latest creation or rather its ongoing progress. This is my Hygge Shawl (pronounced Hoogah). It is a Scheepje Internation Cal and is gorgeous. I am using their rainbow colourway but have chosen to put it on a graphite grey back ground.

This photo is in the middle of week 4, there is a long way to go!... It is a mixture of crochet and cross stitch so is something a little bit different. 

If you don't know what Hygge is, it is a Danish concept. Imagine a perfect room of coziness. Lets pretend there is a blazing log fire with a rug in front. Snuggly sofa with plump cushions and hot chocolate ready to drink. Bookcases full of books and jigsaws, with the lighting dimmed just a little, and all your friends round enjoying some nibbles of food. Imagine the feeling that would evoke of cozy happiness. That is Hygge. Its a feeling rather than an actual thing. I love hyggeness. 

So this is my feel good hygge shawl and I am loving it. Just a bit scared because I will eventually have to back it with material and that is not my forte.... eek. 

Hope you are enjoying your weekend wherever you are. I hope if you are in Australia you are safe from the bush fires, and if in England you are coping with the floods and... the general election. What a time for us all!

Till next time

Roz

Lots to show and tell

Well its only just over a month to Christmas. I think I am quite organised but I bet I will still have last minute things to do which I have forgotten about.

Today the Parents and I went to Bury St Edmunds Christmas Fayre. It's always a good morning out and I managed to pick up a few christmas presents as well as my yearly bag of mixed flavour cheeses. Yum!

But that is racing ahead and I want to show you the St Martins Knitted House. It looked fabulous finished with all the lovely knitted and crocheted scarves.

Isn't it just fabulous? So colourful and such a lovely surrounding in Norwich Cathedral.
Very proud to have my two scarves above the front and back doors. Hopefully they were able to raise some money and awareness for the homeless.

Anyway I also finished my blanket. A Deramores pattern. I felt like it would never be finished. Not a great photo.. especially as i left the bin in the foreground... whoops!

After completing this marathon I really needed a break from 'big blankets' and so made some christmas gifts. 

I made some wrist warmers for thing 1 and 2 plus a couple for others. I also made some Yarn And Chai (thank you for the pattern!) baskets. I will be filling these with a nice christmas scented candle for a few client gifts. There will be a remove the candle before lighting it warning.. by the way. 

I made them all in different colour schemes and they are very fun, quick and easy to make... check out Rebeccas website!

I also made an infinity scarf and a wee willie winkie sleep cap. So now I am all caught up on christmas gifts. I have saved some money and made things which I hope people will love and appreciate the personal touch.

Catchya in my next post!

Roz

Autumn has arrived

Well I guess Autumn is pretty much here, the sun is struggling to make itself seen and now lower in the sky. There is definitely a chill in the air and people are starting to put extra layers on. I am still in shorts and vest top, its a defiance against the onset of the autumnal days, a desperate way of trying to cling on to the last days of summer. 

So I reckon that it is probably coming into that time of year when scarves will be welcomed with open arms. And as per my previous blog, this is the scarf that St Martins asked me to make in their brand colours. Not sure if this one will just be kept or get to feel snug around someones neck. Probably the former. 

I am hoping to take it to their centre in the next few days. Graduation, my birthday and thing two going back to uni has made time a little bit tight. 

So i wish you a great start to Autumn and hope the weather is kind where you are. Obviously it hasn't been kind to Bahamians or Koreans this last week and a little chill in the air is nothing in comparison

A big compliment

Further to my post where i showed you my scarf i had crocheted for St Martins Housing Trust for their knitted house for homeless week, they have been in touch and said it was their favourite scarf so far !! Yey !!

So have been asked if i can make another one in their brand colours of green, white and navy... so the hook will be whizzing again soon.

I have been slogging through my Deramores Indian Summer blanket. I would like to say getting there but....

Oh i have just done my border for the Lily Pond blanket and i think i will gift this to someone.

I have started to make one of yarn and chai's nestle mosaic baskets.. the larger size. Figured if I started with the big one, then the medium and small would be easier.... just need to get some plastic canvas.

And something I am really proud of.. i have been accepted as a Norfolk Reading Pathway Volunteer to help an adult to learn to read. It is a library service and they are now trying to find me a learned in my area. Very chuffed to be told i would be perfect for the job and they are thrilled to have me on board. Not quite ready for the scrap heap yet lol.

And so back to Crochet

Today is the first time I have gone back to my hook for a few days... wool (or yarn for those of you outside the uk) is just not pleasant when it gets just soooo hot. But today, the sun has stayed behind thick clouds and it has been grey and overcast and rainy. Not a very nice summers day but after the last few days I think it has given us all a chance to recover and breathe again.

So i have managed to do a couple more rows of my Deramores blanket. It is a slow blanket to make up but looking very interesting and fun to do.

Hope you all have had a happy hooking Saturday

Roz

Its going to be a hot one

Morning everyone

I have been up and walking at 6.30am today. Thought i would start and try to get in the habit. But hey, the sun is already warming up the earth and the skies are a clear blue, beautiful but if its this hot this early... phew today is going to be a melter. And I think we (in England) aren't going to have it as hot as some places in America and Europe ... so stay safe and hydrated.
Saw some advice on trying to be cooler at night... one idea was to put your bed sheets in the freezer for a little while... i am still trying to get my head round that one but if it gets too hot tonight the chicken may have to come out to make room for the sheets lol

Not sure if it will be a crochet day today. Heat and wool never seem to be a good mix and if anyone is doing a blanket in this weather... good luck!!

I am currently in the middle of a Deramores cal (you can find it on their website and download for free) called Indian Summer... thankfully it is done in parts so not big or cumbersome.

My lily pond blanket (from a few posts ago) is all sewn up with just the border to go but i am waiting for some cooler days to do that.

I did a fundraiser on Sunday for a local Tortoise club, doing massage taster sessions which proved popular and even managed to sell a couple of crochet items.

I am sitting out in my back garden typing this and if the world isn't quite awake the birds definitely are. I think it must be time for a cuppa. And maybe some breakfast

So stay cool everyone... hope the temperatures stay bearable where ever you are
Roz

Night Owls

Hello 😀

Please note that i have just found the emoji's on this site.... technically minded i am not lol.

I thought as the days were getting hotter and the nights lighter that i would have a go at making something a little different from the many blankets that i seem to be so keen on. Ok ok i am a self confessed blanket addict haha.

Anyway, getting back to topic I decided to order some cotton yarn instead of my normal wool and i made some owl masks with a felt backing to completely block out the light. They are so soft and work wonderfully although i didn't find working with cotton as easy as working with wool.

Here is Thing 2 modelling my first attempt.

He actually looks sleepy haha but that could be the general look of a university teenager. 

The Knitted House for Homeless week

Our local homeless charity in Norwich, St Martins Housing Trust have asked all knitters and crocheters to make scarves which will be eventually joined together to make a house for homeless week in mid October.

Today i took my scarf into their shop in Bishopsgate and Ray was so impressed he took a photo and sent it out to all the people involved in St Martins. I was really chuffed. He thought it was amazing and wants to request that it is returned to the shop afterwards to hang up inside.

Ive put a link for anyone who is interested in knowing more:

https://stmartinshousing.org.uk/help-us/fundraising/knittedhouse/

I designed my scarf myself so that it illustrated as much as possible what St Martins was. Its worked with mosaic crochet and the design took nearly as long as the making of it.

The Lily Pond

Good morning!

Hope you have been happy hooking. I've been crocheting my time away with Jane Crowfoots Lily Pond Blanket. As you can see still have a little way to go but i am definitely getting there. Two rectangles and 5 squares to go and then blocking and sewing up. Its a very vibrant blanket and different again to others i have done. Swapped the colours round a bit because i decided to use what was in my stash rather than go out and buy from scratch but i kept to a similar colour ...sort of had to as it was lilies in a pond. Coming out bigger than i realised it would.. couldn't even fit it on my dining room table.

Its been a busy last couple of months with some highs and lows. 

Thing 2 turned 19 and thing 1 will be 22 in a couple of weeks. Other family birthdays as well as Easter in the middle. And now both the boys are home from university. 

The only sad news, and it was very sad, is that our Bob cat gave up and passed away about a month ago. Although we knew it would happen at some point (he was ill) it still seemed to happen suddenly and the little shit has been missed terribly. 

But on a bright note, the sun is out today, quite unexpectedly as forecasters have been saying showers and cloud so its nice to see blue skies and i have an old friend popping in for a cuppa and a catch up before i start work and she starts to weave her way back to Hong Kong again. 

So i will bid you adieu and hope you are all happy 

Will be back when i finish the blanket 

Ta ra for now, Roz x

Mothers Day

I know mothers day falls on a different day in other parts of the world but this Sunday in England not only is it Mothers Day but we also change our clocks and put them an hour forward. We lose an hour which isn't fun but it makes the evenings lighter and heralds the incoming better weather. Theres talk about not changing them in a couple of years and forever staying on British Summer Time but i quite this little bit of quirkiness. I like on one cold Sunday at the end of October, putting the clock an hour back and staying in bed for that extra hour without losing part of the morning.

Anyway.. i haven't been on here for a while and i apologise to anyone who has wanted the extra mosaic patterns i promised. I did put some up but i got waylaid... i am guessing as no one asked, maybe no one is doing them anyway lol

Anyway... again... i have been doing Sophies Universe for my mum. I was going to do it slowly for her birthday in October but got a good way ahead and suddenly realised that if i did two rows a day for the next 3 weeks i could finish for Mothers Day. I finished it early last night and steamed it this morning. I really hope she likes it as it has been a bit of a task to get it done in time.

The top photo isn't great, looks a bit bleached out. So i did some close ups to give an idea of the detail.

Mosaic Madness

So we are over halfway through February and looking forward to a sunny weekend here in the UK. The crocuses, snowdrops and daffodils are starting to raise their heads in anticipation of spring being just around the corner and as those dark nights are gradually disappearing it is like we are all coming out of hibernation.

I've just finished my mosaic crochet blanket and thought i would share with you. I'm hoping at some point to put the patterns on here for others to use.

As you can see I have also signed my blanket in the top left corner. 

This blanket has been so enjoyable to do. It's been interesting making up my own designs. Some, those that appear in the blanket, were successful and others i had to rip up because I just couldn't get them to work. But it is lovely to see it all come together. I even enjoyed twisting the ends to make a different edging... very therapeutic!!

Hope you are all enjoying yourselves, wherever you may be

Roz xx

For my Dad

Well i've slogged away all through December and into January and I have finally finished my Dads blanket. I used a sonic wave stitch that i think came from Spicier life cal and then i did a double border which gave it a little extra thickness and weight.
The colours are very autumnal with coppers, golds and spice wool. I picked 6 colours but mixed them up as i went along.

I popped out the other evening, straight after finishing work so that I could give it to him as the weather has started to turn cold... slight mistake as I forgot to change out of my flip flops.. my feet frooze brrr.

Anyway I am now starting yet another blanket inspired by the mosaic patterns of Tinna. She has produced another brilliant blanket (Indiana i think its called) but instead of using hers I have designed my own patterns. Some are similar but others are all my own idea. I'm trying to get a bright skandi sort of feel... but who knows.. we'll see. I am currently reading a book on hygge which is a Danish happy feeling (hard to describe in one word but think cosy, candles, cushions, warmth, snuggling under blankets with a storm raging outside) and a nice hygge feeling blanket will go down well. Especially as we are currently being predicted with snow over the next couple of weeks here in the UK and elsewhere there seems to have been huge amounts already. 

So stay safe, stay warm and find your little bit of hygge

xx