Calling Michelle Loyola

For You have WON the larger brooch and apologies for earlier mis-spelling I must have had a touch of dyslexia and a few too many very late nights.

Please contact me by a comment or e-mail by 10th April and I will send the brooch to your address. After 10th it will re-enter the draw.

Thanks and apologies again....

Jj's 40th BIRTHDAY today!!!

Hip hip hooray! So it WAS the coldest most windy and hail-ridden day for some time. And it was also JJ's birthday: 40 today! We started with a cupcake tower around 11 pm yesterday and this was ready for breakfast to be snacked on all day...
We were going to go skiing at x-scape in MK but at the last minute JJ wanted to stay home so we walked the dogs at the Prebendal instead and explored a field reached by walking UNDER the by-pass.
Daffodils were the only bright spot as there was an icy wind and lead grey skies all day.

The dogs loved their walk and after we had a super-cosy lunch together and then JJ slept all afternoon. Made me think of my 4oth which was when Miss Y was one month old and I probably slept all afternoon too?

Was thinking how I can't really remember and how I should keep a ''birthdays-book'' to see what we did and how we are/live in all the years as they rush by at ever increasing speed.

My dad died aged 51 and I'll be 50 in 3 weeks from tomorrow so I'm a bit contemplative re birthdays at the mo.

My day was GREAT! Reserved for JJ but not called on much, so apart from cleaning and tidying and baking I finished my book: the self preservation society- very good- and had a shower and hairwash- not so good: rash on face is back.

Having done the goal setting workshop with TR last night I DID do 25 minutes fast ''power'' walking for fitness: to an old Charmed DVD , but then subsided back into procrastination by crocheting some sockwool instead of working on my pleated cupcake cases and my cupcakes.

My tutor didn't approve of my lovely white pleated case nor my chocolate beaded cupcake yesterday.... It has to be more pleated AND embroidered and the cake has to be embroidered too, NOT beaded; aaaah this has to be thought about.

Cupcake tower slightly depleted after the day of snacking, my phone has the ''before'' photo but it is only compatible with JJ's computer and I don't want to disturb the love.
Miss E and Y did splendid pieces of art and literature for JJ on the computer for him and made cards too and small pressies were made as well as bought. We also invested in a load of hardy perennials for the front AND back garden so he will enjoy seeing them grow as he sits on his ( and OURS) beloved swing seat. Miss E wrote an amazing ''newspaper article'' for JJ.
And after a yummy dinner- JJ wanted to cook a pork belly roast a la Jammie O.; we had a log fire and tv time as well as barrel fulls of laughter at Miss Y's video clips. ( she was given a wee video camera for her b'day and has been recording 58 clips since then)

Doggie and person cuddles and a wee bit more crochet for me 2.

I'm LOVING this: a Kaffe Fasset Regia sockwool worked with a 4.5mm hook and a pattern from Kathy Merrick's book: Crochet in Color. ( USA TERMS)

Very denim-y with lovely cafe au lait and milk chocolate as well as dark chocolate accents.

I'm planning to add other variegated KF sockwools though- all in broad stripes of lace.( ????)

So far it's 37 cm wide and 10 cm long and is about 7 width ways pattern repeats and 6 whole pattern-repeats in length. ( it's a multiple of 10 sts plus 3) and this weighs only about 14 g.

The yarn is 210m for 50 g. I'm even thinking a long loose duster coat in this stitch and this wool, open low V at front, very slimline.

It's very easy to work while watching TV as it's such a simple - mainly chains- design in an easy to remember sequence.

I went a little crazy at Kemps wools ( i.e. bought lots of ''to try out'' colours) when I'd tried this pattern stitch out in an acrylic King Cole sockwool before Christmas and these balls of wool have been ''bugging''/ calling to me for some considerable time now....oops.

I'll share the ones I bought with you tomorrow if time allows- I WILL need ( NO not need I'll LOVE TO )to make 2-3 entire cupcakes by tomorrow as I have to have 23 finished by April 19th! EEEEK.

i know i have to think i WANT to make all those cupcakes as because- as soon as you think ''HAVE TO''- it makes you NOT want to do it at all.... SIMPLE psychology really.

i DON'T have to do anything, I CHOOSE to do the course and I desire to pass so I'll be loving it, making those cupcakes. Really I DO.

Calling Lola and earth hour imminent

Calling LOLA because YOU have won the above brooch in the bloggiversary draw!!!! Hip hip hooray!!! I have tried to contact you several times and no reply yet, now you have 10 days from today to read this and e-mail or message me the address to which I will post it?

After this it will re-enter the draw for the other 5 followers. The smaller brooch has been posted to the other winner.

I finished Miss Y's cardigan by 22 March!!!!! Now I am writing up the pattern frantically before she chooses to wear it, there are stitch markers still in all the places where I did some shaping...

The above is a WIP photo , fear not it looks so much better now!

I am so very much more pleased with this new cuff, what do you think? Much better than the wee pink flowers I tried before and Miss Y simply LOVES iT apparently. Goody goody.

This was for Mothers' Day: I was so very pleased with it, made by Miss Y.

And 2 animated cards from Miss E, fuzzy pics , sorry... Got to dash now as EVERYTHING is being switched off for EARTH HOUR : in our house from 20.30 to 21.30 . We have candles and torches on standby and we are ALL going to bed early.... WHOOPEE!!!!!!

tHAT IS AFTER we have eaten the Delia rhubarb brulee which I have just made: scrummy!

The juices from the ginger and rhubarb I drained as per julia but I didn't throw it out, it's my hot drink mixed with white wine....LOVELY!

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND evryone and see you soon, I hope.

FREE Floral brooch in PRIZE DRAW

YES siree here they are, albeit fairly poorly photographed today. Sorry but had to rush to get it on here in time! 2 prized up for grabs: a 9 cm and a 5 cm brooch, one's all pinks and the smaller one has a bit of purple too. The orange-brown looking one is the pink one with the flash turned off...ah well. Typifies the day a bit.

Below is the smaller one. Good Luck for the Draw tomorrow!!!!

Happy hooking and enjoy the weekend!!! Especially a happy Mothers' Day too if that applies to you.

ANNIVERSARY ALERT Prize giveaway THIS WEEK

Hey! I have been so busy ''being a rock'' and propping up the family emotions that I have missed, nay really really missed the ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY ( 24.02.2009) of this version of my blog alltogether!!!

So I'm off on a jaunt to Southampton tomorrow but at the weekend: in fact on MOTHER'S DAY
I will do a prize draw from my followers for a crocheted floral hairclip or brooch.
Can't show them yet as I haven't made it yet, but it'll be in pinks with a bead or button centre.
So if anyone is interested: sign up now to be a follower and it could be YOU!!!

Photo of prizes will be blogged by Saturday 13 March and the draw will take place at 9pm on Sunday 14th March, Mother's Day.


GOOD LUCK!!!!

Three things

Three things to keep me going and give exquisite moments of happiness: Lucy, Cuttlebrook and Crochet or any Creativity but at present that's a bit of Crochet.

The snowdrops were a surprise and a delight.

It's been a tough week, rather bleak and difficult in the extreme so these Cuttlebrook walks with the dogs, well they were therapy ( amazing).

Can't wait to try drawing these zigzaggy stripes!

Lucy dashing everywhere and greeting all humans and dogs soooo exuberantly, makes you laugh.

Or at home on the sofa, enjoying her chocolate chew bone. ( It's rock-hard)

These mornings at 8 am sharp she jumps the stairgate and comes galloping up the stairs and charges into our bedroom, jumps on the bed and starts licking faces and feet or any bare skin she can find...

She's especially good at cheering and waking JJ who tries to hide, but the more you hide the more she licks and burrows under the duvets to seek you out!

Put some flowers onto the cuff of a sleeve, but it doesn't ''work ''so I'll be removing them again, pronto.

I like these flowers but they don't look right here, I'll be using them somewhere else.

While I was pondering the next steps for the cardigan sleeve- stripes and if so which colours and what width or sequence etc; I went on to work on a new bedspread in another ripple.

This time it's a smaller colour palette but we'll play with the width of the stripes a bit more?

Not sure if the rythm is quite right yet. The red's too dominant at the mo'.

Here's to a better week ahead: JJ is looking really good and is feeling a tad better at last and I had 1 interview last week and 2 more in the coming week so fingers crossed!

Sorry the recipe links do not work, I'll add the dates for the posts and remove the links when I have a moment of ''me'' time: very rare at present.

Have a good week!