Nice things do happen...

...occasionally.

On my way back from "Member's weekend" at Pinnacle Crafts I got caught in a traffic jam that would have been hard pressed to compete with a snail. A jam that turned out to be caused by roadworks but one of those situations where the 'wonderful' workmen didn't see a need to place any road signs until you were right on top of the closed off area. As a result I cut through a different way and as I was passing Craft Plus, I thought I would pop in and pick up a Joy stamp that I had been considering.

It is "Tombola" weekend (a fact that I had forgotten with everything else that has happened this week). The wooden box was being spun and everyone was being invited to draw a ticket which could have resulted in a discount of 10%, 15%, 20%...whatever.

The ticket that I pulled was for 50% off all purchases so I came away with a bit more that I went in for as you can see...

 ...this little lot would have been around £60 but at just under £30 I was a very happy bunny and you might notice there is a Tim Holtz Christmas blueprint set in amongst it all - this was the cherry on the top of the cake. I have looked longingly at this set for some time but couldn't justify the expense but now it is all mine.

Did I remember to get the stamp that I actually went in for?

Yes I did and here it is...

 ...I have some pretty pastel rainbow papers and I'm looking forward to having a play with this on those papers.

At Pinnacle's member's weekend I treated myself to this...

 ...as my pencil case has run out of spaces for the tools I have...

 ...I also added a couple of shaders to my collection...

...along with some pens...

...and a couple of grids.

I also picked up the G45 Worlds Fair in 12x12 & 8x8 as well as some Sweet Dixie dies that I have been thinking about. All in all I managed to get the things that I had budgeted for and a few extras (I hadn't planned on the Pergamano pens).

My friend Hilary was very pleased with her purchases and she is looking forward to the Sue Wilson dies that she pre-ordered.

The café at Barleylands is still out of commission but my suggestion of putting some seating in the barn has been taken on board so at least folk can sit out of the weather - there is also background music playing LOL.

Hilary and I had a lovely catch-up chat whilst tucking into a fried egg roll (Me) and a bacon roll (Hilary), washed down with nice hot coffee.

The latest about Mum - and thank you for all the lovely messages I received - she is still in hospital, still in pain (although the Doctor thinks some of this may be that she is tensing assuming there will be pain) and not very mobile. We have had to lodge concerns that the hospital are not being very 'open' about her condition as on Tuesday I visited to find that she was barely conscious but we had been told on the phone that she was "fine". Now the latest thing is that she isn't eating because she says it makes her feel sick - she has been in hospital a week and they only thought to mention it when my niece questioned them about something else yesterday (Friday). So I went in yesterday afternoon with a supply of baby rice because I know that it is something that she uses at home to help her swallow her tablets. She still wasn't keen but hopefully we can encourage her.

Today, I have to take her walking frame into the hospital because it would appear that they don't stock any that can be lowered sufficiently for Mum's height (???) - she's 4ft 10ins - not exactly minute. Hopefully having her own frame will encourage her to at least have a go at what the physios have been trying to get her to do.

Each day as it comes................................................................................

It's Wednesday...

...and VERY windy.

However, the WET seems to be holding off at the moment.

This is just a quick post to say sorry for my sporadic visiting at the moment but life is rather hectic as my Mum is currently in hospital. She took a tumble on Sunday as she was getting into the car after our shopping trip to Morrisons.

Because she tensed-up as she fell her back went into spasm and we ended up at A&E - that was 3pm Sunday afternoon. Two sets of x-rays later she was moved to CDU (Clinical Decisions Unit) at 6pm to await a bed on a ward.

9pm on Monday she was still awaiting a bed.

She was finally moved to a ward - depending on who you speak to; late Monday night or Tuesday morning.

So as I said, things are a little hectic at the moment what with work, keeping an eye on her bungalow and visiting.

I will try and work my way around so that I can catch up with you all but for the moment I'm not posting much.........................................................

I decided it was time...

...for a new knitting bag.

Not that I don't love my tartan one anymore.

No!

I love this cheery little bag that I have sitting by me on the sofa...

...but as you can see, it doesn't have a very large capacity...

...here it is full to the brim with just 2x 100g balls of yarn, a couple of knitted squares and a square "on the go". Fine for keeping my current knitting projects together in one place but not really suitable for crafting on the move.

Here is my new bag...

 ...in a sort of Cath Kidston style fabric that is wipe cleanable (which also means it is rain-proof). It has a lovely collection of pockets all around the outside and as you can see...

...lots of room inside - this is 4 x 100g balls and there is still plenty of room.

I had been looking at these bags in 'Linens Direct' for a while and decided I really did need something for travel purposes when it came to my knitting. I often take something with me when I visit Mum or if I am accompanying her to a hospital appointment but my old knitting bag wasn't really suitable. This is pretty and practical so it ticks all the boxes.

Another step towards a more organised Me in 2016...................................................................

All finished...

...and ready to use.

I showed you all another pair of fingerless gloves that I had started to knit. Well here they are all done...

 ...the lacey pattern adapted from the snood/cowl worked perfectly...

...and knitted up fairly quickly. I added slightly deeper rib bands this time and everything seems to have worked just as I wanted.

Now I just have to make a matching snood............................................................

A bit more...

...stash busting.

I hadn't realised just how many sheets of Kanban & Hunkydory stuff I had so I thought it would be a good idea to try and use some of this stash to make up some quick cards so that I have a bit of stock for emergencies.

This is the first one I've done and I honestly don't know what brand the sheets are from because what I found was just s poly bag with bits & pieces in...

...so using some brown CS and some 3D foam pads, here we have a completed card and a teeny-tiny bit less stash on the 'mountain........................................................

First full week...

...back at work.

What a nightmare!!!

On the craft front, there hasn't been much time to 'play' as the new rail timetable is still causing problems so sitting down and actually getting my craft stash out hasn't been high on my list of priorities. However, I did need to make a card for a friend.

This little miss was already coloured so I grabbed some PPs...

...some kraft CS and a selection of flowers and this was the finished result.

There was a bonus to making this card - everything came out of my scrap box so my 2016 aim to use up more of my old stash is off to a good start..............................................

Do you want...

...to get organised in 2016?

The lovely Kerryanne English over at the "Shabby Art Boutique" has a lovely set of free printables available so that you can create your own 2016 Planner.

Starting with a pretty Victorian style calendar she is intending to post links to a variety of printables over the course of the coming week and then she will have a tutorial about putting together a planner - in case you need some ideas.

If you are interested, do hop over to Kerryanne's blog and take a look. You can use the link above or just press the pretty button over on my sidebar...................................................

The knitting is...

...progressing well.

For those who asked, here is a definition of what a 'snood' is: -

snood

snuːd/

noun

noun: snood; plural noun: snoods

1.

an ornamental hairnet or fabric bag worn over the hair at the back of a woman's head.

"her blonde hair was held in place by a velvet-mesh snood"

• historical

  a ribbon or band worn by unmarried women in Scotland to confine their hair.

2.

a wide ring of knitted material worn as a hood or scarf.

 

 

The knitting pattern that I have been using makes up into a ring scarf and is not large enough to pull up over the head as well - to my mind it is more of a cowl neck band rather than a snood but it would seem current definitions link both styles under the term 'snood'.

This was an odd ball of Debby Bliss DK Rialto Print that I picked up at the Craft Arena sale. I would have preferred another ball to make it a bit deeper but it is lovely and soft and will do the job.

I'm still doing some more fingerless mittens...

...and for this pair I'm trying the lace pattern over the whole of the mitten - we'll see how it turns out.

I really must learn to pace myself more when knitting - I tend to get stuck into a piece and then regret it the following day when the old fingers start to complain LOL

I have some really pretty yarns that I want to tryout so can't see me easing up any time soon - groaning fingers or not...................................................

I finally managed...

...to catch up with my friend Hilary.

With the way that Christmas & New Year fell this year, there was quite a break between classes over at Barleylands. As a result, Hilary & I just didn't seem to be able to sort a day when we could get together.

Hilary had a parchment class on Friday so it seemed the only opportunity we were going to get.

As she had missed me before Christmas she decided to make me this beautiful New Year card...

...the colour is lovely and there are lots of sparkly bits.

At the moment, there is no café at Barleylands. It was under temporary management up until Christmas Eve and now it is closed for the whole of January whilst the new management refurbish ready to re-open. There is quite a bit of excitement as it is thought that it will be the same folk who run the tea-rooms over at the Tiptree Jam factory (fabulous jams & chutneys). It will be fabulous if they have an area selling the Tiptree produce.

So things to look forward to but in the meantime, nowhere to go and sit over a coffee for a natter.

There is a burger van on site providing hot drinks & snacks but in this weather, who wants to sit out in the cold on wet benches.

Member's weekend will be taking place at the end of January and it looks like Hilary & I will have to come up with an alternative plan of action for our day. We normally 'shop', break for coffee & toast - 'shop', break for lunch and then she has her parchment lesson and I have another browse before going home...just in case I've missed or forgotten something LOL

I'm sure we will come up with something.........................................................................

CHA2016 Sneak peeks...

...from Mr Holtz & Ranger.

At last!!! The white ink pad and re-inker have arrived - Andy (Pinnacle Crafts) will be so pleased...

...as this was the colour he was hoping for during 2015's Distress releases.
A new storage container for the Distress Markers...

...yippee!!! I'll be able to keep all of them in the one container and as it is a tin it will match nicely with the tins that hold my 'mini' Distress Ink pads.
On the subject of mini items - it looks like there will be other parts of the range made available in a mini size - making them easier for transporting to crops and workshops.
Now this looks interesting...

...Distress Crayons - look forward to getting my hands on some of these and having a play.

There are a number of other items shown over on Tim's blog but these were the ones that caught my eye. I'll certainly be looking out for their arrival over here after the launch at CHA in the USA.......................................................................................

According to the BBC...

...crochet is the way to get creative in 2016.

See their article here.

I noted that they had changed the main image from the one that had originally appeared on the article - why you might ask - well the original photo was of bikes in a bike rack that had been yarn-bombed with...KNITTING. I do wonder sometimes where publications get their staff from...

That aside, crochet is becoming more popular because it works up more quickly than knitting (unless you decide on a very complicated pattern LOL).

It would also appear that searches on sites such as YouTube show that crochet is one of the most sought after crafts for instruction by folk wanting to learn.

Many of the folk that I follow on Blogger crochet - only yesterday, the lovely Julia Dunit (Stamping Ground) showed a photo of her desk for the weekly "WOYWW" and admitted that she had abandoned what she had been working on papercraft-wise for a spot of crochet on the sofa in front of the TV.

Debby over at a Scrappyjourney is also a regular crochet crafter and if you browse her blog you will find lots of cute toys that she has made as well as some lovely blankets made of Granny squares.

I was taught how to crochet when I was at primary school - our 'Dinner Lady' (the lady who kept an eye on us in the playground during the lunch break) offered to show us how if we came in with a crochet hook and a ball of yarn - the rest as they say is history.

I have made fancy doilies with fine cotton yarns but blankets are an easy/no stress/just sit and craft thing that I tend to do more often. I'm currently making another sparkly blanket in white/grey/black but it is now at the size that it is too big to take with me on the train so will only get worked on at home.

Both Debby & Julia make 'granny squares' which are very portable but I can't be faffing around with all the joining together so prefer to make my blankets in one large square.

When I moved into this house, my Mum made some lovely crochet panels for some of the tiny windows (downstairs loo, bathroom) as there wasn't the variety of pretty nets available in caravan/café sizes that there are now. These she made out of beautiful Italian cotton thread that she had bought whilst on holiday in Northern Italy. She also used many of the paper patterns that she bought at the same time - although she doesn't speak or read Italian, she was able to follow the diagrams quite easily and there was a much better variety of patterns available over there than you find here in the UK.

So as we head into 2016 it seems strange that something that I've been doing since I was a small child is suddenly rather trendy.

Southend-on-Sea is not a million miles away and it would appear that there are some ladies in that area that have been having fun with a bit of crochet yarn-bombing (there is a link at the bottom of the BBC article). Here in Stanford-le-Hope, I think we have some folk who are a little more restrained (**chuckle**) - since the Thurrock Blooming Marvels took over responsibility for the flower beds and baskets in the town centres of the borough, I've noticed that the posts that hold the hanging baskets have a ring of crochet flowers around them. Poppies, Sunflowers, Daisies...so pretty.

So crochet is the 'In' thing - do you crochet? Are you hoping to learn?

Why not join in the fun and give it a go..............................................................

My first...

...completed crafting of 2016.

A pair of fingerless mittens and a lace snood...

 ...the yarn is Stylecraft "Cabaret" in Ocean...

 ...a lovely soft yarn with a hint of sparkle...

 ...I was really pleased with the way the pieces knitted up so quickly.

I'm a lazy knitter. I can calculate stitches and work out my own patterns but if there is a pattern available to save me the trouble, I'm happy to use it as a basis for my knitting. In this case, I've knitted these mittens a couple of times now but this was the first time I had tried the snood. Having seen how easy the stitch pattern worked up on the snood, I decided to have a play.

Using a white sparkly yarn...

 ...I knitted another pair of mittens but added a band of the lace stitch...

...it seems to have worked rather well so I just need to complete the matching snood.

If I don't get fed-up with knitting these, there could be a few produced and put aside ready for next Christmas' gifts..................................................................

I was all set...

...to watch the New Year fireworks on the TV.

However, I fell asleep and would have missed the countdown if folk a few houses away from me hadn't started their fireworks a bit early. Some huge explosions and I was awake - just as the 'bongs' started...

...I so love huge firework displays like this but there is no way I would have trekked up to London to battle with the crowds when I had a birds-eye view from the sofa.

The weather this New Year's eve wasn't great - plenty of rain - but folk still seemed determined to see in the New Year with loads of bangs & crashes. Now that always meant grabbing some pots & pans and going out into the street as midnight chimed. The pots & pans were clanged making a huge row and everyone yelled "Happy New Year" to their neighbours. Folk don't tend to do that these days. They seem to prefer letting off very noisy fireworks that seem to consist of lots of 'bang' but not much 'twinkle'.

I live close to the river Thames and usually there are boat horns sounding on the river but either the wind was blowing in the wrong direction or it didn't happen this year - shame.

Things seem to have changed so much.

Do folk still "first foot" ? It is something that I can remember my parents & their neighbours doing but I don't recall it happening since I've been an adult. Are we forgetting the traditions that always went with 'seeing out the old & welcoming the new' ?

Do you still keep traditions linked with the start of a New Year - I would love to hear what you do..............................................................

Welcome to 2016...

...may the New Year bring all that you hope for.

Happy 2016 folks.................................................................................