FINISHED A UFO!!

WOOHOO! I have finally finished this cushion

I might get Mr Amareke to take a picture of the finished article later. I dont think I have ever come back to such a neglected project and actually finished it...how can you hate something when you are making it, then fall in love with it once it is finished??

Hmm I think I am going to have to start another big-but-not-brain-engaging project or my hands won't know what to do...I fear my living room may end up looking like 
Olek  


Did I tell you about the battle of the living room? Mr Amareke and I get on brilliantly ( have to if you count your relationship in decades!) but when it comes to decorating, we tend to take years to agree! I like blues and greens, he likes reds and yellows...neither of us like neutrals much- see the dilemma?

So, we have 2 sofas- one "the blue sofa" and guess what ? we also have "the red sofa", and you have seen the rug ( above)
Obviously most of my crocheting has been for (my) blue sofa...but as that now has 2 blankets and 4 knitted/crocheted cushions, and the red sofa only has one knitted cushion...I think I may have to go red next!

I call them my stress blankets- did you know that repetitive movements are calming?
Stress and knitting 
I am anticipating a certain amount of stress in at least a  couple of roles I have ( being suitably vague) so I need a stress blanket
Ideally I would like a self striping/variagated acrylic yarn in reds but with no brown- any ideas? 

Not ignoring you ,really!

Not only has my camera died, but dd's camera( my borrowing choice) had an accident on holiday so is also broken( got sat on!)

dd did take some holiday pics even with a smashed screen!

 Check out the scale of this wheel- at a restored colliery(really interesting, helped by some very knowledgable and passionate volunteers)

 Little hidden cove- you can sometimes find natural gemstones there( no luck this time though)

 Do you think the boys were keen to get to the beach???

dd being arty with limpets( hmm never thought I would say that sentence!)

RIP Camera!

My camera has broken- boohoo! I am in mourning...I loved it! It says the zoom won't..well won't zoom! Apparently it will cost the price of a new one to fix it.

I am a bit ( ok a lot) of a techno idiot - not a technophobe- love technology if it does what it is supposed to with the minimal of user knowledge and fiddling...so the idea of sifting through loads of similar priced cameras to choose a new one leaves me cold! I will get there, I do feel a bit lost without one!

Awards time!

Thanks to the lovely Helen at sweet seashorse I got this award! Check out her blog for cake crochet and family, not unlike myself but in Australia!

Now to nominate my own blog awardees!
Cherie at Fairy Dell
For her utter skills at everything especially recycled crafts- what an imagination!
Alice- at Crochet With Raymond
Oh the colours! And of course the beautiful Raymond the cat!
Tales from Cuckoo land
Gorgeous makes and honest family life!
Roobeedoo
For dressmaking wonderfullness! I love seeing what she has sewn and it inspires me to get on with my projects- Ru makes sooo much!
Juliab at Peacock Blue
More crochet and family, and a good bloggy read


That's it for a bit, got a BIG Father's day lunch to cook for Mr Amareke...Nigella Lawson's Ham in coke( unbelievable but truly scrumptious( sorry Littlest is obssessed with Chitty chitty bang bang at the moment!), and a trifle to make)

Was it really less than a fortnight?

What a difference a fortnight makes! Busy busy again, plenty of crafting

 This is an outdoor beading session, making some bits for my lovely niece's birthday- ha ha , see my fabulously pale leg there in the corner? Why don't I see these things before posting??ps, I am sitting on an upside down piece of ultra-bargainous oilcloth...intended to be made into an outdoor picnic mat, but I found I was using it( beach, garden, even indoors!) for picnics etc, and as I haven't backed it, it folds down TINY, so it is staying as it is!

Weather good enough for English strawberries...I do like funny looking veg- mushrooms that look like bottoms, and especially carrots that look like legs, but I adore these strawbs- they seems to be multiple strawbs grown into one, but they also seem to be hearts! ( The one at the top is a "normal" one) Don't you think we miss out when we only buy dull old uniform shaped supermarket fruit and veg?

Then ,I am in the UK after all, it turned cold again, but I do love these tights with my favourite brown shoes, so no complaints!

 Uh oh, new craft obssession- felting!

 These are needle felted bracelets/cuffs. All made to go with outfits I have.

 And I don't take much convincing to add embroidery and buttons. Yeah, I know, embellished felting isn't earth shatteringly original, but I made them, and I love them, and they were my first go at felting. Also, buy some needle felting supplies if you are stressed- jabbing the hell out of something is unsurprisingly good for stress!

 OH MY GOODNESS I have finally got round to taking a pic of the grey and brown ceramic necklace I promised!I hope I have captured the pebble ishness of the beads- yum! I do love a big of organic necklacing!

Blankie is coming on eh?About 3/4 of the width of my (King sized) bed! I reckon I have about one more ball's worth of hooking then some sort of simple edging- I am thinking just double crochet- any suggestions?

Lastly but definately not leastly( is that a word?) 
I have got an award! 
Not sure what I have to do yet, but I will find out!

Congrat for getting this far down!
x
C 

Beautiful decay

Maybe I am odd, but I find decay can be beautiful.I find older faces more interesting and therefore appealing, and adamantly refuse to buy "anti-aging" products because youth is only one view of beauty. Anyway enough philosophy, where are the pictures?
These are of an old structure? storage barn thing? next to the 1000 yr old church near where I live.Took a stroll( OK to the supermarket to buy cake!) and took these pics through the fence they have erected..I will be sad to see it go when they do demolish it( probably soon)

 This one reminds me of "The Secret Garden" I half expected a bird to appear!

 This one is me trying to be arty with a shot from the bottom of the church bell tower pointing up.

Can you see the plants through the window?

Pics and progress

Well I promised you here that I would show you some pics, and my recharged batteries have been hard at work today!

 I think I am over my 3/5ths ishness...with help from half term...nothing like non-stop kids tv/Wii/ lego covered floor to get my feet up and hookiness going! It's looking good and big now...so big I might make the long side into the short side and carry on!

 

 I tried my Rachel John knitting needles- just a trial piece using 10 strands ( enough to top my littlest side table which is just the right height for putting feet up on!) .I was surprised at how easy it was- the yarns I used didn't tangle up at all, and how utterly soft it turned out. It looks so chunky and thick what with it being 10 stranded- no shock there- but it is  just completely scrumptiously soft and snuggly. Also very fast to knit up. Am considering a little bedside rug- how fab would it be for first thing in the morning feet to tread on?

 This is the UFO dc turquoise cushion cover that I mentioned in the last post! 3/4ishness at work there I think!
Got to go- very tired littlest Amareke boy is back from a long day out at a kiddies amusement park with a friend- "arsenic hour" is upon me ("arsenic hour"= after tea but before bed when they are so tired and ratty and fighty, you might even consider slipping them some- ps not my term!)