Misty Mountain

A Quiet Evening In...

Leicester City were playing Newcastle on the telly last night so himself had taken over the small sitting room where the TV is for a few hours of football and his terriblre feeble attempts at larger loutishness I tipped the almost full can down the sink this morning) and football hooliganism (the occasional bit of shouting can be heard).  So I retreated into the big sitting room wth everything I needed for a few happy hours to myself.

Red wine, well actually it was rose, my new Katherine Jenkins CD, my new Medieval Music CD, my lovely new buttons and of course...

 
Some lovely yarn and a hook.

Pretty soon there was a steadily growing pile of squares made from my stash of Rowan pure wool DK

I love the colours of the Rowan yarn.  I know pure wool is not to everyone's liking and Rowan don't have the best of reputation with some knitters because they do silly things like make up a ball from 'ends' which is therefore full of knots, and totally useless to work with, or they make up the ball weight by tucking an  extra mini call into the ball band, again totally useless.  These practises are irritating, expecially when the yarn is rather pricey, in the £3-£4 a ball range usually.  Anyway, less of the yarn ranting.  

The 'Hat' is finished and will be posted next week \o/ which makes me feel much better.  I do like it when commissions are completed and ready to go.  Now I just have to hope the person I made it for, likes it.

So why the squares?  Well my old upholstered rocker is looking very grubby, wearing a tad thin, well very thin actually and Phaolin decided to eat the skirt when he was a puppy so I decided it needed some hooky goodness to brighten it up and cover up the worn bits.  I am trying to make an afghan in a week.  I won't manage it because I have already increased the size but two weeks maybe?  We shall see.  Anyway there are now a dozen pretty squares and today there will be more.  The thing will probably grow out of all proportion and take way longer than it should but I'm having fun doing it and that's the main thing.  Also it makes a nice change from the monster ripple.

So that's my happy weekend.  It snowed here yesterday and it's snowing again as a type so more hooking for me today.

And in lieu of the snow.  Have some snow dogs.  The 'old man'...

Please don't point that thing at me Mother!

And 'the Baby'...  Not looking, not looking, just resting my head here on this convenient chair part and ignoring you.

 

Love O. xxxxxxx
   
 
 
  

Buttons!!

Just look what arrived today!!!  Yummy, scrummy buttons in lots of bright cheerful colours.  I think I need another button tin to accomodate all the pretty.

Maybe like one of these here at Country Cottage Chic.  I love that website, it's so nostalgic but full of useful things too.

Well I have to go finish a hat for a friend...   

Ta-Dah...

The Teeny-Tiny Granny Squares cushion is complete.  Here it is set against the dark plum beanbag.  It makes me soooooo happy!  I love it, all those little jewels of colour.  I will take better pictures in the daylight tomorrow, hopefully but I just had to take these tonight because I was sooooo happy with the way it all turned out.

And here it is again, this time set against the pink beanbag, looking just as bright an lovely.

And here is the back, knitted in the matching ombre variegated yarn.  Which I have to admit I like just as much as the front!

 And here are the pretty square buttons that finish it off so nicely and hold the envelope together.

So one more close up and to finish with a sneak peek at the start of my next household project!

A bunch of hearts...

 All bright and cheery and waiting to be made into...

 

Teeny Tiny Squares

64 teeny tiny squares all waiting to be made into one side of a cushion cover.

They look like little jewels of colour.  I started joining them together last night and I'm going to take the , hopefully started, knitted back to 'Stitch 'n' Bitch' to do tonight.  Guess I'd better remember to add the project to Ravelry too.

It's a grey day here in Wales today.  I can't even see the sea!  Anyway, time to take the big dog out for a walk before work.
 

Craft Corner

The monster Rianbow Ripple is coming on apace but it's so big I have to keep doing smaller projects in between bouts of rippling in order to keep feeling as if I am acheiving something.  So I decided to make a new cushion for the new couch.  Tiny crochet squares on one side in Peaches 'n' Creme solids with a knitted back in Peaches 'n' Creme ombre, not sure which one yet.

 

Lots of litle teeny tiny squares in lovely bright colours.  I need to make another 32, then the front of the cushion is done.

More monster rainbow ripple.

I went shopping today for himself's birthday.  Managed to get a couple of decent cards but nothing else.  Still, I have a present I bought before Christmas and if I can get him to vacate the study, another one in the making!!  Unfortunately the socks are not done.  I have to be int he right mood for sock knitting and recently I haven't been.

Anyway, back to the squares...

 

 

Domesticity

Aaaaah... there is nothing more satisfying than a pile of finished ironing!  I know many people hate ironing and try hard to avoid it but I do enjoy my Monday morning spent removing creases from or putting them into the previous weeks laundry.  I find neat piles of well pressed clothes fill me with a strange sense of accomplishment and glee, knowing I can put them away and that when I next want a t-shirt or some clean jim jams there they are waiting for me all clean and pressed and crease free!  Nuts innit.

So with the ironing out of the way I actually have to do some work this afternoon, which means it will be this evening before I can get back to the monster ripple.  So no pictures until later in the week.

I am probably going to have to leave for the funeral tomorrow morning now as they are predicting heavy snow and blizzard conditions for SW Wales tomorrow afternoon and into Wednesday morning.  *sigh*  I really do wish this weather would just go away.  It's beginning to annoy me now, beautiful though it makes things look, it's very frustrating when you actually have to do something.  Ah well, it will be all over on Thursday.

And here is my lovely new pin cushion that himself got me for Christmas.

Bye for now, O. xxx 

A quiet sunday evening at home

Peek-a-boo!

Cloud peeping over the arm of the couch...  He's 14 now, seriously elderly for a husky, but still here and still enjoying life.

So it snowed again today, probably not surprising, but I could do with the weather going away now.  Phaolin may love the snow but taking him out when he's full of life and bouncing around is not actually fun when I'm terrified of falling flat on my deriere.  If it was just snow and not snow on top of ice it would be fine.  Even better if I didn't have stuff to actually go out and do.  I really don't need to be driving several hundred miles in a blizzard on Wednesday.  This is a funeral I cannot fail to attend.

I spent most of the afternoon/evening working on the mega Rainbow Ripple blanket.  I'm on the last shade of the first colour round so I will be able to accurately calculate the final size tomorrow.  It's been an oddly nostalgic evening.  I recorded a couple of documentaries about Genesis yesterday and watched them today.  It was so strange to see concerts I'd been at and I was surprised at how much I remembered of them.  Tony Banks is still incredibly attractive, he and Mike Rutherford are aging incredibly well.  It even made me thing well of my marriage.  Genesis were one thing my ex-husband and I had in common and really enjoyed together.

Once the ironing is done tomorrow I want to start on the big sort out in the spare room.  there is so much cluttter that really has to go and I need to get my stash completely sorted and organised so I can actually find things again.  I also need to find the sewing machine.  I know, how can I have lost it, but I have, it's buried under a load of stuff from when we renovated the big sitting room and I need it for my next medium sized project.

I put my new button box to work today.

 

It's now at least half full of scrummy colourful buttons just waiting to be added to lovely crafty projects this year.

Now I'm going to pour myself a drink and then head to bed. 

 

Dolls

Just before th end of last year I discovered this pattern by flutterbypatch and decided to give it a go

This was the result

 
 

I love her to bits so decided to make another one in a different yarn for my other half.

 

I am completely in love with these little dolls.  They make perfect gifts to send in the post too, becuase they are not too heavy and not breakable.  I am so glad I found flutterby's pattern, these little dolls make me smile so much.

This is also an excuse to show off a little more of the ever going Rainbow Ripple from Lucy's pattern over at Attic24.  I now have almost 30 ripples done and we are into the blue section.  It will have to be set aside this weekend though in favour of himself's hand knitted birthday socks!

We still have snow so I am going to sit in front of the fire this afternoon and do more rippling. 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Snow dog in snow...

A quick picspam of Phaolin in the snow.  These were taken through the window so there are some reflections, but if I'd gone outside he would have moved.

  

Pretty Things Part II

Christmas favour bowls, before I dismantle them for another year!

Berry branches hanging from the dresser in the morning sun.

 

The Christmas wine glass charms I made and managed to keep!

 

And of course the crochet, the gradually growing Rainbow Ripple from Lucy's Neat Ripple template at Attic24

 

This morning I took down the Christmas cards and the decorations fromt he small sitting room and put them in the big sitting room ready to be put away tomorrow.  Himself will be taking down the outdoor lights this afternoon.  Of course that means Wednesday will be spent dusting and cleaning after all the christmas decorations have been put away for another year.  I managed to get the holiday laundry done including bedding and table linen.  It means there is now lots of ironing but at least the stuff is clean.  It is still pretty frozen outside and there is more snow forecast.  My only worry is that the roads get too bad for me to get off the mountain and get to my uncle's funeral.  Anyway, I'm back at work now so I best run away and get work type stuff done.