Christmas present from my Nanna

My Nanna kindly got us a project for Christmas which is something I would never thought of myself. She got us a latch hook kit. My grandad once started one and really enjoyed it and Nanna then finished it so she thought it could be something that Tom and I can work on together. I thought that after working on my cardigan sleeve for a while today I would try it asa little rest from knitting. It is worryingly addictive and I am afraid I will become "hooked" and never do anything else.

The process is actually very easy. The kit comes with a gridded material for the backing and a large number of pre cut pieces of yarn. These then need hooking and attaching to the backing to make a rug. I have included some photos but due to being on my iPad I cannot add them one at a time and describe them...most annoying thing ever! Hope they make sense.

A very wooly blog (although it's mostly acrylic)

I had such a blooming good evening yesterday that I feel I need to share it with you all.

It started with a trip to Knit Nottingham to have a look at the sale and to collect Eleanor to take her to Knit group.  I knew that the Cygnet DK was reduced to £1 a ball so I decided that now was the time to purchase the yarn needed for a blanket I have planned to make for ages.  In the summer I won 3 balls of sale yarn and got some beautiful turquoise to make a throw for the lounge but it is still in a bag with its labels on.  3 balls would never be enough so after scouring ravelry for patterns and finding that there are no yarn amounts I purchased 10 balls in beige and chocolate to make a Granny stripe blanket as featured by Lucy at Attic 24.  The beige and brown look beautiful with the turquoise and who can complain at making a whole throw for just £10!  Plus it got me another stamp on my loyalty card.

I did leave the house saying I would buy nothing other than blanket yarn but when I got there and saw the Wicked DK was also in the sale I just couldn't resist buying some in the grey shade to make myself something.  I had a vague idea about a plain crochet top but when I got home and looked on my bookshelf the answer was staring me in the face, a simple dress on the cover of the Geek Chic book I received with my last craft swap.  With a dark grey trim and pocket I think it will look beautiful.

After knocking a few things over on my way out of the door of the shop we got in the car and made our way into town for my first ever trip to Knit in Notts at Lee Rosy's Tea where I ordered a lovely cup of Spicy Chai.  I was a little nervous before hand but what a lovely bunch of people, I will most certainly be going again, it was fabulous!  When Lee Rosy's closed we headed over the road to BrewDog, I love a beer and the Punk IPA was just delicious.

All in all a fabulous and very exciting evening, I cannot wait to get started on my blanket and top but I have a number of other things that I must finish first.  Big smile on my face today!!

A jewellery box made by my Daddy

I just love this jewellery box, I have had it since I was little but it's actually older than me. My Dad worked for Fairline boats in his younger days and around 1976 did some "homework" which involved making this box. Homework was apparently the name for things you would make at work to take home, not the other way around. He probably should have been making a boat.

Anyway, I found it in my parents loft before they moved and decided I wanted to keep it. It was however covered in Ed the duck transfers and stickers from my fun fax, remember them? After a few questions about how to get it back to its former glory I purchased some clear shoe polish. This was perfect to make the wood look healthy again after I sanded the top layer and attached Ed the ducks off. I have to say I am pleased to have it back in my life, it is currently being used as a book end with nothing inside it but I am sure before long it will have a use.

Well done Daddy.

My own little crafty haven.

How excited am I! I went to collect my desk today and from the moment I got in I have been beavering away finding all sorts of things to put in it and adorn it with. I have been waiting for this for so long it seems and after a lot of hard work I have my haven and a place to put all my beautiful belongings.

I just love my collection of yarn beehives and as they are too small for regular balls of yarn I probably won't use them but they are fab and i have wanted some for so long. They have therefore become decorations and they look brill. I also love the fact I can finally put my gorgeous peg board on the wall and use it.

Generally my excitement is making me ramble but really I just love the fact that all my beautiful belongings have a home rather than being dotted all over the place. I predict many happy hours spent in this corner of the spare room.

What a week!

I have been a busy bee this week and generally speaking it's been good! A quick round up includes a trip to look at a car and realising we were 1.5 miles away from Tom's cousins pub so we popped in for a bite to eat, a number of meetings at work, a sock, a desk, a giggle filled trip to Knit Nottingham, some crochet and some hippo eggs.

On the work front it has finally been agreed that it would be wrong for the force to expect me to go back into my old role because of the stress it was causing. This means I am being placed on a redeployment register and I have 90 days to attempt to find an alternative. If there is nothing, I could risk being unemployed after the 90 days but as I have no intention of going back anyway it would be silly not to take this opportunity. Something temporary might come up in the mean time which would be great. All in all it's a fantastic result and one I am very pleased with. Just need to find a job but knowing I don't have to go back to the one that makes me ill is such a feeling of relief!

I have finished my first ever knitted sock, I have won a desk on eBay which I will collect tomorrow and after friends asking what they could bring for dinner I suggested Hippo eggs, they relabelled mini eggs and they tasted so much better as Hippo eggs.

I took a quick trip to Knit Nottingham to get some sock advice and whilst there Eleanor told me a rather amusing story about a horse, a rider and a false leg. Giggles a plenty so do ask if you see her.

My crafting this week has been very much this and that. I have been working on the sleeve of my cardigan but knowing I now have until Feb 24th I am taking it a bit slower so I have treated myself to some crochet. I have been working on the squares in my art of crochet magazine. Whilst the yarn is only acrylic and some of the squares are not the most attractive I am learning some new skills. I have made a ribbed square and the next one I am to take on has bobble stitch in it.

A few more things to blog about but this is a little round up of a few odds and ends.

Yummy homemade curry

I thought I would share a little recipe with you all. It's one of my favourites and it all started when my friend Paula and I decided we wanted a curry for tea. Paula is an avid traveller and has spent a lot of time in Asia so she took charge. Since then I have forgotten bits, added bits and now perfected the recipe...I think. It's more of a fragrant curry than a spicy one but Tom and I both love it and its actually rather healthy.

I will put what I have used tonight and this has fed us both generously with a large portion left over, probably best to say it serves four.

INGREDIENTS
6 Chicken thighs (skinned, boned and chopped into pieces)
2 onions
2 garlic cloves
4 tomatoes
8 mushrooms
2 limes (zest and juice)
Large bunch of fresh coriander
Curry powder (I use mild madras but make it to your taste)

Soften the garlic and onions in some oil then add the chicken to cook.
Add the mushrooms, tomatoes and a small amount of water to prevent sticking.
Once the tomatoes have cooked down add curry powder to your taste, you might also need to add a little more water.
Let this cook through then add the lime zest and juice along with two thirds of the coriander.
Simmer for a moment until the sauce has thickened and add the rest of the coriander just before serving.

We have it with rice but enjoy with whatever you like. It's so quick and easy but delicious to eat. I have included a photo but I must apologise about it being in a tub as I didn't take a nicely plated one as I ate it to quickly.

Enjoy!!

New Year, craft room creation and a quick lovely knit.

I'm not sure if it has been noticed recently but my blogs have been lacking some pzazz, I think my lack of personal motivation and the hectic Christmas time has made me rush things.  I also had a very bad few weeks before Christmas with my anxiety.  That's getting boring now so I shall keep it sweet, things are happening over the next few weeks and I am hoping that it will lead onto getting back to work!!  I have decided to start 2013 on a positive foot and start making things happen.

I have been sorting out the spare bedroom to make room for a desk for me to craft at, the hot glue gun and craft knives won't mix well with the lovely oak dining table for long!!  I am heading to an auction on Saturday to try to win one that looks just perfect.  This has been very exciting as the spare room has been a bit of a jumble for a while now and it's providing a good opportunity to clear it out.  It also means i can put my crafts away as they are currently littered around the house.

On a non-crafting topic, Tom got us a dishwasher!!!  I cannot begin to explain how much I love it, washing up was a major problem and a chore that really bothered me (more than it should have) and now I have that stress completely eliminated, it also means the worktops remain clear and hopefully my nail polish will last longer.  We paid for installation but it turns out that this means they attach one pipe to the another pipe (which we didn't have).  We were hoping they would do the whole lot but I think we were a bit too optimistic so after a trip to B&Q I had to drill a giant hole in the cupboard and plumb it in myself, we have no leaks so I did a pretty good job.  Yay me!!

I have also been knitting away at my cardigan for sweater club and this is coming along brilliantly, I have knitted the back and one and a half front panels, I have until February to do the rest so no worries about getting it done in time.  It's looking very good but I shall save my photo's for one big blog about it.

Today though I had a major urge to knit with chunky wool, I just love the stuff.  I headed to my favourite shop ever and purchased a ball of Cygnet Criss Cross.  It's a nice yarn, it's looks like it is made of lots of thinner pieces of yarn woven into a big thick piece, like this.

I decided I would knit it until I ran out of it and depending on the length it would be a cowl or a scarf, it became a cowl and a rather nice one at that.  I chose the colours to go with a brown coat but there are lots of lovely colour selections.  I think having knitted with it I may now even prefer it to the Supa Dupa Chunky, it's a lot less fluffy.  Anyway, here is a little collage of photo's for you, isn't it lovely!

For Christmas my sister got me some beautiful pure wool Rowan DK (available from other stockists I am sure) in white, grey and black.  She got them with a crochet book to make her a Koala but I can't use such beautiful wool on something like that so I have decided I am going to have a go at working a colour pattern into yet another cowl.  I think it will be made up of hearts and various different wobbly lines...looks better in my head that it does written as a description.

All in all I feel I have my mojo back (a little) and I am determined to start this year on a positive note, I think this is already happening.  Happy New Year to you all.