New Wool

I am not getting on with the previously mentioned acrylic yarn - I intend to complete the stripey blanket though, and I may surprise myself with the end product! I have in the meantime aquired a brand new cotton yarn from my favourite wool shop First4yarns - Nature Classic Cotton by Adriafil. I've used Knitcol by Adriafil several times in the past for sock knitting so I fancied trying out their cotton, especially given the fabulous colours available. The 5 balls I ordered have sat unused for the better part of three weeks while I contemplate what to do with it all. I had considered a 'patchwork' granny square blanket or a ripple. However, during night-time baby feeding web-based research I came across a possible candidate - the Copenhagen cushion. I LOVE it!!! I ended up ordering 2 further balls of the classic cotton this week in a 'natural' colourway in order to make a start. It's a little yarny gift to myself - I had hoped to get to Wonderwool this weekend, but after a manically busy week for all of us, I think it's probably unlikely. Hey ho, there is always next year and some online wooly retail therapy instead!

Sunshine in a jar!

The glorious weather has come to an end for the time being. Yesterday and today have been dull, dreary and rainy. Breakfast time yesterday morning was grey and miserable and to add insult to injury there was no jam in the house to have with our toast! Madam Sophia was not best pleased but was pacified with some of my mother-in-law's crab apple jelly, normally reserved for sunday roasts. While frantically searching for something to put on madam's toast, what do I find in the cupboard but a little bit of leftover summer - homemade lemon marmalade, unopened and intact.

While on holiday last summer I sampled the most divine lemon marmalade in a small B&B. I am not a big fan of marmalade as a general rule, but in my then pregnant state it seemed like nectar. On our return home I searched high and low for lemon marmalade with no luck - everything was either orange, grapefruit or lemon with lime. Nothing else would do and so to satisfy my craving I made my own - finding a recipe proved difficult so in the end I adapted an orange marmalade recipe. I can't remember how long the craving lasted but obviously not long enough to open the very last jar. In the miserable rain it was a little sunshine in a jar.

The Unveiling

Today I can share with you the completed 'Giant Rainbow Granny Square' and I LOVE it! It has been the most pleasurable project, which is praise indeed from someone who never really liked crochet - until now!! The giant square was made using 15 different colours of Rico Creative Cotton.which at £1.50 a ball, is truly bargainous. I absolutely love this aran weight yarn and their colour palatte is absolutely fabulous - the depth of colour is wonderful. The whole blanket only required one and a half balls of each colour so I have plenty left over to make a co-ordinating cushion. This project initially started as a small granny square that grew and grew, changing colour for each round. The edging is simply three rounds/rows (I'm still not up on the crochet jargon) of double crochet in three different colours. I'm now off to start a cushion cover - although I am quite taken with the idea of hexagon motif experimentation next...there aren't enough hours in the day to accomplish everything I want to - neither are there enough hands!

Thursday Battenburg

Not much going on here on the crafting front, however, it's bake, bake, bake instead as well as plenty of coffee on the patio in this GLORIOUS weather!

Thursday morning Battenburg - my favourite cake:

The aftermath of the double choc chip muffins and coffee in the sun:

Yarn Snobbery

I have a confession to make - when it comes to wool, I am an unashamed snob. I love natural fibres and get far tooooo excited about them. I've been known to buy yarn purely on the basis of its content and feel, and for many years I have frowned on synthetic fibres. Just before I had baby boy, I took a jaunt to my not-so-local woolshop in Port Talbot. It's a fantastic, albeit unconventional shop, located above a film rental shop on the Sandfields estate, with literally floor to ceiling shelves of wool. They stock everything from the well known brands to the more 'boutique' type yarns - from cheap colourful acrylic to high end designer yarns - something for every taste and pocket. On a whim, I decided to try some of their acrylic yarn for a stripey crochet blanket at the bargain price of £1.70 for a 100g ball. Initially I was unconvinced - I didn't like the squeekyness of the yarn against my designer crochet hook, nor did I like the stitch definition. However, with a larger metal crochet hook and slightly looser tension I am liking the overall effect. The blanket it still in a slow experimental stage so I will reserve full judgement until completion. For now, and for me, I will consider it an education!

So much to write about, so little time!

I am quite behind on the blogging front - I've lots of things to share but haven't had much time to sit down and blog. We've largely been busy with preparations for my father-in-law's 60th birthday which happened yesterday. It involved a two and a half hour drive with two small children but was rewarded by a lovely birthday lunch and family time. The two older cousins got to play together while the two youngest cousins were introduced to everyone.

I made some cupcakes for the occasion. For most of the week I was lacking somewhat in decorative inspiration. I had pretty much decided to go with a golf theme - my father-in-law being an avid golfer - but by friday evening it was apparent I haden't really thought through the timescale and what I needed to accomplish! Instead I settled for a simpler option and made some double vanilla cupcakes - vanilla sponge with vanilla buttercream.

For a more 'manly' cupcake, if there is such a thing, I went for a coffee coloured scheme. the cupcake cases were brown with cream polka dots, while the buttercream was coloured a 'cafe au lait' type colour. Buttercream was swirled on the top with a large, fat piping nozzle and decorated with white chocolate stars and a dusting of cocoa. In honour of the birthday boy himself, my father-in-law had his own personal cupcake adorned with a large gold '60'!

Tuesday Morning Elevenses

I love Tuesday mornings. My friend Cath, who lives around the corner and is like a sister to me, and I share the school runs between us during the week. Tuesday is Cath's day off from work so I am responsible for walking the children to school. I am quite a morning person (if I'm not tooooo tired!) and I like to be up and about and organized,so Tuesday mornings are great for me. We are out of the door by 8.30 a.m and enjoy a brisk walk to school. This morning, the early spring sunshine meant it was just glorious. After dropping off I can stop at the shops or post office to run errands and still be home by 9.30 - plenty of time to get a few jobs done before Noah needs a feed.

Mid-morning I stop for a cup of tea and elevenses - a tradition that goes back to my childhood - my father, who worked from home would always stop working mid-morning for a drink and a snack. This morning's offering was crumpets, in the absence of teacakes which is the ultimate choice for me! During elevenses I will generally amend my eternal 'to do' list or do some menu palnning for the rest of the week but today has found me indulging in some magazine reading!

'Vignette' is a new Australian magazine by designer Leanne Beasley. Published quarterly, it is full of sewing, crafting and homemaking inspiration. I had completely forgotten it was in the post so it was a lovely surprise this morning. I am very taken with the hexagon quilt in this issue and I am tempted to start my own using up the fabric scraps I seam to be hoarding. It seems quite a portable project as the hexagons are hand sewn and formed using english paper piecing. It could be a wonderful heirloom project...