Raspberry Fools!

Hi everyone hope you are all well.   Me,  I'm good, I think.......  Okay perhaps feeling a wee bit bogged down with the world just now.  I just wish I could stick up two fingers to the horrible rude people that I encounter now and again in my life (but I'm too nice a person for that).  You know the type, the ones that like to chuck not just spanners in the works but the whole tool bag,  hammer and all. 

Me blowing a raspberry to the rude fools of the world!

It just never fails to amaze me how ignorant and selfish some people can be.  I was taught as a child to always respect other peoples feelings,  to say please and thank you.  Nowadays, you're more likely to have a  door swung in your face or worse someone deliberately walking  through  you to the point you nearly fall over,  then they announce you fell -hello,  I wasn't aware I was capable of stealth mode.  Deep breathe,  aahhhhhh!   Karma- just keep thinking, karma. Lol!

Having a go 

At Cross Stitch.  People who knit,  will tell you they also dabble in other crafts.  I'm afraid I'm no  exception to this rule.  I will try my hand at any craft.  I embroider, sew, dress make, crochet, knit, draw, weave, spin and now I have added Cross Stitch.

The Daffodil

The Daisy

My favourite The Poppy

 They are worked on 14 count Aida and come with all the supplies (thread, aida, card surround, envelopes and chart) you need to recreate the little flowers.  They can be found in this magazine here.  These little samples are just right for someone starting off Cross Stitch as a lot of counting is involved.  And having a brain like a giant sieve at the moment,  these turned out to be just right for my attention span.  Hopefully by Christmas I will have progressed onto something more spectacular but then again, maybe I will have found a new craft to occupy me.

On the knitting front, new knitting books:

Rowan Limited Edition Members Book

 Very beautiful book.  Loads of info about the designers through the years and gorgeous patterns too. It's to celebrate the 50^th edition of the Rowan Knitting Magazine, and gifted to  members.  It's a hardback and not available to purchase anywhere!

Rowan Limited Edition Book

 This also came through the door the other day too.

Little Red in the city by Ysolda Teague

 I'm really spoilt for choice and not sure what to make first.  Quite a hefty book ,  264 pages.  Contains section on Yarn Selection, swatching, measurements, sizing, fits, blocking, cast on, short row methods, buttonholes, using patterns, abbreviations  and 7 patterns.  My favourite is Angostura, Lauriel and Skelf.

OTN- Off The Needles
Not a finished product.  I'm talking quite literally,  off the needles,  as in frogged  =(

Yes,  I've been bad and I'm sure I'm going to regret it later.  My Sunshine Cardi  has been sitting in a corner waiting for me to finish it's collar, for over a month.  I was loving this knit at the beginning but as times gone on, well..... To be honest I just don't think it's me.  Don't get me wrong it's a lovely pattern, however everytime I looked at it,  I just couldn't face finishing it.  I'm not sure if it's the colour or me procrastinating over my body image and not feeling quite right within myself,  I've put a lot of weight on during therapy and it's dragging me down.    Anyway,  I've only gone and frogged all of  my lovely work, I know.... I know.... I'm trying to look on the bright side.  What would I rather have,  loads of lovely yarn for a new project or an article that just sits in the corner gathering dust.  So I voted for loads of lovely yarn.

Anais waiting to be blocked.

It's not all doom and gloom though.  I've finished the sleeves on my Anais Cardi,  I couldn't wait to see what it looked like, so I laid it out on the bed,  piece by piece.  I'm so excited, I can't wait to block it, attach the shoulders and start on the neck band.  It looks gorgeous and I know I'm going to get loads of wear out of it.

Very Pretty.

OTN- On The Needles

I have also found a new project for the recently deceased Sunshine Cardi yarn, well.... that didn't take me long did it.  Lol.

Shimmer by Kim Hargreaves

Rowan Calmer

On Knit Pro Needles

 
It's another Kim Hargreaves knit called Shimmer .  Easy pattern  to remember as it's a 4  row repeat, with alot of yarn overs and knit 2 togethers to give a lace affect. Which in turn helps the garment to knit up quite quickly.              

 Knitting Swap

These are the squares for the month of July that Caloubear made for my Friendship blanket (the year long swap I mentioned previously in past posts) we should all accumulate twenty-four,  8x8 inch squares at the end of the year.  I'm also going to add my own squares in a variety of Autumnal colours, as  I want my blanket to be super huge,  for the winter. 

Loving These

I just had to show these off.  I have collected these kind of items for along time but never really shown them off.  I now have my mum hooked on them too.

I had to have the card, it has a squirrel in it =P

The little Goth mirror is my favourite item.

Gorjuss by Scottish freelance artist Suzanne Woolcott.  One day I hope to be a proud owner of an original piece of her artwork.
 
Comments that make me smile from ear to ear

The little bags and other bits and pieces I make,  have being going down a treat over at My Folksy Shop
The comments people leave really make my day.  I craft because it relaxes me and each item is made with genuine love.  Pauls role is kind of - quality control.  He scrutinizes the work I make and gives me honest feedback,  anything from- colour combinations to "theres a loose thread",  "that ribbon is twisted",  "I like that zip but not that one".  Off I go to tweak the not so right bits.  Doesn't happen very often but it's got to look good and feel right.  9 times out of 10 I get it right =D.

So here are a few of the comments that have made my day (I haven't included the peoples names, privacy and all that).


Comment : It's such a cute little bag, I LOVE it!

Comment : I adore this, thank you very much!

Comment : Absolutely perfect!!! Love the item and SO well made!!!

Comment : Lovely product, beautifully packaged.

Comment : thankyou Sun Rae this little bag is adorable. the amount of detail in the finishing touches is amazing, i love the tiny little button details on your label tucked away inside as a secret surprise. the size is just right to keep a 100g ball all neat and tidy whilst i'm knitting. x

Thank you to all my customers so far and hello to all the new ones to come.


On The Pod- please click the song titles.

                                                                 Black Sheep by Metric

                                                                    Daniel by Bat For Lashes

                                                              Tightrope by Janelle Monae

                                                                   Metronomy by The Look

I'm also listening to this but it makes me cry everytime I hear it: Max Richter -On the Nature of Daylight it's very emotional and very beautiful, the violin (what would life be like without music) makes me feel very teary.

Shirley xx

The Joy of Daydreaming!

"A daydream is a meal at which images are eaten.  Some of us are gourmets, some gourmands, and a good many take their images precooked out of a can and swallow them down whole, absent-mindedly and with little relish."  ~W.H. Auden
 

Apparently in the late 19th-century daydreaming was held in disrepute in society and was associated with laziness.  Some people argued that those who had daydreams were filled with grandiose fantasies and self-gratifying attempts at "wish fulfilment". In the 1950s, some psychologists even warned parents not to let their children daydream, for fear that the children may be sucked into neurosis or psychosis.

                                                               Leopard  dreaming

 Truthfully I can't remember the last time, in a long time, where I have just sat in my chair and suddenly drifted off into my own little world, you see,  the therapy I am undergoing for PTSD is very quite intrusive and hasn't allowed me to find peace inside myself for nearly a whole year now. The therapy makes me feel so spaced out and at times, numb and detached.  I can quite easily just gawp blankly at the wall, no thoughts, no feeling, just zilch.  That was until yesterday. Yesterday was totally different.  A whole half hour just disappeared, I was fully aware of what was happening, and this time I wasn't just staring at the wall - I was daydreaming.  I was daydreaming about putting together a Happy Box, a box that I will fill with objects and treasures that make me joyful when I'm down. A box full of my secrets and wishes.  Well, in reality, I wasn't dreaming about the box itself,  I was dreaming about what makes me happy.  What do I find comfort in?  What sight, sound, smell makes me happy?  And anyone who has suffered from PTSD will know the last sentence is crippling and downright terrifying, to say the least. These three senses can cause nightmares, flashbacks and quite a likely foreboding if the trauma is left untreated.

So where did my daydreaming take me? What makes me happy? Where do I start? My first daydream ( in no particular order) I have a fondness for:

-The feeling of t-shirt material between my hands, although it has to be cold.
-The feeling of velvet, the way the pile moves under my fingers
-Freshly laundered bedsheets, (this peeves my O/H off, as I always manage to jump into bed before him) so I gain all the newness to myself.
-The softness of my dog's ears.
-Frozen soil, crunching under my feet
-Scuffing my feet through fallen leaves.
-Period dramas such as Pride and  Prejudice, Bleak House, Tess of the D'ubervilles and Emma.
-Michael Nyman's soundtrack for The piano
-Gattaca soundtrack
-The innocence and naivety of the character Amelie in the film of the same name
-The Flumps, Bagpuss, Bod, Timmy Time and Button Moon
-The smell of warm bread
-Falafel
-The smell of coconut, chocolate and vanilla
-The sun on my face
-Wading into the sea
-My dog sleeping and snoring at my feet
-Red gerberas

There is additional dreaming, but I won't bore you with a huge list.

While daydreaming, I may have also had a smile on my face, which freaked  Paul out and lead him to ask what I was doing. I couldn't even reply as I was still lost in my own little world- Squirrel world ; D

Anyway, enough daydreaming.  I have been a very busy squirrel, spring is here, and I'm out of hibernation and been squirrelling away (sorry). I've been getting to grips with loads and loads of knitting, I've been very occupied, in truth no housework or spring cleaning has taken place for the past few days, and I was doing so well on the cleaning front too, what a shame..... Not lol!

Little booties-this pattern is so adorable: Ruth's Perfect Baby Booties by Ruth Bennett  knitted in Sirdar Calico- cream

Another adorable baby pattern: Tiramisu Baby Blanket by Alicia Paulson. Crocheted blanket with an easy repeat pattern. Decided to use ricrac to weave around the blanket border. Used ribbon for the bow which was secured in place with a teddy bear button.

Waistcoat from Sirdar Early Knits booklet. Yarn used Regia Extra Twist Merino in Greens, button band and arm edging- yarn is Regia Extra Merino Twist in Chocolate.

 Baby Mittens used Sirdar Calico in Turquoise the booties behind are Chausson's Mignons in Sirdar Calico Turquoise colour wave.

Makes a very beautiful baby set.

The pattern is Dear Wee Baby Singlet by Justine Turner knitted in Regia sock yarn by Design wave by Kaffe Fassett.

Improvised design, faces are from Monkey by Mary Ann Stephens on a basic roll brim baby hat.

Both items knitted in Sirdar Calico Cream and Dark Blue.

Baby Sweater Vest by Bley Hack knit in Sirdar Calico Turquoise and topped with Teddy Bear buttons.

Enchanted Wrist Purse by Michelle Heaney.
I'm loving this, and if Paul ever asked me to marry him (wishful thinking) I would make this to accessorise my outfit for the big day


On the iPod this week

And

Also listening to Cosmic Dancer by Marc Bolan & T-Rex

And

Other activities on my agenda that is other than sitting on my behind knitting. Decorating the living room. Paul would like the main feature wall this colour:

Dulux Red Currant

And my colour choice is this:

Dulux Blue Babe

I do like red- it's my favourite colour. However, I do think it is a touch overbearing, loud and angry for our living room. While the blue is calming, in fashion and will go with the sofa (cream cord) and curtains (rich cream) - think I may need a better argument lol.  I wonder if I will win the war of the living room! I've never seen an angry Squirrel before. Have you? Wonder if they're any good at fighting mmmm! Only one way to find out I suppose. Lol!

Paul  "the blue will look too cold" my reply "well stick a jumper on then"  Squirrel 1, Paul 0. Lol!





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