a camping granny

i'd been thinking about a crochet blanket plan for a while, at first i was sure i'd make a granny stripe & had been mulling over what colours i'd like to use, i'd seen this yarn on kemps website recently - i'm always checking their clearance yarns, i'd planned on making the blanket in an acrylic yarn, as i'd wanted it to be something we could take camping & that the kids could use in the garden in a den, or take to the park, so i didn't want it to be something i was too precious about, i dithered a little, not sure if  i'd like the colours or the yarn, but in the end temptation won over {& also at £1.09 for a 100g ball it wasn't going to break the bank} i ordered six colours & waited patiently for the postman,

{apple green, cerise, orange, grey, turquoise & jade}

by this time i''d made up my mind that i wanted to make a giant granny square, using two rounds of each colour, now this didn't really need a pattern but this would be a good starting point if you needed one, i couldn't wait to get started, now this isn't a particularly nice yarn to work with, but it feels okay once it's been worked up, i'm really happy with how the colours work together, i'm not really planning on getting this finished till next years first camping trip but i'm enjoying the short rounds at the start of the blanket, i'm sure i'll slow down when it takes me an hour to do one round!

& at least i'll have something to do whilst hiding in the tent from the rain on our final camping trip this year!

mademoiselle

i've spent far too much time on Amazon lately, what with three birthdays all very close together {last one being tomorrow - happy birthday hubs!} it's been hard to just stick to the list without being tempted to add a little something for myself, well with my final order i buckled - oops! this pattern book found it's way into my basket

technically it's not really for me - given that anything i make from it will be for little O or a gift for another little one, but it's oh so precious, i think i'd want this even if i didn't have a little girl to make clothes for, such sweet patterns & beautiful pictures, it's hard to choose what to make first

i also thought i'd stand far more chance translating the French, instead of Japanese, although it's set out in a very similar way to the Japanese versions, with plenty of step by step photos & pictures

midpoint

here we are just over half way through, the summer term long forgotten but the autumn one creeping up far to fast, i do always look forward to autumn, it always feels so much more of a season than summer here in the uk, even more so when you live in a small village, the signs are there already, kind neighbours with offers of apples & plums from their fruit trees, some ripe blackberries picked from the hedgerows whilst out walking barney, chunky yarn on my needles, it would be nice if summer went out on a high note & it stayed dry for our last camping trip - please!

my baby turned three! so she's not such a baby any more, i got rather emotional kissing her goodnight on the eve of her birthday, as i said 'this is the last time i will kiss you goodnight as a two year old' silly soppy mummy!

we've enjoyed days out with friends, exploring the woods, picnics at the park, pub gardens, the odd bbq

all good fun!

give-away winners

wow thanks for all the comments on the give-away post, i couldn't face writing out all the names & popping them into a hat, so i ventured down the path of  'random number generator' once i'd figured out to get it to do what i wanted, it was great {haven't quite figured out how to get a picture of the picked number onto the blog yet though}

so first up the winner of the sewing goodies was Clare from 'a home in the highlands', then the knitting goodies go to Ashley from 'country rose', your parcels got posted off this afternoon so should hopefully be with you soon

the mismatched needles go to Rachel from 'fizz pop bang' {please email me the info i need to send these off to you!}

on another happy note - my sweet peas are smelling delicious 

sweet dreams

when i found myself home alone on friday night {well as alone as one can be with two sleeping children in their beds & one faithful puppy following my every move}i took the opportunity to spend a little time with my sewing machine {& said faithful puppy at my feet} i've been planning to make this pattern for a while, & had it in my mind to make it as a nightie, now i'm normally a pj's kinda gal, but there are occasions when a nightie would be nice, so i used the tunic pattern from this Japanese sewing book {pattern D} & used some lovely light cotton i'd brought on a trip to ikea, which i'd never really known what to use for 

it came together quite easily & quicker than i'd thought {i'd already cut the paper pattern pieces out a while ago}i still find the whole process quite magical, how it all comes together & from a flat piece of  fabric i can make some thing to wear, which actually fits me! the fit is good, although i would only ever use this pattern to make a nightie {as it does rather look like maternity wear, great on the comfort front but not so great for the being seen in public when you're not actually pregnant front!} it's long, finishing past the knees, which is another thing i like, i added a couple of pockets, as i'm a big lover of pockets, i would however make these bigger next time, i think i'd also make the top bodice part longer & i might change where the pleats fall maybe, i'll wear this one for a while to see how it goes

*i'll close the comments on the give-away tonight, then pick a winner in the morning - good luck*

it's friday - let's have a give-away!

okay let's get to the good stuff

one winner will get their hands on this Amy Butler 'field bag & tote' pattern, along with a metre of some fabric from her 'love collection'

don't worry if you're not a sewer, there is something for the knitters too! another winner will get two balls of  freedom sincere 'organic cotton dk' in a lovely muted shade of purple & a small collection of vintage knitting needles 

having had a sort out of my knitting needles i also have a few 'odds', so if anyone is interested in these vintage needles for a collection or think they might have a partner they could reunite them with, please let me know & i'll do a separate 'lucky dip' for  them

the give-away is open to all {although not sure if there are any rules on sending knitting needles overseas?} all you have to do is let me know which you are, a sewer or a knitter {or a bit of both - therefore not really minding which goodies you get your mitts on!} then also please let me know if you're interested in the odd knitting needles too, i'll leave the give-away open over the weekend, then pick a winner on monday {or maybe tuesday if i forget what day it is}

a catch up

not sure i can even remember what week we're into of the school holidays {thinking two or three maybe} i do know that August has crept up on me far too quickly! my boy turned 6 & enjoyed a football party, 

i plan to make waffles for breakfast more over the rest of the holidays, i love these so much, we have a waffle iron you heat on the stove & the recipe is a bit of a faff but with such tasty results it really is worth it

there has been tree climbing for the kids

& lots of chewing from the puppy

there has also been time for naps!

we pretty much have more of the same planned for the rest of the holidays, although i'd be happier if i could slow time down a little

i plan on being back later today to do the give-way post - so pop back then x

charleston

in my dreams this is where i live & this is my garden in the middle of the beautiful sussex countryside

Charleston is just the loveliest place, the gardens {& tea room} are just fabulous {if you like that kind of thing} sadly we didn't get to look round the house, you have to turn up to buy tickets for the tour on the day, it seems that people in the know turn up when they open, buy their ticket, then enjoy a stroll & spot of lunch, we weren't so organised but i will be going back again, maybe without small child next time, as i now know what to expect {although little O was on her best behaviour}

we went to have a look at the Kaffe Fassett exhibition which is on there till the 21st August & whilst they only had a small amount of his work there, what they did have was truly beautiful & inspiring,