Bloomin' CAL....Week 2

This is my second week of joining in on the Bloomin' CAL with Chrissie Crafts and Ladybird Diaries, last week I only had a few hexagons but this week I have loads more as I have been mainly focusing on this project. I always crochet a bunch of centres first and then add the cream border to them after having so many centres, as you can see in this photo.

I have been contemplating adding more colours in, possibly different shades of the colours I have as I am not wanting to put any yellows or greens in this blanket. For now I am sticking with these colours until |I am definitely sure what I want to do with it.

I better go now, I promised my work mates that I would make nutella cheese cake for them for nightshift tonight. They kept requesting for some ever since I posted a photo of the first nutella cheesecake I made last week! It was totally delish!

Check out Chrissie Crafts and Ladybird Diaries for more projects on the Bloomin' Crochet-A-Long.

Take care,

Hazel x

Ta-dah! My Little Squares Cushion!

My cushion is all finished! When I mentioned on Wednesday that I really hoped to have it finished for today, I have been determined to get it completed. I am quite pleased as I only started this project two weeks ago and now it sits proudly on my couch! Unfortunately my lovely camera is dead and I haven't a clue where the battery charger is for it, so I have had to make do with taking the photographs on my phone camera. 

I started making the back of the cushion first, after I decided I wanted to make more things to make my living room more cosy. I think it took me just under a week to make the back before I decided what I wanted to make for the front of the cushion.

After a bit of searching around on pinterest and ravelry, one day I was finally inspired by Attic24's Little Squares Cushion and wanted make the front of my cushion something similar to what Lucy has made for her cushions. I have even used my special stylecraft dk stash to make this cushion, using nearly all the colours that I own. I crocheted both of the cushion sides together with purple yarn, and just crocheted the cushion pad in.

That's my cushion at home on my couch, along with my other crochet cushions. I think the couch is the most cosiest part of the whole living room and I love how colourful it all is with my hexagon blanket too! Speaking of hexagon blankets, I will now have undivided attention to make more hexagons for my newest blanket project!! Yay!

If you want to see who else has FOs to show off today, check out Tamis Amis blog!

Take care and have a good weekend!

Hazel x

Bloomin' Crochet-A-Long......Week 1

The past few weeks I have noticed a few friendly bloggers participating in a new Bloomin' Crochet-A-Long, Chrissie Crafts and Ladybird Diaries are both working on the Hexagon Flower throw that is in the Nicki Trench's Cute and Easy Crocheted with Flowers book. Another blogger friend A World of Imagination is working on a hexagon blanket too which is inspired by Attic24's hexagon pattern, and seeing all of these inspired me to start making hexagons for a new hexagon blanket....because why the heck not!!

I am using a pattern from Granny Squares book by Susan Pinner, this is a really good book for those who love granny squares, hexagons and stripes.The pattern I am using from this book is simply called Hexagon Blanket, although I am following the pattern loosely and putting in my own stitches because I never seem to be able to follow a pattern without changing something about it! I have only made a few hexagons, as I have been making these as well as crocheting my Little Squares Cushion. Once I have completed my cushion, I am hoping to do at least one hexagon a day for the CAL. The good thing about this CAL, is that there is no time limit and no specifications as to what you are to do as long as you post about it on a Thursday and hopefully have a completed blanket at the end of it! So mainly it is just a bunch of friendly bloggers making similar blankets at the same time as each other.

If you want to know who is all taking part, every Thursday Ladybird Diaries and Chrissie have a list of bloggers on her weekly Bloomin' CAL post. It would be a very good way to get some inspiration too!

Take care!

Hazel x

Little Squares Inspired Cushion

Hello! Hope you are all well, although I am not really keeping good. Had to go to my local GP this morning as I woke up with very bad conjunctivitis in my right eye (that's the nurses exact words!), they took a swab and gave me a prescription for an antibiotic ointment. I've also been told I'm not allowed to go to work with conjunctivitis as I work in a baby food manufacturing company because of the type of infection it is. I am very thankful it is just one eye, as the ointment has made my vision very blurry and I think I would feel helpless if I had blurry vision in both my eyes. Anyway on to a more cheerful topic, some crochet!

A little while back I decided that I wanted to make our living room a little bit cosier, as I felt it was lacking the cosy feeling whenever you walked in. I asked people on Instagram for some ideas and I got some suggestions like more throws (working on that), more cushions, more colour, a rug (working on that), colourful wall art...and I agree with all of those! 

So I started a new cushion cover, inspired by Attic24's Little Squares Cushion, as she is great when putting colours together! Although I think the colours I have put together are a little bit more vibrant than the ones that Lucy has put together....it's great how you can see the difference in people's colour taste!

This is the back of my cushion cover, I completed this a little while ago and its just waiting on the front to be completed.

I have made much more progress on the front of my cushion cover than shown in this photo, and I think I am pretty close to a ta-dah moment with it. Maybe Friday, being very optomistic!

I already have a spot for it in my living room, on the chair you see to the right as you enter the room. It will be the first colourful thing you see as you enter our little flat!

To check out other WIPs, go on over to Tami's Amis blog!

I am going to go back to hiding now!

Take care,

Hazel x

Minecraft Creeper Cushion

I made this cushion last Christmas for my friend, and was really tight on the deadline to make it that I never got to take a photograph of it. It is probably the most geeky thing I have ever made but I think it looks awesome. For you that don't know the reference, Minecraft is a game placing blocks to build anything you can imagine. There are monsters in this game such as creepers, zombies and spiders...so this cushion is based from a creeper. 

I think it was an excellent stash buster as well as it used up all the different green yarns that I somehow acquired last year. Definitely one of my favourite FOs! 

Want to see more FOs, check out Tamis Amis blog!

Snuggly Ripple Blanket

I finished my ripple blanket last week, and never had the time to take photographs of it to show you it until this week! It looks like I have made it just in time for the really cold weather setting in at night time now, its great for being cosy under while I am at the laptop or watching the tv!

I really love seeing it draped over my chair in my spot! It's handy having it close to me in case I suddenly get cold! To make this blanket I think I used around 3 balls of dark grey, 2 balls of light grey and 2 balls of red yarn for this blanket and a 7 mm hook. The yarn is Sirdar Hayfield Bonus Chunky, so it wasn't too expensive to make but is still warm and soft! It isn't a big blanket, ideal for keeping lap and toes warm and it was a great way to try out the ripple pattern too!

Oh! Happy 'I love yarn day'.....apparently it was today (shhh don't tell anyone....but every day is 'I love yarn day' to me!)

I hope you all have a good weekend!

Hazel x

Pom poms and Squares

I decided to show you my pompom rug progress, which is going very very slow. According to my instagram history, I started this in June and it is still not even half way. But I really love all the random colours together, and I am using different shades of pink, blue, green, purple and red. It's great buying yarn for it as I just pick up random cheap yarn from different shops to add the variety in shades, although it is definitely a yarn eater! I am not expecting to finish this until late next year or maybe the start of 2015.....I am really not in a rush with this project at all!

The Man Blanket was my travelling crochet project at the weekend when I went up north to the Highlands, I think I managed to get 9 rounds done while being in the car. I know 9 rounds doesn't sound a lot when we drove around 400 miles all in...but I was crocheting at a leisurely pace and being distracted by the lovely scenery that I was surrounded with. The Highlands are so remote and peaceful looking.

I have started another new project, but I haven't had the time to take a proper photograph of it in daytime light because I have been doing over time at work, and night time lighting doesn't do justice for the colours of yarn. Can't wait for Friday either as I have proper photographs of my chunky ripple blanket to show you!

Anyway I am going to go back to hooking my new project!

Take care,

Hazel x

Trip Into The Highlands

At the weekend Andy and I decided to spend the weekend up in the Highlands, as our friend offered to let us spend the weekend at his home. While I was up there I took a few photographs as the scenery is beautiful, and we had great weather the whole time we spent up there! I am not going to into telling you lots of things, but rather just show you the moments I caught through photographs.

One of many colourful houses found at Findhorn Ecovillage

Enjoying some tea, scones and cakes at The Willow Tea Shop

Cullen Harbour

 A landscape view from Duffus Castle

 Duffus Castle

Enjoying the scenery at Hopeman Beach

Colourful beach huts (I want one of these!)

Sun setting at Hopeman Beach

We only really had time to see things on the Saturday as we came back home on Sunday but I am really grateful for my friend giving us a tour of the remote scenic areas around him, as they are all beautiful. Even the drive up through the Highlands can be breathtaking, however it can be a long journey for driving. I managed to get 9 rounds done on the granny square Man Blanket during the long drive!! 

I've taken today off work to catch up on housework and re-energise a little before I go back to work tomorrow, and of course do a little bit more crochet! 

Hope you are all keeping well!

Take care,

Hazel x

Kneading Dough, Hooking Yarn

Over a week ago I was inspired enough to try baking my own bread, as I have been watching the Great British Bake Off every single week since it started. So during my trip in the nearest supermarket one day, I bought myself some bread flour and dried yeast. I didn't have any recipes for bread, so I followed the basic one on the back of the yeast packet. I also didn't know how long to knead for, or anything about proving and rising the dough! So my first attempt was just a basic white cob loaf, and I managed to bake it pretty well and it tasted like bread, but it wasn't very light. Still, I was impressed with myself and bought these two books from the shops to help me out a bit more! They were 2 for £10 from Whsmiths, which is a steal!

I figured that I should probably try and understand a bit more of how baking bread really works, and how to knead and all the important little quirks that you need to know to keep the yeast in the bread happy. For my second attempt, I used a recipe from the Paul Hollywood book which I found great to read! I had much better results with this loaf but I think my tin was a bit too big for my dough so it my loaf turned out quite shallow even with a good rise, but it was so satisfying! 

During the week, I ran out of my white bread flour and I decided to try out wholemeal bread flour and I made this loaf later on in the week (with a smaller tin). It looks like bread from the shops, don't you think?   

I've decided that breadmaking might be my new hobby, which is nice as it's very different from crochet and there is something therapeutic about kneading dough! However I have still been crocheting, my ripple blanket is finished but I haven't taken a proper finished photograph of it yet, so here is one of it not long before it got completed.

Who would have thought I would have something else to talk about besides crochet?! As I type I have some dough proving in the kitchen, I am getting better at not peeking at it so much. I am planning to make dinner rolls with it, just to see if I can he he. Better go!

Take care,

Hazel x