Profound Apologies

Ah my Lovelies! I hope you haven't been feeling abandoned this week, I have lots to post about, really I do, but my laptop unexpectedly died on me and the Internet in the library wouldn't let me sign in to update you all. I have very much missed being able to go to blogdom on a regular basis! So, to bring you all up to date, I have moved out of university accommodation! The packing was horrendous- I thought it would never end and I was so hot (finally summer has arrived!)!!! I took some photos of my room in it's gloriously messy state before I started- look how homely it looks...

I had to do my packing in stages- after day one of packing not a lot had been done, only under my bed and some of the shelves, but even that took hours!!

Day two was much more constructive, and I managed to clear out the cupboards, the wardrobe, the kitchen cupboards... I was on a roll!!!

There was stuff in bags and boxes everywhere!!

Day three was moving out day, so I got up early, stripped the bed, did the zillions of last minute bits and bobs, and then waited for the removal vans (or rather, my parents and an uncle- we needed two cars to bring it all home!!) to arrive.

It was very sad leaving my room, it was the first room I had had to myself where I could decorate it (within uni regulations of course) and decide what I wanted in it, and just lock myself away and hide when needs be. Although once you take all the personal belongings out of them, they are soulless, empty spaces which echo eerily when you talk. There is no trace of the person who lived there.

Anyway, once home there was the issue of unpacking and merging back into a house with four current occupants- some things found an unlikely home...

 

 (I love the bright pink of the jellyfish against the washed out leaves and branches of the jasmine!)...whilst other things blended seamlessly with the rest of the house, making very crafty little corners!

 

(The felted biscuits and the pears are creations of my Mother, and the patterns for them can be found on the Mollie Makes website.

I am now relaxing, enjoying the weather, and some hooky business which I shall let you know about once finished! Long warm days sitting outside with a cool drink and my crochet, and lovely balmy evenings where one can sit in the garden, light some candles and enjoy!

 Let me finish today's post with some glorious photos of the roses in the front garden, blossoming in the sunshine! Hopefully I will be with you again soon! (As soon as I find somebody else's laptop to borrow- or mend mine!)

The Finished Ripple!

Hurrah, finally I have finished my ripple blanket!! It now lies on my bed without fear of unravelling which is marvellous. I added 4 more colour stripes to it since you last saw it, so that the colours match the ones I began with to make it seem more complete.

So, you will be wanting some details of my lovely creation- well, it is 210 stitches wide (don't forget that if you are making your own blanket, each ripple section is 14 stitches long so your initial chains must be able to be divided by 14, plus 3 for turning) and 61 colour stripes long- although this is actually 122 rows as each colour is made up of two rows.
It is worked in treble or half treble stitches and I used a 4mm hook!

This won't be the last you see of the ripple however as I have a request from my brother for a underwater, seaside themed blanket...I shall get on it right away!!!

A Message To The Universe

Ssssh, don't tell anyone I've posted on here- I'm supposed to be preparing for a presentation that I am giving in a few hours!! I've never done one before though so it's very nerve wracking and am going with the theory that if I don't practise my speech to myself in the mirror then it won't happen and I won't have to say anything!!! (A ridiculous theory I know so after writing this I will go and do some work, promise!)
The presentation is about the work I have done on the Treasure box I made in the summer. It has now been developed into three trend boards, an inspiration book and a power point. I shall give you a quick run down:

 

Board 1: Inspirational Images & Colour

 

             Board 2: Materials & Colour Proportions

 

Board 3: Trend Barometer- basically trends that I think are on their way out or in, based around my trend. This is actually the second trend barometer board I made, very last minute, last night!!

 

The inspiration book is full of the images and bits and bobs that I had in my Treasure Box, but then the tutors wanted nicely in a book.

So anyway, that all comes to a close this afternoon.

Changing topic completely, myself and the flatmates I am moving in with later this year, now have to find a new flatmate as one has dropped out for personal reasons. A concerned mother suggested that we should write to the universe to request a nice person to live with. So we wrote a list, turned it into an origami swan, and released it onto the canal to be swept away and hopefully eventually read by the universe who will send us someone lovely.

 

It didn't stay upright for very long, so I'm not sure whether that is a good or bad omen. Although it might have had something to do with the fact that the canal has flooded with the amount of water bucketed down from out of the sky recently and the water was flowing very fast.



Happiness

Despite all of the cheerfulness of the last few posts, I have been having a bit of a depressing week with just one thing after another. The weather isn't helping either! Not a good time for the sun to go on holiday!
Still, I have tried to cheer myself up with some gorgeous flowers which I have arranged in several glasses around the room. I reorganised my windowsill just to fit them in!

I have my three little glasses on the window sill and then my usual big jumbled bunch in the Santa mug. Just look at the colours!!!

 A bit of summer sunshine during one of the wettest droughts I have seen!!

It was so lovely to be snuggled up in my room last night listening to the rain lashing against the window and knowing I didn't have to go anywhere. It was so cosy, look..

Ah, you eagle eyed readers will have noticed my ripple blanket amongst all the other crocheted goodness. It isn't completely finished, there are a few rows left to do, but I was so excited about it that I have started using it already and I can't tell you how happy it makes me to wake up and look down the length of the bed at all the cheerful stripeyness- a great way to start the morning!!
Even more eagle eyed readers will have noticed my new project sitting waiting to be completed. It is a blooming flower cushion, as described by the lovely Lucy in the Attic. It isn't finished yet and I have to keep dragging myself away from it to get on with some university work so it might take me a while. Still, here is what I have so far...

Tee-hee, looks so funky lying on my ripple blanket!!

So regardless of how disgusting and wet it is outside (the canal has risen an awful lot lately)...

...it is warm, woolly and cosy in my room!!

Packing For The Easter Hols

Another term over, and another holiday beginning! It is quite hard to believe that my first year of university is nearly over- I only have three weeks left of teaching time after the Easter holidays and then I am done for the summer!!! (Lots of crochet projects coming up I think- I am thinking about starting to take commissions although I'm not sure how many people would be interested. If you are then please leave a comment!!)
The parents suggested that I try and bring home as much stuff as I can this term so that when I pack up for summer and completely move out of Bede Hall I don't have to hire extra vans to transport all of my stuff home. My room is looking a bit bare and bedraggled at the minute with all of my books and DVDs off the shelves- I took some photos before I started properly packing though...

At this point all the packing boxes from under my bed are in the hallway as I had started and then remembered that I wanted photos- it's also why my desk is a bit of a mess.

We had some little visitors to Bede on my last day- I believe their names are Donald and Daisy.

And I had some presents of the chocolaty variety courtesy of Lucy...

And a mint aero lamb courtesy of me (sssh, don't tell the mother!)

Plus I went to the market and bought myself some new flowers! Not just daffs this time either!

Contagious Crochet

I am feeling very proud of myself at the minute because, somehow, I have managed to get half of my flat picking up crochet hooks and creating things- mostly granny squares, but still, it's a start!

 

 It's a bit difficult trying to coach several people all doing different things at the same time though, something I will have to practise I think. Still, a very pleasurable evening.

 

 Laura here is very proud of her first ever attempt at crochet! Here's hoping to many more granny squares- especially as she has bought a whole load of wool!!

Even I had a productive evening, working on a new project- jellyfish!! I am going to experiment with this pattern more though, making the swirly bits longer and different colours, and making the whole thing bigger or smaller. Soon I will have lots of jellyfish hanging from my ceiling!!

I may have shown you this before, but a few years ago I went to the Brighton Hobbycraft show, and there was the most amazing art piece- a tunnel made completely out of knitted and crocheted items, from fish, to coral, to lighthouses, seagulls and even a fisherman clutching a lobster! It was totally epic, and my jellyfish very much reminds me of it. It is the creative baby of Alison and Ann Murray, called 'Above and Below the Waves', and has been made by hundreds of talented and keen knitters/crocheters, of different ages and even nationalities, all in the name of charity!

Photos courtesy of Lady Jardin (who was also very impressed with the show by the sounds of things!)