Plarning

Had a lovely day.  It's Saturday, the weekend, longer lie and 2 family days.

Yesterday was the first meeting of the knitting club at the library.  I had taken a half day so I could go and support the library.

It was a great wee group.  I knew some of the people then including a close friend and some of the librarians were there.  I'm not going to be able to go again though as I can't get that time off on a Friday. 

One thing that someone was doing was that caught my eye was crocheting with carrier bags. She was making a crochet bag with them.  It looked right up my street.  

So today i got on the iPad and looked up patterns and YouTube tutorials.  So I found a YouTube tutorial by bethintx1 on plarning the circular way.  It was a really helpful tutorial.  It means that you ,are one big length from the one carrier bag.  

So then I found a pattern for a tote bag that seems quite easy.  I think I'm using a hook that's  a wee bit too small.  The pattern is  http://www.myrecycledbags.com/2008/07/19/the-ultimate-grocery-bag/

So this is it so far.   It's coming on quite fast.  The other ones I've seen though online are made with funkier bags, they must come from places where they have nicer bags.  Round here it's sainsburies or tesco or Asda.   The mackays bags are nice, pink or purple but I don't have many of them.

So plarning,  that's where I'm at today.

Back to school for another year!

Hi, yes, it's another blog. I'm on a roll.  

Today my little people went back to school after 7 weeks of playing,

running, cycling, jumping and generally having fun.  They were so

smart walking in.  They seem to have grown up so much in those 7 

weeks and my heart swelled with pride as they walked in

ready for their first day.

This is My sister Emma with my wee girl in the background.  She takes any opportunity she can get to take selfies with my phone.  I left them in the car for five minutes till I popped in for some bit for lunch.  Wee monkeys.

Right up the back of my garden is my nasturtiums.  This bit of the garden is left pretty to much 

to do its own thing as the wild growth covers a tree stump that's too wonky to be any use 

but too big to be removed.  My dad grew these nasturtiums, three years ago. And they 

keep coming back to visit.  Regrowing every year.  They remind me of dad.  Even the

Ones he grew nearly 9 years ago make a small appearance at our old flat across the road.

Got some shiny leggings!

And I'm working on the granny stripe mittens by 'Lucy in the sky'. I still haven't worked out 

How to link sites on my iPad.  If anyone can help with that I would be much appreciated.

I'm still here, honest!

If you are reading this thanks for sticking with me.  I have some woolly blogs waiting in the wings, i just need to get on the pc to do them. 

I thought I better blog at least something incase you thought I had just disappeared, gave up, ran away.  Working day shift is so much better for me but I'm not in the 'routine' yet. I go to bed too late then rush in the morning, then by nighttime I'm tired and so on.  Kids go back to school next week so I'm setting myself a bedtime target.  Hmmmm.

I've been altering my twitter and trying some new blogs to read.  If anyone can suggest any new blogs I would much appreciate it.  I just don't have enough.

          Kids thought it would be funny to much about with my oven gloves.  Wee monkeys.

          Good job my floor was clean.

                                        

   Not exactly the classiest bearded collie.  She thinks its okay to just stretch out and take up the           majority of a three sweater sofa.  Did I move her?  No.  I did not.

                                       

 My mums westie,  she has a bit of a thing about the tv.  Obviously she was loving the singing from this wee lassie on the tv.  

Thanks for reading,  it's lovely to think people would take the time to have a wee read and  any comments would be much appreciated.

Yarndale Bunting

Have you heard of yarndale? If not read here. http://yarndale.co.uk/   I have been reading about it with interest for a few months now. It sounds like a fantastic community event and I'm very jealous that I won't be able to make the journey down to take part in the woolyness.

I did however make some triangle granny bunting to send down. I love to think something I made will be down there,  hanging with the other bunting that loads of people are making.



You can find the pattern here. http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/granny-bunting-triangles.html   

Making these was really therapeutic and the crocheted up really quickly.

I used a lot of my spare bits of wool and bought a ball of Wendy Raspberry Pink with some glitter through it.  I really liked it a lot.

                                        

This is all 10 of my triangles.  All neatly pressed as per the instructions.  I think my family thought it was a bit strange that I was in the kitchen, iron poised a few millimetres from the triangle that was pinned to the section of mattress.  You know these ikea toddler beds, they come with a small section of mattress you can use to make the bed longer as the wean grows.  That bit!

  All nicely stacked up.

                     

This is my lovely yarndale bag. I bought it online a few months ago and it's now my main project bag.  I just 

love the cheeky wee sheep with all it's crazy colours.

I hope if you get the chance to visit yarndale you will tell me all about it.

Yummy cakes and cheeky ornament

It's been over a few weeks since my last blog, a lots been going on which has held me back a bit. As I've mentioned before, I usually work nights but changes in the place I work have meant a lot of changes for me and where I will be working very soon. In a few weeks I will be working Monday to Friday, 9-5. I'm very much looking forward to getting back to office based work and to getting into a routine. So that will either mean I can blog routinely, on a certain day or, that I won't have time to blog at all.
I think daytime working will have its benefits. In theory!!! I should be able to lose weight as I won't be too tired to exercise properly.

This is a yummy lemon cheesecake I got for dessert at the Corran Inn. It doesn't look as big in this picture as it really was.

I got this cheesecake for my sister from http://www.handmadecheesecakes.co.uk/ for my sister 18th. It was so yummy and the company were great. It was hand delivered on her birthday, there were no problems at all.

I got this cheeky wee cake at a school fayre last Saturday. It has a chocolate orange segment on top of it and it tasted so so good.


I bought this cute ornament from a charity shop when i was out a wander. These wanders can be quite dangerous as I ended up buying a skirt from new look and some wool which I said I wouldn't buy till the stash had been seriously busted but I couldn't help myself. Really, I couldn't.
I'm still working on my blanket, (copy of little tin birds Elmer blanket).
Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Stashbusting and bank holidays

                                          

                               

I've started a new blanket using a mixture of techniques I've picked up from the internet, mainly Attic 24 and little tin bird I have lots of smallish balls of wool in all different colours, not really big enough for any project except this one.   Even though I have picked out so many colours for this blanket there are so many more, even after Ive taken out the purples for the blanket below. They are pram blanket sized, maybe a touch bigger.   Ive been using the join as you go method which for me is better as it drives me crazy joining them at the end, squares get lost and found later once the item is finished and i just find the whole thing a bit tidier.

I cant just be doing one blanket at once, there has to be more on the go.  So out of the aforementioned stash here comes some purple.  This is coming together beautifully, I am so pleased with it.  I was maybe going to put it on Etsy or ebay but erm,   it might have to stay with me.

Went to Ayr on the bank holiday Sunday and done some Waterstones shopping. The main thing we went for was shopping for white shoes for holy communion in a few weeks time but my goodness it was difficult to get white shoes.  Ivory, no problem, we could have got those in the first shop but white, the las shop.  I dont even have them yet, I need to go back to Ayr at the weekend.

  

 And this was what madam bought.

Skint knees on the Monday.  Scooter related incident. 

Made all better by a McFlurry. 

 Rainy bank holidays are perfect for lego building!

 

Doggy walks after school on the warmest day we have had so far.  Its rained on and off since that day, a few days ago.  I hope that wasnt our summer.  Please dont let that be it.  

 Dont you just love the pattern on this tiramisu, it reminds me of one of my favourite things, granny squares!!

Thanks for reading.

Jaunt to Glasgow

Went a wee jaunt to Glasgow on Thursday to have lunch with my friend Jim then back to the garage to see my old work colleagues. It was a lovely lunch in Coias Cafe on Alexandra Parade, had a tasty Caesar salad then a strong latte.

Enjoyed a little bit of mitt knitting on the train and some iPad action. Oh and a mars bar, I was starving after the gym.
It was lovely to catch up with folk I haven't seen for ages.
On the way home I phoned John Lewis to ask about a top for my wee boy for the Beavers. Well, it wasn't easy trying to explain to the woman on the phone it wasn't a top with a beaver on it. My Scottish accent was a bit lost on the polite call centre attendant. I got the top after walking up to the shop. Hopefully it will make him a bit more happy about joining in when he is there. He is a bit shy.

Stopped off in Yo Sushi for some....... sushi. It was yum.

Got myself a lovely pink case for my iPad mini.
Then off to Starbucks for a large latte with an extra shot.
Then back to the train. Got on the train, feeling quite pleased I had a seat. then the doors closed. The lights went off and a guy walked by with a next train beyond this sign. Panic!!!! There were a few other folk all up at the door. Luckily, once they uncoupled the trains, it was okay and the doors opened but I didn't fancy getting stuck on the train with a guy that was already pissed off because he had missed the last one. He recounted to the other passengers how unfair it was that they hadn't let him on the last train but the train was moving while he was running up the platform. Nae luck mate.

Project Simplify 2013 Part 1 - Shelves

BEFORE

This week was the week for shelves. These shelves were getting on my nerves for a while now. More so because I could see them from outside too. Things just tend to get stuffed in there rather than taken to bedrooms not that I'm pointing any fingers. The kids were quite amused at their daddy's collection of vinyl. So it began, out came the bin bags and piles were soon being made. 

I sort of got a little help from this guy.  Well, not so much a help as him throwing one thing out then sifting through the rest of the items. 

  AFTER

This is so much better.  I know where things are, the big door on the right hand side is back on after me thinking a few years ago it would be a good idea to take it off.  Lots of fiddly bits chucked out and things, paper and magazines sent to the recycle.  Phew!

Now, to tackle week 2.

Edinburgh Zoo post by Jessica

Jessica has been asking about blogs and what kind of things I post and could she have a shot at it. So I have uploaded the pictures of our Trip to Edinburgh Zoo to let her have a wee go at it. She is my guest poster.

We arrived at Edinburgh Zoo on Thursday 11th of April , we had to travel on two trains and a very busy bus to get to our destination! Phew,a lot of traveling!!!

 The first animal we saw was the Painted Hunting Dogs.I was very disapointed because they were sleeping. Lazy dogs!!! :-[

 The lemurs were very cute. It was when the zoo keeper got their food they came out. I thought they looked like giant squirrels :-]

 The monkeys were absolute NUTS! They could be circus  gymnasts if they wanted to! OOH OOH AHH AHH!!!

 That looks fun.Hey monkey,give me a shot!

 Hippos lounging in the pool doing nothing. They must have a VERY relaxing life.

 MEERKAT TIME!!! [They bark like dogs.]

 Compare the meerkat .com compare the market .com simples!!! [did I get that right?]

Meerkats back again... Zzzzzzzzz

This one dosen't look very happy. I wonder why...

 Hello my little meerkats!

 I wonder who's hiding in this hole???

Ahhhhhh, thats nice... A bear loves his back scratch. 

 Yeah, lunch time! I wonder whats on the menu today...hmmmm

 YES!!! I love oranges.Like all Sun Bears. Duuuuh

 My little brother Joe showing of his mad climbing skills. Go Joe!!

Me and Emma on a sky activity wooden rope thing or whatever you want to call it. P.S I don't recommend it to wimps or small children. 

Emma on the wooden planks. You literally had to shimy across it. 

 Joe the gymnast is back!!! WOAH!!!

The penguin parade was good but it only had 5 penguins in it  :-[ 

 GO PENGUINS!!!

 YOU CAN DO IT!!!

 GO GO GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 The king penguin is here!

 Joe the gymnast with some random penguins. They were actually quite fast.

 The penguin pool! Swim penguins SWIM!!!

 The Rhinos are coming! They are Indian One Horned Rhinos. Very interesting to know.

 Weird baboons. Their butts look funny. :-o

 ROAR! I'm the lion king! You are under my power!!!

 Can you spot the tigers in the distance...I'm over here!

 Go zebras! I wonder if they paint their stripes on. Hmmmm

 The lions like having there little conversations. I wonder what the say to each other cause all I can here is growl growl.

 Lazy koala bears. They sleep 23 hours a day!!!

 Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

Another zebra conversation.

 STILL snoring!!!

 Look at the pretty pink flamingos. From here they look like candyfloss. Yum.

 Candyfloss candyfloss. It makes me feel hungry now.

Oops. Wheres the car???