pheeeew!...bit of a nightmare few days

But all finished, all except a snail mail to go in this mornings post...fell ill in the week and it put me behind a bit.

Finished this morning

MANDALA PATTERN...asap 

First job is to write the pattern for those that want it

TIME TO PLAY HOOKY

First for this week I want to recommend a couple of yarns

I've been a big lover of JAMES C BRETT yarns for a long time but this is the first time I have used

COTTON-ON 50% Cotton 50% acrylic

Not a bad selection of colours, so soft, doesn't split when you hook it and a real pleasure to work with.

The second yarn is WENDY: PURE100% Bamboo ribbon 

Another soft, easy to use, none splitting yarn that is easy to use and gives a lovely result and an eco-fibre too

Catch up later

hugs to all x

Crochet Mandala cushion almost finished

All I need to do is a fastening...thinking zip, but it will have to wait now until next week

things to do

The Cushion Back

I wanted a quick to make cushion back, so went with one colour and used a pattern I make drinks mats with.

A few coasters.

Shell stitch edging to the cushion...a favourite.

A circular cushion pad from an old square one.

Back to normal daily post next week but for now I've got a Mandala pattern to write and a book to finish.

Enjoy your week everyone, looks like it might be another nice day here.

Hugs to all x

Splash of colour for the Kitchen and garden.....

Another sun filled morning...I won't say day just in case lol

a little splash of colour in the Kitchen, a new tin for my ryvitas, a flower plate (waiting for more to come in b&m store, bought the last one) the garden bowls on an Ikea tray.

The mandalas would make cheerful place mats too I think

B&M Store for the garden crocks, some great buys in B&M, a new store 15minutes down the road.

Decided to make a cushion pad from a square one and going for 16", so expensive to buy

so might finish the blue and green circular cushion today.
One more round and it will be 16"

Hope the sun is shining down on you where ever you are

Enjoy your Sunday everyone x

Sun, gardening and Mandalas...

It's been gorgeous here today and we have been outside all day, bit of gardening, lots of sun and lots of my own hooky.

I think I have worked all the stitches out by doing a second Mandala, bit of trial and error with something new, but eventually it falls into place.

Glad you all like the colours of the first one, I prefer it too.

The 2 are of similar size now but i need the cushion pads before doing any more to the fronts, still undecided on the backs yet.

It's so good to be back blogging again and I missed you all too

Hugs x

A SECOND MANDALA....

Cushions it will be......

I just kept going with the blue/green one yesterday and now it is almost cushion size, 

I started a second one this morning in a different colour way.....thinking cushions?

The Sun arrived this morning so out came the garden furniture and cushions, 

the Mandalas will look great with the daisies and ripples.

August: First Free pattern.....

I will be doing a Mandala pattern and all about the yarns I have used, some time in the first week of August.

These first two are a bit hit and miss (free form) to get them to work,

 but I will try to work out a pattern that can be copied for those that want it.

Yarn

Worked mostly in cotton and cotton mixes but Colourmart 100% Merino can be mistaken for cotton so ther is some of that in the mix because it was the right colour

need some circular cushion pads before deciding on size

DUNELM?..here I come

So much fun to make

hugs to all xx

FAIR ISLE MANDALA

Just lately there seem to be a lot of quite decorative Mandalas around in blogland, very interesting.

So I did a bit of research and found that

they are based on post stitch and have origins in Aran crochet.

It seems that Melody MacDuffee is the crochet artist who first started to make these sort of intricate Mandalas back in 2003

Some of her patterns are really intricate the over lay is very detailed

Thought I would have a go at a Mandala and a bit of post stitch

Personally I think mine looks more like a crochet version of Fair Isle  and very like a Fair Isle Beret 

both knitting patterns are from Debbie Bliss patterns on Laughing Hens

Works for me and a technique I will use a lot I'm sure.

It looks complicated and intricate but it is real easy to add post stitch to a Mandala and they are a 

great deal of fun to make 

Hugs to all x

Guess What?

I've got the day off lol

But do you know what?

All I want to do is play hooky.

ADDICTED OR WHAT?

What do you think this should be?

or this?

Yesterday I had a mail form the lovely Virginia at GMC Publications,

The last of the projects and the most valuable too, posted on Saturday on an Express24 service still hadn't arrived......PANIC OR WHAT?

All I could think about was having to remake the 4 projects in that parcel, one being a BIG double bed blanket.....nooooooo! 

I put the thought right out of my head AT ONCE.

I rang tracking today to find it was taking a short holiday at Gatwick..huh!

Not impressed, but it arrived safely mid afternoon today.

Some Express service that was.

Relief has put a smile on my face though.

Hugs to all xx

Almost finished the book...just the written sections to do in the next two weeks then things can get back to normal again around here..missing you all, a lot.

A teeny piece of crochet I slipped in the the 16 hour days I have had over the last few months.

 Just woke up one morning and a picture was in my head, so I just had to do a little experiment

Catch up real soon

Hugs to all xx