I had a lovely walk this afternoon at Bircher Common, Herefordshire. I had never been there before and it was the perfect afternoon for a walk ... the sky was blue, the air was crisp and the view there is amazing. Dilly-dog had a lovely time too ... she wasn't at all bothered by the sheep and kept her distance, in fact she preferred to go under the gorse bushes and into the wood :)


Lots of sheep meant lots of wool ... and I can't help but pick it up as I walk along ... it was everywhere ...


... just lying on the ground ... attached to bits of wood and caught on the gorse (I didn't get that wool ... too prickly!) ... I collected it in my hat!

I ended up with quite a big pile ... it is currently soaking in some warm water and soap ... still need to remove a lot of twigs and leaves that are still attached, but I am thinking of making some greetings cards with it ... watch this space!


I hope you had a lovely Sunday afternoon x

This week is a Granny-Square ... very traditional, but quick and fun to make ... you can make them all on one colour or stripes as I have chosen ...


Instructions:
Foundation Ring: Work 6ch and join with a ss to form a ring.
Round 1: 3ch (counts as 1tr), 2tr into ring, 3ch, * 3tr into ring, 3ch; rep from * twice more, join with a ss into 3rd of 3ch (break off yarn if you want to change colour).
Round 2: (join new yarn to and 3ch sp) 3ch (counts as 1tr), [2tr, 3ch, 3tr] into same sp (corner made), * 1ch, [3rt, 3ch, 3tr] into next 3ch sp; rep from * twice more, 1ch, join with ss into 3rd of 3ch (break off yarn if you want to change colour).
Round 3: (join new yarn to and 3ch corner sp) 3ch (counts as 1tr), [2tr, 3ch, 3tr] into same sp, * 1ch, 3tr into 1ch sp, 1ch, ** [3rt, 3ch, 3tr] into next 3ch corner sp; rep from * twice and from * to ** once again, join with ss into 3rd of 3ch (break off yarn if you want to change colour).
Round 4: (join new yarn to and 3ch corner sp) 3ch (counts as 1tr), [2tr, 3ch, 3tr] into same sp, * [1ch, 3tr] into each 1ch sp along side of square, 1ch, ** [3rt, 3ch, 3tr] into next 3ch corner sp; rep from * twice and from * to ** once again, join with ss into 3rd of 3ch (break off yarn if you want to change colour).
Rep row 4 twice more (or until as big as you want)
Fasten off yarn.
This is a close up of the stitch.

Would love to see any squares you make x

Yes this is another crochet blog post! But just a small one!

My lovely friend Tina, who I love to bits saw my phone case on my blog and asked if I would make her one too :) Tina lives in Cornwall though and me in Herefordshire, so I made a cardboard block the size of her phone so I could crochet it the right size ...
Its made from some lovely variegated wool and a few odd bits that I had too ... I hope she likes it!!

I love Folksy ... I really do, whenever I have a spare moment, I like to have a browse and see what I can be tempted with ... there is always something new to tempt me!

So this week Collection from Folksy is I LOVE FOLKSY ~ these are all new sellers!

A ~ Sweet Little Bird Necklace by JEWEL PALACE
B ~ Fabric Shopping Bag by OOPSIE DAISY TEXTILES
C ~ Charm Bracelet by ENIGMA JEWELLERY
D ~ Butterfly Greetings Card by LOU BEE
E ~ Lemon Crystal Earrings by DRESSED TO THE NINES
F ~ Seeding Journal by SUPER CUTE TILLY

I hope you will pop along and support these lovely new sellers :)

... and these are my other pink photos. I was amazed to see a pink land-rover in the car park next to the car park I saw the purple on before Christmas ... do you think they are Mr and Mrs??!!

'7 things you didn't know about me' .... this is actually quite hard ... but here we go ...

1. I love traveling, especially at night ... I love seeing the lights from far off houses and wondering what's going on there ... I think about other people in cars we pass and wonder if they are on their way home to their family ... I love it even more in the winter when people have their Christmas lights up ... totally magical!
2. When I was a little girl I wanted to work in a zoo ... especially with the elephants ... I still LOVE elephants and how families are important to them and they have 'nanny' that help look after their babies. We used to live next door to Bristol Zoo and would wake to hear the lions roar ... I would love to see elephants in the wild ... its on my 'to do' list! For my 21's birthday, my auntie gave me 21 elephant presents ... it was lovely :D
Then as I grew up I wanted to be a clothes designer or make costumes for films ... I would still like to do that or work on building sets for films!

3. My favorite story as a child was Beauty and the Beast. It still holds a special place in my heart and is my favorite fairy tail ... and yes, roses are my favorite flower and scent! I think being beautiful on the inside is so important. The more we are beautiful on the inside, the more our beauty shines out of us.
4. My middle name is Joy .... I used to hate it cos when I was little and not happy, my mum used to say 'Where's Joy gone? we only have Maria' I hated it. But joy is actually a beautiful word ... it isn't just happy and frothy, it is a deep emotion that just fills you and pours out of you. It is like cherry jam in your tummy ... and I now love it.

5. For over a month (Dec & Jan 1999 I think it was) I washed my clothes in the local river and bathed there too! ....................... I was in the Caribbean at the time! I also spent Christmas day at an airport.
6. I once made a voluminous dress for a fashion show, out of dustbin bags ... it was worthy of Scarlett O'Hara!

7. When I grow up I want to be just like my mum ... she is the best mum in the world and the most patient and generous person ever (unless you are in a queue ... then she isn't patient!)
This is her taken this New Year with my baby niece ........... I say when I grow up cos I am only 34 at the moment! hehe!

This is an idea I have had since before Christmas, I hope you will enjoy it and join me in it if you fancy! Winter always makes me want to crochet and knit more than the summer and as you can tell from my recent blog posts I have been crocheting a lot recently! Last year my mum crocheted a lovely blanket ... mostly in 'Granny-Squares' but then half way through (before she sewed it together) decided to include other designs too, adding a bit of variety.

So my plan is to make myself a blanket and each square will be a different stitch/design/pattern. Every Sunday I will show you a new square I have made and put up the pattern too, so if you would like to join me in making a blanket, you can pick the squares you like or try them all! I will start with easy squares, getting harder by as the year goes on!

Mine (as usual!) will be in greens and maroons ;)

So this is the square I have made this week ...

Instructions:
Foundation Chain: Work 32ch.
Foundation Row: (right side) Work 1dc into 2nd ch from hook, 1dc into each chain to end, turn (31dc)
Fasten off yarn.


This is a close up of the stitch ... the treble stitches make a little bump that looks I think looks like a crocodiles back!

Would love to see any squares you make x

I made my camera case last night ...


 ... finished sewing it up this morning and added the button ...


... as with all my items, I made it up as I went along ...


... but I am really pleased with the result and that it matches my phone case :)

I hope you are having a lovely weekend x

I am a sucker for wool, it's my one weakness! Luckily in Leominster where I live there is a lovely wool shop full of divine temptation, and yes I was there again today! I love the phone case that I made the other day so much that I am thinking of making a camera case .... so off to the wool shop I toddled and balls of wool I did buy ...
... 'haven't I seen some of that wool before?' I hear you cry .... well yes, but I love it ... and have decided that after I have made a camera case, which won't take much wool, I am going to make a large blanket ... will obviously need more wool for that, but that won't be a chore to get honest ;)

So this week Collection from Folksy is WOOL!
A ~ Wool Flower Brooch by FRAGILE HEART BY GILL PINKNEY
B ~ Lace Taupe Shawl by WINTER COMFORTS
C ~ Knitted Carrot by NOOK AND CRANNY
D ~ Crochet Bowls by BEEP BEEP
E ~ Shoulder Bag by POMPOMKNITS
F ~ Crochet Necklace by KATIES CORNER

Please pop along and visit their shops and see the other lovely things they make xxx

With a theme of CUTE the only thing I could possibly take a photo of was my cute-pup
These are more cuties ...

I do ... its very sad I know, but I love my phone lots and lots ...
 I have had it now for just over 2 years and although I look after it, it has developed a small crack by the mute switch :(
I have been looking on eBay for a clip-on case that will protect it and I don't want it to get any worse, and I found this beauty ...
... divine isn't it! ... I was delighted when it arrived yesterday and the lovely seller had included another one too! She sent me a message, saying she had been planning on reducing them, so sent me a spare! (it was only about £5 anyway and that included p&p!)
So I now have another too for when I fancy a change ... Sadly though with this clip on back to it, my iPhone does not fit in the case I have for it, so last night I made this ... 
 ... I crocheted it out of scraps of wool left over from the cushion cover I made last month!
I am really pleased with it ... its lovely and soft and will hopefully protect my beloved phone for a little longer!

Have you met Shelly yet? If you haven't please pop along to her lovely blog and facebook page to find out all about her!

8 words that most describe you?
Caring, Honest, Loving, Funny, Dizzy, Laughing, Independent.

What do you make?
I make all kinds of crafts, I hand sew, embroider, cards, write poems, children's crafts, make soap, lip balm, cushions, cover buttons, notice boards, aprons, bags, dolls, felt envelopes, Christmas sack & stockings, fimo buttons, laundry bags, paint pegs, design patterns, cover books, dolls blankets, hats


What new craft would you like to try?
going to be trying out candles as I just love them, China painting


If you were a mr men / little miss character who would you be?
Mr Jolly ha ha ha



What is the best present someone has ever given you?
Well as mum of 2 girls that would have to be the best gift ever, going through life and finally meeting your soul mate, mum & dad coming home with a baby sister these would be my personal gifts
Other personal things I've been given, my grandad made me a dolls house which I love Christmas day opening the living room door and it was just there with all the lights on amazing to be handmade & furniture too.


When you were a kid what did you want to be when you grew up?
Wanted to be in the Royal Navy until I realised in secondary school Id have to do the physical training and couldn't being disabled

Do you collect anything?
Everything to do with crafting buttons fabric



Do you have any scars? How did you get it/them?
11 scars in total I'm disabled & have had knee replacements & elbow replacements

What’s on the walls in your room?
In my sewing room I've got a very large piece of wallpaper with lots of sewing ideas


Do you wish on stars?
yes of course Shelly wishes on stars I thought everyone did, The North star


What was your favourite toy as a child?
I loved so many from rag doll, weebles, sindy, carie which was so cute (I would love still to have one of these dolls to add to the ones on my bed) dolls house, holly hobby, bag puss, tiny tears, My doll that cried when the dummy came out, wendy house - & next door boy use to put the hose pipe on and i would pretend it was raining ha ha, Loved water fights with washing up liquid bottles, & making a den in the back garden that was great fun - I did a lot of pretend play, I was always the shop keeper.

Do you have any nick-names?
shellybobs !! giggle


Whats your favourite ice-cream flavour?
Mint choc chip xxx
I am glad you are now able to be shop keeper for real now Shelly! You can visit ShellyBobbins lovely shop on Folksy full of her hand made goodies or chat to her on twitter @ShelliBobbins ... Shelly, I have loved being your online friend x

We were planning to meet up before Christmas, but due to the bad weather and both of us not being well it kept getting postponed, but last Saturday we managed to meet up! Yey! I haven't seen Teri for 5 years, but it was lovely as it was as if no time had passed at all!
We met up in Manchester ... 2 hours away by train for me and 1 hour for Teri ... we had lunch out, did a bit of shopping, went for a lovely cuppa, did a bit more shopping, and then had a lovely meal before getting the train home.
... the first thing we both bought was a couple of bracelets that were on sale (the way we like them!) Teri's is the teal one and mine is the copper one.
I used my Christmas money and treated myself to a pretty bag from accessorize ... perfect for the summer!
... and also from accessorize, this pretty lace scarf, which I think I will wear to my brothers wedding later in the year.
I even managed to get a bit of crochet done on the train ... I have managed to finish one row of hearts ... I have been doing other things over the last few weeks so not picked up my crochet much ... I did run out of wool on the train though as only took the little bit of wool that was left on the ball with me as I didn't want to carry round more than I needed .... more space for shopping!!!! hehe

If you want to follow Teri's and my photo project blog {{CLICK HERE}}
I hope you all had a lovely weekend!