Quarter Year Review

Well hello, lovely lovelies. It's been an age, hasn't it? I am very sorry for neglecting you recently. I've been struggling a bit with the depression and for some reason have had a bit of a mental block with blogging and with taking pictures. Odd.

There is good news though - I have a marvellous new therapist. Her name is Suzanne and I absolutely love her. We're working through some tough stuff that's left me feeling very vulnerable. I have also been ill - I have had bloody shingles again.

So, picture of domesticity I am not! The house looks like a pig sty, I am feeling a bit suspicious about who I can trust at the moment (a side effect of the issues I am working through with Suzanne, I think) and I look like a rusty old bus. With dents in.

Can you believe that a quarter of 2010 has passed already? Isn't it frightening?! I have some collages to share with you (I'll keep this post at the top, look below) and you can see time passing here at The Cottage.

Spring has surprised me this year. Most years I am willing it on from January time, looking for each tiny developing sign that better weather is on the way. This year I really couldn't be bothered, and here it is uncalled for. It reminds me of the story of the man who woke up the sun. It feels odd that life is continuing without my participation, but strangely reassuring.

The downsides to the first three months of 2010 are evident; I didn't think I could get any more depressed and wham! I was in for a big surprise. HOWEVER, I believe that a lot of this new depression is because I am digging over the beds in my head to clear the weeds. It's going to be unsettling, isn't it? But necessary for the garden to grow again.

There have been upsides. I have shared some lovely time with both children, but Jonathan in particular. He's growing into a very sweet and sensitive young man. I am very proud of him. We had a parents' evening for Charlie this week and the teacher was saying how much she enjoyed having him in the class (despite him being a bit of a scamp) and I thought that was lovely.I am pleased he's progressing academically, but secretly I am always more pleased to hear he's happy, settled and has friends.

I have gone a long way to setting up my Etsy and Foksy stores, and have been very busy making stock. I will tantalise you with some pictures over the coming days. I have really enjoyed the process and am proud of what I have achieved.

I was bought a fantastic sewing machine for my birthday, so I am feeling really very lucky. I've been doing all sorts of fantastic embroidery and making of pillowcases and duvet covers. More of that next week I think.

Anyway, if you're stopping by I would love to hear what you're up to. 

Lots of love and big squeezes

Claire xxx
 

Project 4 Taa-Daa: Crochet Bunting

 I love, love, love this!

It was dead quick and easy too. I made up the pattern myself!

I apologise for the fuzzyness of the photos, I could not seem to focus that day at all!

I was inspired by the Crochet and Knit Flowers book I got for Christmas.

Do you like them?

I wanted something summery to cheer up my hallway. We use the side door here, rather than the front door, and it doesn't get much sunlight.

Can you spot my naughty boy, TC? He has a thing for boxes. Dom had a box full of beekeeping equipment in the hall that was too heavy for me to move, and I couldn't get TC out of the picture.

Project 3 Taa-daa : Pottery Class

You know what? I don't enjoy my pottery class on a Friday morning anywhere near as much as I thought I would. I had dreamed of pottery for ages, but I haaate the tutor, he's really crap. He expects you to get on with your own thing, and will then come over (sometimes weeks after you started, having watched you get on week after week) and say "you've done that wrong."

It's no surprise I don't enjoy it really, is it?

Anyway, here is my offering. The idea of the roses was to put them on wire in the kitchen window, like a cross between a net curtain and a mobile. I will take a photo if I ever get this done.

I like the glaze on the bowl; it was the best of a bad bunch. Unless it's pottery with those 1970s brown spots then, frankly, Mr Teacher 1) thinks you are an arse and 2) won't allow you to do it.

Satisfaction Rating: 1/10. Crafting should not be combative.

Project 2 Taa-Daa: Felted Bowl

I have been wanting to have a go at felting for some time but, for some unknown reason, had been putting it off. I think fear of the unknown sometimes makes me retreat from doing the things that interest me the most - weird, huh?

My first go at felting was unsuccessful - it was a stripy bowl, but some yarn didn't felt whilst others did. It became a small, floppy -in-places-but-stiff-in-others, tiny beret. Which gave me an idea!

I really enjoyed knitting the Pat and Julia Beret for my Mother-in-Law for Christmas (which became affectionately known as the Bumhole Beret. Rather embarrassing as the pattern author favourite-d it on Ravelry...) Anyway, I decided to have a go again, and felt the resulting beret.

I stuck it in a 60 degree wash with a few pairs of jeans. The anticipation was immense. This time I used 100% wool (like, durr, but I had read things on the internet where pepole claimed yarn of up to 50% wool content could be felted - THEY WERE WRONG!)

Anyway, here 'tis. I am pleased. I have some lovely mother of pearl buttons with which to embellish it too, soon.

Satisfaction Rating: Knitting the hat - 5/10, been there, done that. Felting - 10/10. You do nothing except wait with baited breath for the wash cycle to finish. Perfect!

Cost: one skein of 100% wool yarn - £4.00 (ish)

First Taa-Daa of 2010 : Hand Knit Socks!

Well, I am very proud of myself for this one, because this time last year knitting socks felt like the very pinnacle of knitting - and something I would never achieve. However, I have, and here they are!

These socks were knit using Colinette Jitterbug 4 ply yarn - not cheap at £9.95 per skein, but amazing to work with. I bought the yarn back in September and was saving it for a special occasion.

The one thing that drives me mad about "posh" yarns are having to change it from a skein to a ball. I know it's suposed to show off the colours better but, frankly, it's a pain in the arse. You don't buy cotton in a skein to put onto a bobbin before using on a machine do you? Hmm? Hmm?? Also, I am not a huge fan of variegated yarns. They always look great on the skein, but go a sort of grey colour when knitted up. I like my colours pure and strong. Except in this case, where the colours are strong enough to speak for themselves.

I got second sock syndrome, so I waited about a fortnight between sock one and sock two - the novelty of wearing one sock wore off after ... umm ... about 24 hours. I am such a child.

Anyway, this was a good one to start the year with - and was #54 from the 101 in 1001 list!
 
The pattern is here, if you want the link: http://knittinggirl-lovetoknit.blogspot.com/2008/03/magic-loop-socks-tutorial.html 

Satisfaction Rating: 8/10. They're a bit baggy around my heels and were quite fiddly to do. But I am very pleased I completed them.

The Mojo Returneth!

 

 

Ye-haaw! The mojo seemed to come back overnight, thanks to my lovely husband, some chair painting, some hookey loveliness and a couple of good episodes of Hustle. Oh, and an Indian Takeaway. Sometimes the only way to get back on track is to spoil yourself.

I won't focus on this long, but I do think it gives some sort of context. In the last few weeks, a friend has had his home repossessed, another been taken to court along to same route and I am worrying about them both. In addition to this, another friend has been feeling suicidal, another has had a miscarriage and - on top of this - the baby of someone I 'know' on a forum I visit has died. It's hard to feel positive when you're heart is breaking for someone else, isn't it? Even if it's someone you know at arms length then it's perfectly possible to feel for them, quite deeply. I wish I had a fixing wand but, sadly, I don't. However, I think it's natural to feel upset and vulnerable when you hear of other people's bad news. I really hope this run of bad luck is over now.

Anyway, to more positive things. If bad news teaches us one thing, it must be to enjoy and appreciate what is good in the world while we can.

I am having an arse of a job uploading and editing all 135 photos I have collected, but I am itching to take some more, which is a good sign I think. I will keep this post at the top, but will post retrospectively as though I have been posting at the right time all along ;o) Please read through - and please accept my apologies for shoddy blogging.

<biiig group hug to you all. You keep me sane, you really do>

Claire x

* The picture is of my chicken, Ginger. She keeps escaping her run, naughty thing. She has lots of mojo, and I suspect nicked mine. Look at her standing there with a blade of grass in her beak, looking like some French model smoking a cigarette.

Drifting

Hi gang

Sorry I haven't been in touch for ages (again), it's been a weird few days and I am feeling... well... as though I am drifting along, and not really in a good way.

I've not been near my camera for ages, and I can't make up my mind which project to start next, so I'm feeling a bit frustrated with myself. And I have no inspiration at the moment either. I finished Dom's Dashing Gloves at the weekend, but can't get into any other project at the moment.

Dom and the boys are at home this week, so we're about to start decorating the kitchen (again). We started last February half term - whoops - but life has overtaken us since then. I can't <wait> for it to be done!

On the positive side, I went to visit my new therapist last week and she was excellent, I really liked her. She spent a long time talking through my situation with me, and I left feeling quite elated. I see her again next week, which I am really looking forward to.

The laptop is about to run out of power, so I must dash. Sorry this isn't the most upbeat of posts; I didn't want you to think I had abandoned you. I will be back with more cheer and more projects soon!

Lots of love

C x