Basingstoke 5K

Today I ran the Basingstoke 5k for the 4th time.  But its actually my first race in a year, having been hampered by injury and illness, then stopping running for a bit as I started to commute up to London.  
At Easter my company moved offices to just far enough away from Waterloo to create a 2 mile run there and back most days which got me in to pretty good shape for the race.  
And so I came in at 26:26 which matches my other 3 attempts pretty well and shows if I do some more training I can probably knock some time off.
It's good to know the effort I've been putting in has been worth it.

Frida's Flower Blanket part 3

Every time I go to download the next pattern for the Janie Crow Frida Flower Blanket I get all excited.  Each pattern has been so pretty and I love that I can join them as I go, so I can see it grow.

This weeks was no exception, but once downloaded it was a bit scary too.  The third pattern is really pretty, but looks much more complicated than the first two, possibly due to the amount of colour in it.

Janie suggest you make all 4 squares at the same time, so complete a ring on each square before moving on.  This worked really well for me.
So although they look complicated, they were actually really quite straight forward to make and when attached to the other squares look really impressive. 
  

I am so pleased with how the project is progressing, and how well I'm keeping up.  I was worried I'd feel pressure to finish on time each week, but I haven't.  I've still got two to complete as I write this but that's ok.
It's a lovely project to come home to each evening and helps me to unwind.

Crochet cactus

In between making squares for the Frida Blanket I've also been having a go at creating a cactus.  There are two reasons for this. 1. We've just moved into a new office at work and there is a distinct lack of plants or people interested in watering them.  And 2. I wanted something to do while I waited for the next Frida pattern to be released.  

There are 5 cactus to choose from and I think this is my favourite, although that might change when I make the others.  I think its the tiny pink flowers that I love, although they were very fiddly to make.

As you can see below, the thread for creating flowers is much thinner than for the rest of it and while the cactus itself used a 4mm hook, the flowers took a 1.75mm hook!  But although fiddly I am really pleased with the end result.  I'm not sure if anyone at work has worked out it's not real yet.

Frida's Flower Blanket part 2

This week I was working on the second set of squares for Janie Crow's Frida blanket.  A little more complicated than the first square, as expected, so I learnt a couple of new stitches, but that's kind of the point of doing this.

This weeks flower involved learning how to popcorn!  Very straight forward once you know how.  While the pattern needed me to increase and decrease stitches.

But the most exciting thing was starting to join squares together.  Suddenly you can see that they are more than just a square.  You start to get a feeling for how they will sit together.  I am really looking forward to adding more.

Frida's Flower Blanket part 1

Two weeks ago I downloaded the first pattern for the Janie Crow crochet along with some trepidation.  I'm still learning how to read crochet patterns and still feel like a bit of a beginner so wasn't sure what I was getting into.

A design layout shows you exactly what you need to make and where it will go

It started well when I visited the site to download the pattern and had a choice of UK or US terminology. (I prefer US and wasn't sure if I'd have to translate my pattern before I started.)  And when I started reading the pattern it was beautifully laid out, easy to read, with lots of photos.

So here are my first set of 'squares' all ready so I can download the second part of the pattern next week.  I know that they will get harder as we go, but I also feel I can trust the patterns after this first set.  I'm looking forward to learning a whole bunch and can't wait to see the finished blanket.

Half 'squares' for the edge

Another beady necklace

I was having a tidy up last week when I came across these beads.  I'd totally forgotten I had them, I'm not even sure where I got them from.  All I know is they are wood and they feel lovely, so I strung them up into a necklace.

Seeing as I am now running to the office from Waterloo (and back) most days I need some necklaces that can be left in the office.  I think this one will be perfect.  A necklace that I really like and will go with most outfits.

Frida's Flower Blanket

A while ago I came across a photo of a flowery blanket on Twitter.  I loved the colours and how the flowers stood out from the blanket.  I think knitting will always be my favourite but I do love the extra things you can do with crochet like a flower which sticks out (see my first attempt above).

Later I found out the blanket I had seen was Janie Crows latest design and I was lucky enough to see it in the flesh at the Knitting and Stitching Show.  Wow I wanted it, but it said 'not for beginners' and I still feel like a beginner although I've been crocheting for nearly a year now.  But then a couple of weeks ago I tried making the square above with a flower in and it worked and it looks nice and maybe I'm not a beginner any more.

Frida's Flower Blanket in the flesh

So I decided to get the kit and see.  It is actually a 'crochet along', which means the pattern for each bit are released in 8 fortnightly instalments over 4 months, with the first one out today.  I've got my pack of wool and all my tools, now I just need to have a go.  Wish me luck!

A Mohair Bear called Cyril

 A couple of weeks ago I went to the Knitting and Stitching Show.  It was a fab day out and I saw many things to inspire me, one of which was a bear making kit from Amazing Craft.  I love bears, as you'll know if you've seen any of my knitted bears, so the chance to make an old style mohair bear was too much to miss out on and I bought the kit.

A wet windy Easter weekend was the perfect time to put him together.  The kit comes with everything you'll need to make a bear, including a body part sheet which I had already photocopied onto card and cut out, and a really detailed instruction booklet, which went through everything including how to cut mohair.

Then it was just a case of carefully stitching all the bits together by hand, before putting together and stuffing.

I now have stiff, sore fingers, full of holes where I stabbed myself while stitching, and a new appreciation of the doctor who stitched my head back together after a car accident a couple of years ago - sewing round long hair is really hard!

But I am also the owner of a new little bear, called Cyril, who looks too good to have been made by me!  I love him, he has come out so well and he is totally worth the sore fingers, although I might now go back to the safer knitting and crochet for a bit to let them recover.

I'm not sure I can really explain how pleased I am with how Cyril came out.  I've dabbled with (hand) sewing since I was a little girl when I accidentally sewed things to my skirt (and bed covers)!  But I've never been really good, just good enough to sew on buttons etc.  So to manage to put together a whole bear that looks this good is pretty amazing.  Don't ask me to do it again, I'm not sure I can!