It's a stashbusting day!

I may already have mentioned once or twice that I am having a baby very soon (did I mention that... sorry I'm just really excited about it)! And I want to make something very special and heirloomy for him. A gorgeous blanket made with love. Having very few pennies and not really enough to splash out on lots of lovely new yarn I decided to face the bitty stash that I have already. After rewinding it, it turns out I have quite a few lovely colours to turn into something.


With the addition of a huge ball of chocolate Cascade Eco Wool, I have found the perfect project to inspire me... the Sunshine Day Afghan by Alicia Paulson.


I love the combination of bright solid colours against a muddy tweed background. Just gorgeous!! Hopefully I'll have it ready in time for winter!

A Very Large Doily

I'm into doilies again... with not much else to do right now, except get married and wait for my baby to come, it's the perfect time-killer.


This is a whopping 17"/43cm across! Maybe I'll frame it.


And it is infact a lovely shade of mustard/chartreuse and not bogie-green as the pictures seem to portray :)


Pattern details on Ravelry.

Happy Hangers

As soon as I saw these Happy Hangers from Dottie Angel, I knew I had to make some...


... Tif's pattern is really easy to follow, but if you suffer from 'daft & pregnant' brain syndrome like me, I had to make one or two small changes, which you may or may not find helpful.

1. However hard I tried, I just could not work this over a foundation of 65 + 3. For some reason I had to work a foundation of 73 + 3 for the required amount of 13 shells. Go figure... I don't think anyone else had this difficulty with counting :)

2. Tif's hangers are probably fairly vintage and therefore weeny. My bottom hanger in the picture above is quite old and is the same depth as hers, but the top one is more modern and a bit fatter. To compensate for the extra depth I first edged the shells in my second colour with single crochets before joining the two halves together.

3. I found the joining difficult... and Dottie does explain that you need some patience. However, I don't have any. I found it easier to start joining one chain to the the left of the post of the hanger at point (a) and working all the way round until I reached point (b) before inserting the hanger. That way, I just had the little bit on top to do (which still requires the patience of a saint I might add).


These are a sinch to knock out, beautifully practical and a fantastic stashbuster too!

Spotlight on... White Owl

I'm more into modernism than vintage these days, but just check out these stunning, stunning reclaimed lace pieces from White Owl...




...and so beautifully photographed too!

The First Cardigan

It's been a while since I knitted anything, but now with the baby on the way there's a new incentive! And my first constructed garment too :)


I'm particularly pleased with the odd buttons...



Details on Ravelry.

Home From Home

George and I have had a wonderful relaxing Easter weekend in our 'home from home' town of Nafpaktos, a beautiful little place in western Greece. One day I would like us to live there permenantly. The town itself is built around a beautifully preserved Venetian castle and port, and the location is perfect.

Photo: Wikipedia

Situated on the Corinth Gulf with views of the Peloponnesian mountains beyond, Nafpaktos is half an hour from Patras (Greece's 3rd largest city) from where you can sail up to Corfu and Italy, an hour by boat from the islands of Kefalonia and Zakynthos, and has a multitude of outdoor activities in the surrounding countryside from rock climbing to white-water rafting to kite surfing and more. We have some wonderful friends there too and I can't think of a more perfect place to raise a family.
So, as mentioned, we have just spent Easter there, which is a big occasion in Greece. Here are just a few moments from the weekend.


The port staged a spectacular (if not slightly tacky) light and fireworks show on Good Friday night.


The view from our hotel balcony - the tiny port of Hiliadou (about 10 mins from Nafpaktos)



Lunch on Saturday next to Evinos River.


George and I... relaxed and happy!

I hope you all had as good an Easter break as we did! I looking forward to hearing about it!