You won't believe it........

....but I've actually been scrapping! I know, I'm still pretty amazed about it myself!

By my calculations, it's been about 3 years since I did full layout. Not good, especially given a) how much pleasure I got out of it and b) how many photos I have accumulated in that time. There were all sorts of reasons why I stopped, but the main one was that it was absolutely impossible for quite a long period of time to devote myself to something that meant separating myself from a small person - ever tried sitting in a separate room from an inquisitive toddler who totally breaks your concentration by a) wanting to know what you're doing and b) wanting to 'help'? Trust me, it's not possible. That's one of the joys of knitting - it can be done in the same room as the small person

Anyway, my mojo / inspiration has recently returned in a major way, triggered by three things: Shimelle Laine, one of my favourite designers has been posting some awesome weekly sketches. Then the naughty girl mentioned Pinterest a few weeks back - if you don't know about it already, go check it out - it's the most awesome online tool for helping you keep track of all the lovely photos that can be found on the web, be they crafty things, interior design, colour schemes, you name it. It is simply the best thing to come to interweb in simple ages

And the final trigger for this return to inspiration? The arrival in February of my totally adorable, cute as pie, little nephew Alexander. I know I'm biased, but he is just the sweetest little baby with the sunniest, happiest of natures - and he's got the most adorable dimples too! His parents are holding a naming ceremony for him in a fortnight, so here is how I've been spending my Wednesdays for the last few weeks - a paper bag mini album:

- the afore-mentioned dimples :-)

- chilling with his Mummy


- see that gorgeous smile?



- and lastly, one for all you Fawlty Towers fans (this is a bit of inside family joke - my sister was a massive Fawlty Towers fan and used to do the most hilarious impression of Manuel.......):



I've actually done four more pages, but these are the ones I'm most happy with. It's been sooo wonderful getting back to this fabulous hobby - choosing the photos, the papers and embellishments - seriously, this much fun really shouldn't free!

I think it's safe to say that you'll be seeing lots more scrapping projects in the near future :-)

Famous?

As you know, I have a bit of a passionate love affair with Hazel Knits yarn - I've made three (or is it four?) pairs of socks with Artisan Sock now. And of course, I've joined the HK club for the last 3 shipments, so I have plenty more to play with :-)

Anyway, I recently got a message from Viki, who 'runs' the Hazel Knits blog, asking if she could feature my Mona socks.....once I'd picked myself up off the floor, I said yes (of course!).

So my lovely blue socks are now reaching a wider audience! Check it out here

P.S. I haven't been ignoring the blog - I've just been super busy. And......I've been scrapping again! More details soon, I promise!

May madness

It's the start of a new month, and you know what that means, don't you? Yep - new socks!

To be honest, I might just have bitten off more than I can chew this month......after all, I've still got the Mermaid socks, the 2nd pair of Monas and the 2nd pair of March mystery socks still on the go as well. Hmmm.....maybe I should finish a pair before starting new ones? Nah! what's the fun in that?

First up, this month's pattern for the Knit.Sock.Love KAL is Rhombus - pretty damn complicated to be honest, but I'm making good progress (I'm at the heel flap now so quite a bit further on than when this picture was taken):

I'm using the gorgeous lilac-coloured Hero sock yarn that I received in the Secret Santa Swap I took part in last December - it comes from Flamboyance Yarns. Go take a look - they have the most gorgeous, one-off colourways in all kinds of lovely fibre mixtures.

Next up, the theme of Sock Knitters Anonymous is 'textured' - i.e. producing texture using knit and purl stitches. I've chosen to use some of my favourite yarn - Claudia Handpainted - in the John B. colourway and using the Rudy Got Sole pattern (will be a nice, mindless break from Rhombus!):

And last, but not least, we have the May Mystery pattern from the Knitting Goddess group. I'm using the Heather Trio colourway that I bought waaay back when I first discovered Joy's yarns. I was a bit uncertain as to whether the colours were hiding the pattern, but I love the diagonal stripes so much, I'm going to continue regardless!

Not green!

I forgot! One pair of completed Monas, using Hazel Knits Artisan sock in Cloudy Day. This was one of the December 2010 club colours - I wasn't a member at the time, but was lucky to find a skein for trade

I enjoyed knitting this pattern so much, I've already started another pair - this time I'm using Barking Dog Yarns' Sirius sock yarn in Sonoran Desert:

P.S. See our pretty little pansies and violas in the background, hiding behind the blue Monas? The garden is coming up really nice after all the recent sunshine. Now, if we can just keep the slugs away........

Phew!

It's been a busy couple of weekends! Having had a very intense month-and-a-half at work, I decided that I merited a wee break - one of the joys of working part-time is that I only need to take a few days leave to have a good spell away from the office. This, combined with all the lovely Bank Holidays we've just had recently (there was the four-day Easter weekend, followed by another four-day weekend courtesy of the Royal Wedding and May Day), meant that I've just had almost two weeks off - can't remember the last time that happened!

I took Miss A to 'chocolate heaven' (aka Brussels) for Easter weekend - a great opportunity to spend some quiet/quality time with both her and my parents. One of my oldest (and bestest) friends was also there - a great excuse for a reunion over a lovely Easter Sunday brunch and an easter egg hunt!


Just before we left London, I had managed to finish a little pair of socks for my friend's daughter, who just happens to share the same birthday as Miss A. I've given her mummy a few pairs now - and she's apparently been fascinated (and just a little jealous!). Time to redress the balance then!

I even have enough left (i.e. half the skein!) to make a pair for Miss A - in fact, she's getting quite desperate for a new pair, so I really must get a move on.....

Miss A had a special pair of bunny ears just for the occasion (yes, she has an easter egg planted firmly in her cheek!)

As you might be able to tell from the photos, we had the most amazing weather - I'm pretty sure it got to 30 degrees on the Sunday afternoon. A perfect excuse to sit on the terrace and run up a few crochet squares for SIBOL - amazing how many you can get from just a few balls of wool!



Then it was back to London for a few days of 'peace' and quiet before all the madness of the Royal Wedding. Miss A woke me on the morning of the Big Day at 6am, asking if it was time yet......thank goodness the BBC started broadcasting at 8am! But seriously, even though I'm hardly a supporter of the monarchy, it was a great show - the bride looked stunning, the couple looked so happy, and the crowds were pretty amazing. All in all, a great day!

Someone's been using my camera again........

......funny the photos you find on your camera when you've left if within easy reach for a few minutes!

Teddy Bear's Picnic

Look what I found when I walked into the living room this afternoon:

I just love the way she's lined all the animals up in straight lines......... :-)