Happy New Year 2018

A Very Happy New Year 2018 to Everyone

Mayfield Lavender Farm

I have taken a break from posting for a while, OK a long while!, just doing other things and needed to concentrate on them and come back fresh with pattens, crafty stuff, ideas and life to share.
So I thought I would start with a beautiful place I visited this weekend, Mayfield Lavender Farm. A very good friend sent me a message early on Sunday morning would I like to go to a lavender field, I replied "YES" start away. We went to Mayfield Lavender farm is just 15 minutes from London on the Surrey Downs. It grows different types of organic lavender and is a certified organic, very cheap to go in £1.00 per adult (parking is free around the outskirts of the field) and free for children under 16 which they use this income in the upkeep of the lavender field, hand weeding keeping it organic with no nasties sprayed on it.
You can not pick the lavender, but they have plenty of products for sell in their shop. You can wander through the large field of different types of lavender taking in the beautiful smells, watching the bees, there were loads of them, I love bees!.Just be careful where you walk, I saw quite a few bees people had stood on. Maybe a bee-ware of the bees, don't step on them sign is needed.
Its a beautiful place to visit, get there early as it was a very popular place with lots of visitors. Makes a nice change from busy London.

January SoloLearn course Ruby

Still have a cough/ cold but slowly getting better. Haven't felt like crafting to much, but I have stayed indoors for the last 5 days and today I completed a course in Ruby with #SoloLearn 💟 Its another programming language. It's really cold outside so will stay in for a few more days, starting the another programming course jQuery also with SoloLearn.

SoloLearn do online and offline courses (you can download the app for tablets and phones to) in programming languages and are creating a community of programming actives and forums and it's all free!!!

Happy New Year 2017

Autumn or is it Winter???

I have not been blogging (except for one very small post last week) for several weeks. I have been visiting blogs but sorry I have not been commenting as much as I would have liked to. I love Autumn but it also seems to come with colds and coughs, which I always seem to get. I am OK in the day but the night air makes me cough cough cough. As this is when I usually do my blogging I have been feeling too ill to even turn the computer on.
I'll post some crochet make updates soon plus I have had several very good subscription boxes.

Is it still autumn or is it winter? (I think its a few days before it's winter) here's the Autumn coaster I should have posted weeks ago.

 Matches the charts  "Beckia", "Gwein" and "Belinda"

Here is the August coaster graph and symbol chart 

The chart below could be also worked for other crafts - cross stitch, knitting, beading.

 
INSTRUCTIONS: 
Note: Where the pattern states Treble crochet UK/ Double crochetUSA if you follow UK crochet instructions do a treble, if you follow USA instructions do a double crochet DO NOT do both!

Starting at bottom of chart/ graph chain 82 and another 3 chains to turn (this will count as the first treble crochet UK/ double crochet USA) of first  the row. 

Treble crochet UK/ Double crochet USA into the 5th chain from hook. Double crochet in next 2 chains to complete bottom right solid square of row 1.

Continue following pattern for first row reading chart/ graph right to left. After completing first row, chain 3 to turn to start next row.

Continue following chart/graph until all rows are complete. At end of row 27 fasten off.

MATERIALS :

(Crochet cotton size 10) About 76 metres/ 83 yds, hook size 1.5mm/ US size 7 steel crochet hook or SIZE FOR GAUGE.

APPROXIMATE FINISHED SIZES:

Using Crochet cotton size 10: width = 40.1 cm/ 6.2 inches, height = 43.5 cm/ 6.8 inches

GAUGE:

Using Crochet cotton size 10: 10 squares = 14.8 cm/ 2.3 inches, 10 rows = 16.1 cm/ 2.5 inches

HOW TO READ PATTERN:

Each solid square is equal to 4 Treble crochets UK/ 4 Double crochets USA. Each open square is equal to 1 Treble crochet UK/ 1 Double crochet USA, followed by 2 chains, followed by 1 Treble crochet UK/ 1 Double crochet USA. The Treble crochet UK/ Double crochet USA at the end of each square also counts as the first Treble crochet UK/ Double crochet USA of the next square. For example, a solid square followed by an open square is 4 double crochets,

2 chains, 1 Treble crochet UK/ 1 Double crochet USA.

For those that prefer to follow a symbol chart I have included one for you

If you do make the coaster, don't forget to link via ravelry, or let me know how you got on :)
The Winter coster is coming soon

Autumn

I love Autumn, so many colours all changing each day 🍁🍂🍁🍂🍃🍁 very inspirational, but secretly just I want to kick the leaves in the air like a child!!

Half a Dozen Roses

Spoonflower had a buy one "fat quarter sized fabric" (approx 21" X 18") get one free offer recently, so I got some fabrics for a few projects I have been planning, also to test out colours are correct they are now printing European orders through their new German based company. USA and Canadian orders will be sent through their USA based printing company. This was printed on 100% cotton fabric
This is is my "1/2 a Dozen Roses" design. The six roses fit on one fat quarter of fabric I will post some of the other finished projects as I complete them :) and I yes am very happy with the colours and print quality

The roses can be used as brooches (just sew or glue on a brooch back) or to decorate clothing, bags, hats, cushions, on curtain tie backs anywhere you want to add a splash of colour and shape. I have more 1/2 roses fat quarters and the works with different fabric prints (had lots of requests for  steampunk prints with cogs and gears as roses) 

This design is also available at Woven Monkey a UK based printing company.