miss marie's miscellany

March collage

Time for another monthly round-up, is it just me or has March flown past? 

Good stuff; lots of crochet, as well as my recent reveals you can see some new stuff in the photos which I've been trying out and will post about soon, getting started in the garden and some lovely flowers beginning to show themselves, my trip to Aye Write and Creative Stitches 2010, the best green boots ever, so comfortable.......and my giveaway (which I very stupidly forgot to photograph; Jenny did a great job for me!)

Bad stuff; yet more snow at the start of this week......I'm not going moan about it too much but I've really had it with the white stuff, enough is enough! Let's hope April will bring more clement and seasonal weather!

 

 Have a good (and prank-free) day :-)
 

Spring is sprung

Despite the weather forecasters predicting snow this week (?!) the garden is starting spring into action with much greenery and flowers-in-waiting to be seen. In fact, on closer inspection, I find several flowers out already, primulas and azaleas. I went round snapping away yesterday, none of these were anywhere to be seen a couple of weeks ago, and how welcome it is to see daffodils just ready to open their yellow faces to the sun and azaleas with pink frothy petals already in bloom.

 

I've found this winter hard going, so cold and unforgiving, and it cheers my spirits to see all this new growth, time to look forward to lighter and brighter, warmer and sunnier days.  (I hope !) .

Granny blue

I finished my latest cushion cover, a companion to the one I made a couple of weeks ago. This is a green, blue and white colour combo, I think I was inspired by the blue skies and spring greens around me when I started making it.

 

For the other side, I decided to make 9 small squares, using different combinations of the colours in 3 variations. And they were very quick to crochet up, just a couple of days to complete.

 

I used some blue buttons for the fastening, attached to rows of half trebles. I chose the buttons because of their colour, but when I looked the photo below, I realised the square buttons echo the clusters of treble stitches in the granny squares. A happy coincidence.

 

The wools I used were predominantly Sirdar;  the light and dark blue and the lighter green are Countrystyle DK, the greyish blue is Click DK and the white is Snuggly. The slightly darker green is Rowan DK. I like the cool palette  of colours, fresh and light, serene and peaceful. 

Here it is next to Granny Apple Blossom

Looking pretty side by side, bringing a hint of spring inside too :-) 

 
 
 

Colour my Wednesday

It's a grey, wet day here; I need some colour today. I bought these roses yesterday, just from the supermarket; they're such an unusual two-colour variety, I couldn't resist them

 

Velvety peach and deep deep red, lovely!

I'm liking this succulent houseplant I picked up in IKEA today, it was only when I photographed it that I realised the ends of the leaves were so pinky-purple. Purple and green, my favourites :-)

I started another granny square cushion cover in a cooler palette than I've chosen previously. Just for a change.....blue and green with bright white.

The front

And the back, so far. Eventually, there will be 9 squares in total.  

And I'm still making hexagons for the never-ending blanket. I got a bit bored with making these before Christmas, and put it aside for a while. And once all that snow fell, the blanket -so- far was pressed into service; it's been keeping cold feet cosy in bed for a couple of months. I kept adding hexagons here and there, sewing them on before getting into bed...... and this is how it looks today.

 
 I'm not sure when I'll get this finished, but onward and upward, I'm going to make a concerted effort to fill in the spaces so it is a proper rectangle next time I show it here! 

Sunny afternoon

Today is the Vernal Equinox, when the day and night are the same length. Officially, the first day of spring. And right on cue it's been a lovely day here, perfect for a spot of gardening. And a bit of relaxing too. 

After quite a bit of digging,weeding and clearing, things are starting to unfurl, raise their heads in to the sunlight and grow.....at last!

It's been a long time coming, with such a long, cold winter, but finally the colour everyone needs is starting to burst through. Good for the soul.

And after all that toil, a chance to enjoy some warmth outside. Lovely to sit with the sun on your face, coffee and mini chocolate brownies and a bit of hooking!

 

Have a great weekend :-)

For my mum

A gift for my mum today (Mother's Day here in the UK), a scarf of crocheted flowers.

 

Well, you can never have too many flowers and I thought this would be pretty and useful for these spring days with a cool nip in the air.  These are good colours for Mum, it really suits her!

 

Hocus crocus

It's ages since I was able to post some gratuitous flower photos, but finally, things are happening in the garden. I love crocuses, especially these purple ones; the petals of these have such a gorgeous lustre.

 

It's cheering to think that this is the start of things growing and blooming, that soon, what is now dormant and uncared for, will be a feast of colour and scent. It's time to make plans, sow seeds, tidy up, ready for the coming months. Exciting!
 

 

Washing line blues.....and whites

 

Fantastic blue skies and sunshine yesterday;  perfect drying weather, it seems like forever since I was able to do so....... long may it continue!

 

Making me happy today

It's Monday and March 1st already and there are nice things to show from today and the weekend.

Green shoots appearing in the garden;  despite the cold, spring is on its way and I found myself out pottering in the garden yesterday for the first time this year

 

 

A peek at what I'm making just now.

 

 
 Finding these in trouser pocket about to go in the washing machine! Happy days!

 

 Lemon, sunflower seed and blueberry muffin with coffee

 

Some views of the hills surrounding Glasgow which I took this morning when I was in the north of the city.

Looking north - I think this hill is called the Sleeping Giant, today he has a snowy blanket!

 

Looking south, at the cranes at the Govan shipyards and to the Ayrshire hills

And after day upon day of unrelenting grey, the sky is so blue today

 

Happy Monday,whatever it brings you :-)
  

Granny Apple Blossom

I've christened my latest crochet cushion cover, Granny Apple Blossom because

a)  the pinks and greens reminded me of apple blossom 

and 

b) it's 2 big granny squares sewn together. 

I hadn't made a granny square for ages, and started one about a week ago. I chose pink and green because they look so good together and after all the recent cold wintry weather, I felt a need for the colours of spring. Here's a list of the wools I used.

 

All lovely to work with and they worked well together, despite being different brands. I kept on making round after round until it was quite large and perfect for a cushion. 

 

A bit of a delay ensued with completion as I faffed around with making the second side. Firstly I tried an old sweater backing, but it looked awful. Then I tried rows of half treble crochet in the same colours, but it just didn't look right either and had to be frogged. Eventually I realised that another granny square was the best idea, keeping things simple. 

 

Some flower buttons to fasten

 

and there is is, finished!

 

Pretty and cheery on a cold snowy day, but I'm sure it will be just as good on a sunny spring or summer day!