Bow Tie

Hello there!

The husband and I are going out to a Do!  Oh yes a posh dress up DO!  We rarely go out posh and actually I can't think of anywhere I have been other than weddings that I have dressed up for.  So to the ball we shall go!  What to wear??? I don't want to splash out on a ball gown and a tuxedo only for Mr H and I to dress up on a Friday, to do our big shop, just to get our wear out of them!  I am sure we have something at the back of the wardrobe.  Mr H is going to wear his wedding suit, nothing like a tuxedo but with a bow tie I bet he will look just right! Buy one?! GET OFF! I am going to crochet him one!  Ha ha

I used dk yarn, 3.5 mm hook.
For the main part of the bow.
I started with 50 chains.
I used dc stitch for 9 rows.
I fastened off, keeping a long piece to sew together.

I started the middle piece with 6 chains.
I used dc stitch for 16 rows.
I fastened off, keeping a long piece to sew together.
I placed this around the middle to form the bow and stitched together.

Ta dah!
One smart Mr H!

Vegetable Plot

I had an allotment and started it back in 2001, this was when allotments weren't trendy and plenty could be found, no long waiting lists in those days.  When I met my husband to be, I didn't want to tell him I had an allotment as I thought that would put him off me straight away, so I kept it quiet until one day a friend of mine came into our local pub and wanted to know, where he could put the large wooden packing crate I wanted for a compost, as he didn't know which allotment was mine!  I thought husband to be was going to fall of his stool laughing! But instead he didn't run for the hills. He rolled up his sleeves and became my assistant gardener.  We had the allotment for 10 years and spent all our time up there, weekends and evening relaxing amongst the rows of veg, sunning ourselves, having picnics and listening to the radio.

When we bought our first house it started to be come a chore, as we had plenty of gardening to do at home, we decided to hand it in and stick with growing in our own back garden.  I do miss it when the sun is out but when I come home on a summers evening and sit with a glass of wine and don't wish I am there queuing for the hose, digging up the bind weed that grew overnight and digging over the allotment by hand when the Rotavator refused to spark into life.  We now have three raised beds in the back garden which we grow just what we need.  It is so nice to be able to run in from the garden for a wee and not to have to wee in an bucket hanging onto the shed door so I don't fall in and get my bum stuck!

That said we are on our local allotment list I did this before we gave the old allotment as it was closer and we are now 4th on the list! Ummm what to do ..........husband doesn't seem too keen, but I said ' no harm in looking' maybe we could just grown onions? This one is only a short walk away so I will keep you updated.

Some pictures of our old allotment and our scare crow Gloria!

 

I love the windmills you buy at the seaside and always came home with one from a visit to the beach

 

I took great care of my shed and was so sad to leave it, how silly is that?  I made silver bells out of foil and hung them along the window.  I also had cockell sells, but no pretty maids, unless you could call Gloria a pretty maid!

This was the year we planted 12 tomatoes plants.  We got sick of them!  We had four bowls on the kitchen window sill of tomatoes in different ripening stages.  We made green tomato chutney and gave it away to friend and family.  No one but no one ever said it was nice or even mentioned that they ate it, so I thought I wonder and opened a jar.  Ha ha it was horrid!

 

I had three climbers on my shed, one clematis and two honeysuckles.  I bought one of them as a 21st birthday present to myself, but sadly there was no moving it.  I have taken numerous cutting without success!  Mr Titchmarsh please comment on my blog! 

 

 

 

Rhubarb! Rhubarb!  I took this home and it wasn't happy last year and thought I lost it, but maybe it is coming back, two leaves have appeared this year so fingers crossed! 

 

This is our glorious Gloria. 

Other allotmenteers added accessories to her, like the bra!  Ha ha she even had a baby that appeared over night!  But sadly no man on the scene, well not one we saw at the allotment!

 

 

Chocolate

There is nothing like chocolate.  I love the stuff, it would be easier for me to tell you what bars of the stuff I dislike.  So you can imagine my joy when a kind lady gave me a thank you present of a box of chocolates.  What a good excuse to put the kettle on!  I love to make a nice pot of tea when I have a chocolate or two. 

I have read some chocolate statistics and the obvious one we all know, is that it can 'contribute to obesity', whatever I hear you cry!  The other is that in general the shelf life for chocolate is a year.  Ha! ha! a year - it would be lucky to last an hour in my house.  I am an only child and my mother was concious of this and brought me up to share.  I had to share my sweets and chocolate with my dad, who incidently has became a diabetic!  I have always been good at sharing but now I am older and wiser, I am clear that yes I can share, I will share anything but chocolate and sweets NO!  I have found another stat that says 'eating chocolate in moderation can actually prolong your life by reducing risk of blood clots and fighting bad cholesterol'. 

Who needs the gym, all we need is a glass of red and a box of chocolates!  In moderation of cause!

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!

I have been saving this post as I didn't want my mums surprise to be ruined.  I have had a busy crafting week.  I have made mum a hot water bottle cover, which is just as well as the weather is so chilly this week.  So I have spent a grand total of £4 on a hot water bottle and put a lot of love into the making.

 

This is the first time I have taken step by step pictures and hope that it all makes sense, please let me know, gentle comments please, if I have made an error with the crochet instructions.

If you make this or any hot water bottle cover I would love you to tell me how it turned out, or even send me a picture and I will attach them to my blog with your name.  My email address is kraftywindsor@gmail.com. I'm looking forward to your posts.

Firstly you need an old jumper or tank top, I have gone for one with a bit of cable on it, so the back has a nice pattern on it too.   It was a pure wool jumper (old of cause) and I felted it by washing it in machine at 90 degrees.
 

   

 

 

Draw around the hot water bottle, this will be your stitch line.  I have used the bottom rib of the jumper for the neck.

Once you have stitched around, making sure you leave the end open so you can put the hot water bottle in, turn it in side out and you are now ready to crochet the flowers.

 

 

 

I crocheted the flowers with 'My First Regia' and a hook 2 1/4mm.  I used three colours.

 

 

 

Make a slip knot to do a magic ring and do 1ch

 

 

 

Do 10dc into the ring

 

 

 

Join with a sl st into the first dc to close the ring

 

 

This is where we start the petals, we will do 5 of these. 

In the next dc 1dc, 1htr, 1tr, 1htr, 1dc

 

 

 

Sl st into the next dc
 

* In the next dc, 1dc, 1htr, 1tr, 1htr, 1dc, Sl st into next dc

Repeat from * until you have 5 petals

fasten off yarn

Pull tail end of yarn to close hole a little more

 

 

 

 

I made 12 of these and stitched buttons to them and attached them to the cover.  I popped in the hot water bottle and hand stitched the end closed.

 

 

 

Ta Dah!

 

 

You can also make these little flowers and attach them to a ring, I bought a pack of them from a craft shop. 
 

 Horray for the glue gun!

Cats

Before I had cats I didn't understand people who kissed there animals and treated them like children, I mean for crying out loud, they are animals, get a grip!  Until I had my babies and became a mummy! Ha ha.

Thomas and Geraldine are our cats, Tom and Gerry for short.  Tom sleeps on our bed stretched out (also known as Tom's cat basket) every night, and thinks he is 'King Pin' he is a little jealous and if Gerry comes upstairs when we are in bed he lets her know she isn't welcome and will push his nose into her face and stare.  She returns this with a growl, which will only end if you get out of bed!  So a Sunday lie in wasn't on the cards...... Again!

Our fault, if we shut Tom downstairs we wouldn't have a problem but I just couldn't, I am going to be the strange age old cat lady, if I'm not already!  A quote on my Pinterest says 'that moment you need to adjust your sleeping position but feel bad as your pet is asleep on you', ha ha that's me, forget my sleep what if Tom wakes? Now honestly mad I know, I mean not like I work and Tom can just sit around the house snoozing all day.  Tom is like a dog and likes his routine and likes to be by your side whatever you do, he actually is the size of a dog, he is a long cat and weighs 1 stone.  Prior to one of his yearly health checks I put him on a diet expecting to be told off for having a fat cat, when we got there the vet said, 'is this cat on a diet'? 'oh yes' I said, waiting for the lecture and she said, 'you must stop he is not fat and he will loose his muscle'.  No way!  So for Tom it is true, 'he is not fat, he is big boned'!  That is not to say he isn't a greedy pig, you only have to hear the noise of him eating to know he isn't eating his food but Gerry's, spit flying, grunting to get  as much in before someone comes to take the bowl away.

Gerry however is a bog-standard cat, on her terms she will love you, she wants to be brushed, fed and will sleep all day.  We should of called her Mary as she is quite contrary, she will meow for food and then turn her nose up at it.  Every morning she requests to be brushed by the back door with one of her five hair brushes, unlike myself who only has the one!  She will make this request most of the morning until she takes to her bed for a snooze, did I mention she is also a Hairy Mary!  Opps can I say that? I have a spinning wheel and have thought that maybe I could spin her hair, I could spin 100g a week. I expect there is a stranger cat lady out there who does that, maybe she also has a blog, let me know if you come across her, or even you are her!

Both Tom and Gerry are the loveliest cats! Posted by the strange cat lady! Minus a Gerry jumper!

A lovely Day

What a lovely day it's been, doesn't the sunshine and blue sky make you feel so much better.

My garden is bursting out with life and you can tell spring is on its way.  Sadly the daffodils have come up blind, this means I have lovely green leaves but no flowers, I expect this is my fault, my 'two chances attitude' has meant that they won't flower.  When they finish flowering, it is a patient person who can put up with the loose green, half dead plants without taking the scissor to them! Ha more haste less speed.  This picture is of my garden a few springs ago.  I think I might dig them up and let the leaves die back.  I wonder what Alan Titchmarsh would say??

This is Pam our Chicken.  She is 6 years old.  A big old bird which at times think she is a cockeral and has been known to crow at 4am!  Thank goodness I have good neighbours.  She has been unwell lately and one morning my husband took her to the vets and I said my good byes as I thought he was going to return Pamless!  But instead he came back with her and a £60 bill!  She stayed indoor for a week and after a lot of love and care and has come back from the brink and defide all odds and even started laying eggs again.   When the weather warms up we will get her a new friend. Well done Pam you good old bird.