Tuesdays Tallies and 2 scarf da-dahs

Another week gone! I didn't even have time for a blog post. What on Earth was I doing?
Not much.

I actually managed to go out on a date with my husband last week. It doesn't sound too out of the ordinary but trust me, it is. The last time we went out anywhere (that wasn't a holiday) was about 2 years ago. We decided to go to the cinema to see the Sweeny (his choice) and ending up in the local Wetherspoons for an evening meal. Nothing special but very enjoyable.

On the crochet front I've got a few ta-dahs.
I finished both scarves I was making last week and both have been used too.
N. loves hers and she has kindly agreed to model it (somewhat of a miracle)

Here's mine and NO. I'm not going to model it :) I was going to write up the pattern.... not done that either. Maybe later in the week.

A couple of weeks ago I made an octopus for my Eldest daughter, E. She went back to Manchester taking it with her. I now seem to have orders for a whole load of them in different colours from her fiance, his sister and her boyfriend. This one is ready to be posted off later this week. I've been promised regular updates of his adventures :D

Not too much progress on the Realta blanket I'm afraid. I finished another 2 octagons. Here it is laid on the dining room floor with me trying to place the finished octagons. N helped me after listening to me whimper for 15 minutes because I couldn't make a decision. I need to make 5 squares so I can attach them to the main blanket.

I bought myself a lovely vintage wicker basket from ebay to keep the blanket in. It's from the 1950's and looks so much nicer than leaving a carrier bag about the place.

My target for the week is to try NOT to starts anything else and concentrate on the blanket.
Lets see if I can do it :)

Please don't forget to check out all the other lovely "One a Day" projects via Gingerbread Girl's blog.

Tuesday's Tallies and others

I'm a One a Day first timer but I really, REALLY need the motivation to keep going on my Realta afghan. Don't get me wrong, I love it. I love the pattern and the yarn (Debbie Bliss Prima) but I'm a bit daunted into the sheer amount of work needed to finish it. I seriously underestimated the amount of octagons I'd need. I though 56.....it's closer to 90 ish.
So..... this week I managed 2 more octagons and 4 squares. I'm counting the fact that I started joining them together as one of my one a day!

In between times I made an octopus for my oldest daughter who was down on a visit as it was hubbys 50th yesterday. It's not something I'd usually make but she fell in love with the pattern.

She calls him Stanley Pickleson!

I've also started 2 scarves. One, made from James C Brett's Monsoon yarn. I loved the colours as they reminded me of peacock feathers so what better stich to use than Peacock stitch?
I've run out of yarn so I'm waiting patiently (not) for some more. If anyone's interested I'll write up the pattern whaen it's complete. It's very simple and I hope to finish it by the end of the week (posty hurry up!)

The second scarf is made from some recycled yarn. Youngest daughter bought a scarf from Primark at the end of last year discounted from £8 to £3. She wore it once and kept tripping over it. It was honestly over 8 feet in length. Sunday night saw me frogging it! It ended up being made from 2 strands of aran weight yarn and there must be at about 1kg of yarn. What a bargain?
I'm using the same ripple pattern as Lucy's ripple blanket using a size 10mm hook and both strands of yarn. This is another one that won't take too long.

It's got me thinking though, what else can be recycled for use again? I'll be hitting charity shops and bootsales I think.

Please don't forget to check out all the other lovely "One a Day" projects via Gingerbread Girl's blog.

Monday again. Where did the week go?

At last we got a non rainy Sunday so I got to go to a boot sale. Yayyyy :)

It was a bit dissapointing but I managed to snap up a few bargains.

I stuck to my mission of filling my walls with artwork.

This lovely collection of quite large prints cost me the princely sum of £2.50. I think they were originally illustrations around a map (there are outlines of a country on the bottom right corner of pictures 3 and 4)

More art.........

This time old colour book plates. Some of them have quite a lot of foxing on them but I think they are just beautiful and they are themed on London (where I live) One is of Greenwich park - 5th one down(Very local) This was my big spend of the day at £12

 I'd better get framing.

Last batch of art was a framed set of cigarette cards. The series is 'Cries of London' and date from 1912. I was chuffed to get it for £5

My last few bits were a lovely necklace for 10p

I also got 2 scarves for 50p each....

The last thing I got was a book on ornaments. Not the dust traps that sit on the mantelpiece but scuptural ornaments. The illustrations are wonderful and the plan is to colour the plates and frame them. The problem with that is when it comes to it I can't actually bring myself to deface a book! I have a complete set of Cassells Illustrated History of the World upstairs and I get as far as chosing the plates I want to frame then....then.... nothing. I can't do it!

Can you imagine these lightly watercoloured and framed though?

The book is from the 1950's and there are lots of them on the market but....but.... arghhhh

I'm such a book wuss!

I shall sit in my craft room with my watercolours and my scalpel and not come out until I deface a book....

It's going to be a long week.....

I may need a food parcel!

Linked with Magpie Monday over at the wonderful blog of Me and my shadow