Love........

Sorry I couldn't resist taking a snap of this heart in my coffee today. I see loads of blog posts dedicated to finding hearts in everything but I never seem to so when I saw this I just had to snap it. 

See....

Yes I guess you have to look closely to see it! This was my lovely latte - a weekly treat from Libby's which you can read all about here. This time, served up with this little beauty!

Now to be fair, I did not eat all of it by myself - way too much - so I shared it with my other half. We have made it a weekly treat to go to this little cafe? Bistro? Bakery? I'm not sure what you would call it. However, this week, we have the Littlies off school so we thought we would take them too and see if they liked it. They both had huge slabs of Rocky Road and ate every last morsel. 

I thought I would do a quick update on my blanket situation. I have made all the squares for my willow blanket and here is how they look. I was thinking of joining them like this - kind of winding the colours together snake like back and forward but now I am not sure and think maybe I should just go random?

I began to join them using the continuous flat braid join which looks fantastic but I ran out of yarn on the second row! Grrrrrrrrrr so I might unravel, buy more yarn and then try a random style. What do you think??? I really love them. Such pretty squares. I really enjoyed making every one of them. I thin it will make a nice sized blanket once I have joined them and done a border around. Yes I will have to think of the prettiest border for this.

I also thought I would send you a quick update of the Elmer blanket I am in the process of making. This seems to have been going on since forever as I have left it and picked it up and left it and picked it up etc...

Rather rubbish pic of it but you get the gist of it right? I think I could be ready or almost ready to do the border on this one as I am plain getting bored of it. I don't think it's going to make double bed size and so may be relegated to the couch or the kids' beds. Not decided yet. I promise to take much better pics once it is complete. 

So that's me for now. I will update soon on the Elizabeth Lillie sampler as she is coming along nicely too. 

Thanks for reading today. 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Come Spring Come...

The Spring

BY THOMAS CAREW

Now that the winter's gone, the earth hath lost

Her snow-white robes, and now no more the frost

Candies the grass, or casts an icy cream

Upon the silver lake or crystal stream;

But the warm sun thaws the benumbed earth,

And makes it tender; gives a sacred birth

To the dead swallow; wakes in hollow tree

The drowsy cuckoo, and the humble-bee.

Now do a choir of chirping minstrels bring

In triumph to the world the youthful Spring.

The valleys, hills, and woods in rich array

Welcome the coming of the long'd-for May.

Now all things smile, only my love doth lour;

Nor hath the scalding noonday sun the power

To melt that marble ice, which still doth hold

Her heart congeal'd, and makes her pity cold.

The ox, which lately did for shelter fly

Into the stall, doth now securely lie

In open fields; and love no more is made

By the fireside, but in the cooler shade

Amyntas now doth with his Chloris sleep

Under a sycamore, and all things keep

Time with the season; only she doth carry

June in her eyes, in her heart January.

17th century poem just to brighten these oh so dreary days. 

Images courtesy of Google. 

Feast your eyes.....

There's a little bakery/cafe not too far from us so we have taken to driving there every Thursday on my day off. It is called Libby's and it has the most amazing atmosphere not to mention the fantastic food baked in the cellars of the premises. They specialise in cakes and breads but do all sorts of meals. It is in a place called Marple Bridge in Stockport, Cheshire so if you ever find yourselves ending up nearby then it is definitely worth checking out. The marble brownies are to die for and the best brownies I have ever tasted. 

Okay, well guess what? I think my stitching mojo has come back from its travels and is ready to rock! Finally, finally stitching has come back into my heart and I am really enjoying working on my Elizabeth Lillie reproduction piece. I think starting a cross stitch after school club has helped tremendously. I began to rummage through all my charts that I hadn't seen in years and started to remember all those charts I had bought but never stitched. What a waste! Well, it spurred me on and got me going and now I just want to stitch all day! I wish I could actually but those days of stitching all day long have truly gone but I still have a few evenings and the odd weekend. 

Sorry for the crumples but you can see I am making great progress on this piece. I have also joined an exchange! Yay! I haven't done one in years so I am quite excited at the prospect. Whilst rummaging through my stash I came across all the cards and exchanges I had received through the years and it was very moving actually. I really do cherish all those wonderful stitched pieces. 

Next up is a crochet shawl I made using King Cole Riot DK. The pattern is the South Bay Shawlette which is a free pattern on Ravely. It is only a two row repeat and once you get it into your head it is very simple. I love this shawl. It is so snuggly and warm and the colours just blend beautifully. I made it quite big and used two and a half balls on it. I made up the edging myself based on one I had seen and I am really pleased with the result. 

So that's all from me for now. Hopefully in the next post I will have finished my Willow Squares blanket. All the squares are made up now and just need to be joined. It is going to  look gorgeous - I hope! 

All else is well - except the British weather, yack yack!!!!! When will it stop raining??? Hope you are all doing well too lovely people. Catch up soon. xxxxx