Splash of colour - better late than never!

I've really been enjoying Emma's Splash of Colour project this month. So many people have posted bright and cheerful photos, providing a much needed respite to the dull and dismal January weather.

I was dying to take part but my Splash of Colour was taking a while to finish!

Yesterday, I finally got there....just before it got too dark to take a photo but that's now been remedied. So here's my rather loud and colourful Splash of Colour cushion.

My first ever tapestry, inspired by a design in my new Cath Kidston 'Stitch' book. The edging is very very pink due to the fact that I opted to use whatever I had in my stash and what I had was pink.

The edging was a new thing for me. A very simple crochet edging that wasn't sewn on afterwards, or stitched into the seam during making up.

This edging involved first embroidering chain stitch all around the edge of the cushion. It also led to a little swearing and aching fingers.

Once the chain stitch was done, I did a round of double crochet (sc in US terms) into those chains, with only a tiny bit of cussing and gritting of teeth.

The final row was much happier and very simple and very pretty. Also very pink.

Tapestry number 2 is well on the way. I reckon I only have about another 2000 stitches to do and then I can blog it!
xxx

New Year New Craft?

Happy New Year!!!

I hope you all had a smashing Christmas and New Year with your loved ones.

I've missed being here in blogland so I thought it was time to remedy that.

Not being one to spend time looking backwards I surprised myself recently by scrolling back through my knitting projects on Ravelry. It dawned on me that, for some strange reason, 2010 proved to be a year dominated by all things wool - and when I say dominated I do of course mean totally and utterly obsessively dominated to the exclusion of all else.

A quick tot up of my projects has led to some interesting results that I thought might be fun to share.

Total knitting/crochet projects completed in 2010: fifty three (or possibly more).

Including:

28 thumb wrestlers (counted as 1 project made up of many parts!)


13 pairs of socks

13 scarves

2 tea cozies

5 hats

2 blankets

3 cardigans

12 pairs of mittens

and 1 elephant!

Phew! As I said.....2010 was dominated by wool!

This is one of my very favourite times of year. For me, new year always feels full of hope, possibility and new opportunity - a whole year stretching ahead to fill with new experiences. Naturally, the new year can bring many unexpected things - some great things, some very far from great and some very sad and upsetting things but right now it's a whole fresh brand new year and that feels so good.

I wonder what 2011 will be dominated by? Right now, there's a chance it might involve rather a lot of this sort of thing....

I blame it on Mr Moog - for letting me make him buy me a lovely new embroidery book for Christmas!

He'll never learn ;o)

xxx

p.s. I hadn't really planned on being absent for so many weeks but after managing to fall downstairs on my backside a month ago I've been nursing a battered and bruised coccyx - definitely not conducive to sitting reading blogs of an evening....and sadly not conducive to sitting knitting either! Don't worry - I've made up for it by lying on the sofa reading books instead :o)