Extended Break

Well it’s been over three years since I blogged and almost the same amount of time since I last picked up my crochet hook and yarn. The main reason for the break was a baby. It’s funny how many things I thought about crocheting for a baby of my own but when I finally find out I was pregnant in April 2016 I didn’t want to jinx anything so made nothing, not even a blanket! And then once she came along in January 2017 of course I didnt have the time or energy to think about crochet. We then moved house last year and I cleared out loads of yarn and magazines I had stored. Part of me was sad as I had totally lost interest in making but recently over the past few months I’ve been drawn back to crochet and a few weeks ago I finally ordered some yarn and got making!!

I’m so pleased I found my love and mojo not just for crochet again but to be creative and use my brain in a different way to my usual everyday life. I have time in the evenings now to sit down and relax with a project which has been lovely.

Currently WIPs on the go are a sleeveless cardigan I need to finish off, a gorgeous cardigan from Iron Lamb that’s almost complete and I’ve just finished a cardigan for the little one from Stitching Me Softly. I have to say, in my three year absence there are now so many lovely crochet designers out there with gorgeous patterns. I have plans to try and make my own designs at some point as well as trying to locate my old notebook which had a few patterns and ideas I had written down.

I’m excited for autumn now and all the cosy cowls, hats and jumpers I want to make and blogging about it all too!

Ashlie x

Time Away

I've just come back from a lovely break away to Scotland. We go away to visit hubby's family at least once a year in the Spring/Summer so it was a nice change to go in Autumn.

Weekend Crochet // Preparing for Autumn

The weather in London this weekend was a real mix bag. Saturday was super hot - highs of 30C! I love the weather being hot but it does make me very tired and sluggish. Ice lollies were my friend!

Etsy Favourites {August '15}

At least once a week I find myself looking on Etsy either for something specific or just a general browse. I'm always amazed at how talented other people around the world are and marvel how they have made their craft a business for themselves.

Reasons to be Cheerful #5

                        

I haven't done one of these posts for a while. This week has been super busy at work so it has been hard at times to find a moment to just switch off.

The Long Weekend

Yet another Bank Holiday weekend has past us by here in the UK. For me, it was a combination of sun, rain, exercise (shock horror!) and relaxation…bliss!

I was lucky enough to have a half day from work on Friday which meant I could go a meet my Sister-in-Law and her other half at the airport. They have just got back from four months of traveling and it was so good to see them again. Although we have kept in touch along the way, there's nothing like sitting down with someone and having a good chat. I'm really looking forward to spending more time with them this summer.

On Saturday it was pouring with rain for most of the day but we still made our way to Guildford (pictured above) with my other Sister-in-Law, where we ate Wagamama's for lunch, had a look around the lovely shops and even had time to pop to a vintage market in the cathedral which was really nice, especially as we had a slice of cake and a cup of tea in the most adorable little tea cups!

Tea was definitely a winner on that rainy day.

In the evening I was treated to a meal at Jamie's Italian restaurant in Greenwich. I've not been to a Jamie Oliver restaurant before and I was really impressed with the food and service. I had a yummy cocktail to start, followed by a bread selection board, tomato risotto and the most amazing chocolate brownie cake with caramel ice cream, and popcorn!! We had a stroll along the river to walk off our dinner and then caught the bus home. I wish I could have taken more pictures in the restaurant but it was quite dark and very busy. I'll be making another visit though, just to get some more brownie!!

Sunday was the day of exercise. I'm not one for 'keeping fit' or doing anything too exhausting but when the weather starts to get warmer I have the urge to run in the park or do some form of exercise. This usually doesn't last for very long, especially when I'm in agony the next day (another sign that I should lay off the brownie's). After reading a post by the lovely Lily Pebbles about her new fitness routine I thought it sounded manageable so I gave it a go. It basically involves skipping (with a skipping rope) and then a series of squats, press ups, sit ups and lunges…by no means was this easy especially after skipping (something which I haven't done in about 20 years) but I feel it's very do-able…I just have to get over my sore limbs before I try it again!

We then took a trip up to Covent Garden as it was a sunny day. I do love to have a stroll by the river and look at all the pretty shops. We even got to see a sand artist drawing this dude in the sand!

It is very crowded on the weekend though so I was pleased to get home and watch Breaking Bad.

On Monday I had a lazy day of house work, cleaning, washing clothes and picking up a few essentials from Sainsbury's. I then spent the rest of the day just chilling out on the sofa and not doing very much which was lovely!

I hope you all had a lovely weekend.

Betty xXx

First Date Ideas

My husband and I first met 11 years ago today! It's crazy how quickly those 11 years have gone and how we have grown into (almost) adults together, as we met when we were still teenagers. Of course it got me reminiscing about our first date and subsequent dates that followed. Being young we didn't have a lot of money so everything was a bit budget back then, so what would we do on our first date if we met now, as adults?

Obviously our tastes have changed and we appreciate each others company more than what we're actually doing but we often have a date somewhere and I think, "this would make a great first date". So here are my top 5 first date ideas:

1. A restaurant: This can be a tricky one as some people feel a bit uncomfortable eating in public, especially in front of a potential love interest. It's an oldy but a goody in my opinion and I think as long as it's not too formal or messy (the type of food!) then it's a winner in my book!

2. A walk in the park: A simple, easy, free date so if money is an issue it's perfect. Choosing a park shouldn't be a problem as there are hundreds in every part of the country. Whether dependant, it's a great way to have a long chat whilst walking amongst the pretty flowers and trees, and maybe hold hands...awww!

3. A trip to a gallery or museum: There are times when a first date can get a bit awkward and you don't really know what to say, so visiting a place that has lots of talking points is a good place to start. Finding out what each other is interested in would be my advice - you don't want to bore the socks off your love interest by looking at something you love as there might be a clash. Why not choose somewhere perhaps that has a certain exhibition on that week/month or a relatively small venue so your not stuck there all day.

4. Be a tourist: Whether you live in a big city or just a small town, there is bound to be things that you have never seen or haven't visited in a long time. Living in London means that we have a whole tourist map right on our doorstep but I don't really travel into central London that often now-a-days so it's nice to revisit some amazing places. Even exploring a local town that we haven't been to for ages can be really nice, taking in all the history and offers great talking points and opportunities for a spot of lunch or a drink.

5. A Class: There are so many classes you can take now that are only a few hours  to a day long, such as a dance class, chocolate making, cocktail making...the list goes on. Groupon is a brilliant place to look for offers and it's a fun way to get to know someone whilst exploring a possible hidden talent?!

I hope that has given you a few ideas for your first or 50th date! I know I want to go out and do all of them this weekend!

Betty xXx

Reasons to be Cheerful #4

This week has been a busy one at work and the weather has been pretty bad here in London so finding things that have made me feel 'cheerful' has been a bit hard! Despite that there are always reasons to be thankful and happy!

1. Sleep: Oh I do love to sleep and the past week has been a tiring one! So when I've managed to have a lay in on the weekend it has been blissful. I always wake up early on the weekend even when I still feel tired so I love to sleep as long as possible! This leads nicely onto...

2. Bank Holiday Weekends: It's so lovely to have the extra day off from work. I did absolutely nothing and it was blissful :) It was such a lazy day of watching tv, eating, tv, long soak in the bath, Made in Chelsea and bed! Oh and maybe a little online purchase via Feel Unique (oops!)

3. Banana bread recipe: Whilst perusing Bloglovin' last week I discovered a recipe for flour-less banana bread muffins. I'm not too bothered about having flour-less foods as luckily I don't have any intolerance's but I'm always happy to try something new and healthy. It was so easy to make and although I had to substitute an ingredient (I couldn't track down almond butter, despite seeing it everywhere previously!) it was delicious! I'm super happy with it and will be taking it to work as my morning snack. I'll post details of the recipe soon.

4. Dinner with Friends: It's always lovely to see people you haven't seen in a while. We had some yummy take away and I tried Paneer which is a type of cheese often used in Indian/Asian curry dishes - it was very tasty! We also saw their super cute baby who is now six months old and getting so big already! It was nice to have a glass of wine and good ol' chat!

5. Sunshine: The weather last week was so grey and miserable in London it was nice to have some sunshine this weekend. I always feel so much better and more motivated when it is sunny and warm - lets hope we're getting into proper Spring weather and away from the April showers now that it is May.

I hope you've all had a lovely weekend and have a great week!

Betty xXx

Reasons to be Cheerful #3

I've been a bit quiet on the blogging front over the past week or so mainly due to the Easter break. I've also not done any crochet in what feels like ages (although it has probably only been a week or two), I just haven't felt very creative and don't like to force myself to do it just for the sake of it. So here's my top five of what's been putting a smile on my face this week. The picture above is the big finale which looked so pretty. 

1. Rest: Although I didn't do anything special or go away over Easter, it was so nice to be able to just relax and spend time with the husband. I went back to work on Tuesday feeling rather refreshed and happy that Easter had been peaceful. 

2. Elbow: No, not my arm joint, the band. We went to see them at the O2 arena in Greenwich and they were brilliant. Our first dance at out wedding was One Day Like This so to hear it live was really special. 

3. Chocolate: I'm definitely more of a savoury person (I could eat my body weight in crisps) but chocolate has been my vice this week and I could certainly eat another packet of mini eggs before they disappear. 

4. Brioche: I bought a pack of brioche rolls couple of weeks ago as I was a bit pecking and am now addicted. I love them warmed up in the oven, then smothered with butter and marmite! 

5. Work: it's not been too bad this week, although busy and stressful at times I'm grateful to have a job and not absolutely hate it (there have been moments). Plus there could be new and exciting things on the horizon :) 

I hope you've all had an amazing Easter!

Betty xXx

Reasons to be Cheerful #2

This week has been slightly manic and chaotic as we are still in progress with home improvements. The kitchen is now completed and I'm so happy with it! There will be a post coming soon with before and after pictures. We are now taking up all the flooring as we are having carpet fitted tomorrow (eek!) so the flat looks like a building site and everything is all over the place :( However I've tried to find the positives in life this week's 5 reasons to be cheerful are:

1.  Learning new things: I've been wanting to give my blog a bit of a make over for a while as it looks pretty basic. I don't want massive changes or anything fancy but every time I look for premade blog templates they are either really expensive, especially for a custom made one, or I just don't like the design. So I've decides to try it myself! I've installed some new social media icons - all by myself! and will be looking to design and install a new header/banner soon! I love it when I learn a new skill and I know it's really easy for some but html coding is hard to get to grips with!!

2. Cooking: Now that we have the kitchen back in use I've really enjoyed being able to cook dinner again! Although we've not had anything too crazy it's been lovely to have a sparkly new environment to cook in, something I find really relaxing. I'm thinking about making some bread this weekend so I'll let you know how I get on with that.

3. Home: As mentioned already the flat is a bit of a tip at the moment and it's made me appreciate our little home that we've made together. It's nearly a whole year since we moved in and I think we've made it pretty cosy. I'm looking forward to having everything done and back in it's place so we can enjoy our surroundings.

4. Toby Bear: Poor Toby has been terrified by all the works going on and I hate to see him so upset. He is a rescue cat and from what we know he was locked in a room for probably the first couple of years of his life with his brother so was extremely nervous when we first adopted him. It took him a while to settle and get used to his new home (it took him two weeks to come out of hiding) but I love to see him happy and content. These past couple of weeks have made him really edgy again so there has been lots of fussing of an evening.

5. Life: With the sad news that Peaches Geldof had passed away at the young age of 25 it makes you realise that life is very short and we need to cherish each day. Sometimes the mundane-ness of life can consume us but I feel it is important to remember that life is about living: do things that make you happy, be yourself and don't care what anyone else thinks of you.

Betty xXx

A Day Off

I had a day off from work thisWednesday which was mainly to focus on the new kitchen, i.e. painting it and tidying the flat up to try and get some order back in our lives. Here's how my day went:

MORNING

I started the day with a healthy bowl of watermelon and a (Munch Bunch) yoghurt - a lot healthier than I usually would have on a day off. I love toast or a cooked breakfast but decided to keep it simple as we had a busy day ahead.

We then headed down to Homebase to pick up the paint and tiles for the kitchen. We I chose a lovely pale duck egg blue with cream 'underground' tiles which will hopefully look lovely together. After buying all the equipment(?) we got to work; Neil tackling the hallway whilst I concentrated on the kitchen. It didn't take long to do the first coat so we decided to take a little break while it dried.

LUNCH

We headed down the road to a small cafe we used to go to quite a lot in our younger days. On the way there were some lovely flowers which I couldn't bypass without snapping a photo! Who ever maintains this beautiful section does an amazing job. On arriving at the cafe we ordered some pannini's (at a very reasonable price). The food is always delicious and is served very quickly.

We took a stroll back through the park where there were some more lovely flowers in bloom. The skyline was so hazy with this unusual 'Saharan dust/fog' London has been experiencing. Of course we had to stop off at the shop on the way home to pick up a cold drink and an egg or two!

Back to paining and I ended up doing three coats in total! The kitchen walls were quite yellow and stained (eeww!) where the old cupboards were covering the walls.  Once we had finished it was a mammoth tidy up session and then onto making dinner.

DINNER

The meal was a complete flop (for me; Neil loved it). I made gnocci with roasted beetroot, broccoli, red pepers and wilted spinach. I just didn't like the combination of flavours and mine ended up in the bin! We spent the evening plonked on the sofa watching a Louis Theroux documentary with some chocolate a cuppa tea and the cat.

Not the most exciting day but it was nice not to be at work and have some time together.

Hope you're all having a lovely week.

Betty xXx 

Reasons to be Cheerful...1, 2, 3

I've seen a couple of blogs such as Rosie from Cider with Rosie  and Kate from gh0stparties feature 10 reasons to be happy each week. I think this is a lovely idea as it helps one to remember that even though the week may have been crappy, there are still reasons to be happy and thankful. Sometimes we all go through a spell of feeling down or that things aren't going our way but there is always something that can make us feel happy and despite how small that may be, I believe it is important to remember this.

I think 10 might be a bit ambitious for me; it's not that 10 happy things might not occur but more that I won't remember them! So I'm going to start of with 5 happy/thankful things a week :)

1. My Parents: They have been so helpful this week, especially my dad helping with the kitchen. He has waited in for it to be delivered as well as the appliances and has helped take apart the kitchen too!

2. Having an amazing husband: He has been working so hard to get our kitchen prepared for the new one this weekend..eeek!

3. Being creative: It really is my release at the moment and I look forward to working on a little bit of crochet each evening


4. Bloglovin: I signed up to it a while ago and didn't really go on it until this week. I love the layout and how easy it is to read posts, like and follow other people. I have actually reached 20 followers on there! I know its not a great deal but it's 20 more people that have visited my corner of the internet than last week and it did bring a little smile to my face :)

5.  Sleep: There has been a significant lack of sleep this week what with the clocks going forward and our new kitchen being installed so any chance I've had to have a nap or a proper nights sleep has been most welcome!

Betty xXx

Weekly Round Up

This week has mainly consisted of food and eating out, primarily due to not having a working kitchen as we are getting ours re-done. This weekend has been slightly stressful and there has been a massive lack of sleep due to the clocks going forward, but there is end in sight and I'll be showing you our new kitchen soon!

I'll start with the food. We were being slightly lazy but having all your food (and there was a lack of it) in another room, cooking up all the frozen food and then no fridge for the week we decided to eat out a couple of times.  We went to Pizza Express on Wednesday as I had a discount voucher and had a yummy pizza with beetroot, goats cheese and rocket. I have noticed that they have reduced the amount of classic pizza's most of the better choices are in the 'Romano' section (the really thin, really big pizza's) that also cost more.

 

 We couldn't resist desert!

By Thursday I had just given up all attempts to cook for myself so I stopped off after work to pick up a Chinese takeaway :) I always go for plain chow main with vegetables and black bean sauce.

 

Sunday was Mother's Day in the UK and I went with my parents to Canterbury for the day; it was lovely! We had a good look around the shops (I may have purchased a Bobbi Brown foundation...oopps!) and then meandered off down the back roads to look at the old houses and buildings.

 

We stopped at this little church to smell these beautiful flowers. We thought they might be Lily of the Valley but decided they didn't smell strong enough. Any ideas? 

Of course I had to take a look in the Cath Kidston store and lust after all the products in there! I love how all the stores have vintage items or furniture to give you ideas. I fell in love with this picture on the wall but I don't think it was for sale, so now I'm on a mission to hunt it down!!

I hope you all had a fantastic weekend and if you're a mummy I hope you had a relaxing day getting spoilt rotten!

Betty xXx

Weekend/WIP Updates

This weekend was lovely although slightly chaotic as we are getting our kitchen done so there is mess and disruption everywhere! Poor Toby (the cat) doesn't know what to do with himself.

 We celebrated my Godson's 2nd birthday on Saturday; it's lovely to see him grow into a little boy and enjoy all his toys and little friends playing with him. As mentioned previously I made some car bunting (for the car theme) which went down very well at the party and I got some lovely comments! (I'll be doing a separate post on this soon.) It was the last project on my latest list so now I can turn my attention to new things! As with many crafters, I always have a list of ideas on the go, and this time my next project is actually going to be for me!

I've mentioned a couple of times on here that I wanted to make an adult size cardigan for myself as a 'goal' to see how hard it would be. After making one for my husband's cousin I decided that I wanted to have go after all my projects were out of the way, and now I've found the perfect pattern after picking up this month's issue of Simply Crochet featuring a Chanel inspired jacket on the cover.

The yarn used in the pattern is a Debbie Bliss number and although I would love to use it as I know the quality would be great, it's a little expensive when you need at least 10 balls of it. So I've opted for an aran yarn (hopefully that's a near equivalent) from Sirdar in a lovely rose colour; perfect for Spring. As you can see I went for a big ball of yarn! Its 400g which I thought would be more cost effective, especially this is my first go at an adult size piece of clothing so if I mess it up I haven't spent a great amount on it. I'm going to adapt the look slightly with the obvious colour change and will add a cream edge with possibly wooden or pearly buttons and a crochet lace trim on the pockets.

I'll keep you updated on my progress but fingers crossed its easy and quick to do.

We are now officially in Spring! Despite this weekend being freezing cold, it was so sunny it kind of makes up for the shivering. Unfortunately we didn't have time to have a walk in the park which I love to do on a Sunday afternoon when the sun is shining. We did however have some lunch and I got a lovely pink lemonade - it always reminds me of my childhood :)

Hope you all had a lovely weekend.

Betty xXx

The Stamford Notebook

If you follow me on Instagram you will know that last month my husband and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary. I can't believe how quickly a whole year has gone by! We both agreed not to get each other a 'big' present but instead get a little token gift to mark the occasion as well as going out for a meal that evening.

As the first year of marriage is traditionally symbolised with paper I wanted to stick to this theme so I chose a notebook from Neil as I'm currently obsessed with stationary and organisation! I originally thought of a Moleskin notebook but I wasn't keen on any of the colours, but after watching an Essiebutton vlog, she had visited a home show where The Stamford Notebook Company were on display. From what I could see, they had a great range of colours and after looking through their website I opted for the bright turquoise colour as it reminded me of our wedding colour theme. There are other options to customise the notebook such as having plain or ruled pages, small or large sizes and having your initials embossed onto the front cover.

I went for ruled pages, large size and plain embossed (new) initials on the front. I absolutely love my new notebook! It sounds odd but even the paper feels nice and soft. The company is based in Stamford, England and all the notebooks are handmade - two things I love about this company. I feel I am supporting a home grown, British company and I would highly recommend them to anyone who is looking for a great quality notebook to organise your thoughts...I'm already looking at my next purchase!

Betty xXx

Lazy Weekend

This weekend in the UK, the weather actually reached a spring like temperature. Of course this meant that people seemed to multiply everywhere meaning it all became a bit too crowded for my liking.

Sunday is my favourite day of the week. It's a chance to have a lie-in, cuddles with Toby, eat a cooked breakfast and catch up on all the things I haven't been able to do during the week. With the weather being so nice we decided to take a trip to Richmond. I haven't been for years but it was still as nice as I remember, besides the amount of people. We took a stroll down by the river which was lovely and I managed to not wear a coat or jacket for the first time in months! We also had a gander at the lovely shops and my ever-growing shopping list has now expanded. I particularly fell in love with a chair from Oliver Bonas (below), mainly for the colour but priced at over £500 I'm not sure I'll be purchasing it any time soon. Why is it that more expensive items are just perfect?!

Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to do any more crochet as Saturday I was overcome with a horrible headache which saw me going to bed at 9:30pm (rock 'n' roll or what?!) and by the time we came back on Sunday I was so tired I just couldn't be bothered to do anything more than lay around and look up things on the iPad.

I'm still working on the car bunting which I will hopefully finish this week. I actually don't have any other projects on at the moment which is lovely, although I have my eye on the Chanel inspired jacket as featured in this month's Simply Crochet. I'm just deciding on a colour - I'm obsessed with yellow at the moment or maybe a nice pale blue.

Hope you all had a lovely weekend and enjoyed the sunshine :)

Betty xXx

Brunch Snacks // Mini Pasties

Following on from my first 'Brunch Snacks' recipe I decided last night to try another recipe. When cooking I generally like to just chuck a load of things together and hope for the best - obviously for most things I do follow some kind of recipe but generally I like to mix flavours and see how they turn out.

This week I bought some roll out puff pastry to make a spinach type cheese tart thing and had some left over so thought why not try some mini pasties to take to work for my mid-morning snack. This is super easy and can be adapted to your own taste, adding pretty much any ingredients that will fit. I only managed to make four from the left over pastry but I think with a whole sheet of it you could probably get at least 8 depending on size. You could, of course make bigger pasties too! Here's what I did...

Ingredients:

Roll out puff pastry
Fillings: I used Spinach, Cheddar Cheese, half of one Red Pepper. (Other suggestions: cherry tomato, pesto, broccoli (small), curry potatoes, quorn mince and onion - or real meat of course)
Seasoning: Black Pepper

1. With your pastry rolled out decide how big you want your pasties to be - I just did this by eye and cut a rectangle - it will be folded over so bear in mind what you want to put inside and if you have enough room
2. Arrange your filling in the centre of one side of the pastry. I did a couple of spinach leaves folded, then cheese, a few slices of pepper and then another spinach leaf
3. Fold over the pastry and use a fork to crimp and seal the edges
4. Optional - brush the top of the pastry with some beaten egg (I didn't do this and they came out fine)
5. Pop in a pre-heated oven on 180C/Gas 4 for 20 minutes until slightly golden. 

I've tasted one this morning and they came out yummy! One tip I have is to use a mature cheddar - the stronger the better if that's your thing! It adds a lovely flavour.

Enjoy!

Betty xXx

Brunch Snacks // Mini Omelettes

When at work I often find myself really hungry come mid-morning. I try to be healthy and not tuck into the biscuits (until later!) so finding something to fill the hole until lunch time can prove to be tricky, especially when you don't want to have something really sugary.

A while ago, Gemma posted a picture on Instagram of her mini omelettes as an easy snack idea, so I thought I would give it a go. Now, I don't want to be patronising and tell you how to cook eggs but here's what I added to mine:

Ingredients (makes around 8):

4 Eggs
Dash of milk
Vegetables - I added chopped fresh tomatoes and peppers. Of course you can add what you like
Seasoning - This is to your own taste, I added pepper, garlic granules and smoked paprika
Chedder Cheese - optional
Small amount of oil

You will also need:
 
Muffin Baking Tin
Jug
Whisk or fork


What to do:

1. Preheat your oven to around 180C/Gas Mark 4
2. Take your oil and dab it on some kitchen towel and wipe each section of the muffin baking tin
3. Crack 4 eggs into your jug and and a dash of milk and beat eggs with your whisk or fork
4. Add your vegetables and mix in
5. Add your seasoning and again mix
6. Now carefully pour the egg mixture into each of the muffin sections about two thirds of the way -    they do expand/rise slightly
7. Pop them in the oven for around 15 minutes
8. After 15 minutes, take them out of the oven and if you are adding cheese, place a small about (or more if you like!) on top of each mini omelette. Put back in the oven on the grill setting for about 5-10 minutes depending how you like your cheese melted.
9. Let them cool down and they can either be eaten warm or cold. I stored mine in a Tupperware box and kept them in the fridge.

Have you tried this recipe? What are your favourite brunch snacks?

Betty xXx

Lazy Sunday's

I love Sundays. They are by far my favourite day of the week but also tinged with sadness - by the time it reaches 6pm I feel like the weekend is over and I have to start thinking about work on Monday morning!

This weekend was particularly lazy. We went to Homebase (DIY store) to look at exciting things like tiles and paint as we're getting our kitchen done soon. I think we've decided on the colour scheme and layout, and I'm really looking forward to all the new accessories I can buy! As well as picking up a paint sample booklet I purchased three mini Cactus. I've always loved Cacti and reminds me of one we had when I was little, I would be fascinated with the spike y-ness of it!

I received yet more yarn to add to the ever growing collection! This is Rico Creative Cotton Aran in Light Green, Sky Blue and Orange. The red shade is from James C Brett Cotton on DK (shade 15). These lovely bright colours are earmarked for a project for my Godson who's birthday is in March. 

 I also picked up a copy of this month's Inside Crochet magazine. I usually buy Simply Crochet each month but fancied a change. The adorable camper van on the cover just grabbed my attention and I'll definitely be having a go at making that soon! I've had a quick flick through and I really love this magazine; the photography is amazing and there are so many projects, big and small to do.

So that was my weekend! I'll leave you with some pictures of our cat Toby who loves to look out of the window at the birdies. Hope you all had a lovely weekend and didn't get too wet in this awful UK weather we're having.

 

Betty xXx