Lace Baby Blanket

After seeing Saffy on Instagram post a lovely picture of her baby blanket I decided to buy the pattern (available via Etsy or Ravelry).

I've wanted some yellow in the flat for a while so thought this would be a great addition to use as a throw and to use as a lap blanket when the evenings get colder; wow don't I sound like a granny?! I used Hobbycraft's own make in yellow as I had it from another project and hardly used it. When that came to an end I didn't have any plans to go to Hobbycraft so used a cream colour (Sirdir Hayfield Bonus) and now that has finished I've moved on to Stylecraft Special DK in Parchment bought via Deramores as well as Cream in the hopes that that will be enough to finish it off - somehow I think I'll need a bit more.

The pattern was a bit confusing to begin with but now I've picked up all the stitches and each round its pretty self explanatory. After working on it for a while and once the beige yarn was nearly running out I decided to stop there. The great thing about blankets is that you can go back to them at any time so for now it sits comfortably on the back of the sofa. I'm sure in time I'll want to expand it but I'm happy to have finished it for now.

Boodle's Yarn

Boodle's Yarn available at Hobbycraft now!

For some time now I have wanted to experiment with T-Shirt yarn to create something chunky like a rug but have found it really hard to track down said yarn in an actual shop and online it seems to be quite expensive. So, whilst browsing the pages of Hobbycraft, I discovered Boodles Yarn. It comes in a variety of colours (I think more are available in store than online) and at only £6 with a 3 for 2 offer on, I'll be making a trip to HC this week!

The only draw back is that some of the reviews online have stated that the label doesn't indicate yardage so it is hard to tell how much is needed for a project. I'm planning to buy three lots in the offer and see how far that gets me. Boodles also recommend using their bamboo crochet hook but I'm not sure if it offers anything different than a standard crochet hook in the same size.

I'll let you know when I buy and start a project with this yarn although I have about 3 different projects on at the moment so much try and finish one of those first!!

Learning Something New

 Red Velvet E-Courses

For a while now I have wanted to do a course; something that isn't pressured but will give me something to work towards and hopefully enjoy. A while back when I was really into the jewellery making thing I wanted to do a jewellery diploma course offered by The London Jewellery School. However, this was rather expensive and I think a full time course so it just wasn't practical.

At times I feel I am a fickle person: I flit from one interest to another but never seem to settle on one thing that I want to do. These flits have ranged from the above jewellery course to make up artistry, crochet, sewing, dress making...the list goes on!
A couple of weeks ago I was looking at the wonderful website that is A Beautiful Mess when I discovered that they offer e-courses for a small fee (ranging from $28-$38 - in English Pounds this is £18-£25). The courses include things like: a year long art journal, baby on the way, how to improve your blog and dream job.

The one that really stand out to me is the Dream Job e-course which offers lots of steps to help your business grow into a success. Written by Elsie and Emma of A Beautiful Mess, it seems like it would have brilliant information as they are only around my age and have already achieved a lot! I like that there are no deadlines and no pressure. It's more of an information course and you can do as much or as little as you want so I think this would be ideal for me!

I'm looking to start this fairly soon so I'll keep you posted on how I'm getting on but I'm quite excited!

Have you tried any of these courses?

Betty x

The week so far...

 Pug Necklace - Was £5 now £2.50!

So, we are only on Tuesday but I thought I would update you on what I have been up to so far and what I plan on doing for the rest of the week.

Yesterday at work it was a very boring day; nothing much to report and it was fairly quiet so no complaints from me. I started adding loads more things to my Etsy shop and also added some 'job lot' items on Ebay in an effort to get rid of some of the old jewellery I've made that I just don't like anymore. I really want to start a fresh with it and I've got a new summer collection planned. Hopefully I can sell some bits and buy new materials. I'm aiming to get the new collection up by 1st July!

If you're reading this, I would be so grateful if you would click on my Etsy link to the right ---> and let me know what you think of the jewellery I have on there so far. These pieces are still old collections but I've added lots to the sale so there are plenty of bargins!

I've got Friday off work so I plan to spend the day with my gorgeous husband. Not sure what we'll do yet but it will be nice to just relax and spend time together. At the weekend we are having some friends over to our new flat and having dinner with them so I need to think of a recipe for the boys (meat eaters) and the girls (veggies). I'm thinking of doing a stir fry at the moment but would like to cook something a little more adventurous! Let me know in the comments if you have any suggestions :)

Hope you are all having a fab week!

Take care,
Betty x