BBB 2012 -Squares from The Netherlands and FILET CROCHET at last!

On Tuesday this week a post popped into my 'reader' from Elisabeth of About Crochet  - Elisabeth has crocheted 2 beautiful squares for the Beautiful Blogger Blanket of 2012.. lovely pastel shades! They are winging their way to me now from the Netherlands!

Elisabeth is also organising a crochet competition which I blogged about here in November.  The rules are that, using one stitch pattern with 3 variations, participants should design a scarf, shawl, fingerless gloves or a cushion cover.  


Easy I thought.. but with one stitch pattern it is somewhat challenging... I've spent a long time starting a few projects and then starting again.. the end project has to be published on our blogs by 14th January....


There are 20 of us in the competition - I am the only one from the UK! Watch this bloggy space...

Have you seen the lovely idea that Lynda from hookinwithlalaa has had to start the new year off with a bloggy bang? Lynda is going to set up a Craft Box that will travel the country (Uk blogs only)....if you join the project by January 20th you can have a turn at the having the box arrive at your door - then you can take 2 things out of the box and replace them with 2 other things.. I'm not explaining it very well - pop over and have a look..... I'm in....


Right then, before I go to bed I want to show you something which I am tres proud of... I couldn't show you before as this was something I started for the Avent Swap (also organised by Lynda from Hookinwtihlaalaa).. and sent to Madison of Madison Makes. 

Madison blogged about them today here.

I conquered FILET CROCHET! Well, I say conquered... it was more of a picking up the sword to begin the battle really - but I did manage to make an 'M' for Madison - and sewed it into a very wobbly pin-cushion...

I also made a pot cover... this was also my fist attempt at adding beads to crochet which I loved.  I shall definitely be taking up the sword again as filet crochet is no-where near as complicated as I thought.. in fact it is VERY simple, kind of mathematical, but oh so fiddly at first!  It goes a bit like this... chain, chain, chain...treble, treble, treble...chain, chain, chain....Once you have been doing it for a while, as with everything in life, it gets easier...


My Mum's sister has a picture on her wall, of a little girl done in filet crochet which my lovely cousin made years ago..... Every-time we see it Mum asks me to make her something similar... I can't find a pattern anything like that, but I am looking... and I think it would be a great challenge for 2012....

Tidying up the ends before the end of the year... Part One

There are a few things I should be blogging about before the New year begins... First of all on December 16th I promised that I would blog about the rest of my advent pressies from Madison Makes... and since then there hasn't been a minute to even think about it... so today I am catching up before the new year begins to sweep away the old... 

Here are the other presents that Madison sent me for my advent swap...

Gorgeous little soaps

A Christmas votive..

Hearts to hang on the tree

Beautiful little nightlight candles in the shapes of flowers

A vintage glass jug

A vintage glass footed bowl in beautiful blue

A notebook with handmade cover

A book on knitting in the pub.. 

Lovely smellies

Look at the pattern in this vintage glass bowl...

This is just gorgeous...little angels dancing in the candle light...

A floral pomander...and lovely memories of smelling my Nan's one which was similar...

and a hand knitted little heart...so sweet to hang on the tree for now...and on a door handle after Christmas..

THANK YOU MADISON... I have loved opening all of my advent presents...
 it made Christmas just that little bit more special for me....
I do hope you enjoyed opening yours too... x