Blog temporarily on hold

This is just a post to let you know that I will be unable to write regularly for the next week or two. To be honest, sewing is the last thing on my mind.
My father has suffered a heart attack and I have had to travel to stay with my Mum and help out with hospital visiting and organizing things for her and Dad.
Could you please keep us in your thoughts over the next few days? I am feeling a bit stressed and anxious as Dad will be having an angiogram and possibly further procedures on Tuesday. I will not be able to respond to any comments individually and hope you will not mind too much.

I hope to be back with the blog soon.

Catherine

Reasons to be cheerful- finishes and flowers.

Firstly, a big thank you to everyone who has visited via Vicki's Grow Your Blog party 2015 and decided to follow my quilting and crafting adventures this year. The link to the party is in the margin on the right side as is my post for the party so if you are just catching up and want a chance to win the giveaway please visit my  original post and leave a comment. You do not need to follow to enter the giveaway or you may have been a follower for some time- anyone can enter!

I LOVE the end of January and the beginning of February. The days are now getting slightly longer and the dreary long month of January with it's low light levels is over. I've got several finishes to share as well so hold on to your hats and here we go!

I made the two foundation pieced hearts at a class with Sue Warren at Busy Bees in Newport ages ago. They are made on the quilt as you go principle. I really enjoy FPP. This was a simple block but I think it is quite effective. It has been languishing in a drawer for a bit (I've just checked and it was October 2014 I am ashamed to say!) so I decided to make the blocks into the front of a pillow (20 x 16"). Just right in time for Valentine's Day this month.

I also have two small knitting finishes to share.

• My very first pair of socks

The pattern is Hermione's Everyday socks by Erica Lueder. I adapted the pattern and used the Fish Lips Kiss heel which I found on Ravelry on Sox Therapy This pattern for the heel gets rid of any holes, flaps, picking up stitches and is well worth checking out. Full details of my socks are on my Ravelry page. 

• My first knitted hat

The pattern for the beanie is Oak Trail by Alana Dakos from the first Botanical Knits book. I used a SweetGeorgia Superwash Worsted yarn and the colourway is Oxblood. The yarn is subtly shaded and a very pretty color to cheer me up. I also treated myself to a few new circular needles and after lots of advice on Ravelry I plumped for Chiaogoo Red Lace fixed circulars. The tips are stainless steel with the size etched on, so no more guessing as numbers rub off. The red cables are flexible and they are a joy to use. I got mine from Loop who turned the order round very quickly. Sorry, just checked and I got mine from Meadow Yarn.

Lastly, even the garden is waking up with snowdrops poking cheerful heads through the ground. The best thing out there though is a Daphne Buhloa "Jacqueline Postill". Mike and I saw this bush a few years ago on a garden visit and had to have one. The scent is very sweet and it is covered in pretty pale pink florets.

Only problem is that the flowers do not last more than a day inside but the smell in the room was divine.

I'll be linking up to last Sunday's Wool on Sunday at the Rainbowhare blog and Nicole's Keep Calm Craft on at Frontier Dreams

I'll also be linking to Yarn-along with Ginny at Small things. Unfortunately, I've been reading on my Kindle this week so no book jacket to show. The novel is The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters. I'm half way through and really enjoying the descriptions of a mother and daughter struggling to maintain their genteel household in the post war years and the effects of taking a young married couple into the household. It is a great study of manners, class distinctions and the blurring of boundaries in the 20thC.

Also linking to Freshly Finished Friday for knitty finishes and TGIFF (link in the sidebar)

Did you notice my new orange social media buttons in the margin? I was reading one of the new blogs I followed from GYB 2015 this morning. Fabric and Memories with Cheri, the quilting nanny. She had added one or two new widgets to her blog by following tutorials on Code It Pretty. It was all explained so easily on the site so I had a go..... et voila!

So until February 15th when I'll publish the winner of the giveaway, have a wonderful week,

Catherine