Large Scale Lace scarf

Another recent addition to my ever increasing collection of scarves is this play on scale scarf. It is made by crocheting a lace type pattern but with really chunky wool and a large hook, to produce a chunky scarf. I thing perhaps I should have gone for an even chunkier wool, but I just raided my stash and used two colours of Icelandic Lopi wool.

 This was really easy to whip up although there were a few mistake in the pattern, nothing major tho. the pattern is here btw :  http://www.berroco.com/exclusives/beseme/beseme.html
And because it is so quick it would make fab Christmas pressies :)

Spring has Sprung

It certainly feels like spring out there in the garden today. The snowdrops are finally fully open, and the crocus' are beginning to open too.

We have rather a short growing season up here in Orkney, although the weather tends to be milder than the rest of the UK during the winter months, the longer darker nights mean plants take longer to get started. Although the constant daylight of may and June make sure the plants catch up later in the summer.

 We also seem to get the April showers in February, the weather has warmed up and it is beautifully sunny out there, although the wind is strong as usual and bringing in the odd heavy shower today.

 I managed to get out in the garden for half an hour earlier between showers for a spot of gardening in the walled front garden, sheltered form the wind. just tidying up the dead foliage on some of the perennials and planting a few late bulbs I had forgot to put out and were sprouting in their bags, hopefully they will still come up. And also planting out the spent hyacinth bulbs at the back of the bed, if they come up next year great, if not they will rot down in the ground, certainly better than just throwing them in the bin :)

Valentines

We don't usually make a fuss in our house at valentines, in fact I would go so far as to say that I don't think we bother about it so much in the UK, reserving it to a day of maybe a card, and chocs if your lucky. Although one year I did receive a surprise Parcel from OH before we were living together, that I had to walk to the sorting office to fetch as he had sent me a bunch of Orchids :)

 I don't normally do any sort of decor for valentines either, but I have been tempted by one or two of the projects I have seen online, and made a small display on top of the jukebox.
Along with the pink paper hearts I made and popped in the old goldfish bowl a couple of weeks ago, I crocheted the lengh of heart bunting to drape on my vase of winter twigs, which is in residence for the winter.
The tutorial for which is at http://juliacrossland.blogspot.com/2010/03/teeny-tiny-heart-bunting.html

I also managed to find an almost new cashmere sweater for John in the charity shop a few weeks ago for a cracking 50p !! so I put it away for valentines. 

 Along with a homemade valentines card which I made with a glue gunned (I love my glue gun) together scrappy heart and some printables from Vanessa at a fanciful twist 

 And popped all into a used gift bag from Christmas. Frugality at it's best :)

Cable knit bangles

Hmmm I don't seem to have been keeping up with the blog very well the past couple of weeks have I, sometimes there is just too many things to be doing and making to be able to blog about them, so there will probably be a few catch up posts  over the next few days. better grab a cup of tea and a slice of homemade cake :)

One of the quick projects I've done recently was some cable knit bangles, i have some scraps of a jumper left over from making a cushion cover, and I hate to waste anything, so when i saw this on another blog i had to give it a go, bee trying to find the original post in my blog roll but can't find it right now, will add the link when I find it tho.
The lady on the original blog used old bangles, but I have used rings cut from an old stock tub.

Cut strips from an old jumper. this would probably work better with a lighter weight, close knit then I have used.

Glue gun it on, and voila :) instant woolly bangle :)

Scavenger Hunt - January

Kathy over at postcardsfromthepp is doing a photographic scavenger hunt this year, each month you get a list of 12 subjects to take a pic of, I have come a little late to the table on this one, so my pics are a little rushed, but here is January's list and my pics :)

 (1) An Abandoned Building : this is one of the many remaining buildings of the former Royal Navy Airbase at Twatt and is just across the field from us. I am not sure what it was used for but the list of remaining building and their locations are
 HY22SE 58.01 HY 26936 22606 Pillbox
HY22SE 58.02 HY 25948 22755 Cinema
HY22SE 58.03 HY 26223 22942 Control Tower
HY22SE 58.04 HY 26434 22458 Pillbox
HY22SE 58.05 HY 25922 23134 Bomb Store
HY22SE 58.06 HY 25820 22883 Buildings (Officer's Mess, Squash Court)
HY22SE 58.07 HY 25609 23019 Smithy; Buildings
HY22SE 58.08 c.HY 2469 2313 Gun emplacement
HY22SE 58.09 HY 27102 02351 Gun emplacement
HY22SE 58.10 HY 26907 22945 and HY 26861 22752 Aircraft Hangars

 (2)  Stained Glass :  Taken from inside St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall, this is the main window above the Altar.

 (3)  Goldfish :   entitled "Do you think the kids will be able to tell"

 (4)  Yarn:  the wool that I spun yesterday at my spinning class :)

 (5)  Playground equipment :  A tricky one as we have few playgrounds here, and I rarely go near one. so this is the trampoline which still has not be taken down since the boys were here in the summer.

 (6)  Library :  Our local library in Kirkwall (boring pic I know)

 (7)  A tombstone more than 100 years old :  Taken inside the cathedral, this is the tomb of one Barbara Irvine " one pious and virtuous woman" who died in 16th december 1682

 (8)  My Front door :  my grotty, still not been replaced since we moved in a year ago, actually an interior, completely rotten, front door.

 (9)  A reflective surface (not a mirror) :  The bell from HMS Royal Oak, who was sunk by German torpedo in Scapa flow on the 14 October 1939 costing 833 lives.

 (10)  Something out of place :  A Herse belonging to a friend of John's, currently residing on our garden. Hmmmm

 (11)  Nature :  One of my Hiacynths, which is still blooming and smells fab :)

(12)  Bubbles :  Bubbles caught in the glass stem of a candle stick I purchased in a charity shop.

Other blogs joining in the scavenger hunt are below :)