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Saturday 28 February 2015

Better late than never.....


Ta-dah! What do you think? I love it! I'm not sad to be giving it away though as it doesn't go with my decor (not that I really worry about that sort of thing!). This 'Scandi Cushion' is designed by Kath Webber and was in Simply Crochet issue 23. It is crocheted entirely in treble stiches (UK) in Drops Paris cotton, and its big. A pillow size in fact (tip for those not in the know- 40 x 60cm is a standard pillow size- I was searching for ages to find a cushion insert of this size!). All that cotton makes for a heavy, sturdy cushion cover that I hope will stand the test of time. 

This is a (very late) house-warming present for my sister and her boyfriend who have moved into their first place together, a lovely little cottage in the Lancashire hills. I hope they like it. They have a 'no pink' rule but this is subtle enough don't you think?

A few more close-ups for you of those lovely rows of treble crochet.



I had a bike accident last weekend and sprained my wrist. This has meant no crochet and a very grumpy Sally. I managed to sew this together without too much problem though so will be back on the hook next week :-)

Have a great weekend

SSxx

Monday 9 February 2015

SallyStrawberry is in Inside Crochet!

Issue 62- out now!

I'm so happy its a bit ridiculous!! More about this tomorrow- I'm over-excited and will probably sprout a load of jumbled garbage! 

So now for some beautifully styled photos- credit to both goes to Inside Crochet






Eeeeeek!

SSxx

Sunday 8 February 2015

The sun on our backs




 

It was so delightful to feel the sun on our backs and faces on this walk around Cyfarthfa Park this morning, and for the first time in months it felt warm. I have an inkling that spring may be on the horizon.

SSxx

I last came here in Autumn, which is silly really as its just up the road. 

Saturday 7 February 2015

My top 5 blog posts as decided by YOU!

I find it really interesting to find out what you find interesting. So a quick look at my 'stats' page tells me that these are your favourite posts.

In reverse order:




This was from a very early post in my blogging history. This hat from Repeat Crafter Me became a favourite



This was one of my first sewing projects after getting a sewing machine for Christmas last year. I was pretty proud of this to be honest.



This was a collaborative piece written by myself with contributions from Not So Granny and Lazy Daisy Jones about the joys of crochet-induced RSI. This post is mostly found through Google searches, so I really hope that it has been able to help some people. 



If you crochet and don't know what a magic circle is then check out this tutorial now! The magic circle is a revelation. 



I rather like this pattern, and it has proved pretty popular on Ravelry too. Check it out in the 'patterns' tab of my blog if you fancy having a go. They are really easy, but pretty addictive so be warned. They also use the magic circle tutorial about. 

So, here they are, Up next will be my 5 top blog posts as decided by ME!

Take care,

SSXX

Sunday 1 February 2015

Liebster Award



I am very flattered and happy to be nominated for a Leibster Award by the lovely Iris. Please do go and check out her fabulous blog

So what is this award then?

The Liebster Award is an online award that is passed along from blogger to blogger in the hopes of promoting new and aspiring bloggers with less than 200 followers. As Iris mentioned, the rules do vary a bit, but I am going to follow the rules Iris posted. 

I'm not the best at following rules but I'll do it just this once.......

1) Thank the person who nominated you with a link to their blog- check! Thanks Iris, I really appreciate it :-)

2) Display the Liebster Award button in your post- yep!

3) Answer the questions you are given- will get on it is a minute....

4) Nominate up to 10 other bloggers with up to 200 followers and inform them by commenting on their blog or contacting them- of course, although I won't always be able to see the number of followers you have, so please don't be offended if you have more, its an honest mistake!

5) Write 10 questions for the bloggers you have nominated- can't wait for this bit :-) 

Please please please don't feel pressured to take part. I must admit that I was nominated before, and as much as I wanted to respond I just couldn't find the time, and the more I thought about it the harder it became. I promise I will answer your questions soon Fiona, and I'm sorry! 

Ok, here goes.........


1) What is your favourite pasttime?

Crochet, reading, cooking, beach walks

2) Who taught you to knit/crochet/craft?

My nanny taught me to knit when I was pretty young, then I taught myself crochet with a bit of help from my Mum (who learnt from a DVD). Most of my early projects were from Cute and Easy Crochet by Nicki Trench, and I credit it with getting me into crochet. If you would like to hear more about my knitting story (and see some photos of my first ever knitting projects I wrote a whole post about it which can be found here).


3) Indoors or outdoors?

Difficult one.....I love being indoors when the weather is bad, but I also have to get out of the house at least once a day whatever the weather, even just to the shops- I'm very susceptible to cabin fever! In the Summer, definitely outdoors. I especially love eating outside in the Summer. 

4) Have you been abroad? Name two countries you've been to.

I was really lucky to be taken on lots of  holidays with my family when I was younger, mostly epic road-trips around Europe. Not so much in recent years sadly. Two countries that really stuck out for me were America (especially Boston, I just love it and have been twice!) and India, for the sheer experience of it. If I can cheat a little and add a third I would say Bosnia. I was overcome by the way the country had overcome the civil war in the 90's despite the huge devastation the country and its people suffered, and how many cultures and religions are living side-by-side so harmoniously. I was pretty embarrassed when I went into a Muslim bar and ordered a beer though. Doh! 

Bosnia India Boston Holiday

5) How do you approach your day? 

This really depends on what I'm doing. At the moment I'm giving my all to my full time job. I'm also having to commute for the first time ever and am really not loving it. At the moment its wake up far too early, snooze my alarm a couple of times, rush to get out on the road and sit in traffic for an hour or so. Do what I have to do, sit in traffic a bit more. dinner and a bit of crochet, bed, repeat. None of this is really conduce to a nice productive day but I get it done. When I'm on annual leave and have some time to do some creative bits my day is a whirlwind of making, photography, meeting friends, chatting craft, making mess, and making more mess. Totally disorganised but I still get lots done!

6) Given the chance to have things exactly as you'd like, what would you change?

No Ebola, No Poverty, No racism, No homophobia, No sexism, No inequality, for unicorns to be real and wishes made on a star to be granted. 

7) Name 5 things you are looking forward to today

Having a relaxing day with no pressures
A piece (or 3)  of Tobelerone with my coffee
A little walk 
A jacket potato with a lovely crispy skin
A long read in bed listening to the radio


8) Old our new, which do you prefer and why?

Old. I like things with character and a bit of history.

9) Summer or winter? 

Summer, but Autumn is my favourite season really. I just love it when the leaves on the trees turn. 

10) Share your favourite recipe. 

This is a no-brainer. This lemon drizzle cake recipe by Mary Berry is just the best. It works 99.9% of the time (unless you get impatient and try and get it out of the tin when its too warm still). It even works well with oranges or limes if you don't have any lemons. I am yet to come across a single person who doesn't like it. I made it before for a friends' Birthday cake, but used a round tin and kept it whole and it was still fab. 

Lemon Drizzle Birthday cake by Sally Strawberry

Here are the blogs that I nominate........

No pressure at all, but do let us know if you choose to participate :-)

So, here are your 10 questions:


1- Toast or Cereal?
2- If you could be someone for the day who would you be, and why?
3- If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
4- What is your favourite film?
5- Did you make any New Years resolutions/goals for 2015? If so do spill the beans!
6- When was the last time you flew a kite?
7- Are you a morning or an evening person?
8- Camping or Hotel?
9- Tell us a lesser known fact about yourself
10-What are your three top hobbies

I hope you enjoyed this post and found out something new about me :-) And remember, please do head over and have a look at Iris's blog.

SSxx