Practice makes better......

Were you always told in school that 'practice makes perfect'? I know I was. In life I believe that you can always strive to do better in whatever you do, be it your job, your hobbies, your family, being a better friend. Things are never really 'perfect', but you can make them as good as you possibly can. Getting better requires practice, practice and more practice. It is really easy to lose sight of how far you have come, and how things have changed as a result of hard work, dedication, and the 'p' word, practice.

In my crochet design work I am constantly working on new ideas, trying new yarns, making up samples, and thought it would be timely, with my blogging birthday last week, to see how my designs have developed and improved, and to see if I really have got better with practice.

Top left = my first ever design! This crochet Strawberry Bunting was also my first pattern which can be found here.

As I got more confident I embraced more complex designs, testing out some new stitches, in the ear-warmer for example (pattern can be found here), culminating in my most recent design- the diamond patterned hat (I really need to think of a proper name!) which is probably my favourite and most accomplished design to date. This pattern is in progress....I will let you all know when it is published :-)

So, does practice really make better? I definitely think so, and with more practice I aim to continue getting better and better :-)

Have a great day!

SSxx

Friday favourites.........summer holiday destinations

..........Summer holiday destinations

I love a getaway as much as the next person, but sometimes life, lack of funds and lack of time off work means a UK holiday......or even just a weekend spent in the sunshine in the garden or the park is often enough to recharge and relax. 

1- Manchester

There is so much going on in Manchester....music, art, architecture, and cafes. Lots of cafes and bars to wile away the day and if you venture outside of the city centre there are loads of parks to relax in too.  Manchester gets a bad reputation for the weather but in reality it doesn't rain too much, and when it is hot and sunny it is very hot and sunny!

2- Norwich

A small-ish city, perfect for shopping and lunching in its many independent cafes, bars and restaurants. You can easily explore the city by foot over a day leaving plenty of time to get to the coast! The Norfolk coast is as varied as it is beautiful, from calm sandy beaches (such as Sea Palling) to the pebbles of Sheringham, to the marsh and woodland of Holkham and the seals at Horsey. 

3- Brighton

Walk along the promenade, have a go on the rides at the pier, eat at an American diner and visit some fab independent, quirky shops. Brighton has something for everyone so is definitely worth a visit (or two).

4- Low Newton-by-the-Sea

A stunning beach complete with castle in rural Northumberland. Great for lounging on the beach or a good hearty walk. The Ship-Inn serves fantastic fresh seafood (or so I have been told not being a fish lover myself), but remember some cash as they don't take card (speaking from someone who only had enough cash to share a cup to tea between two!) 

Anyone else have any favourite holiday hot-spots in the UK? Some may find these odd as favorites (wheres Newquay on that list?!? etc) but I wanted to share some of the less obvious, but equally as great, places. Plus, I've never been to Cornwall!

Take it easy, have a great weekend,

SSxx

1st Anniversary of blogging

Happy Birthday to me! Well actually, I wrote my first blog post a year and 2 days ago, only I just realised I had missed it when I checked my first ever post yesterday. I missed my six-month mark too, but gave a little round-up at about 8 months which you can see here. So, what has changed since my last blogging round-up, and where do I see myself with my blogging and crochet now?

Blogging- 

I'm loving it more than ever. I'm posting way more regularly, even up to 4 times a week pretty regularly. I have incorporated another regular feature 'Friday Favourites' where I will be sharing my favourite things on a particular topic. You can see the first two posts here (yarny blogs) and here (crochet food!). I have found that posting more regularly is keeping me inspired, and I've also got better at looking for bits and bobs to blog about whilst out and about. 

Despite this, I do still find it a struggle sometimes, and often wonder whether anyone out there is actually interested in what I have to say. My favourite blogs are those that impart useful information, that teach me something and inspire me to change my way of thinking. I'm not sure this comes through in my posts at the moment, but I know I'm improving, my writing is improving, Most importantly though and I have learnt to accept that this blogging malarky takes a lot of practice, and as someone once said...."practice makes better...." It requires practice, hard work and patience. 

Crochet- 

Now, crochet is another thing that requires practice, practice and more practice. Following on from my 8 month round-up 4 months ago I have been doing a lot more designing and a lot less making and selling. There are two main reasons for this, this first being that I have been doing more hours at my 'part-time' job which has meant that weekend markets are often out of the question, and secondly, whilst I love being a market trader for a day, meeting new people and indulging in general crochet chat I don't really enjoy making the same pieces over and over. I prefer the thrill of designing something new, and seeing others make my designs for themselves. 

I have 3 new designs (almost) ready for publication, 2 crochet and 1 knitting, that I can't wait to share with you soon. When I compare these designs to my first crochet designs they are worlds apart, which really shows how essential practice is in this craft (I envisage a post on this shortly).

Other stuff-  

In my 8-month round up, at the end of the penultimate paragraph I mentioned that I had a job interview for a 'lifelong career' type job. Well,  after a rather grueling interview process (I have never felt so sick with nerves before), I got the job! I will be training as a Clinical Biochemist with the NHS come September! I cannot wait! I'm sad that I won't be able to spend as much time blogging and designing, but I know that if I am productive with my time I can carry on much as I have been doing now. I still hold the dream of one day having a yarn shop selling my own range of yarns and my own designs (maybe once I retire!) so will definitely remain immersed in this fantastic world of yarn as well as re-immersing myself into science. 

So, without further ado, here is the last 4 months of blogging in pictures- one for each month (or 2 if I can't decide!)

APRIL 2014

Remember that smog? This is a view of Happisburgh Lighthouse on the Norfolk Coast.

MAY 2014

In the Manchester Evening News! (Although I really wish they hadn't changed all my 'crochets' in the draft press release to 'knitting', kinda gives the wrong impression!)

I just love this snap of a ladybird perched on the end of a knitting needle!

JUNE 2014

Knitted jersey bunting in Harrogate to celebrate the Tour de France

JULY 2014

Crochet campervans to be used as bunting for decoration at my friends campervan-themed weddinig.

So, that's it for now. I do have a bit more to tell you, but I don't want to bore the pants off you in one sitting. Plus my attention span is a bit limited, and my bum is getting numb from this computer seat! Till next year! 

SSxx

Le Tour de France comes to Yorkshire

 Whooooosh! Whizzzzzz! Can you guess where I was this weekend? Yep, you got it, we went to watch the Tour pass through Yorkshire.....and it was amazing! The atmosphere was fantastic, from the mass of people at Leeds train station at 8.30 in the morning, to streets lined with enthusiastic spectators in Ilkley where we chose to watch the tour pass. The people of Ilkley had really gone to town....there were BBQs, beer tents, and after the bikes had passed we went to the park where they had a big screen showing the rest of the ride, along with more food stalls, fairground rides and most importantly a Pims vender! 

All in all a brilliant day! Here are a few more photos (including some yarny ones- I couldn't forget them now could I).

Did any of you see the ride? What did you think? Sadly I didn't see any more knitted jerseys but it was still a fantastic day. Plus, look at that sky!! 

Off to watch the 3rd stage (on the TV this time :-( ). Ta-Rah!

Friday favourties......crochet food

................crochet food

Now I love food, and you all know I love crochet, so what about crochet food? It is not the sort of crochet I am in to making, but the sort of crochet that I just LOVE to look at, admire and marvel over on good old Pinterest (I'm SallyStrawbs over there)

There are some seriously talented food crocheters out there, and these are a pic of my favourites.

Copacetic Crocheter- check out Norma's Etsy shop for patterns of all manners of crochet food. My favourite is the pasta collection shown below!

Source

Twinkie Chan- the absolute queen of crochet food items.....hats, scarves, tissue box covers. You name it, she has done it! I have crocheted her cupcake hat and bunting and they were fab patterns to follow.  

Cynthia Rae- check out Cynthia's Flickr site for a whole host of beautifully photographed crochet food. My favourite has to be this fried egg found on WhatTheCool along with other examples of Cynthia's work.

Source

If you like deserts, check out THIS crochet banana split pattern by melbangel found on Etsy.

Last but not least, and flying the flag for British crochet food is Kate Jenkins. Kate Jenkins is a crochet genius from Brighton, whose frankly amazing crochet can be found all over the web. Check out Kate's website here, and more examples of her work here and here. Also check out her blog where she posts a 'Fishy Friday' photo every Friday, of a crochet fish item. They are magnificent so do have a look. 

I hope you enjoyed some of these tasty crocheted treats. Have a great weekend!

Work in progress Wednesday

Can you remember these flowers from last weeks WIP post?

Well I finished them last night, joined them all together (not 100% about this but will get to it), into their finished item- a scarf! Despite the fact that I have not yet found the best way of joining them the scarf is pretty stunning when worn. Before I can photograph it properly though it needed a good blocking to flatten out the flowers.

Going......

Going......

Gone! (almost)

The scarf is drying out but next week I hope to get you some proper photos and....wait for it....a pattern!

 I wonder if you would have any advice about joining it up? I didn't want to just sew each join as I was worried that if one came undone the scarf would be ruined. At the moment they are joined by a continuous length of thread running through all the flowers. This is working OK but I can imagine that gravity will shift the flowers around a bit during use. What I may do is do a bit of knot research and as well as threading them up, tie each join for extra security. What do you think? Any help on this would be massively appreciated! 

I am joining up with Ginny for her 'Yarn Along' this week, please do go and check out some of the other blogs linking up!

I hope you have a great day and and thanks in advance for any suggestions you  may have.

Crochet campervan bunting (my secret project)

I am now able to share with you the secret project I have been working on for the last couple of months. A friend from my PhD days was getting married and when I asked her what she would like as a wedding present she sent me a crochet pattern for campervans! Once the bridesmaids dresses were all sorted I received a gorgeous parcel of wool in colours to match the dresses. This yarn was from Abstract in Walthamstow and I would like to thank Alessandra for all her help in selecting the appropriate weight yarn and colours for the project. Abstract is a fantastic little shop so do pop in if you are in the area (I hope to go back soon too!). 

So, why campervans? The wedding was to be campervan themed! Wowsers! This was all very hush hush so I had to keep this project a secret for aggges- pretty hard when I was so excited about it! The campervans were destined for bunting for the cake table at the reception.

Here are a couple more pictures

and in situ on the big day!

Isn't that cake just awesome?! I'm really pleased with how they turned out, but most importantly the bride and groom were too!