Opposite the Kitchen Window - October 2014

It's a working surface today. Spot the following.

*bread rising

*tinned steak and kidney pie for tea (not a planned tea)

*Christmas cakes maturing

*cat catcher

*containers not put away

*cat food

*flour sifter

*tea towel not hung up

Here's one of the cakes. I'll give it a liquid feed next week. It's got enough booze in to keep it content for this week!

xx

Easy Ripple Pattern

I cannot find out where this pattern originated so if it belongs to anyone out there please let me know so I can give you credit. I'm sure it's not from a book. I must have taken it from a blog somewhere and I saved it in my pattern files. I have worked out that the foundation chain should have a multiple of 10 stitches plus 6 - e.g. 86 stitches, counting all the chains.

I think my blanket started out with 166 chains.

Easy Ripple Pattern

Row 1: 1 treble in 4th chain from hook.

I insert my needle in the stitch underneath the v.

1 treble in next chain.

 *1 treble in each of the next 3 chains,

 Make the valley

 ( v yarn round hook, insert hook in next chain, yarn round hook, pull yarn through, yarn round hook, pull yarn through 2 loops on hook, leaving 2 loops on hook. Without finishing off this treble, repeat from v in next 2 chains, which gives you 4 chains on the hook. Yarn round hook and pull yarn through all 4 loops to finish this stitch - should look like a triangle). 

Now 1 treble in each of next 3 chains,

Make the mountain

3 trebles in the next chain. 

This completes the pattern. Repeat from * to the end of the row with 2 trebles at the very end.

Basically 3 trebles, a valley, 3 trebles, a mountain. The beginning and end of each row are 2 trebles.

Row 2: 3 chain (this is the first treble), 1 treble in first stitch then 3 more trebles followed by a valley, 3 trebles followed by a mountain. At the end of the row you should make sure you have 5 trebles.

I always crochet in my ends as I go along. Whenever I change a colour I break the yarn by hand rather than scissors so that it will crochet in smoothly.

Then I crochet over the top of the end.

I hope you find this pattern easy to follow. Once you've completed the first row it's really easy. Just remember that there are always 5 trebles at the beginning and end of each row. The 'mountains' are crocheted on top of the underneath 'mountain' and the valleys are crocheted on top of the underneath valley. I know that's obvious but sometimes it isn't when you've not got the pattern established.

Happy Crocheting.

xx

Autumn Jolly

My Autumn blanket is coming along nicely. I'll put a link to the pattern when I can find it. I'd kept a copy on my computer and hadn't put which blog or site I'd got it from. Even copying and pasting the text into the search engine hasn't come up with the original post. I'll keep looking. It's a very easy pattern and the repetitions are extremely relaxing.

My friend and I had a relaxing Autumn Jolly walk along the sea front at St. Anne's with a quick saunter down the pier.

Not many people out and about at the end of the pier today.

No hurricane or winds either.

Just peaceful views out to sea.

It's only a short pier and this link will tell you why.

Very interesting!

The cat think's it's very interesting too!

xx

PS Please let me know if you wish to join in the 'Party'.

Party Time

I mooted the idea of a virtual party a few posts back. We have plenty of room in the Bloggysphere to accommodate everyone and everyone's ideas so wouldn't it be good if we could wear what we like, do what we like and eat what we like? Our party can start at anytime, the early nighters could arrive early and leave before it gets late and the owls could have an all nighter.

Soooooooh!

Mum invites you to a blog party on
Saturday 22nd November 2014

Time - anytime during the day.

Please post on the day and do one or more of the following as you wish -

1. dress up in whatever takes your fancy
2. bring a guest or guests - real, stuffed, alive, dead or imaginary!
3. bring a party food plate
4. suggest some music
5. suggest a virtual present for another guest or reader
6. offer a suggestion for a party game
7. supply a party decoration
8. perform a party piece
9. provide scintillating conversation!
10. visit all the other party goers and leave a comment or have a chat
11.  read, laugh, sing-a-long, enjoy


I shall provide a link to all the party goers who are posting on the day. All welcome.

xx

PS - if you are posting a party post please put the date in your diary. I hope I've given you plenty of time to prepare.

xx

It's a raid

I've decided to raid the yarn stash for wool to make an autumn blanket. These were the nearest autumnal colours I could find.

What a motley selection but I hope they will crochet into a cosy blanket for this season.

I think I may need a few more browns - I'll have to search another drawer. I'm sure I've got some stashed away somewhere!

xx

A whole new lease of life

We used our £5 Lidl-iddle vouchers this morning, stocking up on staples. (Go to Lidle Facebook page to download vouchers. They last for just this weekend.) Round and round again saving £5 for every £30 spent. This afternoon I tidied up and cut down some plants in the garden. Some of the dead flowers make a lovely autumnal display.

I picked some 'older' runners and will boil to death the beans to add to my curry at tea time.

Don't they look colourful?

The outside table was brought inside for the winter.

Hello smilies.

The old chicken nest now houses this year's conkers.

I bought myself a present while shopping - look at these for only 99p.

I couldn't walk past these, now could I?

Drafts that never realised the light of day

The following posts were sitting in the Drafts area - ideas started but not finished or posted. I'm having a tidy up so here they are - unfinished, unposted (is that a word?) posts. The first one is entitled 'Trees'. Did you ever see the film whence came this song? I think I've got the piano music somewhere. Alternative lyrics are under the picture!

Trees

I talk to the trees

That's why they put me away!

xx

The next post was supposed to be a tour around the house highlighting little corners. I only managed 2 pics and then forgot all about the post. Here are the 2 pics. I love my Ikea cake fruit stand.

Views around the house

Here was a post about CS finds. I'm always popping back with bits and pieces from the shop and have never had the discipline to take pics of everything. Only one pic from the Drafts folder here but I've added 4 more pics underneath.

CS finds

I'm reading all the Nick Oldham books as they are set
locally. Wool I can never pass by especially at 50p a ball.

Now what do you think of this latest find? - 2 boxes of craft materials, brads, stencils, labels, papers and  Christmas figures to stick on cards. This lot was £5 from …

… oh no, it wasn't the CS it was the CB. Anyway it's recycled stuff so I'll leave the pics in.

Here we have a post that missed the letter P day in my Alphabet Blogging earlier this year. (I've just noticed that there are 25 posts under this heading? I wonder which post I forgot to label? I had thought of having a bloggy party but it was not to be. 11th April has come and gone. Maybe we could have a party another day before the end of the year. What do you think?

Alphabet Blogging - P - 11th April

P - frequently

No?

P is for party

Mum invites you to a blog party on Monday 21st April 2014

Time - anytime during the day.

If you can be there all that is required is:

1. A blog post about 

- who you'd like to invite to a party

- a theme for a party

- party food

- music for a party

- clothes suitable for a party

- a bring-a-long present for a party

- a party game

- a party decoration

- party nails!

2. A willingness to visit all the other party-goers and leave a comment or have a chat.

There are still some posts left in the Drafts section which I hope to finish and post completed but for now I've had my 'tidy up'. I'll go and have a look at the Template section now and have a new look for October.

xx

Dressing up

The time had come to dress up the dresser. It had become too cluttered and too dusty.

Flowers without a home, odd bits and pieces everywhere ...

and bits of Christmas and Easter still lurking about.

I've always said that a dresser should be cluttered but this one had far too much going on.

Can you see the dust here?

I wonder where the vase went!

Poor little chick  - it's supposed to go tweet when it is picked up. This one doesn't, even with new batteries. It had to go!

Aha, can you see the dust now?

I know that cats turn up in the most unusual places. This one's in with the detritus.

My lucky piece of heather - I daren't get rid of it - is dropping flowery bits everywhere. Can you see the Christmas plate? I wonder if I should leave it up as it's nearly Christmas this year.

I stopped looking at it and started 'doing'. Everything came off.

The dresser was dusted ...

… waxed and buffed.

Now is this more showroom standard with artistic and interesting groupings of our ornaments and collections?

I do like my dresser legs. They are now all dustless, shiny and polished - 

shame about the floor!

xx

PS Welcome to Simple Living.