Friday 28 May 2021

A little bit of this and that!

 Happy Friday, Lovelies!

Last things first:

1. If you commented on the last blog post you already know that you stood a chance of winning a sweet pattern? Please check your email notifications and/or your Ravelry Library to see if you're one of the 5 recipients?

2. I'm so sorry I have not managed to answer all of your lovely comments! I have read through them all, as I often say, keep them coming! I absolutely love reading about snippets of your lives. It's always interesting to me and makes me feel that when I make my videos we are sitting together chatting over a cuppa and crocheting.

3. Many of you are probably aware that there was a wee bit of trouble over in my patch of Crochetland? Sometimes what looks good on the outside is a bit rotten at the core, and it's not visible to everyone which makes it so much harder to put a stop to sooner. Long story short. I have set up a brand new sparkly Group with a Lucky 13 band of Moderators, who have been doing an amazing job of making the transition from old to new seamless. The new Group will remain so much smaller and thus we are capping Membership. We all feel that a smaller group is a lot more fun, we can give everyone far more attention. The Moderators will have an easier time of Moderating and zapping Trolls ( you'd be amazed ) with their super Troll Zapping eyes. All is well! You can join our new group HERE, we'd love to see you there! On a personal note, I honestly feel like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders. Unfortunately, there was backlash toward me in the form of very hateful emails, super nasty private FB messages and the like, which I was expecting! Luckily, I live by this Paul Coelho quote.πŸ˜‚



 

In other news...finally, Chrysalis is complete, corners and all! It's been an amazing journey in 3D crochet and I can't wait to begin another Throw! I went ahead and bought all the yarn I think I might want for the new project. 38 x 100g balls of Stylecraft Special DK. Maybe went a little overboard? Lol!! I keep going back to this premium acrylic yarn because it's absolutely fab to work with and doesn't cost the earth. So that was the first phase done and dusted.

 


The second phase in all this " preparation for new design " was sorting out the workspace. There's a company close by that make stunning, rustic furniture using recycled wooden pallets, so I sketched up a basic design which Mr Hooks'nTales modelled out on his computer ( he's a designer in marine engineering equipment so this was a piece of cake for him ) and we sent it off to the carpenter. Tadaaa! I'm pleased as punch! I also bought a pure wool woven matt. It was either that or rip out and replace the 50-years-old wall to wall carpeting ( I'll eventually get around to doing that ).



About the weather, because what's anything I say worth if I don't include a weather report? πŸ˜‚ Cool and rainy with a generous sprinkle of snow wafted in by gentle winds. All made more enjoyable next to a crackling fire accompanied by hot chocolate, popcorn, a good Netflix series and of course, crochet! I'm in my element.

All is well! πŸ’™

There's a lot more I could prattle on about, but I'm sure you're not here to read a novella! Please be aware that due to the recent hacking ( yes, I was hacked and bombarded with spam and all sorts of other mischievous Gremlins ), I have had to adjust the comments section. Now, or at least until the "haters" recede back to the dark holes they emerged from, I will have to moderate all comments before they are published. Which I will diligently do!

Don't forget to leave your Ravelry name next to your comment ( I'd love to hear from you! ) to stand a chance of being one ( of 5 ) recipients of this fun and gorgeous mosaic pattern HERE by Marissa Tetmyer.

Until next time, Lovelies!

Wishing you a peaceful, happy, creative and fun weekend.

Take care, stay safe!

πŸ’—Jen 

PS: I caught Miss Augusta having a deeply profound philosophical experience. πŸ˜†






Friday 14 May 2021

Time flies when you're having fun.

Good grief, this month is really galloping along at breakneck speed! I cannot keep up! When Mr Hooks'nTales said he'd be home at 1pm today, I was genuinely confused, staring at him while blinking like a dungeon dweller who'd just seen the light of day! Why? I asked. It's FRIDAY, he said, looking at me as if I'd left my brains in the 'fridge. 

Hello, Lovelies!

Let me say this first: SORRY!! PART 6 of the Chrysalis is not quite finished yet! To be precise, it is finished but not ready to meet the public. The pattern is about to be sent off to my wonderful eagle-eyed Testers for a thorough going over. They are super speedy... so not long now! I was hoping to make a SUPER GRAND ANNOUNCEMENT today. I can reveal, though...I think you are going to love, love, love the corners. I do and it's not often that I like what I make. You know how it is when you're a Perfectionist with a capital "P"? You always think you can improve. Which is great news for you Lovelies because it means I'll always be chasing that mythical "perfect" design.

All I can offer today are a few images that I hastily captured during the ( busy ) week. Believe me when I say I do not in any way glorify busyness. I'm FAN #1 of Slow Living. It's everyone else's busyness that pulls me into the vortex of never-ending to-do lists. I rebel, but next thing I know, I'm bowling along, head over you-know-what, with the rest. I always thought that when I reached my 40's things would slow down, by 50 and beyond I'd be as chilled as an ice-cold Margarita, for sure...but NO. If you know how to slow time right down, give me a shout?

Miss Augusta was definitely sending me subtle messages: nap. smell the roses, get out into nature!




Next on the agenda. Lol!

Our GIVEAWAY WINNERS: I don't like to make a public announcement about this because I feel bad then for the not-winners. Thus...if you commented on last Friday's post and left your Ravelry name then please do check your Ravelry today to see if you have received a lovely surprise pattern? Also, if you're not a Member of our FAB workshop group over on FB you might not know that we are running a fun competition there called " MAKE AN ALIEN FLOWER ". You still have time to join, submit your entry and stand a chance to win a cash prize! Hope to see you there!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Keep those hooks warm!

Stay safe, take care and big hugs,

πŸ’— Jen

PS: If you'd like to win a copy of Noelene's latest tassel design ( to be released next week, so my lips are sealed... but Noelene shared a sneak peek with me so I can tell you it's absolutely amazingly beautiful ), then don't forget to leave your Ravelry name with your comment.