Crafty in the Med

I am here to enjoy meeting other bloggers and to share my love of craft ,mostly crochet, my thoughts and my daily happenings here in Alicante,Spain, my adopted country. I belong to a local choir because singing and music makes me happy. Flea markets and book shops are two of my favourite places to be. I read lots......sci´fi/fantasy,buried treasure, and off world adventures. I have a passion for history! I walk and walk and walk for about 10 months per year during the hot months I swim.

Sunday 27 January 2013

Silence is golden


Hello and welcome to my new follower Kathy at Kathyinozarks,Thank you so much for visiting and following my blog.

Silence is golden .....right....so they say.......
thats all very well but in my case it has been forced on me and I'd rather have a good chinwag here on my blog then spend a week of lurking and not being able to get a post together....ok enough whining!

Yippee! yippee! I have finally finished my zillion threads make and here it is :

This was a request from one of my sisters for her first future grandchild.A very near future babe as he/she is due late February and baby isn't obliging at all by showing his/her gender. Hence the cot cover had to be made in mint green.
Now I have to say I did not like this project at all.....the pattern was purchased by my sister and not really what I would have chosen.



I'm a bit finicky where having to crochet something I don't like is concerned. I will usually give up on a project if I don't like what I am doing,but well I had to make the exception this time. It has weighed heavy with me because of this. 
I had troubles from the start with it as the pattern called for Tunisian Hooks which I didn't have and couldn't find in my local yarn store so I ordered them online. There was a mix up with the order and I received something else so I had to send the parcel back and reorder tch!









As all this was time consuming I decided to tweak the pattern and use another stitch and I chose Alison's blanket stitch which you can find on her blog Modern Grace.  I really do like that stitch as it just flows and gives a very nice finish to the whole blanket .
Alison's baby blanket

It adapted quite well to the pattern until I got to the lamb...oh that lamb.......for a while now I am going to detest lambs....at least the crochet type!  I also had to embroidery the eyes and nose on the lamb. The eyes because the pattern indicated buttons for the eyes....BUTTONS...on a baby's blanket....no way was I going to put buttons on a baby's blanket far too risky. I was quite surprised that was included in the pattern. I embroidered the nose because it just didn't look like a nose.




That lamb was hard work and the stitch needed a lot of tweaking to get it right. I got there though! As for the zillion threads I have that sorted as I shall line the back of the cot cover with fine white polarfleece.

I just have to work out how to mitre corners on the sewing machine this evening and I'll get a seam done in a jiffy ,then hand sew the lining to the cover and bobs your uncle I'll get it off to my sister in Westbury UK this coming week. There is a also a matching cushion cover but that is easy peasy compared to that b****** lamb but the main thing is to get the cot cover to my sister before baby makes an appearance so I'll do that a bit more in my own time.
I used a Nº 5 Hook for the cover and a No 3,50 hook for the flowers. The yarn used was SMC Bravo from Coats in Mint Green ,Blue,White and Pink, Blue DMC Nº 798 embroidery floss and some white ribbon.
 I haven't washed the cover as yet but I will have to and the lining too before I sew it to the cover in case of shrinkage.  I'm crossing fingers there is no shrinkage as I have just the one piece of polarfleece.



Have a great Sunday!


Amanda :-)



Sunday 20 January 2013

When cleaning is a pleasure!

 Hello and welcome to my new followers Shirley at Colours of a Butterfly and Tracy at Mad about Bags  
 Shirley is a newbie to blogging with only nine followers at present. She says herself she is happiest when creating something and also her really friendly approach is so inviting......well worth a visit.   Tracy is well known in blogland and has quite a following. She was also the hostess of the super Christmas cracker swap which was really a delight to participate in.
  Thank you both for visiting and for following my blog.

                                                      ok so its a spoon but a Lladro spoon!


Dear Blogger friends
Big sigh!..... I have so little to show you craft-wise as I am trying to finish the zillion thread ends wip that I must complete by the end of the month and get it off to my sister.  Another big sigh too because I've been itching to get on here all week and post, although I haven't got much to say except perhaps the following which I saved for a time like this.

I collect china and porcelain as I know many of you do ( I have seen some really beautiful pieces displayed on some of your blogs),a couple of months ago I thought  I'd enjoy getting out my bits of china and washing them. Its the only sort of cleaning I really like doing the other sort are cleaning obligations which are a dead bore but a necessity. Washing my china is a pleasure! Well I thought to take a photo or two to display on my blog and show off my collection but up to now I had other things to say and display and didn't get around to posting them. This post seems right for these photos now. All the same I'm not going to bore you too much with this so I've only added one of my china bits ....another piece at another time....on another I don't know what to say post.
 This is the smallest piece in my  Lladro collection. It is part of a collection of four spoons ...I'm still waiting for the other three spoons!
I'm lucky in that Manises the town where Lladro is made is in Valencia which isn't too far from us so occasionally I get to visit the factory shop.
Lladro Museum and Shop, Manises Valencia


Now then how about this for a horror story every time I tell people I cringe to think of it and yes I have to admit I also get a little angry.

About two years ago we had all the apartment painted and there was quite a bit of cleaning to do afterwards ... you know as there usually is after these sort of things. As we both worked I enlisted my husband to help me clean the lounge and furniture and that included my glass cabinet where I house a part of my china collection. My husband as usual does his interpretation of Speedy Gonzalez and whizzes around cleaning everything at top speed. He washed and dried the glass shelves in the cabinet replaced them in the cabinet and came to pick up the china I had washed to return them to the cabinet......when I then heard an almighty crash of glass falling and smashing. Well I thought he had fallen over the cabinet so I ran into the lounge to find china and glass everywhere. He hadn't fallen over the cabinet but forgot to place the top glass shelf in the cabinet and went to put two figures on the top shelf at the same time and being as the shelf wasn't there the figures fell down hitting the second shelf which then hit the third shelf and that hit the last shelf knocking off all the rest of my china.
Needless to say I was furious as I lost two large pieces of Lladro, a piece of Delft,two pieces of Capidimonte and some Dresden. What really really upset me most was my Grandmother's Wedgewood jewel pot which was over 60 years old was smashed to smithereens.
Grrr! Sr P is not allowed to touch my china ever,since then!!!


Have a great weekend

Amanda :-)







Monday 14 January 2013

Dispatched


What fantastic photos of the snow in the Uk on so many blogs and also on the news here. It all looks so beautiful....

This is what Alicante looked like today.

 Looks lovely doesn't it?...... But....its freezing out there and so blustery.....the wind is icy cold and I've seen people huddling into their coats and even wearing gloves and woolly hats! It is snowing up in the mountains!   I got my six sizes too big fleeced anorak out to wear for our evening walk. I don't usually use that except when I go back to the UK in winter or when we go up to the mountains in winter. Glad I wore it though.

Giveaway parcels have now been dispatched. Last Thursday over the channel to Maggie at Flowers in the Window and this morning to Meredith at Mereknits over the pond to Florida.
I hope you get them very soon ladies and enjoy!

In the crafts arena I'm slogging away at this still....this here with all the ends which have multiplied horrendously. I have the chore of the untidy ends sorted in my mind though I know what I'm going to do but can't tell you as yet or show you . It should be finished by the end of this month in fact it must be finished by then and posted off to my sister in the UK. I've been doing it since October but had to put it to one side in December to do my Christmas makes,now I have to go full out to get it finished in time!

A short post........ homework awaits to be corrected which I must hand back tomorrow!...sigh!!!


keep well


Amanda :-)






Friday 11 January 2013

Giving a mention


 Here we go straight back and into the week from Hell....busy is the target language this week...me and everyone else and we are so,so stressed out ...its has to be post- Christmas Holidays depression.

Never mind though my blog my saviour!!!! :-)

I thought I'd try to add a mention about new blogs that are now lovely followers due to my recent giveaway and are under a 100 followers.  I'm going to start with Lisa at Crafty Lisa  she is new to blogging but she isn't new ...how about that for a contradiction.... she has been blogging since 2011 and she has 1 follower ....me! I think she needs a helping hand where getting to know other craft bloggers are concerned.
 I've been reading her latest post about her crocheted scarf made using crocodile stitch .... now she's got me there as I've never done crocodile stitch nor heard of it before. Lisa has made her scarf in variegated colours which are quite startling and lovely but as she has used this crocodile stitch as well it gives it a distinct layer -3D look to it. Very nice indeed!
All you generous -wonderful bloggers ... do pop in and see Lisa when you have time.

            
We were out last Sunday for our usual walk and it was such an incredibly beautiful sunny day even if the wind was icy cold. That's the way of it here,so much light a photographer's paradise and why it is known as the City of Light. We were up in the Ereta park again (our favourite haunt) looking down over the city.  After all these years living here in Alicante City it had never struck me the amount of Domes that are scattered across the city....it is in fact heavily populated with these numerous domes of all shapes and sizes. Camera in hand I decided to do a Dome photo shoot and here are the results:

 This is my favourite I think but its hard to choose from so many :-)  This is on the top of someones home...lovely building.

Lets see  photo 1,2 & 3 are churches  and the 4th is a convent.



Nº 1 is a private house ,2 is a church,3  St Nicholas Cathedral and 4th one of the domes on Santa Maria Church.

One of the domes on the Carbonell house facing the port. This mansion was owned by Enrique Carbonell, a textile manufacturer in the early 20th century, but it has now been converted into luxurious apartments.
 Mini dome on the Castle railings...I just liked it!


on the top of someones house.....a very small version.  There are many more but enough of domes :-)

have a great weekend


Amanda :-)






Sunday 6 January 2013

Sparkle gone and giveaway winner.


First of all hello and a huge welcome to all my new followers ...thank you so much for visiting my blog and participating in the giveaway. As there were quite a few I've lost the plot a little about popping over to your blog to say hello. I think I have covered everyone but in case I haven't and you are not on my Lovely Follower's list on the right hand sidebar of my blog please do tell me and send me the link to your blog and I'll call in.

The house is looking so bare with all the sparkle of the Christmas decorations gone! It seems to have lost its joy, so I've pulled up all the blinds, opened up the windows nice and wide to the January sunshine and with Tina Turner's album Private Dancer blaring out there in the living room my home is getting its happy vibes back again! I don't want to think yet about tomorrow back to work and normal routine and anyhow you never know because today is the Special Draw on the National Lottery ....El Niño, or “the Little One”, it is held annually before the Feast of the Epiphany of Jesus on 6th January; the big one!!!. The biggest of the year and you never know do you!!!!

Last night on the King's night I'm happy to say daughter Nº 1 was very pleased with the Amaergé Pear Blossom and Heart Apple I gave her .

Here you have the Heart Apple as I call it:









 This one was intricate and time consuming!













I used Nº 5 Cotton and a 2:00 hook. The beads were all from my beads stash except the pretty sparkling glass heart which was in the swap jar I received from my very first swap partner overseas  in Australia, Sandi at Sandiart.

    ***************************************************************************

Right I've popped back into this post to give you the results of the giveaway draw......... ....to begin with I'm absolutely flabbergasted...speechless (nearly) at the visits and comments left on my giveaway post .......over 90!!!! wow!!!
I did take note of the few comments and requests to participate on my previous post too and these were also included in the bowl.
The BOWL was practically brimming with the slips with your names on:

my grand-daughter Cookie did the honors and the lucky winner was:

Congratulations Maggie on winning the book! Please send me your postal address.

BUT bloggers....I did feel a bit of a meanie as so many had participated for this giveaway so.... I told my grand-daughter to draw out another slip from the bowl for the yarn and.........that goes to:


Congratulations Maggie on winning the book! Please send me your postal address.

Many many thanks to all of you who have participated and for those of you who also added a link and a mention on your blogs to the giveaway. I'm really happy that many more bloggers out there had the opportunity to participate.


Keep well!

Amanda :-)











Wednesday 2 January 2013

Fabergé Inspiration


 Amaergé Pear blossom

and just what is that .... I've been looking for something to give my daughter on the King's night on 5th January. As its the second round of gifts at Christmas we always just give a little something......and I always give daughter Nº 1 something decorative.  I was pleasantly surprised to find a couple of cheap white china ornaments in a Euro shop here ( your equivalent of a poundstretcher shop) and as they are a pear and an apple I thought she could put them with the other china balls and bits she has in a basket on her sideboard. However as I looked at the bare white china pear ...Lynne's at Pieceful  lovely sparkly felt pears came to mind...and I thought I could add something more to it...a bit more colour perhaps........and then my imagination went wacko wacko and I remembered how I love Fabergé's wonderful work and I thought what about this and this .....and there you have it ..
In no way can I compare it to Fabergé's treasures ...not in my wildest dreams but I must say I do feel just a bit excited about this make and I really enjoyed creating it!!!


I was going to make up a photo collage but for some reason Pic Monkey wasn't working for me this evening so very sorry for the photo overload!


lets hope my daughter will like it as she isn't a very fussy person so I have had to restrain myself from adding more glitter and adornments


Not very good light tch!!!!

The Pear blossom was made using Anchor Style cotton and 2.50 hook but I think a finer cotton should be used so I'm now using a 2.00 hook and Cotton Nº 5 for the apple.

AND
THERE ARE  A FEW MORE DAYS LEFT IF YOU WISH TO PARTICIPATE IN

 Please indicate what you would prefer book or yarn. 



Lets start the new year right....with a little giveaway to celebrate my 100th post and over....

I already have this book but Amazon got things a bit mixed up when I ordered it and sent me two so I kept the spare one back precisely for this occasion, although the 100th post has taken a bit longer arriving than I had thought. I am sure some of you crocheters out there will agree that it is a handy book to have .....there are a great many lovely motifs to choose from,the instructions are very clear and are also accompanied by an easy to follow diagram. If you would like to see them made up pop over to Linda's Crafty Corner blog as she has been going through the book from A to Z.....her real life samples will give you a good idea what each finished item is like.

The above book is part of my 100th post giveaway but I shall be adding a few more bits to it as well such as a.......and another a........ which you'll be able to see on another post...or posts.
 The giveaway is open to everyone on this world and off,
  •  however you should be a follower of my blog , that is having signed on via Google friend connect and also 
  • name one of your New Year resolutions and why.
If you post the above image and link to my blog on your blog then you get a second entry (please post a comment that you have done so).
The giveaway finishes on the 6th January ....the King's Day (The twelfth day of Christmas). The Spanish hand out their second round of gifts or rather the three kings leave the gifts under the tree on the Eve of the King's Day.
The winner will be chosen using the sophisticated Method of all names go into the BOWL!



                                           Amanda :-)