On The Hook

I'm still working on my pretty ripple blanket.

Since the movers brought us our household goods I haven't really found the time to sit & work on more than a few rows at a time. I'm determined to finish it this weekend. Since I'm sick in bed with the croup I think I can easily accomplish this. Once I'm done I will have to decide whether I'm going to keep it for myself or sell it on etsy as a lap throw or a toddler sized blanket. Since it's my first successful ripple (all others before it came out wonky) I think I might keep it & work on a smaller version for etsy.

I have yet to work on anything for my etsy shop.

I am giving myself all summer to work on stuff, but I really hope to get started this spring so I will have an abundance of yarny delight for the shiny shop window come August.

An Announcement

There has been a lot of talk & interest in my etsy shop on twitter while I was in the process of moving. A lot of people have been anxious to purchase some of the yarny goodies that I make, and others seemed really interested in some patterns I posted & was thinking about making. I was planning on starting up shop as soon as I was settled here in England, but seeing as how it took about 3 months longer than planned, I don't think I'll be able to do this. The main reason being, winter is nearly over! The weather is starting to turn warmer, so there will be no point in anyone buying wrist warmers or thick cowls. 

So my plan is this: I'll spend all summer working on crocheted goodies & in August I will be adding everything to my shop window on etsy. That way things can be purchased in time for the chillly Autumn weather, & worn throughout winter to keep warm. Then I will add more pretty items to the shop window in time to be bought & given as gifts in the holiday season.

I greatly appreciate all of the people who have shown interest in buying the things I make with my own hands! It started out as a hobby to make things for myself, Layla, and to give away to friends and family as gifts. I'm very lucky that so many people love my work enough to want to purchase some for themselves!! Thank you for all of your kind words, and I will be posting pictures of the progress I'm making throughout spring and summer & will announce when I have an actual shop opening date!

x Jen

On the Hook

Jer knew I was going crazy waiting for our household goods to be delivered to our house, not just because I want to finally unpack & be home, but also because I was going a bit nutty wanting all my yarn that's been packed away because I had nothing to work on. So he told me to order a bunch of yarn on Amazon! It arrived yesterday, and after rolling it all into balls I decided I'd try my hand at a ripple blanket. I tried & failed to make a ripple blanket last summer & haven't tried it since (not because I didn't want to, I was just busy working on gifts for friends) 

So I started last night & got a few rows done, now I'm working on it again while I watch the news & wind down from a semi-busy day.

Anyone else working on anything interesting?

Happy Homemaker Monday!

The weather:::
Cold. Though, it's supposed to warm up this week & get up into the mid-40*F range. I'm kind of looking forward to that! Don't get me wrong, I love cold weather! I think I'm becoming vitamin D deficient & I'd like the sun to come out just long enough to feel the warmth on my face. 


On my reading pile:::  
Darcy & Fitzwilliam by Karen V. Wasylowski

On my TV:::

Downton Abbey series 2 episodes 7 & 8.
I think the Grammy's are replaying tonight on AFN (Armed Forces Network) & I'd like to see what all the fuss was about last night.
Six Nations rugby tournament has been fun to watch!

On the menu for this week:::

Not sure yet. I'll make something delicious.
I've been too anxious for the move, and we're getting the keys tomorrow, so I'm going a little crazy!!

On my to do list:::

Pack up our stuff in the hotel room & move it to the new house. We want to move some of our stuff over there as soon as we get the keys. We'll still be staying here until our furniture gets delivered, but this will make things easier when we finally get out of here.
Buy a car! I think we're going to go look this week.

What I am sewing, crocheting, knitting or creating:::

Ugh nothing. I've been practicing a couple of stitches for a pattern for really fancy wrist warmers, but I don't have enough yarn to finish a whole one, so I'm just making little sections.

Looking around the house:::

Chaos. It's a hotel room, and Layla didn't clean up her toys last night before bed.
Seriously. I know I sound like a broken record, but I'm just SO READY to be home. I was not made to live out of a suitcase for 5 months.

From the camera:::

I got a brand new purse from the Cath Kidston store!

Something fun to share:::

For those of you stationed at either RAF Mildenhall or RAF Lakenheath, did you know there is a Martha Stewart housewares store in the Commissary on Mildenhall?! I had NO IDEA, there are no signs outside indicating this, & I wouldn't have noticed it unless I went in to get Subway for lunch the other day! I've been in the commissary before, but the Martha Stewart goodies are hidden away in another section completely. I saw so many cute things in there! I may need to go pick up some cute food containers because I always seem to lose the lids to mine.

Happy Homemaker Monday!

I haven't done this in a while!

The weather:::

So. Cold.
It snowed all Saturday night & the sun hasn't come out since. We haven't really left the hotel room since Saturday except for a couple of expeditions out to get a cup of snow to eat or walking around the corner to the shoppette to get a snack. Each time we have had to bundle up.


On my reading pile:::
The House at Tyneford by Natasha Solomons
Darcy and Fitzwilliam by Karen V. Wasylowski
The Waves by Virginia Woolf
The Glass of Time by Michael Cox
The Meaning of Night by Michael Cox


I've got quite a big reading pile. I've just been too wired to sit & read. Happy to be in England, but anxious to move into the house.

On my TV:::

Downton Abbey Series 2. I missed it here in the UK so I'm watching it along with those in the states. Every Monday I download the latest episode. We've also had a lot of Rugby on this weekend.

On the menu for this week:::

Chicken Tortellini, soup, salisbury steak, & BX food. It's difficult to cook a lot here in temporary housing. I just don't have a fully stocked kitchen.

On my to do list:::

Crochet, though I have no projects to work on. I've used all of my yarn, and I don't want to go out and buy a bunch for 2 reasons; I don't want to venture out too far in the snow-British winter drivers scare the piss out of me, and I have a TON of yarn just waiting for me in storage & will get it in about a week and a half.
Keep the hotel clean.
Read.

What I am sewing, crocheting, knitting or creating:::

Well I've been dying to work on some stuff from this awesome blog called 'Attic24'  She has a ton of crochet patterns & ideas for projects. I found the blog long before we left the states, but we were kind of in limbo for a while & living out of suitcases, so I didn't have much room to fit anything.

Looking around the house:::

Still haven't moved into the house. Here in temporary housing there are toys everywhere. What little extra room we had in our suitcases went to Layla's Christmas presents. We were supposed to be in England long before the holiday, so we didn't plan on that, so we had to make room & buy very little for her. She still had a good Christmas!

From the camera:::

Princess Doggy!

Something fun to share:::

Holly leaves crochet pattern on Attic24 that I've been working on. I have the tiniest bit of green yarn leftover from a project & am working on some holly leaves for next Christmas. I wasn't able to do any fun Christmas crafts this last holiday & I have just enough yarn to make a couple of these. It's really the only pattern for something small enough for me to use up this yarn!

a gifty gift of the best kind.

i love homemade gifts.
i especially love making gifts to give to loved ones.

lately many of my friends and family members have been having babies or are getting ready to have their babies, and in the midst of my stressful move i have been busy beavering away trying to get blankets made for the new babies.

one blanket turned out so perfectly peachy.

i just love these colors together.

i made this for my cousin MarLyn's baby. i don't think she reads my blog ever, so i'm safe posting this picture since she won't receive the blanket until Saturday at her baby shower.

doesn't it look so good?!

Granny Chic.

Something I find myself saying often: 

"I'm an 80-year-old stuck in a 25-year-old's body."

I possess granny skills & enjoy my granny hobbies.

I often hear people say "I was born in the wrong era" when referring to preferred clothing styles & lifestyles in general, but I don't like to describe myself.

Yes, I love everything vintage & homemade, but I also love living in the present. I love the convenience of technology. I love that I can cook meals everyday & not spend all day slaving at the stove, and then even more time at the sink washing every dish by hand. I love that I can go to a craft store that is stocked with every color & size yarn I can imagine. I wouldn't give those simple pleasures up to be transported to a time that I might fit into a bit better culturally.