Bright mandalas

 Continuing with the bright theme I've been making mandalas in the yarn left over from my chevron cushion.

Thank you all for your helpful suggestions on hayfever relief after my last post! I know a lot of people suffer with allergies and problems with sinuses, and I know it makes life really miserable. So thanks for your help! 

 I had a good meeting with my PhD supervisors this week, it was good to get some reassurance that my work there is heading in the right direction. So, I just need to carry on with the next section now (well starting on Sunday anyway).

Hope you all have a lovely, serene, peaceful weekend!

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Bright cushion

Hello everyone!

My bright ripple cushion was finished over the weekend.

I think it looks very nice on my little armchair!

I gave it the usual button fastening using some mismatched bright buttons that I bought in a jar from John Lewis last summer, and have been dying to use ever since.

Apart from that my new turquoise vase is still making me happy - now with roses in it!

Apart from the joy of the ripple, yesterday was a slightly miserable day as I spent most of it sniffling and blowing my nose with what I think must be some form of hayfever. Does anyone else get hayfever this time of year? What do you do to remedy it?

Happy Monday everyone!

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Colour!

Phew, hello everyone, I really had good intentions not to leave it so long before posting again, but there you go. If there was a school report for blogging, mine would definitely read "must try harder". And really I must, because when I do get around to posting, I always remember how much I like blogging!

So, I have been doing a lot of thinking and planning and crafting to turn my little flat into a home. Originally when I moved in, I thought I wanted to have a pastel colour scheme throughout. Then reality hit, and I realised I would have to accept the limitations of my purse and do the best I could with what I could afford. So, a more colourful scheme was embraced. As my living room suite is teal, I though I could go for a teal, turquoise and bright pink colour scheme. However, it seems somehow to work out being more expensive if you set your heart on having everything just so. The things that will fit in with your ideal colour scheme never seem to be the things that you can afford!

Then, whilst wandering around some shops in Islington, I spotted some small coloured glass posey vases and fell in love! The colours didn't fit with the 'colour scheme' I had in mind, but suddenly I didn't care! Those little vases called out to me from the shelf and I just had to bring them home with me. I bought one in green and one in orange.

That was about a month ago now, and since then I have decided, what the heck, I love colour, I might as well embrace a bit of a haphazard colour scheme in my living room and enjoy it! So now, I have a colourful chevron cushion in progress, hopefully to be joined by a second cushion soon after. I also have a turquoise ceramic vase which has joined my little glass vases. It was a charity shop find, and I loved the colour.

Ok, I'm off now for some more dedicated hooky time on my bright chevron cushion cover! Have a fab weekend all!

Relaxing

I thought this would be a good photo to start a post with! Hello everyone, hope you are all having a fab weekend. I am having a very relaxing one, in an attempt to recover from the tiredness I was complaining of last week.

S and I have a really nice day yesterday, walking around Bulter's Wharf and Wapping. I thought I would share these pictures with you, as this area is one of my favourite places in London. This is part of the London Docklands, not far form Tower Bridge. The whole area was re-developed in the 1980s, after it had fallen into decline. These pictures are of former warehouses on the south side of the river there. They've all now been converted into trendy (and eye-wateringly expensive) apartments. I love walking around there. There is something atmospheric about these buildings. I love that they have retained their original names, some related to the kind of goods that were brought to land there - there is a Java Wharf - and some which sound like they are related to owners or shipping companies - New Concordia Wharf, St Saviours Wharf. It's a great place to explore anyway.

I also managed to finish something this weekend! Here it is, my completed scarf. I think someone asked for the pattern after my last post. It's called Netherton, and can be bought as a Ravelry download from Mrs Moon here.

I'm quite happy with how this came out, and it was good fun to make. The pattern wasn't nearly as complicated as I thought it was going to be looking at the picture on the front before I started. It was really fund making the bobbles at each end too!

I think I can feel another version of this scarf coming on, perhaps all in one colour...

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

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Tired....

I am so, so tired at the moment. I feel so bad  about it. I just feel bad that I seem to be unable to do all the things I am supposed to do in life, and want to do. I am just not able to fill all the roles that I have to, and want to, to my own satisfaction at the moment. I really wish I had more energy, more time, that there was another me that I could send out to do everything for a couple of weeks while the first me has a rest!

My PhD is the thing I feel worst about at the moment. You know it's bad when you struggle to concentrate so much that even the fact that your coaster matches your mug is a distraction! Yup, that's the reason for the picture above - taken last Sunday when I was supposed to be studying, trying to bludgeon my brain into concentrating for several hours. Sigh.....

Well, I have just completed another 8000 word section of work. Who knows whether it will make it into the final PhD, but at least I feel I have achieved something, however flawed. As a reward, I've decided to stop being so hard on myself and give myself a break - literally and figuratively. So for Easter, I am going to let the PhD student role slide by for a couple of weeks and concentrate on the other roles - girlfriend, daughter, sister ... perhaps I can even squeeze in a little extra time just to be me too!

As you can see, I may not have had time or energy to blog over the last couple of weeks, but it hasn't stopped me from crafting! I have very much been enjoying working on this beauty in my down time. The yarn is an absolute dream to work with too. It is Blue Sky Alpacas Alpaca Silk, bought from Mrs Moon last month.

Isn't it luscious? Part of the fuzzy light in these pictures is, I think, just because the light is shining on the silk fibres and reflecting a sort of hazy glow. I wasn't using any kind of Instagram filter when I took these shots, I promise!

Hope you all have a lovely weekend, I'll be back again soon I hope!

hunkering down

It has really been a day for hunkering down today.  After such a warm star to March, today we have had thunder and hailstorms.

The last couple of weeks have seen me desperately trying to finish the blanket I started in October. 

Also I've been admiring how my yarn looks in these little wire baskets,  which were a recent purchase.  They are so handy as yarn tidies in the living room.

After having spent most of my money over the last few months on furniture and sensible things like getting the hot water tank fixed, its nice to finally have some money to spend on something frivolous again!

Have a lovely weekend!

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Can can shawl

Life has been crazily hectic again over the last couple of weeks.  That seems to be a state that is here to stay. 

I think I'll just have to get used to it.

I have finished another shawl though- this is French Can-can, you can find the pattern on Raveley. I think I need to have this in a few more colours!

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Adventures

Hello everyone, how are you? I hope you are doing well! We have been enjoying some lovely weather here in the UK - today we had 18 degrees C - in March! I hope it continues!

Well, I've been very busy over the last week or two, that's why I haven't been able to stop by here for a while. But, I'm back now, and have a few things to share.

Nature really has been bursting back into life here. There are flowers everywhere, it's lovely. These crocus are growing on the green at the top of the high street near may patch.

I took these blossoms in Greenwich Park in London yesterday. I know to a lot of people, daffodils say spring, but for me it's cherry blossom. Nothing screams spring as loudly as the sight of gorgeous fluffy cherry blossoms showing pink and white against a blue sky.

Having said that, I do love daffodils too - I associate them more with Easter than with spring in general - not sure why.

Last weekend I finished my song of the sea cowl. This was the first project I started after trawling Ravelry and Pinterest for knitted shawl patterns. I really enjoyed knitting it, though I did find the smaller waves in the pattern a little fiddly.

 You can find the pattern here.

Hope you've all had a great weekend. See you again soon.

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pretty patterns

Hope you're having a nice easy Sunday.

Normally at this time on a Sunday I would have my nose in my laptop and a pile of research articles,  studying for my PhD.  However,  I had a meeting with my supervisors last week, where the results of a couple of months of hard work were discussed.  They seemed pleased,  and I feel like I have made progress,  so as a reward I'm giving myself the weekend off. I also have a day off work tomorrow,  to sort out new curtains for my flat, so I feel an absolutely luxurious sense of unhurried-ness with hours of free time still stretching ahead of me!

I have been nesting this week, buying and working and thinking on things for the flat. Firstly these lovely bowls, which are so bright and pretty.  I love the pattern. 

A lovely tea cup- the print inside was the detail that really stole my heart.

My lovely new china also inspired me to crochet some more table mats and coasters to complement it.

Have a restful day,  see you again soon.

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