Attic24

Baby Granny Blanket :: Ta-dah!

Hello!!

ooo what a lovely day I'm having today, jigging about from room to room, getting all excited about my home and the way things are slowly but surely getting straightened out around here. Tis very pleasing indeed I have to say, and my heart feels skippy and light.

Today I've been having some very excitable moments doing bathroom-styling and am delighted to say that it's nearly-oh-so-very-nearly finished. Which is Big News here at Attic24. To have one room out of seven finally nearly-oh-so-very-nearly finished is really, hugely exciting, well for me it is at any rate. The rest of the family are playing it cool, but me, oh I'm love-love-loving this housey progress! It's only a light fitting that's needed now, so if one doesn't bother to look upwards then one can easily overlook the bare-light-bulb thing and view the room as Finished. Have to say I am really pleased with how it's all come together, its exactly as I envisaged it all those months ago in January when the renovation first began.

So anyhow, you can expect an official "Bathroom :: Ta-dah!" post anytime soon, I just need to take some decent photographs which is proving quite tricksy, but I'm trying hard. I am quite desperate for you to see it.

In the meantime, I'm making today a Blankety kind of a Ta-dah day.

 

I finished my Baby Granny Blanket over the weekend, yaaayyyyyyyy!!! And I'm really really happy with how it turned out. Enormously happy actually.
Working on this blanket has been a total pleasure from start to finish, its been just wonderful. The yarn is delicious to work with, soft and luxurious and easy to hook. And the simplicity of using a basic Granny Square pattern has given me a great deal of pleasure because it's been so easy, theraputic and relaxing.
The colours, which are softer/paler than I'm used to, have surprised and delighted me. You can find the specific yarn info in this post which I made on 9th October....cooeee, hasn't this been a Quick blanket?? A little over four weeks to complete, which is pretty speedy I'd say.

I used my Bobble Shell edging pattern to finish off the border of this little blanket, and I am pleased with the way it turned out. It's a neat and snuggly type of edging I think.

In fact, the whole blanket feels rather Neat and Snuggly to me. Yes, as you can see I've been carrying out essential Quality Control tests on it this week, you know, road-testing it, trying it out, wearing it in, making it feel at home.

 

And I can report that it is indeed a pretty first rate snuggle-blankie. It's quite light, but deceptively warm and very soft.

And this newest addition to Attic24 does indeed seem to love hanging out down here with all the other hooky goodies about the place. Looks right at home on the sofa there doesn't it??

Well do you know what, I originally began this blanket with the intention of it being an Upstairs Blanket, not a Downstairs one.

I wanted it to be a bedroom blanket.

A baby cot blanket no less.

For when Bump24 becomes Baby#3.

But you see, I somehow got a little bit carried away with making this blanket and it ended up being quite a lot larger than I anticipated.

Too large for a cot really.

So you see, now I'm thinking perhaps this Granny Blanket can in fact stay downstairs for the time being, and then that officially gives me permission to make Baby Cot Blanket v2.0.

Hmmmmm yes, I'm thinking a striped one this time.

And smaller, yes it needs to be smaller.

Cot sized.

Baby sized.

Must not get carried away this time.

Anyhoooooooooooow..........lovely chatting to you and all, but maybe we need to get on with the actual Ta-dah???

OK

here

it

comes.................

Ta-dah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One Hundred and Seventeen five-round Granny Squares.

Joined using the fabulous as-you-go method, then bordered with eight rows of grannying and a bobble-shell edging.

 

I chose the colours (16 in total) completely at random as I went along, with no planning whatsoever. It's often harder than it seems to successfully do Random-with-no-planning. I did have to keep a constant eye on the overall colour balance as I worked. Had to check the balance between the lighter/paler colours and the deeper/saturated colours as well as the balance between the pinks/purples and the greens/blues.

And I think I've managed to create a very pleasing well-balanced blanket colour-wise. Well I think so.

So.....time for the Baby Granny Blanket Riveting facts...........

Measures :: 110cm x 150cm
Squares :: 117, each made up of five rounds, measuring approx 10cm square
Time :: quick!! Each square took me eleven minutes, I kid you not. Smokin'
Balls :: 22
Weight :: 1092g
Cost :: oh, I just don't go there anymore
Mileage :: 22 balls @ 125m each ball = 2750 metres = 1.7 miles of yarn (!)

 

Photo :: me snuggling on the sofa
Blanket :: soft and gorgeous
Me :: happy and smiley

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Time Out

Just bobbing into the Attic to give you a wave and say ((Cooo-eeee)) and (Hellloooooo)) !!

Ahh life is busy-buys-busy right now and I'm enjoying it for the most part.

These pictures were taken on Friday, which was officially a Time Out kind of a day.

Time out of the house, time away from the perils of Extreme Nesting, time out in the open air with the one I Love.

J had taken the day off work, and we enjoyed a beautiful morning walk together through damp woodland at Bolton Abbey.

Talked and laughed, ambled and strolled. 

He even very kindly pushed me all the way up the hill :: a little humiliating but entirely necessary.

We laughed at that.

After all that exertion and nature and scenery and chatter and laughter, we drove to a picturesque village pub in the Yorkshire Dales to eat a most scrumptious lunch together in front of a roaring log fire.

Then back down to our town to stroll the market and have a quick cup of coffee in a dinky little Italian cafe before collecting the Little People from school.

It was a lovely way to spend the day....Time Out is most definitely a very, very Good Thing.

 

So yeah...back at home today on my tod, climbing the rather treacherous and dauntingly high Clutter-Mountain here at Attic24.

Am pleased to say I have at last left Base Camp.

Still in the Foothills, and still got a looooooong way to go till I get to the Summit, but I am making progress.

And progress is a Good Thing.

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Comfort Food

Helloooooo!!!!

I bought some amazing greetings cards recently and thought you would love to see them....

 

.....Fabulous or what????

This is the work of Kate Jenkins, who works under the business name of "Cardigan".

You can see a whole gallery of her quirky, innovative crochet work on her website here, and also more here.

I love her work very much, but oooooooooooeeeee at how much one would have to pay to own a bit of Kate's crocheted Comfort Food???!!

Tis eye wateringly expensive.

Think I'll stick with the printed paper version.

I'm writing a super-whizzy post today folks as I'm still busy doing bathroomy things and getting oh-so-excited about it!!!

Been busying myself with sky blue painted things, stripy fabric things (with matching pompoms) and crocheted bunting things :: such fun!!

Lovin' it today, love-love-lovin' it. Ooooo I am just all smoochy and In LOVE with my bathroom, it's so very nearly FINISHED (in Capital Letters no less), can't wait to show you......

Life is sometimes just one huge buzz of mega-creative excitement, don't you find??!!

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November

 

Slightly late with my Calendar post this month, but hey-ho, better late than never.

The mosaic above is my Attic24 October, and I have to say I did really enjoy last month, enjoyed easing myself gently into Autumn. Time seemed to fly by a little too speedily at times through October though, but it was good nevertheless.

So here we are into the first week of November, a month of wrapping up warm and cosying up. Leaf kicking, fire lighting, chestnut roasting, candle lighting, hot water bottling, blanket snuggling.

The Bossy Calendar is actually spot on with it's bossiness for this month I think, and I am more than happy to obey orders. It's still Persistently Brown mind you, but I can overlook that and focus on the glow of the open fire and the warm twinkle of candlelight.

 

The Ideal Homes November calendar page is oooooooo-so-very-atmospheric isn't it?? Beautifully simple, seasonal and quite lovely, as all their photographs have been during this year.

For those of you in the UK, the current issue of Ideal Homes magazine (December issue) is now in the shops and with it comes the 2010 calendar.....it's another stunning collection of images and I'm already looking forward to turning it's pages next year.

The November weather-watch from the Attic today is wet-wet-wet, I honestly don't think it's stopped raining here since Sunday.

Hoping very much that the rain might decide to ease up soon, it's not been nice doing the school run in such wetness. Been able to wear my wellies though, which has been a Good Thing. 

One thing about enduring a wet, soggy walk to school is that it makes the Home-coming even more pleasurable than usual. I loved walking back in the door this morning, the house seemed so cosy and welcoming.

Baked some cookies earlier and there's a rather wonderful fresh-baking smell still lingering in the air....these are my raisin and orange cookies (find the recipe here), only I used cranberries today instead of raisins and let me tell you they are really scrumptious.

Thought you might like to see a current view of Bump24, providing a rather handy ledge for my coffee cup. Many thanks to those of you who have asked after me and The Bump of late, we are doing very well thank you. I'm now plodding into the third trimester (28 weeks) and trying to remind myself to sloooooow right down, which is proving surprisingly difficult.

Right, off to indulge in a second cup of coffee before commencing the day's Nesting Activities. On the agenda for today :: making a blind for the bathroom window and painting my bathroom cupboard door knobs.

Do you know what? We could be coming close to a Bathroom Makeover Reveal very soon, now thats been a long time coming!

Enjoy your day my lovelies, whatever is on your agenda...

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Weekend Walking

 

 

A few pictures taken late on Saturday afternoon, the last day of October.

We often drive out of our town a few miles to walk around this quiet little reservoir sitting peacefully beneath The Crag.

Occasionally we do undertake a climb Up to the top of The Crag.

But most often we are content to walk rather lazily beneath it.

If you are age five and seven, the water provides paddling/stone-throwing opportunities which are very attractive.

And if you are age forty and forty one, the scenery provides soul-refreshment opportunities which are very attractive.

Yes, we like this type of lazy weekend walking.

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Weekend Colour

 

 

 

 

My weekend was full of C's :: comfort, cosiness, crafting, crochet, cuddles, cake, coffee, colour.

Enjoyed it enormously, this homey time with my little family.

Enjoyed the comfort of being within our four walls while the weather did unspeakably miserable things outside.

I need to tell you that  in amongst all these lovely C's, I also had a little ponder about Attic24 over the weekend.

I had a good long think about the time and space that blogging takes up in my day (which can be quite considerable at times).

I balanced it out against the pressing demands of Other Things also needing my time and space right now.

And I came to the the conclusion that as much as I have to attend to Other Things in my life at this time, I quite simply also have to continue to find a little time in each day to be here at Attic24.

I have to continue to record the things that make me tick, to document my thoughts, observations, ideas, pleasures, creativity.

Because it makes me feel so good to be here.

And it makes me feel so miserable thinking about not being here.

And I'm all for the Feel-Good.

However, for the time being I'm going to have to reduce the time I spend blogging.

So I shall try to be here most days, but making shorter postings. 

Its a compromise you see, and one that I feel will do us all fine for the time being.

I know you'll understand, cos you're so good like that.

Right now then, I'm going to finish up with the words and say Toodle-ooo.

I'm off to wield a paintbrush and get busy with those Other Things.

See you Tomorrow for some outdoorsy pictures from my weekend.

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