January

Happy New Year!

Boy am I glad to see the back of 2009, for all its joys and good bits there was a lot of difficulty and heartache and overall it was a very difficult year.  But hey, it is now behind us and here we are in January, the gateway to a new year, with lots to plan for and look forward to.

But first let me take a moment to look back slightly to Christmas!  What a lovely one we had, the perfect finish to the year.  We spent a ridiculous amount of time on motorways visiting family...

I had plenty of time to get on with some crochet.  I looked to one of my favourite blogs of this year, Attic24, for her instructions for the ripple pattern and started a small practice piece. After a couple of inches though I decided to just keep going and make a scarf.  I started it on my journey home from work on Christmas Eve, then continued in the wee small hours of Christmas morning at my mum's house before everyone else was awake (one of my most very favourite moments of the year)...

I kept going in the car on the way to my Dad's on Boxing Day...

More on the progress of this tomorrow!

I got some excellent books this year. 

First up, and a strong contender for the Worlds Best Book title, is Toilet Roll Covers, by Pat Ashforth and Steve Plummer...

Full of crochet and knitting patterns to make a variety of lovely toilet roll covers, this book was from my sister who requested the Coming Up Roses design for her birthday at the end of this month, so I will start this in the next few days...

I am acutely aware that this will no doubt be the first of many and that a love affair with toilet roll covers is about to blossom!  Myself, I fancy a bit of bling in my bathroom...

Next up, from my dear mummy, Crops in Pots, by Bob Purnell...

Last year, fed up with waiting for our tiny garden to be sorted out and a vegetable patch established, I grew some carrots rather successfully in a relatively small pot.  Having gone on at length about this success my mum decided perhaps it was time to branch out from carrots to other things.  This book is utterly brilliant and I am now itching to track down the seeds and pots I need to get started when planting season begins in the next couple of months.  Top of my list is pea pods with sweet peas in a hanging basket...

And sunflowers and runner beans...

I can't wait!  Three-year-old Lillia is especially excited about this one as she really wants to grow sunflowers.

Hubby bought me a book and kit on Stenciling in the Style of the Edwardian Lady...

It has a book and instructions and the various tools and paints needed.  I am not sure how well I do with this, painting has never been my strong point, but I am looking forward to trying it out.  I like the orange and pink flowers on the cover, I just love those colours together. And I also love the idea of stencilling like a ladeee.

My sister bought me a copy of the December Ideal Home magazine, which I spent a happy hour reading in the bath on Christmas day along with a lovely Lush Pud bath bomb...

What a fabulous magazine this is!  I made notes on nearly every page, which I realise is a bit nerdy, but I am now full of ideas.

And finally, from my Dad, not a book but a new toy....

Say cheese!

So with a wonderful Christmas behind us I am looking forward to tackling 2010, to crocheting toilet roll holders, finding old pots to put to new use, planting lots of vegetables, stencilling, crafting, sewing and being with my family.  I am looking forward to days out and days in.  I want to make a return to mosaics, if the arthiritis allows me. Above all I want to appreciate everything I have and will have, be kind to my friends and to myself, and look after my family in the best way I can every single day.

The scarf is calling, so I am taking a blanket and my crochet bag to bed along with a cup of tea, and just maybe a biscuit or two :)