A finished knitted sweater for Autumn and other crafty things.

 Hi Everyone, How are we all? 

Well again I have neglected my little old blog and my Instagram page it's not that I had nothing to show on there I  just didn't seem to be in any rush to show it all. Shame on me that's not to say I have not been reading any blogs I have and very enjoyable reading to, but my fave thing to do at the moment is watch YouTube channels with related content like yarn, crochet, sewing etc; while I am sewing or knitting away on my latest WIP'S 

There is however on YouTube a channel that I love to listen to which is not craft related in the least and that's The Great British Radio Play

You can listen to radio plays from the 70s, 80s, and 90s if you so wish.

But for now I am going to show my finished knitted sweater that I made ready for the colder days ahead.

This yarn is lovely to knit with I have used this for many other projects it's by WI Institute for HobbyCraft UK Aran weight knit on 5mm needles. Below ate two past projects using this yarn,

this pattern was by King Cole.

Next I have started a new cross stitch the first Christmas design this year hopefully it will be finished in time we shall see. It's a cute mouse,

the pattern is called Cold Nose warm Heart designed by The Geeky Stitching Co

Also I purchased a Mindful Colouring E book, I love colouring and drawing or doodling of any kind. But I saw this and thought I would treat myself

it's for Knitters and Crochet by Lynne Rowe you can print at home PDF size A4 find more details at Lynne's website Knit Crochet Create

Well that's all for now

take care Julie x

Finished knitted sweater and cross stitch folk animals house.

 Hello everyone,

Long time no see here on my Blog, I thought I would have a little tinker with it and see if I can start it up again. You will find some old posts on here from years ago so I have left these on and there is also allot of posts I have lost to, I have to say I was never very tech minded so always struggled a bit posting and editing. 

As I go through everything here on blogger it seems they have deleted a few services like the follow gadget is not in use and subscribe by email is not there to, so I don't know how good my posting is going to be or if anyone will see it who knows. You can however find me on INSTAGRAM and RAVELRY details on the right side of this post😏

Well I can show you a finish I had been knitting a nice warm snugly sweater for myself using WI Institute Aran yarn which you can purchase at Hobbycraft a UK store.

It is very easy to knit the yarn is lovely and soft also washable the stitch pattern is Cobble stitch a 4 row repeat pattern from Womens Weekly UK magazine stitch library. 

This is a simple drop sleeve round neck and it's made to fit my measurements M/L.

I have also been doing a little cross stitch I started this Folk Style House pattern

stitched on 14 count cream aida using DMC threads. The pattern shows it finished on black fabric but I am not happy using dark fabrics my eyes are not to good for that (hence why I only stitch on large count) so some colour changes were made so they can stand out on the light fabric, it is still very enjoyable to stitch with nice bright colours to.

You can find the pattern on Etsy the shop name is XCrossStitchPatternX by Julia.

For now that's all this was more of a test post and hopefully I will post more often with more knitting projects a few crochet finishes to show you and the cross stitch updates to.

Hope you have a lovely weekend

bye for now

Julie x

Knitted baby jacket finished and I made a fabric purse.

Hello everyone, How are you all?

Thank you for your comments and Happy New Year messages I hope you all had lovely family holidays and are ready for 2018.

I finished a little knitted baby jacket for my new Grand Son when he arrives,

I used DK yarn picked up from my local Hobby Craft store it's 0-3 months size, the pattern is an old one from the Women's Weekly magazine here in the UK. It was one of my mums so I cannot even tell you which issue it was as it is years old,  and the baby hat is one of my own patterns.

I finished a simple bobble hat for my Grand daughter the yarn is Aran weight I made it to fit a 7 year old and there was enough left to crochet a scarf with a cream strip added in the middle, then to finish I attached 4 pom poms.

While I have been knitting for the new baby I didn't want to leave Suzie out she was so pleased and has been wearing it for school.





I also made a cute little coin purse with a zip using scraps of fabric I had.

now OK it is small but in stead of using it for money it is an ideal size for scissors, needles and cotton. Not only that this was the first time I have attempted to insert a zip, I hate projects with zips If I can avoid them I will but I thought it was about time I had ago and this is the finished one.

With a little more practise I think I will be OK to make another one with a zip and maybe a little larger.

That's all for now, till next time.

Happy knitting/stitching

Julie x

Knitted tea cosy finished and other stitching progress.

Hello everyone,

How are we all I have not posted for a few weeks I know, I have broke up from work for the holidays at the moment with me working at a school so Mr C and I are away in our caravan on and off.

You can find me on Revelry sometimes and I have posted the odd picture on Instagram  showing pictures of any of my projects I have been working on.

I finished the knitted tea cosy I mentioned last,

pattern is by Lynn Rowe from the Woolnest

I used one of Lynn's other patterns to crochet this bunting for my sisters birthday.

Sue has promised to hang this in her summer house or along the top of her dresser, I hope she remembers to send me a picture.


I have to show you this lovely gift from my blog friend Lynn B at Happiness Is Cross Stitching
it came through the post this morning what a lovely surprise.

A very useful large cross stitch project bag with a see through front so you can easily see which project you have inside, it is beautifully made and with my favourite owl image what a super gift for a st itchy friend.
Oh and check out the owl stitch marker to all made by Lynn B

Here is how it looks with my hoop fabric, threads and notions pouch tucked safely inside.
You can find products similar to this one and many more items in Lynn's shop over at
Stitching Fairy Crafts


Before I go here is an update on the Bee embroidery I have been stitching

the pattern is from Homemade embroidery magazine special, not much more to do.

Well that is all for now, we will be away for 2 weeks so till next time.

happy stitching

Julie xx

I finished an Ombre crochet shawl and bought a new knitting book.

Hi Everyone,

How are you all I hope you are enjoying your weekend so far, we had heavy rain today but I just managed to walk Bruno before we were soaked. Tomorrow appears to be looking good with sunshine on the way which will be nice.

Well today after doing some ironing and cleaning etc; I concentrated on finishing a shawl I was crocheting for myself here is a picture

the yarn I used was by Lion Brand shawl in a ball. When you purchase the yarn there is a free pattern available to download from Lion Brands website using a code on the ball band, but I had decided I would like to crochet the shawl, and I had this pattern from Inside Crochet magazine called the Ombre Shawl by Sarah Shrimpton

The pattern is easy to follow mainly consisting of trebles and chain stitches, even though I did not use the yarn as suggested  I think it still works well for me anyway.



I also have a new book it arrived today called Knit Yourself Calm,

it is new out and the designer for the patterns is Lynne Rowe, there are at least 16 projects inside with plenty of helpful picture tutorials and instructions with new how to techniques for beginners.

It is a lovely book and would make a nice gift for someone you know who loves to knit.

If you want to read more about Lynne Rowe's work visit her website at The Wool Nest

there is also a monthly Pod Cast to follow.

That's all for now folks

bye for now

Julie xx

Cross stitch Owl Bell Pull update and I finished two cushions.

Hello everyone,
Welcome to April, how are you all?

The sun is shining here this afternoon it is a lovely day, I will be going out with Bruno in a bit for a nice walk but first I will do a quick post update.

I must show what arrived in the post this morning,

something I ordered from my friend Lynn B look how lovely it has been wrapped, I love the card and owl tag.

Look what was inside, how nice and Lynn made me a sweet Owl fob. Thank you so much Lynn i have somewhere safe to keep my sewing project and needles, it will be ideal to take away with me in the caravan too.
Check out Stitching Fairy Crafts by clicking the link on the side of my blog.



Now for an update on the cross stitch Owl Bell Pull

this picture was taken a few days ago and I have stitched more last night so I will post again soon and show you how it looks.


In a previous post I told you about a cushion I was going to knit for my Grand daughter well that is now finished.

Suzie loves it and has promised me that the cats will not go to sleep on it.

I also crocheted a cushion for myself with left over yarn I had.

This is one side,

and here is the back either way it dose not matter, I made this to go on the sofa and I think I have managed to match the colours well with the two fabric cushions that I have on each side.

Well that's all for now I am off to enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Happy stitching or knitting.

bye for now

Julie x

Finished crochet cowl, knitted chicks for charity and new yarn in my stash.

Hi everyone, Hope you are all well?

We are having lovely mild weather on and off here in my part of the UK, lot's of rain mixed with sunshine.

I have been busy crocheting a lovely warm cowl for my friend at work,

the pattern was from Inside Crochet magazine Dunes Cowl. I did not use the recommended yarn as on the pattern my friend already purchased the yarn.


I have not crossed stitched much of my owl pattern lately since I seem to have knitting projects piling up so there is not much progress to show you at the moment. I intend to save a few hours to stitch at some point.



At my local knitting group we are in the middle of knitting or crocheting small chicks, they are just the right size to fit a cream egg inside.

I have knitted about 14 so far and other members have made similar amounts, all these will be going off to St Lukes Cheshire Hospice where they sell them at there charity stalls to raise funds.

Within our group we take some of our sub money to put towards funds every week and so far we have raised £700 pounds. It is so much fun when you have others to share with what you are making.



Also I have some lovely yummy new yarn to show for new projects.

This jester DK yarn will be for  a cushion for my Grand daughter.

One 100g skein of hand dyed yarn 4ply weight this will be for a pair of socks.
You can find more of similar yarn at Betsy Makes etsy shop


So I think I will be pretty busy for the coming weeks that is something to look forward too, I think I had better knit the cushion first though.

Till next time 

I hope you all have a lovely weekend, and find a little time to make something.

bye for now

Julie x

Autumn cross stitch update and knitted owls.

Hi everyone,

Well here we are and November is upon us the weather here in the UK is sunny and mild but I believe temperature's are going to drop near the end of the week.

With all the lovely Autumn colours around now the leaves are falling I have made progress with the Autumn cross stitch I started.

I just love the colours for this one, pattern is from Tiny Modernist


The progress on the ship ahoy pattern is coming along to I will show you pictures of that quite soon.


 I have been shopping in our local charity store and what did i find, more cross stitch patterns,

I could not resit they were such a bargain £2.00 for three magazines,

and these three were  50p each (single patterns) well that's another lot to add to my stash.


Did I mention that I was knitting two owls for my friend at work well I have finished them and just in time for Christmas too, that is good going for me.

Yarn used is King Cole Tinsel chunky, knitted on 5mm needles and scraps of DK yarn for the face and claws.
You can find details for this yarn at KingCole

Well that's all for now, have a lovely weekend.

Julie x

Fabric heart garland and knitted crop cardigan.

Hello everyone,

Gosh October already this is the time of year when I enjoy seeing Autumn colours and the reminder of cooler mornings ahead.

Nest of Knitted Birds by Julie.C

It is also time for me to plan any Christmas gifts I want to make so they can be finished in time, which will be some knitted and crochet gifts.

 But first I want to show a few finished projects I made for Suzie, here is a fabric heart garland made for her bedroom.

I used scraps of colours I had in my stash and added felt flowers on the darker pink hearts and she loved it.


Next I had knitted this little crop cardigan a month ago but had not got round to showing you this was also for my Grand daughter while the weather was still mild for her to wear it.

Knitted with Sirdar Jolly which is lovely and soft to work with, it is machine washable too.

Have I ever shown you my work space well here is a photo, I am lucky to be able to use the small back bedroom in our house. OK you may think and isn't it tidy well on the other side of the room it is shall we say quite well stocked with loads of yarn in plastic boxes and shelves storing my craft books etc; when I get round to tidying that side of the room I shall post a picture.


Now I am off to start that list of projects to be made and organised, wish me luck.

I hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekend 

bye for now

Julie x

Progress on Jane and The Happy Crow cross stitch.

Hello everyone,

How are you all? I hope you are having a nice Bank Holiday, if you are like Mr C and I we tend not to venture to far on the roads it gets so busy on BH just opting for a chilled out weekend instead.
The weather here is still dull and wet with strong winds but with a possible brighter afternoon, fingers crossed then.

While I wait for the sun I will show you how far I am with Jane and The Happy Crow x-stitch,

quite a bit to go yet but enjoying stitching this one. I already have a place on the wall where I am going to hang it.

While I do that one I am also working on a small heart sampler of my own,

as you can see I am stitching a small bookmark to. I was thinking of adding either some small decorative buttons or charms, I will have a route through my stash and see what will work best.


Remember I told you in the last post I was making a crochet blanket for a baby and a few things for my Nephews two little girls, well here are some pics of them all finished and ready to be given and posted.

Three cardigans one knitted and two crochet, not forgetting I added the knitted rabbit in the parcel to.

Here is the crochet baby blanket.

Just an easy granny square pram blanket with five crochet flowers, I used James C Brett chunky yarn for this lovely and soft.

Hopefully now I can find some free time to make some things for myself so until next time enjoy your weekend.

bye for now

Julie x

Knitted Bunny Rabbit, WIP crochet and cross stitch.

Hello everyone,

We are enjoying a sunny April morning here today I hope you are too.

I have some show and tell projects on the blog this morning hope you like them.  Here is a finished knitted rabbit for my Nephews daughter.

He is so soft and cuddly just right for grabbing hold of with little hands.

This is from a SIRDAR knitting pattern using Sirdar Crofter DK yarn on 4mm needles.



Also I am in the middle of another granny square pram blanket for a friend from work.

It is for a boy so no pinks in the colour choice, I opted for yarn by James C Brett chunky, and for the border I have some cream yarn in my stash to finish with.


Not to miss showing you how my cross stitch projects are going here is how I have been doing so far.

pattern from Lynn B at www.happinesssiscrossstitching.co.uk

The Time for Tea pattern is sort of finished but I am in the process of how to display it instead of putting it in a frame, as you can see I have added a  hexagon border and my plan is to add wadding and a fabric backing so I can then hang in the kitchen.


You may remember this one from a previous post, a design from the artist Jane and The Happy Crow. You can by the kits from Riverdrift House

Progress is a little slow but I am hoping for a good run at it soon, I have had so many knitting projects to finish for people it is hard to say no sometimes then I get over whelmed.

My plan is to stitch more in the coming months and have a little rest from knitting for others, I have a sketch pad full of ideas to make into cross stitch and don't seem any nearer to full filling this dream, Mr C says you are to soft and need to be firmer with yourself and just do it. It looks so easy when I read this but I know in my heart it is doable.

I will end the post on that note and see you next time.

best wishes

Julie x