My crafty world...

...has been pootling along VERY slowly.

In fact for a few months, crafting time for me has been non-existant.  I have also come to realise that I have  missed this crafty time more than I could ever have imagined and how much a part of my life it has now become.

There has been one huge outside influence to curb my crafty time but I'm very happy to admit that I'm beginning to steal small moments of time in my day to be able to indulge myself.

My alpaca shawl which is over halfway complete is now getting more rows added to it and I'm loving the feel of the wool and the pattern that I'm creating.

I also began another baby blanket with a really basic shell stitch while I was camping on my very special week away.

It's such an easy pattern which you don't have to think about really.  It's one of the reasons why I love making this particular blanket as it can fly off my needle.  The end result is also beautiful.

I also have many projects zooming around my brain right now but whether time, stress levels and my shocking memory allow me to complete even half of them will remain to be seen.

As the second half of 2013 meant only small projects could be completed, I've started 2014 with only small projects in mind and leaving the larger ones until I can handle them.

One project that I've decided on is to make a blanket.  Not normally a small project but if you do one tiny bit each day then it will grow fairly quickly.  Instead of a granny square a day, I've decided I want to do a circle in square blanket.  

Each day I will do one circle of 3 rounds then in December I'll lay them all out, work out which colour will bring them together best and turn the last round into a square and join them together.  That's the plan anyway.

My first circle is the one above.  A random choice of colours and some happy time taken out from my day to do something I love.

I'm starting off this project using scraps from other projects and will make these last as long as possible.  The scraps will also determine the final look of the blanket because I have only tiny amounts left of some colours and lots left of others.  It's going to be interesting to see the final result.

I also started a jigsaw puzzle a couple of months ago.  I haven't done one in years, mainly because I don't have the room to keep one out on a table anywhere.  Thank goodness for felt and being able to roll them up for storage as it means I can bring it out every now and then to try and put a few more pieces in.

The kidlettes gave me a couple of jigsaw puzzles for Christmas too so I'd like to get the one below finished soon so I can begin on them.  As soon as possible may mean Easter at this stage!

So crafty stuff is beginning to creep its way back into my life.  Oh how I've missed it!  

I hope you all had a safe New Years and that 2014 is good to everyone.

xx Susan