How I do love thee!

How I do love thee!!!

I have to admit my yarn addiction is getting worse!!!
It doesn't help of course when this madam hovers near by so frequently!!!!

Yarn Fairy

The title of my post today is more than apt as I have indeed recognized the emotions.....the excitement,the feverish feeling,the sweaty brow and twitching damp sticky fingers as I lunge out and grab new yarn that has just come in .....and once in my grasp I hug it to me with a stealthily gesture as if someone would steal it from me. At the same time I seem to hear the words "its mineeeee.....my precious" tingling in my mind!!!!   In love with yarn!!!!


OH! JOY!!! dear peeps I just have to tell you the good news....a new yarn shop has opened up a few streets down from where I live. A KATIA yarns shop.

 I saw it yesterday lunchtime and of course it was closed and I won't be able to get in to see it and contemplate the wonders until next Saturday as I have a new intensive course at Cruz Roja (Red Cross Alicante) and most shops will be closed when I get out....so it is going to be a long arduous wait....tch!!!

Here's the update on my latest swaps:
My Autumn Glory Swap hosted by Blueberry Heart is on its last leg now and my busy busy swap partner Helen from Moonstruckcreations  over in the UK has been able to get her swap parcel on its way to me the end of November ....so exciting .......I should be receiving it very very soon.
My Christmas Cracker swap hosted by Tracy at Mad about Bags parcel has been received by Louise from ButtonandBabes in the UK and her swap parcel is also winging its way to me so that means another scrumptious parcel to look forward to.    It is so the right time of the year to receive parcels....I do wonder if the postman doesn't just feel really abundantly loved over these christmassy weeks too.


I am sending you the following message from Kerrie from Spanish Strays. Do you remember I sent out an appeal to craft bloggers here? Well she says a big big thank you for the generous donations of craft goodies which she has received for the Spanish Strays Christmas stall.  Here you have some pics of some of the goodies but there are more which you can see on the Spanish strays facebook page here.

 A splendid display and generous donation from Penny at Violet White .

More beautiful craft goodies from Chrissie at Chrissie's blog

Their first Christmas fair was yesterday and Kerrie will also be posting photos on the SS facebook page of the stall and information on how well they did.


My W.I.P are slowly getting done but not fast enough for me when I look at this lovely new yarn that I have brought and I am dying to get my hands on!!!
I am just going to show you peeks of what I am doing at the moment.

 They would , of course, get done much quicker if I concentrated on one thing at a time but I just can't as I get so easily distracted by all the Christmass crafts loveliness I keep seeing on everyones blogs.


I've posted this Sleeping with Cats chart because

  it immediately brought to mind a post from Mouse on her blog  A View from the teapot ,where Mouse comments about the problems caused by her cat sleeping on her pillow every night. The pillow takeover as indicated on the above chart.
 It also coincides with our own problem. Now that it is quite chilly at night our cat tries to wheedle his way into Sr P's side of the bed. I see that is called the spoon on this chart. His maneuvers to wake Sr P up result from the most gentle of taps on Sr Ps head to a frightening horrendous yowl right in his ear which literally makes him jump out of the bed .....Sr P that is not the cat.
Sounds funny doesn't it but not when it is night after night!!!. 

I feel there was something else I had to tell you but it has quite slipped my mind!!!    It will have to keep until my next post which I hope will be in within a week and not two weeks as is the case at present.

Have a wonderful Sunday rest!!!

Amanda :-)

They know how to dress up

I sent my swap parcel to my swap partner Debi at Busy Little Chicken last week and I was pleasantly surprised to hear she had received it yesterday ... a super quick delivery. We are partners in the Springtime Easter swap hosted by Joy at Daisy Row
Although Debi has received my swap parcel I'll not display the bits I made and sent to her for the present until she posts about it.
I do want to show you my Mutant Muggaducky that I made for her. He was inspired by Annaboo's wubberducky at Annaboo's House but you know cloning is a very delicate science and mutants do occur. My muggaducky didn't quite turn out so pretty.
All will be revealed!


Why have I added this photograph??? The only reason being is that I liked it. 
Isalia is a student of mine, she and her fiance participate in many of the local festivities in her home town,San Vicente. Here she and her fiance are dressed up in an Andalusian folkloric dress called the Contrabandistas (the Smugglers). Its a more elaborate version of how Andalusian smugglers used to dress back in the 18th century.

In my last post I mentioned I had received a swap parcel from my swap partner Kimberley who lives in New Zealand. She has also finally received my swap parcel, the contents of which you can see on her blog here .
However I did want to show you what I had made for her combining crochet with sewing (remember I'm a newbie with the sewing machine). Kimberley loves stationary of all kinds so I made this stationary case for her.

The theme I focussed on was Oranges, as this area of Spain ,Valencia,is well known for its scrumptious oranges.
I crocheted the cover in bright orange and added a basket of oranges applique in crochet too . I made a little crochet pocket for a pencil and pen and slipped in an orange notepad.

 The wooden button was from my very valuable stash of buttons (I'm getting as tight as Scrooge about using the buttons from my stash,I just don't like to see them dwindle!!!). I lined the case with matching yellow fabric ..... a piece of fabric I found in a drawer and I really don't know where it came from but I have put it to good use.

Very personalized and screams of handmade!  I can see several errors where the sewing is concerned but I keep telling myself practise makes perfect!

Have a great Sunday......relax and enjoy some good music!

Amanda :-)

Crazy Calamondin

A big welcome to all of my new followers,Tracy on Crochet Happy,Thea at Hearts & Bluebells and Elizabeth at Elizy Art. I am so pleased you have popped in to visit and follow my blog. 

NOT TO BE MISSED!
I also highly recommend you pop in and participate in Shari's wonderful giveaway at Lauren's Closet ....as she is giving away one of her wonderful crocheted blankets.


Now then, let me introduce you to my Crazy Calamondin miniature orange tree.
A present my husband gave me two years ago in December and it has been doing very well but just lately it has gone crazy!!!!

 It seems to think its spring as it is flowering and sprouting tiny oranges! We had the same the first year I had it but during spring but never now and its in the same place it has always been, out on the balcony, admittedly behind glass and there is a bit of a hot house effect because of the sun on the glass but I still think its been misled...what is it doing flowering and producing fruit in December!!!!!

Please take in to consideration that my balcony windows are dirty no not dirty filthy would be a better description because it is raining and constantly raining so .........  me no clean windows until it stops! 

Now I have been busy as most of you are I am sure!!  
Busy Busy bees making Christmas goodies. 
As I mentioned in my last post I can't show you a lot of my makes as they are to be a surprise as they are going to be part of my swap parcels for the following swaps :

which is hosted by Tracy at Mad about Bags and Tracy herself is my swap partner the other one is hosted by Kate at Granny Taught me to Crochet
 and my swap partner is Gracie at One Saylor's log.

 

The other makes are part of Christmas presents so I daren't show you them either yet . 
However I have done some more Wonky Christmas trees and as mentioned in a previous post I plan to send the trees as Christmas cards this year to family members. 

The trees are from a pattern found on Annaboo House Blog.
However the Christmas tree bauble is my very own pattern... a simple little thing and its for my Christmas tree.   All for me at last....I am forever doing things for other people and rarely for myself!

Blurry ....ah well!

Amanda :-)

Weirdy and wierdy ....!

I feel despondent,dispirited,depressed,crestfallen (love that last word)!  booo......hooooo!!!

In fact I feel in a funny weird mood, a bit unsatisfied and tired. I also feel I'm not winning my battle to keep up with my blog-mates.
It shouldn't be like this as I do enjoy blogging ........so much!

Lets put it down to the weather shall we as the forecast is for more storms and the temperature is dropping, as you can see it does look as if its going to pelt down:

storm on its way in......

 coming from Valencia way over the Aitana mountain


Spain is not synonymous with sun and heat , 12 months a year ...it gets cold here and we have a winter. You don't get the cold rough weather like in the North of Spain and it never snows here in the city. However Alicante is on sea level.....and the damp and humidity really seeps into your bones when it gets cold.

I have nothing crafty wise to share with you that is completed except the massive amount of endless threads which I gave you a glimpse of in my last post and they have increased.!!!   grr!!!
I have some crochet makes done but they are to go in swaps and I really can't show them off until the recipient receives them. I am participating in two Christmas swaps, the Snowflake swap hosted by  at Kate at Granny taught me to crochet     and the Christmas Cracker swap hosted by Tracy at Mad about bags    .

As I have nothing completed I thought I'd give you a few glimpses of bits and bobs I never got to use or I've put to one side to use for a future make which I don't know about yet.
They are those bits and bobs one sees and just have to make to see what they are like completed.
I am sure you know what I mean!

Enjoy your Sunday!!!

Amanda :-)