Sunday 28 October 2018

Half Term Break - Pendine Sands

Wow things have been so busy here over the last few weeks.  I have been inundated with custom orders for baby blankets, dolls blankets, hot water bottles, baby hats and bed spreads; so the half term has come as a welcome break.  Time to get away from it all for a few days.

We travelled straight from school pick up on Friday and headed for South Wales.  I have many fond memories of childhood holidays in Wales and was very excited to be returning with Little T.  It took us around 3 hours to cross the Welsh border and the sun was setting just as we traversed the Seven Bridge, providing stunning views.  A little over an hour later we arrived at the Pendine Sands holiday park.  It was now pitch black and we would have to wait till morning to see the local scenery.

It really was worth the wait.  The next day proved to be a blinder, with gorgeous sunshine and hardly a cloud in the sky.  Just look at the breathtaking Welsh coastline...



 rugged cliffs...


gorgeous sandy beaches...


squelching in the sand...


 catching tiddlers...


family time at the beach.


The accommodation in the park itself was great too, we stayed in a lovely caravan and there is plenty to do if you have little ones.  A family indoor swimming pool, play areas for the kids, restaurants and pubs, a chippy and also the show bar for evening entertainment.  The staff were all great too very friendly and helpful.  I am sure we will be visiting again soon...

I hope you have all enjoyed a last blast of summer too, wherever you are.

Back soon
Catherine
x

Saturday 6 October 2018

The Blanket Stitch - Crochet Tutorial

The crochet blanket stitch is such a versatile pattern and can be used to create many items not just blankets.  You can use this stitch pattern to create hats, scarves, hot water bottle covers anything you can think of, just use the hook size recommended on your yarn ball band.  

This is a stitch tutorial only, if you are looking for the Sweet Dreams Baby Blanket pattern you can find it here...





Video Tutorial






The Blanket Stitch



 US terms are used throughout

Abbrieviations
sc - single crochet
dc - double crochet
sl st - slip stitch
ch - chain
sp - space
sk - skip
st(s) - stitch(s)

Foundation chain loosely make a ch as wide as you would like your project to be, a multiple of 3 +1


Row 1 dc in 4th ch from hook, *sk2, sc in next ch, 2dc in same ch* repeat from *to* until last 3 st's, sk2, sc in last ch.  Turn.


Row 2 ch3, dc in 1st st, *sk2, sc in next st, 2dc in same st* repeat from *to* until last 2 st's, sc in sp between ch3 and dc of last round.  Turn.


Repeat row 2 until piece measures desired length.  Fasten off and weave in ends.

This stitch pattern creates nice neat edges so there is no need for a border, unless you want to add one of course.  You could add a row of simple shells like this baby blanket...


As there has been so much interest in this silver and pink blanket you can now find the full pattern here... or a printable PDF version is also available in my Etsy Store...


The stitch pattern works up great using yarn cakes too.  I made these ones with Caron Cakes.



A printable pattern for the Caron cakes blanket can be found in both my Etsy and Ravelry stores.



I hope you enjoyed the tutorial and please be sure to share your makes on my Facebook page or Instagram using #lullabylodge.

See you soon

Catherine
x
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Saturday 15 September 2018

Glamping at Long Acres

We recently spent an idyllic couple of days at Long Acres Camping & Glamping site in Surrey.  Little T had been asking and asking if we could go camping and living in a small flat with no ample storage to keep all the gear we would need, had meant that the answer was always no.  So when I came across a deal on Wowcher for a 2 nights Glamping trip, I thought this would be the perfect compromise.  Little T could get his outdoor camping experience without us having to buy all the gear, plus we could have nice cosy beds to sleep in.

I have never purchased a holiday with Wowcher before but the whole process was pleasantly simple.  Once receiving my voucher code all I needed to do was call Long Acres to make my booking.  The lady I spoke to on the phone was very friendly and helpful and we ended up paying a little extra for the luxury package and also the hire of a fire pit (this was well worth the extra money).  Now all we had to do was wait...



The day finally arrived for our camping trip and little T was so excited.  It was only a short drive to  Long Acres and we were not disappointed when we arrived.  The camp site was in the heart of the Surrey countryside and was beautifully maintained.  The staff were amazingly friendly and helpful, we were shown to our accommodation and given the low down on all the amenities.  We stayed in their Cedar Pod which was very quaint.  It had 2 beds, a small cupboard and electric points, a porch decorated with fairy lights and an outside seating area with the fire pit.


We loved every minute of our time here at Long Acres...

Cooking outside...


Dutch oven cooking on the fire pit...


...and enjoying the beautiful surroundings.


I cannot recommend Long Acres enough and look forward to planning another visit...

Bye for now

Catherine


Tuesday 4 September 2018

Pattern Testing - Yarn Cakes Shetland Lace Scarf

Hello everyone, now that Autumn is in the air it's time to get knitting all those winter woollies.  If you are looking to try something new why not join in with my latest pattern test.  It is for a lovely warm winter scarf, knitted in an old Shetland Lace pattern.


If you would like to take part in the test please head over to The Testing Pool at Ravelry to join in the fun...


You don't need to be an experienced tester or even knitter to take part.

Happy knitting

Catherine
x

Saturday 18 August 2018

Pattern Testing - "Bubbles" Yarn Cakes Baby Blanket

Hello lovely people, I have a new project ready for testing.  This one is suitable for beginners and is made using Caron Cakes yarn.  The pattern is super easy and testing will take place over on Ravelry at The Testing Pool.  If you would like to take part prior testing experience is not necessary, just head on over to the testing page and sign up.


Caron Cakes have so many scrumptious colours to choose from, making just one blanket is never an option for me...


Look forward to hearing from you

Catherine
x

Saturday 4 August 2018

Pattern Testing - Mini Hot Water Bottle Cover

Hello everyone.  I have a new pattern ready for testing.  This one is perfect if you want to get a head start on presents for Christmas.  It is for this very simple knitted hottie cover.  I have used Drops Eskimo yarn, which is a super soft, super chunky wool.  The cover knits up in just a couple of hours and features cute pom pom ties.


If you would like to take part in testing this pattern please head on over to The Testing Pool over at Ravelry, where the test will take place.  You don't need to be an experienced tester and only need know the basic knitting stitches and be familiar working in the round. 

Look forward to hearing from you and happy knitting

Catherine
x

Sunday 29 July 2018

Little T's Garden

Hello friends.  I have been meaning to write this post for quite some time, but with one thing and another it has gotten pushed to the side and forgotten.  This heatwave that has been going on for what seems like forever, has finally broken and I am loving the freshness of the air and the sound of the raindrops outside my window.  This gives me the perfect opportunity to take some time to write on my blog.

Everything is growing really well this year with all the hot weather.  It has taken some considerable efforts to keep everything watered though and little T has been very helpful on that front.  As you all know we do not have a garden at home and so our allotment garden has become our haven and we love to spend as much time there as possible.  Mostly little T likes to sit in a shady spot and read while I get on with the gardening.  He does love to help with planting new things though and has asked for his own "bit of earth".  So we decided to make a small bed for little T to call his own.  We have chosen to implement the square foot gardening method, this way he can grow lots of different kinds of vegetables all in a small space...

How to make a square foot garden



We built a 4 foot square raised bed purchased from Amazon.  The planks easily slotted together with a bit of help from a rubber mallet.  The bed was placed directly onto the weedy grass so we covered the bottom with a mixture of old cardboard and newspaper (this blocks out the weeds).  We then added some mostly rotted homemade compost in the bottom and topped it off with a couple of bags of bought compost.  


We added small nails at 1 foot increments and then made a square foot grid with some twine. 


Little T added his chosen plants...


Cabbage and strawberries...


...  and found a furry caterpillar hiding in the grass.


Have any of you tried the square foot gardening method?  Please let me know in the comments below...

Take care
Catherine
x