New Year, New Ideas

Well hello there!

It's been quite a while hasn't it...  Sorry about that!  I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas and New Year; I spent the holidays with my family back in Cumbria and it was wonderful.  It just whizzed past so quickly and before I knew it I'm back to short, dark, work-filled January days with occasional snow, but mostly rain. 

However, it hasn't all been darkness and drudgery!  The gorgeous flowers above brightened my day and I also met up with a lovely local lady called Rachel about setting up a knitting/crochet group.  There is nothing like it in the area, and it was lovely to find that Rachel was a kindred crafting spirit!  We will hold our first meeting soon, but in the meantime I have promised to make a poster to advertise the group locally and drum up some more like-minded crafters.  But I've hit a bit of a block, because I don't know what to call it.  I don't like 'knit and natter' as it makes it sound exclusive to knitters, and while 'stitch and bitch' is certainly apt I think it may put some people off...  I want the group to mainly embrace yarn crafts, any yarn crafts, but it wouldn't bother me if other crafts were sampled now and then as well.  So, I'm asking you, my wonderful readers, if you can please give me any ideas as to what to call the group?  I'd be very grateful!  We meet for the first time in a week - if by any chance any of you live locally, you are most welcome to attend!

I've been working hard on a new pattern over January, and I had hoped to have it ready by now, but unfortunately my time off has not coincided with enough bright hours to take good enough photographs to accompany the pattern.  I've taken some pictures to show you today, but I'm afraid they haven't captured the colours and are a bit dull...  I'm thinking of calling this pattern the 'Puffed Patchwork Purse' - what do you think?

It's been quite a marathon designing this, which is why it has taken me all of January.  This is the fifth version and I'm finally happy with it.  My flat is a study in evolution with neanderthal bags littering every surface - it wouldn't have surprised me to glance around and find Darwin perched at my dining table writing a paper on the origin of the puffed patchwork purse!

I think that it almost looks like cells under a microscope!  It is the perfect shape for a bag - in my opinion! - fatter at the bottom than the top, but what I particularly like about it is the size; it's much bigger than the other bags I have designed.  This is the latest colourway I am making...

Hopefully I will get the pattern written and photographed soon.

I also need to catch up with all of my favourite blogs - there just aren't enough hours in the day!

Keep well and happy crocheting!

Karen
xx