Yellow Ribbons, Packages, Sunburn and Bulls on steroids!

On Sunday we attended the Currandulla Show, it is on once a year and is great fun for all the family I went with my husband Morgan, mum Trish, brother Ant(15) and sister Shauna(11), they host many competitions such as:

• Best fruit cake
• Best Sweet cake
• Best flower arrangement
• Best Art work
• Photography
• Needle work
• Knitting
• Crochet in Cotton
• Crochet in Wool 

Last year I entered and was delighted to win a yellow ribbon for 3rd place in Crochet in Wool, you can read that post HERE

So this year I entered my 1940's hat and was delighted to see I got another yellow ribbon :

The lady that came first and second has entered the most detailed lace crochet blankets I have ever seen - beautiful!
Also at the fair there was Best Bull 2010 competitions on, and some of the bulls were HUGE!! we joked about how we thought this one was on steroids! ... What do you think?

Look at the muscles! 

This guy was adorable!

All the men at the fair seemed to be huddled together at on end on the field, when we got down it was easy to see why, A Vintage Car Show!

There was lots on this year, much more then last year and all the kids seemed to be having a blast, after the Bonnie Baby awards my Brother and Sister decided to go on some of the rides and I had such fun watching them and laughing at their terrified faces while taking photos! (maybe that's my evil streak coming through)

Ant, the faster the ride, the better!

Ant and Shauna

All the kids, looking dizzy!

Half way through the day we met my in-laws, mother in law  Elizabeth, father in law Thady and sister in law Milo with her boyfriend Craig - Talk about family day out!

the two mothers, my mum Trish in the red and my mum in law Elizabeth in the purple

It was so windy at the fair but still warm, Little did I know I was getting badly sun burned :( the next day my arms were on fire.

Ann and Elizabeth

Craig and Milo

We walked around and stopped to look at the dog show and horse show, some of the dogs were so cute, we even saw a terrier wearing a tutu! Morgan was so at home with all the pups, he really wants a dog, but with us renting a bungalow and already having two cats and two turtles the time is not right, 

Morgan and Shauna LOVED the dog show

Does my bum look big in this?

Which dog is your favorite? 

It was such a hot day, and while we were in the craft tent, Shauna went really weak and went into a faint, once outside she was back to her usual self but to cheer her up I treated her in getting her hair wrapped, this woman was wrapping hair in wool and the inner child in me really wanted one :) 

When the fair was finished I collected my ribbon and cash prize and we all sat in a hay field having a picnic of KFC chicken, chips with garlic sauce and coke which my mum and dad kindly got for us, the perfect ending to a lovely day, Life cant get better I thought - but then Shauna showed me the lovely painting she did of me

Our day was lovely and I was so proud to have won a ribbon but I was shattered! and so happy to see my lovely little bungalow again

After a hard and busy day today at work I was feeling very sorry for myself, my sunburn was hurting and all I wanted was a shower and to veg out on the sofa, what a lovely surprise to have a package waiting for me from Carmen from the Ravelry group RAK, She sent me colourful crochet hooks, patterns and a cute selection of buttons!

Thanks Carmen!

So how did you spend your weekend? I would like to thank everyone who takes the time and reads my posts and leaves comments - I find it so rewarding and wonderful, Thank you

Love, Neen x

Socks and Chanel!

Right now I am busy crocheting my cousins baby christening blanket - I decided to go with white and baby pink pearl yarn, the blanket is made up of miniature granny squares joined together with a cable stitch to give the view of patchwork - I am 75% done and to be honest I am boooreeed of it! So I thought ... Socks! I haven't made them before and have always wanted too! So I am leaving my next project in your feet  hands!
Just comment below on which sock you like best or which would suit "me" more and the highest votes wins :)

A

B

C

Anyone who knows me well, knows I LOVE Chanel, My favorite perfume is Coco Chanel (thanks Morg) and my favorite bag is my little black Chanel (how many times have I wrote Chanel now?) my bag however is a fake! shock horror! but I still love it, so you can imagine my delight when I saw this:

That's right! a Crocheted Chanel bag! I couldn't help but feel like we were made for each other, that was until I saw the price tag! $2000 ... which brought me to this conclusion ... "Where is my Hook?!"

YouTube, Ravelry, and Bestfriends

Neen and Mel

Since I have been online (two years) I have met many wonderful crafty and talented people, I have always enjoyed being friendly, but usually I have just kept it that way - being friendly without being friends.... Then a while ago I noticed some lovely comments on my YOUTUBE account, but with planning a wedding I didnt get chance to read them all until I was on honeymoon, I still remember Morg and I both went online in the hotel to check our mail and look up the addresses of some Barcelona yarn shops - When I saw this message

scrappyfoxy (8 months ago) Remove | Block User | Spam I hope you have a wonderful wedding today, enjoy every  minute of this day,  and I hope everyone loves the crochet things you made  for  your wedding. xxx

I soon saw it was the same lovely lady that had liked my other videos, so I remember sending a quick hello and logging off to continue with our day, Morgan and I talked about ScrappyFoxy over lunch and how kind it was that she remembered the day we were getting married.

After that we messaged eachother a couple of times  where I found out that this thoughtful person was Melanie, a wonderful crocheter with lovely videos also on youtube, Melanie soon joined Ravelry and there we were able to post longer messages to eachother, I can only speak for myself but it was here that I felt we connected on a deeper level - we had so much in common - wonderful husbands, a love for crochet and a deep love for chocolate ;)
We decided to become penpals, we exchanged Email addresses where we sent LONG letters back and forth describing our life and family and background - each letter brought to light more and more things we had in common.
We sent care packages back and forth and have talked on skype while also making home videos for eachother to be sent through email, as Mel lives in the UK and I am in Ireland we fast became Bestfriends, I think at first we both thought "Gosh this has happened really quickly" but Morgan one night said to me "Children go to school and after a day can come home with a bestfriend, knowing everything about them and loving them, whats so different now, only that as we get older we loose that magic" and how right he was!

My friendship with Mel has grown so much, I find that if I am shopping I see things and wonder would Mel like that, we are very close and all thanks to YOUTUBE ;) who would have thought!!

In August Morgan and I will be flying over to the UK to visit Mel and John and oh how I cant wait to finally be able to have a chat face to face and do all the things we have said we will, I cant wait to just sit with her and crochet! or sit down and eat dinner together - and see their wonderful garden and cute pets
to visit Mel you can find her wonderful blog here Cosy Living

Melanie, Your my bestfriend and Morgan and I cant wait to spend a week with you and John

So tell me, have any of you got an online bestfriend?

CafeCreate's First Birthday

CafeCreate celebrated our first birthday on Saturday, I have had a wonderful year with these women

Pattern for Victorian Pinkie

Designed By: Nina O'Brien, Handmade Crochet

Abbreviations
SP = Space
HDC = Half-Double Crochet
INC = Increase
ST = Stitch
St’s= Stitches
DEC = Decrease



Hook size: 5mm

CH 3, join.
1: CH 3. HDC, CH 1, 5 more times, do no join.
2: HDC, CH 1, twice in each space
3: HDC, CH 1 twice in each space 

4:  HDC, CH 1 in each space
5: HDC INC every 2 ST’s

6: HDC, CH 1 in each space.

7: HDC INC every 4 St’s

8: HDC, CH 1 in each space.
9: HDC INC every 5 St’s.

10: HDC, CH 1 in each space around

11: HDC INC every 5 St’s.
12-13: HDC, CH 1 in each stitch around.
14: HDC DEC every 5 St’s.

15-19: HDC, CH 1 in each space around, the more rounds you add here the longer the hat
20: HDC DEC over two spaces, CH 1, around – (25 HDC DEC total)
21-24: HDC in each stitch & Ch 1 space.
To end, skip 1 stitch and slip stitch in the next. Secure and cut yarn.


please note:
I have no problem giving my patterns for free to other crafters, all I ask that if posting this pattern up on any site that you link it to me and keep my name on it - however if selling any object made from my pattern please ask my permission first -  also DO NOT claim this pattern as your own, it has been copyrighted. 
If you crochet this hat please let me know and show pictures I would love to link your site here x

Art Giveaway

My husband is hosting an amazing Giveaway on his blog here:

Morg Today

To be in with a chance of winning go and check him out!!

My Wedding Photos... AT LAST!!

So here they are finally..... My Wedding photos, well a small selection anyway!For anyone that did not know we won a free Wedding in the beautiful Clayton Hotel in Galway. Morgan entered a competition being held by Galway bay FM (our local radio). The public were asked to write the story of their relationship, proposal etc in 300 words or less. Morgan created a hand illustrated and written book on brown recycled paper and thank God it was chosen as the winner. This honestly was a dream come true, as we really couldn’t afford a wedding, and desperately wanted to get married. We were Married on 17th Oct 2009

My God-Daughter Erica was one of our flower girls, she looks so adorable here, I was up until 3AM the night before the wedding crocheting the cape 

Here is my little sister Shauna, who was a real little maid of honor to me, she came to every dress fitting we me and never complained even though she is an eternal tom-boy!

My other God Daughter Niamh looking so cute!, they came over from Manchester for the day

Morgans two sisters Maria(above) and Genny(below)were also my bridesmaids, I made the capes in a beautiful mohair yarn

My Flowers

With my mum Patricia after she helped me into my dress

My Dad rented us a Roles Royce as a surprise!

Leaving the comfort of my old bedroom, Mum had decorated the stairs with wonderful flowers and Tull

Here Come The Girls!!

I crocheted flowers for all the women guests, as a keepsake

John, The Best man

Flower Girl Basket I made

At the chapel on time with my Dad

Shauna, Layla holding her daughter Niamh, Maria, Dad, Me,Gen, Ethan the page boy and Erica

My Husband to be!

You may now kiss the Bride!!

Lighting our unity candle

My Brother Ant, did a wonderful reading and was a great groomsman!

Shauna was an alter server for the mass

The Wedding Party

The whole gang!

We had these candles and flowers on the alter to remember, those no longer with us - Mine and Morgans Grandfathers Bill and Paddy, and my two brothers John Patrick and Patrick Micheal

Under an archway of flowers

With Morgans Family

My Family

After the chapel we popped in to see the dear folks of the nursing home where I work, 

More pictures to follow of the reception, as soon as I sort through them, hope you liked the pictures xx