Sweet 'Mistake'?

I have not complained about English weather much and I have lived here for over fifteen years. In fact, I always end up saying that English climate suits me. That was up till now when I made the 'mistake' of visiting Southern France at the beginning of the month. Between you and me, I don't mind making such a 'mistake' more often even though I have become rather restless since then. :-)

Staying with my friends in Collobrieres, how lucky was I to be surrounded by local art, architecture and atmosphere.

This place reminded me of Cezanne and his paintings. The blocks of colour and the colour itself. Priceless.

No wonder artists would escape to this part of the world to produce their masterpieces. One does not need to go far for inspiration...

But if you insist on venturing further, of course there is more to explore and discover...

Half an hour drive and we were by the sea; and sea would not be any sea without yachts. It was one mast on top of the other there, endlessly taking the eye into the distance.

Now tell me, isn't this peaceful and calming?

Having spent a little time in Southern France, I realised how much I miss getting out of the city. I know I have mentioned it before but the urge is getting stronger now especially after looking at these pictures and remembering where I was less then a month ago...

Oh well, will I do something about it? That is the question and only I can do anything about it, nobody else.

In the meantime, a note to myself - just hang on and smile...




For those who come to my blog regularly, you know that I have always something running along on the side. And after my last post, there are further developments to  my 'Cottagy & Cosy' project so check out my 'Updates' page.

Have a great week and see you next time. K-)

Cottagy & Cosy

Oh dear, I have missed a few weeks again. But do not worry. There is a lot of creativity going on in my camp. For example...

Do you remember my 'New Possibilities, New Challenges' post from few weeks ago? In there I revealed that my 'Mussel Runner' was no longer fulfilling its purpose as a heat resistant runner in my new place and expressed a need for placemats instead.

As it goes, when looking for one specific item in a shop I came across three different colour packs of Washing Line that I just thought may work for the placemats (and hopefully other dining accessories). Hooray!

After testing its characteristics, a slippy surface of the 'yarn' and how easy it is to crochet, a separation/devision was necessary. As you can see above the Line is twisted out of three parts.

When finally untwisting one pack I ended up with two balls (left); for one washing line they actually use two parts, one separate (small ball) and one of double length that is halfway twisted back on itself to required length. How interesting...

And here is my first placemat that is big enough to cover the base of a large plate. I have used it, of course, and am rather pleased with its functionality. The plate sits nicely on it not slipping to any side and protects the surface of my table which is exactly what I wanted.

The string used for washing line is not as flexible as a thread or a yarn so my pattern does not look as neat as first required but on a second thought, it gives the design rather cottagy feel and look. This suits my place well. Somehow I cannot visualise a trendy modern style here...

Encouraged by the way it goes, it is about time to address the other two packs now. Therefore, watch this space. K-)

Update: Tuesday, 30 June 2015
Cottagy & Cosy

A few weeks into my 'Cottagy & Cosy' project and here comes my first update. In the post I left you with a pile of washing lines of three colours. I had untangles the red one and crocheted one placemat.

As you can see on the image above I created a second placemat of the same colour and pattern to create a pair. At this point, the fun begins...


... and that is what you can see here (and with second to the pair above).
I must admit I was pleasantly surprised when I saw what I made. The string gave this specific pattern a new life.
And so the fun continues. I still have to untangle the blue washing line and to keep the essence of this project I have to find another suitable pattern. But for this I will see you next time. Kx

When researching on possible patterns it became clear how many different Granny V Stitches designs there are. Which is why I decided to use something visually different for the green colour...

Recently, I have compared two mediums (wire and yarn) when making jewellery. The same applies here. When wool is used, the outcome is nice and neat. When the string from the washing line is used it becomes more three-dimensional (even though the square is still flat). It is all visual.


Update: Sunday, 5 July 2015
Cottagy & Cosy

The blue washing line is finally untangled and as promised, I found another pattern.  If you remember when dealing with the red washing line I ended up with two balls of string, bigger and smaller. What you are looking at above are the two untangled pieces, one in its 'original' form and one 'processed'. :-)

I have to confess that I did not fully follow the instructions when processing the smaller ball. If I did I would have ended up with a coster size piece and that is not my intention. At least not yet.

Actually, there is not much science in these basic patterns. When extending the instructions I only applied what I learned from the two previous examples. And am I pleased with the outcome.


This placemat seems to be more tidy despite the material used (and believe me, the string can be quite challenging at times). At this stage of the 'Cottagy and Cosy' project I seem to have discovered more about the material, the pattern and the crochet technique itself. Great to learn something new every day. K-)

Update: Saturday, 9 July 2016
Cottagy & Cosy

Since I had not contributed to my blog for quite a while I would like to share an update on my Cottagy & Cosy project. At this project, three packs of washing line of different colours (red, green and blue) were used to create three pairs of table mats.

I have been using the mats since the day they were created. However, something was always missing. Therefore, to produce some matching coasters later on was given.

Since the table mats are big enough (or small) to carry only a dinner plate I needed to make coasters to complete the set. Keeping the same pattern to the same colour I have ended up with further six smaller squares that are both aesthetic and functional. They add cheerful touch to my table and at the same time protect the surface from heat or scratching.

Wouldn't you say that somehow you don't feel the cottagy & cosy feel? I do. K-)