Left and Right

Hello all!  Such a lovely sunny day outside, I hope it's as pleasant where you are :)

I thought today I'd ask if there's anybody reading who crochets left handed?  I'm visiting home soon and my mum has asked if when I do I could teach her to crochet...

Now, we've tried this before and kind of failed because she's left handed and I use my right.  I attempted to switch hands to demonstrate, but I'm far from ambidextrous and just couldn't work it out.  When my mum tried to follow me, it felt just as odd for her to use her right hand as it did for me to use my left.  We sort of bumbled through how to chain and then gave up...

I've since watched a few videos on youtube (which we don't have access to at home) and I think I understand the idea behind it.  I used the videos to make the following step by step guides to give to mum.  I thought I'd share here in case they're of use to anyone else too :)  (The first is a guide to chaining, and the second is for an American single crochet.  Click on either picture to make larger).

I'm still working on the hdc, the dc and the trc but I'll share those too once they're done :)

I'm hoping these will help my mum to learn.  But if you have any tips to share - whether you're left or right handed - about how best to set about teaching someone something new, I'm all ears!

Until next time

Kim x

Kreativ Bloggers

As you may have seen from my previous post, I've been neglecting my blog slightly in favour of being all adventurous around North West Wales.  So it came as something of a surprise to discover that while I've been off galavanting, I was left two lovely comments by Lucy In The Sky and Cherry Heart informing me that they'd included eggbirddesigns in their Kreativ Blogger Award lists!

I had to do a bit of research, because I still feel pretty new to this blogging thing, and I wasn't entirely sure what a blogger award even was (and I'll be honest, this was the kind of kick up the bum I needed to go and find out! :P)

What I discovered was that at their heart, blog awards are a very kindly gesture; a firm handshake and a "jolly well done, old chap!".  I've decided that blog awards are the cyber equivalent of winning first place in the vegetable show at the village fête.  (For those of you wondering, it is one of my life's ambitions for a kindly old vicar to announce "excellent parsnips, dear!"  I'm about 83 in my head).

From what I've gathered from my sleuthing, I must now furnish you with 10 facts you weren't previously aware of.  Brace yourselves:

1. At the age of 15, I got trapped inside a Dalek.  My cries of "help me!" came out in the Dalek voice, which made my brother laugh more than he's ever laughed before or since.
2. I went to the same school and university as Danny Boyle (the director of Slumdog Millionaire and 28 days later).
3. I must, under ALL circumstances put my right shoe on before my left.
4. I have a degree in Linguistics, but sometimes wish I'd done Physics instead.
5. I was going to tell you here about all the bands I would see if I could time travel.  The list included most of the 60s, 70s and 80s.
6. My Portuguese is terrible.  I once asked for "a bedroom sausage" instead of "four sausage rolls".
7. At just under 5 foot, I'm the shortest person in my family.
8. My favourite artist is Alphonse Mucha.
9. Soup and toast or rice pudding are my favourite comfort foods.
10. Danse Serpentine is one of my favourite pieces of film.  It was hand coloured frame by frame and made in c.1896.

 

Phew!  That was harder than I thought it would be!  Hopefully I've given you a bit of insight into my mad little world! :P

Here is my list of nominations for the blogger award: 

• Crafty Valley
• creJJtion
• Embroidery With an Edge
• Lucy in the Sky
• Bunny Mummy
• Bustle and Sew
• The Quiet Home
• Useless Beauty
• Tickety Boo

Many apologies if I've left you off the list!  There are so many brilliant blogs out there, it was almost impossible to choose.

Until next time!
Kim x

Gardd Bodnant and Aberffraw

Hello out there, lovely folk of blogland!  How're you all keeping?

There's so much to tell you I hardly know where to start!  I've been so busy recently with one thing or another that blogging sort of slipped my mind, and now there's a big stack of stories, and an even bigger stack of photos!

Then this morning, there was a lovely message in my inbox from Lucy in the Sky which said "oi, where've you been?!".  To be fair, Lucy did put it much MUCH more sweetly than that, but I suspect that's what she meant :P

And the answer, really, is where haven't I been?!

A friend of mine came down from Leeds and together we visited Bodnant Garden (Gardd Bodnant in Welsh), which is a beautiful National Trust property full to bursting with amazing plants and views and wildlife.  I'll not bore you with all the photos I took (well into triple figures!), but here are a few of my favourites...

I was really glad we got to see the Laburnum Arch in bloom (it was just starting to turn) - the last time I visited Bodnant, it was all just twigs!

A couple of days later, I found myself at Aberffraw beach on the Isle of Anglesey.

I think I've always been a "beach baby".  There's something about water that I'm really drawn to, and I'm so happy that I live just a bus ride away from some really wonderful beaches...

The only problem is that I'm STILL finding sand in bags and shoes and clothes!

So there you go.  What with gardens and beaches and BBQs and other days out, there's been next to no time for crafting recently.  In fact, I've only managed to add a measly 7 rows to my scarf since I last showed it to you!!

But not to worry, I've been having a rather lovely time anyway ;)

Kim x