Goodbye Nottingham, Hello Bristol!

Hello Creatives,

Wow it has been complete madness since the beginning of October.. I left on a solo trip on the 6th October to Malaysia to visit family that I hadn’t seen in 6+ years and surprised my last grandparent – I’ll do a blog post all about it, it was hectic, but amazing! I was back home on the 16th and that’s when it got busy!

My mummy and daddy arrived for a visit two days later and in that amount of time I managed to bag myself a job and find out I’ll be awarded with a Merit for my Masters at my graduation in December!

But just as a little update on our lives…

We have also packed up all our belongings from our lovely two bed flat in Nottingham, and moved down to Bristol to start our next adventure!

Long story short, it was becoming far too expensive to continue living where we were whilst unemployed, as now that we’re no longer students, a whole load of other bills were coming through – e.g council tax.. just under £140 a month?! Ouch – we thought it would be much more financially viable for us to relocate into Georges mums house whilst our job search continues! (I now have a job, but I’m able to commute!)

So today we unloaded all the boxes, half into storage and half into the house. So. Much. Stuff. I can’t wait to see what Bristol has to offer, even if we are only here a couple of months!

Anyway, tomorrow is Georges 24th birthday, and I can’t wait for cake! (He’s a wee photo of us from the other night at his aunties 60th birthday party!)

Next update soon!

Love Lana xxx

And breath….

Hello Creative!

Guess what?! MY MASTERS DEGREE IS COMPLETE! That feels sooooooooo good to say! I submitted my thesis last Monday, celebrated so hard that it took me 2 days to recover, and now I’m enjoying all the guilt free sofa time!

I popped to our local Aldi (a cheap supermarket, for those who don’t live in the U.K.) as a little birdie told me that they were selling 400g balls of yarn (or packs of 4 x 100g balls) for £3.99!!! Bargain!… and picked up more than I could carry!

So far I have only tested out their baby yarn, which is super soft, and this was the outcome!

I’m in love with this little guy! I haven’t a clue what animal he’s meant to be, but I don’t care! You can’t really tell in the photos, but the cream has shiny flecks all through the wool which are surprisingly not scratchy!

I also attached (in a very strange way) my label to its booty, however, I really do want to look into the faux leather style labels as the ones I have are a nightmare to attached to crocheted items… especially chunky ones! (Suggestions very welcome!)

Below is another one of the many balls of wool I picked up (a total of 1.2kg worth!) and I can’t wait to see what patterns this candy floss coloured ball of fluff can make!

So there’s a little update on my life and my crochet projects! I have a very busy few weeks coming up, including moving house, and now that I’ve picked up the hook again I can’t imagine it will be put down any time soon! I will surely keep you updated.

Until next time,

Lana xxx

Surprises in London!

Hello Creatives,

So this is the next post in my travelling/life update series and could possibly be my favourite!

I was meant to be catching the train down to London to meet up with one of my bestfriends Liya to spend the weekend with her as it was apparently the ‘only weekend she was free’ – it’s a good thing i was free… you’ll soon see why.

I arrived off the train where she met me at the platform and we continued to walk back to her accommodation (she’s also currently doing her masters!) which i was going to be seeing for the first time. The plan was to get in, go for a wee (i was bursting!), drop off my bags and then head out for lunch.

As we got to her room and she unlocked and opened the door… well… watch the video below:

The other girls of my friendship ‘group’ surprised me all the way from Wales, Manchester and Surrey!

If it wasn’t obvious in the video, when i get a fright i lose feeling in my legs, which always creates a humourous outcome haha (i was okay, just incase you were wondering hahaha).

If that wasnt enough, i found out they were staying for the weekend, i got a homemade cake that was mouth-wateringly good, lots of little bits, and TICKETS TO MAMMA MIA ON THE WEST END! – they’re too good for me, i don’t deserve friends this amazing! 

 

Over the weekend we had park picnics, flat picnics, meals out, visited the British Museum, movie nights and lots of laughter. I wasn’t ready for us all to part again when Sunday came around!

I can’t wait for their birthdays to come around so i can show them how grateful i am to have them, and make their days just as special as they are!

The start of my twenty-second year of life has been incredible thanks to these wonderful ladies. I love these girls heaps.

Until next time,

Lana xxx

This Little Welsh Seaside Town

Hello Creatives!

And here is the second part to my travelling series!

Long story short, George didn’t/couldn’t attend last years graduation ceremony for his undergraduate degree although he did manage to begin his masters degree in the meantime! Therefore, we had graduation number 1 for 2017 on July the 19th, and his second graduation will be November this year, followed by my own masters degree graduation ceremony in December! Crazy 

George and i drove down to Aberystwyth, Wales, and met his mum there for three days.

If you dont know much about Aberystwyth, it is a lovely seaside town on the west coast of Wales and is mainly a university town. You could probably walk from one end to the other in 20 minutes (add a little extra time for all the hills though!).

It holds so many memories. Its the place george and i met, the place i met my friends for life and, and it’s also the place this blog was created. P.s. No photos will ever do it justice.

Unfortunately the sun only shone on the day we arrived, and the stereotypical rain poured down, however it did seem to hold off on the day og Georges ceremony, even if the clouds threatened to open on us.

I Don’t Know About You… But I’m Feeling TWENTY TWO!

Hello Creatives!
He’s post number 1 of my recent travel’s (im hoping to post one a day!). If you have no idea what i’m on about and have wondered where the crochet has escaped to, have a catch up here!

So as i was selecting photos to add, i realised just how many i had from this week away! George and i flew into Malaga from East Midlands Airport where my mum and dad greeted us with the biggest smiles as always!

We then drove out to Golf Hills, just outside of Estepona where our house is. It was also the first time George had seen this property as we only recently purchased it (when i saw we, i mean mum and dad, i definitely dont have that kind of money just yet)!

We arrived on the first of July, and at 2.29am on the 2nd, i turned 22! Madnessssssss

We went out to eat, went to the local markets, and during the week we also drove two hours to Granada where we visited the Alhambra!

Enjoy the photos:

This was the best week, surrounded by people i love in a place i love.

Until next time,

Lana xxx

My very first stall!

Hello creatives, 

Long time no see/write! I’ve been super duper stressed with my masters second semester deadlines fast approaching (and counting for a third of my masters degree 😭!). However, I have been busy crocheting away as today I held my first stall! 

It was held at my university campus, and was the first of its kind – BRACKFEST! 

My campus is beautiful and very much an agricultural/environmental based campus with grounds to compliment the courses of course! There were so many other things going on such as tracktor rides, a petting zoo, a climbing wall, live music and food! 

Anyway, back to my stall! Here’s a photo f a sad excuse of a stall! I was so underprepared as I only decided I wanted to take up on the offer of a stall (all free of cost) two weeks before the event! Silly silly me… ! Also, look at my stalls view! Wonderful! 

Despite thinking it was awful, it was apparently a hit! I even had some requests which I managed to finish within the period of the event as well as a few asking for my contact details! All in all, I sold everything apart from one headband and one hat – I’d say that’s a WIN! 

Because I managed to sell so much, the lady in the stall next to me kindly offered to keep an eye on mine so that I could have a look around the rest of what was going on! 

Here’s a few photos of what else I got up to (yes.. I got my face painted!):

Thanks for stopping by! I can’t wait to tell you about my new loom knitting rings I purchased and fingers crossed a post about getting a job! (The job search is currently ON!) 

Love, Lana xxx

Picking myself up again

Hello creatives,

If you read my last post you’ll know that the past few weeks haven’t been easy. However, the way I have coped is by keeping my mind busy (or else everything hits me like a truck and I’m a sobbing mess). It may not work for everyone, but I thought I’d let you in on a few things I have been doing to keep my mind active (apart from crochet, because that’s just obvious)…

1) Reading 

I was at the airport waiting for my flight and decided to check out what books WHSmith were selling for their typical extortionate price. I looked at pretty much every book and then came across ‘The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving A F**k’ by Sarah Knight, and it definitely struck me as a book I should be reading. 

I managed to finish it within a day of arriving back here in Nottingham and it has really made me think, however I don’t want to give too much away! 

Since then I’ve also purchased these two books: 

And after asking my no.1 girl gang group chat, the majority voted that I read ‘Spark Joy’ by Marie Konda next (the girls always have my back on these tough TOUGH decisions! Haha). I will let you know how they go!

2) Keeping Fit

I have signed up to the gym! Whaaaaaat?! I know. Crazy. But the classes that they offer are just a brilliant way to start or end my day. 

So far I have attended:

• Pure stretch
• Fat loss induction
• Pure fat burn
• Pure cycle 

(If you hadn’t caught on, I signed up to PureGym…)

These classes have sorted out my sleeping, made me more productive through the day, and actually made me feel good about myself – WIN! 

3) Outings!

So although I left home on Saturday and it’s now only Thursday… Mummy has come to visit! And here’s a list of things we plan on doing to keep ourselves busy and make the most of the few days we have together:

1. Go see Cirque Du Soleil’s Varekai! – we actually did that this evening and it was incredible! Cirque Du Soleil has never let us down. 
2. Visit Wollaton Park – this is where Wayne Manor from Batman was filmed (I don’t remember which film specifically, but i guess you could google it if you’re interested haha!) 
3. Go to a shopping outlet! Who doesn’t love a bit of retail therapy?
4. And if we have time on top of that, we plan on going on a Nottingham/Nottinghamshire adventure! Who knows what that entails! 

Keeping my mind busy is definitely helping me cope. 

How do you cope?

Love, Lana xxx 

It can’t just be me..?

Hello Creatives!

So I just neeeeed to vent on my situation with my crochet projects! 

First of all, I am a completely impatient person with ADHD.. 

So, when it comes to crocheted items that come in a pair, I am so excited to get one done (I’m currently half way through mittens!) and will complete it within the shortest time possible, but when it comes to the second one, I have ZERO motivation to start it, but REALLY want to complete the set! 

Here’s a few photos of my mitten process (just the one, because I can’t motivate myself to start the second):

My partners mum is coming to stay with us on Saturday so I am using that as motivation to complete them to give to her as a present! 

I’m that person that is constantly thinking of ways to improve the project I’m currently working on, or thinking of new projects to start, so as soon as I’ve woven in the ends and completed a project (or in this case, one mitten) I’m ready to start something new (aka not another mitten…) 😂. 

So although it has passed 9pm, I am going to try my best to continue watching The Killing on Netflix and start the second mitten! 

On another note, im definitely going to need a larger wool basket, or at least a separate basket for completed/semi-completed (ADHD got the better of me) projects! 

Please tell me this happens to you too? Whether it be crochet or something else?

Lana xxx 

P.s. If you read my previous post, George is well again and this set of norovirus didn’t stick around for long, thank goodness! That also meant that we were able to go keep our Valentine’s Day dinner booking and it was delicious! 

Project and life update… 12/02/17

Hello creatives,

So I’ve been really slow with progressing on any projects recently! With having my masters research project proposal due, and being between cars whilst mine was in the garage, I’ve been slacking!

Throughout the night last night my other half was up every hour after being hit with his third lot of norovirus! The poor thing is so unwell and the doctors will definitely be called first thing in the morning. It is not normal to have norovirus three times in 3 months! We think he could be picking it up from the hospital/medical school that he’s currently studying in. 

We have recently started trying to be healthy again after being seriously lazy with our eating habits. Healthy smoothies for breakfast and more home cooked meals! Yesterday’s was a homemade chicken and spinach masala and booooy was it gooood! (I was very impressed with myself) and I even made enough for leftovers today! 

As george was up sick all of last night, he has been in bed all day today, therefore leaving me with the day (and the telly) to myself! 

With all this time, what I should have been doing is starting my home workout routine, however I picked up the crochet hooks instead! Whoops! 

Between cleaning the flat after a week of visitors, and checking up on george I’ve managed to come up with this single crochet soft toy (not complete as you can see…). Don’t ask me what it’s going to be, because I couldn’t tell you haha, and the arms look a bit like chicken wings hahahaha! I’m just playing around with it at the moment, but I really like the idea of the limbs and body all being one piece!

More progress has been made on my chunky double crochet blanket, and I’ll definitely need another 200g ball of wool to get anywhere near done! I’ll have to find somewhere to take a full photo of what has been completed so far!

Fingers crossed that george recovers as it looks like we may have to scrap plans about his mum coming to stay with us next weekend as we can’t afford to spread the illness! It also looks like our Valentine’s Day dinner booking will have to be cancelled on Tuesday unfortunately (I’m gutted because it’s the yummiest fancy steak house, but obviously health comes first). 

Hope you have had a weekend full of rest!

I’ll keep you updated,

Love, Lana xoxo 

Project Updates – 3rd Feb 2017

Hello, creatives! 

I told you I’d keep you updated on projects, and that’s exactly what I’m doing, woo!

Current projects:

Bunny Soft Toy: 

I finally finished her! She’s got all her limbs now and is currently sat in my yarn basket waiting for her dress to be made! 

I absolutely love her and all her little imperfections. I can’t wait to develop on my soft toy technique (especially attaching/sewing everything together) and develop some patterns for you all! I need to work on the ears a little bit before anything can be finalised! 

Double Crochet Chunky Blanket: 

I absolutely love sitting on the sofa watching telly and endlessly double crocheting (US terms) away at this chunky blanket. I recently finished my last ball of yarn and have recently purchased another, I love the change in colours! 

It’s going to be a while before this is finished, but I’m okay with that!

Granny Square Blanket:

These poor squares have been neglected. Some of them have had a white/cream edge added to them ready to be sewn together, but I’m pretty sure I’ve only completed 9 out of about 40 squares! 

No photos of these!

Wooly Hat: 

Oops, mummy’s going to be angry! I still haven’t started it! I keep telling myself that it’s going to take such a small amount of time that I can put it off a little longer… 

Surprise gift for a best friend:

I’m half way through this now, it’s a little amigurumi animal (keeping the rest a secret however..) and it just needs patching together and some eyes before it goes in the post to her! Photos will be uploaded once she’s received it!

Added projects:

I know I already have too many on the go as it is (with a masters degree on top!) but I couldn’t help myself.

When I purchased the new ball of yarn for my chunky blanket, I also picked up some super soft chunky yarn fit for some baby bits! My eldest cousin being pregnant is one of the most exciting things for myself, my other 12 cousins and the rest of the family, and living on the other side of the world to them makes me want to crochet endless bits and bobs to post over!! 

I haven’t started anything yet, however I’ll be sure to update you when I do!

I’d love you opinions on my current projects as well as some suggested ideas for new ones!

Next update coming soon!

Crocheted with love, Lana xxx