Granny Square Love

I recently got this gorgeous book from Amazon.

It's full of pretty pictures and projects all of which I want to make right now  :O)

I adore this lampshade and am keen to make one myself.  Although I burn turf in my stove which generates so much dust ... I fear the lampshade will start out bright and beautiful but end up dusty and dated in no time.  

The cushion too is gorgeous but I'm sure my cat Ruby would think the same and little tufts of black hair would soon be sticking out between the stitches :O)

This stool cover however is something I might just be making.  I love it.

The bedspread is divine but the thought of weaving in all those ends is slightly (ok hugely) off putting to me right now.  Maybe I could start with the stool cover and progress to this .   Maybe?  Or maybe I could just look at the pretty pictures instead.

Typical me!  I look at all these lovely projects and colourways and do something completely different.   I've finally got a set of squares that I can stitch together (okay I have to weave all the ends in first YAWN!)

If you're new to crochet I really recommend this book.  Not only because of the pretty pictures but because the projects are great for beginners - it's simply a matter of making up lots of crochet squares and joining them together to make something lovely.  However if you have been crocheting for a long time I still think you will enjoy this book, even just for the colour combinations the author uses! You can see more of her lovely colour combinations over on her blog.

I will eventually make something with these squares .... eventually.  

What about you?  What crochet project are you working on at the minute?

Daylight Lamp - I love you! (review)

(daylight lamp is in the corner, you'd hardly notice it )

The following is a review of the Daylight Company's floor standing lamp. Full details of the lamp can bee seen here on their website.  The following is my own personal review.

Daylight lamp I love you

You make things crystal clear

You simply are the best thing

I have received this year (um besides my ducks!)

Before you came along

I used an ordinary light

But no matter what bulb I used

It was never really right

The bulb would get all hot

especially near my face

And I after working for a while

I would get an awful headache

But then along you came

On your super duper wheels

With your not so hot light

You’re the lamp of my dreams

You’re easy to move around

You’re also clean and white

You fit perfectly in my cottage

And make it easy to craft at night

I can’t believe I’ve lasted

for this long without you

you really are the best thing ever

oh how I do love you :O)

Ok, ok, you're thinking this is way too good a review.  But I'm being honest.  And just to prove that I'll give you some bad bits, which took me a while to think of ...

The magnifying glass can cause a glare in certain positions.  However it's also on a flexible arm so you can move it about. 

I find if you keep it more vertical it's clearer and there's no glare. 

Personally I would prefer a foot switch i.e a switch on the base to turn on and off.  However the switch at the top of the lamp itself is very handy.  You can just about see it (sorry) in the pic below, it's the red button to the right of the light. 

The cable is a little short but then I do live in a converted cottage and I have about two plugs in each room unlike modern buildings.

A replacement bulb is 22.99 which is a little pricey.  However I'm hoping I won't have to be forking out for one for a little while yet.

Now back to the good bits!

It really couldn't be easier to put together. 

When I opened the box I initially thought "eughh, I might do this later" but I'm glad I didn't leave it.  It's all wired up and you just screw it into the base and that's it!  It even comes with a plug! 

The base is on wheels which are weighted down which makes it

super easy to move around.

This is perfect for me as I tend to craft all around the house.  I  knit at the sofa, sew and make cards in the kitchen and do all my cutting and hand sewing in the spare room.   

The top of the light stand is also flexible. Again this is perfect for me as I'm sitting quite low down on the sofa so I can bend it downwards (see the top pic) or when I'm sitting at my sewing machine I have it behind or beside me extended.

Here's a little comparison shot in my sewing room.  I took these pics late at  at night with no other lights on, just the lamps.

The top pic is with the daylight lamp and the bottom pic is with a normal lamp.  I can honestly say there is a HUGE difference.  I could never go back to using a normal lamp now.  Feel free to email me if you want to ask me anything about it michelle(at)michellemadethis(dot)com.

Not only that but ...

The bulbs are energy efficient. 

and

The light doesn't flicker.

So there you go.  If you want more details on this lamp, or other daylight lamps check out their website here.

Has anyone else got anything new lately that they now can't live without??