Welcome to my blog which is a snippet of my life, mainly cross stitching, crocheting, reading and trips to Disneyland!
Hi all!
I hope you’re having a lovely week today I thought I would share another iconic RuPaul’s Drag Race quote for you. This one is simply ‘choices’ and is one of my favourite from the whole show!
You can download this pattern for free here!
This pattern is one of my most simple and this would be great for a beginner!
I’d love to see people’s take on this pattern – feel free to tag me on Instagram/Twitter or use the hashtag #ObvItsAmyStitches!
-Amy x
Hello!
Just a little short blog post from me as I realised I haven’t shared a pattern with you all in a long time and recently I’ve been getting commissioned to make a few designs – all my patterns on here are free however. You can click on the tags section and find one marked as ‘free patterns’.
And as Rupaul’s Drag Race All Stars has started again I thought I would share one from one of the fabulous contestants, Latrice Royale! So far most of my patterns have been quotes, but once I have a bit more spare time on my hands I’d like to begin making more creative pieces. For now enjoy!
I would say this pattern would be great for someone who has done a simple pattern in the past – so a beginner.
You can download this free sickening pattern here.
I’d love to see people’s take on this pattern – feel free to tag me on Instagram/Twitter or use the hashtag #ObvItsAmyStitches!
-Amy x
Hello! Today I thought I’d share some of my favourite podcasts with you – now I know I can’t add my favourite podcasts to Goodreads (not even the ‘story’ ones, boo!) but if I’m honest I spend more time listening to Podcasts than reading these days. I tend to have one playing on my commute, while I’m working, in the bath, etc.
By now you will know the kind of books I read and my Podcasts are pretty much a reflection of my reading habits. The two genres I listen too are pretty much True Crime and Comedy!
I also want to recommend the app I use as it’s the best Podcast app I’ve found so far – it’s called Pocketcast. It’s not free, but it is super cheap and worth it, it’s tidy, easy to use, updates the podcasts for you and allows you to search popular podcasts in your area! (this isn’t sponsored)
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My Favourite Murder
This is a true crime podcast with a twist, the co-hosts are two comedians (Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark) who talk about their ‘favourite’ murder each week but in a much less serious way that usual true crime podcasts. They have an amazing chemistry and are fricking hilarious. If you’re looking to listen to true crime podcasts which do not go into too much of the nitty gritty and the hosts have a laugh then I recommend this! SSDGM
Sword and Scale
Sword and Scale is a much more serious true crime podcast with each episode going into a lot of detail about each murder (police calls, recordings, interviews etc) – this is not for the faint hearted and some of the episodes I’ve had to tap out of because they’ve been so hard hitting. One of my favourite episodes so far of this has been the Jonestown murders, which again has the full tape of when the ‘suicides’ commenced, so you might want to skip that part…
What’s the Tee
What’s the Tee features RuPaul and his co-host Michelle Visage while they discuss a variation of things, pop culture, advice and RuPauls Drag Race. They have some amazing guests and generally just have such a laugh, it’s a great one to put on in the background if you’re working. As a huge fan of RuPauls Drag Race I began listening to this and honestly, Michelle steals the show – she is incredible! I also think this podcast has introduced the world to squatty potties.
Getting Curious
I have only just started listening to this one and I’m gutted I did not begin listening sooner! This podcast is hosted by Jonathan Van Ness and each episode he explores various topics / things he is curious about. He gets experts in as they discuss topics that quite frankly everyone should know more about. Want to know why recycling is good? There is an episode, want to know more about what Trade Unions actually do? You bet there is an episode for that too. So not only is this an enjoyable podcast but it’s educational too!
Serial
Serial is an investigative journalism podcast and it is nonfiction, each season covers a different crime. The first season saw this podcast rise to fame, the season covered the case of the murder of Hae Min Lee where high school student Adnan Syed was convicted of her murder, despite there being what seems like a huge amount of evidence that suggests it’s not him. Because of this podcast a new trial has now been opened for Syed. I didn’t quite get on with Season two, however Season three is now the next on my list!
My Dad Wrote a Porno
Absolutely hysterical, this was recommended to me by lots of my friends last year and I decided to finally begin listening during my drives back and forth to visit my parents. Me and my boyfriend listen to this in the car and it is guaranteed to have us both in stitches – as you can guess by the title the main host of the shows Father has written a series of porn books, to which he narrates chapters of them to his two close friends each week. The writing…isn’t the best, but if you need something to make you laugh – listen to this!
Do you have any podcasts you’d like to recommend me? Let me know in the comments!
-Amy x
Audition
Audition was a bit of a miss to begin with and then huge hit by the end. I really enjoy Murakami books because they’re easy and quite short reads but with a lot going on. The book started quite slow and to be honest I wasn’t quite sure where it was going to end up, however it did end with a huge (quite disturbing) bang and I loved it. I would recommend this to people who enjoy a more gory intense read, as I know Murakami books aren’t for everybody.
Sex Criminals #22-25
(I started reading this in October, but read the majority in November)
I caught up with the latest volume of Sex Criminals and I enjoyed them. I was quite let down by the last 4-6 comics and felt like the story was becoming a little flat, but this volume really brought it back to it’s peak and I fell back in love with the characters. I would advise not to read this in public as it’s very graphic, unless you don’t mind people on public transport looking over your shoulder and seeing fully drawn out bondage / sex scenes…
SEX: The Summer of Hard
I picked this up because it went down in price on Comixology and was recommended to me because I read Sex Criminals. I didn’t really get on with this, I found the story confusing, it kept flitting backwards and forwards into present story and backstory. There were SO many characters introduced, all of which have a pretty intense past and I just didn’t find myself engaging with them at all. However, I think if the next volume goes down in price I may pick it up to see if it helps shed some light on what is actually going on.
Strange Weather In Tokyo
I loved, loved, LOVED this book. It has such a charm and beauty within it’s writing that I was engrossed and ended up reading it over the course of one day. I fell in love with both of the main characters, I laughed and I SOBBED at the end. This is such a stunning slice of life book which deals with some pretty hard hitting topics – I highly recommend you read this as you won’t be disappointed.
Little Darlings
I did really enjoy this book and I did a full review over here – please note that this review contains spoilers.
Snotgirl #12
Ooft, Snotgirl once again did not let me down, this episode was another great one! As usual the comic was left on a cliff-hanger (this is something the writer does very well), I don’t think this was the best one I’ve read to date but introduces a new character who you’re clearly either going to love or absolutely despise and it looks like she is about to mix up the plot quite a bit!
I’ll see you next month with my January reads!
-Amy x
*I use amazon affiliate links on my website, so if you purchase through them I gain a little bit of income to improve my site 🙂
I am currently trying to use up some of my most colourful yarn by creating a cluster stitch blanket – you can see the the pictures on my Instagram.
Because I’m now using up my yarn quite quickly I thought I would have a little shop in the Winter sale on the Deramores website, you might see a theme with my yarn.
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I ADORE ombre yarn and I love yarn with a bit of glitter (as you can probably tell). I also picked up my first yarn cakes, both have a beautiful hue. I went for more green/blue yarns as I tend to steer towards reds or pinks usually, but I thought I’d buy some which aren’t my usual to challenge myself. One day I’ll work with some darker yarn…
Now I just need to think up what to make with the bits I’ve just purchased! If you have any ideas, please let me know. I love making gifts for other people so normally I make things and then pass them on to friends and family.
Oh, I will one day finish my granny square blanket but I’m still waiting on Hobbycraft to restock the white I need!
Did you purchase any yarn in the holiday sales? Let me know below!
-Amy x
I love reading thriller / mystery books, so when I saw that Little Darlings was highly rated on NetGalley I had to request it, especially after reading the synopsis.
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Taken from NetGalley:
“Everyone says Lauren Tranter is exhausted, that she needs rest. And they’re right; with newborn twins, Morgan and Riley, she’s never been more tired in her life. But she knows what she saw: that night, in her hospital room, a woman tried to take her babies and replace them with her own…creatures. Yet when the police arrived, they saw no one. Everyone, from her doctor to her husband, thinks she’s imagining things.
A month passes. And one bright summer morning, the babies disappear from Lauren’s side in a park. But when they’re found, something is different about them. The infants look like Morgan and Riley—to everyone else. But to Lauren, something is off. As everyone around her celebrates their return, Lauren begins to scream, These are not my babies.
Determined to bring her true infant sons home, Lauren will risk the unthinkable. But if she’s wrong about what she saw…she’ll be making the biggest mistake of her life.
Compulsive, creepy, and inspired by some our darkest fairy tales, Little Darlings will have you checking—and rechecking—your own little ones. Just to be sure. Just to be safe.”
This review will have spoilers so please only read on if you don’t mind them. Please click read more for my review 🙂
Continue reading “Review | Little Darlings By Melanie Golding”
Happy New Year everyone! I hope you had a lovely time during your holidays.
Today’s blog is based on a question I get a lot and to be honest there are so many decent yarn/thread vendors online now you can buy most of the well-known brands from any crafting shop online.
I have A LOT of yarn, I have two storage units full of yarn of different sizes and boxes of silks and threads, colours and quality. So I thought I would share some of my top shops to buy yarn for those of you who live in the UK this will be easier as that is where I am based and I buy my yarn from UK shops mainly, besides a few etsy store exceptions.
Hobbycraft – I use a lot of the Hobbycraft yarn, I highly recommend their baby brilliance yarn if you’re looking to make a really soft blanket. I made this giant granny square blanket with the Baby Prints 4mm yarn in this purple ombre hue. I’ve also made two baby blankets for relatives using the same baby brilliance brand.
Deramores – this website is great if you’re looking for specific brands, they stock various popular brands and have their own too. I use their Stylecraft range quite often and I’m currently using 10 different colours to create a giant rainbow blanket (using a cluster stitch) – hopefully I’ll finish this before 2019 ends…
Woolwarehouse – this is another website which stocks a range of branded yarn, and also they have some of the best tools, including a blocking board which is great if you are stitching squares and you want to keep them flat!
SewandSo – I have been using this online store for the longest time, ever since I began cross stitching 3 years ago. They’re great for cross stitching supplies and recently I have began buying yarn from here too. If you are based in the UK, their delivery is so quick! I cross stitched the below using threads from here.
Silks4u – this is an etsy shop with some of the finest and highest quality silks you can get. The only catch is that the seller is based in Australia so it’s a short wait for your product but it’s 100% worth it! Some of the dyes and ombre colours the seller uses are phenomenal, and trust me when I say you get so much for your money. Below the Fries and Guys are both stitched in an ombre hank I ordered.
Where do you purchase your yarns, threads and silks from? I would love to know more shops available to me and add to my addition even more!
-Amy x
