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I love these wee birdies, I make no claim on them, they are entirely Lucy from Attic24′s doing – and very glad I am of them!

By her doing I mean pattern – obviously – another great stash busting pattern.

Leg Warmers, Arm Warmers, Warm all round really!

See, I told you they were only little things, and hurray for the Tallest for being so co-operative. (I won’t mention the first attempt at the photos where the above items were throw rather unceremoniously onto the floor), This picture was only taken after a good deal of begging asking, and this was the only one that I was able to get of course. As her physio said yesterday, she’s a wilful individual…(she calls it wilful, I’ve yet to quite find the adjective that fits!)

The leg warmers didn’t half hark me back to watching my sister follow her leg warmers and fingerless mittens patterns from her Jackie Album, from whichever late 80′s year it was from, (I get the distinct feeling that she’s still got that album, or it’s at home on Mum’s bookshelf). Except I had orders from the Tallest that these were not to be the soft and slouchy version that I remember from childhood, but needed to be “just like socks but without the toes, so they don’t get in the way of dancing.” (that told me!)

They are simply two strands of DK wool (red and fushia), knitted in rib (K2, P2), knitted flat, and then joined together with mattress stitch which gives a seamless look to them. Super simple, and by the looks of things, I need to start on one pair larger (for the ever growing Tallest) and one pair smaller (for a wee sister who has rather taken a shine to the pair that aren’t hers!)

The wrist warmers are mini versions of both mine and Mum’s, worked in Rainbow and Burgandy yarn, which were leftovers from the Smallest’s Jumper. They’ve been sitting on a hook for a good couple of weeks now, and after many, many reminders that I needed to be getting on with the job of finishing them off, she hasn’t looked at them twice since. That’s gratitude for you…tsk.

So, I score for one, but most definitely no score for the other. Well, I can always wait until the Smallest grows into them…

(Oh! and ignore the windowsill will you? After paying the carpenter, who incidentally used to live in our house, to make a new window, I’ve given up on trying to maintain the rotten thing in any way shape or form, and am waiting with baited breath for the new one to arrive, and for Steptoe MrGT to remove his ever growing pile of rubbush useful pieces of metal, tyres etc which he can’t bear to live without!)

I’m now knitting someone(?) an adult at least, with the impending birthday I guess it would have to be himself, a pair of ribbed socks, red and purple DK knitted together to  give a really tight warm knit, for a pair of indoor socks, but at rate I’m going he’ll get them at Christmas…

 

Reducing People to Tears

….is apparently what I am capable of, but in the nicest possible of ways of course!

I sent this to another member of a Gift Sharing Group that I am part of on Facebook, that was set up by another friend, both of whom I must add I have never even spoken to, let alone actually met. But the idea is that you sign up, or not, each month of this year and make a gift for someone, and receive one from someone else in return. We are all a pretty like minded bunch, so it goes without saying that we are all rather enjoying giving and receiving things that have been made, baked, thrifted with thoughts of the receiver in mind.

The Bag is the immortal Gathered Clutch by Noodlehead, a fail safe gift for many a lady or girl in my life, and I filled it with a couple of (handwritten – I will get a new printer, I will!) crochet flower patterns, a hook and a collection of little balls of yarn. A Crochet on the Go Bag if you like.

I can hardly express how much joy I have found in sending something to someone I hardly know, and only really know of via our communications on Facebook, thanks to the forum on this site, from which I discovered her blog – The Absinthe Fairy.

I received a beautiful crochet flower hair bobble, of which I have managed to wear a total of twice, thanks to the fact that the Tallest has acquisitioned it for herself, and can even be found sleeping with it in her hair! You never know I might even get to put a photo up of it at some point, but it spends more time at school than it does with me right now!

The weekend beckons, and the Smallest is now taking her first steps towards being on the mend, we even slept through last night, ah! Blissful sleep, an unknown quantity in this household for many a week, and it’s all thanks to the disgustingly synthetic Orange Sherbert tasting Antibiotics that she has to take for 10 days to see off the Ear and Chest infections that she was suffering with. We even sang Peter Rabbit for the first time in several days, and the poor dog has been kissed and cuddled quite beyond the dignified and reasonable levels befitting a Collie of her years, so said dog has slunk off into the garden room to get away from all the attention.

I don’t think that she will be impressed by the fact that I am about to launch my woodworking skills onto the world and begin making the first of the raised beds for the allotment in there, keep the main roads in Norfolk clear! (main roads in Norfolk? That’s a bit of an anathema!) I’ll be weilding my saw and hammer until well after lunchtime, and the emergency services may need a clear run through….

……although I hasten to add I’m not planning on causing bodily harm on anyone, MrGT often describes my woodworking as ‘painful’ to watch and likens it to a Train Wreak, so that’s more folk crying then, but there you go, what I lack in skill, I make up for in enthusiasm, and what more do you need than that? Ahem….

Lost Christmas Gifts

Well I’m unsure if they are lost, or just currently winding their way back to me in Blighty after having taken quite possibly more than one flight to America. This is more for the sake of my sister than anyone else. If they never make to her at least she can see what I made for her and her family’s tree!

The festive bird is a bit of a thing for me, and I have made more than my fair share of them, I spent an entire Christmas season one year selling them at Craft Fairs. The Artist’s at work like to do activities associated with the seasons and the celebrations that we have in the year so we got going with the birds and this was my offering. I’ve also embroidered my Sister’s family name on the other side.

The Star ornament is straight from the lovely Lucy at Attic24, does this lady have an eye for colour or what? They work up really nice and quick, I think that I make more just to give as gifts throughout the year, as pretty dangly things don’t just to have to be for Christmas do they?

Sorry that it’s been a while since my last post, I have things to share with you and am working on trying to get a bit more light to take some photographs. I’m also currently rigged up to a mobile heart monitor right now, and as that implies I’m not feeling on top of the world, so have been choosing bed and a good book over downloading images and typing posts, do forgive me!

Although joining the line dancing class at work on Friday was a fantastic pick me up….

Work in Progress Basket

This basket, or at least part of it’s contents has been following me a round wherever I go for at least the last two weeks. Initially the thought that I could manage to work on more than one piece of knitting or crocheting at any one time was a revelation to me. I never thought I could manage it without getting extremely muddled up about where and what I was up to. It is I discovered, surprisingly easy. After reading Soulemama’s post about her challenge to knit a jumper for every member of her family for Solstice, I began to think why not. I haven’t gone quite as far as a jumper each, but I have a hat, a jumper and what will be modified into a tunic / dress. Plus crocheted house slippers for all which will be finished with a sole of suede for extra warmth and grip.

I have also discovered this beautiful headband / earwarmer which is giving me ideas for my 250th post which is only 3 (?) posts away now I think. If theres a big time gap between the 240th and the 250th you know it’s because I haven’t actually finished making it!

From left to right, are the Tallest’s slippers, mr GT’s hat, and the Tallest’s jumper. Mr GT is being very good at pretending that he can’t see what’s going on, and I am knitting other things when he is with me, and his hat when he is not. I am working on the decreases at the top, so it wn’t be long before it’s completed. I have found that in the spirit of knitting more than one thing my zeal for knitting is never stronger, if I am finding something particularly tricky or even dare I say it, boring, I just move onto something else for a while. Considering that the majority is done after the rest of the family are safely tucked up in bed, sometimes working on the simpler things is about all I can do.

The pleasure derived from making things for the precious one’s in my life never ceases to fill me with well being, and with knitting / crochet in particular it’s fantastic to actually have something ‘to do’ when sitting down. I am never idle, which can cause upset not just for me, but for Mr GT who likes a bit of stillness in his evenings. Knitting / crocheting keeps me at the very least in one place!

Fancy sharing any of your WiP’s with the rest of us? Leave a link.

Half Treble and Washcloth Tutorial

:: Okay here goes ::

:: First off I use a Half Treble Crochet (htc) for my washcloths, thats a Half Double Crochet (hdc) to you American type folks! ::

:: I’ll do the stitch tutorial and then give the pattern for the washcloth ::

:: yarn over hook (yoh) insert hook into top of next stitch ::

:: pick up yarn and pull back through stitch, you should have three loops on your hook ::

:: Pick up yarn again and pull through all three loops at once, and there you have it! ::

:: I personally love this stitch and prefer it to the more widely used Treble (US Double) Crochet, as I find it gives a tighter, firmer stitch which is generally what I am after. ::

:: Okay and the perfect place to practice this lovely old stitch, a washcloth, for either your dishes or your face it’s entirely up to you ::

:: I used a 5mm hook, and worstead weight cotton yarn ::

Row 1 – ch25, insert hook into 2nd ch from hook, htc to end of row, ch2, turn.

Row 2 – htc to end of row

Repeat Rows 1 and 2 another 18 times and cast (bind) off

For a border, pick a mid point along one side of your cloth, pick up yarn and work htc (hdc) along the edge, the spaces should be quite obvious, when you get to the corners work 2 htc (hdc) ch2 2 htc (hdc) into the corner, this will bring you round to the next edge…like so…

(sorry not a great pic – taken at night) You can see the four stitches worked into the corner, then continuing along the next edge, do this all the way round, until you meet your first stitch, join with a ss (slip stitch) to the top chain of the first stitch and then cast (bind) off  invisibly (sew your loose ends into the stitches so you can’t see it)

Snip off any loose ends, and there you have it. Completed cloth.

and as a bit of an extra below…

I like to stripe my colours so here’s how i change without having wonky colours

:: put your new colour on your hook, and pull through the the top chain of the last stitch you made ::

:: Give the old colour a wee pull to tighten the chain, and then ch2 in your new colour and carry on ::

and to keep your yarn neat when changing colours…

:: As you work the last stitch of your 2nd row, bring up your other colour (white) and then draw your stitches through as normal, it just traps the yarn higher up, and makes the edges neater and easier to work ::

let me know what made sense and what didn’t as this is a first for me y’know!

:: Enjoy ::

(and no giggling at my pyjamas lol!)

Spring into Summer

:: What an absolutely fantastic week we have been having, it’s incredible what a bit of sunshine can do to rejuvenate the family into action. Once again I give thanks for living soo close to the beach…::

:: Flowers in full bloom too…::

:: Aqualegia ::

:: And some beautiful new dishcloths to inspire me to do the washing up a bit more often! ::

:: After making myself these two, I’ve two more pairs to make, one for a friend, just because, and the other to accompany a housewarming present, these are so simple and I often find myself making them when I need a gentle introduction into being creative again. I wonder if I can actually be organised enough to attempt my first tutorial, I’ve hinted at several before, but never quite mustered up the wearwithall. ::

:: As an aside, there is a lot going on in the growing department, the allotment is truly underway with the potatoes doing well, and there is plenty in the greenhouse ready to go down, but as is always the way, the ground is now very dry and its not prime transplanting weather, so some weeding is due, and then hopefully some rain, giving the opportunity to get some seedlings in. ::

:: Tomorrow…maybe that tutorial?… ::

Production Line

:: I mentioned somewhere along the line, that another pair of wrist warmers were required and have now duly obliged ::

:: I wanted to share these with you as I think this colourway works really well, although that single band of green doesn’t sit right with me – it’s stopping though as I don’t want to make any more just lately time for something a little different ::

:: Enjoy your day what ever the weather GT xxx::

Happy Valentines Day

:: The culmenation of a few night time activities, the Tallest decorated a twiggy branch last night before bedtime, and was quite rightly so very pleased with the results, we don’t allow St Valentines Day to be the commercial opportunity that some families may do, and as I say to my children, we tell each other that we love one another on a daily basis, so this love is only being affirmed rather than declared, and something made is so much more heartfelt that something bought ::

:: The whole family joined in with the card making, and we all stuck with the traditional theme of hearts, the crocheted garland is my little offering to my beloved, I’m hoping he’ll let me hang it in the bedroom after today, although if the Tallest gets her way it’ll be in the girls room before the day is out ::

:: If you’d like the pattern it is from the lovely Bella Dia Blog from a couple of years ago. I have been holding onto this pattern for that long, and this year was the first chance that I had to do it, not having any really teeny weeny ones to care for! ::

:: Enjoy your day regardless of wether or not you choose to acknowledge the day I wonder if the birds are doing as Chaucer thought and making their associations and bonds to prepare for the more fruitful months ahead…

For this was on seynt Volantynys day

Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese his make.

["For this was Saint Valentine's Day, when every bird cometh there to choose his mate."

…Although if that’s what the birds are up to in my garden, they’ll be hard pressed having just dined on a leftovers breakfast of cheese on toast and apples! ::

:: GT xxxxx ::

Crocheted Birdie Brooch

:: In a blind panic at 10.30pm one evening I had that sudden feeling of sickness rising over me as I realised that it was my eldest nieces birthday in two days and that in the fashion of 2010, we as a family are trying to give homemade gifts as much as possible, and certainly to those who appreciate a little home made goodness in their lives ::

:: I have a folder of patterns stashed away for reference and vaguely remember there being one for a brooch birdie, I don’t know if it was because it was after 10.30pm and my mind was as mush, or if it was because it was an American pattern and therefore had to be converted, but I couldn’t make head nor tail of it (quite literally)…so on a wing and a prayer I made it up as I went along! And my goodness I think that I may have cracked it! ::

:: She’s a little bit wonky, but overall a very successful little thing, small enough to pin onto a card and tuck into a birthday card, supplied via the Tallest and herever growing stash of lino prints! ::

:: I’m sure that I’ll be making several more to put aside for gifts (well that’s the plan, although I have the feeling that I’ll always be rushing to finish things – isn’t it always the way when you have to fit these things around your family) And when I do, I hope to record the process and put up my first ever crochet pattern tutorial – Watch this space! ::