Knitting, crochet and squishy yarny loveliness

Hello again everyone, welcome to my blog.  I'm trying to put in a huge effort to blog more often and perhaps even once every two weeks, depends on how much crafting I've done and what I've bought!! I’ve got this idea from watching a few podcasts whilst I’ve been on lockdown I’m not one for videos so this is the next best thing.

I hope that you are all keeping well and managing to keep yourselves busy?  Its been hard, I know For many of you. I’m lucky that Mum and I get on so well. She is responsible for my love of knitting and yarn. Mum and I would have gone crazy if it not had been for the fact that we both knit and crochet, it has passed many, many hours.

Here’s mum modelling my half finished corner to corner blanket. 

My work came to an abrupt halt and I've spent most of my days since lockdown began knitting or crocheting with a bit of gardening in between.  At first I found it hard to settle and concentrate on anything but as our 12 weeks have worn on it has become a litte easier to relax.  Work has just started to pick up again which I'm really pleased with.  Its been a worrying time for everyone but hopefully now we are over the worst.

I’ve bought a lot of craft stuff since the middle of March, some rubber stamps from Creative Expressions, some gilding flakes amongst other things.

My best gadget has been my Knit Pro wool winder I don’t know how mum and I have managed without one. It’s wonderful knitting with yarn cakes.

I’m a member of the Winwick Mum’s Facebook groups and one of the prominent members called Janice sadly passed away suddenly and Christine organised a lovely fundraising event. There were project bags, some gorgeous hand died yarn and stitch markers on offer. Was a really lovely thing to be involved with. Janice helped so many of us including me on our sock journey.

Here’s the wool I bought I can’t wait to start something with it. I just have to decide what to do.

This yarn is just so soft I cannot wait to knit with it, just need to decide what to make with it.  Decisions, decisions.

I thought this personalised label was a fantastic idea.  Thank you Teri x

Here is my other yarn

This is a beautiful colourway.  I cannot wait to work with this either!  So many projects and so little time.

Other purchases recently have included this gorgeous Stylecraft Head Over Heels.  I couldn't help myself as it was reduced from The Knitting Network.

I’ve started watching podcasts. I know I’m a bit late in the game but I’ve been enjoying Crafhouse Magic and Crafternoon Treats.   I've found them so inspiring and made me want to do my blog again.

I’ve been doing a lot of knitting and crochet over the past few weeks. Mum and I are currently making hats for Queen’s Hospital Maternity Unit. Anything to keep us busy.

I have a few WIPs, a pair of socks, a ripple blanket, a jumper, I won’t be bored.

Here is one of my WIPs.  I'm on the foot now, then have to make its mate.

This is worked in West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4ply in Pink Flamingo, its striping up very nicely.

My finished object:

This is the pattern close up.

Ta da, this was so quick to work up.  Yarn is James C Brett Partytime.

Unfortunately this week has not been a good week.  We sadly had to say goodbye to our little Isla who had a short illness.  Its been totally devastating and is going to take us a while to get over.  I shall miss my little friend she loved to snuggle up on a blanket I was crocheting.

Anyway, enjoy your crafting, I will be back soon with more yarny loveliness.

Take care and keep crafting.

Knitting Socks, British Yarn is the Best!

Hi everyone,

Well what a turnup, I've only gone and done it, after five failed attempts, I've finally gone and finished my first sock.  A very proud moment for me yesterday, I'm soo proud of myself for finishing such a hard project.  My new Bi-Focal's have worked a treat and I could see to pick up stitches if I had to undo any knitting, they are fantastic.  I have already started my second sock and ready have lots of stash. The chances are you have found me by chance, please do leave me a comment so I know you've stopped by.

I've decided that I'm going to stick with yarn produced right here in the UK, nothing beats home grown produce.  My first sock was produced using West Yorkshire Spinners (WYS) yarn, which I found to be really lovely to work with, I don't usually knit with 4ply, in fact, I've never knitted 4ply, so even that was a challenge, but to be honest I really enjoyed knitting 4ply.  I followed Winwick Mum's sock pattern, the link is here http://winwickmum.blogspot.co.uk/.  Christine is such an inspiration and so very helpful.  A big shout out to the Sockalong Facebook Group for their ongoing support and encouragement, without you all I would never have carried on, let alone finished my first sock.  

I really love my little sock, it makes me very proud, no longer will I have illfitting socks that are tight around my chunky legs and not made to measure and the heel ends up somewhere around my ankle as shop bought socks are just not made for a size four and a half foot.

I've got quite a bit of sock wool in my stash, next on the menu is some Stylecraft Head Over Heels.  Can't wait to start knitting that.

I have also managed to get my vegetable garden planted up, potatoes, carrots, peas, parsnips, cauliflower, little gem lettuce, beetroot, runner beans, french beans, courgette and tomatoes and cucumbers already in the greenhouse.  I love growing my own, there is nothing like it, the taste is just second to none.  Our flower garden is taking shape, lots of planting still to be done, I want to fast forward to next year to see the garden as it will be a riot of colour.

I have so many work in progress (WIPs), a Sunny Granny Stripe Blanket designed by Lucy at Attic24, a jumper knitted in Sirdar Denim Tweed, a couple of cross stitches.  My card making is on the back burner at the moment.

My poor Mum had another fall two weeks ago but thankfully didn't injure herself too badly.

Well, enjoy the sunshine and your knitting, crochet or card making, and anything else you dabble in.

I will report progress when I have a pair of socks!!!

 That's the cuff done...

 On with the leg

 The leg done

 Ta da....

 It fits!!

 A lovely delivery from Woolwarehouse!

 The start of my Sunny Granny Stripe Blanket

 Blue skys

My two Cairn's Isla and Millie 

A Springtime Sunday - well almost!

Hi everyone, not quite sure who reads my ramblings, but its been quite an eventful week, signs of spring are all around the corner, this time of year makes me get excited about the summer and the colours that emerge in the garden, it starts becoming alive with crocus and daffodils.  Our poor garden has been a bit neglected with Mum's fall last summer and her breaking her leg and hip quite badly that she is now permanently on crutches, she still remains cheerful and has put her recovery time to good use and has, at the age of 75, learnt to crochet after being a knitter for most of her adult life.  I am extremely proud of what she has achieved.  We quite often have PJ days here on a Sunday, our day off where we catch up on TV and sit and do our crafts together.

I'm quite excited about the fact I picked up my new glasses this week and have started working on a sock again.  I undone the original one as I kept making mistakes and now I have my new glasses I can see much clearer.  I have started another sock in a plain colour so its easier for me to start with.  Again West Yorkshire Spinners which is such amazing yarn to work with.  I've been quite enjoying knitting a jumper as well during the darker evenings.  I must say huge thank you to Christine Perry and her Sockalong Facebook Group for all the support they have given me during the difficult times I've had starting my first socks.  I'm determined that I will get this sorted and will finish it.

My dogs (two Cairn Terriers) were groomed this week, they have also been enjoying lots of walks this week and playing and running around our large garden.  They really are the best of friends.  We've only had Isla the little grey one for almost a year.  They have bonded so well together and really are my best friends in the whole world.  Always there with a lick and a cuddle when I need one.

I'm all enthusiastic about my garden again, we have a new gardener who is an absolute star and it is beginning to look like our garden again rather than a display of weeds and grass.  I'm getting all enthusiastic about starting off my veg this year and sewing some flower seeds.  I love all this bit of gardening, weeding is what I detest though!

Anyway, whatever you are doing this week, please have fun and enjoy the spring weather.

 Mum and the cushion made with Sirdar Snuggly. 

The back of the cushion.

Little Isla likes the cushion.

Mum starting her new jumper and getting in a bit of a muddle

 with the wool.  It happens to us all doesn't it!!

My first attempt at a sock, sadly this one got 

undone as I miscounted the shaping

The beginnings of a sock and my new reading glasses.

Spring time crocus in a butler sink - mum was weeding this when she fell :(

A beautiful primrose.

My two besties, Isla is the grey one and Millie the cream

Isla is almost 2 and Millie 4.

Crocheting, the best way to spend a Sunday

I've recently become a hooker, now that's got your attention, by hooker I mean a crocheter.  I always wanted to be able to crochet beautiful things, I have managed to teach my Mum how to crochet at age 75, she's back knitting again but is going back to crocheting soon.  I literally haven't picked my hook down since the beginning of December.  I've always been a knitter and love and stash away yarn (as with all my other crafts, my little cottage I share with Mum, two Cairn Terriers, two cats, two guinea pigs and a tortoise) is fit to bursting, but Mum and I wouldn't have it any other way.  I love to indulge in crafting, its the only thing that keeps me sane.

As you know I make cards, cross stitch, knit, make jewellery and grow my own vegetables and flowers for the garden.  Never one to be lazy.

Mum and I live in a small Essex village called Stapleford Abbotts in an over 100 year old terraced cottage with a huge garden.  I learnt to knit when I was 11, tapestry soon came along after that.  I always wanted to make those pretty granny square blankets.

Anyway, I learnt to crochet a few years ago and made a granny square blanket and a baby shawl and then decided I couldn't get my head around crocheting and put my hook down.

The past two years have been rather trying, and stressful Mum was diagnosed with a malignant kidney tumour that thankfully is remaining stable then in the summer she fell in the garden and badly broke her femur and is now on crutches and has poor mobility as a result.  She decided that she wanted to learn to crochet so had an afternoon's lesson from my Aunt and the rest is history.  She made this beautiful blanket all using oddments of Sirdar Snuggly that we had laying around at home.

I then discovered Lucy from Attic 24 and now have all the squares for a beautiful Harmony Blanket made, just have to join them, and a Granny Stripe Blanket kit sitting in my stash waiting to be started.

In the meantime I've been practicing straight edges and different stitches and made a couple of baby blankets.

I've been a Sirdar fan for many years, but have recently discovered the quality of Stylecraft Special DK which I love, it crochets beautifully.  I have also used King Cole Candystripe and James C Brett Baby Marble all in double knitting and they all work beautifully.

My favourite places to order wool from are Woolwarehouse, Black Sheep and Knitwell.  They are all fantastic companies,  Nothing better than getting a delivery of yarn is there?

I would by no means class myself as an expert, I'm more of a beginner really, just mastering my skills.

Enjoy your Sunday.  Below are some of the crochet projects that Mum and I have been working on.  Happy Hooking xxx

Some of the beautiful Harmony Blanket squares waiting for me to finish off joining them.  Thank you to Lucy Attic 24 and Stylecraft for producing such fantastic yarn.

I'm new to blogging, so please give me a follow and follow my yarny journey.

This is Mum's first completed blanket using Sirdar Snuggly.

This is a baby blanket using King Cole Candy Stripe.

And this my first C2C using James C Brett Baby Marble - perfect for using this type of yarn.