I Need To Crochet

I had to start crocheting something. I was going mad with empty fingers. As I have mentioned before I can't make anything for babies whilst Buster is here moulting hair all over the place. I can't really start anything until I have cleaned up after he has gone home. I was going crazy without my crochet so I decided to crochet some Paton's cotton aran that my friend Sue had given to me. Dog hair seems to fall off cotton and as it is something for me then I am used to a few dog hairs on everything I wear. Trust me it takes weeks after he has gone home to wash and hoover all the dog hair away.

I am not sure exactly what this will turn out to be. I am spinning the cotton out as although I had 12 balls it doesn't have a good yardage. It may finish up as a bit of a Doris Chan Mei Mei but with some kind of a sleeve. Since I have got older I don't really do things with a cap sleeve. I have crocheted one ball into one sleeve and will do the same for the other sleeve. Then I will see how far the rest of the cotton will go lengthwise in the body of the jacket. Hopefully I will have enough cotton for the jacket to reach my waist. Waist? What waist?

I like Doris Chan patterns as not only do I like the pattern stitch I also like the top down construction as I am not overfond of sewing seams up on finished garments.

This is my parcel from Purplelindacrafts. I like using the very bright multi colours as trims on white or pastel coloured garments. It just gives a bit of Oomph to them. Although Purplelinda is very reasonable with her prices I still miss the thrill of nipping up to Bury market and looking at the colours myself. Plus they are usually a bit cheaper too.

Today is a rainy day so Buster is not in a very good mood as we can't play ball outside. Every time we attempt to go outside the rain starts. I hope that he is going home today. Not because I am fed up of him but at least he has his fur sisters to play with at home when they can't go out in the rain. Also the men are coming to fumigate my wasps nest tomorrow and I don't want him breathing anything toxic in or getting stung by any irate wasps.

The Postman Brought Goodies

The postman came this morning and brought my order from Purplelinda. As my younger niece had admired her black cardigan so much I thought that I would get some wool in advance as it is her Birthday on the 2nd April. For a change from black I have ordered her some Patons Diploma DK in charcoal grey. I have yet to decide on a pattern but I wanted to give myself plenty of time to knit something as her elder Sister has a Birthday on 3rd April.I also want to make her something. My Sister in Law must be a creature of habit to conceive two daughters ,supposed to be born on the same day, 3 yrs apart. The only other time I have known this is my friend who had a 2nd daughter on her other daughter's 1st Birthday. I suppose that it saves on the parties when they are younger. One party each year for both of them.

I treated myself to the Mission Falls goes crochet book. I had admired a couple of things on Ravelry and found that they were in the same book so although it was pricey (as a lot of US leaflets are over here) I decided to get it. I like most things in the book although I don't think that the cover sweater is one that I will be making for myself. It's a bit too openwork for me but yet being in an aran thickness too warm to wear in the Summer and yet too short sleeved for a Winter sweater even over a T shirt. I don't like wearing something with short sleeves over a long sleeved T shirt.

I can see the Hydrangea crop being popular with a lot of younger people and my nieces would probably wear it if I made it perhaps an inch or two longer to reach the waist. I have always liked the Hibiscus Car Coat in Ravelry projects so that is a possibility for myself, My elder niece says that I always like wearing things long and droopy. She is right. It hides a multitude of sins. I am carrying far too much weight at the moment for things too fitted or too short.

Although I like the Daisy Snow shawl it is a no,no for me as I have a thing about circles. I just cannot seem to link them together right. They pucker or slant and end up losing my temper. As crochet is supposed to be relaxing I steer away from anything circular.

The Gladiolus Cardigan is another 'me' cardigan. I like a close stitch as it reminds me of knitting but with all the quickness of crocheting. I am not sure that I would add the sleeve tab detail though.

I like the way that the Blue Iris has a little tab at the waistline. It gives it the illusion of some shape at the waist. I think though that I would make the tab in the same colour as the sweater.As this is sleeveless I would wear it over a fine sweater or long sleeved T shirt.

The Granny Flower purse is not for me. I am not a lover of knit or crochet handbags although I know that plenty of people are. It's probably because I am not much of a sewer and I think that they need a fabric lining to be practical.

I love the multi coloured hat but the scarf is not for me. I also like the Rock Wrap but would have to alter it slightly so that it didn't fall off the baby's shoulders quite so much. I am not sure how to alter it. Maybe the band is just too large for the wrap and that is what is making it fall from the shoulders. I will have to look on Ravelry to see other peoples projects.

I love the little boys sweater but not sure about the high neckline with a zip. It would have irritated my son when he was small so I would probably opt for a couple of buttons for a closure and a slightly shorter neckband. I wouldn't make the Green Machine Truck as unless it was well padded most boys would sit on it and flatten it. My son would have got annoyed that the wheels didn't turn around.

Although I don't crochet for any men I can see that this Granite Tread vest might be something that would actually get worn by a man. More of a zipped body warmer.

I also subscribed to Crochet! magazine but as it is digital I can't show you any of that. I do prefer the paper versions of magazines but I couldn't find a place in the UK that I could subscribe to it from. The beauty of ordering digitally is that I also got access to 2 yrs worth of back issues as well as the 6 copies that I have paid for. Needless to say I didn't do much knitting or crocheting yesterday as I was to busy browsing 2 yrs of magazines. I have found quite a few things in them that I like.

I have managed to finish one of the girls knitted jackets and it is blocking out. I will start the second one tonight. It hasn't taken me long as it is mostly plain and is in chunky.

We had a wee bit of snow today but it isn't sticking. It has left the road very icy though and if it freezes tonight then it will be like a skating rink tomorrow. Luckily I have enough food in for a few more days.

The Postman Called Really Early

I got up around 8am to find a card behind the door about a parcel delivery. Usually that means I have to go up to the Post Office to collect it if I wasn't around to accept it. Fortunately the postmen know me well and the note said that they had left it in my porch. Yippee. Santa came early. 2 parcels to open before breakfast!

OK so Santa didn't leave them. It was stuff that I had ordered but I still love the opening of parcels. I think that I am turning into a Yarnoholic. Just recently I have ordered enough new wool to keep me going all year not mentioning the stash that I already have. I will have to go 'cold turkey' with wool buying in the New Year for a while until I have paid off my credit card bill. I have one here to pay but luckily the date of last payment is after Christmas. I am not slipping on the ice just to go and pay the bill at the Bank. I don't have online banking so I can't just press a button and pay. I am old fashioned. I don't like the thoughts of my details being on the PC waiting to be hacked.I know that millions of people safely use online banking but it is one of my fears. I don't have much money but what I have I would like to keep.

The first two photos are of baby wool supplies that I ordered from Purplelinda. Some of that is destined for Phil, the barman from the Kings Arms, and his partner who are expecting a baby girl in February. The rest is because I have run out of white double knit for babies not yet arrived.I bought two chunky toddler patterns and also a DK long cardigan pattern. I already have some wool in stash that will suit it perfectly. I think that the longer length will be flattering to wear.

The last two photos are of wool from E Kemp Wools as I cannot resist their bargains. The Wendy Moiselle chunky because I love the wool and the colours and also because it was reduced to 89p a ball. The lilac Hayfield aran as it was such a bargain at £3.99 for 400 grams. The Wendy baby wool is a mix of pinks and blues and very delicately coloured. I thought that might make summer cardigans or boleros for the girls and as that was 79p a ball I could not pass that by. The pattern is once again meant for some chunky wool that I have in stash. I like the shape of the long jacket and the short sleeves. I am not a lover of sleeveless waistcoats but I do like something with a short sleeve for wearing around the house. I usually wear something like that over a fine sweater or long sleeved T shirt. There is only one set of sleeves to push up when I am doing housework.

I am on the collar of my Sister in Law's crochet sweater but then have to stitch it all up. A job which I hate. Then I have to try and make a short sleeved crochet top for my niece's Mother in Law who is also coming for Christmas dinner at my Brother's house. I do hope that I can finish everything in time. I had hoped to finish off the crochet cardigans for my great grand daughters but as technically they are not part of their Christmas presents then it doesn't matter if they get them a bit late. I also plan to knit two chunky long jackets for them to wear in the Spring.

Is everyone like me? Always a few projects ahead of myself, I definitely have eyes and ideas bigger than my hands can manage. I have always been like that but these days I don't start everything like I used to do. When I was young I used to start making another thing when the first thing was only part way done. I have managed to mostly wean myself off that and limit myself to just a couple of WIP at any one time. Usually one in knit and one in crochet so that I can give my wrists and fingers a break. I must admit though that I am so glad to be crocheting again.

Any way time is a wasting and I have things to crochet and pots in the sink. I must set my flying fingers to work as I can hear the sleigh bells approaching in the distance!

Back To Crocheting Again

Thankfully I think that the presents that I have still to make are all done in crochet. I can get on so much faster with crochet than with knitting. I think that I am safe to put a sample of my Sister in Law's Christmas sweater on here because as far as I know she has no idea that I have a blog. The sample is the back. Thankfully she is a very slim lady so not as much to crochet.

The pattern is Sophie from Patons Crochet Inspirations Book 3. I am using Patons Cotton DK in a dark navy blue. I got the pattern and the cotton from Purplelinda. I have put in another order with Purplelinda even though it may not arrive before Christmas. It doesn't matter as I have ordered baby wool to make a couple of jackets for the Kings Arms barman whose partner is expecting a baby girl in February. I have known Phil to chat to ever since I started going to Knit Club. His lady is into vintage clothes and so I think that she will like some of the vintage patterns that I have ordered from Vintage Lady (the link that I showed you yesterday.) There is something about those old matinee styles that is so timeless. Purplelinda also sells Sirdar Quickerknit that I need for some of the patterns although she only stocks it in white. I used to love the Patons Quickerknit for babies. It was soft and loosely twisted and quick enough to knit but finer than the double knit yet thicker than 4ply. Once again like the vintage patterns this order may not arrive until after Christmas with the postal delays because of the snow.

There hasn't been any more fresh snow today but the pavements have frozen and are like a sheet of ice so I am only going out if I really have to. I still have 2 presents to buy but I think that they will have to wait until the ice thaws on the pavements and roads. It is too late to order online so I will just have to hope that I can find something suitable in the local shops as there is no way I am entering into the melee of Christmas shopping crowds in Bury or Manchester.

If anyone took a look at Beverooni's blog and the Santa hats and beard can you give her your opinion. She wants to know if she should write up the pattern for sale. I think that it is unique and a fun thing and it will definitely be a winner. Perhaps not this year unless people are very quick crocheters and Bev is a quick writer but definitely one for next year.

I am hoping to finish crocheting the back of the sweater tonight although dark navy is almost as bad as black to work with. I still have the girls crochet jackets to finish and to start a crochet waistcoat in beige so I may give my eyes a rest and work on the lighter colours tonight.

Parcel On A Sunday

It must be close to Christmas. Royal Mail delivering parcels on a Sunday. I got a parcel this week and one last week. I think that they save the parcels up from during the week to make a bit of overtime money on a Sunday.

I love getting parcels and am like a big kid opening them even though I know what is inside. I just wish that the delivery men would not wait until I am having a natural break in the smallest room before ringing my door bell. The older I get the more it is a case of I have started so I have to finish. My muscle control is not that of a young woman anymore. By the time I get to the door the delivery men are on the points of driving away. Luckily today's delivery man had another parcel to deliver a few doors away so I managed to catch him in time.

I love the colour of this pink James C Brett Marble chunky, that I got from Purplelinda, and am so glad that I waited to start my great grand daughters jacket pattern as they are longer length ones and more like a Spring coat.. That paler pink I got last week would have been too pale for them. The plain child's jacket pattern will come in handy for making more things in this wool. I am sure that it will get knitted a few times. I may even make the pale pink in this pattern for the girls to wear in the Spring or on cool Summer evenings.

I am having my doubts about the matinee style jacket that I am crocheting for one of them. When it gets it's bands, collar and sleeves on it might look more 'grown up'. At the moment it looks like it's for an overgrown baby. I think a lot of it is due to the colour that I am using. I should have chosen a slightly darker colour although my step grand daughter still dresses the girls in pinks and whites.

The black cardigan is progressing and I will try to knit a sleeve today whilst it is still daylight. I leave the crochet for the evening time, Light colours for evenings and dark colours for the daylight.

Today is another knit, knit and more knitting day. I am sort of working office hours at the moment but with plenty coffee breaks.

Not Much Crochet - But Oops I Have Been Stashing Again

I haven't been doing a lot in the way of knitting or crochet these last couple of days as when Buster stays he has a habit of moulting over everywhere so I keep my Christmas present knitting out of his reach. I could not start my niece's black cardigan as I have been waiting for the parcel to arrive.

Today (Sunday) I was amazed to get a delivery of 2 parcels. I think that Royal Mail must have saved them up to get in a bit of overtime money before Christmas unless they really are mowed out with Christmas on line orders. The newspapers do say that more people are ordering their Christmas presents online this year.

The first order was delivered on Saturday and that was my patterns from Kay Jones (Kay's Creative Crochet) I do like her patterns and think that I have now ordered almost every pattern of hers that I like. I have quite a collection. They are written out in UK terms which is a bonus for me. I could order them as PDF's and save the postage but as I didn't have a working printer when I placed the order I sent for hard copies. I am addicted to the nice squeaky paper that she uses to print them out on. If I printed them they would just be on normal A4 paper. I have been using my new printer to print out the patterns that I have ordered PDF recently. I do like a paper copy of my patterns. I haven't as yet tried the scanner that is with the printer. I will have to read the manual for that.

The orders that I got today were from Purplelinda and McA Direct. From Purplelinda I ordered the Black Patons Diploma DK for my niece's cardigan. I also got a bag of stuffing for the Christmas decorations, a Sirdar crochet pattern for my great grand daughters, and two double ended hooks by Knit Pro. Each end is a different size. My online friend Zuleika (Life in the Zu) has had double ended hooks for ages and loves them. I am not sure if they are Knit Pros but Rachael (Artyarn) got a hook bought for her for her as a present and she loves it. I will let you know how I get on with these hooks once I have a trial run. I am famous for buying all different kinds of hooks and then going back to my old ones and giving the new ones away. Still if you don't try anything different then you will never know if you like them.

I have not ordered from McA Direct before but they were recommended to me by a Ravelry friend. I ordered from them as I love Regia wool for socks but in the 6ply and not many people stock that. I can get 4ply anywhere but I do like the 6ply as I only wear my socks around the house or when I wear my boots and so I like the thicker wool. Not to mention that they knit up much faster! The recommended amount is 3 x 50 gram balls per pair of socks and it is £3.95 a ball but as I only like very short legs on my socks I can make a pair from 2 balls. The huge knitting needles are not to knit with. I watched a video on You Tube showing Broomstick crocheting. I tried doing it many years ago but this video made everything much plainer than a book does. My broomstick needle is made of wood and really heavy to handle so I have bought two sizes of plastic needles to try the stitches out. I have the patterns in Doris Chan's latest book and also a booklet with baby blankets in that I have had for many years. The metal clasps are for stash. I cannot buy them anywhere so when I saw them online I just had to buy a couple of sets to keep in my stash. They make a nice single fastener for an edge to edge cardigan.

Yesterday I went to the Islington Mill with Rachael. We were carrying on making some more ornaments for the Christmas tree at the Kings Arms. Rachael is going to take a photo of everything that has been made so far and post it on Facebook. I will copy the photo and put it on here for you to see. On Monday we are starting to trim the tree and see whether we need any more ornaments making. Last night I made a couple of snowmen (they are flat, not stuffed ones) and a couple more Christmas wreaths. I was supposed to be going to my daughter in law's 50th Birthday party in the evening but my back and legs were hurting so much I just didn't feel like making the effort. If the weather had been warmer I would have gone as I do like their parties. They are biker events and great fun. I would have been the misery sat in the corner had I gone. It's hard to feel in the party mood when my back hurts. I don't know why my back pain has suddenly started up again. I can only guess that it's because of the cold weather. I don't know what I would do if I had the snow that Beverooni has. I would hibernate! I have the heating on and still feel cold. I am dreading the winter fuel bills despite getting my heating allowance.

Thanks to everyone for your lovely words and wishes for my Birthday. I do appreciate them. I think that the best part of any Birthday is not the presents (although it is nice to get some) or the cards, it's the fact that people take the trouble to wish you a Happy Birthday. I had visitors, phone calls and of course my online wishes. That, to me, makes a Birthday special. It must be awful for lonely people if they have no one to wish them a Happy Birthday or a Happy Christmas as well.

I have now put most of the stash back in the small bedroom after moving it for my son to take the divan bed away. I decided to take an inventory of what was in there and keep a list on my PC for the future. What I did discover was things that I had forgotten that I had ever bought! They were in plastic bags at the back of the shelf along with a couple of partly crocheted tops. I think having a list of the larger amounts will be beneficial to me when I am planning my next projects. I am not listing all the odd balls or sock wool as that doesn't count as stash. Ha Ha - well not in my eyes. I have bought quite a bit of wool recently that was on offer especially to stash so I want to keep a list of what I actually have in the stash room.

My New Year's resolution for this year not to buy wool for a few months (unless it is for someone else as a gift) lasted until about July and this coming year I should be able to last even longer now that I have catalogued my stash!

I am still waiting for a couple more parcels containing wool and then I am putting my bank cards away for a while. I had to order more as the wool is for presents. That's my excuse and I am sticking to it. Some wool for me might have accidentally jumped into my basket as I browsed but that's allowed. Think of all the VAT and postage that I have saved by ordering now. That's a good excuse isn't it? I don't count the postage as I usually order enough to make it worthwhile. If I had to go and shop for it personally it could cost me more than the postage money in journey costs especially at the moment when I am not using public transport.

I hope to get to the Kings Arms tomorrow night so will make a couple more ornaments tonight. Once I have given everywhere a good hoovering and washed the throws and cushions tomorrow then I will be able to start the black knitting and the navy crocheting.

Time for another cup of hot coffee and a bit of playtime with Buster before he goes home later.

Another Craft Light

I ordered a plug in craft light for when I am knitting and crocheting in the electric light. This lamp is described as daylight suitable for craft work and also a S.A.D light. As I already have one S.A.D light I can now be sad in more than one room now without having to find and plug a light in. I can't tell the new light's full potential until it is dark which won't be long as the night's are getting really dark around 4pm. I did buy a craft light a while ago but I could not direct the beam anywhere near me as it made my hands almost burn as it got so hot. It has now broken as I knocked it off the desk. I do hope that the new light doesn't have the same problem. I like a bright light for crafting but I don't want a burned neck and hands.

I got fed up of sitting with my head practically under the lampshade of my standard light in order to see my work when I am using a dark colour. Last night I was knitting with navy blue and even with the head light I couldn't see what I was doing. I am hoping that when tonight comes I will have this lovely bright light to illuminate my old eyes. The only snag with this light is that it has come attached to a very short length of flex so it will be tricky stretching it to where I want to stand it even with an extension cable.

The out of stock Christmas Ornament book arrived from Purplelinda today. The reason that it says 3 ways on the cover is that inside there is a choice of making the ornaments in different thicknesses and therefore different sizes. I haven't had a good look at it yet but I think that there is quite a few patterns that I will use for the Kings Arms Christmas tree project.

I have managed to finished off one side of the button band on Eve's jacket. It doesn't sound like I knitted much but the band is 6" wide and has shaping for the collar. It is in a rib and I had to stare at what I was knitting so that I didn't go wrong. I have just picked up the stitches for the other side of the band and have also cast on one sleeve. Hopefully I will be able to see the second button band clearer with the new craft light. All being well it will get finished by the weekend.

The Gas Man Cometh

I am waiting for the Gas Man to arrive. The central heating is working but the hot water keeps going off. I tried to get a shower 3 times this morning and every time the water went cold just as I was about to get into it. I have tried resetting the boiler but it only works for about 5 minutes. Luckily I have insurance for this sort of thing so hopefully it can get fixed today and I can have a shower later today. I had to use a dry shampoo on my hair as it was greasy and now I look like I have fallen headfirst into a vat of talcum powder. I feel like one of the dandies with their powdered wigs.

I have had 3 parcels delivered today. I have been going through my stash and decided that I needed some extra balls in a few colours if I was going to make something with the stash that I already have. The odd balls are to match up with stash that I already have. I ordered some from Texere and some from Purplelinda.

The metallic yarn is destined for Christmas tree ornaments for the Kings Arms Knit Club and I will start something when I finish off the knitted jacket for Eve and also when the crochet ornament pattern that I ordered from Purplelinda arrives as it is out of stock at the present.

The assorted photo is of the goods from Purplelinda. I have treated myself to a green frog row counter that I can wear around my neck. I knit with my needles under my arm so the row counters that fit on the needle can get turned around by my armpit so they are not reliable to tell the right row.

I ordered a flower loom. I used to have one years ago, but can't find it, and no doubt I will find it now that I have ordered another one. This one has pins that I can put in different places to make different sized flowers. The one that I have lost had rigid pins and only made the flowers in one size. I thought that I would try out a flower or two in the metallic yarn for the Christmas tree.

The plastic rings are to use when I make crochet buttons, I also need a couple for making some of the Christmas ornaments. I already have some smaller rings lost in the house somewhere. I am sure that I have a mischievous pixie living with me who hides the things that I am looking for. The hat pattern is to try and make myself a new hat for this winter. Every year I make several and they don't suit me. I am still looking for THE pattern that won't make me laugh out loud when I try it on. I also want to make a hat to go with the knitted scarf that I am making for Louise. As it is physio day tomorrow the scarf will be coming with me to the hospital so that I can work a few more rows as I wait for the transport to bring me home again after physio.

The Sit Right seat is something that I saw on the TV and thought might be useful for either my recliner or this PC chair. When I recline my chair the back goes down when my legs come up and I feel like I am leaning too far back and in the wrong position to crochet or knit. I am hoping that this aid will correct my posture by sitting me more upright. If that doesn't work I can use it on the computer chair to support my back whilst I am typing and browsing.

Coffee time and back to Eve's jacket. I have got up to the armhole shaping on the second front so am hopeful of it being finished in time for Sunday. I do hope that the Gas Man comes soon and can repair the boiler so I can shower.

Things Jump Into My Basket - It's Not My Fault

I had done so well this year with my New Year resolution not to keep adding to my stash but like the Yarn Junkie that I am I have had a relapse lately. It's getting to the stage where my credit card lives next to my PC and that is surely a bad sign!

As I was so pleased with the Cinnabar in King Cole Riot that I just had to order another colour - well it is still free postage at Texere until the end of August. I don't know how it happened but another 5 balls of wool of something else finished up in my basket. I am just a sucker for free postage offers. Does that happen to you? Do you get uncontrollable "Add to my Basket" urges? Or is it just me? I never used to be like this. Since I can't get out to choose my own wool I have gone Internet shopping mad. It wouldn't be so bad if I stopped there but no I had to go on to the Purplelinda site to browse the crochet patterns and finished up with even more wool and patterns. Drag me away from the PC and cut up my credit card please!

Sue, if you are reading this I do still want to stash enhance if we get the chance as who knows when I will be fit enough to do it after my op. Other women go mad to have a clothes or shoe spending spree but I drool at the thought of seeing wool en masse. My friend is hopefully signing the lease for her wool shop Purl City Yarns today so I will let you know when she is up and running and what she will be stocking. Yet another place to stash enhance. Did I mention that I drool at new wool? Bliss oh bliss to fondle wool in person when she opens. I shall be blatantly plugging her shop and web site so be warned. Unfortunately for me she will probably be opening when I am recovering from my knee op (She says hopefully with fingers crossed)

Since I got the 3rd proposed operation date I am using this as an excuse to stock up my stash again. To be fair I have used up quite a bit of donated stash since Christmas and the sweater that I have started is with some James C Brett Marble DK that I have had in stash for at least 18 months. I bought it from the market stall on Bury market and I haven't been up there for ages. Once again I am a Doris Chan groupie. I am making the No Sweat from the Everyday crochet book. I have made similar sweaters to this one but never this exact one although Doris's sweater designs all start off in the same way. This one has side splits which will come in useful for my ever spreading derriere.

Sorry Bev if I made you add the Lucinda Guy book to your shopping cart. My bad habits are rubbing off on you. I still have some books from Amazon on pre order that should be arriving soon so you will just have to close your eyes Bev as I think 2 of them are baby crochet books. Just tell your other half that I am leading you astray and you are powerless and so have to follow me into the book store. Ha Ha. If I live to 100 I will never make everything from my books. I love browsing them though. Other people read novels I browse my crochet books and magazines.

I have just scooted up to Tesco for some food. Boy does it feel good to get out and about. People are so kind to me and ask me can I manage and do I want anything getting from the shelves. It just feels nice to shop and get back in about an hour and be able to put my shopping away without my knees killing me. Why did I not buy one earlier? Oh I know, I didn't have the money then. Thank goodness for my disability money. It is paying for my recliner and my scooter. By the time they stop the money I will have paid for everything and it will be mine. Well that is what they give the extra money to me for - to make my life easier until my knees are hopefully sorted out after my ops.

More Patterns today

The postman called today. He didn't bring my Doris Chan book nor the How to do Tunisian Crochet book that Amazon have told me are on their way but he did bring me some patterns that I ordered from Purplelinda.

The King Cole pattern 3132 is a jacket and tunic dress in DK,2825 is a V neck or button up cardigan in DK with a lacy scalloped edge that is from a 24" - 40" chest, the baby pattern 3053 which can be made is 4ply or DK and is from premature to 2 yrs.

The Sirdar pattern are a short and long summer cardigan with motifs around the edge in 4ply which goes from a 24" chest to 46" and a baby short or long sleeved openwork jacket also in 4ply from Birth to 7 yrs.

The Cotton Crochet book 376 has designs in 4ply and DK and I will post photos of the contents tomorrow. The 4ply cardigan pattern with motifs that I bought is also featured in the book. This is a bad habit of Sirdar that I am not fond of. When I pay for a book I don't want it including a pattern that I have just bought as a single leaflet. I have a good crochet friend Sue that I can pass the pattern onto when she calls next as she has two granddaughters.

The Anchor Intermezzo edition had me fooled when it first arrived. I has instructions in various languages and at first I could not find the English bit. I thought that I was going to be crocheting with a dictionary in one hand. There are two Tunisian patterns in it so I hope my instruction book comes soon. The front cover cardigan, hat and bootees and the lemon trouser suit are in Tunisian. The rest are crocheted but are fine wool and fine hooks. Eek. The book does have patterns that could be adapted for a boy if I left off the scalloped edge and the flowers. The jacket on the front cover could be for a boy if the plaited i cord trim and crocheted buttons were left off.

Today has been a little cooler. The gardener came and mowed the back lawn and sprayed the weeds so I am tidy once again until she comes in a couple of weeks.

I undid the sleeve of the grey aran cardigan that I was crocheting for Sylvia as it came out wide. I have reduced it by two cable patterns and although it is still roomy I am gong to leave it as it is supposed to be a jacket and not a cardigan and I think that it wouldn't look right with even slimmer sleeves. Tonight I will go back to crocheting the back now I know how many balls of wool the sleeves will take. I have 20 balls but Sylvia wants the jacket quite longish so I want to check how much each piece will take. It's awful to get to the end of a project and then find out that I haven't got enough wool especially when it is a wool where I can't buy another ball.

Tonight it is the moussaka that I bought at the Farmers Market for dinner with some garlic bread that I didn't notice was extra strong when I bought it. It's a good job that I live and sleep alone !! If the postman calls tomorrow I will knock him over with my second hand garlic breath!

I Love Parcels

I love parcels. Even when I know exactly what is in them because I ordered it. I still get a thrill when the postman knocks and I have a box to unpack.

I got these yesterday but as it was after I had written my blog I decided to save them for today. The James C Brett Marble chunky is just so scrummy. I love purple and red so no prizes for guessing why I ordered these. I don't know whether I will need the extra ball of the red as I have knitted the back and part of the front of my sweater and hardly used 300 grams. I will always make use of the extra ball for something.Purple wool from Purplelinda - very apt don't you think?

I had to go to the hospital today for a talk on the knee replacement operation and what to expect afterwards and which aids they can offer to make life easier once we are at home. We had a private one to one with the occupational therapist after the main chat. He assessed me as need some aids already and is arranging to have them delivered soon. Frames to help me in the bathroom and a sloping seat to use instead of my little stool in the kitchen so that I can sit to prepare meals, wash the dishes and iron. My house is rapidly turning into an old lady house.

The therapist said I might have problems when I return home as they expect the leg that hasn't been operated on to take the strain and in my case I don't have a good leg to do this. My left knee is giving me more trouble than the right at the moment and it kept me awake most of last night. I think that the GP and I will have to have another chat about pain relief.

In the waiting room were 5 people who were post op by about 6 weeks and all of them said it was the best thing that they have done. I just hope that my knees will be as good as theirs. They said that the worst bit is having to wear the surgical socks on both legs for 6 weeks. I am not looking forward to this bit. I hope that they are cotton as anything synthetic flares up the eczema on my lower legs.

I haven't touched any needles or hook today as I have been out from 11am until 5pm. Maybe tonight I will get something done. I love the layette patterns that I got in the parcel. They are by Carole Prior and published by Leisure Arts. At least this pattern leaflet has a couple of designs that can be made for a baby boy if I changed a bonnet into a helmet. The only snag is that the patterns are only in a 6 months old size. I suppose that I could make them smaller with a smaller hook or slightly finer wool.

Pixie Boots and Crochet Hooks

I will feel like a pixie or a leprechaun skipping off to bed wearing these. The pattern is a very ancient one of my mother's and as the company has been out of existence for at least 30 yrs (the pattern is even older) then I am sure I can't get into trouble for sharing it with you. Just to be on the safe side I won't name the company!

The only thing I will point out is that you have to be very careful with the seaming as it is up the middle of the sole and up the back ankle so I take care to make the seam as flat as possible.

This pair took 100 grams of chunky but it may take a bit more if you use pure wool.
1 pair size 5mm needles (although you may need to use 5.50mm as I am a bit of a loose knitter with tiny feet)

Cast on 69 sts and working in stocking stitch increase at each end of 3rd and every alternate row to 77sts ending with a purl row.
Next row K35, slip a stitch, K 2 tog, and then pass the slip st over them, K1, K 3 tog, knit to end,
Next and every alternate row - Purl
Next row K 33, slip 1, K 2 tog then pass slip stitch over them, K1, K 3 tog, knit to end.
Continue in this manner decreasing 4 sts on alternate rows as set until 41 sis remain ending with a purl row.

Eyelet row *K2, wf, K 2 tog* repeat all across to last st K1.

Work 5 rows in K1 P1 rib and cast off in rib.

Stitch back and sole seam together carefully as flat as you can and thread ribbon, chain or twisted cord through holes.

You can make them for a child by using finer wool and finer needles.

Today I got my order from Purplelinda. Big Yeah for the postman who trudged through 6" of snow to deliver it to me. Not an easy task when, like me, he has bad knees and limps even on a good day. I ordered it last week but due to adverse weather conditions I did expect it to be delayed and Linda sent me an e mail to explain this to me. It's so nice when people take the time to keep people up to date with their orders.

We have all ordered from firms who don't give a damn so it's nice when some firms do care about the customer. I have always found Purplelinda and Kay's crochet to be very prompt and efficient.

As I am in my sock and slipper mood and also in my stash reducing mood I was pleased to get these two patterns for crochet socks and slippers. You can crochet Socks 1457 is by Kim Kotary and s published by the American School of Needlework. The Slippers by the Dozen 879531 is published by Annie's Attic and has some lovely funky slippers in it that are sure to be made up very soon. If you are in the UK you can, of course, buy them from Purplelinda and I have included her web page in my blog title.

I ordered a set of acrylic crochet hooks as I quite like working with them. They are lightweight and easy to use. They do have slight drawback with some acrylic yarns as I do get a squeaking effect when I am crocheting. I bought them for a special sale price of £9.99 for the set which I think is excellent value.

I have started another knitted pair of house slippers and will finish these off before I start on any of the socks or slippers but I must admit that my fingers are itching for a bit of crochet. Watch this space and see if I get tempted before I finish off my knitting!

My niece has just kindly been shopping for me so I am supplied with bread, milk, eggs and mince so I will be OK for food for another few days.I still have my corned beef hash for today and so will make a chilli with the mince as I have a bag of rice. Roll on the thaw. I am going slightly stir crazy as I haven't been out for almost 2 weeks. My niece says that it is extremely slippy underfoot and I am to stay put until the thaw. Thank goodness my mother trained me well to always have a well stocked larder for such emergencies. I will have to do a lot of restocking once the thaw comes.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to everyone. I hope that in 2010 all of your dreams and wishes come true. I wish you health and happiness. May your stash always be replenished and may all of your projects turn out right.

Thank you to all of my online crochet and knit friends whose cheerful comments have kept me going on the days when I am not feeling tickety boo. I am not going to mention you by names but you know who you are. I am very appreciative of all of the support that you give to me.

Last night I was crocheting bits and pieces to send to my niece. Things that can be made from a simple rectangles or squares without any shapings.I made one item up and stitched it together and then made another one showing how it looked, before stitching, when it was being crocheted. I am going to send her a message with each one showing her where to start, where to end and where to stitch up. I think that with yesterday's simple wristwarmers and today's little purses and hats then it will give her some idea of what she can make with just simple crochet shapes. Today I hope to make a pair of very simple slippers. I can't post her parcel until the 2nd January so I have another day to work something out for her. I think that it is important to spur new crocheters into actually making something rather than practising for ages on a sample piece. It's so easy to make covers for phones, cameras and sunglasses and it gives them such a feeling of achievement.

Did you notice the little duck buttons on the little purses? I know that her friend's little girl who had the duck hat will be pleased to have these once Kath has seen how to make them.

I have become quite a fan of the lightweight acrylic crochet hooks. I looked on Purplelinda site and she is offering a set of these for £9.99p as a special Christmas price. I have ordered myself a set as I do like working with these lightweight hooks when the wool permits. They do create a bit of static when I am crocheting with some acrylics. I use different types of hooks for different kinds of wool or acrylics. I have also ordered a couple of crochet sock and slipper books but of course they won't arrive until after the New Year as there is no post. Purplelinda can't send them out even if she is working today. With the state of the post lately they will probably arrive sometime next week. I got a Christmas card yesterday that was posted on the 9th Dec. Admittedly it came from Canada but it is still a long time in the post.

I have finished the back and started a sleeve on Charlie's knitted sweater but didn't do any yesterday as I was busy crocheting Knick Knacks to send to my niece.

Today the sun is trying to shine but it is still a bit of the cold side. Nothing like the snow thar Bev has been experiencing. If you look on Beverooni's blog (link on the RHS of my blog) then you will see all of the inches of snow that have fallen. I don't wonder that you need a Snuggle over there Bev. I think I would have to learn to crochet under the duvet if I lived there!