Down Memory Lane

Not much to report about my crochet today as I really haven't made any progress on anything.

I mentioned yesterday that I was going to get Vicky's crochet squares down from the spare bedroom but that didn't happen. My son asked me if I would scan some photos of when he was growing up so that he could put them on a disc on his computer. I am not very savvy about scanning things so by the time I had found the photos and browsed through them for hours the day just slipped away. I have managed to scan quite a few for him and he will be calling later to put them on a disc or a memory stick. All far too technical for me. It was nice to look through all the photos and the memories they brought back. I must admit that I hadn't looked through them in quite a while. The photo I have posted on here was when my son was aged about 4 and had fallen top to bottom down 4 concrete steps in a neighbour's garden the day before the school photographer was due to call. I kept the photo as it is all part of his childhood. I think he looks very cute even with a busted lip and grazes. The teacher asked me at the time if I wanted the photographer to not snap him but I said no I still want one.

I went to the Kings Arms last night and it was packed. Loads of people there - almost standing room only. I wasn't expecting to go as Charlie had rung me to say her husband was working late and so she probably wasn't going. I am always grateful of the lift but if she isn't going them I don't worry about it as I know how difficult it can be to get out when your husband works long hours and you have a small child to take care of. I was almost a social hermit when Ian was small. She invited me to knit at hers and as she only lives around the corner I accepted. Her husband arrived home later and so we were able to get to the Kings. I was glad we managed to get there as I was able to give the curly wurly scarf to Rachael. It will be the last time I will see her before the raffle. Charlie isn't going for a couple of weeks and therefore neither will I.

I really must try to get some crochet done today. I had taken some dark red wool to crochet last night not thinking that I would be crocheting in the dim lights at the Kings. I had to give up in the end as I couldn't see what I was crocheting. I have threatened to buy a miner's helmet with a light attached. Tesco Direct sell a headband with a light on so I might invest in one of those. I may look rather silly but at least I will be able to see what I am doing!

Islington Mill

I had a great day out yesterday. I went to a Knit Out at the Islington Mill in Salford with some of the Kings Arms knitters. When we eventually found the mill and how to get into it we sat around on sofas knitting, crocheting and generally having a good old chit chat. Well come on - you know me - never short of a few words. The sun was streaming in through the mill windows and it was lovely and warm. The next project for the knitters, after the raffle, is a SHED jumper. Find out more about that by clicking on my blog title to take you to Artyarns blog.

It felt so good to be confronted with a couple of flights of stairs in the mill and to be able to walk up them without a problem. A few months ago they would have felt like climbing Everest. It is only at times like these that I realise how far I have come in the last couple of months since the op. It feels so good to be almost back to "normal" My knee is 90% better and my back is better with every day that passes. I feel so energised and positive most days.

Also on the Artyarn blog are photos of the finished knitted squares for blanket for the OXFAM appeal that some of the Knitting Noras also helped to work on showing it hanging in the Beluga Bar during the Labour Party conference. Plus photos of some of the knit and crochet street art that Rachael and Sarah have been involved with for the Islington Festival. These photos show the items draped around various signs in Germany whilst Sarah was there on a visit.

Rachael took photos of our Knit Out so no doubt they will appear either on their blog or on Kings Arms Facebook sometime soon.

I finished off a crochet baby cardigan in pink random whilst I was there but gave it to Rachael without taking a photo - typical me so that is one garment that will not be featuring on my Flickr or Ravelry.

The pink curly wurly scarf pictured on here is one that I made from a pattern that Sylvia got for me from Stockport. I didn't have a picture on the pattern so it was a make it and see. It's very nice but not me at all so I will be donating it for the breast Cancer raffle. It took 200 grams of aran and is very easy to make.

Today I am going to try to crochet the squares of Vicky's shawl together. It has languished on my spare bed for far too long. Once I stop in the middle of things I need a good kick to restart again. I have stopped having more than a couple of projects on the go at any one time. These days I usually like to work my way through an item until it is finished. I do admit to always having one knit and one crochet project on the go as it gives my hands a break. I had my carpal tunnel op a couple of years ago due to RSI and so am always conscious of trying to vary my hand and wrist movements if I can.

I am off now to make a coffee and wrestle my wobbly blocking boards downstairs.

I will have to go back to the market again!

I went to Bury market today specifically to get some wool to make the shawl featured on the front cover of Interweave crochet Fall 08. I couldn't find anything similar to the colours on the pattern of course as that particular wool is hand dyed and about £12 a ball but I settled for the colour featured in my first photo with the tan for the edging. When I got home I discovered to my horror that is contains 20% wool. I hadn't checked this as the James C Brett's wool I had bought in the past has been all acrylic. As the person I was going to make the shawl for is vegan she won't wear anything with animal products. Ah well - I guess that shawl will be for someone else and I will be forced (hee hee) into going up to the market again next week.

I bought a 200 gram ball of the lovely red shades for another hat. Once again it is James C Brett Marble Chunky but this ball is definitely all acrylic. I know I am safe to make a hat out of this.

I have crocheted the back and two fronts of a baby cardigan and am hopeful of having it finished for the Islington Mill knit out tomorrow. I also bought 2 x 100 gram balls of a pale pink Aran to make a curly wurly scarf from a pattern that Sylvia and Kath got for me from Stockport last week. I was going to start the shawl but now I will have to think of something else. I can always tackle the 20 or so small balls that I unravelled earlier this week. I will see how I feel once I have finished the baby cardigan.

It's raining again - whoopie doo. Time to draw the curtains and get the crochet out. I have no idea what I am having for dinner tonight as I forgot to defrost something from the freezer. Maybe I will settle for something light - an omelet or something on toast.

Thanks Zuleika for my wonderful patterns

I have said this before and no doubt I will say it again - I have got some great friends. Maybe there is something about knitters (and crocheters) that binds us together but I can honestly say that I have never known such friendship and camaraderie since I joined knitting clubs, Ravelry and online blogs and met the circle of people I am proud to call my friends.

Today the postman rang and I got a parcel from Zuleika (click on title for her blog) and she had sent to me not only 2 boxes of Pattern a day crochet calendars but her copy of Interweave Crochet Fall 08 which she knew I had been scouring the net,without success, for. I was blown away by her generosity. I was like a kid at Christmas I didn't know which to look at first. I will make really good use of the patterns Zu. Many many thanks for them.

I just love my crochet patterns. I can sit and read them like other people read novels. I have already got the cover shawl on the Interweave Crochet in my plans as a present for someone. There is a lovely scarf pattern by Doris Chan in the magazine that I think is simply gorgeous and I can see that being in someones stocking this Christmas.

I finished the pink crochet premature baby blanket and started another one in peach but I am going to unravel it as it is too small and has lethal holes in the shell pattern that could trap an unwary tiny finger. I think I will stick to the closer stitch pattern.

I made the hat in the photo today for Sarah. It is James C Brett's Marble Chunky. I just love that wool as it's so soft.It has turned out to have more gaps in the pattern than I would have liked but could be worn over a headscarf or a skull cap to get around that. As I have mentioned before she is just beginning her fight against Breast Cancer and may possibly lose her hair with chemo. She is being very positive and humorous about the whole thing, joking about choosing her style of wig and 50 ways to tie a headscarf etc and so I thought that I would make her a selection of hats. I am unable to help out in other ways, shopping or housework etc due to living so far away from her and having no transport these days. I am still banned from wielding a hoover but I could have whisked a duster about if I had lived nearer. My thoughts are with her.

Kathy - you asked about crochet baby blanket patterns on the net. I have used a lot from Crochet Central and Bev's baby patterns which also includes premature baby sizes. Lion yarns have lots of free patterns for knit and crochet. You have to join but it's a free membership.

Gimme my crochet hook back!

I have knitted a small premature baby blanket using the pattern (click the title) with 4mm needles and 100 grams double knit. I have used acrylic as these baby blankets usually get thrown in the washer and pure wool wouldn't stand up to the punishment of a hot wash plus I read somewhere that some babies are allergic to wool. I know acrylic has a bad press with people saying it can melt and burn etc but quite frankly I would hope that premature babies are under constant surveillance and that prospect is highly unlikely.

The knitted blanket took me 2 nights and one afternoon to make and it is only 15" square. I do knit, but my first love is crochet. Today I picked a crochet stitch that I thought would not snag on tiny fingers and in one hour I had made approx one third of a blanket. That is more my kind of pace. There are some things that I prefer to be knitted - socks and arans etc but I relax more when crocheting. I think the rest of my blankets will be crocheted.

These blankets are destined for Bliss the charity nominated by the National Knitting Week (12th-19th Oct) and Vicky from the Knitting Noras of Bolton is organising a knit in, with donations for nibbles and drinks at her place, so I am going to try to make a few more blankets for this event.

The DROPS bolero is no more. I now have a pile of small balls which I am hoping to turn into something more wearable for Vicky. The bolero came out huge despite my making the smallest size on a smaller hook. I had not read the small print that said small = 42" bust! Needless to say as it was too big for me it absolutely swamped Vicky. I just hope I have enough to make something else. There is such a lot of waste when crocheting with small balls.

I did a bit more in the garden today. I have filled the wheelie bin again. The bin men will love me but as Bury council haven't provided me with a garden rubbish bin and I no longer have a car to take anything to the tip then the normal bin has to suffice. I have picked up all the small branches from the holly tree but I still have about 2 buckets full of leaves still on the lawn. I have learned to stop when my back starts to twinge. Tomorrow is another day (if it doesn't rain)

I am going to watch Midsommer Murders on TV now and finish off my baby blanket. My knee is getting better day by day and so I might actually get around to finishing off Vicky's shawl tonight. I will bring my blocking boards back downstairs again. I pinned the squares onto them just before I injured my knee and they have stayed there ever since.

One year as a Raveller

I missed my one year anniversary as a Raveller. I have been a member since 7th October 2007 so my anniversary was yesterday. You can find me on Ravelry as theurbangypsy.

Another pink hat and scarf

I think I have done my last pink hat and scarf set for the raffle. I am still using up the bag of spearmint pink wool that I got from Bury market last week. Once all of the raffle items are finished I don't think I want to see any more pink for a while. This hat and scarf has bright pink mohair trim and a crochet flower.

Today I went to Bury market and bought a pack of pink, random for a change, double knit for £5.99. I forgot to buy some aran wool for the curly wurly crochet scarf pattern that Sylvia so kindly got for me from a trip to Stockport. It will be such a hardship to have to go back to the market next week ;) I can always justify it by saying I need some more fish from the market. I got a lovely piece of Salmon for £1 and some Whiting for £1.50p. I also got a piece of Chinese style Pork steak for £1 which I have put in the freezer for later.

Yesterday I got a bargain from my local charity shop 5 x 50 grams green brushed chunky for £3. It's very rare that I manage to see any wool in my local charity shops so I always grab it when I see it. I have no idea what I will use it for but I am sure I will decide soon.

The doctor has put me on Glucosemene tablets and Naproxen tablets. I am not sure which one of these is working but my knee is much better today (3rd day of taking the pills) and I can bend it a lot more as the swelling has gone down a bit. My son put Buster on Glucosemene and he has been leaping around like a puppy and swimming in the ponds with my son's 9 month old Rottweiler. I hope that I don't start diving into any pools or chasing any dogs now I am on the same pills!

I have started knitting a premature baby blanket in the remnants of the bargain pink wool. Knitting seems so slow to me as I am a crocheter at heart but I suppose knitting is better for tiny little fingers. The danger with crochet is that prem babies might get their little fingers stuck in one of the crochet stitches as they are looser than knitting. I will try and make a couple more as it is for the Bliss charity that I mentioned yesterday.

The weather is nice and sunny today and I have washing on the line. I really should rake up the rest of those holly branches and leaves but I think a cup of coffee and a bit of blanket knitting whilst watching 60 minute makeover is what I will actually do next.