More photos of Granny Takes a trip

I tried the "Granny Takes a Trip" jacket on today and immediately started singing "I wore my coat of many colours" from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dream Coat. Lisa intends to wear the jacket when she visits the festivals this summer. I hope for her sake that it is not a hot summer as she will swelter in this jacket.

If you look closely you will see that there are two of each square in the jacket. I think I did well to make 38 squares without repeating a sequence. I am showing both sleeves as each godet is a different colour making the sleeves different to each other. The edging has loops with shells made in each loop. three of these will form the button holes for the front. That is the one thing I have left to make. 3 crochet buttons.

I haven't done any crochet last night or today so far. Last night it was after 7pm when my son and his wife picked Buster up. I didn't have any dog food left for his dinner so I didn't make my dinner until he had gone home as I could not stand his little face looking at me for his dinner. By the time I had made dinner and eaten it I just fell asleep on the sofa.

Today I am cleaning the lounge, stairs and my bedroom. I have had to wash the throws and all of the cushions. I don't know how I coped when I had Buster full time. He sheds so much hair. I will do the dining room and kitchen tomorrow.

I hope to do some crochet when I have finished for the day if I am not too tired.

Guard Dog on Duty

Buster here. I am waiting for my walk which doesn't look like it is happening anytime soon. Gran is having a whinge about her knee hurting her after walking me yesterday. She is such an old grump. Did I moan when she woke me twice in the night screaming in pain when I accidentally lay on her knee? I can't help being a sturdy kind of guy. If she took me out then I could walk off my breakfast. If I sit here and give her one of my baleful looks and big sighs that might work.

I have been a free guard dog for her since I got here. Protecting the house from marauding paper girls and postmen who keep putting unwanted bits of paper through our letterbox. I lie on the sofa, looking asleep with my ball, in wait until I hear a noise, then I am on full alert looking out of the window until I see an unsuspecting passer by. I had a laugh yesterday when I scared the papergirl half to death. I waited until she had put the paper half way in the letterbox and then I leapt on the chair and barked up a storm. Boy did she jump high!

Gran is whinging again something about dog hair on her crochet. I am glad she has moved those square things. I nearly poked my eye out on one of the pins she used to put them on this board thing. Silly place to put a board when I am galloping about chasing a ball. I am glad she has moved it into the corner. Now she is saying that she only has 7 more squares to crochet and will I be a good dog whilst she makes them. Ha I might be if you take me out for a walk Gran.

My pouting seems to be working I can see that she is feeling guilty now and is revving up to take me out. I can't wait to chase a stick and roll in the smelly stream then come in and jump on the cream sofa before she has time to clean my feet. What fun. It's a dog's life!

Crochet cakes for the Knitting Noras

Yesterday was the monthly meeting of the Knitting Noras. I was unsure if I would be able to attend but thanks to a lift from Caroline I managed to hobble along. The knee is coming along nicely. Still a bit tender but less swollen and bending better.

I gave the baby cardigans to our foster mum member although one of them will fit the baby when he is about 12 months old as the wool was a bit thick for the pattern! Never mind. Babies soon grow. Better too big than too small.

There is now a committee (Wheeltappers and Shunters style for those of you old enough to remember) for the Naked Knitting Calendar and the ladies have done a terrific job in finding out tons of information about the technicalities of producing this calendar. For those of you with Ravelry we have now set up a group called The Knitting Noras' Naked Calendar 2010. Please join us and show support. We will be adding more information to this group and the TKN blog sites as things progress. We will be counting on you to spread the word once the calendar is ready for sale later in the year. If you only tell a couple of people the word will spread. It's all in a good cause ladies - Christies Hospital treats cancer patients from all parts of the UK not just the North West.

The knit and crochet cakes are another idea that we have had for fund raising. I found these patterns by Googling 'free crochet cake patterns'. I have put one link in the blog title but there are quite a lot more. Debs has found a lovely knitted cupcake pattern on Ravelry and her cupcake looks far more realistic than mine does.I don't have a photo of this at the moment but perhaps one will appear on our blog or Ravelry site soon. Perhaps I should try to knit a few next time. I have run out of toy stuffing so will have to search out a source as my LYS has now closed down due to redevelopment of the site. That is my excuse for not making any more at the present.

I have started knitting a sock monkey similar to Ladybird Murphy (of Channel M TV fame) for my friend in Kentucky but there is not much to show of that as yet.I will have to buy a bag of stuffing to complete him so than I will have lost my excuse for making a few more cakes! Ladybird Murphy put in a guest appearance at the Knit Out and is now dressed Biggles style in a waistcoat and flying helmet.

I have also crocheted 6 squares for a granny square jacket for Lisa. I need 72 so only another 66 to go! I want to make as many different colour variations on the squares as possible so it takes me as long to choose the colour combinations as it does to crochet the square. My coffee table looks like an explosion in a wool shop at the moment. How people stay neat and crochet many colours is an art I have yet to master.

I have put a photo of the very old Patons SC44 baby pattern on here. I bet it strikes a few chords. Is it the one that you used Ambermoggie? My mother used to swear she used it to knit for me but I doubt that the pattern is THAT old! I used it for my son who is now 40.