SELF-HELP #30

I made myself a mask 😷

Today is my day off so after mowing the lawn and my bit of river bank I have sat in the garden and made myself a mask.

All hand stitched as I don’t have a sewing machine. It won’t protect me from disease but it will prevent me from spreading my germs.

I have to take clients for walks around their neighbourhoods to ensure they have a little exercise and I don’t have many paper masks but with this one I can wash and rewear either that or I could consider a change of career and become a bank robber!

Looking at the above photos I think my next challenge should be my roots😣

Hoping you are all keeping safe and well.

Woolly wishes,

Jane ♡♡♡

STASH-BUSTING #29

Hat attack 👒🎩👒

So I have spent a lovely afternoon making pom poms to finish off some beanies that I had in my WIP basket.

I have been making these beanies with a view to doing some Christmas ctaft stalls, not sure that these will happen, but I have finished them and popped them into storage.

I have posted 12 little hats to the warm baby project today. I had made 13 but don’t like to send that number as unlucky.

Continuing with the incubator blanket.

Woolly wishes,

Jane ♡♡♡

HAPPY ST GEORGE’S DAY AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY BILL 🎂

*Me a few weeks ago when all I had to worry about was a bit of flooding !*

William Shakespeare’s birthday and mort day, alas poor Yorick, and it is St George’s day but all of the bunting is packed away…. No flag waving or parades today!

However, the rainbows in the windows bring a smile and tonight we will all be clapping and banging pots and pan’s in support of our NHS and key workers ❤🌈

Woolly wishes on St George’s day 🌹🌹🌹

Jane ♡♡♡

SELF-HELP #29

Lock down telly 😷😷😷

I am still working through the current crisis and feel so lucky that I still have structure to my days. My partner must be running out of box sets…

However I did discover something called the wonderful world of crafting in which crafters who would like to make a living from their work set up a stall at a big craft fair. They are given advice and get to meet professional crafters. Sadly there were only 4 episodes 🙁 I have only done a couple of stalls at church fairs but thoroughly enjoyed them. I have been making a few hats and scarves for possible sale next Christmas but with the current situation I wonder if there will be any Christmas fairs or if people will have any spare money to spend. These really are uncertain times.

So with the current uncertainty I have been concentrating on little hats for the baby unit. They are going to the warm baby project. I have started on an incubator blanket for a bit of variety as I have the attention span of a gnat!

On a brighter note the depleted stocks of baby wool at the Co-op have been replenished. So not just the dodgy colours to choose from.

Woolly wishes,

Jane ♡♡♡

STASH-BUSTING #28

Finished on Friday 😉

I have finished my baby blanket, just a couple of ends to sew in and a bit of blocking.

And a client has asked for some bits and pieces for Birmingham Children’s and Birmingham Women’s hospitals. Apparently they need hats, sizes tiny preemie to newborn, mitts and booties, as well as incubator blankets (20 x 22 inch). I suppose with all the knit and natter groups closed down supplies have slowed down.

The mauve hats are tiny preemie and the blue and white hat is 0-3 month. The other hats are my adaptions of the patterns to adjust the size. Any way I will carry on. More hats to follow 🤔

Have a lovely weekend.

Woolly wishes

Jane ♡♡♡

STASH-BUSTING @ EASTER 🐣🐣🐣

The little heart is something else taken from Fiona Goble’s knitting with your leftovers.

Easter at home. The weather is beautiful so most of the day will be spent in the garden. There is a little girl in the house next door so I have made up a pack for her – knitting needles, pink wool, French knitting doll kit, 2 little felt animal kits. All from my stash, I really don’t know why I buy some of this stuff. Does it count as stash busting do you think if you give it away??? Not sure how popular I will be with her mum as I don’t think she knits so if little girl wants to have a go she will have to check out YouTube or something 🤔

I have made another set of birds for a man who I care for. He loves budgies and birds in general. He has bird feeders in his garden so lots of birds visit but sadly the aviary that he likes to visit is closed due to COVID-19. Love this pattern so I think I will be making more – thank you Fiona Goble!

Finished the length of the baby blanket. Just need to pick up stitches on the sides and rib the side borders.

Wishing you all a safe and peaceful Easter.

Woolly wishes,

Jane ♡♡♡

FELTING FRIDAY

The sun is shining so let’s try a new craft al fresco…

What a glorious Good Friday! The sun is shining, the birds are singing and we are all staying safe at home 🌈

I am in shorts an t’shirt – the ones I normally save for hols where no one knows me🙈 And have had a mooch through my stash of crafting kits from Aldi and picked out this one-

Quite a lot in such a little box!

So I have read the instructions, pulled off a piece of wool and stabbed it to a pulp! And what do I have to show for it – a hard lump of woolly fibre and sore fingers where I have stabbed myself 😭

I have put it back in the box, perhaps Friday is not such a good day for felting? Lots of wool left so they obviously expect idiots like me to get it wrong!!!

Are you trying something new while stuck at home?

Woolly wishes,

Jane ♡♡♡

STASH-BUSTING #27

Fly away Peter, fly away Paul 🐦🐦

Not so long ago I bought a book called knitting with your leftovers by Fiona Goble and I have just completed some hanging birds.

Not usually a fan of small toy knitting all of those ends to sew in and the embroidery detail but I have found these very therapeutic in these mad times. Stocking stitch, French knots, chain stitch, a crocheted chain and a tassel. I have used up lots of little bits. 😉

I think they will look quite nice hanging in a nursery.

Woolly wishes,

Jane ♡♡♡

STASH-BUSTING #26

Vintage buttons ♡♡♡

I have got my act together and finished the little salmon pink jacket to match the little hat I had already made. I was in a bit of a quandary over the buttons??? All of the non-essential shops are currently closed. What was I to do for buttons??? And then I remembered the jar of buttons my great aunt gave me. Now normally I would not have been as daring with my choice of button but I am quite pleased with the contrast of the pearly buttons against the pink. These had never been used and looking at the card date back to the fifties or sixties. They are non toxic and laundry safe I hasten to add.

*The sun has made the pink brighter than it actually is 🌞*

The hat and jacket are made from Sirdar pattern 264 Gorgeous Babies Knitting Book using double moss stitch and embellished with blanket stitch.

Just waiting for baby to come along so that I can pop in the post 📮

Woolly wishes,

Jane ♡♡♡

MARCH ROUND-UP

Or March Madness…

Apologies that this is a few days late but I have been working but have a day off today – what bliss. And the sun is out so I have done a bit of knitting Al fresco!!!

So little traffic 😊

March has been a mad month. First waiting for the river to go down and then the clearing up. Then COVID-19 and having to stay at home unless absolutely necessary – work, groceries, exercise, medicine, care of the vulnerable. Lots of pictures of worn out dogs on social media. Some of them have never been for so many walks 🐶🐶🐶

Knitting has been somewhat sluggish during March and mainly for a new baby who is due over the next few days.

So quite a lot unfinished and that doesn’t even include WIPs that I haven’t even touched this month.

Grey and pink cardi with matching beret complete;

Baby blanket over half finished and my go to piece at home as the repetitive nature of the pattern suits my mood;

Salmon pink cardi and matching hat, the hat is finished but the cardi needs assembling and finishing;

An ombre scarf, this is at work and what I pick up at night.

Hopefully April won’t bring too many showers but will bring back my knitting powers 🌦🌦🌦

Stay safe 🌈

And woolly wishes,

Jane ♡♡♡