REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL♡♡♡

The nettles are back….

I arrived home from work last night and there was a parcel waiting for me. It was a handmade gift from my sister.

She is so clever. He has moveable arms and legs and looks really cute.

The nettles being back is not really a reason to be cheerful but I have been off today so have spent the afternoon clearing my part of the riverbank and I have chatted to so many people – all at a social distance of course!

Anyway back to my little bear. I am going to call him Spencer. The name Captain Tom was given to the bear my sister gave to the school where she works. I am naming him Spencer after a lady who was taken by this horrible disease. She used to test the Brownies for their merit badges. 😷

Hoping that you ate finding reasons to be cheerful?

Woolly wishes

Jane ♡♡♡

SELF-HELP #31

Taking matters into your own hands 👋👋👋

My partner has made himself a mask for when he is out shopping. I think he was fed up waiting for me to make him one.

And how did he make it?

He has used 2 men’s handkerchiefs, 2 rubber bands and a bit of tape. He can hook it over his ears, whereas the ones I have made are tied at the back.

Meanwhile in other news I have dyed my hair. There wasn’t a great deal of choice and I wanted red so here goes:

A bit brighter than I was expecting but an improvement on the roots. And hopefully my hairdresser can sort it out when she is allowed to reopen 😂

Have you been tackling anything yourself during lockdown?

Woolly wishes,

Jane ♡♡♡

APRIL ROUND UP 🐰🐥⚘

Lockdown life ♡

April has been a busy month at work and then I have had to spend my time off at home with my partner and son. No trips to my local wool shop or Hobby Craft 😣

I have got my knitting mojo back after being in the doldrums during March. My partner became a grandpa over easter weekend so baby knits posted. Sadly we will not meet the new member of the family until the lockdown is over or eased?

I have been doing a bit of knitting for the warm baby project at Birmingham Children’s Hospital as well as finished off a few hats for a hoped for Christmas charity stall, pom pom joy 😃

I have jumped on the rainbow bandwagon and made a garland of hearts in rainbow colours as well as attempted to make a mask. I have actually made myself 2 masks for work. One is pretty good, however I used a tape with a satin finish for the second one and sadly it doesn’t fit as well as the bow slips a bit 😷

I have posted 12 teeny tiny hats to the warm baby project and have completed an incubator blanket and started a second one.

It is Thursday so I will be out with my frying pan and wooden spoon making lots of noise for my colleagues and the NHS.

Woolly wishes,

Jane ♡♡♡

STASH-BUSTING RAINBOWS 🌈

I am a bit behind on the rainbow craze in support of the NHS and my colleagues in social care. But I have had a hunt around the house for rainbow coloured wool. I would have loved to have made a crochet rainbow but my crochet skills are somewhat limited. Anyway here is my effort and it is another thank you to Fiona Goble and knitting with your leftovers.

Woolly wishes,

Jane ♡♡♡

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 @ 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 ♡♡♡