SELF-HELP #18

Happy Blog Day 🎂

Happy Blog Day to me, happy blog day dear Jane 🍷

My little blog is 6 months old. Said blog was actually opened on 4 June with the natty little post that WordPress gave me. But my first post “A fresh start” was on the seventh.

I have been wearing that sweater quite a lot recently. Nice and warm and comfy. Not sure colour is really me but design is great. Might make myself another one in a more flattering colour. Why did I make myself a sweater in a colour that wasn’t really me, well I had the yarn knocking around and didn’t want it to go to waste!!!

Anyway back to my Blog Day. The last six months have been fab. I have loved reading everyone’s posts. You are all so talented ♡♡♡

And having to put posts together has kept me on task because let’s face it we have to have something to post about. I have wanted to do a Christmas stall for a long time and thanks to blogging I did one.

It has been a fun six months, here’s to the next six 🍾🍾🍾

STASH-BUSTING MIA!!!

Missing in action…

It has been a while since my last post and my only excuse is that I am bone stinking idle, although I have been rather busy at work as well!

I have been dipping into everyone’s lovely posts – you are all so motivated and talented ♡♡♡

No blogging – GUILTY!

No knitting – NOT GUILTY!

I have been busy with preemy cardies, here are a few in various state of completion.

I am also in the process of knitting myself a jumper in double knitting. Lots of lovely cabling to keep me focused.

And just for fun. I help out at a group for young people and we made ghosts yesterday. I saw this in Prima magazine so me and the gang had a go and this is my effort 👻👻👻

Hopefully I will be more bloggy this month, fingers crossed 😆

SELF-HELP #12

Crikey, cricket AGAIN…..

Have been neglecting the blog due to being over-worked (and under-paid).

No yoga – sad face 😣

Managed a long walk yesterday along the Gloucester and Sharpness canal – Saul Junction to Splatt bridge where a picnic was enjoyed and then return to Saul Junction picking blackberries on the way back – happy face 😊

Went to Knit and Natter on Monday, no Wyn this week, hope she is alright?

Due to work and the fact that school has started again the only knitting I have done are preemy cardies but I have sewn a lot of labels in school uniform.

On the bright side Aldi have a so crafty promotion on next week 😆

♡♡♡

CHARITY KNITTING 😊

The big KNIT

I have started making little bobble hats for Innocent Smoothie bottles for their big Knit campaign http://www.thebigknit.co.uk

For every little hat Age UK gets 25p

They do provide a pattern or you can make up your own. A great way to use up those ends of yarn in your stash that there just isn’t enough to do anything else with.

The rugged manly look

The softer girlie look

Yes it is the same pattern for both. I have adapted a cabled egg cosy pattern for mine. Time to get knitting so that I have a few more to drop off to my local Age UK collection point. The website will tell you where yours is.

Knitting with purpose ♡♡♡

SELF-HELP #11

Crikey still too much cricket…

Very little of anything has been done this weekend. It is certainly too hot for knitting, my needles are very sticky, even the bamboo ones!!

No nettle root pulling up but I have decided to plant some bulbs and throw such grass and wild flower seed on the patch and see what happens. Now it may work, it way not? There is a bit of a flooding problem when the river Severn gets a bit full so we shall see 🌷🌷🌷

I am a bit behind on my walking I need to do 5 miles every day now if I want to hit 50 miles by the end of August 👣👣👣.

And the whole weekend has been spent with cricket on in every room in the house either on TV, radio or computer – I am pulling my hair out. It has gone from doom and gloom (so why is he continuing to watch it?) to utter excitement (which cannot be good for his blood pressure?) ❤

So we are having a BBQ this evening to celebrate. I don’t do charred flesh so am being a bit of a wet blanket and having a salad 🍅

A bit concerned that he might have set BBQ up a bit close to the house, hopefully we won’t have to call out the fire brigade 🚒

Self-help #10

It’s raining, it’s pouring, the old man is snoring …

Well my old man snores a lot!!!

So very rainy yesterday. No Ashes (yippee!), sadly it is back on today. The old man has stopped snoring 😅

Spent most of yesterday with a young man who was very reluctant to go outside in the rain so we made pom poms – as you do!

Also a funny little rabbit that will need a string to hang it from. Might hang it in the garden to ward off evil bugs 🐌🐌🐌

Only managed a mile yesterday due to the appalling weather 🤐

A couple of miles today. Just had to get out of the house AND AWAY FROM THE CRICKET!!

An evening spent on my own with my knitting needles… # stash busting ♡♡♡

Self-help #9

Knitting and Mrs Tiggywinkle…

The 50 miles in August is not going particularly well – 12 1/2 miles to date and a few of those have been walking to the pub or the wine shop??? Now sums was not my best subject at school but even I can work out that about a mile a day in a 31 day month is not going to result in 50 miles 🤔

I have pulled out a few more nettle roots on the other side of the garden fence. I am starting to recognise some of the people who stop for a little chat , I think I said there was a public footpath that runs past the garden fence. Anyway, apparently I am not as snooty as some of the neighbours because I will spare the time for a little chat. Two thoughts: my slothful nature, any excuse for a break, plus I love people; the neighbours employ gardening contractors so they don’t have time to chat, it is their livelihood 😆

I spent a morning this week volunteering at a hedgehog rescue centre. Prickly but cute 🐗 It was a fab experience but my goodness don’t they produce a lot of poo 💩 The hedgehogs were cared for and when fit and healthy they will be let out in the wild. So many that had been attacked by family pets 😣

This morning I called in to see the Monday Girls. I have not been to Knit and Natter for a couple of years so it was nice seeing everyone again. I am sure Wyn is still working on the same scarf she was working on when I was last there. Mind you she does enjoy a chat over a cuppa and then a fag outside bless her♡

I didn’t go empty handed I took the little cardies and a baby blanket so that the group can pass them on to the premature baby unit.

So exhausted from work but very happy with my endeavours out of work.

SELF-HELP #8

Crikey… too much cricket!

Not a great deal of knitting has been done this weekend due to the heat. The boys have been glued to the Ashes. I have to admit I find it rather dull, they would say the same about my craft I suppose. 🤔

I have been busy trying to reclaim a piece of land the otherside of my garden fence. It does belong to the property but we have never done anything with it as a public footpath runs through it but all of the neighbours have tidied their bits up. My tangle of brambles and nettles was letting the side down – definitely not cricket!

My lovely dad came and chopped down the nettles and brambles and I have since been pulling out old roots. This is going to be a big WIP. Hoping to have something to talk about next year.

On another note I have signed up to do 50 miles during the month of August with my slimming group. I know to some this does not sound like much but SMALL STEPS… A friend signed up to do 1000 miles this year and has already achieved this. I have a long way to go.

Hopefully, the weather will freshen up again so my needles won’t be as sticky.

Sadly another 5 weeks of the Ashes 😣

Macrame Monday #2

Knotting not knitting …

Occasional posts on my dabbling with macrame!

I have completed the macrame market bag (Hobbycraft pattern 0160).

Now I am not going to get all of my market shop in this. It is a strange narrow affair. My son did ask whether I had done any width by depth calculations? My bewildered expression lead him to comment it is quite good for a first attempt…

Well that is how I am going to look at it. I actually really enjoyed the criss-cross pattern and in the end I was quite proficient at square knots. Sat on the floor cross-legged knotting away with just the sound of the river in the background was quite therapeutic. I am still not convinced about my gathering knot and would certainly not want to carry anything heavy in it for fear the bottom gathering knot would give way! 😕

Anyway it is the perfect size to carry a bottle of wine…

So yes I will have another go but meanwhile chin chin 🍷…

Self-help #7

Sweaty Betty…

Not much crafting this week, like so many I have spent the week trying to keep cool. 35¤c on Thursday, that really is not on in good old Blighty. I have spent my time downing gallons of water and avoiding direct sunlight. Hands have been far too sweaty to knit, I did not want to make my wool all grubby. How do you manage to craft in warmer climes?🌞🌞🌞

The weather has changed today, much cooler and some rain. I have been out walking in the rain, a neighbour advised be careful not to catch a chill but really it was sensational feeling the cool rain on my skin. 🌧🌧🌧

So feeling much-better hydrated I am ready to tackle my stash bag again!

♡♡♡