Fingers crossed that this is the first of many ..
As I have already said friends and family gifted me some very mindful gifts for Christmas 🎄
And as I have already said I received a sampler from Aldi
So so far I have done : quite a few French knots; satin stitch; stem stitch; back stitch and blanket stitch.
This takes me back forty years and I have to say I am enjoying the memories of working on printed linen.
Mindfully yours and woolly wishes,
Jane ♡♡♡
January 2022 is almost over…
A belated Happy New Year. It has been a while, my WordPress subscription paid and I’ve done nothing with it! That’s what I usually do with gym subscriptions 😉
I got a bit overwhelmed towards the end of last year. Too many hours at work, the pile of WIPs became very daunting and everything seemed to be going backwards regarding the pandemic. But I’ve taken steps to sort myself out! I’m in the process of reducing my hours and responsibilities, I’ve taken up Yin Yoga which is helping me to focus and I have taken a look at the WIP s. 🤔
I also had some crafty gifts for Christmas to help me be more mindful
This came from Aldi from their make and mend range. It’s a printed little sampler but many of the stitches can be used to mend clothing – very clever! I am a huge fan of make-do and mend. So I have started on this, takes me back over forty years when my sister and I used attempt embroidering place mats and napkins 😉
So I hope to report progress soon and start whittling down my WIPs.
Woolly wishes,
Jane ♡♡♡
Buzz buzz buzz busy little bee 🐝
I’m still dabbling with crochet and have been trying out amigurumi. I have made these little bees using a pattern from Hannah Cooper. Amigurumi creatures are fun and very sweet but they are quite a faff. A lot of fiddling around for hours to produce a tiny creature🤔
They haven’t even made a big dent in my stash🐝🐝🐝. However, they have taken up all my focus so great little mindfulness activity 👍
I did try posing them in my honeysuckle but the yellow one had a bit of a nose dive! Anyway back to my dabbling. Hope everyone has a lovely weekend.
Woolly wishes,
Jane ♡♡♡
Or Storage Wars…
I have taken to crocheting little baskets as a means of de-stressing. There is a bit of a history in basket making and the troubled mind. In the grim days of institutions for those suffering with their mental health a key therapy was basket weaving! Admittedly they were proper baskets made with willow not my woolly numbers.
The multi-colour jumble contains 3 storeage baskets.
If nothing else my double crochet stitches are improving and I have worked out counting for the round. I have used aran weight yarn from the stash and a 4mm hook to give a tighter weave.
Over the weeks I have made quite a few of these and now I am running out of things to put in them 😄
Woolly wishes,
Jane ♡♡♡
Gosh what a lot of rain ☔☔☔
I have just read through my May posts as my brain seems to be a bit of a blank as to May mayhem!
On the whole I had quite a productive month and finally finished the cable knit WIP WIP HOORAY! But that means I am on the look out for a new project to get my teeth into😄
I’m still interested in bags and storeage which has been a fun way to improve my stitch knowledge. My efforts have been quite organic as I have been making the shape up as I go along so I only need to concentrate on the stitches – very mindful!
And I am still making woolly covers for jam and pickle jars to turn them into attractive desk tidies 😉
And my really exciting news I have some of my items are for sale at a local craft hub HS ART 😊
So the new month sees me on the look out for a new project…
Woolly wishes,
Jane ♡♡♡
a cosy cuppa…
Handicrafts and gardening are both good ways of looking after your mental health especially when the sun is out 🌝
I had a little knitting kit for Christmas to make a mug cosy. It was aimed at beginners but you know me…
The kit contained full instructions, some divine wool and these super cute chunky knitting needles, they are just so dinky 😉 The cosy is just done in garter stitch and because it’s a chunky yarn grows really quickly.
Now after my mindful bit of knitting, I really enjoyed the feel of the wool and handling those dinky chunky needles I put my cosy on a mug and made myself a cuppa. I took my cuppa outside and potted a few primulas to make my garden pretty.
And my cuppa stayed nice and warm in its little coat 😚
Woolly wishes,
Jane ♡♡♡
A winter walk 🌫🌫🌫
The big announcement that most of us were expecting was made last night – another lockdown to contain and control COVID!
I have worked from home today doing admin. Not one of my strong points!! However I did take a break at lunch time for a walk. I didn’t want to leave it until I had finished because it would be dark and very cold.
The river is slowly going down.
The gulls are all lined up on the riverside railings. I don’t know if that means that the weather is bad on the coast or that they are too well-fed inland? Probably the latter!!! I lived in Morecambe (an English seaside town) when I was a student and this reminds me of Morecambe in the winter, no one around and lots of gulls waiting for some unsuspecting soul to get takeaway fish and chips😮
Finally I had a walk around Jubilee Gardens and just look at this rose in winter – very Beauty and the Beast!
So a bit more admin and then I can get back to my knitting. Still plodding on with my Christmas knits, so tempting to start something new – I really do have the attention span of a gnat – but if I do the Christmas gifts will be written off until next year so plod on Jane 😄
Woolly wishes,
Jane ♡♡♡
Casting on for Christmas 🎄🎄🎄
Christmas is going to be very different this year. Even before the government’s big announcement we had decided to postpone the festivities until Easter when, hopefully, it will be safer to get together with family. N’s granddaughter will be one, so loads of fun getting into everything😉
I will, of course, be knitting for Christmas. Any gifting will be done via the post. Deliveries will probably be both sides of the big day, depending on how I get my act together.
N and I are planning a nice dinner which will be dropped off at his parents’ kitchen door. Hopefully it will be a dry day so that we don’t get soaked chatting in the garden. Our priority is keeping our oldies safe.
Being mindful and filling my head with stitching patterns.
Woolly wishes,
Jane ♡♡♡
Being mindful in a muddle…
I believe those of us who knit have such an advantage in these uncertain times. An hour or so knitting before bedtime certainly clears the fog in my brain that has built up during the day. The night before last, for one reason or another, I ran out of time and didn’t manage a single stitch before bedtime and what a rotten night’s sleep or lack of sleep I had. I tossed and turned with all the trials and tribulations of the day running through my head. I went to work on auto-pilot yesterday. I had a good night last night – down to the hour and a half knitting beforehand but still feel a bit drained from the night before 😴
I am working on the chunky cardi. The back and left side are complete and I have just placed the pocket on the right front. Love this stitch sequence worked over ten rows, not too complicated but just enough to keep rhe mind occupied. And the chunky yarn knits up so quickly 😉
But like so many of you I like to have a few projects on the go – the pink Guernsey is ready to be sewn up so that has been put to one side for the moment and the KAL tends to be done at work as small and slips in my bag – so I have been looking around for something else to do.
The pattern is for a cowl but the sequence worked involves knotting pieces of work together. Lots of holding stitches on needles or holders and cable needle so I could get in a right pickle but nothing ventured nothing gained🤔
And added bonus you need to have a couple of extra small balls of wool to join in on your work so I have spent an hour this morning on a tangle from my stash and not or knot to worry if I couldn’t undo the mess I could use the scissors 🤗 although I will not enjoy sewing in all the ends if I complete it. But yarn from the stash bag so no extra expense!!!
Woolly wishes,
Jane ♡♡♡
Falling off the wagon…
Since Lockdown and the ensuing restrictions I have been so good 👼 Other than the wool for the Let’s Knit KAL and some freebie packs of wool I have not been adding to the stash. In fact everything that I have made has originated from the stash she says ever so righteously 🤗
However, this week I have bought some chunky yarn to make an ever so comfy chunky cardi, well that’s what it says on the pattern!!!
Worked over 10 rows there is just enough to keep the mind occupied and isn’t it great how quickly chunky weight knits up – instant gratification 😉
And why aren’t I using yarn from my stash? For the simple reason I am not a fan of chunky yarn as a rule so don’t get tempted. Aran weight is my main weakness! However I saw this pattern and as there isn’t a vaccination yet for COVID looks like a lot of time will be spent in well-ventilated locations this winter so best be prepared with something woolly 😄
Woolly wishes,
Jane ♡♡♡
WOOLLY WEDNESDAY 