April Stash-buster review.

Hello fellow stash-busters and welcome to the April review!  Thank you all for getting into the spirit of things and making this challenge so much fun.  Have you seen all the beautiful projects that have been made this month? if not why not visit the April stash-buster  link party now, there is so much talent and inspiration amongst you all. 

Hurry! you have just today to add all those April projects, the collection will end at 10 pm this evening.

Here are the projects that got the most clicks in March

Kathy's Cushion

Julia's Blanket

Tammy's Owls

Erin's Baby hat and tie

The ladies of loving hands have been busy again this month, here are just some of the beautiful things they have made for various charities.

Pat A

Helen

The stash-buster challenge is on going and it's never too late to join just leave Ana or myself a comment and we will add you to the list.  There are 125 of us stash-busting so far.

If you are counting please leave me your totals in the comment section here and I will update them for you.

My totals for this month are 683 grams and I have to confess I did buy some yarn, but it was for a couple of special projects I have in mind.

Upcoming in May 
I have a new crocheting book I want to show you and I'm dying to make some of the lovely projects out of it.

I'm also going to try to make something for myself with some of the yarn I have bought.

I have started working on my blanket again...yes that's right the one that I was supposed to complete last November!...remember this.

also lots of stash-busting idea's

What are your stash-busting plans for May?

I am going on a trip up to Scotland with some friends later this week, so for the rest of this week I will be catching up with all your blogs and updating your stash-busting totals....so I will see you guys when I get back....be good while I'm gone! haha

Look out for the new May Link Party it will start bright and early on Tuesday 7th May!

Check out how much stash has been busted here!

The Monday Smile

Good Morning and happy Monday everyone!

You just have to smile, who would be a teacher! 

Have a great week! 

here

Something for the weekend

Baby Hats 3

Making something so quick and easy always makes me happy, I like to put aside my bigger projects and make something small just so that I can feel that I am actually achieving something.

Then I can get back to those long term projects with more enthusiasm.

I'm alternating with Knit and crochet so it's knitted hats this time.

The pattern for these hats can be found here and are from new born size up to two years.
They took just 20g of yarn each.

From the stash of little bits

Have a great weekend! 

Red and Cream for a little lady.

Sweet Little Granny Tunic Dress 

 I fell in love with this little dress as soon as I saw it on Ana's blog Days of Yarning. 

It's so sweet don't you think? We all love things granny so a granny dress is a perfect project in my eyes.  I took this to work to do because I knew we were going to be quiet that day.  I started it at 10 30 am and worked on it on and off between busy periods making sure that my boss wasn't watching of course ( don't tell ! ) and I finished it off at home at around 6 pm.  My daughter popped in after work and fell in love with it as soon as her eye's rested on it, so you know where it's going don't you?..... it's another one for the granny drawer. :)

Back View

You can find the pattern here

Mine is a larger version and I adapted it a little.
I think it would fit a 3 to 4 year old.
It took 136 grams of Dk yarn and I used a 5.00 mm hook.


Thank you Ana for the inspiration!

The Monday Smile

Good morning and happy Monday to all you lovely people!  
One of the ladies from Loving Hands posted this last week and I just had to share.

I think it's great, it certainly made me smile, :)

Have a great week !

here

Something for the weekend

Little shell top and hat

Made with the softest of baby yarn in a delicate shade of Apricot.

and a cute little hat to match

You will love making this little set and you can do it in one evening.

A free pattern and very easy to follow, using Dk weight yarn and a 4 mm hook

The top is newborn baby size and took 64 grams of yarn and the hat 19 grams that's 83 grams of stash busted. 

made from the baby wool stash 

                                             


         Next week a cute little something in red and cream :)     





Have a great Weekend!                                                                      

Rainbow Babies

It so long since I made any toys I had forgotten just how much work was involved in the making of them.

These cute little dolls took me ages to make because there are so many parts to them.  Luckily the legs, head and body are just one piece. Then two arms, a hat and a scarf, simple! nothing to it you may say and yes knitting the little pieces is simple enough but then..... you have to assemble, sew, stuff, and sew again, not mention the embroidering of the features, not something I am very good at, it usually involves me pulling out and trying again and again.

So why put myself through this you might ask? well it's for a very good cause, one of the members of Loving Hands has had an appeal from her contact in Gambia who has stressed how much the children would love knitted toys. 

Please don't let my ramblings put you off if you would like to make some too, the pattern is incredibly easy and almost fool proof, it tells you exactly where and how to sew on on all the little bits and pieces.

You must admit they are incredibly sweet but I have to say I do think that four is my limit.

   
 Wouldn't it be lovely for each child to have a toy :)

If you would like to make some too please email me and I will give you a UK address  where you can send them.

You can find the pattern here

These cute little babies took 20 grams of yarn each (before stuffing) 

made from my... what's left in the bag stash

                                                                                     the bag is almost empty!

The Monday Smile

Good morning all you lovely people, here we are the middle of April already, the time does fly.  I was looking forward to some nice weather this week-end and luckily I did manage to get out into the garden for a while on Saturday and do some much needed clearing up, Sunday however was very windy and rainy, my garden bins were blown over and all the mess I cleared up on Saturday has to be cleared up again! :(       but wait this is the Monday smile right? and I am smiling because that awful bitter cold weather has gone and it's warmer outside...long may it last!






Hope this makes you Smile :)

An old man and woman were married for many years.

Whenever there was a confrontation, yelling could be heard deep into the night.

 The old man would shout, "When I die, I will dig my way up and out of the grave and come back and haunt you for the rest of your life!"


 Neighbors feared him.

                              

The old man liked the fact that he was feared.

 To everyone's relief, he died of a heart attack when he was 98.

  His wife had a closed casket at the funeral.

After the burial, her neighbors, concerned for her safety, asked    "Aren't you afraid that he may indeed be able to dig his way out of the grave and haunt you for the rest of your life?"

      
 The wife said, "Let him dig. I had him buried upside down.

            And I know he won't ask for directions."
 

Have a lovely week everyone!

 

here

   

Something for the weekend.

Baby Hats 2
The making of baby hats continues quietly in the background.

There's just something magical about picking up a little ball of wool, one that you thought would probably be far too small to do anything with and turning it into something as cute as this.

This is a super easy pattern, unfortunately the original pattern page link doesn't work but  I have it so if you would like a copy just leave me a comment and I will email it to you. You can find pictures of the hat along with some cute little booties here

These little hats took just 33 grams of yarn each, even less if you leave off the pompom. 

From the stash of little bits

Have a great weekend everyone! 

Baby Hats 1

Child's Fun Top and a Giveaway!

This is another cute little top that I have had on my to do list for a while.

Made with eight strips of granny squares which are joined as you go, each strip is then crocheted together to make the skirt.  The bodice is crocheted from the top of the skirt upwards, then the sleeves are made separately and sewn into place.
I embellished the bodice with a simple flower

The flower
magic circle
10 sc into circle, join with ss to 1st sc
10 ch, ss into beg ss, ss into next sc
*10 ch, ss into same sc, ss into next sc* to end 

The dress is in five sizes from age two years to ten.

I made the smallest size which turned out smaller than the pattern because I used finer yarn.  

It took 126 grams of Dk wool

you can find the free pattern here

Now for the Giveaway!

Shari from Kashmere Kisses is giving away a super sweet little handmade bunny and more!

why not pop over to her lovely blog and read all about it :)

The Monday Smile

Good morning everyone I hope that you have all enjoyed your Easter break now it's back to normal with another full working week ahead so I think we need cheering up don't you?

 Church Bulletins 1

These sentences actually appeared in church bulletins or were announced in church services:

• The Fasting & Prayer Conference includes meals.

• The sermon this morning: 'Jesus Walks on the Water.'The sermon tonight:'Searching for Jesus.'

• Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands.

• Don't let worry kill you off - let the Church help.

• Miss Charlene Mason sang 'I will not pass this way again,' giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.

• For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.

• Next Thursday there will be try-outs for the choir. They need all the help they can get.

• A bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the church hall. Music will follow..

• At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be 'What Is Hell?' Come early and listen to our choir practice.

• Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.

• Scouts are saving aluminium cans, bottles and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children. 

Hope you all have a great week and see you soon! :)

here

Fun with Granny Squares

We all love granny squares they are such fun to make and so versatile, you can play around with colour and size combinations.

Granny squares are another great way of using up your bits and pieces and the good thing about granny squares is you never forget how to make them so if you are sitting and at a loose end maybe even between projects not sure what to do next, get out your oddments of yarn and hook some of these little babies while you ponder on your next project.

I can guarantee you will find a use for them, have a special granny basket or bag and just place your squares in there once they are done, eventually you will have enough to make a Afghan, lap-rug or cushion.

Remember squares are also needed for a great number of charities

These square have gone to  Lily (love in the language of yarn) this great group is based in Turkey and Jordan, they join the squares into blankets for Syrian refugees Lily was founded by Dianne you can read more about their great work on her lovely blog  and on their Facebook page here                                                          

It was lovely to see that they have received my squares already, there they were, all beautifully photographed on the Facebook page it's nice to think that my ' what's left in the bag stash' will help someone who has had to flee from their home with only the clothes they stand up in. I will of course be making more because every square helps. :)

These are eight inch granny squares made with a 4.50 mm hook and they weighed in at 152 grams.