A Little Collection Of Crochet Baby Hats

 Where did this week go! even though we are stuck indoors for most of the time here in the UK the time still goes far too fast for my liking.  How are you guys doing and how are you coping? I have discovered that if I have a routine and stick to it I can cope better and some part of that routine has got to have some kind of physical activity included into it.  

I'm so glad that I bought the treadmill it's been well used since I got it.  I put my Laptop onto a small table and place the small table on top of the big table so that the screen is eye level and watch something while I walk, it's great! I'm exercising without even realising it. It's also putting my Laptop to good use because although it's too slow to use for working online, it's fine for streaming TV and YouTube video's. 😀

The other thing that keeps me going is my crafts, I try to have a plan of the week, I set a little challenge for myself for the week ahead.  For this week I challenged myself to use up a ball and a bit of red yarn I had in my stash.

Red Baby Hats

These are needed in the neonatal units for babies who are at risk.  The traffic light system has been employed in many areas to ensure that the babies get the care that they need, you can read more about it here

We have had a request for a number of red hats as the units in some area's were running short, so I made these and will send them along with the Angel pockets.

I quite like making baby hats because they are so quick to make and  having made something, even a little something gives you a  sense of achievement.

I do get bored using one pattern so I have varied them by using some of my favourite patterns.   

Little Treasure Baby Hat  (Pattern to come)
to go with Little treasure Baby Blanket.

Pom Pom Baby Hat (pompoms yet to be added)

Lisha Baby Hat

Aiden Baby Hat

Magnus Baby Hat

Aimee Baby Hat 

This is what's left, just enough for a couple of pompoms.

The other Challenge I made for myself this week was to finish day four of the Twelve Days of Christmas sampler,  

As you can see it's almost done and I'll enjoy working on that this weekend.

I like the idea of working a small stitchery each month and I'm on the look out for something to make alongside the Twelve Days, I don't mind a small cross stitch project or an embroidery one, I have seen some that I love but they are very expensive, I'm not looking for a kit, a chart will do.  If anyone has any suggestions please shout out.

What are your plans this weekend? whatever they are have a good one.😘

Click here to see the parties I will be linking to this week.

A Sock finish and A Strange Disappearance

The sock knitting continues and I'm pleased to say that the socks I was making using left over yarn from the hat back here are finished.

I like to wear short socks inside my ankle boots and these are perfect for that. I did have the tiniest amount of yarn left over and I made a teeny knitted heart worked in the round.  It was fiddly and took me absolutely ages to make and quite a bit of pulling into shape but in the end I was happy with it's cuteness but it seems to have disappeared!  I hung it onto a door handle and it's not there anymore, I have searched high and low but it's not to be found anywhere.  I have to add here that this happens all the time, oh I can hear you saying yes it happens to all of us, but surely not as often as it does to me 🙈

I have a theory and please don't laugh or think I'm crazy, yes I know I am a bit crazy that much is obvious but not completely. My lovely friend Lydia passed away many years ago due to breast cancer. I loved Lydia to bits she was my oldest childhood friend but she was very naughty and always playing tricks.  The number of weird things that have happened to me since she passed away have been too many to mention. I can hear her laughing in my head when I'm on my hands and knees searching for something that was literally right in front of my nose just a minute ago. I'm sure the heart will reappear when I'm no longer needing it for it's photo shoot haha. 

The sock making continues..

I'm following Winwick Mums KAL and using her new knee high sock pattern, the yarn I'm using is from a cone 

I have had this cone yarn since way back here. I love the colours in it and have been saving it for the right project, I love how it's knitting up, there will be lots left over but as yet I have nothing planned for the rest so suggestions please 😀 As for the pattern it's easy enough just a basic sock but I find that getting the sizing right is a bit of a challenge, I found it was turning out far too wide so I have had to adapt the number of stitches  to accommodate that.  I think this first pair of knee highs will be a bit of a learning curve. 

More About Hearts 

I have a bit of a thing about hearts and like to collect them be it Valentines day or not, I have them all over my home.  Yesterday I started embroidering this

Something quite simple using the easiest of stitches, lazy daisy and French knots. I found the design here but I was spoilt for choice as there are so many free beautiful heart designs online. I traced it onto the fabric using my iPad as a backlight and a pencil, I find that the fabric pens I have used seem to fade quite quickly and I loose the design. I think I will swap the orange I have used for the centres to maybe lemon, gold or even white to provide a better contrast. I really enjoyed sewing that yesterday and I will be continuing with it this weekend.  

Thank you for all your feedback about air fryers it seems like they are very popular and most people that have them love them. I was shopping in Lidle the other day and guess what was in their specials aisle for the week? yes air fryers! I have never seen them in Lidle before, there was a huge pile of them tantalising me but I'm pleased to say I was able to resist because after some considerable thought, I already have a halogen oven and I use it for almost everything that you would use an air fryer for, the only thing that annoys me about it is, sometimes the switch clicks off while it's cooking so I have to place something heavy on the switch to prevent that happening.  I have to say the danger hasn't completely passed but for now I think I'm safe.😂

Now I promised you another gadget and here it is...

A neck hug! I had never heard of one until my friend Mary sent me a picture of one that she had bought.  I resisted for a bit as I had just bought a small lamp but finding the correct lighting for crafting is a bit of a challenge, I have tried all sorts and none are quite right, I have one that gives me a headache when I use it! Anyway this is ok, it's better than the little lamp I bought and is very handy, getting the light totally focused where you want it (even though it's very bendy) isn't easy but it's a strong light and  has quite a wide beam so it works.  I like it because it's rechargeable, some of them aren't so be careful if you decide to get one. I got this from Amazon here.

Well the sun is shinning today and it's very tempting to get out there and have a walk, it's still very cold and the wind makes it feel even colder, I think I'll hang out the washing and assess just how bad it is and then decide if it's treadmill or walk outdoors.

I hope you all have a lovely and safe weekend. 😘

Click here to see the parties I will be linking to next week.

Sad But Needed, Aching Knees and gadgets.

 The initial reason for starting this blog was to keep track of all the items I make for charity and because it's something I love to do there have been many.  My blog of course moved into other areas along the way but making things for charity has always been very high on my list of priorities.  

This past year because of COVID many charities can't accept donations and so I have had to take a bit of a step back and put a lot of the charity makes on hold.

There is one group which is still supplying items to neonatal units and I have been making some things for them. Just recently the group had a request from one of the ambulance services for 1000 Angel Pockets to be used for little Angels that have been miscarried on the way to hospital. Within the space of a few weeks the group have managed to fulfil the request and more than 1000 have been made already. 

They consist of a square and a triangle sewn on top to make the pocket. Which can be crochet, knitted or made from fabric.

Then a lining is sewn inside.  

They are quite quick and easy to make sewing the lining inside takes me longer than actually crocheting the squares. I have made four so far and will be making two more at the weekend which I can then send off to add to the grand total.

It's always sad making items for Angel babies but it gives great comfort to the Mothers to see their babies treated with dignity and sadly these items are in great demand.  

Maisie, one of the lovely residents sadly now diseased, who attended the Day Unit where I used to work saw me making one of these many years ago, she asked me what they were for and when I explained she started to cry. She said, you know love I lost a baby, I never saw it they just threw it in the bin. I remember I cried along with her and was so thankful that times have changed and these little Angels and their Mothers are now shown the respect they deserve.  

Aching Knees!

I have only myself to blame so I expect no sympathy.  I should have started slowly and built up but no, once that new treadmill had been assembled I was walking on it several times a day! I know it's just a novelty and it will wear off, in fact it had to wear off dramatically because now both my knees are very sore. 

I can hear you asking did you warm up first? and I have to say hanging my head in shame, no I didn't even though I know you should.

So I'm suffering and now looking into knee strengthening exercises online and there's lots to choose from.  I have to remember I'm an older lady now and my joints need to be treat with respect or they won't recover. I will try and be good from now on.

Thoughts for the weekend - Gadgets!

I love gadgets, and would try every single thing out there if it were possible, the only things holding me back are space and money. Someone has to just mention a gadget and say how good it is and I want one. I am using a new one at the moment which I will reveal next week once it's had a fair trial, but now there is something else for me to think about thanks to son number three. 

He has acquired an Air Fryer, I knew they existed of course but have never given them much thought.  I have a halogen oven which I use a lot and a slow cooker that I couldn't do without. I thought I could just pass it off and say oh that's nice son, but he has just showed me a photo of the first things he has cooked in it and it looks so tasty and succulent. I'm in danger! repeat to self, I don't need an air fryer, I don....

What gadgets have you got? do you love them? have you got an air fryer? what do you think?

Have a safe and cosy weekend xx

Click here to see the parties I will be linking to.

The Other Thing

 Well I knew that you would be dying to know what the other thing was that I'd bought haha so I'll keep you in suspense no longer! well I'll have to ramble on a bit to give you the reason behind the purchase. I know it seems a bit crazy to have bought this when I have lovely walks and a beach on my doorstep but truth be told and I know I have said this before, I am not a fan of cold weather, I am so impressed with those of you who can get out there in all weathers but I'm afraid when the temperature is below 5° I'm staying home.

It arrived last Friday on one of those cold and rainy days

Thankfully the delivery man lifted into the house for me.

I walked it into the lounge, unboxed it and there you are....

Did I have a job assembling it! it was nearly assembled apart from 6 screws, simple you think? well no way! the holes were out of alignment and trying to get those screws in straight took me the best part of two hours I kid you not. I am quite determined to say the least and I always manage in the end no matter how long it takes.  

This is the second treadmill I have owned, the first was bought back 2015.  That treadmill was amazing and I used it a lot but when I moved house it had to go because at the time it was far too big to fit into my new house, since then I have had the conservatory built on and that is where my new one is going to live,

As with the All In One PC there was lots of  online research went into the purchase of this and I found that it was impossible for me to get one with everything I wanted, namely...

• Motorized
• Automatic incline
• Five star reviews
• Foldable 
• Within budget

I thought I had found one until I did the measurements and realised that it would take up far too much space so I had to compromise, it was impossible for me to find one with an incline for the size that I needed so mine has a slight permanent incline which I found is fine.

First impressions are very good, it works well and it's lovely to have a walk in your conservatory whilst watching the birds in your garden while the rain lashes down and the wind blows a gale but doesn't affect you one little bit. 

Once again I have to thank my lovely family, this time it was my daughter who said look into your bank account Mother and there was enough for me to buy this, another amazing Christmas present, I'm so lucky!

As I have said with the PC I now consider myself an expert on Treadmills if anyone is thinking of buying one and needs some advice or more information about this one please just leave a comment with your email and I'll get back to you.

A friend trying it out 😀

Have a Lovely week😘

A Good Start To The New Year.

 The Search

When my trusty eight year old Laptop began to slow down (truth be told it's been very slow since windows 10 was introduced and downloaded in 2015) to the point where I would switch it on then go have a shower get dressed and make a cuppa while it warmed up and pulled itself together, I realised maybe I need a new one.  I love my Laptop it was top spec when I bought it and it has a 17" screen which is great when you have as much to do online as I have.  Anyway then it began to freeze and some of the letters and numbers stopped working unless I banged hard on the keys. 

I decided at that point to look for a new one and spent hours researching and comparing prices. There seem to be very few places where you can physically go and look at Laptops which I think is essential when you intend to spend a large amount of money, it has to be right. I eventually found my way to Curry's and was quite disheartened when I saw the prices and the size of the screens the most popular seems to be 14" which is far too small for my needs even 15" seemed small to me after using a 17" I discovered that 17" screens were few and what was available was far too expensive for the specifications of the Laptop. Then I turned round and fell in love....

 The All In One PC who new! I certainly didn't know such things existed, to me a pc came with a big ugly tower but no more my friends no more.  You can still get them with a tower of course but the all in one pc consists of just a screen and keyboard, the tower part being built into the back of the screen and screen sizes vary in size from small to 27" I was like a kid in a candy store I have to tell you, I spent ages looking at various screens and scrutinising specifications.  

There followed further online research and discussions with son number one and number three, their help being invaluable but those young people who have brilliant eyesight and have to carry their work with them are quite happy with 14" screened Laptops, each to their own I say. Son number three may be far away in Qatar but he is always at the end of a WhatsApp chat whenever I need him, said look in your bank account Mother and get the best you can afford, well I did and I did! bless him my Christmas pressy was a huge amount of cash which added to the amount that I had already saved, enabled me to buy exactly what I wanted. Of course I had to take some photos of this historic event....

The Arrival and hello Gary!

The Unboxing

but

Setting Up

It arrived on Christmas Eve and I have been playing with it ever since. You switch it on and it's there! I didn't realise just how slow my laptop had become until I got this, to say I'm in love would be an understatement. With all the research I have done on Laptops and All In One PCs I now consider myself an expert so if you are considering buying a new one just fire away with your questions 😉😆

On to other things...

I have bought something else for which I did lots of research but it hasn't arrived yet so I will reveal what at a later date.

Christmas..

I did meet up with family for Christmas, we were all invited to son number two, it was lovely to get together again after so long and thankfully we are all ok.  It was lovely to see his new house for the first time.  It was also son number one's birthday and  my daughter in law made this cake for him, he is crazy about chess and he and son number two have an online game of chess on the go all the time.

It was a shame to cut into it but we did and it tasted yummy.

New Years Resolutions 

I am making none because I never keep them, but here are some thoughts but nothing is written in stone, plans can change at anytime..

• I have decided to get back to my charity knitting and crochet which I think I've neglected a bit of late mostly because a lot of charities weren't accepting donations but there are still some who are so I'll focus on making things for them. 
• I want to get fitter, sitting at a keyboard for long periods at a time can't be good for you.
• Try and blog more often so that I'm not cramming everything into one post, I'm sure readers must get bored halfway through.

The Ten Days Of Christmas

I have to thank Jo once again for sending these lovely little packages, it made those ten days of Christmas extra special, I loved opening a little package every day to find those little skeins of yarn and goodies within.  I have to say the edible goodies were consumed almost as soon as I cast my eyes upon them.  

I just love those colours! I will have to think of something extra special to make with them.

After the excitement of making the Christmas cushions there hasn't been a whole lot going on in the crafting area, I did manage to finish the hat with the Sock yarn I mentioned back here, it turned out ok..

 I don't suit it so it will be sent to a charity and someone will benefit from it's warmth.  I used this pattern which was so easy and straight forward and I will be using it again as it comes in lots of different sizes.  It only used 45 grams of yarn and I am making ankle socks with what's left over....

This is the first sock, still on the subject of socks, have you seen this Winterhaven KAL I'm joining in and it starts tomorrow the pattern for it should be out later today, I can't wait. More about this and other things next time, let me know if you are joining in.😊

Have a safe and cosy weekend.😘

Click here to see all the great parties I will be linking to.