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.

A Finish, A CAL and Another Rant.

 The Finish

I'm pleased to announce that I have finished this little embroidery yay!

I really enjoyed sewing this, trying to get the creases out of the material in order to frame it was a bit of a challenge, it's not perfect but it's fine for me. I searched high and low for a square frame and found this one in The Range it's a perfect size and I think the picture looks charming hanging on my landing wall.

I was going to make more of these little stitcheries but have decided to concentrate my stitching endeavours on The Twelve Days of Christmas Sampler for now. 

I try to sew a little bit every day it's fun to see the picture slowly emerging I think I will sew another pear today maybe even two and that D looks lonely on it's own.😊 

If you want to join in and sew this with Jo and myself you can find her post telling you all about it here. 

My work on the Queen CAL continues and I'm almost halfway there, I have gone from loving it to hating it then accepting it for what it is.  I'm not fond of some of the colours and am having to think outside my usual preferences, we tend to stick to colours we like the most but this set of colours was set by the designer and I went with that rather than stretch my brain and choose the colours myself. 

I have to remember that this blanket is not for me and I'm hoping that the person it's intended for will like them and they do seem to be very fashionable colours right now.

The CAL

I have found yet another beautiful CAL feast your eyes on this......

Wow! I like it even more than this one I told you about here, it seems like the designers of mosaic crochet are trying to outdo each other right now, I need more months to be inserted into the year from now to Christmas another 6 should do it haha and yes of course I want to make this one too.  the details are here and the pattern is discounted till the end of the CAL but you can get a smaller free version. 

I will add this to my post about Mosaic Crochet 

The Rant

My Scan result came back clear I'm pleased to say and I was quite impressed at the speed the results came back, just over a week! However I was not impressed that it was the receptionist that relayed the result to me and not the GP, when I asked the receptionist if I could speak to the GP about the result she seemed quite surprised, she said if you want to talk to the GP you will have to make an appointment on Friday morning this was Monday! so now you have to wait 4 days before you can even make an appointment, what is happening to the NHS! I get it we have Covid but GPs are hiding behind their computer screens instead of getting people in and giving them a proper examination. A negative result is not the end of the story, if someone is still displaying symptoms they need further tests. 

It's not going to happen now is it, I had to practically beg for the scan, so the plan of action is no action for now, wait for this Covid madness to abate then change GPs and tell them what investigations I need, yes I mean tell them because in all honesty most of them haven't got a clue I feel sorry for those who have no medical background and are going without the treatment they need because of the Doctors incompetence. 

On a lighter note I bought this the other day

I can't stand a runny white in a boiled egg, a friend told me about this little gadget and said he has a perfect boiled egg every time he uses it so I will be trying it out today, in these days of local lockdowns we have to find our entertainment where ever we can haha I'll let you know if it works. 

Have a great weekend and stay safe. 😘