Just where has...

...January gone to?

I can't believe that we are here at the 29th of the month already - another few days and we will be in February. Gosh how time flies.

2018 has started in a rather hectic manner. Work has been a madhouse and commuting has been 'delightful' (NOT). Quite a bit of crafting has been going on but I really need to get the camera back into use - at the moment I seem to be completing bits but because the lighting is so awful nothing is getting photographed.

I've managed to organise myself right through until the end of October so that I can have Fridays off. This means that I can continue with my parchment classes which I am really enjoying.

Before Christmas I attended some of Andy Pearson's (Pinnacle Crafts) Saturday workshops where we got to play with Pan Pastels and Inks - all nice and messy and not the sort of thing that I tend to do at home. The camera did get forgotten most of the time but here are a couple of the cards that were made...

...it is lovely making a mess and seeing what results from it.

Lots of knitting & crochet has been going on and I'm pleased to say that I've made a great start on the Christmas gifts (don't groan). Christmas card making needs to pick up pace a bit but at least I've made a start...so you never know...I might have them all done & dusted well before Christmas.

Ooooo, was that a flock of pigs flying past the window.......................................................

The Poppy Appeal...

...and a bit more fundraising.

After having sent 150 mini hats to "Innocent" to help support this year's AgeUK fundraising, our Craft & Chatter group decided to make a start on some Poppies.

Patterns were obtained from a variety of sources (all supporting the Appeal) and we made a start.

Here are some photos of my early efforts...

 ...but since then I've become a little more adventurous ...

...and even made a few double layered ones.

I have more photos that need to be up loaded but to be honest, it hasn't been easy getting photos of the fabulous selection that everyone has produced as most of the poppies have sold before they even got to go on display.

Last week we officially put the poppies on sale to the folk in the office and on the first day the display was left almost bare. Resulting in the poppy 'fairies' working overtime to meet demand.

So...sorry for the lack of posts lately but as you can see there has been a good reason.

We have raised £140 so far due to the generosity of the folk in our building.

With the exception of the broach pins all the yarn has come from people's stash - along with an assortment of buttons.

Isn't it amazing how valuable all those crafting scraps can be................................................

150 Little hats...

...will be winging their way to join the BIG knit.

From 11 May 2017 until Friday 14 July 2017 our Craft & Chatter group have produced 150 mini hats for 'innocent smoothies' to place on their bottles this Autumn.

This was the colourful heap that I turned out onto the table...

...so that I could count what we had made.
I even managed to add a  "4th of July" hat...

 ...actually knitted on the 4th of July.
Just look at all these pretty colours...

 ...don't they look cheerful.
"Ollie" octopus managed to join the collection...

...just in time for the big send off.

This batch will be heading off later this week to add to the ones donated by folk all around the country - here's hoping that the target of 2 million hats has been reached/exceeded.

As a group we have decided to continue with these fun little knits so that we can see just how many we can have ready for next year's event.

These little hats don't take long to knit and help to use up all those little bits of yarn that we crafters can never throw away (although I admit I did buy some more yarn when some pretty colours took my eye LOL). So I'd better keep those needles handy and busy - perhaps we can manage two boxes full by next year...................................................

Today is our weekly...

..."Craft & Chatter" at work.

We will be doing a count up of the mini hats made so far.

At last weeks gathering we had a display table of the different types of craft that folk have been doing. This was in sup[port of a "Health & Wellbeing" event that was being held in the building and there were various talks & stalls set up in different parts of the office.

There were examples of cardmaking as well as the knitting & crochet...

...with a selection of seasonal and general cards...

 ...the mini hats were very popular...

 ...and the basic knitted squares seemed to prompt a few folk to consider getting their needles out...

 ...but surprisingly, these Christmas cards with images of the Bugaboo character "JJ"...

...seemed to catch more attention and we may have a few folk join us to make a few cards.

It will be interesting to see how many 'new' folk turn up for the group today.

In the meantime, the knitting needles are still clicking away and we will have to see what our total number of mini hats has reached as we will be packaging them up next week to send off.....................

Not all ideas...

..actually work.

Whilst others do.

I wasn't sure about the "Minion" but other folk seem to think he is fine...

 ...and the "Ghost" (free pattern found on line by a friend) worked beautifully but a colleague suggested knitting a "TARDIS" (the Dr Who telephone box). This wasn't such a success a) because I didn't have the right shade of blue b) because the TARDIS is square and the innocent smoothie bottles are round so it looks rather distorted. Ho-hum...at least it is another hat to add to the collection.

Innocent Smoothies stated they wanted to achieve 2 million mini hats this year which means they would be donating £500,000 to Age UK to boost funds that help elderly vulnerable folk deal with heating issues during the colder months of the year. Around mid-May they said they had reached approx. 1.2 million (the deadline for submitting the hats is end of July).

Our "Craft & Chatter" group at work will be well over the 100 mark by mid-July when we will be packing them up and sending them on their way.

Here are a few more that have been added to the collection...

 ...the one with the multi-coloured bobbles at the back seemed like a good idea at the time LOL - let's just say there will not be a second one knitted.
The collection box is filling up nicely...

...and the good thing is, folk are getting to use up all those odds and ends of yarn that they have hanging around the place (you all know how we crafters don't like to throw anything away).

I've now cracked the 100 mark for little hats and will be keen to see just how many my final total amounts to when we have to send them off.

Our group have said that this has been quite a bit of fun and some of them may continue in between other projects so that we get a head start for next year.....................................

I've knitted...

...ninety-one mini hats; so far.

The total currently stands at 94 hats, three of which have been made by colleagues (one by Heather, one by Pam and one by Kristian). Lynn has been knitting away and promises her finished items when she has attached some bobbles and Francis has been knitting little character hats that just need some googly eyes attached.

I thought I'd done about 70...

 ...and just kept adding the finished ones to the box.
These little hats are so easy to knit - perfect for an evening in front of the TV...

 ...and the basic pattern can be 'played' with to create all sorts of designs. Here are a bunch of 'bell flowers'...

 ...in a variety of different colours.
Yesterday I added a few more hats to the box and decided to tip out the contents...

 ...this was the pile and it was quite a surprise to find just how many I have knitted over the past few weeks.
I had a go at making a 'Minion' type hat...

...but it didn't come out as I wanted (a touch of leaky elbow syndrome). Still, it's another hat for the collection.

We are aiming to send our hats off by the middle of July so there should be plenty of time for me to break that 100 mark......................................................................

The little hat collection...

...is growing.

I had a bit of a play over the weekend - after all, despite it being a Bank Holiday weekend there wasn't a great deal to watch on the TV of an evening.

So the knitting needles were busy and I made around 20 little hats...

 ...two of my 'plays' are shown in the photo on the bottles.
The yellow & green and the blue & white were a couple more...

...they were sewn up at this week's "Knit & Natter".

Some of the other folk in the group have been making hats too but they also need to get them sewn.

The knitting part seems to be quite quick & easy but we are all less than enthusiastic about the sewing LOL

Still, we seem to be doing well and hope to have a good collection completed and ready to send off by the middle of July.

I'm looking forward to seeing how much of the box we manage to fill.............................................

We're joining in with...

...the BIG knit.

Each year the company who make 'innocent smoothies' here in the UK have a drive to raise money for "Age Concern". This money helps to provide the elderly with the means to keep warm during the Winter months.

For those of you who live here in the UK you will be familiar with the sight of bottles of smoothies sitting on the shelves in the stores, wearing little knitted or crochet hats - and some of these can be quite ornate. The 'hatted' bottles usually hit the stores around Autumn and for every bottle with a hat sold, 'innocent' will donate 25p to Age Concern.

This year they want to put 2 million bottles out there with hats - so far they have received in excess of 1 million but the deadline is closing in (hats have to be with 'innocent by 31 July).

I received an email reminding me about the deadline so I asked the "Knit & Natter"/"Craft & Chatter" group if they wanted to make some hats that we could send off for the cause - they said yes.

Here are a few that I have made...

 ...nothing overly fancy but I'm going for numbers.
We have a collecting box so that others in the office can contribute...

...even if they don't attend the craft group.

If you knit/crochet, why not have a go too. There are lots of free patterns on the Internet - along with details of where to send the completed hats. These little makes are a great way of using up all those scraps of wool for a good cause.

Sitting here chatting isn't getting things done so I'd better get back to the needles.............................

Knit & Natter...

...has become a bit more "Craft & Chatter".

The knitting & crochet are still going strong...

...as you can see from this beanie hat that has been completed on a knitting loom. However, we now have quite a few folk pop in just for a bit of 'colouring in'...

 ...often for just 10 or 20 mins but they are enjoying being able to get away from their desks to do something a little creative.
Most folk who come along to knit have their own projects that they are working on but over the months we have managed to complete these squares...

...and there are another two almost finished so we will have our first cot blanket completed by the group. The squares tend to be something that folk 'pick up' out of our supplies box to do if they have forgotten to bring their own project with them.

The group is continuing well and it is lovely to see that we have some regulars as well as a few folk who only pop in now and then. It was well worthwhile starting this group and so lovely seeing what folk have made over the time that we have been meeting.............................................................

A stitch...

...in time.

I said that I'd done some more crochet over the Easter weekend...

 ...isn't this yarn pretty. The green & lemon combination is perfect for the season.
The knitting needles got a fair bit of exercise too...

 ...with this yarn being more for the Autumn. Such a lovely 'Fall'  combo of shades...

...even when fuzzy photos are taken LOL.

I really wasn't going to buy any more yarn until I had used up more of my stash but these were a temptation I just couldn't resist...................................................

Sunny days...

...chilly nights.

We have been really lucky the last couple of weeks. The weather has been very kind.

It seems quite strange seeing folk out & about in t-shirts & shorts during March/April.

Mornings have been quite chilly and often foggy and yes, we have had the odd spot of quite heavy rain...but on the whole things have been rather lovely. Lovely enough to switch the heating off.

However, later evening time I have been tempted to put it back on a couple of times but this is where my current crochet project has been a boon.

Using a variegated yarn in shades of blue with a hint of lemon, I have been making a throw for my bed...

 ...and as you can see, it currently covers the top of the double bed...

 ...but needs to be a bit bigger so that it hangs over the sides. The colours are really pretty...

 ...and I love the effect created by the random shading of the yarn.
This is the bundle folded...

...and I can assure you that it has quite a bit of weight to it.

With the evenings still being a bit on the cool side it is lovely to snuggle under this lovely soft blanket as I continue to crochet around the edge. No chance of feeling cold under this lot.

Today is our knit & natter group at work and the blanket will not be going with me as it is now far too big to carry easily to & fro on a commuter train. So I have a newly started blanket to take and a few little knitting items to get stuck into.

The weather tis morning is very bright but a lot cooler than it has been. Let's hope we don't get the suggested snow for Easter....................................................................

When did 'creme' eggs...

...get so small?

I wanted something quick & easy that the "Knit & Natter" folk could make as fun items ready for Easter and this is what I came up with...

 ...a little knitted egg-cosy made into a character by adding some big eyes. Inside the cosy & eggcup would be an Easter treat...

...but it came as quite a shock when I popped the chocolate egg into the eggcup - it disappeared right down inside **frowny-face**. Gosh they really have shrunk over recent years (but the price hasn't).

Still, the general idea was sound.

The folk at "Knit & Natter" loved the idea and have been merrily making little hats to decorate so they can hide them around for the kids/grandkids to have an Easter hunt over the coming holiday.

I found packs of assorted coloured plastic eggcups at my local bargain store - a pack of 4 was just £1 and there were blue/pink/green/purple. Their suppliers sometimes pack them as 4 colours to a pack or 2 colours to a pack so it depends on what they have as to what I can get.

The cosy uses very little yarn so is a great way of using up any scraps that you have.

You need DK (double knit) yarn and 4mm knitting needles.

Cast on 30 stitches.
Knit 4 rows in garter stitch (each row is knit/plain stitch).
Then starting with a knit/plain row...
Knit 10 rows stocking stitch (alternating - one row knit/plain, one row pearl).
Next row, knit 2 stitches together right across the row - this leaves you with 15 stitches.
Next row pearl.
Next row, knit 2 stiches together until the last odd stitch which just gets knitted - you now have 8 stitches.
Next row, pearl.
Leaving a long tail (enough to stitch up your cosy) cut your yarn from the ball and using this 'tail' threaded into a tapestry needle, thread the yarn through the remaining stitches and remove from the needles.
Pull gently to gather the top and with the wrong side facing out, stitch up your seam to create the little "hat".
You can add a little loop or a pom-pom to the top if you wish.

To create the 'face' I just drew some large eyes onto thin card, cut them out and applied using 3D foam pads.

There you have it - a quick little idea for Easter.

Although, I intended mine to contain 'creme' eggs you could put any type of treat in these as a surprise......................................................

A peach of...

...a Beanie.

I thought I would try another colourway in the "Pretty Print" yarn so bought a couple of balls in the peach shading to take away with me on my craft weekend.

Knitting with the circular loom is so quick and within a couple of hours I had this...

...the variegated part of the yarn still forms into stripes like the aqua shade of this yarn but the 'white' is not so prominent.

I finished this just before we went for a walk along the beach - I should have worn it as it was rather blowy despite the sunshine.............................................................

Why is it...

...always the way?

When my boss visited last Tuesday, he decided to pop into the "Knit & Natter" group - to show his support.

25 minutes later, the only person who had dropped by was a member of my staff to ask what size crochet hook she should get so that she could learn how to crochet.

Our group is very informal and the idea is that folk can drop by as & when they wish during the 2 hour lunch break on the specified day...and it is normal for there to be periods when no-one is there but then a group arrive - a bit like London Buses LOL

So we chatted and then he had to leave for another meeting.

A few moments later, a couple of folk arrived with their lunch to sit and do some colouring. That got the ball rolling and in total we had nine attendees that day. I took this photo...

...just to prove to the boss that I don't sit there like "Billy no mates" for 2 hours every week.

We even had a new attendee. She has just changed job within the office and felt that she needed some time to just 'chill'. She is quite proficient at crochet so it was lovely seeing what she was making.

I wonder how many we will have this week.......................................................

Knit & Natter...

...is still going well at work.

This month we have a lot of new folk moving into the building so once they have settled in we hope our numbers will swell even more.

The knitting loom is still proving to be very useful...

...another hat in the soft grey yarn with the pink tufts and a hat using some "Super Chunky" yarn that I picked up in Linens Direct. I made some hats with this type yarn at Christmas but forgot to take any photos. The variegated blue that I used at Christmas came out in blocks of colour but this mauve combo has worked in a twisted pattern - strange how variegated yarn can work-up in such different ways.

I love the colour combo of the "Pretty Print" yarn that I have been using lately and after making a hat & scarf set I'm making a cushion & throw...

...as you can see, the throw is coming along nicely and I now have completed 'granny squares' for the front of the cushion.

One of the ladies in our Knit & Natter group is crocheting Star Wars characters - they are only dinky (about 4 to 5 inches tall at the most) and everyone has fallen in love with how cute they are. I will have to ask her to bring them all in when completed so that we can get some photos.

I have another ball of the mauve "Super Chunky" and I'm tempted to make another hat to see how the pattern turns out this time. Still thinking about that one........................................................