Snail-paced broadband and...

...a spell of Jury Service.


Just a brief catch-up to prove I haven't dropped off the face of the earth.


Road works, gas main replacement and general weather conditions seem to have been impacting on the broadband services in my area for a while. I don't think having half the street dug-up during the snow helped very much as a lot of the cable piping was exposed to the elements for a few weeks.


Trying to read my emails each day has become a struggle because the limited time I have available doesn't fit well with the lengthy periods it takes to load Outlook.


On top of this, Windows 10 keeps freezing me out telling me that urgent updates are required yet when I try to install them I'm told that everything is up to date ??? ***grrrrrrrr*** more hassle. As a result, I haven't loaded any new photos for a while so I do apologise for the lack of pics.


Things were ticking along generally and I was looking forward to another weekend away with crafting friends like the one I went on last year. Panic set in when I received a summons to do Jury Service.


Although the two weeks specified should not have caused any problems, I had visions of ending up on a long case that would drag on & on &...


Luckily it didn't - I was only selected for one case which was over & done with in 3 days.


I can't say I enjoyed my time, so much sitting around waiting to hear whether you are needed. However, I was very productive - I have done a lot of crochet and managed to make a good selection for flowers and small projects ready for our "Learning at Work Week" event. I have also nearly completed a crochet blanket (700grams worth of DK yarn) which actually came in handy and helped to keep me warm as the court building is very cold - unfortunately I couldn't take the blanket into the court room even though it was like an ice-box...just had to make do with coats, scarves and lots of layered clothing. Apparently they don't like the court to be too warm as the legal folk have to wear gowns & wigs.


So I'm back at work, catching up on hundreds of emails and trying to sort out a few issues that arose whilst I was off. At least I now know that there won't be any problems concerning the crafting weekend - time can't pass quickly enough for me.......................................................................

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.....................................

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.............................

I can crochet...

...as I'm sure regulars who visit my blog can confirm.

I always have a blanket or throw in progress as they don't take a lot of concentration and are things that can be done whilst watching TV.

However, it is a good many years since I made anything 'fancy'.

I have also managed to confuse myself by watching a mix of American and British videos about crochet as we both tend to have different terms for the various stitches - so I decided to attend a class.

Denise at Craft Arena had a basic refresher class advertised but unfortunately it was full so I bit the bullet and signed up for the class where we would be shown how to make a crochet necklace. The class was taken by a lovely lady called Sue Broughton and in the two hour class we completed a necklace and had a play at making one with beads - fab two hours.

So what did I do when I got home?

I dug out a ball of Rowan Egyptian DK cotton that I bought a couple of weeks ago...

...I love this dark teal colour and the yarn is so soft...

 ...and next to no time I had made another necklace (Just needs a suitable button for fastening).
This was the necklace that I completed in class...

 ...and I had a button for this so it is completely finished.
Unfortunately, Denise was out of stock of the white Rowan cotton so I bought some DMC...

...it is slightly finer but with the added beads I was really pleased with the finished look.
I had some 'Sugar & Cream' cotton yarn which is a heavier weight...

 ...and this red necklace was soon added to the stack.
I didn't have many beads left but decided to make another teal necklace...

 ...the beads are threaded onto the yarn before starting...

...and the beads are crocheted into the foundation row...

...another necklace completed...

...with beads evenly spaced around the neck edge - it looks much prettier in proper light.

Would you believe these pieces only consist of two rows of crochet - so they are very quick and easy to complete.

All I need now are some pretty buttons to act as fasteners.

Of the cotton yarns I have used so far, the Rowan is by far the nicest to work with so I think a few more colours will be jumping into my basket in the not too distant future. I also love the glass beads so will be getting some more of those (they do a lovely pearl colour that I think will look fab against the teal).

I have made and added these to my present stash for occasions coming up during the year and yes, I think a few will also end up as Christmas gifts.....................................................

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....................................................................

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.......................................................

"Pretty Print" is...

...the perfect name for this yarn.

I've already shown you the hat & scarf set that I made with this pretty variegated yarn...

 ...and as you can see, both items (knitted on looms) resulted in a stripe pattern.
I am currently making a crochet blanket in the same yarn but wanted to see if the 'pattern' was any different when using needles...

 ...so I decided I would make a cushion cover out of granny squares.
Here is the first completed square...

...and as you can see - we still have the stripe thing going on.

I'm going to continue with the granny squares and see what they look like when joined together.

So as we head into February, it is clear to see that I have plenty of knitting on the go - I just wish it was easy to take my card making stuff on the train then I might get a few more cards done but I can't see folk being very happy about contending with glitter & glue LOL.............................................