Category Archives: Crochet

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life

Are you superstitious? How was Friday 13th for you? It’s never been a problem for me and I’ve tended to let it pass me by, but I’ve had my Friday 13th moment now and after a little debate with myself, I’ve decided to share it with you.

I went to bed on Thursday with a hot water bottle on a sore tum, and although that subsided in the night, I still wasn’t feeling terribly good and so drove myself off to the surgery. Imagine my surprise when after questions and tests, it was decided that an ambulance should be called! My initial reaction was to want to go home for a lie down and wait for it to go away, but I was told firmly that they couldn’t actually rule out a heart attack or an aortic aneurysm and I wouldn’t be much good to anyone if I went home and died. Blimey! Oh all right then…

You’ve got to give the good old NHS it’s due. I’ve moaned a lot about it in the past, but when you need it it, it’s there, you get put in the system and there’s no one there waiting for you to produce your cheque book first.

So off in the ambulance, covered in sticky dots and attached to a monitor. It was all so surreal I didn’t feel the slightest bit worried, and was really excited when the siren went on!

Anyway to cut a long story short, I’m fine. I had loads of tests and everything came back normal. The worst thing about the day was I didn’t have my emergency knitting, or a book so I was very bored, and hospital Cauliflower Cheese is appalling, how do you cook carrots so they are both bendy and crunchy at the same time? (The suggestion is that I’ve probably got an acidy gastric thing going on so it’s just as well I’ve got back to home cooking!)

So I might have my gloomy January moments, but I do look on the bright side about a ride in an ambulance!

And talking of January gloom and adding some brightness, I was inspired by this post over on Countrystyle Living to try a bit of candle recycling. I had a couple of ends of scented candle which when added to an ordinary white household candle and melted down made enough wax for this…

I used the wick from the household candle in the cup…

…and I’m very pleased with the result. It gives a rather neglected little teacup and saucer it’s moment of glory too!

I also have a new LYS. Well I’ve cheated rather, there’s a lovely shop called Norfolk Yarn in a part of Norwich I just never seemed to get to , but now I can count it as local because my Son and Daughter-in-law to be have moved in just a 6 minute walk away (can you tell I Googled it!) So when we called for coffee on Saturday I knew I had to do a detour to have a little browse around.

This is also where I found the Silent Sunday spinning wheel. I had one once a long time ago, but it didn’t fit in with a small house, three children, a large dog and no time. As I still have a small house and no time I think I’ll just stick to admiring other peoples!

And I did fall in love with the beautiful bag which the shop owner brought out to show me…

…and this is the base…

It’s knitted with Noro yarn and felted, and I shall be investigating the source of the pattern shortly. I feel a project coming on!

I couldn’t come away empty handed though, could I? I was thrilled to see the Ashford Tekapo wool which Alice uses over on Crochet with Raymond and as she has spoken so highly of it I bought enough to get me going. The plan is for another sampler blanket similar to this one which I started this blog with…

This one went off to the grandsons to snuggle up in, but I’m hoping to make a more outdoorsy, cosy one for sitting under when it gets chilly by the barbecue so I’ve chosen something a bit subtler than my usual colour pallette…

I’ve got some pattern books for inspiration, a new one…

This one I’ve had a while…

…and this one dates back to 1979!!!

…but it’s got some amazing inspiration inside!

After that, my first dabblings look a little tame, but we’ll see!

Well, I’d better stop now. There is a chicken roasting in the oven with a bunch of thyme stuffed in the cavity and there’s a most tantalising smell wafting my way! I’ve got a few last things to get ready for teaching the Needlefelted cupcake pincushion course at The OutHouse in Aylsham this coming Tuesday. If you are in Norfolk there are still a couple of places left, it would be lovely to see you!

I’m off to link up with the amazing Wendy of 1st Unique Gifts, who does so much and still manages to host Handmade Monday each week! Do go over and find all the other links and see what’s been going on…

See you soon…xxx

2011 – A Year in Pictures

It’s the end of the year, so I thought I’d do a recap. It’s been very interesting trawling through the archives and seeing how things have developed over the months and I thought I would share the experience…

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

It’s already giving me lots of new ideas for the next twelve months, so I hope you’ll drop in again to see how it’s going! In the meantime, I wish you all a very Happy New Year, where ever you are….see you in 2012! xxx
http://youtu.be/QEVF0fah17k

Dolly Peg Dolls for Handmade Monday

It’s Handmade Monday again, isn’t it scary how the weeks fly by? Even though I’ve spent time having fun with two small boys last week, I still have a few handmade things to share with you, as I’m still beavering away making for the Pick’n’Mix Makers Market in just over 3 weeks time.

I really, really don’t like it when the clocks go back. I’m sitting here looking at the gloom outside, and it isn’t half past four yet! a few people suggested that the extra hour in bed is a compensation, but it only happens the once and not in a house where the body clocks of children and animals are still running on the old time. So it was out of bed at 6.30 for CeeBeebies and Henry/Higgins breakfast!

Added to which the boys went home this morning so it’s very quiet as well as gloomy so I have been SO appreciative of all the lovely links for Reasons to be Cheerful, thank you very much. And if you are feeling a bit like me, pay a few bloggy visits and say hello!

Anyway, this week we went to a windswept beach to do a bit of charging about…

To a mini funfair to do a bit of flying around…

To the cinema for some 3D magic…

… to Bewilderwood for some Halloween spookiness…

Topped off with a trip to Norwich Castle for some more half term fun.

And I bet you’re wondering where the dolly pegs come in!

Well they’re here…

Happy little ladies decorated with needlefelt and yarn, crochet fleece and buttons.

I’ve had such fun making them, and although they’re perfect for hanging on the Christmas tree, they could keep you company all year round, hanging on a door knob, a pin board, or the dressing table mirror.

So they might be hanging around, but I haven’t been!

As usual there is a link to Wendy of 1st Unique Gifts, who kindly hosts Handmade Monday each week, and there you can visit all the other makers to see what they’ve been up to! Have fun, and see you soon x

Reasons to be Cheerful…

Having announced a cunning plan, I’m really nervous about telling you! I really hope you like it…

As an insomniac, quite a lot of strange things run through my head in the wee small hours when I’d actually much rather be asleep! And I often doze off and wake up with tunes running through my head which won’t shut up. Last night it was this…Do you remember it?

Ok, so maybe not to everyone’s taste (though you’ve got to love that sax!) but the sentiment is just right.

We neeeeed reasons to be cheerful sometimes, especially now. In the Northern Hemisphere, winter is approaching. The nights are drawing in rapidly, it’s cold and very often grey. The TV news is full of doom and sadness, the boiler packs up, the toddler grinds his lunch into the curtains, you get the picture, I don’t need to go on.

So I thought it would be fun have some Reasons to be Cheerful, and share them around, so we can all have a little uplifting when we most need it.

So here’s the plan. Every week I’ll put a Linky, here on Planet Penny so you can link your blog post where you’ve included your 3 reasons to be cheerful…as the song says 1,2,3. It can be photos, or a saying, or even a little story about what has made you smile over the past few days, or a mix of all three. I don’t want to lay down too many rules, lets see what develops, but obviously nothing offensive, or that contravenes copyright laws, I’m sure I don’t really need to say it!

Don’t forget to put a link back to Planet Penny in your post to bring people back to the Linky so everyone can join in the fun!

So, what has made me happy this week?

Well, for One there is…

Late October Roses

Two…

My Happy Place!

And Three? Well, it’s just got to be ….!

My noisy little friend!

So please join in and take note of those little moments in your week which make you smile and share them with the world. If you don’t have a blog, don’t worry just pop them in the comments!

And now here’s the Linky…

Thanks so much for joining in!

One more day to add your link for this week, but don’t worry, I’ll be doing it again!

Tripping the Light Fantastic!

I can’t believe it’s Monday again, the days are galloping away and I’m scared to look at the Christmas Counter on the side bar! And we’re still having glorious weather here in Norfolk. (I apologise if this isn’t the case where you are, honestly, I’m not gloating!)

We went off to make the most of it the other day, if you’ve seen my Silent Sunday post, you’ll know we went to the coast. I always take my camera, I always take loads of photos – as you’ve probably noticed – but I never tire of the view, the colours, the light and freshly washed feeling in the air. I hope I’m not repeating myself with all these photos!

We went in the afternoon this time, so the tide was further out…

…and you can see there were lines of the most beautifully coloured seaweed washed up on the sand.

We had seen a parasail bobbing above the dunes as we drove up, and it turned out to belong to a dune buggy wizzing round and round on the flat sand left by the retreating tide…

This was our special beach when I was a child, and in all the time we spent there, we never saw a seal, but now we can expect to see one or two on every visit. I spend ages trying to get a photo, and usually end up with an expanse of water and what looks like a speck of dirt on the lens, but I think this time you can see it’s a seal..

…or perhaps not! (If you want to find out about when Higgins met a seal, he wrote about it here! He got much closer than me!)

The seagulls were slightly easier…

…although even they were determined to make a swift get away!

Talking of swift get aways, where’s Higgins going…?

I just love this photo, low flying dachshund!

This time we rather ambitiously decided to climb up and walk back along the dunes, which was slightly hair-raising. Higgins went first, running furiously and sliding back and so needing a hand under his bottom for a helpful boost, then me, in much the same condition (with less running and more boosting…) and then Tim, heroically preventing the three of us from slithering back down to the beach!

Meanwhile, it’s Handmade Monday again, and I’ve been experimenting. With Christmas coming up I’m obviously doing the obvious in the way of decorative items, but I’m also working round the whole idea of pretty decorative bits and bobs which, like puppies, are not just for Christmas. After all, I’ve had my heart and pompom bunting on the dresser for ages, and my origami ball is hanging up in the centre of the sitting room just because I like it. I love fairy lights, and have them round the mirror, but I decided it would be interesting to see if I could make them just a little bit more Planet Penny.

I have an interesting little basket of Blue Faced Leicester yarn which I dyed in order to make the Sophie Digard inspired scarf a while ago…

… and thought it might be fun to play around with the colours and make my fairy lights flowery…

Unfortunately, they are really hard to photograph!

I then moved on to another set of lights, this time with lemony yellow bulbs, so I made the flowers with little yellow centres, and they also look really pretty…

especially when I tried them on my wire tree.

It would be lovely to know what you think? Shall I write a pattern/tutorial? I could sell one or two sets in the Planet Penny shop perhaps, for non crocheters. They could go anywhere, being battery LED they’re very safe.

And finally, a further flight of fancy took me back to my pompom maker for a bit more fun…

(and you can also see I’ve been buying pretty things from Vanessa, don’t you love her ‘thank you’ card?)

Phew, I think that’s all I’ve got to say for the moment! Don’t forget to pop over to Ist Unique Gifts for the Handmade Monday Linky where you’ll find lots of other lovely things going on!

See you soon x

Bringing the Rainbow Home…

Hello, and Happy Monday! And it’s Handmade Monday too, so lots of lovely links on the Ist Uniques Gifts blog to follow to see what other crafty things are going on.

I’ve just about recovered from our long day on Friday, which ended up with a Chinese takeaway at 9pm! I’m so glad we had a nice coach driver to get us there and back too, or I might have been found still in the hall on packing up day, asleep round the back of a stall on a pile of wool…

So much to see at the Knitting and Stitching Show, I did try to focus on the knitting, crochet and yarn, and not be distracted by embroidery, cross-stitch, dyeing, machining, fabrics, jewellery and…and…!

It was actually quite hard to photograph. Not everyone was happy with photos being taken, and a lot of the time it was hard to get past the crowds, but here is a flavour…

The venue, Alexandra Palace, has an interesting history and a wonderful view of London…

…and inside…

There were exhibitions too…

…I think this might give Higgins a fright!

I found Sasha Kagan and a blast from the past, I remember my mother knitting this one in the eighties…

I could have spent a fortune, so many beautiful yarns, but at least I could gather up cards for contacts and websites so I can browse online. I was very happy to find this company…