And the winner is…Daylight Lamp

This grey and gloomy day seems a very good time to announce the winners of the Daylight Lamp Giveaway. It’s going to brighten the days of the two lucky recipients Gail and Pauline!

The main prize was won by Gail. I love her description of the sort of winter days I enjoy most…

“I live in a town called Horsham, in the south East of England. The thing I love most about winter is the frosty mornings, when all the cobwebs are highlighted in droplets of water, when you can see frost patterns on the window panes and best of all when you see the children on the way to school breathing out just so they can see their breath. It’s just magical.”

…I just hope we get a few of these mornings soon and not the wet and windy gloom which we are currently enduring in the UK… I think Gail is going to need her Daylight Lamp!

If you have noticed I have been conspicuous by my bloggy absence, please forgive me. We’ve had a special delivery in the family, my very first granddaughter, and I’ve been somewhat distracted…

crochet blanket

I can only take credit for the blanket! crochet blanket - Daylight Lamp Giveaway

See you soon…x

Pondering on Autumn days…

Autumn Days in Norfolk

Autumn in the UK is a constant source of surprise.

One day it feels like the sun hasn’t even risen, the gloom and rain is unrelenting and all you want to do is to snuggle up inside by the with a hot drink, a good book and a little woolly project. Oh, and in my case, a warm dachshund!)

And then another day will dawn and all you want to do is to dash of to the beach – again with small dog in tow – and breath in some fresh air and listen to the waves shooshing on the sand.

So this has been the week on Planet Penny. The wet days and the gloomy days have made persuading Higgins out of the door quite a challenge and I don’t think he appreciates the delights of the autumn hedgerows AT ALL, but I do…

Autumn hedgerow - Nightshade berries Autumn leaves Min dachshund in coat But then the sun came out, and after a couple of hours battling with a large overgrown honeysuckle in the garden, Higgins and I headed off to the seaside to catch the last of the Autumn light… Autumn on the Norfolk coast Waxham 6 It’s amazing to get there when it’s completely deserted, just me and a little dog, who just runs and runs and runs, and get a bit frustrated when I don’t join in!

miniature dachshund I spend a lot of the time with my head down looking for treasures, sea glass which is a rare find here…Brightly coloured seaweed… seaweed on the autumn beach just appreciating the colours of the sea… Waxham 4 The clocks go back this weekend, I hate losing the evening light, don’t you, so these Autumn excursions will become even more precious.

And talking of the dark evenings, have you entered the giveaway for the Dayight Lamp yet? I’ve really enjoyed reading your comments about what you love best about Winter but there’s still some time left to join in, just enter HERE for a chance to win.

Here’s sending you sun filled Autumn days, and cosy crafty Autumn nights by the fire!

See you soon…x

The Complete Beginners Guide to Knitting

If you’ve always wanted to knit but don’t know where to start, or if you have a friend or family member begging to be taught, this handy infographic sent to me by Clippers Ireland, The Complete Beginners Guide to Knitting might just be what you are looking for!

(And it’s pink!)

beginners-guide-to-knitting-clippers-ireland-infographic6inch You might have to zoom in a bit, but I hope you find it useful.

I’m away for a few days now, off to the seaside, (hooray!) so I’ll be packing my crochet and my knitting to keep me busy.

I’ll be back soon…x

All lit up – with a Daylight Lamp and a giveaway!

If you’ve been visiting Planet Penny for a while, you’ll know my main gripe about the autumn/winter period is the lack of daylight. I don’t think I actually suffer from full blown Seasonal Affective Disorder, but I do get rather grumpy, and those gloomy days when you think the sun hasn’t actually risen at all make creating and photography jolly tricky.

So I was very happy to be sent a couple of lamps from the Daylight Company to try out and review, and I know for all you knitters, crocheters and stitchers out there a good daylight lamp is a really necessary bit of crafting kit.

The first one is the Smart Lamp D20 and I love it! It’s light and portable, but the base is heavy enough for it to be really stable so you can adjust it over your work area without worrying about it toppling over.

I’ve found it particularly useful in the evenings by my chair when I’m multi tasking with some crochet, the television and a cup of tea because the light can be angled. In fact it does all this!

It changes colors for improved contrast when reading and colour matching
It is dimmable, allowing you to set the light at the brightness level you require
It is portable, light weight and foldable so you can take it anywhere
It is USB compatible allowing you to plug into the AC Adapter (included) your computer or phone charger.

And then there is the baby brother, the Yoyo light. It arrives looking just like the yoyo it is named after… Yoyo magnifying light - Daylight company …but opens up into a handy little magnifying light, perfect for keeping in your workbox when you need to get up close and personal with your work.

And this is what it does:

Compact foldable pocket LED magnifier
3 bright LEDs
5,5cm (2.17″) lens – Magnification 8D (3,0X)
Ideal to use when out and about
Comes with a wrist strap
Requires 3 x AAA batteries (not included)

Daylught Company Yoyo light (This one gave my camera a funny turn trying to focus!)

I really enjoy finding things which I know will make things just that little bit easier for us creative peeps, and it’s even better when I can offer you the chance to win one of your very own – for FREE!

I have a Smart Lamp D20 worth £65.00 and a Yoyo Magnifyer Lamp worth £15.00 as a giveaway on my latest newsletter. All you have to do is sign up via the PINK BUTTON below and let me know what you love best about Winter VIA THE NEWSLETTER. The Smart Lamp is only available in the UK I’m afraid, but I’m happy to send the Yoyo lamp to any part of the world where you can buy AAA batteries!

So click on the Pink Button for a chance to win one of these fabulous lamps to keep you bright this Autumn!

Looking forward to hearing from you…x

Spring cleaning…in September!

That September ‘new term’ feeling never goes away really, does it? All those years of seeing the ‘Back to School’ displays in the shop windows, the new school sandals (yuk!) and the new pencil case.

So it always seems a good time to start something new, or give something established a freshen up and that’s what I’m working on with the blog at the moment. I’ve been blogging now for seven years, I can hardly believe it… there are 569 posts! Because the whole thing has grown up a bit piecemeal over time I need to have a tidy up.

But it’s a bit like deciding to sort out the box of photos under the bed. I’ve got right back to the beginning re-reading every post, it’s a lovely trip down memory lane! I’ve gone back to past holidays, the arrival of Higgins and all the cute baby pics, the building of my studio, the passing seasons…It’s such a lovely record of my life and I’d never have done it without the blog.

I’m sure you’ve noticed the new Planet Penny header. There’s so much going on here that than just wool so although I’m very fond of my sheep, I hope the new look encompasses the fact there’s a lot going on, and it’s all colourful!

But as well as beavering away at the computer I’m trying to make the most of any September sun which comes our way, (which, alas, has been a bit elusive. I’m listening to the rain as I type!) I’ve been in charge of dog walking this past week so my camera has gone with me, and also a little friend of Higgins called Coco. I’ve had my hands full.

mini dachshunds in September sun Norfolk UK - September The hedgerows are full of berries this year, I don’t know when I’ve seen so many. It’s a sign of bad weather to come so they say… memo to self: Knit more socks!Just such a fabulous colour, aren’t they? I always think the Nightshade berries look like necklaces the way they twine through the hedgerows…

Nightshade berries - September - Norfolk UK Having a supply of poo bags when out for a walk is jolly handy if you want to do a spot of spontaneous blackberry picking… blackberries - September But there are still summer flowers… scabious 2015-09-19 16.26 And bees…

2015-09-19 16.09 and a fairy ring… Fairy ring - September - Norfolk, UK toadstools toadstools2 But the fairy dogs weren’t interested… Mini dachshunds Higgins&Coco3 …until I mentioned the word T-R-E-A-T-S… Higgins gets quite bossy about treats! Mini dachshunds - September -Norfolk UK Meanwhile, back home and I’m crocheting up a big warm sweater with cold days in the studio in mind. After my lovely weekend at the Crochet Retreat with Frank & Olive I was inspired by Ruby’s big chunky crochet creations and so I was delighted to find that the issue of Simply Crochet magazine I bought last year (because I’m in it too!) had Ruby’s jumper on the front. Crochet Entrepreneur in Simply Crochet I’ve customised it (because I’m not a sylph-like twenty year old) and I think it’s going to be very cosy. It’s a brilliantly simple pattern, no shaping and only the one stitch all through. What can go wrong? Picking up the wrong hook and doing half a sleeve with it before noticing, that’s what went wrong!

So, not quite finished yet.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my September ramblings, do you spring clean in September too?

I’ll be back soon…x

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Crochet Hearts for The Peyton Heart Project

I came across the Peyton Heart Project on social media quite by accident, and it touched me so much I felt I wanted to take part and to share it with likeminded people. I believe that’s all of you who visit Planet Penny…

This is from the Peyton Heart Project website…

‘The Peyton Heart Project was inspired by several stories including that of a 13-year-old boy named Peyton James who died by suicide in 2014.

During Peyton’s young life he had experienced a tremendous amount of bullying by his peers. Many of us know far too well what the negative effects of bullying are on a child and how difficult it can be to believe that it will ever get better. Far too often bullying leads to depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues. Sometimes these issues can increase the likelihood of suicide.

The delicate hearts, each one made by hand and each one representing the delicate heart of a life lost to suicide, have various inspiring quotes attached to them, along with our social media information. The hearts are placed in public places around the world for people to find during their everyday lives. We hope the hearts cause people to stop for a moment and reflect on a life lost to suicide, on bullying and on the fact that everyone’s life matters. We want to leave people with a feeling that there is still good out there in the world and we would like to inspire others to join us on this mission of kindness.

If you would like to help spread the Peyton Heart Project and its message in your town, please read through the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to learn how you can become involved. Most of your questions can be answered there.

We would like to thank Peyton’s parents, David James and Jacki James, for allowing us to use Peyton’s name for this project.’

If you find one of the hearts in your travels, please post a photo on the Facebook page or post it to Twitter using the hashtag #PeytonHeartProject and say where you found it.

Taking part in the Peyton Heart Project is so simple, and yet this small, simple act can raise awareness of young people suffering from the effects of bullying, which can lead to depression, self-harm or even suicide. A little token to raise the spirits and spread kindness in the world.

All you have to do is to knit or crochet a little heart with an oddment of yarn and attach a small tag. There are specific tags which are linked to the Project which you can find here and it’s important to only use these tags. Then leave it in a public place where it can be found… Peyton Heart Project

There are lots of links to knit and crochet heart patterns available on the Peyton Heart Project Facebook Page and I’ve also written a crochet pattern especially for this post. If you don’t knit or crochet, there are ideas for making hearts in other ways which you can find here.

Planet Penny Heart Pattern

I used DK weight cotton yarn and a 3mm hook. The pattern is written using UK crochet terms

The heart measures the required 2.5″ x 2″

Work 6 dc into a magic circle, join with a ss and pull up the tail to close the hole.

Round 1: 1ch, 2dc into each st (12 st) join with ss.

Round 2: 1ch, 5tr into next st, ss into next st, 5tr into next st, dc into next 4st. Make point by working 2tr, 1ch, ss into top of tr, 2tr, all into 1 st. Work dc into next 4st. Join with ss into 1^st tr.

Round 3: 2ch, 2tr into next 3st, cont.by working 1htr, 1dc, ss into centre top of heart, 1dc, 1htr, 2tr into next 3tr, 3htr, dc to point working 2dc into picot ch, dc along 2^nd side to last 3 st, work 3htr and join with a ss. Fasten off and darn in end.

Add an 8″ length of yarn at the top to make a hanging loop and tie with a reef knot.

Do let me know if you decide to join in. This an ideal project for knit and crochet groups, and if you are not able to distribute the hearts yourselves you can send the hearts direct to the Project, the address is on their website.

See you soon…x