A Funny Old Week…

It’s been one of those weeks where I feel like I’ve taken two steps forward and one and a half steps back, do you have those? The main calamity was the disappearance of Planet Penny into a virtual black hole a couple of days ago. Many apologies if this affected you in anyway, it was not your computer! The technical term according to the help desk was the ‘White Screen of Death’ which was very scary, but I was really smug when I worked through the long list of instructions they sent and sorted it out…All On My Own!

It’s quite horrible outside, the wind is howling and the rain is lashing down, so I do hope you are keeping warm and dry. My heart goes out to everyone suffering in the floods, it must be horrendous…

It seem very odd that if a disaster happens abroad all manner of aid, both financial and physical is supplied, but when people are suffering hardship from extreme weather conditions in our own country it seems such a struggle for them to get any help. (If you are not in the UK, you might not be aware of the flooding in some areas in the west of the country, but you can find out here.)

Anyway, back home with a cheerful picture of the bike which I found outside our Community Shop this week. It’s owner was probably only about eight years old, but what style… I’m quite envious!

I had great plans to share a new pattern, but what with one thing and another, it’s not quite there. I found some crochet bunting on Pinterest, but not finding a pattern decided to work it out for myself. I wanted something a bit plainer than the more usual ‘granny’ bunting, and I’m very pleased with this. It’s really quick and easy…

Hopefully I’ll finish off the pattern very soon, and there will be more photos when the light is a bit brighter!

I’ve had my ‘window-dresser hat on this week in our Community shop and with Valentine’s Day on the horizon I made this Valentine Tree for the window display…(although I’d actually quite like to keep it on my dresser!

I’m now going to desert you for a comfy chair by the fire with the baby knitting, where hopefully the sound of the howling wind and lashing rain won’t be quite as loud as it is here in the studio!

I’ve amalgamated two of the patterns from the Debbie Bliss pattern book from my last post, so I’ve got a stripy tank top on the needles…

I’ll be back soon…x

Baby Knits with Debbie Bliss

The rest of the world may think February 14th is St Valentine’s Day, everybody in the Planet Penny orbit knows it better as the due date for our latest family baby! Babies, I know, have a mind of their own when it comes to their arrival time, but it’s going to happen sooner or later, so I’ve been wielding my knitting needles this week.

I bought this Debbie Bliss pattern book at the Knit and Stitch show last autumn, but it was only last week that I headed into Norwich for some yarn shopping. I’ve been so busy lately that I haven’t done any ‘nice’ shopping for ages, and in the spirit of catching up with people in the real world rather than cyber space I was also able to combine the trip with coffee and a catch up with Lisa, whom many of you will know from her blog, Bobobun.

It’s nice that that after losing just about every yarn shop from the High Street not that many years ago, there are now more and more springing up, but it’s impossible for them to stock every yarn available so I think I shall be looking on line for some of the Debbie Bliss yarn I need for my baby knits, However, despite not being able to get exactly the right wool for these little socks I was very pleased with the results after using this Sublime cashmere/merino/silk blend.

There are lots of things in this pattern book I would love to knit given the time, Debbie Bliss always comes up trumps with her patterns, and there’s a good selection for boys as well as girls which is sometimes a problem. I love this simple little tank top…

And the back button opening makes it so much simple to get on and off a wriggly baby.

This simple tee shape looks cute in soft coloured stripes…

And this little Wee Willie Winkie cap is just adorable, isn’t it…

And I’d quite like this teddy…

…and these coathangers for myself!

And, still in the book theme, remember I signed up for The Year in Books with A Circle of Pine Trees? Laura’s January book is from Persephone a small publishing house I’ve long admired. Waterstone’s quote…

‘Persephone is a wonderful publisher specialising in discovering criminally neglected books by wonderful female authors. Stylish and timeless – they make perfect gifts.’

…is very apt as nearly all the books I’ve bought from them have been gifts. I’ve just received the Persephone Catalogue and magazine and this year I will treat myself to the occasional book (and drop large hints around my birthday!) as part of my reading project.

Oh…whoops!

I’m sitting at the keyboard and have just become aware of a pair of brown eyes staring at me accusingly – it’s Higgins’ dinner-time!

I will dash off as required before he starts getting vocal about his hunger!

See you soon…x

The Year in Books

I mentioned serendipity in my last post, as that is what led me to a blog I hadn’t visited before, and a project ‘A Year in Books’ which is just what I need to rejuvenate my flagging spirits.

I’ve written before about my book habit, but over the years I’ve bought more and more books to feed the creative side of things, practical stuff, craft books, cookery books. My fiction reading has dwindled to 10 or 15 minutes a night in bed. Dozing off after a few minutes means that I end up rereading the same paragraph over and over trying to remember what is going on.

One of my decisions about slowing down and living in the real world a bit more was to put down the smart phone and pick up a book. This was why when I visited Penelope by the Sea on her lovely blog, L is for Love, I found she had discovered the perfect incentive on ‘A Circle of Pine Trees’.

Laura has created a reading project, nothing unattainable, of reading and sharing a book a month over the year. It can be shared on her blog via a linky button, on Instagram or Pinterest, a great way to find recommendations for new authors and books. All the details are in Laura’s post here, if you are interested in joining in.

My book for January is the latest Mark Haddon, which I bought on Liverpool Street Station on my way back from Aimee’s graduation a month ago (and hadn’t looked at since!) …

I made a start this morning in a packed hospital waiting room. Much better to get stuck into a book than fuming about my appointment being an hour overdue! So thank you to Laura for devising the idea, and for Penny for pointing me in the right direction…

Meanwhile, unlike so many other places in the UK, we had a glorious start to the day so I wandered round the garden with Higgins to see what was going on.

The snowdrops are nearly up!

There are primroses…

…and tiny miniature cyclamen…

…and still at the end of the garden, a rose is blooming…

Higgins, meanwhile still dives into his bed to hide when his coat is put on and he knows he has to go for a walk, however bright the sunshine!

Thank you for all the encouraging comments on my last post. It seems I’m not alone in feeling a little jaded, I think a lot of us are experiencing post Christmas burnout!

Onwards and upwards….see you soon…x

Has Anybody Seen My Mojo…?

I’m feeling like I’m a bit of blogging dead loss at the moment, I do apologise!

I built up quite a head of steam during December with my daily Christmas Countdown posts, and had lots of plans for January but as you know, 2014 did not get off to a good start for Team Planet Penny…

And annoyingly I’m just generally not very well. Nothing alarming, but two separate things which necessitate visits to different clinics at the hospital the other side of Norwich for tests and consultations and so far I’m averaging two trips a week!

So the energy levels are low, and my get up and go really has got up and gone!

There are only two choices in this situation. I can sit and fume about not being able to do the things I want to do and make myself feel even worse, or step back and let things drift a little while I administer a little TLC to myself.

I’m my own worst enemy when I’m busy anyway. Eating standing up, being too tired to bother to cook for one in the evening when Tim is away, cheese and crackers and a glass of wine (or two!) is SO easy… Saying ‘yes’ too often when asked to do something I don’t actually have time to do…I don’t need to go on, I’m sure you’ve been there too.

So I’m switching off the computer in the evenings, and trying to ignore all but the most urgent emails and texts which arrive via my phone. I’m eating meals at mealtimes, simple stuff but fresh and not filling up on biscuits and tea to keep going. And while I’m waiting for my inspiration to return I’m going to make some little things for my forthcoming grandson, due to arrive of Valentine’s Day.

I’ve had a baby blanket on the hook for ages revisiting my old favourite, the Ripple stitch and made what my Dad would have referred to as a ‘Bobby-Dazzler’!

And I bought a magazine after Christmas which I hoped would inspire me…

Don’t you love the dinosaurs? I thought they would be perfect for the Planet Penny Cotton and planned to make all three. This is the Diplodocus…

He’s very cute, but alas I can’t recommend the pattern to anyone who isn’t a fairly practised crocheter. It was quite tricky to keep track of the stitches because there was no indication at the end of each increase or decrease row as to how many stitches there should actually be. Such a shame, and silly really because there are so many other places to find patterns with picture explanations or even videos. You need a bit more when you’ve paid out £7.99 for a magazine.

I have another project too, thanks to the power of serendipity! It’s all about making time to read, and linking up with other readers.

I’ll be back soon to tell you all about it, and in the meantime I’ll leave you with the promised photo of my knitted square for the Age UK Campaign from this post. It’ll be on it’s way to Norman Lamb MP this very week!

Have you made yours yet?!

See you soon…x

A BIG Thank You…

Just to say a very big thank you to everyone who took the trouble to pause and leave a consoling message after our sad loss of Henry on New Year’s Day.

He’s been popping up on posts ever since my early blogging days. I’m still ‘seeing’ him out of the corner of my eye in all his usual places and it will take a while to get used to the hole he has left behind…

So thank you all, your kind words were very comforting…x

Knitting! – A New Campaign – Age UK

Here’s a project which might inspire you, a new campaign from Age UK. At the moment we are surrounded by images of people of all ages suffering from the effects of the current extreme weather conditions.

It really concentrates the mind on how difficult it can be when the weather is cold, and for older people just normal Winter weather conditions make life very hard.

Age UK are campaigning for Government investment in insulating existing homes, which could help save many lives. We all want to live in a warm home, but Age UK say:

‘This winter 24,000 older people could die from the cold. But it doesn’t have to be like this: with proper insulation nearly all homes could be made much warmer, and many deaths could be prevented. We are calling on the Government to invest in making millions of homes much more energy efficient using the money it is already receiving in carbon taxes. This would be enough to pay for energy efficiency measures in at least 9 million homes over the next 15 years.’

So we need to send this message to the government via our MPs, and what better way to do it than by knitting the message? A great way to capture the attention!

So click on the link below and find a downloadable pattern for the square and all the details for the campaign and a form to fill in and send with your square to your MP.

click for details…

It looks like a very basic pattern, a great way to polish those intarsia skills. I’m off to ferret around in my bag of woolly oddments to knit my square tonight!

I’ll be sharing it with you in a subsequent post so if you would like to send me a photo of your own square we can have a picture gallery!

Please share this where you can, with your friends, your knitting group, and on Facebook, Twitter or any other social media site so we can spread the word and make this happen…

Happy knitting…!