Priscilla the Poodle & the pom pom maker.

I am sorry about yesterdays blog.That Maisie Magweed is more clever than I realised.I don't know how she managed to psych my computer password from me ,not to mention work the self timer on my camera!!

Anyhow, as you know ,Priscilla dropped by .Well OK ,I made her!!!

She is from a pattern here & is a replica of her vintage counter part. Quick & easy to make,she consists of a crocheted tube which slides over the air freshener & then another tube/oblong ball made into the head.The pom poms were a pain to make as I didn't have a pom pom maker & didn't want to use the two ring method.Its so fiddly.What I needed was a Clover pompom maker.This clever device comes in two halves which clip together.I couldn't get one at my local store so settled for these instead .They are by Classic Knit.

I have to say that for the price they are extremely good.The 3 sizes come in a pack.They seem quite durable i that unless I mislay them(lose) they will last me for years.There are no moving parts really to break.The plastic is durable & will withstand accidental snipping with scissors.

I found the instructions on the back of the packet are way too small.My eyesight is not bad ,but I just couldn't read this & the pictures with diagrams are not very clear.Once I got some magnifying glasses on ,all was much better!!

If you get these type ,the yarn wraps around the bottom in an s-shape.Why didn't they just say that instead of putting little teeny weenie arrows on.If you are reading this Classic Knit company ,please change the instructions.

Apart from this slight hiccup which resulted in much mess of the cut snippyness of yarn all over my lap & carpet.I can laugh now!!!!!!



The long end of yarn that is caught in the notch is snipped & the two lengths are tied very tightly across the wrapped yarn.

You then turn the template over & snip!!

I like these pompom makers even though the results are a bit loose for me.I think that's my technique though.

I still want a Clover one but I can wait till Christmas(did you read that Mr T?!).

Magweeds Sunday......

I had just had a sausage Mum & Dad brought back from Weatherspoons Sunday breakfast & was day dreaming about playing with Monkey & Darrell ,two friends my Mum has made. I like to do this lying on my back having my tummy stroked.

I had been laying there for about half an hour when there was a knock on the door.It was quite a co-incidence as we had been chatting about French stuff like Cancan yarn, but in walked Priscilla the French Poodle.

We greeted each other in our usual doggy way of kissing noses & sniffing bottoms.

For a while I was quite besotted!

It was quite a shock when Priscilla was upended & let rip!!!Thank goodness her fart smelt of flowers.Mum has never said that about mine....!!!!!!

It certainly brought me to my senses.I know Priscilla is going to live with Auntie Robin & her poodles 2 doors along but I cannot associate with a dog who smells so poofy!!

I feel so ashamed......

Although Monkey & Darrell live in Wolverhampton & I wont see them much ,if at all ,I would still rather be friends with them .I can catch up with their antics on the net with Mum when I sit on her lap.Their blog is great .They are learning to knit at the moment.They liked the strawberry basket & are making one so they can get their 5 a day!

Mum is a great fan of Its all a Fiddle Fart!A great blog which has inspired her no end.Its all about crafting with items bought from either places like Poundland or car boots.Its great .

Mum today bought herself a hole punch from Lidls along with some more sock yarn.I think she is going to make me a new collar & coat for the winter.I am not sure it will be as warm as the Debbie Bliss one she is knitting but I will look posh on the prom.I wont need silly Pom Poms to make me stand out in the crowd!!!

We had better not let on to Nanny we have been having all this chat about farts.....she wouldn't be amused.....he he he!

Sun shiny day......

I ventured out from home yesterday into town.That may not seem like much ,but for me it was quite an event as I have been unable to walk very far or drive at all due to a back injury.I got a lift halfway & then slowly strolled the rest of the way.It was so nice in the warm sunshine.

I only went as far as my favourite yarn store......and then sat & had a catch up with my lovely friends over a cup or two of coffee & did a bit of knitting. Customers popped in to make purchases & some of them showed me what they were making.Truly a place to be inspired.

Many came in to say how much they liked the strawberry basket & some wanted one too!!! I have to say I have been overwhelmed at the comments this little group activity has generated.I have had so many emails from people ,sharing their thoughts & thanking me for giving them a little something.I have to actually say that it is I who should be thanking you all for taking the time to contact me .To be part of the blog world has certainly helped me whilst I have been trying to recover with my back.Some days have been better than others & on those which have not been quite so good ,it is my family (especially my LSH, that's long suffering husband!)friends ,crafting buddies & the blogworld which have seen me through and taken my mind off the pain.Thankyou guys xxxx

My day was made yesterday when on the bus home ,(which was turning out to be a very long 5 minute journey) the man in the seat behind me tapped me on the shoulder & said ,"My dear ,what are you stitching?" pointing to my half finished sock I was working on.I told him it was a sock .He then said "Really?" .I whipped out the already finished partner from my bag & in true Blue Peter style said "Yes , here is one I made earlier". The gentleman exclaimed "Oh, how very British!!" I chuckled all the way from the bus stop to my house.

Rico Cancan

I have always loved Paris.When Moulin Rouge came out in the cinema ,I couldn't wait to go & see it.I have never visited the Moulin Rouge ,but have a poster we bought in Paris depicting the show & the dancers.I really need to get it framed & hung on our dining room wall.

Rico have just brought out a new yarn,Cancan.

I was given a ball of it to try out by my dear friend Caroline who owns The Wool Bar.I thought I would give you a little insight into what it is like.

Rico Cancan comes in 200g balls.It is like a ribbon ,similar in type to fishnet stockings!It is 100% acrylic & feels similar to cotton.Its very soft to the touch .It knits up to make lovely ruffles which are ideal for a scarf. It replicates to me the frills on the dancers skirts.

Washing instruction are clearly written on the ball band & you can put it in the machine at 30degrees.It is not recommended that you tumble dry ,iron or use bleach on it.

The colourways are lovely.

The ball band comes with directions on how to use it ,recommended needle size which is 7-8mm.

The instructions on the ball band are quite small ,but then there is a lot of detail & some pictures.I have taken some of my own to show you how to use it.Please forgive the bad quality ,I took them quickly .

Rico recommend you finish the yarn by sewing the ends.I started by tying a knot in the end so it wasn't tempted to fray.I have to say it didn't appear to want to fray at all whilst I was knitting my scarf.

The yarn has a right & wrong side.It is important you work out which side is which as this helps the yarn to roll ,creating its curls.The wrong side is the one which rolls in on itself.

The right side is your cast on on side.This will face you as you cast on by picking up a few

threads at the top of the ribbon yarn.Do this at the recommended 4 cm space.To get the distance I measured & cut a gauge in the ball band.You don't have to be as anal as this but my judgement is not that good!

For a scarf that will be about 20cm wide ,pick up 7 stitches.

You then insert needle into the stitch & proceed to knit as for garter stitch .



Instead of wrapping the whole of the yarn around the working needle, catch a few threads at the top of the "ribbon"


The wrong side of the yarn will now face you as you work your garter stitch.


This is how it will look after one row...
Two rows & you can see the ruffle take shape. Repeat until you have reached the length required.Rico state that the yarn stretches with wear & gravity.

The yarn is very strong if you tug it lengthwise, but obviously it will rip if you catch it & it gets pulled across the width.It will take a certain amount of tugging that way & I think is good for its open delicate structure. During the knitting I used half a ball of the yarn.You will be able to get 2 scarves out of this & for approx £10 retail value ,is a bargain!

During the knitting I came across only one join .This was joined by being neatly sewn on the bias & became hidden in the ruffle.I was happy with that.

I cant wait to wear this.I bet it will be really warm & keep out the seaside wind.

I reckon this is going to be the big winter hit in knitting terms.You can get the yarn at Rico stockists.Mine obviously came from The Wool Bar who have a website(its my local yarn store & has great coffee & the most lovely staff!).If its not online yet ,you will be able to give Caroline a call & order it over the phone.She has most of the colours in stock at the moment ,but I warn you ,its going fast.I will be getting some more very soon.

I forgot to show you my new knitting basket...

Isn't it great.I got it from Matalan for a fiver!

It has no sharp bits on it to catch my yarn on & will hold a large project & yarn to stop it getting on the floor.I can let the yarn unravel in the basket avoiding the work picking up any fluff the hoover may have missed .

24 years ago.....

there was a bride & groom.....

Yes, its our wedding anniversary.Of course we are a just a bit older ,wiser ,with less hair(well not me) & a larger waistline.

We had such a fun filled day .Our parents worked so hard to enable us to have a good start in life with a memorable day.24 years later ,the little girl in the picture is now a mum herself,to not one ,but 3 lovely children.We have our own boys who are now grown men.Where has all the time gone?!!

Only a year now till our Silver Anniversary.I wonder what we will do to celebrate that?

Tonight my darling husband is taking me out for a meal.Shame I have such a bad back & now on top of that I have a massive stye in my eye & cannot put any make-up on.I feel a bit like an alien!!Will anyone notice if I wear dark glasses in the restaurant?!!!

Great British Seaside

Many years ago Mr T & I chose to live in a seaside town.We actually live very close to the beach with it really only being about a 150m away.Often those naughty seagulls wake us up early in the morning & we have had a pair of them nesting on our chimney pots this summer.
My friend Christine got a beach hut this year & we have spent more time on the beach at the beach hut.

There really is nothing like the great British seaside .Wind in your hair ,a warm woolly on & tucking into fish & chips wrapped in paper with lashings of salt & vinegar......heaven.

I have found me a little knitted beach hut door stop which I am going to make(eventually).Its by talented designer Suzie Johnson .Suzie is the talented lady who showed TV's ,Kirstie Allsop on Kirstie's Homemade Home ,how to knit & then made a door draught excluder for her children's nursery.

I cant wait to make this door stop.It just epitomises all things British to me.I love it.Here is the link on Ravelry where you can find the pattern.Membership to Ravelry is free if you are not already a member.

Hyperbolic random spike stitch flower....

I belong to an online Knitting website called Ravelry.On this there is so much information & support on how to make just about anything from yarn.It doesn't matter if you can knit or crochet,the site caters for all.

During a browse through the site I can across a group who crochet using random spike stitch.This is basically a single crochet but done into a row or rows below the row you are working on to give a spike effect.

I made these flowers using a pattern devised by the talented Sue Johnson.This lady writes a lovely blog & well worth a visit.She updates her blog daily & will introduce you into the world of colour & texture through crochet.

I had great fun sitting making these & they only take a short time.I used the DK yarn with 2 strands together & the Noro which is an aran weight ,as a single strand.I have not used Noro before .The little bit I used was given to me by my friend Caroline who owns The Wool Bar.She told me to make something gorgeous with it!!Its silk & feels lovely.


What do you think?!!

Ta da!!

Here is my big Ta Da!!!!!

At Knit & Natter at my LYS ,The Wool Bar we have been making a hanging basket filled with knitted Strawberry plants.

The project was to decorate the front of the shop.My lovely friend Caroline who owns the shop was kept in the dark about the progress of the project (which was no mean feat!!).Every one regardless of knitting ability was able to make a contribution to the basket .It was such a lovely project for us all to be involved in & all money in the shop raised for charity will go to the Breast Cancer Care charity.

The strawberry pattern if you would like to make some is here

http://www.breastcancercare.org.uk/upload/pdf/strawberry_...

The pattern for the large leaf from the book “100 flowers to knit & crochet ” by Lesley Stanfield ,is ideal.

I knitted the leaf as described in the pattern ,making the i-cord to a length of approx 5”.I then made two more leaves without the “stem” or i-cord & sewed these either side of the stemmed leaf. The following pattern is the large leaf pattern; Cast on 3 stitches & make cord using 2 double pointed needles.Knit 3 stitches then without turning , start next row by sliding the knitting along to the left & bring yarn behind the work to start new row.This will form the i-cord.Continue for middle leaf to make stem for approx 4-5 inches.
continue for rest of leaf as follows

1st row (rs) k1,yo,k1,yo,k1.5sts 2nd row k2,p1,k2.When knitting the yo stitch ,knit into back of stitch,this prevents a hole from forming.

3rd row k2,yo,k1,yo,k2.7sts

4th,6th,8th,10th,12th,and 14th rows,k working centre st p1.

5th row k3,yo,k1,yo,k3.9sts

7th row k4,yo,k1,yo,k4.11sts

9th row k5,yo,k1,yo,k5.13 sts

11th row k6,yo,k1,yo,k6.15 sts

13th row k7,yo,k1,yo,k7.17 sts

15th row k17 16th & WS rows k

17th row k2 tog,k13,k2tog.15 sts

19th row k2 tog ,k11,k2tog.13 sts

21st row k2tog,k9,k2tog.11sts

23rd row k2tog,k7,k2tog.9sts

25th row k2tog,k5,k2tog.7sts

27th row k2tog,k3,k2tog.5sts

29th row k2tog,k1,k2tog.3 sts

31st row S1,k2tog,psso.fasten off remaining stitch.

Sew ends of yarn in.Sew the two leaves without stems to the stemmed leaf ,either side ,sewing a third of the way up the leaf edge to make the 3 lobed strawberry leaf..

The little strawberry flowers were made by Sarah at K & N .They were gorgeous & she used the most beautiful yarn that was most probably silk!Sarah made the pattern herself for this flower but there is a similar one in the 100 flowers book.Its also the one I used to make the blossoms on the Mary Janes in the previous post.

It took me a week to wire the leaves ,flowers & strawberries & assemble the basket.The underneath is made up of a very expensive felted Noro tank top that I cut up into leaves to make a supporting framework.I had the basket hanging in my very messy craft room all set up at the right height so I could just go in & work on it for ten minutes or so as my back would allow.

Here are the girls.......Rose (with the strawberry & wire cutters!!) & Gwen

Closest to the camera is Penny ,then Rita & Rita's daughter.

The girls at Knit & Natter were really chuffed with the end result ,Caroline loved it & was totally surprised & I was so pleased they all liked the way I put their hard work together.

If you would like to see it for yourself ,just visit The Wool Bar in Worthing! There is always a warm welcome & lots of scrumptious yarn & patterns to make your dreams reality.

Gutermann thread treat!

I popped into town today with a friend to the local fabric shop.I spied there these tins of Gutermann threads .I just had to treat myself ,but at £5.99 with 4 threads inside ,it was a bargain!

Don't forget to pop back later for the unveiling of the surprise!!

Crochet Blossoms

Over last week I made some little cotton Mary Jane baby booties.I made them out of some lovely Creative cotton Pearle dk yarn.They looked a little plain so I croched some blossom flowers to go on the front of them.

The blossoms were made using the magic slip knot method.You then make 9 SC into the loop & pull the loop tight.This forms the centre of the blossom.Into the first sc ,4 treble crochet then the next sc ,ss1.Continue around the centre .Once you get to the last space you should have 5 petals.Fasten off.Stitch to whatever you wish to decorate!

The weather over the weekend has been foul.Last night we had torrential rain.I spent the whole weekend indoors.It did help as it made me rest my back.I also made a start on my Debbie Bliss winter coat.Its the riding coat by Debbie Bliss.I am knitting it in moss stitch.I know its going to take longer being made in moss stitch ,but its gives the fabric much more substance.I am now going to start searching for just the right buttons for it.When you spend a lot of money on yarn for a garment ,its so worth the extra effort.I cant wait to show you how I am getting on with it.I have done just 11 rows so far of the back .I would like to get it finished by October as Debbie will be visiting The Wool Bar on 14th October

I also have something else I have been assembling which I cant wait to show you ,but its a secret at the moment! Shh ,don't tell anyone!!!!I will show you after tomorrow.Make sure you drop by again.You mustn't miss it!!