November Goals - Review

Personal/Home:
I didn't lose another stone, but I have managed to remain consistent. This is good. Illness prevented daily cycling. I start of so well, but get interrupted and fail to get back on the metal steed. The kitchen is being kept cleaner and tidier month on month. It's still not always where I want it to be, but it's better than it was.

Crafting:

• finish Doctor Who scarf ✓
• knit 4 hats for charity ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
• complete mitred square baby blanket ✓

• knit purple wrist warmers for H ✓
• finish or frog 5 UFOs ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

The needle case and scissors cases have been started, but aren't finished. This will happen in the next week. The hot water bottle cover will also be made. Then the following week, I'll make the cushion covers.

My holiday in England disrupted my crafting plans, but I did manage to make two more pairs of wrist warmers and two hats.

November Craftings

Mitred Squares Blanket

Started: June 2014

Finished: 1st November 2018

Doctor Who Scarf
Started: 3rd October 2018
Finished: 5th November 2018

Chocolate and Paprika Hat
Started: 5th November 2018
Finished: 6th November 2018

Black, Wine and Paprika Hat
Started: 9th November 2018
Finished: 9th November 2018

Black and Paprika Hat
Started: 9th November 2018
Finished: 9th November 2018

Aubergine Wrist Warmers
Started: 6th November 2018
Finished 14th November 2018

Blue Socks
Started: pre-2014
Finished 16th November 2018

King Cole Smooth Cardigan and Hat

Started: ????

Finished: 16th November 2018

Twilleys Freedom Hat
Started: 16th November 2018
Finished: 18th November 2018

Wine Wrist Warmers
Started: 22nd November 2018
Finished 23rd November 2018

Teal Wrist Warmers
Started: 23rd November 2018
Finished 25th November 2018

Happy St Andrew's Day

A happy St Andrew's Day to all Scots, those who live in Scotland. Also to those who have a connection to Scotland, who wish they had, or even just who like a bit of tartan.

Eat a Scottish food, eg shortbread, haggis, stovies, Athol brose, pancakes... Or have a wee dram of whisky, or a raise a glass of Irn Bru. 

Scotland is a pretty fine place, and as the traditional toast goes, "Here's tae us? Wha's like us? Damn few, an' they're a' deid!"

Call Someone You Love

"Call someone you love" - the person I love most, and who doesn't live in the same house as me is the Elder Offspring. I shall phone her tonight. I've not seen her since the start of the week, and I'm missing her. It's three and a half weeks until I can hug her again.

Walking the Dog

It has been incredibly easy to follow the Day 3 challenge: take a walk outdoors. A lovely, very hairy pooch is almost always ready to go for a walk. She is happy to have an adventure at any time.

20 Day Mental Wellness Challenge

I saw this yesterday, and the thought of going to be an hour earlier was lovely. The reality was even better than the thought.

Day 2's challenge is to write about 10 things I'm grateful for.
1. I am so grateful for a loving family.
2. I'm grateful for the time we spent together in England, laughing, telling stories and having fun.
3. I'm grateful to the reaction we received when we collected her from the kennels. She was overjoyed to see us.
4. I'm grateful for friends.
5. I'm grateful for squishy packages full of fabric, receiving them and sending them.
6. I'm grateful for the ability to craft. My sore wrist yesterday reminded me how grateful I am.
7. I'm grateful to be home and sleep in my own bed.
8. I'm grateful for good food.
9. I'm grateful I have lost weight and so improved my health.
10. I'm grateful for awesome resources available on-line, from tutorials in how to make fondant pigs, to learning about quantum physics.

Home Again, Home Again, Giiggity-gig

Travelling home has been a bit of an experience. I managed to toss the sheet of paper with the booking for the ferry. It was only after we had been driving for about an hour I realised what I had done. Returning to collect it was not an option.

Then, there were at least three different sets of roadworks. Driving at slow, slow speeds was incredibly annoying. To add a little excitement, The Beloved mistook the check-in time by an hour and was getting more and more wound up, but didn't say anything. We arrived with 15 minutes to spare according to his reckoning, but in actuality, we had 1 hour, 15 minutes!

Whilst on board the ferry thing got a little bumpy. The image above was taken at the same time we travelling, but at Port St Mary. Yup, a little bumpy.

It was glorious to get home again.

Big Delight with Stripes Hat

Yarn: Drops Big Delight

Composition: 100% wool

Colour: blues

Colour: 12

Dyelot: 1113

Yarn: John Lewis DK

Composition: 100% acrylic

Colour: black

Pattern: Super Chunky Hat

Size: Adult

Needles: 10mm

Started: 26th November 2018 

Finished:  28th November 2018

Big Delight Chunky Hat

Yarn: Drops Big Delight

Composition: 100% wool

Colour: blues

Colour: 12

Dyelot: 1113

Pattern: Super Chunky Hat

Size: Adult

Needles: 10mm

Started: 24th November 2018 

Finished:  26th November 2018

Teal Wrist Warmers

Company:  The Women's Institute

Yarn: Soft and Silky

Composition: Microfibre acrylic 100%

Colour:  azure

Pattern: Ribbed Wrist Warmers

Size: Adult
Needles: 3.75mm

Amount used:  30g

Started:  23rd November 2018

Finished: 25th November 2018

This is such a popular design, and the ribbing stretches to accommodate the broadest to the narrowest hands.

The yarn claims to be a 4ply, but it is a very thick 4ply.

These wrist warmers really are finished. The ends of yarn in the photograph are from the piece of yarn used to hold the wrist warmers together.

Pigs in Mud

Pink fondant pig playing in a mud pond of chocolate ganache. The pond is sitting on top of vanilla sponges sandwiched together with whipped cream and ganache. The gluten-free Kit-Kat substitutes are glued in place with more ganache.

Happy birthday, birthday people.

Wine Wrist Warmers

Company:  Deramores

Yarn: Studio DK 

Composition: Acrylic 100%

Colour:  wine

Pattern: Ribbed Wrist Warmers

Size: Woman
Needles: 4mm

Amount used:  30g

Started:  22nd November 2018

Finished: 23rd November 2018

I'm using up the remains of the yarn from the Doctor Who scarf. This will be a Christmas present.

Norwegian Sweater

Whilst on the ferry, I bumped into a man wearing a beautiful Norwegian sweater. 

A quick "Oh, your sweater is beautiful!" Followed by I'd love to make one for my husband. May I take a photograph?" yielded good results. I must come across as a non-threatening, but slightly crazy crafter.

And Relax!

Time to kick back and relax.

Just Another Manic Wednesday

Ta Da!
make lists and list and lists
make pancakes
dry woollies that didn't quite dry yesterday<
put away dishes
wash dishes
clean hob

clean worktop
sweep kitchen floor
wash dishes
wash rubbish bin
empty bin
pack L's birthday presents
post 'squishies' and H's wrist warmers
take Ava to kennels
sweep hall
tidy dining room
sweep dining room
lay out clothes
vacuum stairs
vacuum sitting room
clear out fridge
sort food to take on trip 
pack cake decorating doo-dahs 
bring down boxes to go to England
tidy and clean sitting room
pack crafting items

• wine wrist warmers, 4mm needle
• black yarn for flip top mittens
• Christmas tree quilt, thread, scissors, red beads, gold star
• random DK yarn and 10mm needles
• transfer cross stitch files from server

Just Another Manic Tuesday

'Bake a birthday cake' was on yesterday's list, but wasn't accomplished. Instead, butter chicken happened. Today's list is shaping up to being quite long too.

Ta Da!

declutter Christmas decorations

declutter lower half of under stair cupboard

wash red clothes
dry red clothes

bake cake

freeze cake

dry red clothes

put away red clothes

wash light coloured clothes

lay out wrist warmers

dry light clothes

put away light clothes
knit and rest 
start cross stitch on needle case

ake 'squishies' 

Just Another Manic Monday

A day to create a To Do - Ta Da! list if ever there was a manic Monday There's so much I want to do before Thursday,and I need to write it all down so nothing is forgotten.

To Do

bake cake

Ta Da!

wash dark clothes

wash dishes

wash pots and pans

make butter chicken

photograph Twilleys Freedom Hat

finish cross stitch leaves on Mam's scissor case

wash blue and greens

dry dark clothes

dry blues and greens

change bed linens

sweep bedroom floor

wash duvet cover

put away dark clothes

put away blues and greens

put away dark clothes

put away blues and greens

tidy bedroom

dust bedroom

dry bed linens

put away bed linens

freeze butter chicken

Things to be done, but not today
sort Christmas decorations
make fondant pigs
wrap C's birthday presents
wrap L's birthday presents
make 'squishies' for Mel, Beth, Kate and Bethany
post  squishies and H's wrist warmers

Twilleys Freedom Hat

Yarn: Twilleys of Stamford Freedom Wool

Composition: 100% wool

Colour: red

Yarn: King Cole Pricewise DK

Composition: 100% acrylic

Colour: black

Pattern: Super Chunky Hat

Size: Adult

Needles: 10mm

Started: 16th November 2018 

Finished:  18th November 2018

Another chunky hat, another ball of stashed yarn used up. Well, two small balls.

Scissors Case

A while back, I made a fuchsia bookmark for my Mam. I've adapted the pattern and am currently making a scissors case and a needle case for her. This is the section I'm stitching onto the back of the scissors case.

The colours being use are all DMC:

dark green - 520

light green - 3364

dark red - 815

light red - 321

dark purple - 327

light purple - 208

grey - 535

Twenty years ago, I laughed at my parents for having to have so many lights on to be able to read. Now, I'm finding myself going the same way. It's dark outside, and it's time to put my cross stitch down until there's good natural light once more. I really am wishing I hadn't used an even weave cross stitch fabric, but an aida instead. The holes are so much easier to see!

It's now time to pick up the hat I have on the needles. 

A Brain Brimming Over with Ideas

My brain is an explosion of colour and ideas. Crafting is one way I have of emptying it, just a little. But, I keep on starting projects and leaving them unfinished. Whilst decluttering my craft room I have been coming across quite a number of not-quite complete projects. It's driving me crazy. And my way of dealing with it is to ignore the problem and start a new project.

I so want to start the Lavender and Old Lace quilt. Each time I enter the room I want to start playing. Another project that's calling is making a couple of hooded baby blankets, using up some white fleece and quilting fabric. I'd also be quite happy to start another hat. It is ridiculous!

A while back I realised I needed to curtail my yarn buying habits. Initially, I went Cold Sheep (like cold turkey, but with added wool). Since then I have been successfully buying less yarn than I have used. Also yarn was donated to local charities. 

This year I started out only buying yarn to facilitate using up my stash. Black, navy and brown were bought to help turn little balls of stash yarn into hats. This plan worked really well until March, and I really wanted to try a particular design, Optical Illusion Blanket. New yarn was bought for that. Later, new yarn was bought for the Doctor Who Scarf.

Now, it is looking like I need to start applying a similar method to my projects. Before I start a new project, I have to finish a UFO. It would be great to have just a handful of projects, and no UFOs at all! But that's a dream at the moment. Baby steps - one UFO at a time.

Smooth Cardigan and Hat

Another UFO becomes a FO!

Company:  King Cole
Yarn: Smooth DK 
Composition: microfibe acrylic 100%
Colour:  white 

Company:  King Cole
Yarn: Smooth Multi DK 
Composition: microfibe acrylic 100%
Colour:  sea green 
Size: baby
Needles: 4mm
Started:  umm....
Finished: 16th November 2018

I've no idea when the hat and cardigan were started, but they were finished yesterday. Another UFO bites the dust!  I remember why this one sat in the naughty corner for ages. When I wanted to finish it I couldn't find a suitable needle. It was put to the side to finish later after new needles had been bought.

Blue Socks

Normally, I make notes on my craft projects. This gives me a starting point if I want to make the item again, or make something from the same yarn. 

For a knitted item, this includes useful information like the pattern, the yarn, the composition of the yarn, needle size, when it was started and finished. And almost none of this available for these socks. The yarn is an acrylic, and they were finished today! That's your lot. Well, apart from they were probably started at least five years ago.

Frogging

"Frogging" is a knitting term. It's what you do when you rip out your knitting, "rip it, rip it, rip it". A few UFOs in my craft room have been frogged. The yarn will be reconditioned (skeined, washed, and dried with a weight on the end), and then used in a new project.

A big difference was made in my craft room when the computer and desk departed. This morning, I have organised all of the yarn in the room. There's now four collapsible crates, 4ply, DK, aran, and chunky. There's also a much smaller box containing lace-weight, some mohair, eyelash yarn, and a ball of  chenille. There's a few balls in the sitting room and also the dining room. Those will be filed away in their proper place when the craft room has bee decluttered.

A friend sent me a 'squishy' (a parcel of quilting fabrics). As there's quilting fabrics I no longer want, it seems a good time to put together squishies for my quilty friends.

It really does feel good bringing order to the chaos. It's also very inspiring, and I have to keep telling myself, "No. Now is not the time to start another project. It's decluttering time." Although I did find a pair of socks. They are a shade off being completed - one toe needs to be grafted, and two ends woven in. Then I'll have another item to add to my charity box.

UFOs and Let Gos

In the crafting communities UFOs are not Unidentified Flying Objects, but UnFinished Objects. I seem to have a fair few. Some are so near completion it is ridiculous! 

Whilst decluttering my craft room, I came across a baby hat and cardigan set. The hat has been completed, but the cardigan needs a few ends woven in, and the underarms grafted. When completed, it will be added to my charity box.

Also unearthed in the declutter were a number of small projects I no longer want, nor need. They have been disposed of. There were also three matching socks (three?!). They will be frogged and the yarn reused.

A huge amount of Stuff has been removed from the room.The Beloved and the Offspring have packed it up and taken it to the local amenities site. Included in this are a couple bags of rubbish, a box of cardboard boxes, a computer and a desk. 

I really want this room to become a guest bedroom, with a bit of storage for crafting supplies rather than a jumble of craft stuff with a bed tucked into the corner. When we visit the Elder Offspring, we'll be packing about four boxes of her belonging.  That will create a bit more space, and a clearer corner in the room.

By the time she comes back to spend Christmas with us, the room is going to look so very much better!

Decluttering the Craft Room

Being ill with coughs, sneezes and wheezes means I have been sleeping in my craft room/guest room. My attention has been drawn to how messy it is, and how messy I don't want it to be!

Work has started on decluttering my craft room. I did it last year, and it is in need of decluttering again. Some of the things saved last year will not make the cut this year. 

Yesterday, I realised that if I get rid of 10 items per day until the new year, I will have parted with over 500 items. This idea pleased me greatly. Then I paused and remembered there's a trip to England to visit the Elder Offspring. There will be a number of days when I can't declutter as I'll be in a different country! Then a little spark of cerebral energy ignited, "Why don't you do a bit extra on some days and set aside clutter and earmark it for decluttering on those days." 

Stuff is leaving the house. Some has been set aside for recycling, some for donation, and some for the rubbish bin. So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye.

A Fabric-filled Day

Today was my first day up and out of bed after spend two days coughing and spluttering. It's certainly taken it out of me!

This morning, I visited a new place, the Fibre Studio. They offer all sorts of courses, eg knitting crochet, dreamcatchers, weaving, weaving sticks, spinning... I'd like to give weaving a go. The tutor is incredibly into the rustic vibe, and it made me realise how much I like crisp clean colours and precision. However, the techniques will be the same regardless.

The afternoon involved a quick tip to the woollen mill to pick up a metre of the Laxey tartan. This is going to be used to make a hot water bottle cover for my Dad as part of his Christmas present. If my brain is working tomorrow, I shall start work on it.

Black and Paprika Hat

Yarn: Deramores Studio DK

Composition: 100% acrylic

Colour: paprika

Yarn: King Cole Pricewise DK

Composition: 100% acrylic

Colour: black

Pattern: Super Chunky Hat

Size: Adult

Needles: 10mm

Started: 9th November 2018 

Finished:  9th November 2018

Using up leftovers of the leftovers from the Doctor Who scarf. The paprika has now been finished. There's enough for some wine wrist warmers for the Younger Offspring.

Black, Wine and Paprika Hat

Yarn: Deramores Studio DK

Composition: 100% acrylic

Colour: wine

Yarn: Deramores Studio DK

Composition: 100% acrylic

Colour: paprika

Yarn: King Cole Pricewise DK

Composition: 100% acrylic

Colour: black

Pattern: Super Chunky Hat

Size: Adult

Needles: 10mm

Started: 9th November 2018 

Finished:  9th November 2018

Using up leftovers from the Doctor Who scarf.

Aubergine Wrist Warmers

Company:  Deramores

Yarn: Studio DK 

Composition: Acrylic 100%

Colour:  Aubergine

Pattern: Ribbed Wrist Warmers

Size: Woman
Needles: 4mm

Amount used:  30g

Started:  6th November 2018

Finished: 14th November 2018

A friend is having problems with sore muscles and joints due to arthritis. My joints love to be swathed in wool, but my friend's skin is very unhappy with wool. However, she loves purple. Some of the leftover yarn from the Doctor Who scarf will be magically transformed into purple wrist warmers for her. 

Chocolate and Paprika Hat

Yarn: Deramores Studio DK

Composition: 100% acrylic

Colour: chocolate

Yarn: Deramores Studio DK

Composition: 100% acrylic

Colour: paprika

Pattern: Super Chunky Hat

Size: Adult

Needles: 10mm

Started: 5th November 2018 

Finished:  6th November 2018

Another hat bites the dust, and another charity hat made. Also, another ball of yarn finished. Since I lost count and started again, that's 5, paprika, wine, aubergine, chocolate and raspberry.