Black and white fluff

DD and her BF have just adopted an unwanted bundle of black and white fluff, does that make him my Grandkitten I wonder? I guess it must because I did what every good grandmother should do and got out yarn and needles to make him a toy.

Using the Captain Catbattler pattern, but making a sturdier (plaited) tail and no eye patch, it wasn’t long before Mr Mouse was ready for action.

Do you think Hugo liked him?

Bears and Squares

Well technically it's Bear and Squares in my case

The Tunisian crochet blanket that I started in July and a knitted bear to go with it is ready to take up to Ally Pally, in a couple of weeks, for the Bears and Squares campaign for Refuge.

I had the idea of alternating different Tunisian crochet stitches with squares of Tunisian simple Stitch.

But it wasn't until I had almost finished that it dawned on me - wouldn't it have been better to have used the plainer yarn for the fancy stitches, and the fancy yarn for the plainer squares?! Oh well, must have been someone elses turn for the brain cell when I first thought about it! Still, I'm rather pleased with the end result nevertheless.

The bear is from Val Pierce's 20 to make - Knitted Tiny Bears and reminds me of a little girl wearing her big sisters dress, (I suppose I could pretend it was deliberate so that the bear can be undressed more easily - no? oh well, just a thought) but hopefully someone will still love her anyway.

The Birds and other random reminiscences.

Look out Mr Hitchcock, I think we are about to remake your film in our back garden!

I've tried to count them several times and I get an average of 142! No need to aerate our lawn this year then!
I remember watching the original film, I was only about 10 or 11 and it was on in the TV lounge of the guesthouse I was staying in with my grandparents in Margate - I was terrified, but Nan wouldn't let me go up to our room because she said it would be rude to leave the lounge when the other guests were still watching, so I spent most of the film behind a cushion! (Though I loved her dearly she had some very strange ideas of etiquette.)

Birds and flying leads me to .....

It was such a lovely day yesterday I couldn't resist a picture of what we get up to on a sunny Saturday afternoon - having spent quite a while taking photos of 14" wingspan planes whizzing passed me at about 20mph I deserved a rest and a knit while DH tried out one of his bigger models.I still had the camera to hand and the clouds looked so nice.
I must say I always thank heavens for digital cameras when I'm shooting these little planes, you have to take a very large number of pictures and only a small percentage are sharp enough for the exacting standards of the magazine - I just don't know how they managed in 35mm days, bet the chemist was happy when the saw one of our lot approaching!
This flying site is only a couple of miles away and it is so peaceful there, on a warm sunny day the only other sounds are the occasional train chugging passed in the distance and a few dogs barking in the Kennels several fields over.

And after yesterdays sunniness (is there such a word?) today is more like winter, dull rainy and cold - you can tell winter is approaching because I have started making soup again.

Believe it or not this used to be a favourite of DD and her friends when she was younger - offer them Leek and Potato soup and you'd get a "No Thanks!" but

add a toast man and call them 'Snot Surfers' and the plate was clean!
I think some of it may have been to do with the fact that I was probably the last person they would expect to say something like that. Being a slightly older mother I was always assumed by DD's friends to be boring and staid and then I'd go and do something unexpected - Like the time her friend came back for tea between school and the school concert and they took so long to clear up having had a really good time that I could see we were likely to be late - DD's little friend thought I would be cross (like her mum would have been) but they had been tidying .....so I just said "Oh well, we'll just have to skip to school then" and we did, literally, the 3 of us holding hands and skipping the 1/2 mile through the estate and down the main road to school!!
After her initial shock DD's friend started giggling along with DD and so 2 very happy little girls and one (slightly panting) mother arrived just in the nick of time - so much easier, more fun (and quicker) than scolding and chivying

I think I'd better stop now before I get all nostalgic and bore anyone reading this but I did just text DD to let her know I'd made soup and she could have some for lunch at work tomorrow.... and guess what she asked for to go with it :0)

Little Boy Blue Preemie Hat

Every so often I look at a stitch pattern and wonder what else I could do with it. This time it was purls in a vertical row on the knit side, and as I am still making lots of things for The Little Love Project naturally my thoughts turned to baby items. I had recently acquired a small amount of nice denim-y blue 4ply, so a hat suggested itself, and a couple of scrappy bits of paper and a few lunch breaks later I had 'designed' a pattern.

(Haha, designed indeed! I really don't think of myself as a pattern designer - far too grand a label, but how else to put it.)

So anyway, in case someone else out there might like to try it - here is my

Little Boy Blue Preemie Hat

Available in two sizes, preemie and small newborn, knit flat and seamed

Materials:
A small amount of 4ply
3.25mm knitting needles

Cast on 56sts (72sts)
Work 2x2 rib for 1 1/2”

Row 1: Knit
Row 2: P3, K1 across the row

Repeat rows 1 and 2 until work measures 4 1/2” (5”)

Decrease as follows:
*Start decreasing at Row 1 for larger size, and Row 5 for smaller size*.
Row 1: (K7, K2tog) across row (64sts)
Row 2: Purl
Row 3: (K6, K2tog) across row (56sts)
Row 4: Purl
Row 5: (K5, K2tog) across row (48sts)
Row 6: Purl
Row 7: (K4, K2tog) across row (40sts)
Row 8: (P3, P2tog) across row (32sts)
Row 9: (K2, K2tog) across row (24sts)
Row 10: (P1, P2tog) across row (16sts)
Row 11: K2tog across row (8sts)

Cut yarn leaving a end long enough to sew seam – thread through remaining 8sts, draw up, sew back seam keeping it as flat and smooth as possible. Turn up brim.



Of course there is no reason why this hat shouldn't be knitted in pink or any other suitable colour. Feel free to knit these for your favourite SCBU/NICU, local charity or any preemies you know, but please use the pattern in the spirit in which is was intended and do not profit from them.
Please note: I am not a pattern writer, just someone who enjoys knitting and making up patterns for charity, so I hope this is clear and without mistakes, but if you do find any please let me know so that I can correct them.
Thanks and enjoy.

Keeping it in the family

August bank holiday weekend means only one thing in the Modelwidow household - The National Model Flying Championships. For more years than I care to remember, assorted and varied members of the extended family make the pilgrimage to Barkston Heath airfield in Grantham Lincolnshire to attend the event.

Now, as BIL is the editor of a well known (buyable in WHSmiths type) model magazine, and DH is the deputy editor and web editor, there is quite a connection with this field and for the last couple of years we have had a stand in the trade area promoting the magazine to which DD and I are dragged invited along to help.

So this it where my lovely DD and I spent our bank holiday. To be honest, we love it, it is great to be part of DH's world, to see how respected and known he is. DD may be 19 now, but as she put it "I see how people talk to him and think, that's my dad!"
We spent an enjoyable weekend, working harder than we do 9-5, but meeting lots of nice people and some others!
Because our 'shop' is only made of canvas, sturdy though it may be, we can't leave the stock over night so it's a case of unloading and loading the van daily - done rather hastily on the Saturday evening as a rather spectacular storm could be seen heading our way - shame I was too busy rushing in and out with boxes to take photos of the sky.

The 'shop' may be canvas, but I do draw the line as far as that goes with sleeping facilities - been there, done that and had the tent smack me round the face every 5 minutes all night because it has been so windy - and with the excuse that working girls need a good shower and a comfy bed we stay in the nearby Premier Inn - it's fun watching the receptionists face when up to 5 people all with the same surname but split across 3 or more different rooms book in (though sadly FIL now 80 decided not to join us this year).

Last year I was so tired at the end of each day that I didn't knit a stitch. This year we were much better organised, less stressed and it all went so smoothly that I finished the Well Travelled Hitchiker

.....and didn't have anything else to knit!!!
However, much to my family's amusement, I found the only stall at the event selling a few balls of baby wool and quickly checking Ravelry (well as quickly as my phone would allow) I found the Simple Lines Baby Blanket pattern and cast on, keeping me happy for the rest of the weekend.

Pride comes before a fall

This is what you get when you think you know what a pattern says....

And this is what you get when you actually read the pattern properly

Amazing what a difference just 1 knit stitch can make in each row, I saw it was a 2x2 rib, thought I knew better than to cast on an odd number of stitches despite what the pattern said and well, as they say, pride comes before a fall ..........
Lesson learnt!

Airbourne

This weekend it was the annual Airshow at Eastbourne, DH likes planes and I have to confess to being a bit partial to the noisy fast jets myself. I also love the sea, and though there is no way you would get me on a beach holiday (I'd be bored in 5 minutes sunbathing and as for sand - horrible stuff!) sitting on a pebbly beach watching an air display is quite another matter.

We set off early and found ourselves a nice little spot, and whilst waiting for the display to begin DH got out his paper and naturally I got out ....

an innocent smoothie hat, much to the amusement of people around us (made even worse when I took the photo!)
I didn't think it was appropriate to take the preemie hats I'm making for The Little Love Project, somehow cream yarn, beaches, salt air and suntan lotion just didn't seem the ideal mix, but little hats in assorted colours kept me out of mischief nicely between the displays,

and whilst waiting for my favourite plane of all time

The VulcanIt just doesn't look like it ought to be able to stay in the sky, it's so big and heavy and slow - and as for the roar from those engines as it climbs - it still makes my hairs stand on end!

We were so lucky with the weather too, the best we have had for several weeks, actually it was rather too nice, and despite topping up the suntan lotion, I think I may have to change my name to Rudolph!

There's grateful, then

There is an independent charity shop that DH and I like to browse in as we pass on a Saturday morning, often we find nothing, sometimes we find a treasure. This week I bought 600g Patons Smoothie DK for £6, and DH bought me a knitting book......

and as a thank you I suggested I make him something from it - but strangely he declined my kind offer!

I can't imagine why ;0)

I have been busy knitting though and just finished another blanket for The Little Love Project

Though if I am honest, it has a 'design feature' - I ran out of the wool (by the looks of the label it was rather old Peter Pan) which I picked up in a charity shop, so with no chance of getting any more, the frill is only round three sides. Still, I keep telling myself this was meant to be as a straight edge would be much better up near baby's face!

While the cat's away

This little mouse had intended to learn something new.

Usually when DH takes to the hills goes walking in the Lake District on his own, I sort my self out a treat or two and teach myself a new craft, or variation on a theme. I decided on Knooking and even bought the beginners set and a book from Amazon, but then I decided to be a good girl and finish off all those odd bits that have been waiting just for buttons or blocking or for ends to be darned in - and so I did.

First the Handspun Delight Shawlette

Which had been waiting to be blocked for far too long, it is made from the gorgeous Araucania Aysen that RhondaH (co-moderator from the Knit-a-square group on Ravelry) so kindly sent me. It was as lovely to knit with as I thought it would be and not at all splitty as I expected, it blocked beautifully too but will have to wait to be worn as it seems that summer has finally arrived this weekend - although the air conditioning at work has gone beserk again so may be it will get used sooner than I think.

Out of the remainder of the two skeins of this colour way I had also made

a hat and an 8" square to send off to Knit-a-Square

Then I got to work on some ends and buttons

and now have another collection of knits ready for The Little Love Project

Other than that I have been merrily working away on my tunisian crochet Refuge blanket and knitting the border on another baby blanket for The Little Love Project, oh and I might just have popped down to the wonderful, small family run department store in our little town and bought (a bit too much) baby wool in their sale - well after all, it is important to support these great independent local stores, isn't it?

Easily led

I do I find it hard to stay loyal to just one cause with my charity knitting.

I've had to scale back what I was making for Knit-a-Square because the postal costs to South Africa became ridiculous after the price hike in April, but I am very happily knitting away for The Little Love Project and thoroughly enjoying it, as well as making the odd Innocent Smoothie hat when I need something really small and simple.

I was very tempted when I first saw the Bears & Squares appeal for Refuge in Simply Knitting, but I told myself, no, Little Love was enough, and besides, this year they want whole blankets (not individual squares like last year), and for a while I was happy.

Yesterday, however, at the Lacemakers meeting several friends were teaching themselves Tunisian Crochet, and I realised I hadn't done any of that for a long time. I came home and before I knew what had happened......

a handful of yarns had jumped out of the cupboard along with my Denise Interchangeable hook and the first strip for the blanket was appearing (blow casting on, casting off and then sewing squares together - it's 6 in a row for me!)

These yarns are fluffy or textured so they aren't any good for the preemie babies delicate skin, and I will take the blanket with me to Ally Pally where they are collecting them to save postage. I'm alternating the green brushed DK with oddments in different colours and different stitches and I have already done 4 and a bit of the 24 squares needed.

Emirates Air Line

Also known as the Thames Cable Car

Reading the paper at the end of last week, DH suddenly announced "I'd like to go on that!"
The new Emirates Air Line had just opened, and despite it being the least likely thing I would have expected him to want to do, that's just what we did.

Sadly the weather wasn't as kind as it could have been, so apologies for the photo quality - the camera tried to focus through the rain on the gondala windows, but didn't succeed too well.
The cable car goes from the Royal Docks, reached by the Docklands Light Railway (weird not having a driver and being able to see down the track out of the front of the train) approx 1km across the Thames to Greenwich reaching a 'cruising height' of 300ft (yes everything is termed as if you are flying, including the boarding passes -instead of tickets) and it was BRILLIANT!

The views were stunning, even given the weather

Thames Barrier

The Dome and Canary Wharf

The veiw with the Olympic erm... 'sculpture'

And coming in to 'land'

It was really great and over far too quickly. We wanted to do it all again, and will do soon, hopefully in better weather. From Greenwich we walked along the Thames back to Charing Cross, as is our wont, via a Costa or two, with a picnic lunch on the way. It was such a good day I can definitely see us incorporating the Cable car into our London walks again, though hopefully in better weather next time.

And of course I have to show you what I made on the train

Three little Innocent Smoothie Hats

Who needs mothers day?

We don't do 'Mothers day' in our family with the theory that mothers are special every day and not just because the calendar says so. So it is always a pleasure and a treat when my lovely DD comes home with some flowers for no other reason than she saw them and thought I would like them. That really makes me feel loved.


I've been making a flower too,

for this months Baker's Dozen square I decided on the Crocodile stitch dahlia block, which wasn't as difficult as it first looked thanks to a well written pattern (as long as you remember it uses american crochet terms)

And talking of crochet (do you see how everything follows on neatly in this post?) I seem to have caught the hooky bug and this little lady flew off my hook this weekend


She is actually supposed to be a bunny but having embroidered the face DD and I decided she looked much more like a bear, so I adapted the ears to match and here she is, a bit of a strange little creature, but she will be finding her way into a charity parcel of some sort and hopefully a little person will give her a new home and love her.

Little Love Project

Working for a large company has it's advantages - each year they allow us one working day to do something charitable (whilst still paying us) and usually it involves something like gardening for a local hospice, repainting a childrens club, digging at the local National Trust place or some other similarly energetic endeavour.

This year for us it was different, a clever knitty friend, Denise, who you can find over at ToadRockStreet thought of the wonderful idea of having a charity knitting day! I mean, what could be better than spending all day knitting and being paid for it!
She discovered that the Little Love Project, a local charity providing items for Special Care Baby Units, were having problems finding people to knit for them and set about organising our day (and a brilliant job she did too). I was asked to help on the technical side as she seems to be under the impression that I am a little bit obsessed with knitting, now where did that idea come from I wonder ;0) and Susie our department secretary (well that's what she calls herself but it is a considerable understatement of her abilities) joined us to share her administrative skills, and on 12th June the big day arrived.

I had knitted several samples


as had Denise and Susie and we laid them out with the patterns


We had some donations of yarn (doesn't it look great displayed in those baskets?)

there was a table of food (well if you knew the office I work in that wouldn't suprise you at all) and music in the background, hostesses (the non-knitters in our office who came to welcome people and provide us with tea and coffee) in fact, everything you could need.

Over the course of the day no less than 37 people came to join us, some for the day, some for a morning or afternoon, and few who couldn't get time away from their jobs dropped in during their lunch hours and we had a marvelous sewer who made the cutest baby gowns (for those little angels who don't make it). The local press came and took photos, the psychologist founder of the Little Love Project, Tanya Wright, joined us and at the end of the day there were almost 130 items ready or almost ready to be given to the charity.

An amazing result from an amazing day.

The response was so good that we are now starting a charity knitting club at work, continuing to support Little Love but adding in some different challenges from time to time for variety.

I wish I had taken more pictures, and/or had a better eye for them, "tries hard could do better springs to mind", I really don't think I have done the day justice but it really was the best day at work I have had, ever!

Simple Preemie Mittens

I was asked to find a simple pattern for preemie mitts for a little project we have going at work (more about that in another post) but despite trawling the web I failed dismally. I sat there frustrated for a few moments before a lttle light bulb came on above my head - if there wasn't one to be found, then I would write one!
So here, for my colleagues, and anyone else who would like to knit some for charity, is the ellusive

Simple Preemie Mitten Pattern

Available in two sizes; tiny and small
using 2.75mm and 3.25mm needles and oddments of 4ply

Using smaller needles cast on 23st (27sts)
Work 8 (10) rows in K1,P1 rib

Change to larger needles and, starting with a knit row, knit in stocking stitch until work
measures 1 3/4" (2") from cast on, ending with a purl row.

Shaping the top.
Larger size only:
K1,(sl1,K1,psso,K8,K2tog,K1) twice (23sts)
next and every alternate row - purl
both sizes
K1, (sl1,K1,psso, K6,K2tog, K1) twice (19sts)
next and every alternate row - purl
K1, (sl1,K1,psso, K4, K2tog, K1) twice (15sts)
smaller size only
K1, (sl1,K1,psso, K2, K2tog, K1) twice (11sts)

Break yarn, thread through remaining 11sts, (15sts), draw up firmly and fasten off. Join seam as flat as possible.

Please feel free to use this pattern for charity or your own personal use, but please do not use it, or any items made from it, for profit.

Coast to Coast

I can't believe I have been back a fortnight already - we had the most amazing time walking the 192 miles across the country from

St Bees in Cumbria

to

Robin Hoods Bay in Yorkshire

I could show you the 400+ photos we took inbetween, or bore you about the places we went, the things we saw, and the people we met, or how we had wind, rain, sun and even snow - but I won't. Suffice to say it was SO good and whilst physically tiring it was truly mentally relaxing - no computers, hardly any mobile signal and all we had to think about was walking, eating and sleeping for 2 whole wonderful weeks. I really didn't want to rejoin the real world.
Roll on next years adventure.

I have been knitting since I came home, but I am saving all that to show together, so in the meantime here is a little decoration I made. One of my colleagues is retiring and, as is our custom, we will be decorating her desk. This time the suggestion was to have a tree on which we could hang things, so this is my contribution, it's only about 2" square, but just big enough to pop a little note in wishing her well

Quick bits

I don't feel like I have had much time for serious knitting lately, what with the walking practice (yes I know, left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot) and getting things ready for FIL's 80th birthday bash, but I have still been making

I thought I would keep his cake simple, it's his birthday, he's 80 and he likes aircraft (radio controlled models and real ones) and having had a flight in a Tiger Moth that seemed the obvious choice to top the cake. I wouldn't usually spend that much on a cake decoration but being a diecast model he can pop it on his shelf after the cake has gone.


My BSJ is coming along slowly and though I have made one before I still marvel how EZ worked out the weird shape you need to fold nicely into a little jacket

(sorry it's sideways, this new blogger is rubbish not playing properly)


Needing a bit of instant gratification (and a new bookmark) I created this

using a combination of a couple of designs the top bit being half a crochet flower and the bottom based on the Book Thong. I really like the effect and the cord that is produced when you slip stitch into the back of the chain on the way back up.


And since that didn't quite satisfy

I made the first of this years Innocent Smoothie Hats. Although it hasn't been launched officially yet I heard through the Ravelry group that it is definitely going a-head (oops! bad pun!) so I thought by starting early I might get a few more done this year.

Town and Country

Being the Easter weekend DH and I decided to take the opportunity to do two long walks back to back in preparation/training for our biggie in a few weeks time. So on Good Friday we took the train up to London and tube out to Paddington and walked 18 miles along the canal/Thames.

Each time we go up to Town we remark on how the Shard is progressing - it's one impressive building and I am looking forward to visiting the viewing gallery when it finally opens.


The next day, and feeling surprisingly ok, we decided on a local walk - drove over to FIL's house, left the car and walked the 12 miles home
a bit different scenery to our first walk, with far more four legged inhabitants than the two legged crowds of yesterday

They were all lined up beautifully along the fence but by the time I had found the camera on my new phone they seemed to have got a bit bored with posing :0(

And finally, since I ought to put some knitting in the blog - here's my April Square for the Baker's Dozen

still on the 'Garden of England' theme but instead of flowers and leaves, it's Butterflies though actually the more I look, the more they seem to transform into other insects!

2 out of 3 ain't bad

I've been working steadily through my WIPs with mixed success,
Mayflower's Lazy Weekend Jacket from Loving Hands is finished and oh so cute. It was a lovely pattern to work, all in one from the bottom up, adding in the sleeves to finish the yoke, so minimum sewing up - which is great as far as I am concerned.

I was rather pleased with the Lacy Cabled phone case too I used some left overs of sock yarn that DD and I dyed with Koolaid some time ago, the pattern was ok but it was a bit of a challenge using 1.5mm DPNs which was what I needed to get gauge - and if anyone needs to know, a tapestry needle works well as a substitute cable needle when you are working this fine.

But as for the simple charity sweater - well, it wasn't quite right and it has been frogged because as DH kindly commented "I don't know about keeping a child warm - you could house the entire village in that" Hmmm! bit of an exageration, but you get the idea!