Needlecrafts at home

Goodbye Jessica, Hello Milo

2010-09-21T18:06:00.008+01:00

Saturday was a bit of an odd day.

Firstly, it was my daughter's 18th birthday. (I cant believe how fast she has grown up).

After wishing her happy birthday, we discovered that Jessica our 11 yr old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel had finally got to the day we were dreading. Her heart and cancer was too for her to cope with and a final trip to the vets was needed.

We felt terrible, to have to say goodbye is so hard and to do it on such a special birthday made it even harder. One thing I am truly grateful for is my best friend who came with us to help me at the vet, I could not have done it without her. Thank you Mandy.

So, we are down to 2 dogs, Sheba the GSD and Bubbles the Toy Poodle

A few days earlier, I had mentioned seeing an advert on the customer notice board of a local pet shop. "16 week old Black Labrador Cross for sale". My daughter remembered this and decided that as it was her birthday and we were so sad, this was just the boost we needed. Teenage pester power wins again.

Meet Milo

His owner had bought him for her young daughter, who lost interest in him after a month, so they decided he need a home where he would be appreciated. His dad is a full Labrador and his mum is Labrador cross, we have no idea what the cross is, but as he grows up we might get a few clues.

He is friendly with humans and dogs, doesn't pull on his lead, sits when asked and comes when called (most of the time). He has already had all his puppy vaccinations and been house trained. He is a really affectionate dog and we all fell in love with him straight away.

He is a lively bundle of fun and a joy to watch when off his lead in the fields on our walks. My youngest son is really happy, as now he has a dog he can play games with. Our poodle is too easily scared and the GSD is too attached to me and doesn't want to play very often.

In the 4 days we have had him, he has settled in well and our other dogs (and cats) have accepted him with no real problems. His arrival has brought some renewed life our walks and all the dogs look excited when the leads come out.

I think my daughter may have been right, Milo is just the medicine we needed to brighten everyone up after caring for Jessica through her slow decline. We are all looking forward to years of fun, games and learning as Milo grows up.

Puppy training classes already booked to get us heading in the right direction.

Camping in North Yorkshire

2010-08-20T10:16:00.012+01:00

We didn't go on holiday last year, so boys were really peatering for a holiday this year.

I found a quiet campsite called Bunnyland on the edge of the North Yorkshire Moors.

Here are some pics of campsite.

There are gypsy caravans for hire on the campsite, which look really lovely.

The nearest seaside was Saltburn-by-the-Sea, we went there most days. There was a Victorian Funicular which took us from the town to the beach. The main part of the beach was no dogs, but at each end dogs were allowed and all access from the promenade to the beach was via ramps, so my chair had more used this week than it has seen in a long time.

Sheba enjoyed running on the beach, but kept her eye on me all the time and kept returning to me to check I was ok.

The boys braved the sea, but it was very cold. Sheba a chicken and kept running away from the waves

Across the road from the beach, there is a lovely woodland walk, which follows a shallow stream. The footpaths were well set out, so it was easy going in my chair and the boys and Sheba had plenty of chances to paddle.

Back at camp each evening, Sheba headed straight to her bed. She was very well behaved and received lots of fuss and attention from the other campers and the site owners. Whilst on site we didn't need to keep her on a lead as she stayed within our tent and windbreaks.

Whitwick Dog Show

2009-09-06T17:50:00.007+01:00

Having had such fun at the Hathern Dog show two weeks ago, Cherie and I decided to enter the girls into the Whitwick dog show today.

We entered more classes this time:

Prettiest Bitch
Bitch in best Condition
Best Rescue Bitch
A.V. Non Sporting Bitch
A.V. Open

The weather was cooler than the last show, which was better for the girls. The judges were very thorough, but also very friendly and helpful. The girls were quite excited when we started, but did settle down as we went through the day.

Between us we won 6 rosettes, two 2nds, one 3rd, one 4th, one 5th and one 6th. Which we were really proud of them for. By the end of the day, Sheba also qualified to enter the Best in Show Final too.

Beth and Richard turned up in time to see us both in the last 2 classes and Sheba in the final. Beth and Cherie also took the girls to have a go on the Agility Course. That was really funny, I don't think Sheba could work out what was going on.

We were all tired when we got home, the girls had their tea and both fell asleep, Sheba on sofa next to me and Tia under Mick's feet.

Fun at the Dog Show

2009-08-23T16:39:00.007+01:00

We decided to enter Sheba and Tia into an open class at Hathern Dog Rescue Centre's Annual Dog Show.

We had a fun day and the dogs behaved really well once they got over their initial excitement.

This was the first time Sheba has been to a dog show and I was really pleased with her manners. She was friendly to every dog and person that she met and walked nicely with me without getting distracted by everything going on around her.

Cherie and I had fun in the show ring. There were lots of entries for the open class, so we knew we would not get placed, but it was a new experience and the dogs enjoyed being centre of attention.

Here are some photos of Sheba and Tia in the show ring. There are more photos on my Facebook page.

The following are video clips of Sheba walking for the judge, then Tia walking for the judge.

Cousins come to play

2009-05-30T15:38:00.008+01:00

May half term, my niece, great nephew and their GSD came to stay for a few days. The boys spent most of their time playing computer games and target practice with BB guns.My niece and I had a great week taking the four dogs out. The following pictures show the dogs having fun.

These were taken in the car on the way home afterwards.

Umbrella Yarn Swift

2009-04-24T13:52:00.005+01:00

I have begun to notice that the higher end yarns tend to be sold in skeins and I am also spinning more of my own yarns too. I decided it was time to get a yarn swift.

I told my husband that I wanted a yarn swift and showed him a basic umbrella swift that I had seen for sale on EBay, hoping he might buy it me for a birthday or Christmas.

A few weeks later, he was sitting in his workshop with strips of wood, nuts and bolts, string and elastic cord. The pictures are the result:

I am really pleased with my handmade umbrella swift, it keeps a nice even tension on the yarn as I wind it off and because it opens by sliding the upper ring down, it does not need and form or clamp or lock to stay open. The skein will prevent it opening too much and once all the sides are closed, it just seems to stay closed until I need it again.

I had a flat base rather than a clamp, as I usually place it on the floor when winding my yarn.

Christmas Surprise

2008-12-25T10:14:00.006Z

I have always believed that it is more important to give than to receive, and at Christmas time this is more important than ever. I spend months carefully planning what gifts I will give to my family and close friends, with no thought to what I would like.

This year I was in for a real surprise.

I love everything I received, all the gifts above were surprises, and as for the skein of yarn....

This beautiful Alpaca has been sitting at my local yarn shop (Create and Knit) for some weeks. Every visit I make to the shop I couldn't resist admiring this skein, picking it up and stroking it, but it was out of my price range.

A couple of weeks ago they skein disappeared. Catherine told me she had sold it to a lady in the week, so I resigned myself to having to admire the artesano and manos yarns in the shop instead.

That was until this morning.

Whilst the children were bouncing about over all their presents, Mick handed me an "extra little present". I could not believe my eyes when I opened it and found the skein I had been admiring for so long.

I can't put it down now, I keep hugging it, just to make sure I'm not dreaming.

I think the rest of my family now think I am completely mad, but anyone who is into knitting, crochet or spinning, will know how I feel.

Knit Pick Options Storage Case

2008-11-24T12:26:00.010Z

I recently bought the Deluxe Nickel Plated Options set from Knit Picks. I love these needles, but find the case they come supplied in a little too long for my normal projects bag, so it was time to get my sewing machine out.

First I sat and measured all the various items I needed to store and the space I wanted to be able to fit them into. Sometime later after many drawings, calculations and crossings out, I sat down at my cutting board and sewing machine.

Eight hours later, I had finished my first prototype. It still needs some tweaking, but I'm leaving that to a friend who is a far more talented seamstress.

Here are some pictures of the insides:

Two Pockets for the cables and accessories.

Five slots for needles tips with sizes embroidered on each slot.

In the centre are six wider slots to take either the larger needle tips or any other accessories such as crochet hooks.

Finally, there are another set of labeled slots and a series of pockets for fixed circular needles.

Computer Repair

2008-09-27T22:28:00.005+01:00

This evening was spent replacing the motherboard in my boys computer. I had help from Joseph (11), his hands are smaller and more supple than mine.

Seating Heat sink and moving RAM

Taking out cards and case fan.

Out comes old motherboard

Order is restored.

Upon booting up I had to set the date and time in the BIOS before windows would boot. Windows then decided it needed re-activating, due to the change in hardware. It would not activate over the Internet, it insisted I do it by telephone, but as it was past 10pm by then, there was no-one to answer the phone. I'll have to try again tomorrow.

Homespun Alpaca

2008-09-07T16:40:00.009+01:00

I have been learning to spin for about 6 months and have already discovered that some wool is not as easy to spin as others.

When a friend on Ravelry happened to mention she knew someone with Alpacas I instantly asked her if I could have a go at spinning some of their fleece. So on Thursday she turned up at our knitting meeting with a big potato bag full of fleece which two of us shared between us.

I was so excited I wanted to get all the fleece out there and then to start sorting it, but I don't thing the owners or customers of the cafe we were in would have been very impressed. I managed to restrain myself until I got home.

The fleece is a lovely creamy white and is so soft. The fibres are really fine and tend to float about and attach themselves to my clothes.

I used my flick carder to tease the locks open and remove most of the vm, then passed the fibre through my drum carder (which Mick made for me).

The resulting batts were really soft and fluffy. I used my Kromski Mazurka which I had from Wingham Wool Work for Mothers Day.

I then plied 2 singles together before winding into skeins ready to set the twist.

Producing these skeins had hardly made a dent in the bag of fleece, so I have plenty of work to keep me going. I am finding it really relaxing and the fibre feels so wonderful as it slides through my fingers.
When it is all done, I will wind the skeins into balls to return to my friend, she is planning on knitting something for the owner of the alpacas from the yarn.

New Shawl Pins

2008-08-31T15:52:00.011+01:00

Mick has been able to get into his workshop this weekend. For once I didn't have a list of chores I needed doing. He spent quite a bit of Saturday experimenting with various different shapes for the shawl rings. Then Sunday was spent at his lathe making the pins.

These two images show the start and end result of a shawl pin, using a piece of oak.

These are some of the unusual shapes, made from Oak, Birch and Beech

Slightly more conventional shapes in Oak and Walnut.

This one was an experiment, it is made from Beech which has a speckled effect within the wood. I rather like this one and am considering making a shawl for my mother to go with it for her birthday in November.

Keeping the Animals Cool

2008-07-29T18:11:00.004+01:00

The weather has been so hot lately, it has been difficult to keep cool for all of us.
We don't have enough room in our garden for a decent size pool, but I decided the dogs could really do with one to help them to cool off after their walks.
I bought a cheap baby paddling pool and set it up in the shade of a small birch tree, whilst the boys were out with the dogs.
When they got back Joe got straight in and used treat to encourage Sheba in.

Jessica came over to have a look at what was going on, but got out too quickly for me to get a photo

Bubbles had a quick paddle too, as you can see only her paws got wet.

The main players seem to be Matt, Joe and Sheba, who somehow all managed to get into the pool at once. (Matt even managed to fall over and get soaked, but I had put the camera away by then)

Tunisian Crochet

2008-07-22T12:24:00.012+01:00

I spotted the Tunisian Crochet La Mer Scarf in Interweave Crochet (Summer 08) and decided it would be a great project for learning Tunisian Crochet.
I decided to use Colinette Lasso in Sea Breeze, which I purchased from a LYS called Tangent Treasures in Willington, Derbyshire.

I bought 2 skeins and once completed I had used all of the first skein and a few meters of the second skein.

I generally try to use natural fibres, but the softness and glittery sheen of this yarn won me over.

The next thing I need to find was a 6 mm hook suitable for this style of crochet.
Husband to the rescue, I showed him what I wanted, he disappeared into his workshop and half an hour later, this was the result.

Time to start.

I found the pattern and how to instruction really easy to follow. Once I had got the hang of the pattern rows I was able to keep going without having to refer back to the instructions repeatedly. The scarf grew quite quickly.

I managed to get all the main length of the scarf done with the first skein and part way round the SC border before I needed to start the new skein.

I then had to search through the beads I have stashed to find ones that co-ordinated with the the scarf had large enough holes to thread onto the yarn. I found I did not have as many suitable beads as specified in the pattern, so I adapted the beaded fringe using the beads I had. This resulted in only two rows of beaded loops, but I am happy with the results.

Out on a walk

2008-07-18T12:08:00.004+01:00

The fields look so colourful at this time of year. I've always loved seeing the poppies growing through the crops.

This morning Beth and I took the girls out along the footpaths by this field. It was Bubbles's first big walk and she had lots to explore.

New Addition To Family

2008-07-17T20:20:00.006+01:00

Today we collect a new member for our family. She is a chocolate coloured Toy Poodle called Bubbles.

She has a bouncy step and loves to play, even if the ball the kids threw for her was almost as big as her head. She has taken to the kids really well, especially Beth and loves to sit on everyone's lap.

She makes a welcome addition to our existing dogs Jessica and Sheba.

Matt's Year 9 Prom

2008-07-09T20:05:00.007+01:00

This evening, Matthew went to his year 9 prom at school. He looked really good in his black suit and smart shoes, so different from the skater gear he usually wears.

He clubbed together with a group of his friends to hire a posh car to take them to school.

Crochet Bead Necklace

2008-07-01T12:25:00.006+01:00

I've finished my first Bead Necklace made using the Turkish Loop Crochet method, instructions for which can be found here http://www.hookyarnandneedles.com/oldstuff/trkloop. I struggled a bit with the written instructions, but a friend on ravelry gave me a demonstration and then all I had to do was practice.

I used size 30 cotton thread size 0.6mm crochet hooks and beads ranging from 11 to 6 in size. All the beads had to be threaded first, which took a couple of hours, because I wanted them in a specific order, so couldn't use my bead spinner. The bead colours are silver, frosted white, pale aqua, pale apple green and ab coated silver lined clear. I arranged them in a 6 bead repeat pattern.

The work progressed quite quickly once I got the hang of it. I just had to be careful not to drop my working loop, using a 0.6mm hook meant the loop was very small and difficult to find if I needed to pick it up again. Each loop I created consisted of 6 beads, there were 3 loops per round. I finished it off by attaching a small lobster claw clasp at one end and a jump ring at the other.

Handsome Triangle Finished

2008-06-28T19:33:00.003+01:00

I have finished the Handsome Triangle Shawl from Victorian Lace Today.
I added the border from page 20 of the book, which is one of the suggested borders.
I have really enjoyed creating this shawl. The pattern was interesting without being complicated, so within a few repeats I no longer needed to refer to the charts. The direction in which it was constructed meant I could stop when it got to the length I wanted.
I used an unbranded cashmere 4 ply yarn, which is really soft and really warm.

I started the shawl in March 2008. It is the second project I have done from the book.
I have not made the shawl too long, as I am usually seated in a wheelchair when I am out and wanted the shawl to keep my shoulders warm without getting in the way of the wheels.

My husband took the photographs of the shawl for me, and my German Shepherd, Sheba, decided she wanted to be in the pictures too.
This final picture shows the shawl held in place by one of my shawl pins, which my husband made for me.

Oh Dear

2008-06-27T17:58:00.003+01:00

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of Knitting a beautiful pair of socks in Artesano Humming Bird. It took me quite a while to finish the pair and I was really please with the finished result.

Disaster!!:
The socks ended up on a 40 degree cotton wash. To my horror, this was the result.

Now the only one who can wear the socks is my German Shepherd Sheba, and she really isn't very keen on the idea.

Shawl Pins

2008-06-18T12:20:00.005+01:00

My husband loves wood turning and is always looking for ideas for small projects to try. In the past he has made me a lovely selection of crochet hooks.

This time he wanted to try something a bit different. I had commented on how some of my lace shawls tend to fall off when I am out, so he decided to design and make some shawl pins for me.
The wood he's used is American Black Walnut for the dark ones, English Oak for the two colour ones and the pale one is made from pine.

As you can see, they are all slightly different. This is because he has made each one by hand, as a result it is not possible to create exact replicas.

Bead Crochet

2008-06-18T11:57:00.003+01:00

I have done crochet for over 30 years, and I learnt beading about 3 years ago, but I had never tried putting the two together.
It was at a recent meeting of the Southern Derbyshire Knitters Ravelry group, that I asked one of the members to show me how to crochet with beads.
When I got home I dug through my supplies and found some cream no 10 crochet cotton and a box full of size 8 seed beads.

I used my recently purchased bead spinner to thread all the beads, which not only saved time, but also resulted in far fewer bead being flicked across the room. (The bead flicking is down to poor control of a beading needle when threading by hand)

Once all the beads had been strung, I sat down with a 1.50mm hook and made a 6 chain ring, followed by working slip stitch into each chain, continuing in a spiral.
I will admit that I ripped it back completely about 3 times and also ripped back a few rounds occasionally as I progressed, but I finally used all the beads and this bracelet is the result.

Learning to Crochet

2008-06-05T21:50:00.003+01:00

The other day my youngest child was unwell and was off school. As the afternoon progressed he began to feel a bit better, so I decided I'd teach him how to crochet. The following pictures are of him getting to grips with crochet and our little cavalier king charles spaniel 'guarding' the yarn.

My dogs get a visitor

2008-05-31T10:23:00.003+01:00

I let my dogs out to play this morning and found a local dog had come to call. My dogs are Jessica and 8 year old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and Sheba a 3 year old German Shepherd. The visitor is an older (and bigger) German Shepherd male. He belongs to a retired gentleman who lives nearby.

All three dogs get along with each other really well and they also love playing with my kids.
I feel that German Shepherd have had some bad press in the past and it's time people realised that they are gentle caring dogs and are NOT dangerous if they have been looked after properly.

Wet Half Term Holiday

2008-05-28T15:49:00.006+01:00

Usually, I dread school holidays, especially wet ones. The kids get bored and need constant entertaining. This means I end up with no time for knitting.
This week has turned out a little different. My 15 year old daughter decided she wanted to decorate her room. She roped in 2 of her mates to help her. So the last 3 days have been punctuated by giggling, squealing, sawing? drilling? and hammering!
I decided it would be safer and better for my sanity to keep well out of the way. Finally, the girls announce it was done. The following pics are the results.

The hand prints are of all the kids who helped, with their names underneath

On-line shopping

2008-05-24T15:51:00.012+01:00

Create and knit is an on-line yarn shop, based is the Midlands, UK. I have bought several balls of yarn from there already and the service is excellent.

They have a lovely range of sock yarns and Fyberspates yarns

If there is something specific I want, I only have to email them and they will make every effort to fulfil the request.

Definitely worth a visit.

Socks Finished

2008-05-20T22:38:00.003+01:00

At last, I've finished the second sock. It's a shame it is now too warm to wear them.

I decided I had to get them finished as I had the urge to start a new project. I already have several projects on the go, so I told myself I must finish one before starting a new one. The socks were the quickest project to finish.

Now I can start a new project without feeling as guilty.

Skateboard Ramp

2008-05-11T12:27:00.009+01:00

What can you do with a load of wood, screws, power tools and a nice sunny day?
This weekend my darling husband decided he was going to build a half pipe for our skateboarding sons. The following photos show various stages of construction.

The ramp was inspected by our 8 year old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel as it neared completion. Finally tested out by the boys, who approve wholeheartedly.

Knitting Continental

2008-05-09T21:50:00.002+01:00

After over 30 years of knitting English Style, I thought I'd have a go at Continental Style. I've read many magazines, blogs and forums which all sing the praises of using the continental style so I decided it was time I tried it out.

I found a really useful video on YouTube, which demonstrated the technique.

I cast on 30 stitches and started off in stocking stitch followed by a simple lace pattern over 4 rows, ending with some 2 x 2 ribbing. This gave me the chance to try several techniques at once.

The finished piece was folded and sewn up to make a case for a mobile phone, which has been commandeered by my teenage son.

I felt uncoordinated at first, but it became easier and all I need now is practice.

Second Sock Syndrome

2008-05-07T13:35:00.004+01:00

I started my socks with every intention of completing the pair. Despite that fact that I have a tendency to get bored half way through the second sock every time I knit socks.

I thought it would be different this time. I had some fabulous alpaca hummingbird and an interesting pattern.

I finished the first sock quickly, tried it on, it fits beautifully and feels wonderfully soft, but then there's the second sock.

I dutifully cast on and started on the leg, then got distracted by my shawl. Finally worked as far as the heel, but got distracted again. Have now turned the heel, only the foot to do, but seem to lack the willpower to ignore the distractions and temptations of other projects.

The poor second sock will have to sit quietly and wait. I remember it occasionally and work a few rows, but I think it may be quite a while till I finally finish it.

I would have thought I'd know better when it comes to socks but I always think it will be different this time.

How big can a portable project get?

2008-05-07T13:04:00.008+01:00

How big can a project become before it can no longer be classed as "portable"?

I always like to have a project to hand for when I'm traveling or sitting in waiting rooms, so generally classify my wips as portable or non-portable.

My current favourite portable project is a shawl - Handsome Triangle from Victorian Lace today. I am working it in an unbranded cashmere, which is approximately fingering weight. I am using circular bamboo needles.

I enjoy working on this pattern as it has a logical design which didn't take long to memorise, so I don't need to carry the book around with me.

My problem is that as work progresses the shawl gets larger. I can currently fold it into quite a small zipped bag but I don't think it will fit in there much longer. I am dreading the day when it finally becomes too large to be classed as portable and I have to leave it at home.

Crochet Purse

2008-05-05T21:39:00.002+01:00

Well, my daughter took the Dog purse as a present for a 2 year old's birthday today. I was a bit worried the little girl would find it boring, as it is rather dull colours for ayoung child. But, she loved it and wouldn't put it down all day.

It's a good job I made it out of machine washable acrylic. Kids toys must be washable after all.

Looks like I may end up with plenty of orders for more.

Crochet Bag

2008-04-29T19:25:00.004+01:00

A friend of mine came across a crochet booklet - Leisure Arts Cute Critter Purses to Crochet. We both decided it would be great for making presents for the young nieces and great nieces we have.

I chose to create the puppy for my great niece's 4th birthday which is in June. When I had got about half way through it, my daughter informed me she has been invited to a birthday party for her boyfriend's 2 year old niece and guess what, she decided that the puppy I'm making will be perfect as a present.

All change, I can no longer use buttons for eyes, so out with the embroidery needles, and time to rush as the party is this weekend.

Despite the change in plans, the puppy has been finished and is now ready to be wrapped.

Knitting with "Friends"

2008-04-25T23:17:00.004+01:00

I have started my socks using the Artesano Hummingbird. It is the first time I have ever knitted with Alpaca and I never realised how wonderfully soft and silky it feels.

One of my dogs and one of my cats was also interested in what I was doing and decided to sit with me to "help". Having a German Shepherd who thinks she's a lap dog can make knitting tricky at times.

Surprise in the post

2008-04-24T10:29:00.003+01:00

When my mail arrived this morning I couldn't believe my luck. Knit Today Magazine has sent me a skein of Artesano Hummingbird, Brittany Birch 3.25mm DPNs and a pattern for Artesano Floral Socks.

When I subscribed to the magazine I was not aware I would be sent any free gifts, so I was really surprised and thrilled. I can't wait to get started on my socks, might have to put my current shawl project on hold for a bit.

Lace Scarf Completed

2008-04-22T08:43:00.004+01:00

Happy am I!

I have completed the Lace scarf, and only just in time. It is intended for myniece's birthday, which is today, so it is now wrapped and I'm delivering it later today, I just hope she likes it.

Perfect Afternoon

2008-04-21T16:50:00.003+01:00

I have just had a perfect afternoon. The children were all at school, the dogs were happily sleeping after their walk and I sat with my feet up listening to Mansfield Park (Jane Austin) on audio whilst working on the Lace Scarf for my niece.

I can't think of a better way to relax and unwind.

Newsboy Cap

2008-04-21T10:15:00.003+01:00

I have just finished knitting the Newsboy cap from Stitch n Bitch Nation. It's for my 15 year old daughter.

She saw some Paton's Symphony yarn, in bright orange, on sale in a local department store and wanted to have a hat made from it. The only pattern she liked that was designed for chunky yarn was this one.

The hat looks a little large because she likes to hat quirky unusual hats, so I deliberately made it extra large. She loves it and because the yarn is acrylic, at least I can wash it regularly.

Circular knitting

2007-02-25T19:22:00.000Z

Having seen knitting looms whilst on holiday in Florida, I was eager to have a go. I ordered a set of hat looms from "In the Attic" and got started.

I have knitted a range of hats, scarves, socks and mittens using these looms, they are great, especially when using the modern furry/fluffy yarns. I have been able to buy fancy yarns cheaply in some high street bargain chain stores, so I think everyone will be getting knitted items from me next Christmas.