a cold snowy friday and more hooking..

Is it cold where you are?how deep is the snow, we must have a good 2 inches of snow now..Its blowy snow.very fine but settling ..look here is my garden..

.its cold too... very cold! 5 hours worth of snow..

 So what have I been up to...? well as usual have had my hook in my hand and rustled up..

this is the cowl I have been working on that I gave the pattern to in my last post.
Havent quite managed to fit it in but it goes round my neck twice and hangs loose like a cowl should do..

I love that wool its called marble and is chunky wool, reminds me of those coconut  ice  sweets.
I knitted my mum a scarf out of it for xmas.

and finally my blue and white granny square blanket i am working on for my lovely son Alex.


Today I have been at Knit and Natter with my friends from the Collier row library group.I managed to complete another four squares to be added to the blanket.After I went to get some supplies in so that i dont run out of bread and milk while the weather is bad, and prior to the group starting i went and got my meds so  I dont run out.
I have got some new books from the library,I got" tea cozies"  , it is a book by the guild of master craftsmen publications, there are some nice cozies in there to knit. I havent done any knitting for a few days and never made a cosy so thought this would inspire me. I dont like tea myself but have recently bought a new teapot..
The other book I got was Gok Wan Work your wardrobe as I am looking for tips on how I dress ,I am trying to change my image a bit as I feel a bit stuck in my choice of clothes..I am enjoying his new series on the television at the moment.
Alex will be home from school in a moment, so I better dash..so  until next time.. stay warm, treat yourself to a nice cup of hotchocolate(I am liking fudge flavour at the moment)and sit and do some hooking... :)

on the hook today..

today it is cold here in Essex.. very cold, but we have no snow, just brilliant sunshine this afternoon.

I looked out in  my garden and guess what I saw...

cobwebs frozen on m rotary washing line.


So there must be a very frozen spider somewhere... eek!

I have finished my latest scarf..It is hard to show you what it looks like, but I hope you get the  idea.

my circles scarf.. made using pattern from simply crochet.

I can share the pattern I used.

Start with double knit and size 3.50 hook.You simply make a chain of 34. and join with slip stitch.Do one chain,

double crochet into the first chain and continue until reach end.change to a 4.0 hook. Next chain 3 and then treble one ,then one  treble in next three stitches,then do 2 trebles in next stitch, one treble in next three stitches,and then 2 treble in next stitch all the way round.Join with a slip stitch

.change hook.This time use a 5 .o hook

Then next round chain 3,and  and do one treble into each stitch.join with a slip stitch.

Last round.. chain 3 and treble one, then treble one into next three stitches and then 2 treble into next stitch.continue all the way round,and join with a slip stitch.You have made your first chain link in the scarf.

To link the chains when you have done the row of chains at the beginning interlink it to previous one, and join your  slip stitch. Be careful not to twist the link as you make it.Continue for however long you want to make scarf.I made 12 links in all.

more granny squares

This is going to be another blanket.This time with brighter colours.

a new cowl
This was made using chunky wool.

the cowl   I have started to make  with chunky wool
It is very simple to make ..With a size 8.0 hook.. chain 27.
with the 3 chain from hook do a row of trebles trebling and skipping one until the end of the row.
Chain 2, and treble in the spaces of the previous row with one chain inbetween,
The last treble was worked in the space between the initial chains and first treble.
Each row consists of 14 trebles, (initial chain always counts as a treble)and 13 spaces.
Continue until required length I am making mine 65 long as I want to wrap it round my neck twice. whip stitch ends together.
 

the start of another chain link scarf..
I am using oddments left from the making of my new granny blanket.

Well Alex is at school, time for a nice bowl of hot warming soup and some nice crusty roll...
Until next time.. 

A Happy New Year...

http://mmmrc.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/new-rules-2013-2015-edition_9.html

Today I joined' monthly mix up mania'( link above).. what a good idea.. so I am going to look for a book with J in the title.I am a bit of a book worm and can read a book in a week.I have a kindle as well so that makes this challenge easy.You could join too if you wanted a book challenge.
So what have I been up to?

 a sofa throw

a granny blanket

new supplies..

I am busy making a scarf in a chain link pattern...Its very easy with lots of circles being crocheted and combined. I got the Pattern from simply crochet magazine which I bought for the first time this week.It has got some gorgeous patterns in it,and some fairly simple ones..www.simplycrochetmag.co.uk/ If you look at the sample you will see the chain scarf I am making on the magazine cover.
Meanwhile,I am embracing the new year  and trying to be positive.Off with the old hang ups and moving on to my great single life.I have my friends, my family and my children and my interests and I will continue to make the most of them.
Do you have snow today where you live? Yesterday we did but today we  dont but it is FREEZING.. just the weather to snuggle up under a granny square blanket and crochet with a nice cup of warming hot  chocolate...time to get creative..here in Essex...

work so far.

This is my work I have been working on past few weeks.

More squares for the homeless big Knitathon.
The ladies from my Knit and Natter group at Collier Row have done me proud.. Thank you ladies, who would have guessed we would have ended up with 33 squares, and for such a good cause.

part of secret project


This is a part of a  secret xmas pressie  I am not saying anymore... pretty hey?

my scarf of many colours
Nearly completed.
This was made by sewing hundreds of small crochet squares together.The design is by Sarah London. The photo just doesn't do it justice, so will take more when it is actually completed.It doesn't show the sheer squishiness of it..!.

I am slightly recovered from my recent illnesses and trying to catch up..
Emma is k at   Uni,  although a recent  drunken student prank with a fire extinguisher meant her flatmate had to be rushed to hospital.. She is not starving but I have to top her  food shopping card up or the poor girl will fade away.She is working part time as a temp in a nursery,while she studies..
Alex is still working on his writing..we have a panto to go to this weekend.

Prince,our cat.. he had a very uncomfortable few nights when alex put a Dr who figure in his bedding.. and then turned the house inside out looking for it. 
In between my illnesses I did a one day first aid course which was offered free as I am a carer for Alex.I learnt how to do CPR,how to deal with burns, choking and fractures etc. Very useful,as my ex was the first aider and then emma qualified as a paediatric first aider.I am waiting for my certificate to come.The lecturer was very interesting,he had plenty of stories to tell and had led a interesting life.
Life is very cold here in Essex, we have got over the rain and now heading for a very cold few days..just when you want to wrap up warm and stay inside..

Leaving you with this lovely photo I found on the net..I can sense another cushion love starting after Xmas... 
and the legs well arent they stunning?I would love to get this done with temporary tats.. think its henna and indian body art..stunning and gorgeous..reminds me some what of Zentangle..of which I have another book..but that is another day.. until next time.. stay warm and dry..and most of all well.

sick again and baby its cold outside and a bit wet and soggy..

squares made for for the big knitathon..

clever idea for use of granny squares..

well yes I am back to being on the sick   list.. at the moment have throat infection, and conjunctivitus, so have drops, and antibiotics,and have the remains of thev result of  norovirus...weakness..
meanwhile I am making granny squares to stop me going stir crazy...........
still am turning the heating up and drinking hot drinks,, cos Baby its cold outside.........

we have been to see this tonight..go and see it..its excellant..brilliant stunts!

 a list of Knitting’s Best Tips. Some of these may seem rather obvious, but you’d be surprised at how many knitters have never heard of them!

Without further ado, here we go:

1.  Before you even make a slip knot, READ the entire pattern through at least once. You will be amazed at how directions / instructions are written. Some very helpful hints or notes will be added near the end of the pattern. Usually these are things you need to know right away. Be sure to read the pattern through completely, so you know what these are.

2.  When casting on, always leave yourself enough yarn to make it all the way through the stitches you need to cast on the needle.  Don’t worry if you have a long strand of yarn left over, simply cut it to size.

3.  When joining a second or third ball of yarn, try to join them at the edges rather than in the middle of a row.  Then your seams will be hidden in the sides and it just looks so much neater.

4.  When knitting off of a chart or directional rows, always use a Post-it® Notes to keep your place. Then when you need to walk away, always write down the last row knitted on the Post-it® Notes so you’ll know just where to pick up when you resume.  The sticky little note can be moved down the page as you go.

5.  When knitting with a ball of yarn, always pull the yarn from the center and not the outside.  If you do this, your yarn will flow nicely and not become a monster tangled mess as you knit. If you do encounter a knotted mess, simply cut the mess out, then attach your yarn again. Some knots are impossible to untangle!

6.  If you want to change colors rather than knit all in one color, then do it! Be creative.  If you wish to add a stitch pattern to a project, and you know how to do that,  then do it!  Variations on a theme are always welcome.

7.  When you work on a pattern that is written for 2 or 3 sizes, always circle or highlight the size that you are knitting for. Do that all the way through the pattern. It is very easy to start knitting for another size if your size isn’t highlighted from start to finish.

8.  New to knitting?  Then don’t knit with specialty yarns or anything fuzzy or ribbon-y, like fun fur or mohair. It’s too difficult to see your stitches on the needle, and you’ll get lost in the fuzz. Take my word for it!

9.  Keep all those knitting accessories to a minimum.  They may look all the rage, and be very cute to have, but most often you won’t use them anyway. Needles, yarn, scissors and instructions will do the job every time.

10.  If you’re getting to the end of a ball of yarn and want to know if you can knit another row without running out, then do this:  take your remaining yarn and stretch it out across the width of your piece three times, back and forth. If your yarn makes it, you have enough for another row.  Whew!

These tips should get you started. 

Last week we did the big Knitathon..here is our squares..

This weekend,I hope to see the new James Bond movie..it looks exciting.Weather here in Essex is appalling..and have not much to add apart from a picture of my new owl.. cute isnt he..??