Goodbye 2013 Hello 2014

Well 2013 was a year of ups and downs my Grandson Charlie was born 25th June.
I turned 60 in September and  had a lovely day with my Husband and a lovely necklace and ear rings you can see them in the picture below.

Me on my Birthday September 2013

 In October  my Son ( Charlies Father) decided to drag up the past and blamed me for everything and no longer wants to have contact with me. So a very upsetting close the year.

In between I did a lot of knitting for my Grandson and for various Charities and Friends. A lot of Stash busting was done along the way and I loved every minute of making all the things I had planned on making.

So what does 2014 hold?
A Mystery, but I do know this I will be knitting up a storm as I have had a gift of new yarn to use from my dear friend Diana. So I will be making new things to give to friends and charities using up my stash and the lovely new yarn that I have.
I will be making Hats, Squares, a Scarf/Stole and Innocent Smoothie hats.
I will be using this book for the knitted squares
200 Knitted Blocks

Tiny hats for Age UK

Various hats to give to Charities 14 in all on the Knitting Paradise site 14 for 14

Then I will make this as well A Prayer Shawl using my own pattern.

So guess who is going to be busy knitting?

I have a new problem to deal with my left hip is very painful and I have a trapped nerve in my leg as a result so off to the Doctors and Hospital to see what is going on. In the mean time I rest it up and knit away and read so I will not get bored.

2014 is going to be a good year no matter what happens. I hope that we will have more Stash Busting from Linda's Crafty Corner as it was fun and I found it very helpful.
Here's to a wonderful New Year and I hope it will hold good things for all my Friends where ever they are.

Two Challenges

2014 is going to be a busy year knitting wise I am doing two Challenges.
One is 14 hats for '14 on the Knitting Paradise forum.  Knitting Paradise
It is a KAL and we are going to try and complete 14 hats for a charity during 2014.
I cannot seem to master knitting in the round so I will knit my hats on straight needles.
I have found these:
Cecily Beanie  I will add my own embellishments

In the Woods this I think is an aran weight yarn I will have to see what I have in aran weight yarn before starting this one.

Bev's Cosy Hat This one I can make for all ages so a good one to have.

Ellen's Knit Hat Nice and easy to do and versatile I can add stripes to this as well

Wel Hats I can chose which one of these to make so again a nice one to have.

I have some other patterns in an old note book that I have but no idea where  the patterns are from as I was given the notebook by a friend who can no longer knit, so I will make them but have no idea where the patterns are from.
The other Challenge is this
Knit a Block a Week on the Loving Hands forum  Loving Hands   and a great way to use up stash. We will be using this book 200 knitted blocks  I have ordered it and it has been dispatched. I am hoping the patterns will be written as I am still not great with charts but will master it if the book is all charts so fingers crossed there is a mix of written and charts.

So lots to keep me busy and out of trouble plus I get to make some new things.

My version of Peppy's Simple Shawlette

I have made my version of the Shawlette and added a crochet edging to it, I like crochet edgings they seem to add that finishing touch to a lot of projects

I liked the colours and wanted to mix them up a bit so chose to go with random stripes it turned out better than I thought it would. It is about 50 inches long so just about right to be worn as a scarf under a coat.
I made these fingerless gloves to go with it, I used up the rest of the yarn making them.

So the yarn I had has made two items that will hopefully be given to someone who will like them.
I gave a lot of knitted stuff to the Salvation Army as there are a lot of people who need things like blankets, hats, scarves and gloves.

New Project

So now all my projects are complete I need something new to use up more stash. I am fed up knitting squares and want a break from blankets for a while. Yet I want something that will be useful and help others, scarves? yes they are always welcome but can be boring after a while then I found this.
Peppy's Simple Shawlette

So I will give this a go and see how it works out, I have plenty of yarn left that needs using up in various colours and this looks a good way of using it up.
I can make the shawlette in colours to suit male or female and could give them to charities to help the elderly or homeless. The Salvation Army comes to mind as they help both and I can get the items to them easily without postage costs.
I will see how it looks first before deciding what to do with it once it is made. I will make a start tonight, I plan on making things that can be stored away ready for use next winter.
So these and little hats for Smoothie bottles will be made and stored and maybe a blanket or two as well it will depend on my mood and what I feel like doing at the time.

Patchwork Blanket is complete

My Knitted Patchwork Blanket is complete, all those squares that I had that were odd sizes have made a colourful unique blanket.

Each wide strip is made up of odd sizes squares from a swap I had joined, I added the narrow strips to hopefully give it a more structured look.
I added a picot crochet edge to it for a more finished look, it looks a little wavy along the edges but that is the way I laid it down rather than the blanket itself. It does need blocking.
Here it is on my sofa

I took the cushions off the sofa so I could get a better picture of it.
So now I have a very colourful blanket made up of stash yarn that is truly different. It will be used in the evening when we turn off the heating to save on the energy bill and I will nice and cosy. My Husband has nice thick aran weight afghan to keep him nice and warm that I made 2 years ago and it is his favourite.
It took ages to make and used up all my aran weight yarn it washes up nice and soft and is big enough to use on the bed as well.

Yes that is folded in half so you can see it is large but oh so soft and warm. Just right for those cold winter days and perfect for if they decide to have power cuts.

Keyhole Scarf and Fingerless Gloves

I love stash busting and finding patterns that are easy to do and yet create something useful is a bonus.
I found this whilst looking for a new scarf to make from my stash.
Keyhole Scarflette

The pattern is so easy and depending on the yarn you use can be plain or fancy. I added a flower embellishment to mine.

I used two different colours and created a stripe alternating the yarn every two rows. I added a Picot crochet edge to both ends and a crochet flower and leaf. The yarn I used was DK and I used 7mm needles as I wanted the scarf to be soft and lose. My Crochet hook was 4mm using DK yarn.
Picot Edge

The flower was really easy and remember I do not know how to follow a crochet pattern but following the video I created the flower.Easy Rosebud  I wanted to add a leaf to the flower and eventually found this easy crochet leaf  Easy Leaf 

Having completed the scarf I went ahead and made a pair of Fingerless gloves to go with it and made these.

Here is the pattern for the gloves
Waffle Stitch Fingerless Gloves

I used the same yarns as for the scarf adding the Picot Edge to the wrist end only and adding a tiny Rosebud and leaf to match the scarf. The tiny Rosebud pattern was easy to do again a video so be patient she does get there in the end.Tiny Rosebud

These are for my friend who sent all the yarn for the baby blankets for the Neo Natal Unit.

Easy Brezzy Scarf

This pattern is so easy to do you end up with a scarf that is diagonal and very soft and lacy.

I used 7mm needles as I wanted the pattern to be very open and light it also means it knits up very quickly as well.
The yarn I used is DK but any yarn will do adjust the size of the needles to about 2 to 3 sizes larger than stated for the yarn weight if you want an open effect.

CO 36 stitches

Row 1:  K1, P1 to end

Row 2: P1, K1 to end

Row3: K1, P1 to end

Row 4: P1, K1 to end

Pattern Rows

Row 1:  K1, P1x2 ( Yo K2tog) repeat in ( ) to last 4 sts K1, P1x2

Row 2:  P1, K1x2 (Purl to last 4 sts) P1, K1 x2

Repeat Pattern rows until the scarf is as long as you want then add the first 4 rows and B.O

I said it was easy didn't I and it is. I used two colours alternating every second row I that way I did not have to cut off the yarn and tie it in again.
You can add tassels to the ends or a crochet edging, I used a shell crochet edging as I thought it would look nice. I used a white yarn to make the shell edge on one end and a red yarn for the shell edge on the other end.
The result is a soft light scarf that looks more complex than it really is. I had this pattern written down in my little book and cannot recall  where I found it as I did not record that information at the time.

Updates and New Projects

I have not been around much as I have been busy organising things at home. With Christmas not far off I like to get the house organised and do some deep cleaning before winter sets in.
Preserves have been made and are now ready to be packaged up as gifts.
Knitted items are ready to be given to various charities or posted off to friends.
The Patchwork Knitted Blanket is coming along nicely and I will soon have a new panel to sew into place.
I have been making a few other items in between as I needed to make a few gifts so I am working on these before I continue with the blanket.

I seem to have a lot of odds and ends of yarn that are not long enough to make something with so I have rolled these up together to create a large ball of yarn. Rather than knot the yarns together I simply carried on adding yarn to the ball so when I knit the yarn I will be able to add the new colour anywhere in the row. It will create a random effect and hopefully look interesting.
I want to make a few scarves with this ball of odds and ends for the Salvation Army they do a lot of work with the Homeless and those less well off who need a helping hand.

I have a couple of easy patterns that would lend themselves nicely to my scrap ball of yarn so I will experiment and see what happens. First of all I need to make some Fingerless Gloves that I have been wanting to make.

This is what I made for a friend using up some red and white yarn from my stash.

A super easy  scarf that knits up on the diagonal. I added a crochet border to the ends rather than tassels as I thought it would look nice. I will add the pattern to this in another posting.

I added these to the gift to make it a set of red and white items for winter. This is for someone who has been kind enough to make something for my Grandson Charlie for Christmas I will post what she has made onto Chizzy, Charlies Mum, as I will not be able to see him due to the circumstances that prevail.

I will be making the Fingerless gloves next and sending them off to a friend as a Christmas gift along with a scarf I made that I will never make again. I had some of that awful ruffle stuff that was given to me and I made the scarf using the pattern on the band. Never again I really do not like using it so it is a one off, I have one that was made for me by a friend and in similar colours. I like my scarf and thought I have a go at making one, so when I was sent the ruffle yarn stuff I had a go. It turned out okay but I don't like using it for me it is fiddly and I don't do fiddly stuff. So my friend will have the one and only ruffle scarf to be made my me.

Here it is the One and Only Ruffle Scarf so my friend will have something unique, I hope she will like it as I have no idea if this is the sort of thing she would wear.

So more Stash Busting is on its way and I have a lot to do so I will have to get those needles clicking and drive my poor husband Colin insane as I sit and knit whilst watching TV in the evenings.

Stash Knitted Patchwork Blanket

I love making blankets and joined a knitted square swap. We knitted squares that were 8inch x 8inch and had a different partner each month to send them to. We knitted two squares one for your partner and one for yourself, then when you have enough squares your sew them together. People from all over the world were joining in from Europe, Australia, America and in the United Kingdom. Postage cost was getting expensive though and I gave up as I could not afford to keep sending them.
 I got some lovely knitted squares and loved them all the only problem was I got 6 inches square, 7inches square, 7 x8 inch, 8 inches square, 8x9 inches and some almost 10inches square.
 I had started to sort out the various sizes and thought I would make several blankets and simply knit squares to add to those I had already.
Then I decided why not make a patchwork blanket using all the odd sized squares I had. Question was how was I going to make them all fit together? Then I found this and the problem was solved. How to join Modular squares

So I gathered together my squares and started to add on so they were the same size.  Picking up stitches and doing a simple garter stitch worked well. I used various colours rather than trying to match the colour of the square I was adding on to. This made them all different and gives the blanket a real patchwork effect. I used a Baseball stitch to join the squares together and Mattress stitch for joining the long strips, both are shown in the link above How to join Modular squares.

The first strip looked great but then I started on the second strip and offered it up to the first, I did not like the effect at all. So now I had a new problem how to make them look effective.
Then it struck me make a strip with smaller squares then add the strip with the larger squares.

Result

This is the blanket folded in half, well to be accurate it is only part of the blanket as it will eventually fit a double bed.

This is the other side of the blanket if you know what I mean.
I will work on making the small square strip next and add this to the right hand  side and then add the larger squares again.

In November we have a new theme in the Knit it up team on Spark people. Holiday Stash Busting so I will continue with the blanket and knit squares that have Halloween and Thanksgiving and maybe Christmas themes to add to the mix. I have found various dishcloth patterns that I can use and it does not matter if they are odd sizes as I can add on to make them fit.
So lots of stash will be used up and the end result should be a very bright and colourful blanket that is totally unique.
I will add a border to it as well may be a knitted border or I may go with a crochet one it will depend on what I think will look best in the end.
So from a lot of odd sized squares I will have a Patchwork blanket from friends around the globe as well as lots of squares that I have made as well.

Blankets I finished off

I had a couple of things that needed to be finished off so I got stuck in to them and finished them off.

I had made this but not added the crochet border I went with Pink shells.

This blanket also needed the edging doing so whilst I was using the pink I did a shell border on this as well

This blanket was on my needles before all the upset so I set too and got it finished. This one is a little different. I have added a link to the pattern I used.
Simple Lines

I chose to make the first on called Squares it is so easy to do and the result is a soft blanket that has a Moss Stitch border and the squares are small so it works well for preemie babies to full term.

These will be given to the Neonatal unit soon as I want to make some more Angel pockets for them as they have asked for more to be made with Blue, Pink, Lemon and Peach borders. I have all these colours thanks to my friend Diana who sent me some lovely yarn.
So a big  

without you I could not have made these things. So I have plenty to keep me busy during October.

November will see me Stash busting again as there is a Challenge on one of my Sparkpeople teams for Stash busting for the Holidays so I will be working on a knitted patchwork blanket.
More on this later as I want to get on with making the Angel Pockets this month.

Getting back to knitting

Things have happened here that has taken its toll on me and as a result I have not been knitting.
My son who is 35 has decided to rake up the past and blame me for everything that went wrong with his Father and the fact that there were no Christmas's etc in the home. I was at the time married to a violent, abusive, control freak and was literally in fear of my life.
Well eventually I got divorced and lets say things went from bad to worse. It all ended with my eldest daughter being involved with crime and drugs and me refusing to lie for her in Court, my son left home saying I was out of order and my youngest deciding to follow the same path and taken into care at 14. With their Father causing trouble and my eldest daughter's friends making trouble I left the area.
I did eventually move back as my son was in contact with me and everything had calmed down.
Now I am being accused of being a bad mother and abandoning them.

Why all this now? He has a son of his own and has said that he would never do what I did as it was un-natural not to back up your own child no matter what they do.
I won't go into what he said but it really cut deep.I was so upset that it brought back all the memories and old feelings that I had  dealt with through a therapist. I am not going to made to feel guilty about the past I did what I could at the time and eventually my son will see that.
No one knows the pain I went through back then and what it has done to bring all this back up again.
 I am letting it alone and getting on with my life as dwelling on it is going to do nothing except make me depressed.

I left my son saying I loved him and always will.
I have lost all the children now and all the Grandchildren and it hurts so much that I could not do anything for a while but I am picking up the pieces and working through this again.

So I will be knitting again and posting what I make, you never know what is around the corner but I do know this I will bounce back and I will make things for others no matter what.

Stash Bust with Innocent Smoothies

I love Stash Busting and using up all those tiny amounts of yarn that I seem to end up with. You know that silly amount that is not quite enough to make a whole item with but you simply cannot think what to make with it.
I found this  The Big Knit  A lovely way to use up all your fiddly bits of yarn and do something for others as well.
So who or what is Age UK? They are a charity that helps the elderly will all sorts of things they even have schemes where you can get help with the garden and decorating your home. They do charge for the gardening and decorating but it is not a huge amount compared to employing a firm to do this.
Age UK

So I decided to join in the fun and make some little hats for the Innocent Smoothie bottles.

 I loved making these little hats.
I was able to experiment with using new techniques like using two yarns on the same row swapping the colours as I went. Green and Yellow one row the Yellow and Green the next creating a nice pattern.
A funny little hat with odd eyes yes they were meant to be odd sizes and a tassel rather than a pom pom or bobble.
A sun hat just for something different it is a nice orange colour with a yellow band around the bottom of the hat that I sewed in.

 These were a little different a hat with braids, one that made using the two yarn method again this time in bright orange and yellow and a striped hat all with pom poms or bobbles.

Two more that I made this time I embroidered the flower and added a tassel and the blue one is a sort night cap or as someone said a blue Smurf hat.
All were easy to make and fun to do plus I used up some small bits of yarn that I had left over from various projects.
As they seem to do each year I will make a lot more for 2014 so when I am fed up making larger things I can make these and help others as well.

Stash Buster Slippers

I has been a while since I posted and a lot has been going on. Problems with Arthritis in my neck caused awful headaches every day thankfully it has settled down again. Various other problems seemed to arrive one after the other that took up my attention and meant knitting took a back seat for a while.
However I am back and decided it was time to make myself something.
On Sparkpeople we have a September Stash Buster Challenge and I decided to make some slippers.
Now I have never made them before and hunted a round for a really easy pattern to follow and found one.
Grandma Connies Slippers

These are so easy to make that I made them really quickly.
What I used:
5mm needles
2 strands of DK yarn held together as one ( DK yarn is 8ply yarn in the US) I chose two different colours of green that I thought would look good together.
A small amount of bright yellow and orange for the embellishments.

My Slippers

 Here they are not bad and adding the picot crocheted edging around the cuff added a nice finishing touch to them. I also made my own crocheted flowers I had  no pattern to follow to made it up.
I will try and write down what I did.
I used 4mm hook
DK yarn in yellow and orange

Chain three and join to make a circle
work Treble crochet ( TrC) stitch until circle is full slip stitch into first TrC
Change colour
Chain 1 work 3 TrC into same hole chain 1 skip one stitch slip stitch into next hole
Repeat until you meet the first petal and slip stitch
I think that is what I did I just played around until it looked right to me and I was happy with the result.
Sew in thread ends and hey presto a flower is born.

Slippers on my feet

The slippers are nice and cosy just right for the colder evenings ahead of us and perfect for when I want to relax and knit when all the washing up is done and I can just chill out.

Later on I will make another pair so I have on a change of colour and can wash the others. These are fun to make and so easy a beginner could make them.
Next project will  be this  Simple Lines Baby Blankets 
I want to make one for the Neonatal Unit along with an Angel Pocket I want make a few up and then give them to the unit.

Stash Crochet experiment

I am trying to learn crochet on my own. I use YouTube and have learnt how to add edgings to things like my shawls, baby blankets, afghans and Angel pockets.
So I decided to have a go at making a wash cloth for myself. Nothing fancy just a simple wash cloth and came up with this.

It has not been blocked so looks a little wonky.

 

The pattern is a mix of Single crochet (SC)  and double crochet  (DC) I did a few SC rows with a few rows that have SC and DC in the same hole to make a little shell, I added them where I thought they would go and it turned out quite pretty. No idea how to write down what I did but I like the effect.

I added a shell edge by doing 1SC, 1DC and another SC all in the same hole. I then slip stitched into the next hole, chained 1 then repeated the shell pattern all the way around the wash cloth.

I used some cotton yarn that I had from a previous project  that was in my stash and used it all up. I added a white border as I have some white cotton yarn as well.

A 4mm hook was used mainly because I like the feel of this hook compared to some others I have.

To those that can crochet this is probably a little odd looking but I like it and it is for me no one else. I am well aware it is not good enough to give as a gift but we all have to start somewhere.

So crochet experiment completed and a little more stash used as well.

Stash Buster Shawl/Lapghan

I wanted to make 2 shawls using some of my stash and came up with this for the second shawl.

This can be used as a shawl or a lapghan. I chose all the Orange and yellows I had and created a pattern for this project myself.
Fold it in half and use it as a stole, fold it so it is a sort of triangle and use it as traditional shawl or use it as an afghan for your lap.

 Now please remember I do nor crochet and this was my first attempt at Picot edging it adds that finishing touch and looks pretty and feminine.

This is a close up of the pattern so you can see the garter ridges.

Here is what I used:

DK yarn I used 2 different shades of Orange and two different shades of yellow

7mm needles I used straight needles

Pattern
 CO 127 stitches using Light Orange ( or colour of your choice)

Begin with knitting 4 rows
Still using the same yarn continue as follows
K1 P1 across the row ending with K1
Repeat this row.
Change to Bright Orange but DO NOT CUT OFF the Light orange yarn
Knit across the row
Repeat this row

Now using the Light orange yarn K1 P1 across the row repeat this   row
Change to the Bright Orange and Knit 2 rows

Keep changing the colours until you have 6 ridges of Garter stitch in total ending with a Bright orange knit row
Change to Light Yellow and cut off the Light Orange yarn and K1 P1 across the row for 2 rows
Change to Bright Yellow and cut off Bright Orange yarn and Knit 2 rows
Continue changing the colours until you have 6 ridges of garter stitch and then swap back to the Light and Bright Orange yarn

Keep going until it is a large as you want and end with 4 rows of garter stitch and Bind off

What you are doing is creating a Seed stitch pattern with Garter ridges.

2 Rows Seed stitch
2 Rows Garter stitch

This can be done using one colour or as I did with four different colours or as many as you like.

I used a Picot Crochet edging to give it a soft feminine look I have added a video of how to do the edging.

Picot Crochet Edging

I wanted it to be multi- functional so that it will provide comfort for any one.
This will be given to the Hospital Cancer unit along with my other Stash Buster Shawl and the Teddy in the Bag.

Stash Buster Shawl and a Teddy

So my Shawl is all done yes already and it is only 13th July.

I sorted out Orange, Purple, Lilac and variegated yarn that went with the other colours.
A simple pattern of cast on 3 Kfront and back of first stitch knit to the end of every row. All I was change colour every two rows to give the stripe, easy, I just kept going until the needle could not hold any anymore stitches and bound off.
Yarn was DK and needle size 6mm 40cm long, I don't get on well with cable needles I can easily twist the stitches and that is annoying.
Here is the edge of the shawl

Now before you say anything this is my very first Crochet edging in the Shell pattern. Not that hard in the end and remember I do not crochet. I can just about do an edging on something knitted but to crochet something means following a pattern and crochet patterns are so different from knitting patterns that I find them hard to work out. With practice I may be able to make something simple but knitting is thing.
Anyway the Shell pattern is easy to do I followed this Scalloped Edge
I was quite pleased with how it looked and it sets off the simple knit shawl nicely.

Now for the Teddy, I had started making an afghan strip before I decided to make the shawl, so not wanting to waste the knitting I had done I turned it into a bag. Have a look

 Each side is a different colour and the wave pattern looks interesting as it adds a new dimension to the usual stripes.

Now for the Teddy who is in the bag.

Kinda cute isn't he, a cuddly surprise in a bag. Now why did I do this? well not everyone who is has Cancer is an adult, children need comfort as well. Yes I know they have their own toys but sometimes a new toy that is there waiting for them is special as it can be taken into the treatment room with them. This little guy has his own bag so he can be stored away and taken out when he is needed.

My second shawl has been started and this time the pattern is my own.

My Prayer Shawl / Stole
I am using DK yarn and 9 mm needles.
I have cast on 127 stitches
First 6 rows are knit every row

Pattern rows
Row 1 and 2  K1, P1 across the row
Row 3 and 4 Knit

Repeat Rows 1-4 until the stole/shawl is the length you need then Knit 6 rows Bind off

I will be using orange and yet allow yarn so I will change colours on row 3. Changing colour every 2 rows makes the colour change easy. You can add a new colour easily on row 3 as well so the pattern will accommodate my stash. I will post a picture of the shawl as I knit it showing my progress.

Change of plan for the Stash Buster Challenge

Ok I have changed the knitting pattern for the Stash Buster Challenge. I am not making an afghan anymore I will be making a shawl.
Now why the change?
Well I made a shawl for my friend in Texas and she loved it and I have been asked to make another one or if possible two.They will be for people who are undergoing Cancer treatment and will be used as a Comfort Shawl.
So the yarn I have will be used for this rather than the afghan I was making, yes a comfort blanket is always nice but the shawl can be used at any time.
I called my last one Sunday Comfort Shawl as my friend likes to read newspapers on a Sunday and relax.
These shawls will be called Comfort Shawls as they will be used for comfort. The pattern is a little different as they want a fringe to be added to them so I am using the pattern below.

I am using this pattern Honest Warmth Shawl
I used it for my friends shawl with DK yarn and used up a lot of stash making it so I know it works. I use 6mm needles and keep going until the needle is full of stitches and cast off. I have 40mm long needles and cable needles so I can either last time I used the straight needles and filled the needle until I could not fit another stitch onto it.
Koni's Shawl

So the plan is make a shawl for someone who needs a little bit of comfort at at time that really hard for them in their life.

Stash Buster Challenge

My Stash

As with all knitters I have stash that needs using up all those odd amounts that will not make a project and those odd balls of yarn that were bought or given to you that you have no idea how to use.
So I have stash that needs using up and have decided to join two challenges.
One is on Sparkpeople in the Knit it up Team. They have a challenge for July we count the yardage we knit and do exercises during the week as well.
The other one is here Stash Buster 2013

I will be making an afghan  a nice simple pattern that I found Catch the wave Afghan
I am altering it so I can knit it in panels rather than one large piece. The reason is simple I can use up all the odd amounts of yarn I have if I make it in panels plus it will be easier to handle and I can knit it anywhere.

I can do this between making more baby blankets for the hospital that way I don't get fed up doing the same thing.

It is just for fun so why not join in and use up some of that stash you will be amazed at what you can make out of it.

Neonatal Unit Items

I took the items I had made to the Neonatal Unit today and they loved them. I was asked if I would be making more. I said I would be happy to and asked what they wanted.
The larger blanket I had made was perfect for the cots so they want more of them with the lace border.
The Angel Pockets are needed as well and the Teddies are also wanted.
 They like them in any pastel shade so Peach, Pink, Lemon, Green, Lilac and Blue are all fine to use.
So I will have plenty to play around with to make the blankets look pretty.

I want to add different trims to the Angel Pockets and found these

Picot Edge  Scalloped Edge

The Sands lace trim was a real hit with the unit so I will make more blankets with this trim.
Sands Baby Blanket

I thought it would be nice to make a stripped blanket maybe in a moss stitch and then add a trim to the blanket top and bottom only. I will have to experiment and see how it works out.

Friendship Blanket

It has been a while since I posted anything here, I have been busy with all sorts of things but still knitting.
I have been collecting squares to make a Friendship blanket we swap 8 inch squares on Knitting Paradise forum.
Some squares are exactly 8 inches some are not, I have squares that are 7.5 inches to almost 9 inches but that is OK I can work with all of them.
I have added the extra inches so they are all the same size taking the largest square and going with that I alter the others to match.
I will make a knitted patchwork blanket by adding narrow strips between the larger square strips. So it will be large square strip narrow square strip until I have a blanket the size I want. The narrow square strip will be knitted in one long strip rather than separate squares.
I am using a decorative stitch to sew the squares together this link will show you what I am doing.
 Modular Squares

The end result will be a pretty and unique blanket.

You can see what I done so far and how I have added extra knitting to the various squares.

The picture on the right shows the gap that will need to be filled in. I am in the process of making the long strip of small squares to add to the side of this strip.

This is the strip of small squares that I will add to the blanket, it will be slow process but will be worth doing.
Between making this I will make some baby blankets and other items so I do not get fed up knitting squares all the time.

Hat and Muffler

I have just finished a hat and muffler for the Seafarers and they turned out OK. I used some yarn that was left over from an old project and had to add some to the ends of the muffler to make it long enough.
I think it looks OK though.
Mission for Seafarers help all those who work aboard ships from all over the world. I asked them if they also needed hats and mufflers for women and they do so the next hat and muffler I make will be for a woman in more feminine colours.

Here is the pattern I used Hat and Muffler pattern

I seemed strange knitting a hat in rib only it looked like a large oblong with a bit of shaping at the top. It turned out OK though and I was pleased with the end result. The yarn is variegated so lent itself nicely to the ribbing stitch.

I thought I had enough to make the muffler 60 inches long but did not. I picked up 40 stitches along the bottom edge and knitted a section in a solid colour that went with the yarn I used and did the same on the other  end.
It looks as if I meant it to be that way so was pleased that it looked OK.
Garter stitch throughout, so nice and easy to do whilst watching TV in the evening.

I like to break up my projects so I knit a hat and muffler then go onto another project this time a Teddy for Siblings Together.
He will be finished soon then I will post about him. I love making different things that way I do not get bored making the same things over and over again.

Preemie Knits

I have been busy making Blankets and Angel pockets ready to be sent off.
A friend of mine, Diana,  was kind enough to send me some yarn that I could use for the blankets.

Angel Pockets

These are used for the tiny babies that do not make it some are very tiny and these are used to present the babies to the parents in.

This is what they are like when opened up. I used the pattern found here  Lisa's Stars  

This is my first attempt at crochet and was quite pleased with the way it turned out, not bad for someone who has never done crochet before.

 I also made these little teddies to with the blankets that I made. This one is made to the same pattern but with half the stitches of the bigger one.
Here is the pattern for Little Ted Little Teddy






This one was made to amount of stitches in the pattern he look really big compared to the other one.

 This blanket is made to the Sands pattern for a blanket that is used for Memory Boxes. The border is added after knitting the blanket.
Sands Baby Blanket

They are easy to make and look so pretty.

 This is a preemie baby blanket that is used in Neonatal units for the tiny babies there this one is a simple Stocking stitch blanket with a garter stitch border top and bottom.





This one is a basket weave pattern again easy to do but knits up without any holes for tiny fingers and toes to caught up in. Many of the babies that these blankets are made for do survive so it is something positive to make for them.

 

So why do I knit for charities and hospitals that need these items?
Well 37 years ago I lost my first baby when I was 24 weeks pregnant he died in the the womb and after I was taken to hospital he was removed. I was not given the choice or chance to see him and was simply told that he was perfectly formed and had died due to his blood group and mine not being compatible. You see I have ARh Negative blood group and his was Positive, anti bodies kicked in and sadly he died, no ones fault just a fact of nature. I had an injection that meant any other babies would not have the same fate.
So I know what it is like to have all the excitement of a new life waiting to be born only to have the awful news it will not be.
Now they are far more understanding and offer parents the chance to say goodbye and have their precious little one presented to them with dignity.
So the Angel Pockets are made by people who may have had a similar experience or by those who know someone who had that experience. The blankets are always welcome as hospitals use them and the parents take them home with them. The teddies are often used in Memory boxes or given to the parents along with the Angel Pockets. The teddies are also given to parents to take home with their baby when they are strong enough to go home, along with the blanket that was used to hold and cuddle them in.
I make them in white so they can be used for a boy or girl some make them in pastel shades but I prefer white.
So a big thank you to my friend who has made it possible for me to make these items that will be used for such precious little ones.