Garden and Tea cosies

I have been away for ages as I have had a lot going on. The garden needed a lot of attention and took up all summer to get it back under control

We grew this amazing Amazonian Lily and it has a wonderful scent then we had Nastitiums scrambling through the Wegilia bush

Colin ( my Husband ) tended the plants and we had a lovely crop of tomatoes as well as various herbs.
Strawberry plants provided deserts galore this year and slowly but surely the garden turned in to a jungle
















It took us the rest of the summer and into autumn to get the garden back under control

It was worth every minute and now I can settle down to my crafting again.















I have been busy making Ta cosies for a friend in America. She loves a cup of tea and has a lovely teapot but no cosy. So I made her these.

Her pot is a 4-6 cup pot so I knitted this one as her kitchen is Green.












Then I made her this one

It is a thicker cosy and I added the rose on the top to give it a more personal touch and to brighten it up.
 I also made this one

Yes it is a tea cosy an Owl Tea Cosy. Why an owl? well she is a Harry Potter fan and what better than an owl. They are now on there way to her and I am hoping she will get them in time for Christmas.

I had some news a week ago that I was not expecting, I have Cataracts forming and Macular Degeneration. The cataracts will eventually be removed but even though it can be done any time they wait until they are 'ripe' and do them one at a time and you can wait 6 months between each eye being done. Macular Degeneration is different they can do nothing about it, however it takes a long time for it to rob you of your central vision. I will do all I can to help myself and still knit and craft, nothing is going to stop me even if I have to find new ways of doing things and take up a new crafting hobby. Life is a challenge and I am meeting it head on.

Slytherin SanDisk cover

I love my little SanDisk it holds my Audio books that I listen too and some music as well.

It is tiny and holds so much but I did not have a cover for it and wanted to make something that would keep it from being marked.

I belong to a Team on Sparkpeople.com that is Hogwarts based, yes we are all adults with families and jobs and some are retired but we all love Harry Potter and Hogwarts. Sparkpeople.com is all about Healthy Living and they have teams you can join to give you support as you get fit and shed the unwanted pounds.
In the Hogwarts team we are in the  Hogwart Houses of Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor. We have various activities that include Creativity, Reading, Journaling, various exercise themes and learning to create meal plans and how to incorporate housework into your exercise plan. It is based on Hogwarts and has Terms and we also have some Role play which is great fun. Does it work? well for me it does I have lost 14 pounds since March 2015. and for me that is brilliant as I am making lifestyle changes rather than following a set diet.

I am in Slytherin House, last term I was in Ravenclaw, we change Houses so we can get to know new people in the Hogwarts team.
So I decided to make something for myself that shows my support for my House and is useful and made this.

The pattern is here
Ipod case

It is easy to make and I completed it in an evening I made the snake by making an I-cord. 

How to knit Icord


My I cord was made by casting on 2 stitches, I made the head like this once my Icord was long enough to create a nice snake I increased by knitting front and back in the first stitch and the second stitch. then I knitted the second row just as you would normally on straight needles.

Row 1 KFB in both stitches
Row 2 Knit
Row 3 KFB in first stitch knit to last stitch KFB
Row 4 Knit
Row 5 K2tog knit to last 2 sts K2tog
Row 6 Knit

When you end up with 2 stitches on the needle cut the yarn so you have a long length of yarn and using a darning needle thread the stitches onto the needle and pull tight sew in the ends.

You now have a snake add some red thread for a tongue and glue on some tiny goggle eyes and sew the snake to the cover.

This was an easy project and fun to do, I made one for my friend who is also in Slytherin House and has helped me find free audio books to download.
This is her case

You are never too old to have a bit of fun in life. These hold the SanDisk and the earphones easily so they no longer get tangled up and my SanDisk is always safe.
 

Early knitting for Christmas

Yes Christmas knitting has begun and I have one scarf done and one on the needles.

This is the first scarf completed

This is the pattern close up it is such an easy pattern to do and knits up so quickly.

I had some yarn that I liked but was not keen on how it knitted up I also had two lots 4ply yarn ( 1 yellow, 1 white) that I wanted to use up, so I wound all three yarns together to create one ball of yarn. This made the yarn a Chunky or Bulky yarn.
I found this pattern on Ravelry

Grandma's Curtains Scarf 

 
 To complete the scarf I did a single crochet row all the way around to neaten the edges. I also added a fringe and knotted each strand of the fringe so it will only fray up the  knot.

This is the second scarf that I started using two strands of yarn held together one is multi coloured yarn the other a pink. Again I wound it into one ball so it is easy to use.
The pattern is here
 One row lace scarf

Using  10mm needles the scarf grows really quickly. I have been knitting whilst listening to an audio book of H.G Wells war of the Worlds and it is already 32 inches at chapter 13.
I will have this scarf finished this weekend making two scarves done ready for Christmas.
Then onto the third which will take longer to knit as it a different pattern 

The Manly Scarf 

There are two versions of this scarf and I will be using version 1 the scarf will be for my Brother.
 
 

For a Friend

I met a lovely lady through Sparkpeople and we met a little while ago and have stayed in contact. She has kindly sent me yarn a while back so I could knit baby blankets for the baby unit in my Hospital.
She is such a lovely lady and I count her as a good friend. Sadly she has undergone two operations for Breast Cancer after a lump was discovered during a Mammogram it was too deep for her to feel it. Thankfully after these two operations they were able to get a clear result now she will start Radiotherapy treatment on Tuesday 20th July 2015.
I have sent her little gifts during this difficult time as a way of showing I care and sending her emails and cards to brighten her day.
So as she is to start this phase of her treatment I made these.

This is a simple little keyring that I made by casting on 30 stitches and working in stocking stitch until I thought it was wide enough and bound off. I used a little wooden heat button to sew onto the ribbon that also holds it together, then I sewed this to the keyring. I made it from cotton yarn as it holds its shape better.

This is a little heart mascot also made in cotton yarn  Little Hearts
I added a mouth and a loop at the top. The loop is there for my friend to put over her finger so she can hold the little heart in the palm of her hand.
This is the back of the heart mascot

I know it will bring a smile to her face and that is what it was made for a little reminder she is thought about with love and a simple way to make her smile even though she will be nervous and the treatment will make her feel ill.
I may not be able to be with her but at least she knows I care. I also sent her a card with a tea bag in an envelope inside the card so she have a cup of tea with me.

My New Crafting Blog

I don't just knit I make all sorts of things and have been asked how I make them so I have just started a new blog

The Nutty Crafter

There is not much there at the moment but I would value any feedback. I have tried to keep the instructions simple.

I love crafting and making things like Artist Trading Cards, bookmarks, cross stitch and sewing small items. I make them for friends, family and myself.

Cat Blankets

With postage costs becoming more and more expensive I have had to cut back on what I make and send off.
Free post is fine but not many charities do this so I looked locally for anyone who wanted some knitted items.
The Hospital has enough baby blankets and chemo hats so that was not an option so I called the Cat Protection League.
Yes they wanted blankets and knitted mice so my needles were back in action.

I have made 3 blankets all different sizes.

This is the largest one

A medium sized blanket

This one is  15 inches square and could be used for a kitten or in a cat carrying basket.
Know all I need to do is make three mice to go with them and they will be ready for collection.
That is a huge plus no postage as they are happy to come and collect them. I am slowly using up my stash and making something useful with it as well.

Tulips

Yes I have been knitting Tulips and they are really easy to make.
So why Tulips? I hear you ask.The answer is simple I found a Charity quite by accident that needed people to knit for them and they wanted Tulips. The Charity is Knit A Tulip for ME  you can find out more here
Knit a Tulip.

I emailed them for the pattern and started knitting. Like I said they are easy to do and a great way to use up odd bits of stash that are not big enough for much else.

All of these will be sent off during the coming week and I will be making other things for a while.
I will need to find out how much postage it will cost before I make any more as I am finding postage expensive and will limit what I post.
So I am on the hunt for local Charities that may want some knitting done so I can either take it them on the bus or they can collect from me depending on where they are.
The Hospital as no need for any more baby blankets as they have a large amount the same goes for Chemo caps, shawls or blankets.
The Salvation Army may want scarves or blankets but have a lot at the moment so I am still looking a round.
The Cat Protection League may be a good idea and I have sent them an email.
I am sorting out a few patterns so I can decide my next project.

Ravenclaw theme

Okay I admit it I am a Harry Potter fan and I love Hogwarts. I like Ravenclaw in particular as I am like  Luna Lovegood.

Am I weird ? Oh yes I am definitely weird and I am not about to change that I have been a little weird all my life and that me  unique.

So when I was invited to join the Hogwarts team on Sparkpeople I jumped that the chance and was put in Ravenclaw House. I was so pleased and decided to make something in Ravenclaw colours one was the cushion cover in the post below and now this.

It is a Mobius scarf/cowl/ shoulder warmer.It is knitted flat so not a true Mobius but a fake one.
The pattern is really easy

I used 6.5mm needles with DK yarn
The amount of stitches can be increased to suit what you want
Cast on 26 or add groups of 4 to increase size
I used 50 stitches

Every row is

* K2, K1 Tbl , P1 repeat from * and end with K2

Repeat this row until it as long as you want it to be and Bind off in pattern.

Tbl = Through back loop

To make it a Mobius you do this

Simple Mobius Scarf

It so simple anyone can do it.

My mobius is in silver grey  with two different blue yarns and a copper coloured yarn for the stripes. I added the stripes randomly where I thought it was time to change colour and did the stripe in two rows.
You can see it better here

It is wide enough to pull over my shoulders so it can be worn on chilly days in the Spring in the garden or as a scarf in winter. It is light and warm at the same time making it very versatile, not the usual Hogwarts scarf and I think Luna would approve.

Cushion Cover and Gifts

2015 started out busy and looks like remaining so for a while at least.
Christmas was quiet with just myself and Colin we had a real tree, the last one we will have as they are so expensive. I love a real Christmas tree but the cost means we will go back to our artificial one this Christmas.
It looked nice though, we had a Nordic Santa as the tree topper.

So January began and I have been busy writing and knitting. I write poetry and keeping a journal that has some of my thoughts and things I do in it and I am illustrating it as well.
I am still knitting and have made myself something, a Cushion Cover.

I belong to Sparkpeople   it is to do with healthy living and has:  

• Food tracker and personalized meal plans
• Customized fitness plan
• Spark Points motivation program
• Support from our experts on message boards
• Articles, recipes, tips, and much more! 

It is far different to many sites as it has teams that you can join and get support from the people on that team. I have made many friends there and we all support each other in our effort to get healthier. All the teams are themed to various things like:  Hobbies and Interests, Age Groups, Lifestyle and Culture,Parenting and family and a host of others.
 Each team has various challenges that you follow if you want to and I have found it very helpful in forming a healthy eating plan.

Anyway I belong to a team that is based on Hogwarts from the Harry Potter films. It is fun and has helped me find my creative side again. I am in Ravenclaw House and I wanted to create something to do with Ravenclaw and decided to make a Cushion cover in the colours of the House.

Ravenclaw colours are Blue, Silver and Copper.

So I set too and made a cushion cover using colours that were as close as possible to the colours I needed.
This is the result

                                                               I used two strands of yarn held together to create a thicker material and knitted squares that I sewed together. I added a button to the middle and chose an Owl as Hogwarts use Owls to deliver the mail. 
I used blanket stitch to sew the two large squares together in the copper colour and made ties to close the cover, that way the cushion pad can be easily removed when I want to wash the cover.

I have also made some Dishcloths for my friend in Texas as her birthday is in March and I need to post them early to make sure she gets them on time.

A cookie jar dish cloth Pattern for Cookie Jar Dishcloth

A Cupcake with a candle Cupcake cloth

This one is from the book Kitchen Bright Dishcloths


I also made this

It is a facecloth that will contain a bar of soap and was so easy to make. The pattern is here
Bath Bundle

All of these items were made for the Stashbuster Challenge on my Knitting team in Sparkpeople for January 2015.

Keep knitting and have a happy and healthy 2015.