The Juggling Act

Well hello my lovely, lovely ones. How are we all? Keeping warm? There’s some kind of gale going on outside my window. Do feel very lucky to be snuggled up inside today. I took the dog for a walk this morning, when it wasn’t too bad, I have a funny feeling she’s not gonna want to go outside in this. Bless her, definitely not a fan of the windy/wet days. Think she’s telling me already, that she doesn’t want to go!!

My daughter has just started her new chapter at secondary school and is definitely a big change in her life. They go from primary school, where they stay in one classroom and taught by one, maybe two teachers – to suddenly walking to school by themselves, having to find their way around different classrooms and taught by a variety of teachers. It’s such a huge step for them all. But one I knew she was ready for and thankfully seems to be settling in well. So that’s a relief. Think the biggest challenge for them all, is time management, making sure they are in the right place, in the right time and enough time to be able to get everything completed.

I feel like that is my problem at the minute. Juggling all the elements of family life. We seem to have so many after school activities, that I’ve had to work out a timetable of which dinners need to be one pot wonders in the warming drawer and which I can cook fresh at dinner time. I think two of the nights, we eat in the 3 different time slots in our house. Haha – crazy. Makes me remember in lockdown when no activities occurred and there was no rushing around. We still had a timetable though, but that was for things like snack time! Haha! Oh the joys.

One thing I do seem to be juggling with time for is crocheting and knitting at the minute! Definitely not a problem that everyone would have.

It’s not only having the time to actually do one or the other, but which out of the two, to do. My design hat for crocheting, seems to be developing into the designing for knitting too. Never thought that would ever have been the case. It’s funny isn’t it, how life can surprise you. I have always knitted. My Gran and Mum taught me years ago, when I was a little lady. I used to knit my Gran’s infamous slipper socks, which have gone far and wide in our family. Great pattern and one that I love to look at now. I then taught myself how to crochet and crochet toys and the love for crocheting just exploded. I couldn’t get enough of it. I seemed to understand it easier than knitting and it became easy to create. But now the knitting design hat seems to be itching away and wanting to create something new and exciting too. The more I knit, the more I want to design. I do wonder, how my life would be different, if I just followed other people’s patterns. Heyho. There are so many greats ones out there too.

I do find that my small on the go projects, seem to always be knitted or crocheted socks. They seem to be the best thing to carry around with you at all times, in the hope that you may get lucky and get a little moment. One round of a sock is a result in my book. But more is always preferable. Haha.

I tend to come in different modes: Football Mum, Hockey Mum, Tennis Mum, Swimming Mum to name but a few.

Football Mum below… crikey it was a bit warmer the day I took that picture!!

Now if the crocheting/knitting little moments involve coffee… then I am seriously on a winning moment. And in a mug – means happy days.

But it usually occurs in my flask, which is never far away from me. And apparently I can’t seem to live without my Hide & Hammer bag. Fits my flask perfectly!

Hopefully soon, I will get a little more time for my beloved PipsRainbow. I have so many things to share with you, so exciting. I am hoping to soon bring you my very first knitting pattern. It’s quite a simple one and one that many of you crocheters can easily learn to knit with. It comprises of 5 different stitches, which you work up in 5 colour sections to create a simple, yet elegant knitted blanket. Exciting!

The pattern is written, so it’s just needs a spot of proof reading and pics and it will hopefully be with you all. Hopefully I will be able to bring you a few more PipsRainbow Knitted patterns in the future too.

Right, I had better get on with a few jobs before the craziness of evening activities occur.

Big hugs to you all,

Pips

🌈Xx

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It’s been way too long…

Hello my lovelies, how are we all? Everyone enjoying this summer holiday weather? Not known anything like it. We seem to be living in rain coats! And the dog is definitely not impressed! She is 100% a warm weather pup & rain is not one of her preferred weather conditions. She is snuggled up here in my nook, quite happy, sheltering from the horrid soggy rain!

We are rather lucky and have had some time in sunny Greece! Which has been warm, sunny and just the break we all need. A little moment to relax & recoup! And spy some amazing crocheting too. There’s some incredible dresses too which I will try and get a pic of.

So I think I firstly need to apologise for my very long absence from my little rainbow ride of a website. I feel like it has been forever since I have been on here. I am sorry! I seem to have completely lost my mojo with it all & life as it usually does, seems to have got in the way. Our little world seems to be filled will all sorts of things at the minute, but as we have just started the summer holidays, I am hoping it is going to slow down some what.

Many creators have a moment where they loose their mojo and struggle to create. I think it’s like a writer having writer’s block! It can just be that the requirements of life are more important or in my case, I seem to have lost my confidence with it all. Guessing it can happen every so often. You feel like your work isn’t good enough or what happens if it’s wrong. I have still been designing & making, both crocheted & knitted, but not put anything out there for a while. You seem to have this panic about your patterns being a bit rubbish & think – I won’t post that, it isn’t quite right! The doubt sets in, so you find an excuse to do a house job, instead of just knuckling down & writing your pattern and sharing it!

Many of my patterns I have created are close to being able to share with you, but just need some concentrated time to finish them off. So hoping the mojo is back soon. I think part of me has been struggling with a spot of health issues & new meds this year. Had a delightful ankle situation, which has slowed me down some what! And I even managed to cover myself in burning hot soup, which I can safely say wasn’t my finest hour! Rather scary! Definitely becoming more clumsy! Anyone else finding this? Heyho. I don’t want to use this silly health as an excuse for my lack of PipsRainbow love. But I think it has definitely knocked me back this year. So definitely need a boost of yarny love & confidence to get me back on track! Thinking the start of a new month is a good time to get going again. Ekk!

I have recently designed a new little dinosaur for my boy & a hippo for my girl.

They came away with us & were found in the kids beds like little stowaways!

Kids were super excited to find them. Guessing my little daughter is not so little anymore & the want for crocheted teddy bears will slow down. But then she has just asked me to design a flamingo, so that will be fun. Think it’s the neck, that will be the slightly tricky bit. And the colour definitely has to be right! Bright, bright pink! On the boat we have a blow up Flamingo, called Mingo! Obviously! Haha! Well she is a firm favourite, so reckon we need a crocheted version.

On to WIP’s!
Projects at the minute! Ok, I do seem to have a few on the go! A crocheted blanket for my boy, a crocheted summer cardigan… (From the lovely Kosy Kitchen Fibre, it’s soooo soft!)

…a knitted pair of advent socks… (You just can’t beat Yarn Badger Socks – they truly are the best!)

…a knitted blanket and also have another little rainbow hippo that is like to create for someone! So lots of the go!

Right chaps! New month! New mojo! Fingers crossed for some exciting new patterns coming your way. I even have a knitted pattern coming soon. It’s the knitted blanket I have been creating with my Geodes & Gems Club from the utterly incredible Lisa from the Love of Yarn. The yarn is so beautiful! Promise I will get that pattern written up soon!

Right I had better sign off! A game of Go Fish with my boy is needing to be played!

Happy hooking all!

Big hugs to you all.

🌈Xx

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