Blogs

Waiting Rooms

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Well hello my lovely ones. How are we all? It’s a cold, wet and grim day here. Definitely a day that you need to stay in as much as possible. I’ve just managed a yoga class. I haven’t been in ages, so you can imagine that it definitely woke up some of my joints!! I have a funny feeling they won’t be happy later. Ouch! Oh well. Definitely important to keep the old dodgy joints ticking over. That’s always my excuse for crocheting and knitting so much – it keeps my hands warm and working!! Haha!!

How is everyone’s yarny projects going? I seem to have quite a lot of WIP’s at the minute. But really trying to finish some of them, so that I only have a few on the go at the same time. It’s definitely not a problem to have a few different ones on the go. I like to keep small, easy projects, that I can take with me for every eventuality. This is usually a pair of knitted socks. It’s so small, that it can fit in your pocket. So always have a pair on the go. Another slightly bigger project that goes with me, is my Around the World Cowl from the gorgeous yarn club from For the Love of Yarn. https://fortheloveofyarn.co.uk/

It’s 4ply yarn again and it’s at the beginning stages, so definitely one to fit in my bag on trips out. It’s coming along nicely and I hope to share the pattern soon.

I had one of those magical moments with it yesterday. It was actually the first time this has ever happened to me, which is a shame, but I am hoping it won’t be the last. I went to the hospital for my regular bloods and it was absolutely rammed. It’s usually only a waiting space of one corridor, but this stretched out to 3 corridors and 2 waiting rooms. Must remember, Monday is not a good day to go!! I did get a seat, so got myself comfy for a long wait with my Around the World Cowl happily being worked on my lap. But then there was an old couple that couldn’t sit together, so I jumped up to offer my seat. (As any normal human being would do!) But then as I roamed the corridors in hope of another seat, there she was. This lovely lady crocheting a blue flower blanket for one of her daughters! Well, the speed in which I sat down and started chatting, may have come across as a little alarming, but hey, I was a little bit excited and realised I wasn’t a crazy lady as soon as I got my crocheting out! In all my time of waiting rooms, I have never seen or sat by anyone crocheting! I am usually the one that gets the slightly funny looks or the questions as to what are you making. And how their gran used to crochet and they never learnt. So we wallowed away nearly an hour of yarny chatting before it was her turn to go in. It was so lovely. Her name was Ann and she’d been knitting for years, but learnt to crochet recently and even taught a couple of her friends too! She did put me to shame though. I had only got my small ball of wool with me and if I had been waiting much longer, I would have run out of crocheting. (Ekk, a shiver just ran down my spine!! Imagine that!) The lady on the other hand, had 3 other little balls of wool in her bag on the off chance that she might run out!! I felt very unprepared, which doesn’t come naturally to me. So in true Ann style, I think I may need to check myself in future and ensure that when you are out and about crocheting or knitting and definitely in a waiting room on a Monday, that – YOU DON’T RUN OUT OF WOOL!!

On other news, I have been having a little go on my sewing machine. I bought a box of canvas offcuts from Nu at Hide and Hammer. https://hideandhammer.co.uk/ She pops them on her website every so often, as she never throws anything away, it’s a great idea for others to use it. As some of you have seen I made these little pouches last week.

The iced bag one has been great attached to my drinks bottle for the gym. It houses my AirPod case and car keys. And phone too, if I’m not using it.

The mustard oil skin has housed my little The Yarn Badger Advent sock set that I am working on at the moment.

So I reckoning I could definitely make a few more. My son wants some for his lego and bits for when we go out. So that will be a little project. I am hoping to make myself a little knitted needle roll, which I have in the past made for my Mum. But I think my one might have to wait. Too many things to do. Too little time to do it! We shall see. I have invested in a little leather foot for my machine is great.

It’s so easy to go around corners and a great way to sew very near to an edge. Would highly recommend getting one for your own machine if you can. I bet you could use it for all sorts of things.

Well on that note I had better say my fair wells. I will be posting up the new Around the World Cowl pattern up for anyone that would like to make one. It’s a 5 stitch repeat, worked up in a circle. I am using 5 different colours each month from the Around the World Club from Lisa at For the Love of Yarn, but you can use any colour combo that you like.

I also have a little Easter crochet project coming out too! It’s another one of my Egglebert family! So hope you like the new addiction!

Anyways. Hope everyone has great days.
Happy hooking!
🌈 Xx

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Blogs, Patterns

PipsRainbow is 6 Years Old!

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Hmm, now where has that gone! 6 years! I can’t quite believe how quickly the time flies by. If you’d have said that I would be a crochet designer & that I would have my one blog & write my own patterns 10 years ago – well I definitely wouldn’t have believed you! I remember when I thought up PipsRainbow. It was on a journey on the way home from Lymington. We’d been on a family holiday and my little boy was only a few months old, so it was quite a big thing. I remember the days of all the paraphernalia that you need with a little one. The extra little bits of kit that you may or may not use! But the one thing I did have, was my crochet kit. Even then, I didn’t use to leave the house without my crochet kit. You just never knew when the next moment to crochet would arise. In those days, it would be when I was out and about and little one had fallen asleep in his pram or car seat. Well on this particular occasion, I must have been trying to get him to have a nap. You can just see his little awake eye peeping out at me! Bless him.

I think I was crocheting a little Easter chick or a duck at the time. I now find that sock knitting or crocheting is my go to for taking out and about with me. It’s such a small project and usually involves not much thinking about, so great to work on when there are other things going on around you.

Over the past year, I feel PipsRainbow has evolved. I think it is important to develop and grow as a little company. I always knew that it had to fit around our daily busy lives. And sometimes this year, it is safe to say that, it has been on the back burner. Which makes me a little sad. As I have spoken about before, when you have a bit of a confidence drop in your work – you will always find another job that needs doing and those all uninspiring words ‘It’s ok, I will do that tomorrow!’ Are said. Hmm…I think I have said that, far too many times already this year. Haha, guessing that can be said for many of us, in all walks of life. So onward and upward me thinks. Time to take charge & spend a little bit more time doing the things with love.

One thing that does seem to be evolving is my desire to knit and design projects. Crocheting and knitting seem to be working hand in hand with each other. And I have always said that some things are best crocheted, yet others definitely need to be knitted. Heyho. The juggling act for both of them, is very real. Haha.

So here’s a cheer to the last year of PipsRainbow. I wonder what Year 7 will look like?!

Right then – here is the all important Birthday Pattern. The Waffle Snood. Haha, I know it is a funny name, but the stitch really does look like a waffle. Hmm, maybe I need to rethink that one.



This beautiful yarn was given to me by my dear friend. It’s from Manos Del Urguary and is called Alegria Grande. It’s a worsted weight and is oh so soft. So perfect for a snuggle snood. And yep, I am wearing it now – it’s cold!!

You will need –

100g skein of Aran/worsted yarn, 5mm crochet hook, blunt ended tapestry needle and some scissors.

Stitch Information –

Waffle Stitch – 1ch, insert hook into next chain/stitch, yrh, pull through a loop, insert hook in next chain/stitch, yrh, pull through a loop [yrh, pull through 2 loops] twice. 

Abbreviations –

ch – Chain

chsp – Chain Space

yrh – yarn round hook

Pattern –

Start your work by making a foundation chain of 39 stitches.  

Step 1 – Insert your hook into 3rd chain from the hook, yrh, pull through a loop, insert hook in 4th chain from hook, yrh, pull through a loop, [yrh, pull through 2 loops] twice. Now work a waffle stitch in each of next 2ch. (Waffle Stitch – 1ch, insert hook into next chain/stitch, yrh, pull through a loop, insert hook in next chain/stitch, yrh, pull through a loop [yrh, pull through 2 loops] twice. Repeat to last chain, 1ch, 1dc in last ch, turn. 

Step 2 – Ch2, Waffle stitch in first dc & next ch1sp, then [1ch, waffle stitch in next stitch and then in next 1chsp] Repeat to the last waffle stitch. Ch1, 1dc in last waffle stitch and turn. 

Repeat step 2 until you have the desired length you would like and fasten off. I worked mine till it was 60cm in length.

Now fold it back on itself and use your crochet hook to work 1dc in both sides of the snood by inserting you hook into both stitches in either side. (Alternatively, using your darning needle, sew up both sides to create the snood and then fasten off and sew in your ends.

Now it’s time to block your work. If your aren’t sure how to do this, then look up my You tube video on how to block your work.

So there you have it. A year of PipsRainbow & an all important Birthday Pattern. Enjoy.

Big hugs to you all & thank you once again for all of your support over the year. It means so much to me, more than you know.

Happy hooking.

Pip

🌈Xx

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