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Time…

Time. Are you seeing lockdown as a blessing or a bore?

Now I have a funny feeling that we are in our 12th or is it 13th week of lockdown, I am not entirely sure!!! Haha. It all seems a bit of a blur now. Time is such a funny thing isn’t it. Everyone seems to have their own perspective of the time we have been given in lockdown. For us, it is a blessing. Time to spend as a family. Time to teach each other new things. Time to challenge ourselves at new skills. Time to just be together.

A massive difference for us is the lack of rushing around like complete lunatics to get somewhere or get something done. There’s no time travelling to and from clubs or activities. No time spent getting everyone out of the door! (Sometimes this feels like raising the Titanic with our two!!!) Hopefully we are not alone in our crazy bonkers world of little munchkins. I will never forget a scene from a Micheal McIntyre show where he explains what it’s like to get his two children out of the door. Haha, it was hilarious!! Think we only had our first then, but my golly we could relate to it!! Funny. Definitely the lack of getting out of the door, is a major plus for us at the moment.

For others, this time is a bore. They are missing their usual little rituals of popping to the shops. Going out when they want and having their independence. Being able to see friends and family. Being able to just pop to the shop, when you forget something. But I think as time goes on they will become used to this journey that we are all on. Shopping habits in our house have definitely changed. Most of our birthday cards are handmade by my daughter and our presents are from an online order or are again made by us. I do love handmade pressies. This is definitely the year that crocheting and knitting are coming in handy. And sewing too. A lovely pressie my daughter made was a book mark for my mum on my sewing machine. She used some of the different stitches on my machine and had great fun. Think I might see if she will make some more for me.

Days definitely pass rather quickly for us. You start the day with all these activities that you need and want to do. And have some serious high aspirations of how the day should pan out. Then one thing goes wrong, someone rings up or everyone is just having an off day and the whole day then goes to pot!!! So it’s been decided in our house, these are called ‘Go to Pot’ days. They are allowed, it happens, just move on and try not to dwell on it!!! Tomorrow is another day!! If in doubt, do some baking!!!

I managed 3 loaves in one day the other day! How mad is that!!

It was definitely one yummy baking day!! Goodness!!

The messages from the government seem to be changing more regularly now. Instead of Stay Home. Stay Safe. It is now Stay Alert. Control the Virus. Save Lives. With many more additions such as families making bubbles and 6 person group exercise! Life outside our door does seem to be moving quicker again now. There are definitely more people out and about. And the roads are much busier. But for us, life hasn’t changed much and I can’t see it changing for quite a long time. We are bimbling along in our little bubble. Coping with school work best we can and nursery challenges. Running and biking as much as possible and getting out in the garden. Being together. For hubby, the weekends seem to be filled with an abundance of BBQ’s feast!! Recipes seem to be discussed as early as Tuesday. I’m definitely not complaining.

It also means I tend to get a sneaky sit down for 5, normally with a spot of yarn and a cheeky Spritz. What a lovely little moment.

Nights out seem to be a distant memory. These have now taken a turn in a different direction and now look like this…

I even invested in some for my daughter. Well they had to be unicorn and had to have rainbows on now didn’t they. She’s getting good. I had better watch out.

Have any of you challenged yourself to something new? It’s definitely the right time for it at the moment. Feel like we all need something new in our lives at the minute to distract us. I call them Distraction Tactics. We all need them at one point or another. Whether you’re on your own, self isolating with nothing to occupy you, flying around like a crazy person looking after kids in the middle of a lockdown and attempting homeschooling or trying to work through lockdown with it all getting a bit much, then a new challenge is for you. Good to take your mind off your stresses and worries. Time to concentrate on something completely different, that focuses your mind.

This was my challenge. Knitting socks with circular needles. I’ve always been able to knit, but not ever tried circular needles and definitely not for socks. So I bought my kit from the amazing Abby at Orchidean Luxury Yarns and off I went. (Yarn is just incredible to work with as always. Love the name too – Chasing Rainbows.)

Now I would like to say that it all went swimmingly well and that I flew through my first sock. But yeah, that just wouldn’t be true. Started off ok. Managed the cuff and the leg, but I got a little stuck on the heel. May have had to undo it a few times, but got there in the end. I can safely say that I don’t give in very easily. God job, as I don’t think I would ever be wearing my own knitted pair of socks if I wasn’t!!

I challenged my daughter to make me a rainbow bracelet with our Kimihimo Discs. They are from the wonderful Bee at Crafts from the Clink. I met Bee and her wonderful daughter at the yarn festival at Wool@j13 last year. They are so lovely. They showed me and my mum how to make a bracelet with them. Hoping my daughter can figure out a new pattern.

Here’s the link if you would like to buy one of her kits.

https://www.craftsfromtheclink.com/

Well I will say goodbye for now. Hoping to bring you a pattern nearer the weekend. Was thinking I would create some patterns for a few gifts that you can make. Maybe a few little quick to make ones too. Just a thought to help with any of you that may struggle to get to the shops. I bought a few yummies from Abby the other day. Couldn’t resist getting a few specials in my yarn stash, ready for pressies. Hee hee, don’t you just love a yarn delivery.

Here’s the link to her website, if you fancy taking a peak.

https://luxuryyarns.co.uk/

Anyways, stay safe and take care. And don’t forget those Distraction Tactics. It’s definitely worth a go and you never know you might surprise yourself!!

One day, we will all look back on this and wonder. Wonder how the whole world seemed to come to a standstill from a virus so horrendous as Covid 19. How we all coped? How we all stood still? How we helped our neighbours and family? How we adapted and evolved? And the big question, how we got back to normal? (Whatever normal might be now.)

We will get through this, one way or another…

Happy Hooking.

🌈Xx

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2018 CAL - Year of the Stitches Blanket

Year of the Stitches Week 33 – Extended Half Treble

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Extended Half Treble

Well what do you reckon to this little guy. May I introduce Diego. He was a prize from a competition, run by the wonderful inahurry website owned by my lovely friends. They are a fabulous website which enables you to find great gifts for children and babies, in a hurry. What a brilliant concept. Definitely worth knowing this one. I reckon we’ve all been in that situation when you need something for a little bod in your life and don’t have time to surf the web for hours on end! I know sometimes we have children’s parties that can creep up on us. Well here’s the answer. Welcome to The Busy Parents Club!!

So the reason he is sitting on my blanket, is because my lovely friend asked me to hand embroider the chosen name from the competition winner on his little paw. Rather chuffed with the outcome. Loving the colour combo of Mr Diego, so just had to carry it through to the name tag.

And as a result, I then just had to use this fab colour in this weeks blanket! What do you think? I’m loving it. I reckon the powdery blue works really well with that dark blue and deep red! I wonder if it would be a good colour combo for a boys blanket? Now there’s a thought! Well hope Diego has found his way to his new home and his owner is keeping him safe and happy.

So on to the wonderful world of crocheting. Oooo did everyone have a happy #grannysquareday2018 this week? It crept up on me this year, so it was a quick rummage through the yarn basket and hey presto a rainbow granny square was born. I couldn’t not do a rainbow one now could I!! I used purely Sublime wool, which you all know I just love!! It’s mega soft. It’s currently being used as a rather nice mat on my bedside table for my watch and glasses. Thinking it might just have to stay!!

So once again, another week has passed by of our wonderful 6 week holiday! Can’t quite believe how quick it’s gone!! It seems to have been quite a full week, with one thing or another. But all good. We’ve had some good walks into town, with one trip involving us bumping into 11 people we knew!!! Not bad going for a half an hour town trip!! I only wanted to pick up new school uniform and some toothpaste! Love it!! Wouldn’t have it any other way! I did sneak in a quick trip to the wonderful Melbourne Coffee Bar in Lichfield. They do the most amazing coffee and the lady who runs it is just lovely!! She makes the most amazing turmeric drink! Fab for anyone that suffers with pain – I think she even makes a porridge too! Well she was rather chuffed with my purple reusable cup that gets taken most places with me. So it ended up being famous on her Instagram page!! Yey!!! Happy days!!! Don’t forget to visit if you are next in town!

Love our route into town, we walk past these mega reeds. They are so elegant, with their height and strong colour!! My daughter was fascinated by them. I wonder if you could crochet one! Now that would be a challenge.

This weekend we had a lovely trip to Baddesley Clinton. It’s a beautiful old house surrounded by a moat. The lovely volunteers were ever so nice in there, helping my daughter with her trail. And the gardens are just exceptional!

I had serious rainbow flowers envy!! Look at those colours!!! Just incredible!!

Talking about colours!! So this week I had a peak at all my sock yarn. Couldn’t resist making this little pile of socky yarn loveliness!! I reckon I’ve got enough to keep me going for a while!! Most of these were from one of my fabulous local yarn shops The Knitting Corner – they’ve not only got West Yorkshire Spinners, but Opal and Sirdar. A few of the others are from WoolWarehouse and not forgetting the super wool festival I went to Woolj13 in May! (Can’t wait to go back there again.)

So on to the blanket. Hmm, August seems to be turning into the Half Treble month! So last week we saw the lovely Paired Half Treble stitch. Which was a super textured little stitch and easy to work up. This week I have chosen the Extended Half Treble Stitch. (ExHtr) It’s ever so easy to do, it’s basically your usual Half Treble Stitch with an extra little bit at the beginning. So nothing to worry about. I bet you will whip this up in no time. Hope you like it!

Stitches –

Chain (ch) – To make a chain stitch, make a slip knot on your hook and then place the yarn over your hook and pull through the loop. Repeat this action to make a row of stitches.

Half treble (htr) – A half treble crochet is basically one less movement than a treble. So yarn over hook, insert through space/stitch, yarn over hook, pull back through space/stitch. There should be 3 loops on your hook. Then yarn over hook and pull through all 3 loops.

Extended Half Treble (Exhtr) – So to work this stitch, yarn over your hook, insert into the stitch, yarn over your hook again and pull back through the stitch. (3 loops on your hook) Ok so yarn over your hook and pull through the first loop. Now yarn over your hook again and pull through all 3 loops.

Supplies –

So this week I have chosen a wonderful powdery blue from my all time favourite snuggly soft Sublime range. Oh I just love this wool. It’s an incredible mix of a baby cashmere, merino and silk. It’s a fab ‘go to’ double knit wool, that is just mega to work with. You roughly need about 30g/40g of yarn. Don’t forget your scissors, blunt ended tapestry needle and of course your 4mm crochet hook.

Ok so here we go …

1 – Right then, start by attaching your new yarn on the right side of your blanket and chain 3. (This acts as 1htr.) *Now work 1Exhtr in your first stitch. To do this yarn over your hook, insert into the stitch, yarn over your hook again and pull back through the stitch. (3 loops on your hook)

Ok so yarn over your hook and pull through the first loop. (3 loops on your hook)

Now yarn over your hook again and pull through all 3 loops.* And that finishes your first Extended Half Treble stitch.

Now continue along the row with 1Exhtr repeating ** across the row.

Finishing with 1Exhtr in thr last stitch. (200)

2 – Ok so row 2. Start by turning your blanket and chaining 3. (This acts as 1htr.) Now work 1Exhtr in the first stitch.

Right so now work 1Exhtr in each stitch across the row, finishing with 1Exhtr in the last stitch. (200)

3 – For the last row, turn your blanket and chain 3. (This acts as 1htr.) Now work 1Exhtr in the first stitch then 1Exhtr in each stitch across the row, finishing with 1Exhtr in the last stitch. (200)

And there you have the Extended Half Treble Stitch. I do think it’s a handy one to know and gives you a different variation on a well known stitch. Hope you’ve enjoyed this weeks instalment of Year of the Stitches.

Happy hooking everyone!

🌈Xx

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