Knitting Fest

Hello All

Thank you for popping in to KSC

I have had a bit of a knitting spree this week though neither of the projects took very long to make.

This is a new waistcoat for MIL, Mollie. Over the past 30 years I have knitted her a lot of waistcoats as she always likES to wear one. I don't think she has ever thrown any of them away so now they are all too large and some are quite shabby looking. I thought she might like one that fitted so I made this simple one in just 2 days. The back is plain and the pattern on the front is really easy. Will take it for her next time we visit and hope it fits.

If you have ever visited anyone in a Care Home or hospital you will have noticed that packs of tissues are like phone cards are to prisoners. When Mollie used to be in hospital or the Care Home she would ask if we would bring packs of tissues every time we visited. It turned out that she donated them as Bingo prizes or gave them to fellow patients to make friends. With this in mind I have made some Tissue Sacks to take to a Care Home near to us as they could be used for the Christmas Fayre or for Bingo prizes. I have made some suitable for male and some female. They don't take long to make at all so if they go down ok I will make some more for other care homes as I still have mountains of wool to use. No two are the same as the wool varies in thickness and the knitter gets to carries away with a TV programme?

Have a great weekend

Love Chrissie xx

Not a lot to show

Hello Dear Friends

I can't believe it is almost a month since I last posted on this blog. We did fit in a short holiday and a few days out but I have only a little to show in the way of crafting. Still visiting Mollie as well and she has fallen twice while trying to go outside on her own. No injuries so far just bruises here and there.

My wool collection never seems to get any smaller but the card making things are now quite depleted.

I tried to do small crocheted, small granny squares to make a tea cosy but not sure I like it.

Knitted cushion covers in the very thick wool. Linda brought the cushion pads and the wool.

8x8 inch cards using background papers and bought images from Linda's collection.

Hope your week goes well and thank you for calling in

Love Chrissie xx

More knitteds and cards

Hi All

Hope your week has gone well and thatyou enjoyed the Bank Holiday if you are in England.

My week has been strange as I went to the nurse for my yearly check-up last Monday and by Wednesday the results had come back and I haven't to have anything with caffeine and have to drink several litres of water each day. A real shock to the system for sure and I have to do this until I go back for more tests in October. No explanation as to why I have to do this but that is normal at our surgery. Anyone over the age of 75 they assume you can't understand anything lol. Pleased to say that already I am sleeping better :)

Lots of cricket watching and now the tennis is on from the US and Andy Murray is playing in this one so we will be up very early or staying up late when he is playing as they are 5 hours behind us.

Cat cards made with some free images I found

I got two teapots at the car boot sale. This one was  50p and is quite small

This teapot was £1 and a lot bigger

A cat PJ case

Growing collection of teapots and cosies

Have a great week and enjoy whatever you are doing

Love as always Chrissie xx

Tea Cozies and Wash Cloths

Hello Friends

Thank you for your visit to KSC that means my blogger friends and those who pop in who aren't regualr visitors-thank you for your emails about the makes.

This week has been sunny and hot again and so is today but we have rain at last-yipee. Never thought I would want it to rain but we really need some now so I hope it keeps going for hours.

Still not sure about the Wooly Teapot cafe but I have taken a photograph of all my recent tea cozy makes so may pop in and show the lady what I have made and see what she thinks.

This one I made up as I went along with oddments of wool

Same again made up as I went along with oddments of wool

I found 2 more bags of cotton that Linda had brought so nice to just sit and make the washcloths and watch the sport. No two are alike as I  make the patterns up as I knit them.

Vic helped me sort out the wool cupboard and it was amazing what was in there. Hope my fingers and brain last as long as the wool and I am sure she will bring more when she comes again.

Have a great day

See you again soon I hope

Love Chrissie xx

Another Tea Cozy

Hi All

At last we saw a little bit of rain yesterday and just sat and looked at out of the window. Strange how magical it felt after not seeing any for so long. We do need lots more for the grass and the plants to be happy and some is forecast in the near future. I haven't been out much as I broke a toe and it hasn't been easy to walk. Pleased to say it is much better or I have got used to it now--not sure which.

I made a few more wash cloths in cotton and another tea cozy

A friend for the last one

I got several tea pots from the carboot sale. All of them were either £1 or 50p. I guess people don't use a tea pot these days so it will be good to present them with the cozies.

Sorry to say that the Wooly Teapot may not be there for too much longer though all is up in the air at the moment. There have been a lot of changes to our town centre recently and the rented building are too expensive now for small businesses. Not sure if anyone is interested but here is all about who owns most of our town centre. I have known a few people who were in the organisaion but never will be able understand its complexities at all.

Have a great weekend

Love Chrissie xx

Knitteds and cards

Gosh isn't it hot these days.

 We have had little or no rain for ages and everywhere is looking very parched. It does mean I stay inside a lot more as I burn very easily so I have managed to do a bit of knitting and even a little bit of card designing as well. Lots of sport watching with cricket and tennis top of the list at the moment.

I have this very old pattern of a footballer so I did try to update it a little bit--I think it looks a bit like Wayne Rooney

Linda and Graham came to stay and she is still shoe mad so it gave me the idea to make some cards with shoes on them. The two without quotes on the front have them under a pull up flap and the cards just have a general best wishes verse inside so suitable for lots of events

Peter Rabbit is back in fashion as there is a new film with him in it. Years ago I used to knit all the Beatrix Potter characters and the patterns were free in a magazine. The very same patterns are now fetching as much as £40 on e-bay but mine were thrown away years ago. This is the nearest I could get to a PR pattern and I made the teapot version. We have a cafe called the Woolie Teapot in town and I thought I might ask them if they would like it for their window display.

Got up very early to watch Andy Murray play a match in the US. He did win but he was very emotional after it all finished. Such hard work for him after the hip operation.

Have a great day and a happy weekend

Love Chrissie xx

Dolls

Hello Dear Friends

Here I am again at last after not doing much for a few weeks as I haven't been too well. Not often I give in and rest but for once I did as I was told.

I found a pattern from way back when with a topsy turvy doll so I thought while I was sitting there doing nothing I would have a go at making one. It ended up that I made two and may even make more as they are a great way to use up some of bits and bobs of wool left over from other projects.

The first doll is like this turned upside down one way and then the other

This is the second one

Here they are incase I didn't explain very well what really happens. 

Watching the tennis on television today. Hope it is as good as yesterday--then there is the world cup football and the cricket-Tour de France and golf ! It's a hard life for a sports fan.

Have a great weekend

Love Chrissie xx

A mixture of things

Hello Friends and visitors

I seem to have been going for long walks recently so not much time for crafty things at all. Watching the golf and the tennis has meant a bit more creativity this last couple of weeks but a lot of time has been taking up with designing things to make rather than making them.

A couple of pics of my naughty Grandcats

Oscar and Willow helping their mum do the office work.

Oscar waiting to change the channel when mum says he has to

I have written a pattern for a design to hold a chocolate orange for Christmas

Trying a few designs to hold a Tunnock's tea cake for Christmas-think I have the right one to use now. Vic keeps eating the teacakes as they will be out of date by Christmas.

Labels to fasten onto the snowmen to show what they are hiding

Managed to make a few very large cards with card blanks, cut outs and papers from Linda.

Today I am taking a box of new Stazon inks and lots of other goodies. They are a part of the things that Linda brought that had duplicates so will never use them. The place that I am taking them to is an art studio in Bridlington that has classes for special needs people among others so I thought it would be a worthy cause. The lady is so nice and I am sure people enjoy going to her classes. Lots of arty type place springing up these days. One place you can decorate a pot-may try that sometime though it always seems full of children.

Off for a walk into town though it is very gloomy and damp--hope we get some sun soon.

Have agreat day

Love Chrissie xx

This and That

Hi All

A while since I posted on here but we did go away and it takes a while to get back into the swing of things again after a break. Lots of walking and gardening while the sun shines as well.

Linda bought some hot water bottles in two sizes and left me one of each size to see if I could invent covers for them. These are all the biggest size and I have made 3 covers so far with the same bottle modelling each one.

I packaged them folded up without a bottle but with a photograph showing them as covers.

More washcloths so now the packets of cotton have all been used up. More mittens, this time for adults. Also some little crocheted bags that hold a large packet of Haribos. These bags are lined with a knitted inside and feel lovely and 'bouncy' to the touch.

More Christmas cards ready for assembling but with the sun shining most days they have been put to one side. Plenty of time before Christmas.

Managed to get MIL to walk at last. She held onto Vic and Me and made it all the way to the seafront for coffee and toasted teacakes. Then came the hard part as we had to walk her back up quite a steep slope and it is quite a way to her apartment from the seafront. It reminded me of the film Albert R.N as we did our best to support her between us and make her look dignified.

Have a great day and thank you for calling in at KCS

Love Chrissie xx

A little mix

Hi Dear Friends

A bit of a lull here at the moment as I have had cramps in my fingers so it hasn't been easy to do much at all for very long. The better weather has meant more time outside as well with lots of gardening to catch-up on and also longer walks now it is sunny and warm. I expect it won't last very long so I am taking full advantage of it.

Little mittens from oddments of wool. I am thinking of keeping these until winter then taking them to the Food Bank as so many of the little children have freezing cold hands in winter and no mittens or gloves at all.

More little kitten blankets to use up bits and bobs of wool

I decided that I needed to think outside the box with the extra chunky wool that Linda brought for me. There are grey balls and pink balls so I just knitted a straight piece with both of the colours in it and folded it over to make a bag. Added to this a knitted rabbit,s head shape with a bit of stuffing and some twisted handles. Quick and easy to make and better use of the wool than the awful cushion cover. I think I will take that apart and reuse the wool.

Have a great weekend. Snooker watching for me with a walk inbetween the morning and afternoon sessions

Love Chrissie xx

Comfort blankets

Hi All

Today we are going to start decorating the lounge so I am trying to get up to date with posts before Vic gets out the paint and ladders. Every room will be disrupted as we move stuff to make way for the ladders and everything else that goes with decorating. I just 'help' by encouraging the worker and making lots of tea or coffee as required.

This week I have been making little comfort blankets. not sure where they will end up but I thought maybe a children's hospital would like them. Everything has to be sewn on really well and especially ears and arms as small children usually carry things around by the ears or the arms.

The runt of the family-first attempt.

Opened out

Linda brought some really thick wool so I thought I would try one of the balls. You need to use 00 needles that are enormous and the huge ball of wool just made the one cushion cover. Not sure I will make any more of these as it was heavy and very hard work. Maybe I will use the rest of the balls of wool to make a rug. 

Have a great weekend and thank you for calling in

Love Chrissie xx

Knitting and Crocheting

Hi All

Hope your week is going well. 

What a mixed week for weather it has been here with snow, rain and cold as well as beautiful sunshine and blue skies. I have stayed in a few days as I wasn't well for, but back to normal now and raring to go. It was to do with my balance and I have had it before so knew all would be well eventually. It did mean I had lots of time to knit or crochet so it wasn't all doom and gloom. :)

I had lots of bits and bobs of very thick wool so I made this variegated teddy. He/she is quite large so will be best used for decorating a nursery I think.

I am quite addicted to making cotton washcloths now. There is a  story to tell about the cotton and a lot of the other wool that Linda brings for me.

Over 30 years ago, when I was suddenly widowed, I needed money to keep myself going so I started making knitted garments on a machine that had been given to me by someone when I helped them pay a gas bill. I had to find somewhere to get the wool I needed and I found a little shop in our nearest small town. The gentleman who owned it was always very kind  and generous to me and when he retired his daughter took over the business so we became good friends. Before this turns into a book, my daughter, Linda became friends with her when Linda started to knit and to sew in big way long after I had left the area. The Girl, Gwyneth, decided to retire recently and Linda bought lots and lots of the wool from the shop at knock down prices. So here I knitting things with wool from the same shop as I used to buy it from years ago. Among the treasures were packets of the cotton I am using for the washcloths. Hope they go down well at Cat Protection. I make the patterns up as I go along and no 2 are exactly the same.

Here are the labels I have designed and they fit on an A4 paper if you would like to have a go at wash cloth knitting or crocheting.

Have a great day and a wonderful Easter time

Love Chrissie xx

Cards and PJ cases

Hello There

With all the snow and gusty winds I haven't been out as much as usual so it has been great to do crafting. This included making cards and knitting as well as the usual sport watching on television. Sunny today but still windy and very cold-going for a walk along the seafront to blow away the cobwebs.

Linda took all the things back with her that I had made since Christmas and I am pleased to say that the chickens sold straight away at the charity tuck shop. They sold for three times the price it had cost to make them but we don't charge for making them at all so lots of funds to boost the children's charity.

Back now to making things for the Cat Protection though I do have plans for more things for the tuck shop.

The 4 at the top were some I finished that Linda had started years ago and the others are using Mary Ellen's wonderful drawings.

 Sad news that she is stopping drawing as she feels she has drawn everything we will need now. Such a lovely lady and she will be missed a lot. Her blog will stay open

so we that we can still use her wonderful images. Link in my sidebar as well. A reminder for me to keep visiting.

Linda brought lots and lots of wool as well as craft stuff and some of it was very thick wool.

Rabbit pyjama case large enough for a child or an adult.

Cat Pyjama case

The underside of the body has an opening with a big button.

Have a great day and thank you for calling in

Love Chrissie xx