Knit Your Square to Give Your Share - PART 4

Kinsey

Chalky hope DD has someone to spend christmas with, it's a shame but nice for her friend.

Shaz things don't sound any better for you, is there still no help?

mioliere it all sounds so exciting, if exhausting. Love the idea of a pet pig, I've heard they can be more intelligent than dogs.

Busy day today so best get on, love to Shez, Maytaurus, and all MIA's and everyone. xxx

Pippa.S

Morning everyone,
Well it's a miserable one here today...again....and so cold.

Took Mum to the hospital yesterday, and the consultant was really pleased with her, there is a huge improvement in the ulcer and she is eating better now as well. He has signed her off, but if she has any problems he said to go back to her GP and he will refer her again.

chalky - O what a disapointment for your lovely DD, but I am sure she will be in the thick of it with her new friends she is so bubbly and outgoing Love the apron and the baby luvvies are so cute
kathy - sounds like you have been having a whale of a time over there, even if has been very tiring. Hope everything goes well for you all today. Hows DH's new bird hope she's giving him a bit of slack now :rotfl:
Kinsey - It will be a joy to see William on his first Christmas LO's just love it don't they all the glitter and the lights, not to mention the fun that can be had with all the wrapping paper :j
mrs-m - yes its fine, they are going where they were intended to be anyway and will help raise church fund's I hope things ease off a bit for you all soon.
Shaz - (((hugs))) especially for you x
dpixie - Hope you are settling back down after all your charging around the globe hows Auntie now?

Did some more on the granny blanket last night all squares are finished and have done a couple of rows of dc round each one, will start to join them together tonight.

Have also almost finished the back of a maroon jumper for a 7 yr old. I had trouble finding the maroon yarn so I asked Lou and she very kindly sent me some

Time for a :coffee:now I think
TTFN
Anne
x

psso

Cold and miserable here too. Definitely not going out weather, much better to stay in the warm doing the woolly stuff.

Was going to put pics of Pudsey and Blush on yesterday for Children in need day but DD can`t find the cable thingy - maybe later. Little J had his first sponsored event, he had to go to nursery in his jammies - no getting dressed yesterday. Must admit I`d have stayed in my jim jams as well if I could, but I had to drive them there and the way my luck has been going I`d probably have broken down and had to wait for the repairman to come. I can just imagine the strange looks I`d have got.

Hope the open day at the piggy farm went well Kathy, sounds fun.

Chalky, hope your DD manages to spend Christmas with some of her new friends and gets a taste of a real Aussie holiday. Shame her chum will be coming home and not sharing the experience.

Going to sit in front of the telly tonight - started a cardigan for little J as his others are getting too short in the sleeves. Good to be using `proper` needles again and not that circular thing.........not my favourite at all.
Had been hoping to join some of the others on the Loving Hands weekend meet up in Northumberland but a friend was diagnosed with breast cancer about 6 weeks ago and I`m having to cover for her at work as she had her op 4 weeks ago. They didn`t hang around - she had some tests done and at the end of that week she was told to come into hospital the following Sunday for her op on the Monday. Having radiotherapy now so hopefully things will be OK.

On a brighter note, DD and I took little J to a garden centre last week and his face was an absolute picture when he saw all the decorations and Christmas stuff. Can`t wait to see how he reacts when our tree and decorations go up. Have to get DS to come over and get eveything down out of the loft so that it`s accessible when I decide to do it. When do you all put up your decs etc ?

Being told there`s food ready - don`t faint but DD has actually made a pasta bake for us !!
so better go and eat it.

Hugs to all.

Elaine.x

In_Search_Of_Me

evening all! Before I forget does anyone have the lovely mitten patterns that were posted a while ago - forgot to save them and now want to make some with delicious hand dyed wool I got for me today!
Sorry to hear that things bad shaz...dont know what to suggest as know youre involved with various professionals You did teh right thing ringing police though - they have to understand that they cant behave like that. It may be that the time comes that you have to have them removed for your own safety...I know it sounds awful saying that and some will be horrified but Im not sure how much more you can take?
Miol it sounds like fun and a break from decorating at least?
Chalky am so sad for DD and hope she can find someone to share christmas with...
Psso sounds yummy! think Ill be having toast tonight but did have a yummy lunch out! Also got given a couple of balls of noro for my blanket!
chilling now with rubbish film!! Hope people have a lovely eve! As always, hugs those that need them!

psso

ISOM was it one of these patterns ?

post 870 from prfungi
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2514569

Mmmmmm pasta bake was delish - had chicken, ham,carrots,peas (all leftovers hanging about in the fridge so very MSE) mixed in with the pasta and a sauce with crushed up crisps and cheese on top. Are you drooling yet ??

Elaine.x

mioliere

Hi everyone.

Elaine - I hope everything goes well for your friend. I'm so glad she hasn't had to hang around for treatment.

Well, yesterday's big day at the farm was a runaway success; we could hardly believe how many people turned up on a cold and wet day. I ran the tearoom with another lady (a lovely Aussie) and we were rushed off our feet. We had great feedback from the customers because we did everything in the old-fashioned English way with waitress service and fine bone china and lots of cakes on cake stands. We had a wood-burner at one end of the barn with some comfy seating, and many people sat there for a warm; one lady bought a book from the book stall in the next barn, then sat by the woodburner with a cup of hot chocolate for about two hours! I knew then that we had got the atmosphere right!

The barn next door is a lot bigger than the one we were in - there were several stalls set up in there along with hot food like pies, sausage rolls and the famous (at least round these parts) sausage sizzles. They ran out of food several times over so the farmer's wife spent most of her time preparing more. The farm shop had never been busier; it was knee deep in customers waiting to buy stuff. The customers could also catch a glimpse of all the little piglets that have been born this month which went down really well with everyone. The pet pig, Sausage, was kept in her own quarters until the event finished but she was fast asleep every time anyone checked on here so didn't seem to mind it. She would have caused a riot if she'd been roaming free.

Anyway, we worked flat out from 10am when it opened, until 4.30 when the last customer in the tearoom left. Then it was time to open the wine and relax at last, and decide what bits needed tweaking for next time. I have to admit, it has been one of the most enjoyable things I've ever been involved with. The owners kept saying 'thank you' all the time but it didn't feel like we were working hard for nothing, more like spending time with good friends on a team project. It will be lovely for all the ex-pats here if it is successful, so it's a great thing to be able to help with. I've been asked if I would be interested in working for them and, of course, I would be. They want to keep the tearoom going - not every day because I don't think they'd have the time what with running the shop and tending the animals - but two or three times a week, and also they are planning monthly events, so they would like my input on that, too. It's great to be asked, and we're already thinking about Valentine's Day. I'd be happy to work just two or three days a week, then I can keep my other things on the go - knitting and crochet, of course, and my online work which has really been kept on the backburner lately. The other bonus is that several people asked who had done things like installing the woodburner, constructing and tiling the hearth, laying the laminate flooring and so on. As it was DH, he could well have picked up some more regular work.

Anyway, I'm chilling today because the last week has been very busy and very intense. I might even have a snooze this afternoon and, maybe, just maybe, I might be able to indulge in some crochet!

I hope you are all having a great Sunday.

KathyXX

Kinsey

So pleased to hear it went so well mioliere, and that all your hard work was worth while. A job you enjoy for two days a week, perfect. I don't suppose it will always be that busy, so you'll have time to breath and enjoy, and think up new ideas. Maybe even take crochet with you, have a crochet corner in the cafe? Get more people into making charity items. I could go on but you've probably thought of everything. On a different subject, could you remind of the name of the needles and hooks that were helpful for painful hands please?

psso I hope your friend is doing well and recovers very soon.

Love to everyone, xxx

mioliere

HI Kinsey - funny you should say that; someone asked yesterday if we had a quilting group! We don't - yet - but it's something else to think about. We will be having a regular book club there, and I'm sure we can include knitting and crochet.

As for stuff to use with painful hands - I always find wooden (bamboo, usually) needles and hooks a lot easier on the hands than steel ones, and I've also looked at (but not yet bought) Clover soft crochet hooks http://www.purplelindacrafts.co.uk/crochet-hooks-59-c.asp They are meant to be very good; they are not exactly cheap but would last a lifetime so probably worth the expense!

Then there's these http://www.modernknitting.co.uk/bamboo-needles-addi-and-prym-and-ivore-12492-0.html

Another thing I've been looking at is these http://www.creativegrids.com/acatalog/info_2_N0574AB.html They are therapeutic gloves that crafters use to ease painful hands.

I have gradually been replacing all my needles and hooks with wooden ones - you can sometimes find them in charity shops (ask at the counter - some shops aren't allowed to have such lethal 'weapons' on display!). At the moment, though, I'm finding knitting very painful because my left thumb has developed 'trigger thumb' apparently, so crocheting is a lot easier - luckily, I'm right-handed. I really truly do not want to have to give up the woolly stuff just yet, although lack of time seems to be doing that for me lately, and I want to be able to keep going for as long as I can. Years and years of typing and knitting have caused my tendonitis - but I can't give that up, either, especially as I work online!

Have you seen the doctor about your hands? There are a few conditions that could cause them to be painful so it's worth finding out if it's something that could be treated. I can take painkillers for mine - although I tend not to unless I'm desperate, which I have been while helping on the farm this past week!

Hope these links are useful.

KathyXX

chalky_75

Sorry about your sad news PSSO -- I hope your friend responds well to treatment.
Shaz -- I feel so sorrt for you having to ope in such difficult circumstances!
Shelley and May -- special gentle thoughts and to all feeling a bit down at the mo!

Kathy -- I can "hear" the excitement running through your post -- wonderful,just wonderful. Think of all those pennies maybe evn DOH could employ a Dave!!

Well had a lovely day here as picked a friend up from the airport and then had another lovely lunch at her house cooked by her wonderful Mum so very sociable indeed and a lovely drive from here to the airport in Almeria.

I am really enjoying the toy knitting at the moment. Thanks Jean and Kathy for the kind comments on my blog about them.
Have a new design on the needles at the moment so will put a bonkers picture on soon!
Thanks also for kind comments about DD --Things will work out I am sure but Oz certainly seems a long way away sometimes
Love to all

Kinsey

Thankyou mioliere, have looked at all those links quickly and will have a proper look later. I haven't had it diagnosed as it seems to be mostly associated with knitting, as you say crochet isn't so bad unless I keep at it for along time, which doesn't happen often. I have some similar gloves but as with most people, hate doing anything with gloves on, but will try again. I have put bamboo needles on my christmas list, so will put hooks on as well. Thanks again. xxx