WHOOPS! .....

 

When I did my last post, showing the Childs Summer Vest this morning, I meant to put a link to the lovely pattern - Ravelry, free download, Linda has requested it and it reminded me that I did not put it on so here it is :-

 

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/pretty-summer-vest

LOOK WHAT I MANAGED .....

 

 

Whilst positively stomping around Ravelry like a woman possessed I came across this lovely summer top, ideal because:-

• it fits in with our latest challenges for summer items on Loving Hands
• its bigger than I would normally tackle
• its used more stash!!

 

So what do you think .....

 

I love this yarn soooooooooooo much - self patterning, brought from Aldi, I have it in a couple of their colours so think maybe more of these little tops will be coming off the needles soon.

 

The tiny flower like pattern that appears is just amazing to me - I hope a little girl somewhere in the world will love this x

 

 

 

Knitting, Snow, Approved Food and Extreme Couponing...

Ramblings of lady age 41....

 

 

Knitting forever, housework whenever .......

 

Sums up how I feel today

but I have to say I'm quite addicted to

"BLOGS"

Why didn't someone tell me before .......

 

Perhaps that should read

"Blogging forever, housework whenever"

Anyway was able to leave Blogland alone long enough to do the front of a knitted summer top.  Part of the quarterly challenges on Loving Hands Charity Knitting Group is for summer items, so off I tripped to Ravelry and found a lovely easy pattern (has to be for me as I'm such a "la la") in fact I found quite a few patterns to go in my "To Do" pile.

 

We have had one day reprieve from the snow and this evening it has started again - will tomorrow be another snow day away from school for my son????????

 

On the "Debt Busting" front, I have accomplished my first order with Approved Food - I felt like I was undertaking a trolley dash as the items are kept for 9 minutes in your "Basket", whilst you are browsing the timer ticks down - each time you click on a new item the timer resets itself back to 9 minutes - I felt the voice of Dale Winton in my ear "when you hear the beep its supermarket sweep....." tee hee - will let you know how I get on with the order when it arrives, hubby and son are very excited about our crate arriving.  I spent £41 and made a saving of £57 - does anyone else use them? Would love to hear what others think?

 

I love watching "Extreme Couponing" on Home and Health and wish we had the same in UK - oh how I dream of having a "stash" of products in my garage like they do - all those toiletries, washing powder, tinned and packet goods, the list is endless - for those who have not seen this or don't know about "Couponing" basically in newspapers, fliers, weekly supermarket leaflets they give coupons entitling you to so much off but then the fun begins because you may be able to double this discount with another coupon or use an in store discount like 2 for 1 etc - customers will buy like a 100 bottles of water at a time or 10 bottles of fabric conditioner etc spending hundreds of dollars and only paying a few dollars for their shopping.  Customers will go to extraordinary lengths to collect their coupons, obtaining hundreds of copies of flyers and sitting cutting them out! then planning their shop and taking bundles of coupons to store, often blocking the till up.

 

Thats me rambling for today ...... hopefully give you something more interesting tomorrow xx

 

 

Woolly Weigh-In

Stash Busting Challenge 2013

 

Its Sunday, boy thats come round quick, so time for this weeks weigh in.  I have managed

 

260g this week!!!

 

I was really pleased with this but it was used up quick by doing simple - yet bigger things. 2 x baby blankets, 1x baby hat, 1 x square (to be used in a blanket) and of course my Baktus scarf which I cannot stop telling people about.

 

 

Im wanting to change over the balls of yarn in my "to do bag " which I will do later today as the last day or so Ive been staring in wondering what to do ...... not much inspiration has been flowing sadly.

 

If anyone is interested, or is a member, the new quarterly challenges have been put up on Loving Hands Charity knitting Group, http://lovinghands.freeforums.org/spring-challenges-20-1-13-to-20-4-13-t10241.html - Loving Hands always welcomes new members so it would be lovely if you could pop over and join in.

 

 

On the needles at the moment is an "Operation Christmas Child" hat (it may or may not go into the christmas box pile but I like this pattern, knits up quick) - I had an odd ball of Katia Marathon Plus which I thought would be appropriate and I love knitting with it, so this is growing nicely. 

 

So thats the woolly side of things, now for .....

 

Debt Busting

 

For the past year hubby and I have been trying to put into order our finances and cut back etc and I have what I affectionately call "my pots" - these are virtual but its where money saved or made is popped to either pay for unexpected items, forseeable items birthdays, christmas or eventually to reduce our debts etc.  Also really budgeting etc.

I had what Martin Lewis Money Saving Expert call "my lighbulb moment" this time last year and knew we had to change and tackle things that had been so easily put to one side.

Anyway last night having a meander round Blog land I came across http://frugalincornwall.blogspot.co.uk/ and I am in complete awe of this lady and her family - so would highly recommend a look over on her blog - Im reading a few pages each day (if I can) and already have some great ideas - so hopefully I can share how Im getting on with you soon.

 

So in 2013 I am "BUSTING" so much - wool, debt, clutter and trying so hard to beat the anxiety and agoraphobia - I know it wont be easy and I know I will probably lapse at times (as Im want to do) but hopefully as the last year has shown there will be improvement and however small its still an improvement. 

Stash Busting Challenge

2013

 

 

Charity Baby Blankets

 

Its very cold today and where better to be than in the warm with your needles and a cup of tea!

 

Have finished off my second baby blanket using the "odds" from my stash.

 

One pink ......

 

One blue ........

These blankets are really simple, (and quick!) knitted corner to corner, and the finished size requirements are 15" square and above (I believe to 21")

So if you would like to have a go

DK yarn, 4 - 4.5 mm needles

Cast on 2 stitches
First row - knit 1, knit front and back of second stitch (so as to increase)
Second row - knit 1, knit front and back of next stitch, knit rest of row
Keep doing the above, increasing into the second stitch until you have the required length and then start decreasing
Knit 1, knit 2 together, knit remainder of row
Until you have 2 stitches remainder - bind off.

 

Another few grams busted ....!





FROM BAKTUS TO BEYOND........

 

 

I am loving the "Baktus Scarf", have finished my first today .......

 

I feel I could get hooked on these and plan to do a couple as gifts - only half way through this one I was planning two more - thanks to lanas de ana for showing this pattern.

Hoping you can see the patterning and colours from this next pic ..

This ball was a lovely gift from a wonderful friend - so am hoping she will be pleased with my choice - and other 100g knitted from my stash xx



OPENED THE FRONT DOOR......

 

 

To this..........................

 

We did have more later but not as much as some poor souls.

 

Hope everyone is staying safe - back to the wool, needles and a nice cup of tea and a ginger nut for me I think! x

Stash Busting Challenge 2013 (Woolly Weigh-In)

Its Sunday and time for my "Woolly Weigh In".  As part of the "Stash Busting Challenge 2013" I'm weighing at the end of each week - memory permitting!

I can reveal that this weeks total is ........................ 145g

This consists of :-

• one child's hat (two tone pink),
• four preemie hats and
• one chicken coat (yes you read that correctly a chicken coat) - these will be sent to Loving Hands for charity donations
• and the adult hat I plan to give a whole pile, hopefully, to the Hope Centre (for the homeless) at the end of the year. 

Baktus Scarf Update - I am now on the decrease so on the homeward stretch more to be done this evening.

I looked in my knitting bag and found a few WIP's - items that need sewing up - grrr I hate sewing up so these will be added to next weeks total.

Looking forward to seeing how others have done and a good looksie at some lovely pics x

 

Stash Busting Total To Date = 145g 

Stash Busting

Having already "confessed" to needing "WWW - woolly weight watchers" I was delighted that one of my fellow comrades from Loving Hands was starting the "Stash-Buster Challenge 2013".  I was even more happy that after visiting lindacraftycorner.blogspot I saw from a fellow blogger http://lanasdeana.blogspot.co.uk/ the lovely Baktus scarf and knew this is what I wanted to actually knit myself.  Normally all my makes are for charity, but in my bag of "to do wool" (I should explain my stash is generally tucked away upstairs so every now and again I go and fill a bag up with balls and knit bits and pieces from this) was a ball that I had been kindly given by a lovely friend at the end of last year.

Here is my current "to do" bag part of my stash and you can just see peeking out the red ball that I am knitting the Baktus scarf from.

Have also currently got on the needles a vest from the KAS website - this is a first try at this particular pattern.

I should probably own up to how much my stash weighs - approximately 8500g this is just my Double knit yarn though and does not include my stash of chunky !!!!!!

I started my stash busting at the end of last week so will "weigh in" on Sunday and report back ........................WATCH THIS SPACE

The beginning ..........

Hi, my thoughts at the end of 2012 were to start a blog, with the intentions of charting my daily life - so here it is.  The title for my blog came from my suffering with Agoraphobia for sometime now also suffering with other ailments that can drag me down, and my wanting to get better and go out into the world again but also to show people that there is someone behind a door that's perfectly normal in lots of ways and wants be sociable etc.

I hope that my blog is going to be about my achievements both personal and my crafting - which I love, so hope you will join me.

I loooooooooooooooooooove knitting, with the majority of the work I do being for charity which I donate via Loving Hands (and once I get the hang of this technology will put a "label" up for them!) to whom I'm a member.  They are a lovely group spanning far and wide and always ready to help and support one another and I'm very grateful to belong.  But my first "group" I belonged to and still do were the lovely ladies on "Martin Lewis Money Saving Expert" website - forum name "Knit Your Share" and have been with them since I started knitting about 5 years ago now.  They truly are a wonderful collection of "virtual" friends, so supportive both with crafting and personal things alike.  Im also supported with my knitting and any "la la" moments I have by a couple of wonderful friends and of course my lovely Mum who are encouraging and helpful and who have been able to increase my "stash" from time to time lol.

As well as knitting I love card making (although have not been doing as much in past months) and want to get back into this - more to come ................

I'm on a constant battle with de-cluttering with the aim of selling things to boost my "pots" (again a topic which I'm sure will crop up, being debt free and having a healthy bank balance!), trying to be as good a cook as the rest of my family - learning to bake etc and not end up with Frisbees instead of glorious Victoria Sandwiches etc.

I love books as well as audio books, like to listen while I knit.

I cant get away with not liking Formula 1 as this house works, eats, sleeps and lives it - my wonderful husband works for a Formula 1 team and you cant help it getting into your system and the second "man" in my life, my son, loves football so that's often the topic whether it be on the T.V or Mum washing the kit and the football boots (oh and don't forget the crys of "where are my shin pads!" or the distant sound of one of his many footballs in the garden or going up the road with his foot attached to it!)

So that's me ............ well almost xx