March - ing (Five on Friday)

Hello there, I hope you are all well. Ready for another 'Five on Friday'? First of all, thank you so much to my lovely friend Jean - who joined me for the first Five on Friday last week. If possible please share with your followers, lots have missed these get-togethers in blogland. If you don't wish to join the blog party, that's all ok, please just leave a comment to let me know how you are. 
Thank you.

1) Waiting: for a walk. Angus after rolling around in the garden, he usually lays on his back with legs in the air whilst I peg the washing out. He's really waiting for a tummy tickle. He looks so funny and happy. Such a gorgeous happy boy, so soft and fluffy. He fills the hoover each day with all his fluffiness. 

Looking: up the hill: Nat took the next photo of Ellis (Ellis-Mae) his Fiancée and me from the top.  

Freezing: whilst waiting for Nat to re-appear!

2) Walking: at Rimac Nature Reserve last Saturday. It was a bleak chilly day but good to get out with Angus. Sadly he had to stay on the lead, there are birds nesting on the ground and lots of flooded areas... he'd be in the water if he could. 
The sea is a long way out in the distance, you should just sea the waves. The next photo was taken in 2018, when Nat & Johnny were teens 1 & 2. The vast stretch of sand seen below has disappeared under a covering of marsh grass.  

Remembering: back in February 2018, the sand and beach was more accessible. The marsh area is boggy and wet, so we can't walk out to the water.

3) Reading: Finished this book for the bookclub - Sheltering Rain by Jojo Moyes. It's funny, the term 'Sheltering Rain' was only mentioned once. Some of the ladies were discussing the book at Knit & Natter this week. It took a while to remember the story. The first half was slow but it picked up, then for days afterwards I kept wanting to read more.  

4) Listening: to The Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie, on the library app. It was narrated by Hugh Fraser making it more interesting. 

I'm doing 3 read-a-longs this year. The list for the bookclub, Agatha Christie and Miss Read's Fairacre series. I often see if the AC books are on audio, simply because I want to read other books. I usually listen to these whilst doing housework or cooking.

5) Knitting: Nearly finished, Just on the last part of the golden yellow at the top of the Lent dishcloth. It will match the bottom and sides, then I'll have all the ends to sew in. I discovered a helpful YouTube video by Very Pink Knits, she demonstrates weaving the ends in following 'umbrellas and smiles'
The socks are nearly finished too, I unpicked the toes on the last pair. I picked up less stitches on the second sock after the heel, so knitting the foot length to match the first... was too short!
I've knitted 4 pairs now and abandoned 1 pair, repurposing the yarn. Each time I'm learning and ending with a better fit than the previous pair. These are Winwick Mum's Super Socks if you fancy knitting a pair. The link is to the sock-a-long, with lots of help available. 

Until next Friday, have a lovely weekend. 
Thanks for visiting. 
Happy Easter 
Cathy x

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Five on Friday - Memory Lane

Do you remember Five on Friday? Tricky from Fastblog ran it last and before him it was Amy at Love Made My Home. I've no idea who Amy took over from? A few of us in Blogland have missed seeing the Five on Friday posts, so I thought I'd host it and see if people want to join in. 

What is Five on Friday? 

It's a party inviting you to share a link from your 'Five on Friday Post' to mine, helping bloggers connect with friends through regular blogging. 

What could you post?

Anything that you share on your blog, eg craft, cooking, reading, trips, events etc. It could be 5 separate subjects or one subject with 5 steps eg cooking recipe steps, or craft steps made of your progress - to put together in a post. I wrote a post years ago about a walk and posted 5 different parts of the walk. It's really up to you.  

On my Kitchen windowsill I won the mauve plant in the pot at the WI raffle, any ideas what the plant is called please? There is a table of raffle prizes each month, my number was called first so I got to choose. The Primula or Primrose plants were a Mother's Day gift from Nat my son. Mark planted some form Johnny my youngest son, in the back garden. I love the cheerful colours of the plants and will enjoy seeing them flower each year.

On a dog walk Alpacas and Hyacinth, I love seeing flowers in people's gardens. The alpacas were a surprise. Our old house didn't have a front garden, so it's still a novelty seeing what people grow. We have a few bulbs growing wild to the side of our front garden. We planted them straight into the grass, when they die down, the grass is cut as normal. 

A spot of de-cluttering.  All the books have been bagged up ready to go. Every now and again, it's good to have a clear out of the excess stuff. Despite downsizing and getting rid of furniture and many, many items in cupboards, on shelves, in the shed and in all the rooms, there are still too many things. Now we are in a smaller property, our things need scaling back again. It's not as if I love shopping, but at some point, more things have come into the bungalow! Angus is hoping we've not de-cluttered the biscuits.

At the beach.  From 2 different beach walks, the first 3 photos are from Donna Nook. The sea is the other side of the sea defence (second photo), though even then, it's still a long way out. Donna Nook is an RAF bombing range, so you have to stick to the path when the red flags are out. You shouldn't wander off anyway, as there could be unexploded materials on the ground. The area is flooded with tourists each Autumn as the seals beach to have their pups along the coast line. It can be tricky with high tides as the fencing protects the seals from inquisitive tourists and their dogs, but it can stop the seals finding sanctuary in the dunes. 
The last photo is at Saltfleet, with no bombing range, instead there are several static holiday homes. This was inland, close to one of the holiday parks. I guess some may sit there and go no further, the sea is still a very long way out, so not one for paddling. Mablethorpe or Cleethorpes are better for paddling and spending the day at the beach.   

Hellebore my MIL favourite a lovely memory plant of her. They are beautiful plants, even if their blooms point down. Angus was her dog and he's been with us nearly 3 years now. We visited her grave last September, a long way to go back in Hampshire, so not a frequent trip. 

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Five on Friday - Show & Tell

Hello there, it's good to be back, I've been catching up with blog reading. Thank you for leaving a comment on my last post. Today I'm sharing my 5 random things. I miss the days of Tricky sharing the Five on Friday Posts. Has anyone kept in touch with him and his family? Have a lovely weekend everyone. 

1) A present for Christmas: a Janie Crow crochet mug. There were no knitting or crochet kits at the local yarn store last year. So I chose a mug for myself... I love it. A quiet sit down with a mug of Redbush tea, or Rooibos as it's called in store. Morrison's own brand is the best. 

2) One Skein Chevron Scarf. I've made several of these now, this one is the widest and longest. I originally found this scarf crocheted on Thistlebear's blog... another blog sadly finished, that I miss. 
Yarn: 100% recycled wool, Kingcole Wildwood Chunky. 

Crochet hook 6.00 mm. 

Pattern is free on Ravelry. 

3) Hat practice knit, far too big... massive! I'll have to re-knit before using the expensive Alpaca yarn. I donated it to the WI charity knit tree (decorated in hats) for Christmas. Depending on the size of hats they went to babies or adults in need.
Yarn: Stylecraft DK Khaki & Meadow. 
Pattern: Patons 

4) Crochet Ottoman Cover: using up all the yarn from @attic24 Lucy's Coastal Blanket  The Coastal blanket and Moorland Blanket by attic 24 are both my favourites. The coastal cushion, I made whilst on a crochet course locally, a few years ago. 

Yarn: Stylecraft DK 
Hook: 4.00 mm 

5) Crochet Willow Square: The pattern is from Jan Eaton's book. I've seen these squares made into blankets on Mitzi's Lazy Days and Sundays blog the link shows the winter one, there is an autumn one in her Crochet ta da cloud. Maybe one day I will do more of these, for now I'll keep ticking other projects off the list first. 
Yarn: Rico DK mustard cotton.
Hook 3 or 3.5 mm

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Some of these projects were shared on my Instagram account but I thought I'd put them altogether on the blog. 
Craft wise - I'm knitting the KAL dishcloth for Advent and a pair of socks for the WI April competition. 
Reading - I'm reading Sheltering Rain by Jo Jo Moyes for the book club. 

I've lost touch with a few blogs, either they don't write any more or... who knows. If you can recommend any interesting ones that still blog, I'd be grateful. Knitting is my main interest at the moment, with a little crochet, reading and cooking too. 
I'm blogging once a week for now, any more and I'll feel swamped again.  
Thank you for stopping by to catch up.
Ttfn
Cathy x

Why I Knit

Hello there, it's been a while... I'm finding I struggle with blog reading and Instagram together. So last week, I logged out of Instagram to stop the mindless scrolling session. I sign in most days but just once or twice only. How are you, I'll be trying to visit your blogs more, I've popped in now and a again. 

I've been listening to some Podcasts on Spotify whilst I cook, clean or knit, one in particular is the 'Why I Knit Podcast' by Dr Mia Hobbs @theraputicknitting on Instagram. It has made me think about
Why I Knit too. Is it just a hobby, calming or a social activity - though I rarely find people knitting except in a Knit & Natter group. There is lots of research on how it helps with mental health, so I'll not go over that. 

Do you'll leave me a comment at the end as to why you knit, crochet or sew? 

Knitting Journey - How it all began

As a child, my Mum and Nan were always knitting, so it was inevitable that I'd knit too. First my brother and I did some French Knitting with wooden cotton reels. Then Mum taught me to knit, it was very frustrating and I remember Dad getting cross with me as I was 'rude' to Mum, oops! I remember a small knitting starter set with plastic needles.

After a break, we tried again and I knitted a rhubarb pink doll with mustard gold hair. Dreadful but fortunately I did learn to knit. My Mum had a book similar to this one above, it had knitting & crochet techniques inside. There were no Youtube tutorials to help. I've always preferred to learn from a book, so I bought this book online. 

I then spent time trying some free hand Embroidery with transfers, crocheting Granny squares to make into a waist coat (donated the squares) and cross stitch before returning to knitting. I used to take these crafts to an elderly lady called Queenie and she'd say 'what have you brought today.' I loved Queenie, she always made me feel welcome, a haven of peace and tranquility where crafting happened over a cuppa tea. 

Second Sock 

Improving Skills 

Having moved and then married, I took up knitting again and made 2 jumpers, that were wearable but short. This time it was my husband who interpreted patterns for me. He's got the ability to think clearly and read what it says ha ha, rather than me guessing what I think the pattern means. I've since learnt to do tension squares and adjust the pattern, adding an extra 2" for length. I then knitted several items for my Niece and Nephew, baby items are great as they're small. Also a matinee set for my boys.

Whilst living in Kent, I set up a Needles & Lace group, a few ladies met once a fortnight with various crafts using knitting needles, crochet hooks or lacemaking such as bobbin lace. Fast forward to Lincolnshire and after another group (not run by me) folded, so I joined the church Craft Group in town. I'd not joined previously as the boys were small and it clashed with the school run. When locals' wanted a Knit & Natter group in the village, I started one in the local pub. 

We'd been running for over a year, when we thought it'd be fun to add in challenges each month. One of those was to knit socks. I'd had a go before, knitting a pair from a Debbie Macomber pattern, in the Blossom Street Fiction series of books. I'm definitely still learning, this is my fifth pair and each pair is more 'correct and better fitting' than the last. Winwick Mum has been fantastic with detailed tutorials and advice. I couldn't get the fit right around the ankles. I now cast on less stitches and it fits snug. Having a short list to work through, lots of practice and asking for help is key.  

Fish & Chip Jumper

Social Knitting

I've joined in with a few KAL (knit-a-long), a Christmas table mat for Advent and at present a dishcloth for Lent. The official KAL is a shawl but I chose the alternative. I gained the yarn for the dishcloth from the Craft group, where people donate unwanted craft items. I've joined in with a few Attic 24 CAL (crochet-a-long) blankets. But mostly I knit and crochet whatever I feel like. 

I often have a washcloth on the go, they are small and portable, often with a basic repetitive pattern. Ideal for Knit & Natter, when you can't concentrate on complicated patterns. I'm working my way through this Dishcloth knitting book, also some crochet cloths sometimes. The pink washcloth is from another book that I borrowed from the library. It's called Knit Yourself Calm  There are some lovely simple patterns for different abilities. One of the ladies was interviewed on the Why I Knit Podcast. 

Using up yarn from my stash, I'd bought this yarn and a darker yarn to teach my two boys to knit. Thankfully they've learnt, though they'll say they've forgotten. It's never easy to teach people to knit or crochet. I helped teach some crochet to the WI ladies craft group, we had a lot of laughs whilst teaching them new skills. There are four groups that I can go to, the WI craft group meet bi-monthly, two local groups: knit & nattter & a village pop in - I rotate, as they're on the same day. Lastly one in town, I drop in if I'm shopping that day. 

I tend to visit just one each week.

Why I Knit

Since setting a goal to knit for 20 minutes a day, I look forward to knitting, finding it relaxing. It definitely stops the mindless scrolling, so for that alone it's good. It's just as enjoyable as a social activity at Knit & Natter as to knitting with the TV on, or whilst listening to a story. Joining in with Knit & Natter groups, KAL & CAL has improved my understanding of patterns. There is always someone who can help. If it wasn't for the group, I'd have given up on knitting socks. 

I tend to have several projects on the go at once, some say it's because they need different things from different patterns. For me, I guess that I just have too many things on the go at once. I always try to focus on a top 3, simply because some things are too complicated to knit at Knit & Natter. 

I'm not sure that I use it for my mental health as I just think about knitting as a hobby. I do however notice that I'm never still, when sitting down in the lounge I'm always doing something eg writing a list, craft, reading, scrolling or admin stuff on Facebook. Knitting allows me to stop, no thinking, no fidgeting just calm and relaxing. 

WIPS (work in progress) 
A washcloth - small portable that needs little concentration if the pattern is simple.
A pair of socks - determined to get the fit right, for WI monthly competition to make socks. 

A dishcloth - for the Lent KAL Facebook group. 

What about you,  do you knit?
If so Why Do You Knit?

Thank you for visiting x