WOYWW 642 Joins and growth

Hi all, back again c/o Julia at the Stamping Ground for our weekly blog hop. 

I’ve been working more on my squares cardigan. This week I’ve tried a new way of joining squares. I think this “join as you go method” works better for me than my attempts at zipper stitch. 

Here’s Bella totally non-pussed by modelling my crochet 😻

This blue square is quite Sex & drugs and rock n roll, in terms of its pattern I think. I might doa multi-coloured version. 

For my Sex Drugs & Rock and Roll challenge last week, I had one from Angela at Crafting with Jack to crochet a musical note into a square full of colours. Many thanks Angela. Jan painted a beautiful blanket with different items on every square. You know how your phone develops black holes? It’s gone and disappeared on me . 🧐

One appearance that’s really pleased me this week is a baby spider plant. I was given this plant some 16 years ago, by friends where I was working in Paris. 

It has never made babies before so I thought it never would; but here are roots!

We also went on a damson hunt this weekend. A farm near Sittingbourne had some. It was a bit of a navigational trek as the M2 was closed and our diversion took us through the wilds of deepest Kent. Worth it though- I adore damsons.  We’ve stewed some for the freezer, had a nice crumble and I’ve discovered the joy of hot damson juice and ginger tea. 

We also had a nice and very posh lunch at the Fordwich Arms in Fordwich, the smallest town in England. The restaurant has a gorgeous shaded terrace next to the river.  

Here’s the medieval town hall, next door to the restaurant. 

Bella and Gracie send meows to all your cats. They both have beautiful fur with long feathery tails. Bella loves rolling in the leaf mould in the garden, so she comes in looking like a mobile compost heap!

This is Gracie looking sneeped as Bella has got to my lap first. She curls up with me later in the evening, though. 

And finally…

Take care and keep on crafting! 

Hugs

Lynnecrafts 

WOYWW 641 Sex, drugs and rock n roll challenge

Hi all, back for our weekly desk/crafting peek, kindly hosted by Julia at The Stamping Ground

Last week, when LLJ commented on my song- themed crochet squares, she wondered what a Sex Drugs & Rock n Roll themed one would look like. 

Sex Drugs and Rock n Roll Challenge 

(Sorry, it sounds wilder than it is 😏)

So, if you feel like it, here’s a challenge. Show me what you think a Sex, drugs n rock n roll square should look like! The squares start from the centre, so it’s helpful if the design is symmetrical on the four sides. You can share them via Facebook or email them to me at Lmcollis@icloud-dot- com and I’ll feature any next week. If any are within my capabilities, I’ll even have a go at one. 😀 Don’t worry about it being “crochetable,” it’s just a bit of fun. 

Polly Plum’s Stardust Melodies patterns all start from a square with double crochets in the back loop only. This gives a nice line of stitches to crochet down into. 

This one looks a bit like dope leaves but is called Dream a little dream of me. 

This is the easiest one. As Time Goes By. 

I started going off piste this week. The first one looks a bit Noughts and Crosses. 

With this one I made it off centre to try and get a bit of movement into the design. It looks a bit like a ninja square!

We  went to Sandwich with my cousin and her husband last Thursday. I don’t see her much as she lives near Exeter. We had a lovely day mooching around Sandwich. 

The market had an excellent bread stall and we bought some rye and linseed bread, like that I used to bring home when I worked in Denmark. 

We went to the Medieval centre, where the craftspeople were really interesting, showing us 15th century metal and woodwork, and talking about the life at the time. 

They showed us arrow types, for poachers ( a ball to knock out birds) , for armour-piercing, chain mail etc. I bought one (£3!) as it will make a good bradawl once I find a handle. B has suggested a paintbrush handle which is a good idea. 

I hadn’t realised, but in the 15th century, the port of Sandwich was huge, the third most important port in the country, used for wool export and wine imports. The centre is making a copy of a 15th century boat. 

My creative writing course has restarted. It’s always a brilliant inspiration. 

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Big cat diaries 

Bella has decided this week that she likes my lap. Today I was instructed to come downstairs.  I thought she wanted food, but no, my required function was cat cushion. I know my place!

There’s quite a competition now. They’re not cats who share easily. Here’s Gracie. 

They send meows to all your cats 😻😻

And finally…

This one is for the BBC Proms season. Hasn’t  it been wonderful? Did you see St Saen’s Carnival of the Animals? Brilliant! It’s here (link only works for UK, sorry). The only one I won’t watch is the last night of the Proms. It’s very jingoistic. The song Rule Britannia makes my blood boil. “Britons never will be slaves” indeed. 🤬🤬 Only because they made so much out of enslaving others. It really should be banned. 

Anyway, the rest of the music was glorious. 

Stay safe and carry on crafting!

Hugs

Lynnecrafts x

WOYWW 640 Mack the knife

Hi all, back for our weekly blog hop courtesy of Julia at the Stamping Ground (Click on the WOYWW to the right to find out more).

Here’s my “desk” this week. 

The Stardust Melodies  crochet pattern by Polly Plum I’m following, has each square named after classic songs. This one is Mack the Knife. 

The teeth are a bit tricky (1 treble, 3 doubles & 1 treble together), but it’s nicely 3D. 

The easiest one is Begin the Beguine. 

I’m alternating them with my multi-coloured squares for my cardigan. Lots of joining of squares to do 😕 so I’m  trying to do it as I go. 

The cats are as cute as ever. Bella has the loveliest smile. 

She loves the garden

Gracie prefers to stay inside. She gives the best cuddles. 

She woke me this morning by licking my cheek!

They help me to try and stay positive but I do get thoroughly fed up of hiding from covid risk. 

And finally…

You may have seen this before but I’m fond of this one…

Stay safe and keep on crafting!

Hugs

Lynnecrafts 

WOYWW 639 Square dance

Hi all, I’m back for our weekly bloghop. Click on WOYWW to the right to find out more. 

I’ve improved my use of the joining zipper stitch this week. My tension was too tight. And I’ve discovered a new set of patterns for crochet squares. They are beautifully detailed self-coloured squares from the pattern below. Some have the virtue of looking more complex than they are, but others are trickier. I’m thinking of alternating the easier ones with my multi-coloured squares .

The example above is Shades of Teal from Polly Plum's pattern Stardust Memories

Stardust-melodies-crochet-along

It’s a well- written booklet of patterns with videos. 

The cats have been doing advanced cuteness displays this week. Apart from the Wacky Races, they’ve both been posing upside down for me. 

Gracie above and Bella below. 

B

Gracie has this adorable way of getting kefir out of my breakfast glass. 

There’s a pub near here called the Cat and Custard Pot. It’s very much the same as their pubsign. 

We went for a walk along the seafront at Hythe yesterday afternoon. I do love living near the sea. It was warm but the clouds were dramatic. 

 

And finally…

Take care and keep on crafting!

Hugs

Lynne

WOYWW 638 Spirals, squares and treats

Hi there, back for our weekly blog hop courtesy of Julia at the Stamping Ground. ( Click on the WOYWW on the right to find out more).  

I’ve been crocheting more squares for my blue and white cardigan.

 I struggled with joining them with zipper stitch but I m not happy with the results from sewing them either so I’ve found a video for leftie zipper stitch. It’s still not very flat. 

Here’s my first try at zipper stitch. 

It’s fun doing spirals but they don’t lie flat easily either. Maybe blocking will flatten it all out. 

Bella and Gracie are not speaking to me today as they’ve had their monthly flea treatment. 

They both go out now, Gracie just a little and Bella whenever she can. 

Gracie has taken advanced cuteness classes and (normally) lies with her head looking up at me. 😻

Bella has boundless energy and whizzes up and down the stairs at high speed, making little  squeaky mews. She brought in her first mouse this week 😒

She goes out via the cat flap but still doesn’t come in via it, apart from when I’m training her with little bowls of food. At least she runs across the garden to me when I call her. 

I’m still staying home most of the time, but went as far as Macknades this week. It’s the most amazing Italian deli and food shop on the A2 in Faversham. We bought pear Mostarda, wild boar sausages, lots of odd varieties of tomatoes, cheese biscuits that have apricots and pistachios in them, risotto rice, all sorts of stuff. When I go to a supermarket like Aldi, I struggle to find anything I’d like. Macknades is the opposite. A real treat. 

And finally…

Take care and keep crafting!

Hugs

Lynnecrafts 

WOYWW 637 Squares and not going out

Hi all, here we are again for this week’s blog hop, hosted by Julia at the Stamping Ground.  (Click on the WOYWW logo on the right to find out more.)

I carried on for a while with the Delft pattern but it is too fussy for what I want. 

I may use a couple of them but it would be too busy overall. I’m currently working on varieties of blue and white squares instead. 

 It had occurred to me when I made my cat stitch shawl last winter that the 3 rectangle shape could be sewn up, and 2 extra rectangles made into loose sleeves to make a cardigan. 

We’ll see. Sewing up isn’t my favourite occupation. Maybe, if I make panels as I go, it will work. 

Rant (skip to Going out if you wish 😏)

This has been a bad week for women.  The way the Afghans have just been abandoned instead of the West transitioning to a peacekeeping force has left Afghan women without any recourse. According to the Guardian, one of the reasons the Taliban was able to over-run the country so fast was the minuscule budget the govt had, compared with the vast profits the Taliban is reaping from opium. What price reducing overseas aid?

The terrible Plymouth shootings have made me aware of the awful “incel”movement. That is just as much terrorism against women as that of the Taliban. The idea that they blame us for their “involuntary celibacy”, that they have some “right” to sex that we’re denying them, just makes my blood boil. That this pathetic excuse being used for violence and murder is just despicable. 🤬🤬🤬

Rant over. 

Not going out

I asked my GP for a blood test to check how my immunity to infection has recovered after my recent illness and steroid medication. It’s come back “satisfactory” Yay! However, although I was planning to go to the Epic Iran exhibition at the V&A on Wednesday, covid cases seem to be rising again and I’ve got cold feet. 

In a Guardian article by doctors today, they were saying they wouldn’t go to a museum: Guardian article

 I really wanted to see the Iran exhibition, it’s been sold out for ages, but I’d feel so stupid catching it just for an exhibition. 

The cats have been going out a bit though. Bella loves the garden. She still thinks that her human servants opening doors is the proper way in and out 😸 rather than cat flaps. I need to guide her through a few times with little bowls of food. Gracie goes out briefly and then often panics and runs back in. If she prefers mainly to be a house cat, that’s fine. 

Neet’s comment on cat flap training last week reminds me of a time we came home from some posh do we’re B was wearing a DJ and bowtie. We’d locked ourselves out and B got us in by taking out the door panel containing the cat flap. It was if he went through the cat flap. Our then cat Kelly’s face was a picture 🙀

Gracie has developed a liking for kefir and will happily lick out my kefir glass, with a clever way of getting to the bottom of the glass. 

They both must have taken cuteness master classes. 

Bella makes enjoying having her chin tickled look positively decadent. 

And finally…

Take care, and keep on crafting!

Hugs

Lynnecrafts