Hexie Chaos

Well I've been so slack with my blogging lately and I just don't know why.  But I do know that I've been crafting and stash busting like mad.  I'm knitting a fluffy rabbit and a pom-pom scarf and finally took the plunge and started making a dress for Lucy. But more on that another day.

With the beautiful fabric that I bought from Ada over at Vintage Sheet Addict, I finally decided to begin the hexagon cushion cover that I've been dreaming/talking about for ages.  Now I've never done paper piece work before and I was so very nervous starting.  My hands were shaking as I began to cut into the beautiful material.  I cut about 40 hexies in total, about 5 in each colour.  I was going to do a hexie flower pattern but Lucy begged me to sew it in a "mish mash pattern".

I must say that as I sat down to start sewing the hexies together, I was in heaven!  It was so long since I did some hand sewing and I had forgotten how much I really loved it.  It is so relaxing sitting there with just a small needle and some thread, making the tiniest of stitches I possibly could.

But as more hexies were joined on to the cushion cover, I realised that it did not look right at all.  The pieces are not sitting flat and the pattern (or non-pattern) is just not working.  I am so disappointed and feel like pulling my, already scarce, hair out over it.  Can I even take a stitch ripper to it without even destroying the material??  I've watched You Tube tutorials and read lots about paper piecing and they always make it look so easy.  I just don't know what I'm doing wrong here.  Any hints??

Anyway, onto the Special Baby Unit knitting that I mentioned last time.  I found a great page that has all the patterns needed.  Knitting Pattern Central has some fantastic patterns for free and I'm going to be testing lots out.  I hope that if anybody has a bit of spare time and a little spare wool in their stash, that maybe you might help me with this.  It does not matter if it's a cardi, a hat or even just a tiny pair of mittens,I would be ever so grateful, as I'm sure the Unit and babies would be too.

That's the end of my babble for tonight.  I'm hoping to pick up on my posting again soon.  I aim to hit the 100 post mark before my blogs 1st birthday in May.

Rosie xx

Campervan Blanket

I'm so behind with my blogging lately and I've got a lot of catching up to do on everyone's posts.  The two week Easter break with the kids has taken quite a bit out of me and last weekend I was barely able to lift my weary frame out of bed at all.  So I've been having a very quiet week slowly stitching away on my new blanket while listening to audio books.  I find that its a great way to relax and catch up on my books at the same time.  I also needed to recharge my battery so that I could be ready for Friday......my son's birthday party.  And boy was I right to gather my strength.  A whole afternoon with twenty odd screaming boys and girls running riot in the house and garden.  For some reason we seemed to pick up more kids on the way as the afternoon proceeded and so even though we had bought lots in, we ran out of food, sweets, party bags and drinks for them.  But it was great to watch the kids having such a ball.  The boys being boys, attached the trailer onto the go-cart and with the biggest boy peddling the others jumped into the trailer or anywhere they could hold onto.  They started at the top of the slope at the back of the garden and flew as fast as they could past the vegetable patch, the greenhouse, the flower garden, down the drive and out the front gate.  I'm surprised that neither the dog nor any cat was completely flattened in the process.
I couldn't really say that the girls were any quieter though.  They bounced on the trampoline until they were red in the face and chased any dog that they found in the area.  But they had more time than the boys to come over and chat to me......and tell me when they were hungry again!!  All of the kids were as mad as march hares.  They were very funny and I laughed a lot even though I was totally exhausted.  There was just one little boy who was very quiet and sat contentedly playing with lego in the sitting room.  Maybe he had enough of the madness of the other boys after a long week back at school!  But I'm glad to say that they all went home happy and smiling even if completely wrecked with exhaustion.

Apologies now for the bad photos.  I only remembered tonight to photograph them.

I started the campervan blanket a couple of months ago but only made a few squares.  I was deciding colours and trying to figure out which yarns I could use up out of my stash.  I want to make it twice as big as the toddler blanket, so it will be 70 big squares in total.  This is really going to make a great big dent in my stash!  All those odd DK balls left over from other projects will be used up....I hope.

With this blanket I'm only going to make Granny Squares.  Some very basic with only two colour changes and others with three.  I want the colours to be the main feature this time.  When I started, I had wanted to do the border round in a yarn that I had in my stash for a long time.  It was Rowan Cashcotton in wheat.  I was soon to realise that I was not going to have half enough to finish the whole blanket.  I searched for it on the internet but unfortunately it was discontinued.  The only place that I could get it was France and the postage was twice the cost of 10 balls of yarn!!!  So I had to make do with what I had and I decided on a really warm mustard colour in Bamboo.  So far it looks well with the colours that I've chosen.  Well I think so.....do you?

Do you recognise this greeny colour.  I had a little left over from the last blanket and I just couldn't resist using it!!  Hopefully next time I will have some better photos of these for you.

Now before I go, I wanted to make a little request.  My son was treated and cared for by the staff in the paediatric ward of our Regional hospital.  The nurses and doctors were kind and caring and put my son and us at ease through all of his tests and illness.  So I wanted to give something back.  I was talking to one of the nurses at the Special Baby Unit for premature babies that is also in the ward and she was telling me that they could do with some help.  They have problems getting hats and cardis small enough for these little babies and so often have to rely on the generosity of knitters and crocheters to make some for them.  So I am calling out to you for and help possible with this.  Even if it's just a little pair of baby mittens that would be really great.  They need hats with no holes or bobbles and the cardis can't have any holes either because tiny little fingers can get caught in them.  I will post a few links tomorrow to some free patterns.  i wish that I could do one of those fancy link back boxes for my sidebar, but you know how computer illiterate that I am.
To anybody that can help out, I would be so grateful and I'm sure that the nurses and parents at the Special Baby Unit would be too.

Rosie xx