Mystery revealed!

I haven't blogged for ages, and I nearly didn't tonight because I have been in bed trying to sleep off a migraine!

As well as the Dancing in the Sea blanket I have been taking part in a Mystery Craft Along at Melody's Makings. The final reveal told us that we can make our mandalas into either a bag or a pillow (cushion), and I chose to make a bag - the only thing is it would work perfectly in my living room as a cushion! I think I might have to make some more, they are quite addictive.
I began making the bright one in the first photo which is made in Marriners DK, and it seemed to have the same tension as the Rico Creative Cotton Aran used on the purple version, which didn't make sense but now I have completed one mandala it is about 1" (2.5cm) smaller, so not sure if it is big enough for a bag or if I need to add more rounds.

Here is the bag with handle shown with the fabric I purchased to line it.

I had the perfect button for the bag, bought at a show last year! Just need the toggle now and to do the lining. I was thinking of trying to do something to the strap to make it be able to be shorter or longer as required, I'm still thinking about that.

The mandalas were quite complex, stitch markers, stitch counters, writing out the pattern, much frogging, and yet they are still quite addictive!

Here are some more of the Scheepjes CAL Sea blanket squares coming along.

I like this openwork bobble pattern.

Crossed trebles were fun.

Waffles anyone?

This square has sort of defeated me,

 although I got the stitch after watching the video and frogging what I had done which was just slightly different. But the edges were going to be a nightmare to border, but then the whole thing shrank so small! I would have to go up a size or two in hook size to get the size. People say it will stretch out a lot when blocked, but I feel this pattern will naturally try and shrink back again!

 I might substitute it with this version, which is using one of the stitches and just a back loop, it seems to be behaving. If not there are a few alternatives being tossed around the closed group that I might use. The lines have a meaning to the designer of this square, and the stitch was Marinke's favourite apparently so it is a shame that it doesn't work so well in a square.

I think Kenny was redecorating with my coasters! I found this a week after he had been visiting!

Hot cocao (without milk) and next to it my new nutmeg grater which is very good! I will join in at T for Tuesday at Elizabeth and Bleubeard's place, later than I hoped to, and I didn't get round to comment last time and I apologise for that.

Sooty and I have been walking every evening, I hope he will forgive me for not going tonight, and here is a really pretty calf who wanted to see him - from a distance!

When we walk it is fast and I feel that I am pounding out my anger and sadness as my hubby gets sicker. 

The last few weeks have been so tough, we heard that the cancer was worse and had spread to the brain on the same day we heard that hubby was suitable to go for a drug trial in Oxford if he wanted to continue fighting.

Yes he wants to fight, he wants to live! So we were told he would have to have a special radiotherapy, which we now know is called Gamma Knife, to destroy the brain tumour.

Then we went to Oxford, by then hubby had been told he can no longer drive, and our friend's car broke down at the hospital. At least we got there, and came back by taxi that the AA sent (£153 on the clock when we got out so glad we weren't paying).

We were told that the brain tumour had to be dealt with before the drug trial can begin, and hubby can't get any sicker than he is.  We were also told that the MRI scan he had to have might show up extra tumours and if there were too many they wouldn't be treated and that would be the end of the trial too.

Then there was the MRI scan, then a phone call the following week to say there was only one tumour and we had a call from Bristol asking us to go in the next day. We saw the consultant and he agreed to do the procedure last Thursday. It seemed to go very well, and we were on tenterhooks expecting to get the next phone call to go back to Oxford this week, but when it came the appointment is not for two weeks. I don't know if that is to let hubby get over the procedure but two weeks is such a long time for him to wait in his condition.

The Marriners I am using for bag two.

See how much smaller it is, at least 2.5cm

Hush - look what the postie brought me! It's a self striping lace weight yarn, I didn't have any and I keep seeing lovely lace weight patterns! I will add it to the yarn mountain!

Talking of yarn mountain, I decided I should make my super chunky cardigan from Simply Crochet which will be so quick to make and will use up one of the three variations of yarn I bought to make it.

I hope to do this as well as the CALs, and I need to finish my Persian Tiles blanket and get on with Frida's Flowers!

I know - it's Summer right now and has been really hot and sunny this week, but it needs to be done. Besides it is very cool evenings! I have a lovely Summery sweater I want to make too but this should be a lot quicker to make in Super Chunky Sirdar Indie yarn. It has to be Knit Pro hooks, I only have a size 12 and 10mm in Knit Pro.

C2C for the dog!

I made a small C2C (corner to corner) blanket for the dog, it isn't perfect but it will do. I made the border up - do you want to know how to do it? I used Marriner Aran in grey and navy blue.

You can get an idea of size.

Not the blanket, just Sooty looking cute!

I think Alfie likes it!

Sooty gets a turn with the blanket and he is so loving it!

Finally my blanket order arrives - and I realise I ordered the wrong dark blue! Denim isn't dark enough, so have ordered navy and will use the denim on something else.

Crocheted hottie cover.

I remember I was injured when we last went on holiday to Devon, but I can't remember how I was injured now (I get so many injuries and aches and pains - I forget specifics). Anyway the advice I was given was to use hot and cold treament on it, and in a hotel it was a little tricky. We took the sports therapy ice packs and kept them in the hotel kitchen freezer, asking for them nightly - they were never very frozen and it turned out that the staff thought they had to go in the fridge not freezer for a couple of nights! For the heat my GP suggested a hot water bottle, which I no longer owned so had to go out and buy one, and while we were there I crocheted a cover for it.

I think if I did this again I would make it bottom opening, and make a hole for the neck to go through around which I could have crocheted a collar. However the case will pull up to cover the neck of the bottle, but it doesn't stay put! I added a flower and button, well you have to really don't you! Made in Aran Marriner's 400g which is 25% wool I think, and acrylic.

Twiddle Muff

 When I first heard of Twiddle Muffs we had been visiting Mother in Law who was in an interim care bed in a dementia home following a stay in hospital. It was a temporary arrangement to rehabilitate her back home, which is where she is now. Some of the residents of the home could probably do with a Twiddle Muff to keep them occupied, and I know there are hospitals putting out calls for them but none locally as far as I know.

Most Twiddle Muff (or Fiddle Muff as my Dad called them) patterns are knitted but I came across this free pattern available from Ravelry. I meant to get round to making one or two, and then I thought of my aunt who has dementia and is still living at home with carers and equipment. So I made her a Twiddle Muff based on the free pattern but I made it with 6 more rows to make it longer, and added fancy edges when I joined the two parts.
The picture above shows the undecorated muff. I added bobbles for interest as suggested in the pattern.

 This is the inside, again I added some bobbles but no decoration.

 Then you just add whatever will make it interesting, lace, ribbon, zips, buttons, beads - what you have!

I took it over and gave it to her, and later when my parents sat with her she wouldn't give it to my Dad to look at, so I think it is a hit! She is fascinated with the crochet flower, which someone else did and I thought it was a great idea. She is trying to detach it from what I have been told. No idea if she will use the zip, but if she does I put some ribbon with cats on underneath so it won't catch and she might look at them.

The yarn I used is Marriner Aran acrylic with wool that comes in 400g balls.

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