Almost missed T for Tuesday!

Is it Tuesday???? I thought it was Monday all afternoon, got confused! I am sorry I haven't been round and commented, I really meant to, and the reason I am showing you the photo above is that it is T on Tuesday time at Elizabeth and Bleubeard's place!

This is the view from my bed, I make a flask jug of chamomile and peppermint tea to take up with me, bought the jug for Hubby for when he came home but he never did. The book is one my Mum gave me and I haven't read yet because I am reading 25 novels of John Buchan, which I got for 99p and the first was The 39 Steps, really old and I remember the black and white film vaguely, and not politically correct these days but I am enjoying the stories.

We went to dog training class last Thursday and Luna did quite well for her first time, we are in the intermediate or teenagers group lol. We have homework we are practising each day but Luna seems to be getting bored of it. She sits, stays but gets up before I tell her, that wasn't the homework, it was to walk to heel weaving round a row of chairs - I can put two out in the room I have! Poor Sooty is still not happy getting near her in case she hurts him. He waits upstairs until she is safely down before he comes down, and he doesn't ask to go out in the night 2 or 3 times any longer, he is crossing his legs! He should be able to last the night out now, unlike me!

Luna changed her mad 5 minutes from dashing round the house or garden to dashing at Sooty to try and play but she is so rough. Sooty was seriously threatening her which didn't stop her and I found puncture wounds on her head later. Not sure if Sooty also got bitten, it is hard to see under his hair.

Now when she starts he comes to the door to be let in. If he squeaks in pain as he has a couple of times she stops and looks very concerned about him.

I've googled advice on jealous dogs (she is jealous of Sooty and tries to push in if anyone makes any fuss of him and not her, even snapping at him sometimes), and advice on calming her down when we get visitors, and advice on dealing with her fear of men. I have advice coming out of my ears!

She is getting on really well with my youngest son now, but it took a lot of visits and fuss, and she still can startle and growl if he moves suddenly, gets up or moves his arm.

On Saturday I decided to drive to Stourhead and take the dogs for a walk round the lakes. This is only possible during the day from December to end of Feb, so I better make the most of it. After that it goes to after 4pm only. I'm a National Trust member so I don't have to pay a thing, although it is a long drive to get there it is very worth it.

Luna's third coat arrived, this one is long enough in the back but too wide round the strap so I have sent off for some more velcro to make it fit better, but I like the design of the coat and they wash and tumble dry beautifully.

 Going into the grotto.

Snowdrops/

Over the bridge, I think we walked for nearly two hours, I felt really relaxed afterwards.

 We met lots of people and dogs so the dogs were happy!

I love trees!

On the way back to the car. I took loads more photos too.

I still need eyes in the back of my head with Luna - she's like a hyperactive toddler into everything, this is some of her work. I have had to take a motorbike model in a box from her, my sandal (twice), my jumper yesterday, if she finds clean washing on the stairs she will play with it or chew it, so I have to put everything away and be tidy now! She stole some chicken from the kitchen counter when I stopped to take a phone call. She broke my favourite Shaun the Sheep - I told her no lots of times but when I was out of the room....

I crocheted this Jennika hat to match my scarf last week. It needs some buttons that I don't yet have to match the scarf.

It's made in King Cole Fashion Aran in green with orange flecks.

Funny phone of me with the hat on, I wore it Saturday and it felt like it was going to ping off the whole time, so now I have a hat that is too big and this one possibly too small. The band is fine it is the body of the hat that is tighter.

Luna meeting cows, she looks for them each time we walk by the fields now.

I'm trying to get them to be friends and playmates, Sooty is there under protest. He was happy sitting on the other side of the settee, I made a fuss of him and Luna came to stand on him and push in, so I tried to make a fuss of them both at the same time. Eventually he sneaked away to his bed.crochet

Rustic set, hat and infinity scarf.

It has turned cold here in Wiltshire, and the rest of the UK, and I had lost my only hat last year. It was a bought one anyway. I had stored these free patterns meaning to make them and I had left over yarn from my crochet jacket, and these were made just in time to keep me toasty on some crispy cold Winter walks!

The pattern was intended to be worked in plain yarn really, but I am happy with the results using James C Brett Lakeland which is a chained chunky yarn lovely to work with because there is no splitting.

The patterns are from Little Monkeys Crochet, Rustic Fringe Infinity Scarf and Rustic slouch hat. I had a few issues with the pattern, maybe it is me, it is an American pattern. I have asked the designer a lot of questions, maybe I have made wrong assumptions here!

I found that the repeat rows needed one more row to bring the rib to the same side, or maybe it shouldn't be - that is one of my questions. The tension is given just for width, my tension worked out exactly, so my scarf (worked sideways) was the right length, but when I had completed the requisite number of rows it was not the width stated so I need to do an additional repeat, which is why mine has 4 buttons not three.

Then the fringe, I wrapped the suggested number of times, and cut the fringe yarn but didn't have anywhere near enough to finish, even before I carried it on along the end. Maybe I threaded too many, but going by the written instruction and the photo I didn't think I had, and I had the exact number of stitches.

Then I got to the hat, of course the height should be correct as my stitch width was perfect remember, but the hat width, well measurements were only given for the finished hat at the brim so it was a bit of guesswork. I have asked the designer if the size of the first piece could be given, it would help a lot! My hat seems a little big, which is better than a little small!

I bought these buttons at a show ages ago, decided now was the time to use them! Maybe they are a bit big for the scarf but they are the best I could do without going shopping.

First time wearing the set, this is the Tythe Barn at Barton Farm Bradford on Avon, where we went for a short walk with the dogs. Alfie has got too old to do long walks, but we were all pleased to get out, and I got a Kingfisher photo or several - this made me very happy!

Oh my new coat (well new last Summer when I forgot to take one to Torquay and it was due to rain) looks very tight, well I have got my crocheted jacket in the same yarn on underneath, and it makes it very tight to get on. The set would look weird if I showed it with the matching jacket! Now what I really need is leg warmers, don't think I have enough of it left for those.

 I was so happy to see a Kingfisher on Thursday but I didn't have my camera, went back with it on Friday and I was ecstatic to find this beautiful bird still in the area and in good light to get these photos!

The ducks seemed to be getting fed lots of bread....

 .....the robin got some too!

 Sooty made a new friend.....

 ....three new friends then....

...he even got his paws wet in the river, and he hates water usually!

Finally I am not at all happy with Deramores, who sent an email advertising 80% of Stylecraft Allsorts super chunky yarn, it was an amazing offer and I could finally afford to make the chunky cardigan from Simply Crochet so I ordered 3 packs immediately. That was on Dec 30th, then after waiting and hoping I recieved notification on the 13th Jan that the order had been refunded. They said there had been an administrative error, also the yarn was discontinued and they were having problems getting it from Stylecraft. I suspect they put it on sale to hook us in so we would also buy something else. They don't seem to realise (or care) that us hookers talk to each other on Facebook groups, where many people were reporting the same, apart from one who said she was first told her order was cancelled, then told that it was still on order but would be delayed! 

So I am back on the hunt for some super chunky that is at a reasonable price to make my cardigan.

I also ordered enough yarn to make a blanket from Deramores, not in the kit form, but individually as it worked out a little cheaper to use all the same yarn at the sale prices. I had a MyHermes delivery of - drum roll dudududududududududududududududududuuu -

ONE BALL OF DAFFODIL YELLOW! Yes one ball at £2.45 arrived by courier with notes saying it was a part order and the rest was to follow! I have since complained about the refunded order, and at the same time mentioned that I would be even more unhappy if the same was to happen to my second order, and that I cannot think it is cost effective to send just one ball of yarn by courier! Since then I had a notification that my other order was being processed - funny that!

Crocheted monster hats and mittens

Hat 2 and mittens photos on blog post (click on link).

It's CazzyTime!: WOYWW #292 (on Thursday, whoops): Sorry peeps, I know it is Thursday therefore some of you will ignore me completely.  Update on Mother in Law: she is still in hospita...

Crochet hat, scafatti and fingerless glove sets.

It's CazzyTime!: WOYWW #287: Edit: I just remembered I better mention that I am finally over the virus which lasted exactly three weeks! Thanks for all of your well wish...