I'm still sneezing and coughing, but I keep telling myself it will pass - I'm drinking a herbal tea called Yogi Tea Himalaya which is mostly ginger - it's strong stuff, and it's certainly helping. It's very warming and helps clear your head at the same time!
Yesterday, after the Hermit and I had brunch at our local cafe, I went for a browse around the shops in our neighbourhood. I'm lucky enough to have not only a general craft shop but a quilt shop within 20 minutes walk of the flat, as well as a host of charity shops, so Ith ought a walk in the fresh air and a visit to these treasure palaces would make me feel better, and I was right!
In one particular shop, I struck the crafter's equivalent of gold :o) Stash! I bought George the Giraffe (RRP £10.50, charity shop £0.79)and a Little Suzy's Zoo Card kit (RRP £6.49, CS £0.99) - both of which I will stitch for my niece. I also - because I do knit from time to time - bought a kit for making a felted bag (£0.50) and 800g of Aran yarn in a funky purple, which will be enough to make a cardigan for me (£3.50). It's always nice to have new stash, but it's even nicer when it's a bargain, and when you've helped a good cause (our local hospice) too!
I then went to the quilting shop. Nothing there can really be said to be a bargain, but she has such nice fabrics ... I bought a fat quarter of a Chinese print for backing the good luck symbol I'm making for the guys I work with, a half yard of a fabric for making a finished project into a pillow (or possibly a wall hanging), some assorted FQs (these were a bargain, 6 for £5)and three skeins of Stef Francis threads. So I probably blew all the money I saved in the charity shop, but I've told myself I needed all that I bought, and that I had projects in mind for what I got - which is mostly true! Oh, and I shouldn't really link to websites - I've just seen the special offers on Stef's website, and the kits, and the pewter charms, and the buttons and ...
Okay, deep breath, calm down.
When I got back - and after I'd shown the Hermit my stash, and he'd made the appropriate interested noises, I settled down to stitch. The Chinese good luck symbol is being stitched in half cross stitch over one group of threads on read 22 count hardanger. I'm using an odd thread I found in my stash - I think it's coton a broder - it's thicker than perle 12, and matt. It's looking very effective, but it got to be a strain as the evening got darker, stitching on quite a small scale. So, I also started my HoE pinkeep exchange piece - in fact, I started it twice, as I wasn't sure about the colour scheme - it's a freebie from a favourite designer of the recipient, but I am doing it on a lighter fabric than the designer used, so everything needs tweaking. This designer is a favourite of mine, too, so I will complete both, and then decide which one to send - it will probably come down to which one I finish best, as I've only made a pinkeep once before!
Okay, it's probably time to get back to the needle - I have a lot to do if I want to have a finished finish for tomorrow morning! Thanks for dropping by, and thank you to all who comment, it's appreciated!
Showing posts with label charity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label charity. Show all posts
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Hats, Hats, Hats!
There's 20 miniature hats in the picture.
"What on earth did you do those for?" I hear you cry!
It's all part of Innocent Smoothies The Big Knit
What's that? It's a fund raising campaign for Age Concern. Innocent want lots of knitted hats to put on the top of their bottles of smoothies. These behatted bottles will then go into Sainsbury’s in November and for every one sold Innocent and Sainsbury’s will give 50p to Age Concern.
Almost 25,000 older people died of cold related illnesses last winter, so it’s important to not only raise awareness, but to raise money to stop it happening again. Age Concern will use the money raised to provide support to older people in winter including hot meals, blankets and advice on how to keep their houses warm.
My gran was frugal in many ways (hey, she was Scottish!) but she knew the importance of keeping warm. I've knitted these in her memory because I'm thankful that she didn't scrimp on her heating bills, and that she was in a position that she didn't have to.
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