A Mug For Hooks

     I don't feel that I've done very well with this years Blogtobering. I had lots of ideas for it but I never actually got any of them started.  I was going to do more WIP-ing Sessions, a pattern folder sort out, a Tunisian Mitten Ta-da post and probably some other things which I didn't write down and have so far not remembered. Having a faster upload speed would have been helpful too!     I was actually in two minds whether or not to even do it this year after last years attempt. But then I thought it might  be a good distraction from "other things" that I'd rather not acknowledge. I was wrong, of course, and it became just something else to stress about. I suppose it would be easier to do this type of thing if I actually had a life to tell you about, but I don't so I can't.     I was not expecting the Granny Square Project to take as long as it is, and it is becoming a bit of a chore-bore - and we all know what happens when you get bored of somethi

     Today has been rather naff. This morning was soooo very grey and dark and wet that it seemed my mood plummeted with every minute. Add to that everyone else's less than chirpy moods, and it was really wasn't a fun few hours.     It did brighten up a bit over lunch/dinner time, (We have our main meal/dinner at lunchtime on a Sunday) and while we ate we listened to the second half of "The Ultimate Dirty Dancing" cd which has got some top tunes on it and certainly cheered me up a bit. Dinner was Meatballs, Noodles and Stir-fry in a Moroccan Meatball Sauce and was rather yummy. Much better than yesterday's Chinese take-away.     The afternoon was a bit dull, to be honest it's always been one of those times of the week that seem rather pointless, but later on we finished off a batch of Rock Buns and we watched the last episode of "Mrs. Sidhu Investigates". I've quite enjoyed this series, even though it's quite light, but then, do you really wa

     It's been a bit of an odd day today. It did rain briefly in the morning, and then it cleared, then it clouded over and rained again! Then, it cleared again! And right now it is raining quite heavily!! At least it put an end to the fireworks.     Don't you just hate those things? I mean , it's not even Bonfire night yet, and they were so close you could hear the fizzy-crackles on the roof!     I had Shortbread Fingers with my cup of tea this morning - it's Saturday, what do you expect - and then at lunchtime we had a Crumpet each. We watched the second episode of "A Discovery Of Witches" which is currently being shown on Sky Mix on Freeview. It's not bad actually, so far, but I do wonder if it's all going to get a bit "Twilight"-ish? Know what I mean?     This evening we watched a film I got for my birthday called "Prince Of Darkness". No, not the Christopher Lee film, but a 1987 film by John Carpenter starring Donald Pleasence

     Hello again! I'm still alive! Or at least as alive as I usually am, I had some new pills to start today and I really wasn't sure how they were going to effect me, but so far there have been no problems. Phew!     I have 10 mins to type something.      I've had a comment on yesterday's post! Thanks anonymous! I'm pleased you like the colours of the stool cover. I just wish I had more of the dark maroon-y pink yarn because I think that is really working well. I doubt I could get the same yarn now - it was old - but I s'pose a close match would do?     We decided to have a chippy at lunchtime. We haven't had one in a while because the last one was a bit disappointing, so we were actually looking forward to it. And it was very nice. It's just unfortunate the Battered Sausages weren't battered. I don't think I've ever had a nude Battered Sausage before. I wonder if they'll give us extra next time?     Oh, and I had nice long snooze this a

     Hello! Yes, I'm still here - sorry to disappoint you! I quite literally ran out of time to post anything yesterday - yet another disrupted day that meant we were all running behind or having to do things at odd moments. I did manage to get a few things done and ticked off the list though, which was good.     I have completed the 4th and 5th rounds of my stool cover and I'm quite happy with those. The 4th did bowl a bit, but the 5th has flattened it nicely with only a small amount of ruffling. I'm not too worried about this though because I know the next round will alter it, and after blocking and then stretching it over the stool seat, it will be flat as a pancake.     I just need to decide which colour to use for the next round - I'm tempted by the pale purple again or I do have a much darker, richer purple I could use but I'm not sure. Perhaps the pale pink?     I've also made a start on the final little bits and bobs for my GSD squares - I'm envisagi

    I'm not going to write much because I keep falling asleep. This is probably the 4th time I've tried to get this post started, last time it ended with the words "little smiles". No, nor me.     Question: Why don't Ginger Crunch Creams crunch? Despite the long use by date they always seem to be soft from the moment you open the packet. It's hardly encouraging.     We had sunshine for part of the day, cloud for the rest and now it's raining. Tomorrow is likely to be wet as well. Is anyone else being plagued by giant Slugs?     And my neck hurts.     Round 5 of my Stool cover seems to be going well at the moment, I'll find out tomorrow if it does actually work out like I want it to, and if it does, I might pause it and go back to my Granny Square Day project for a bit. Sometimes I do find that I need a break from one thing and one type of stitch, so it's good to have a couple of things on the go at once.     Night-night everybody, night-night.👋😴

     Well, yesterday we had sunshine, today, we had grey. And that really is as descriptive as I can be. No breeze, no rain, no clouds sailing overhead, just grey. Oh, and it was colder. Or at least it felt colder. What a difference it makes to your mood and drive. Actually, I'm not sure I had any of the latter today.     The Squirrel was back around lunchtime but it was far too dark to try and take pictures, and interestingly we had very few birds in the garden, yesterday it was chocker block with 'em.     It's also been very quiet here which is strange because it is half-term and you'd think there would be more noise with all the kids at home. In a way it adds to the drabness of the weather, making it all seem even more lifeless than normal. And this is what I'm supposed to go walking in is it? I ain't too sure it would do me as much good as they say.     I did have Shortbread Fingers with my cup of tea though this morning - another of your 5-a-day I'm sur

     We've had brilliant sunshine here for much of the day and no, I didn't get out into it. Thought about it, but didn't do it. My loss I s'pose.     I have had a much better day than yesterday though - no feeling of unwellness and I don't believe I felt all that stressed today either. Go me!     We have our Sunday dinner at lunchtime and this week was a special day as we had our first Stew and Dumplings of the season! Yummers! You cannot beat a good stew in the Autumn and Winter, and being all homemade it's also good for you. And Dumplings are one of your 5-a-day after all. And I had 4 of them! Go me again!     We've been getting a Grey Squirrel visiting the garden over the last couple of months. At first it seemed only interested in the Curly Hazel tree and all the nuts thereon - she took most of them and has buried a lot around the back garden ready for her to find again in the winter. Now, she's continuously on the peanut feeders, clinging to a bran

     I got up this morning with the best of intentions to be quite productive blog-wise. I was going to write a post about the books I've been reading this year because I remembered this was something that I mentioned a few times last Blogtober. I was going to spend some time on my GSD squares but, I actually spent half the day feeling quite unwell. Not just mentally for a change, but physically as well. I know my health isn't as good as it perhaps could/should be but I don't think I've ever felt quite this bad. And for all I know it is largely anxiety based. So... I'll do the book thing another day and today I will mention that something else I've started that I mentioned yesterday.     This was going to be a square for my Granny Square Day project, but instead of working 6 Treble clusters in the centre little numpty-boy here put in 7. They were good one though, so I decided to continue and make a circle, with the intention of making a drum stool seat cover.   

     It's not exactly been a great week here, and I'm not even talking about the weather. I haven't really done much worth blogging about, but having missed a couple of days I thought I should at least show willing.     My Granny Square Day project is progressing reasonably well - I essentially have to make a final colour choice for the squares and then the front piece will be complete. Ish.     I've also started something else in the same colours as these squares but I'm making it up as I go along, so I'm not sure how that will go till it really gets going.     I've added a few things to my "Sites I like" list over on the left:     https://www.youtube.com/@PlayHookywithMe        https://www.planetjune.com/       https://www.youtube.com/@The_ginger_fisherman       Play Hooky With Me is a great page on Youtube with loads of helpful crochet videos, with a new video every Sunday.     Planet June - I can't believe I haven't added this sooner!!

     Well, I don't know about where you are, but here it's been proper chilly over the last few days. We even had a frost one morning, and I've been wearing my thermal hat in bed. Yes, it's been that cold!     My fingertips are also turning to sandpaper which is another sure sign that the season is heading towards winter. And this year, I think for the first time, they are also turning a sort of blue in colour. What fun!     We had some lovely blue skies today, but also a very chilly wind from the east - no wonder then that we had loads of Blue Tits on the nut feeders all day, which were joined in the afternoon by a few Long-Tailed Tits and the Grey Squirrel, who is becoming quite a regular.     I'm not looking forward to tomorrow so I don't know if I'll post anything or not yet.       See-ya👋😔 

     Okay, this is the post I mentioned a few days ago that I thought I  had posted back in May or June, but actually hadn't! In fact on closer inspection it turns out I hadn't even finished writing it! I blame the covid. 🧶🧶🧶🧶🧶🧶🧶🧶🧶🧶🧶🧶🧶🧶🧶🧶🧶🧶🧶🧶            Right then, let me introduce you to my current project! It's a long way from being finished but that doesn't matter. I'm classing it as a rolling project, which means that it will be completed over time, as and when I have time to spend on it.     These are some knitted squares I made several years ago that had been languishing in a pink carrier bag inside an old hamper until a few weeks ago. I don't know exactly how many I made at the time, but I know I did make a large cushion cover from quite a few and a failed knitting needle case from some others, and these were what was left.      It may interest you know that despite the size variations, they were all done on the same size needles. Isn

    Sometimes you really do need to be kind to yourself and let things go a bit. So no, I didn't forget to post anything over the last three days, I simply decided not to. To be honest I've been finding it quite stressful. Trying to find something to write about when there really isn't much happening is really hard! Add to that the often mad dash to type it up in the last half hour of the day (not to mention the editing and uploading of photos!) and you really do feel it getting to you. It's certainly not enjoyable. But I do feel better for not having to rattle away at the keyboard so who knows, perhaps I'll do it again before the month is over.     Yesterday the Birthday Girl came with her entourage, and a good time was had by all! And, she liked her presents! Phew! And, she bought cake! Bonus! I think she liked all the crochet I've got on the go, and she gave me some good advice for some of it too. Now all I have to do is actually finish something!     Toodle

     Golly this week is going by fast! And I feel like I've still got so much to do!      I haven't finished my crochet project yet, but that won't be completely finished by the weekend anyway, but hopefully maybe a half of it will be?!! And I'm still wondering if I can make a birthday present as well! It's just as well I know I'm already nuts otherwise I think I'd be quite worried about me by now.     It's been so grey here today I thought I would post a sunny-coloured picture, which can also act as a teaser for a forthcoming post!       Hope you've all had a nice day!👋😀     

     Signs Of Autumn... 👋😀  

     And so it begins...     It's going to be quite a busy week this one. There's a significant Birthday for a member of the family and we'll probably be doing something towards it every day! Not all of it will be good stuff mind you, oh no, there's always the naff and tedious things that need doing as well. (Boo!)     I've got some wrapping to do and a card to write, no doubt I'll do some hoovering and general tidying - to keep the peace more than anything - and I expect other jobs will be very freely coming!     By the time it's all over, we'll be knackered and I'll still have to choose a film for us to watch! Oh, and I've got a crochet project I'd like to get at least partially finished.     Wish me luck!👋😧 

     I'd love to tell you that it's been wonderfully exciting here today, but I can't. We don't even seem to have the same number of birds visiting the feeders as we did a couple of weeks ago. Perhaps other people have started to feed them now that it's Autumn?     We have had some lovely sunshine today and some pretty clouds, and a surprising number of plane trails which would hang around for ages.     We did have a pudding today after our Sunday Dinner (BBQ flavour Rib Bones and Mash Potatoes) which doesn't happen too often, but was very nice! - Shop bought Apple Pies and Double Cream! No, not as nice as home made Apple Pie but tasty and not too sweet.     This evening we watched the first episode of a new murder mystery series being shown on the Drama Channel called, "Mrs. Sidhu Investigates", starring Meera Syal. It wasn't bad actually, maybe a little tame and slow, but it was only the first episode and it might pick up pace a bit now Mrs. Sidh

     I went to bed early last night, well, earlier than I usually do, and so I actually got an extra hour in bed. And yet despite this, I have been half asleep all day! On top of that I've had a headache for half the day, which has now finally gone. I hope. Oh yeah, and where's this heat wave we've been warned was coming? I'm sitting here with a jumper on! To be honest I've felt a bit  cruddy today. Maybe tomorrow will be different. I suppose I could watch "Fake Or Fortune" tonight which might put me in a good mood to go to bed in.     This thing about the slow upload speed is getting really annoying! It took over 5 minutes to upload the last couple of photos I used. Is it worth continuing with Blogtober if I can't post any pictures?      😧  

     Something I noticed on my trip out the other day was the lack of Autumnal colour. The majority of trees in the area still seem to be quite green, and those that have started to turn are doing it on a very small scale. Except for our nearest Oak tree. That's well into its autumn shed. Weird that. There was however a lot of ripe and ripening berries, some in gardens but most along the road sides and in the hedgerows. Some of the Rowan trees are looking are looking quite striking with their bright berries shining in the sunlight. 🍂     🍂     🍂     🍂      I wanted to show you a close up of the James C. Brett Partytime Chunky yarn I bought the other day. It looks quite to different to all the other yarns I've used, even the few other Chunky weight ones. I found out a little while ago that there are actually different twists for making yarns: the "S" twist and the "Z" twist, nd I think this is an example of the "S" twist. I'm not sure I'

    I was telling you that yesterday was an exciting day. Well, for me it was but I imagine that for many of you it would seem rather ordinary.     Yesterday I went to Hobbycraft (a UK craft store) for the first time since before the pandemic! In fact it was really my first proper shopping trip since then as well. And it was, I think, my first time anywhere other than my village and the Doctor's, since I had my last covid vaccine!     I don't get out much. I haven't really ever been a going out sort of person, but since leaving college my forays into the world dwindled, and I could go months without going anywhere. To some of you that my sound hard to comprehend, but when you get used to a thing, you tend not to notice it, and for me not going out is one of those things.     So, why did I go? Well, I got a Hobbycraft voucher for my birthday not long ago and so I decided that a trip to the actual store was in order to see what they had to offer, rather than rely on the websi

    Have you seen Lucy's 3rd Blogtober post ? What an amazing new blanket she's designed! The squares are really effective - I've not tried V-Stitch - and the colours really are old-school festive! Why does everywhere go for white lights at Christmas time these days? I fail to see how anyone experiences joy by looking at just white lights.     I will probably just do one square for now. Well' there's no point in me committing to another blanket - we all know how it would take me!     I've had a bit of an exciting day today but I'm going to have to write about it tomorrow because it's too late and I'm too tired.     Byeee! 👋🥱

     One of the energy saving features of my computer's operating system is that the screen starts to dim when there's been no activity for however many seconds, and it continues to do this until it puts itself to sleep. So the last two days of blogging have been a bit scary because that's exactly what it's been doing when I've been trying to upload the photos from the computer to the blog!😱     We have done speed tests like the one that pops up when you type speed test into google, and it shows that our Upload and Download speeds have dropped considerably,  especially the Upload speed (but is still considered fast - What?) Which is a bugger because if I learned one thing last year, it's that photos can save your blogging sanity during this month. Why did it have to happen now??!!😭     So please forgive me if my posts are somewhat less photo heavy than I had planned.     It's strange that "they" say computers and technology are here to make our l

    If you've been reading some of my more recent posts (yes, I know there aren't that many) you maybe wondering what's happening with that project I was quite excited about. Well, soon after mentioning it, it hit a big snag. Which I suppose was actually me being me but, there you go.     You see during the summer I really needed to do some crochet and I couldn't think of what to do to scratch the itch. Enter Toni Lipsey ! This wonderful woman posted the very thing I needed. Simple, quick, useful and stunning looks! And I even had some yarn to do it with! Which by a lucky coincidence would also give me the opportunity to use a yarn I never had before - Cotton! I know, I'm late to the party on this one but I've never really known what to do with few balls I had, which all came from the first two issues of a crochet partwork. But now, I had just the thing!     The pattern/project in question was for a trio of kitchen helpers including the dreaded Pot Holder! Which