Things are difficult in a variety of ways for many of us at the moment, so I know I am not alone. As I was beginning to feel the stress mount up inside me as today passed and I realised that I was still no closer to a solution for my own woes, I stumbled across this quote … 
Life is definitely about perspective (Although my donate button being pressed a few times would certainly help … lol)
❤ ❤ ❤ x
❤ xxx
Obviously the title of this post is not remotely a possibility but how marvelous to live as though it were…
It goes without saying that life is too short, we just about find our feet, cram our heads with useful knowledge, build a home, a family, a career, we even begin to quite like ourselves when WHOOSH! Our own personal Inspector comes along, clips our one-way ticket and unceremoniously kicks us off the train.
But let’s not think of that, let’s immerse ourselves in the fluffy daydream of ‘forever’. (I am a strong believer in daydreams, they stroll hand in hand with my best friend… procrastination.)
In our ‘forever world’, we can visit every place on the planet we have always wanted to see, we can try all the menus we’ve always wanted to eat, we can experience all the adventures we’ve always wanted to try & …
We can knit and crochet every pattern we’ve ever downloaded and use up every gorgeous ball of yarn we’ve ever stashed! (Oh, come on, surely you knew I had an ulterior motive!… lol).
Of course, all artists and crafters know that we live forever anyway, through the stitches (or brushstrokes, musical scores, words) that we leave behind. Each one a reminder that we loved and laughed and were HERE. Even once the items unravel or fade, there existence remains in peoples memories, in anecdotes, in family photographs…
So, until some clever scientist comes up with a way to extend our lives an extra 2,000 years (stopping the aging process at 35 obviously!) we will have to content ourselves with the beautiful life we have … if you forego a few adventures for your love of yarn, good for you, if you opt for climbing mountains then I salute you too…
Whichever you choose, I wish you joy and the hope that 2015 ‘feels’ like it goes on forever, in every good way imaginable …
For the love & support already shown towards my little fledgling of a blog… 
Barely making a living from my passion of all things woolly so my budget is extremely limited, (for now at least; I have always been the epitome of eternal optimism!) … Add to this my rather skewed sense of priority (yarn or heating?… No brainer, obviously!) and you will fully understand my next statement….
Whoever invented the Hot Water Bottle was a flipping Genius!!
As I type, a freezing wind is blowing a gale outside. The ill fitting wooden windows are whistling so loudly it sounds like Roger Whittaker is in the room, (no double glazing permitted as it’s a listed Georgian building), then factor in that my flat is cavernous, four floors up and built overlooking the sea; to say it’s a tad chilly is a slight understatement…
Like many single women, getting warm in bed is a priority. I certainly miss the radiating heat my late fiance used to omit and no myopic chap has stumbled over my ample form of late with a hot offer… 2015’s resolution sorted! (The lessening of the ‘ampleness’ not tripping up men with poor eyesight!)
Thick, woolly socks, fingerless mitts and a cosy cowl, all hand knitted of course, go some way to keeping the chills at bay. But definitely top of my ‘stopping me from freezing to death in my sleep’ list are my ‘Hotties’. At present I have three of the lovely things…one gets tucked down to the bottom of the bed to keep my toes toasty, another presses against the aforementioned ample belly and the third slips into the deep pocket of my dressing gown, getting swapped from side to side dependent on the direction I’m laying. (Just occurred to me that my winter bedtime look may not be very helpful in attracting a chap to share it with..lol)
Had planned to knit or crochet new soft covers for them this year. But yet another tick box unticked … Scuppered again by this darn frozen shoulder. Resorted instead to my usual oohing and drooling over the myriad of patterns out there, just taunting me with their prettiness.
Knowing me, I’ll most likely end up designing my own but until then, a fluffy pile of inspiration is a wondrous thing …
You can’t beat a pretty cable and the squidginess of them certainly wins insulating and comfort points. This lovely example is designed by Helen Limbrick and the pattern is available for free here.
The simplicity of these classic designs have great appeal, and I love the idea of the tubular pocket to slip chilly fingers into. Designed by Elly Fales and the pattern can be purchased here.
A fabulous design by Tracy Harrison, great for chaps too. Purchase the pattern here. Check out her other designs whilst you’re there…
A pretty choice for crochet fans, pattern designed by Sofie Kay and here to buy.
And these designs by Amy Molnar are definitely lovely enough to be great gift ideas…Free pattern too. Here. 
Of course, these choices are just a teeny weeny drop in the ocean of woolly covers available but I hope it has tempted you to beautify the Hottie in your life. And if you are fortunate enough to have a chap or chapess to warm the sheets, make the most of them … 🙂
Dream Warmly…
I’m plagued with a very painful arm and shoulder at the moment, so the needles and hook have been forlornly abandoned. The frustration is palpable as I have a very tight-scheduled list, screaming at me through the pages of my notebook… ‘Make me, make me, make me!!’
To try and allay the piercing voice a tad, a gentle stroll through ‘Universe Pinterest’ seemed in order.
I began by browsing beautiful patterns and drooled over the gorgeous lacework, the chunky knits, the adorable childrenswear… I coveted the stunning granny squares and the fabulous free-form work, reminiscent of sculpture, I sighed at the sight of inspiring colour combinations and textures… all the while trying to ignore my itching, twitching digits. Torture!
Quickly, I turned my attention to the humourous illustrations, ditties, and one-liners that abound about almost any subject you can imagine, to try and occupy my mind with other things…And of course, I landed in a whole fluffy pile of them about the fibre arts.
Giving in, with a sigh, my eyes scanned over the pins. Many are pretty lame to be truthful, and were read and instantly forgotten. Some raised a wry smile and a few others made me laugh out loud, even if I really didn’t want to….
To my chagrin, a constant theme of these japes, appeared to be the mental well-being (or lack there of), of ‘Yarn Lovers’…
Apparently we are all MAD. MAD I TELL YOU!! … How Very Dare They?
According to the authors of all this ‘funny’ stuff: We have a house full of cats (and no man), we amass enough yarn to sink a large bungalow and if something stays still for more than 10 minutes it will definitely not escape without a knitted/crocheted coat or hat.
Further more, we are depicted thus:
Our hair is pinned up with a crochet hook or dpn, (OK, guilty on this one, it gets in my eyes and I can never find a scrunchy…keep meaning to knit some!).
We stay up all night and only sleep when the eyelids really wont stay open any more, (maybe this one too…it’s easier to count stitches when it’s quiet!).
We wont use a favourite ball of yarn but would rather sit and stroke it’s yummy softness instead (alright, I don’t actually have a cat!…)
They even intimate that our emotions and moods are totally ‘tied up’ with how well the yarning is going…
I mean, how silly is that?
There are even comparisons drawn between us and drug users … has something to do with the prolific talk about our stash apparently.
Well, after all this, ‘mildly insulting’ jollity, I shall go and chuck some painkillers down my neck, dig a hook from my tresses and grit my teeth whilst I keep crocheting those ‘oh so essential’ pine-cones for the Christmas tree. Then I may just follow the final images advice and prove all the stereotypes wrong!
You are all very welcome to join me…..
😛
My Father always said that if it wasn’t for the weather, the English would never speak to one another…
That remark is pretty close to the truth, the state of the climate is more often than not the topic of conversation between strangers at bus stops and shopkeepers and their customers. I reckon it is a good thing, it’s innocuous, none offensive, breaks the ice in a friendly way and of course our rapidly changing seasons provide plenty of fodder.
Then, of course, there is the richness of the English language, that old (and untrue) adage that Inuits have over fifty words for snow would make you assume that there must be at least that many to describe the British weather. However, it isn’t the quantity of words that allow our obsession to be conveyed, but the colour and enthusiasm for the subject.
Take today for example…
All day it has been cold and rainy. Now you would think that would say it all wouldn’t you? Precise, succinct; takes two seconds to say. But why say just that when you can use words like, drizzling, pouring, deluge, shower, precipitation, stormy, flooding. Then there are the fabulous expressions like; raining stair-rods, bucketing it down, pelting down, raining like cats & dogs, chucking it down, pissing it down (for those of a more colourful persuasion) or liquid sunshine.
And we haven’t even touched on the wind element yet. Is it breezy, blustery, stormy, gusting? Is there hale the size of golf balls or is it blowing a gale or howling like a banshee?
Then there are calm days, glowing Autumnal days, snowy days and days blessed with sunshine… All wonderfully ‘safe’ subjects to fill those awkward silences we British appear to dislike so much.
Of course, we mustn’t forget the stacks of poetry and prose dedicated to the topic either, sometimes the weather itself is all that is explored but more often than not it is inexorably tied up with the emotion it evokes..
This is one of my favourites that often comes to mind on days such as this.
“On the late afternoon streets, everyone hurries along, going about their own business.
Who is the person walking in front of you on the rain-drenched sidewalk?He is covered with an umbrella, and all you can see is a dark coat and the shoes striking the puddles.
And yet this person is the hero of his own life story.
He is the love of someone’s life.
And what he can do may change the world.
Imagine being him for a moment.
And then continue on your own way.”
― Vera Nazarian, The Perpetual Calendar of Inspiration
I hope that wherever in this Beautiful World you may live, that it is a ‘nice’ day, not too chilly, or damp, or sweltering, or humid, or freezing, or…… 
Scientists at the European Space Agency just held a news briefing after the robot probe Philae sends its first pictures back to earth…
Sorry, couldn’t help myself… 🙂
If you fancy knitting your own cute Clanger, try this pattern by John S Fletcher (original link here)
Wool: 2 ozs. Bright Pink. Double Knitting
Needles: No.12
Abbreviations
incr. = increase(ing),
K. = knit,
P. = purl,
st.(s) = stitche(s)
st. st. = stocking stitch (1 row k, 1 row p), tog = together,
Body
Cast on 12 st
Work four rows in st.st.
Row 5: Incr. in the first and last st.
Row 6: P.
Repeat rows 5 and 6 until there are 44 st. (row 36) ending on a P. row.
Now incr. each end of every K. row until there are 54 st. (Row 41).
Now incr. each end of K. row until there are 70 st. (Row 57)
Armholes
Row 58: P.14. Cast off 6. P.30. Cast off 6. P.14.
Row 59: Incr. in first st. K.13. Cast on 6. K.30. Cast on 6. K.13. Incr. in last st.
Now incr. at end of K. rows until there are 78 st. (Row 65) Continue no incr. for 2½ inches.
Shape for Bottom
1st Row: K.18. K.2 tog. K.8. K.2 tog. K.18. K. 2 tog. K. 8. K. 2 tog. K. 18.
2nd Row: P.
3rd Row: K.18. K. 2 tog. K. 7. K. 2 tog. K. 16. K. 2 tog. K.7. K. 2 tog. K. 18.
4th Row: P.
5th Row: K.18. K. 2 tog. K. 6. K. 2 tog. K. 14. K. 2 tog. K. 6. K. 2 tog. K.18.
6th Row: P.
7th Row: K. 18. K. 2 tog. K. 5. K. 2 tog. K. 12. K. 2 tog. K. 5. K. 2 tog. K. 18.
8th Row: P.
9th Row: Cast off 7. K.18. Cast off 12. K. to end.
10th Row: Cast off 7.
K. 8 rows of st. st. on each of these sets of stiches.
Cast off.
Ears
(Left Ear)
Cast on 4 st.
Row 1: K. 3 incr. in last st.
Row 2: P.
Continue in st. st Incr. in last st. of every K. row until there are 10 st.
(for right ear make incr. in first stitches).
K. 5 rows of st. st.
Next row: K. 2 tog. K. 6. K.2 tog.
Next row: P.
Next row: K. 2 tog. K. 4. K.2 tog.
Next row: P.
Cast off.
Stiffen each ear with pipe-cleaner which pokes into the head when the ear is sewn into place. Cut a small piece of pink felt big enough to stick to the front of the ear.
Arms
Cast on 12 stiches.
Row 1: K.
Row 2: P.
Row 3: Incr. in first st. and last st.
Work seven rows st. st.
Row 11: K. Incr. in first and last st.
Work 5 rows st. st.
Cast off.
Make up the arms and sew into the armholes. Cut a half-inch circle of brown felt for the nose and sew into place. Sew up the front body seam and stuff well with kapok or old nylons. Then sew up the bottom and legs. Make the feet, stiffening them with card and sew to the legs, making sure that the legs are well stuffed.
Making sure that the stuffing is tight in the arms, bend two pipe-cleaners in half for each hand and sew into the arm.
Cut out and fix the hair.
Sew on two shiny shoe buttons for eyes.
Sew on the ears.
Stitch under the chin to hold the head down in the right position.
The clothing or armour is made of shape of felt in any colour decorated with stitching and sewn in place.
If the toy is for a small child or baby the wire could be dangerous. Use wool or felt for the fingers instead.
Copyright © 1996 to 2002 Smallfilms / John S. Fletcher
I would also add that if making for very young children, substitute the button eyes for embroidered ones…
Happy Knitting…
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MY NAME IS LYNN AND I AM A CRAFTAHOLIC …
OK,I admit it, I spend way too many hours just drooling over pretty stuff. Pinterest being my worse addiction. 
It brings out the Magpie in me, all those textures and colours, all those beautifully gorgeous hand dyed yarns and sparkling buttons. How many times have I coveted those stacked reels of silk ribbon or fawned over intricately embroidered pincushions and needle-felted mice?
Far too often…hours and hours and hours too often. My knitting needles sit idle in my hands as I salivate over the finished items that other, far more disciplined makers have achieved. My crochet hook does it’s duty as a pin for my unruly hair, keeping it out of my eyes so I can stare at fabulous crochet patterns designed by my ‘competition’.
Today is typical … I am in the throws of designing/making a ‘Russian’ hat that has been requested by my youngest son for Christmas. Originally planned to buy a pattern but couldn’t find one I liked (another day that was spent happily searching!) Needed to check commercially made ones for positioning of the ear-flaps. Sooo, at 8am this morning, I fired up the old lap-top and browsed a few clothes shops. By 8.15 am, required info found.
THEN…I made the fatal mistake of ‘having a quick peek’ at hats on Pinterest. Aaaaargh….it is now nearly 1pm, I haven’t knitted a stitch, eaten breakfast (or lunch), showered or cleaned my teeth. So Ashamed!!!! (well, not really, just felt like being dramatic!.. lol)
As I was glamorously ‘perusing’ in my PJ’s with my crochet hooked up hair and rumbling tum, I happened across this and thought it might bring a smile to all you lovely obsessives who understand my pain 🙂 Enjoy…..
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