Mrs Flowerpot

Mad World

2011-08-19T01:01:00.001-07:00

Do you ever get the feeling that you're the only sane person in a mad world? I keep muddling thorugh but life and other people sure as hell aren't making it easy!

Social Services and Nottinghamshire County Council are stressing me out, it seems the people at the top of the ladder who make all the decisions but haven't got a clue what's going on, the people in the middle of the ladder do have a clue but can't change the ridiculous policies and basically have to do as they are told and me the service user is left trying to make sense of all the madness.

Yes that's right I have been on Direct Payments since 1998 but aparently the letter saying I've been on them for 8 weeks is factually correct because Direct Payments changed to a Person Budget 8 weeks ago, and now I'm getting my Personal Budget as a Direct Payment. Of course that is perfectly clear! I don't know why I didn't see it before! At least I managed to get them to stop paying my husband's carer's Direct Payment Personal Budget into my Personal Budget Direct Payments account. It's not exactly personal if you give them money to someone else is it?

I'm going around in circles with my health too. I'm still pretty poorly but laziness and discrimination in the NHS mean that I still don't have a clear diagnosis or treatment plan. In 1990 I was diagnosed with ME. At that time there was no treatment, clinics or specialists so I was left to figure it out for myself. I was pretty ill, lost my mobility and had numerous infections and flares of severe joint pain. My GP back then was unsympathetic at best and any advice I was given only made me worse (exercise makes me worse, then do more exercise. WTF!)

In the past 2 years I've been diagnosed with Reactive Arthritis, have been refused treatment by one rheumy, refused an appointment by another, diagnosed with Palindromic Rheumatism by a 3rd and been strung along by a 4th.

At the moment I've been taken off the hydroxychloroquine (which was helping me) and I have been suffering low grade fevers and joint pain for the past 7 weeks. I don't know where to turn to for help. I have to wait on average 3-4 weeks to see my own GP, I can see another doctor if I phone for an emergency appointment but this is usually pointless because I get told to see my rheumy or my own GP. My rheumy won't see me for another 5 months, she blames all my symptoms on chronic fatigue and just wants to dose me up on Gabapentin, a drug I've had before which makes me spaced out to the point that all I can do is sit on the sofa and dribble at Jeremy Kyle.

I've been thinking about what I want the doctors to do. I want them to find out what is causing my symptoms and to try and treat the cause, and if not cure me then at least help me have a better quality of life. Apparently that is too much to ask of the NHS.

I don't know what to do to help myself. I try and eat a healthy diet and stay as active as I possible can without aggravating my symptoms. I just wish I could find a real life Dr. House to tell me what I have and what I can do about it. LOL!

They couldn't organise a bun fight in a bakery!

2011-03-29T08:01:00.000-07:00

Nottinghamshire Adult Social Care and Health Department that is. Sometimes I wonder what they get paid to do, or if anyone there has a brain. I am receipt of Direct Payments. I am given cash by Social Services so I can purchase serivces to meet my assessed care needs. The County Council are obliged to provide a support service which offers practical help and advice on managing my Direct Payment, recruiting and employing staff, doing PAYE etc. The council paid for The Rowan Organisation to provide this support but as of 1st April 2011 they will no longer do this. Under the Self Direct Support/Putting People First scheme service users will be allowed to choose who provides their support. There are 8 service providers in my local area, all of which charge different rates for different levels of support.

The Rowan Organisation wrote to me informing me of their service charges and asking that if I wished to continue using their support service to complete the form in good time before 1st April so that I was not left without support.

On 4th March 2011 the Adult Social Care and Health Department wrote to me asking me to get in touch with my social worker for a review of my Direct Payment so it can be increased to include enough extra money to cover the additional cost of purchasing support. Luckily I was meeting my social worker that very day so I asked her and she said she didn't know. She did a review and said she would get back to me.

Today (29th March) I still had not heard back from my social worker so I telephoned the department for advice. Bearing in mind that if I do not purchase support services by 1st April I will be left without support I wanted to resolve the matter quite urgently. I simply wanted to know how much money would be made available for me to purchase support services and when I would get the money. I spoke to the Duty Social Worker. My social worker was off ill, my review of 4th March was not completed and the duty social worker had no idea if I would get any money to purchase support services, never mind how much or when I would get it. This was not the answer I wanted to hear. I need to choose the level of support and pay my chosen provider by 1st April - in 3 days time, and they still hadn't made any arrangements! No-one seemed to understand or know what was going on! I was told to use my suplus Direct Payments to purchase support. I asked how could I choose the level of support when I don't know how much money they are going to give me in my budget to pay for it? This isn't a small issue considering a low level package costs around £200 and a high level packaged costs just under £2000 from The Rowan Organisation. The social worker didn't know.

This has been yet another planning disaster from Nottinghamshire Social Services. I really could do without the stress at the moment and the only thing I got out of the telephone call was I am getting a complaint form in the post tomorrow to complain about how incompetent they are. Again.

Goodbye Spiggy old friend

2011-03-16T08:43:00.000-07:00

In August 1993 a friends cat had 3 kittens. I begged Trev to take me round to see them. We already had a cat but I wanted another one. That was when I first saw Furface (later renamed Spiggy). He was the naughtiest kitten, he bit his mother when he went for milk and he was a devil with a cotton reel. He was so full of character! I fell in love with him so when he was old enough we bought him home to live with us.

Our first cat Scrumpy was not impressed, she didn't come down from the window sill for 3 days but eventuall she came to tolerate Spiggy, even if she did knock him off the top of the cat scratching post when he wasn't looking.

Spiggy was full of confidence, always picking fights with bigger cats but usually coming off worse. I'd hate to think of what I paid in vets bills over the years because of his war wounds. Spiggy loved his food, especially chip shop chips, baken beans, lettuce and tuna. He was also skillful in the art of Schrodingering, I will never figure out how he managed to creep onto my lap without me noticing.

He loved to hunt, mice were his favourites but in the spring he like the challenge of catching young bats. I guess to him they were just mice with wings. He was excellent at hunting balls of yarn too and he completely destroyed my one and only attempt at bobbin lace, but I forgave him.

Spiggy lived life to the full for 17 1/2 years but unfortunately his health started to deteriorate. He became very frail and we decided it was time to to let our majestic little cat go peacefully. He went to sleep at the vets at 2.30 this afternoon. I hope he's having fun in cat Valhalla, chasing bats, plaing with cotton reels and eating all the tuna and chips his little belly will hold.

Missing you Spig-spigs! xxx

A rose from my valentine

2011-02-14T05:22:00.000-08:00

A dozen red roses to be exact!

My dear husband Trevor came home from the supermarket yesterday and presented me with a dozen red roses for valentines day. He's been really soppy since I had my operation, but I'm not complaining! He knows that red is my favourite colour and that I love roses so he'd thought he'd treat me because I deserved it.

Valentines is a very special day for us. We first set eyes on each other on 14th February 1992. I was at Manor Lodge in Worksop, it was folk night and I was on stage singing when Trev walked in. A friend pointed him out to me but I saw him with another woman so I thought I had no chance. It turned out the other woman was his friend's wife and he wasn't seeing anyone. We didn't speak that night but he spotted me in the Frog and Nightgown a week later and he came over to say hello,and the rest is history!

Love you Trev! xXx

Now That's A Snowman!

2011-02-12T12:39:00.000-08:00

I found a box of old photographs at the back of the cupboard on the landing. Flicking through the snap shots took me right back to my teenage years and reminded me of the group of friends I used to hang out with at the Frog and Nightgown in Worksop. We were all very close and we did all sorts of crazy things together. In the early spring of 1991 there was a heavy snowfall and we all went out to the recreation field behind my parents house and built a snowman. We didn't just build any old snowman, this snowman was 10 ft tall! It stood proud in the middle of the field for weeks, and long after the rest of the snow melted a little frozen stump remained.

A meeting with an old friend a few weeks ago lead me to start organising a reunion of all my old friends from the Frog. I found quite a few people on Facebook but some of the others were harder to find. I Googled many names and managed to find a couple of people including Giles Bassett-Darby, one of the Frog's Alternative night DJs. After running his own business for a number of years he's now an artist selling his hand drawn cards and pictures through his website tillypepperart.co.uk I love the simple style of his designs and you can imagine my surprise when I saw this greeting card! It's the snowman! :D :D :D

Odd Socks

2011-01-22T12:53:00.000-08:00

Ever since I picked up Stray Sock Sewing in the local library I've been addicted to making sock creatures. It's rather theraputic making them. They don't take long to sew so it's pretty much instant gratification as far as crafting goes and it's interesting to see how each creatures character develops as I stuff, shape and sew. Here's a couple of my latest critters, a cute kitty and a rather sad looking puppy (taken with my snazzy new camera!) Are they cute or what?

Say cheese!

2011-01-07T08:14:00.001-08:00

A couple of friends have unwittingly inspired me to take up an old hobby again. I have always loved photography but I never really had the time or money to take it any more seriously than grabbing a few snap shots on holiday. Whilst i was recovering from my hysterectomy I made the mistake of looking up digital SLRs. Big mistake! I set my heart on a Canon EOS 500D but unfortunately there was no way I could meet the £500 price tag. So just after Christmas I was browsing on eBay (as you do...) looking at second hand cameras when I found a Canon EOS 450D at a bargain price. Hardly used, complete with image stabilising lens, I had to have it! Trev and my parents said they would chip in for my birthday next month so I bought it! Yay! I ordered a funky camera bag and Trev has bought me a book so I can learn how to use it properly. I can't wait until the weather gets better and I can take it out into the countryside, well at least as far as my scooter will get me!

Say cheese!

The year that was

2010-12-23T01:38:00.000-08:00

I've been rather lazy at this blogging lark but I hope after reading this you'll forgive me. This year has been a rather eventful one but hopefully it will be the turning point and I can look forward to a better and brighter future.

Shortly after my last blog post I was rushed into hospital with suspected appendicitis. When I saw rushed, I was actually refused treatment by an Out Of Hours GP, send home from A&E and then admitted to hospital by a GP but ended up in A&E again because there were no beds. I was taken from my local hospital to Doncaster Royal Infirmary where I had an exploratory laparoscopy. They found my pelvic cavity full of adhesions, endometriosis and pus. They guessed it was Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (even though they don't know what caused it) gave me truck loads of antibitoics and sent me home.

I spent the next few months being very poorly with more abdominal pain, UTIs, throat infections and the mother of all arthritis flares which left me bed bound and on seriously strong pain killers for 2 months.

My gynae problems were getting worse. I already knew I had a deformed uterus and had been offered a hysterectomy 2 years ago but I declined. I was still grieving the stillbirth of my fourth child in November 2007 and being a very maternal person I couln't contemplate never having another baby. Fate took that choice of out of my hands. Every cycle the pain was unbearable to the point where I ended up screaming in pain in A&E. The local gynaes couldn't do anything and I had to wait weeks for a gynae appointment at Jessops, the women's wing of the Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield. I saw the consultant and I reluctantly agreed to have a laparoscopic sub total hysterectomy. There was no way I could continue living in that much pain, I couldn't put myself and my family though any more suffering and my husband was adamant that there would be no more babies. A hysterectomy was the only option that would solve the problem.

At the same time as this I was battling to be seen by a rheumatologist as no-one was treating my arthritis. My joint pain has always been conveniently blamed on my ME/CFS (which I'm not entirely convinced I have anyway) but getting to see a specialist is like trying to get blood out of a stone. I was referred to a doctor in Nottingham and as I eagerly waitied for the appointment I received a telephone call to say it had been cancelled. Apparently he didn't see people with "chronic fatigue". I complained at the GP practice manager and eventually I got an appointment to see a doctor in Norwich. He took 10 minutes to dignose me with Palindromic Rheumatism and recommended a treatment plan. RESULT! Well, kind of. Logistics meant he couldn't treat me so then I had to go home and find a local consultant who would treat me. That wasn't easy either! I saw a regsistrar at Rotherham General Hospital who after a brief examination declared that I didn't have arthritis, I had ME and I should go home. I stood my ground and argued my point on my previous test results and I went back a week later to see the consultant who disagreed with the Palindromic Rheumatism diagnosis but thought I may have Reactive Arthritis so she agreed to treat me with hydroxychloroquine. I was very pleased but a little disappointed that it had taken 16 months from being diagnosed with Reactive Arthritis to getting any kind of treatment for it.

Spending most of the year in severe pain for one reason or another has meant that home life and my relationship with my husband has suffered. We are trying to be strong but it's not easy when every day is a struggle just to make it through. Creatively I have done next to nothing which frustrates me but recently I rediscovered my love for writing and I'm half way through penning a coming of age novel about the life and loves of a 16 year old girl. She's kind of my alter ego in a way but one who made all the mistakes that I didn't. I don't know if anyone will ever read it but I'm having fun writing it anyway.

On 13th December I went into the Hallamshire for my hysterectomy. It went very well and I was allowed home the next day. I was recovering well until the whole family came down with a tummy bug! Despite overdoing it I'm recovering pretty well and hopefully that will be the end of my pain. Emotionally it hasn't quite hit home yet, I'm just relieved that it's over and I can look forward to a future without the cramps, heavy bleeding and waking in the night screaming in pain but I'm sure if the no more babies ever thing gets too much I'll find a substitue and get a new puppy or kitten or something.

So that was 2010. Here's hoping that 2011 will be a painfree year of freedom and new discoveries.

I ♥ Japanese craft books!

2010-05-19T08:05:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged in ages, I've either been ill or busy, mostly ill unfortunately.

Anyway, I took delivery of some fabric today so I dug out my Japanese craft books and I decided to make one of the bags from Ecobags. I love this pattern and had to give it a go. It's a very clever idea and so simple. The bag neatly folds up into the patch on the front and fastens with a button.

I ♥ Japanese craft books!

Woven Eyelet Scarf

2010-02-03T05:06:00.000-08:00

I treated myself to some gorgeous Babylonglegs Radiance recently. I used it to knit a pair of longies for my Flowerpot Tots store and I used what was left to make myself a new scarf. I fell in love with woven stitch a while ago, I don't know why more people don't use it, I love the texture and drape it has, it is so easy to do and it looks that little bit different from normal crochet.

I was so pelased with the scarf that I wrote up the pattern. It's nothing fancy but it's a good substantial winter scarf and I think it really shows off the subtle colour changes in the Radiance yarn.

Enjoy!

Click to open FREE pattern for Woven Eyelet Scarf

The joys of a mystery chronic health problem.

2010-01-31T02:58:00.000-08:00

I haven't blogged much recently because when I haven't been busy I've been sick, and when I haven't been sick I've been busy. Right now I'm sick and I'm frankly sick of it!

I've been having recurrent infections for the last year or so and I've had enough antibiotics to start my own pharmacy. Some of those infections triggered Post Streptococcal Reactive Arthritis which causes the 3rd worst pain I have ever been in (after tooth nerve pain and childbirth). I've got myself into a boom and bust cycle again, I get sick and then I try to catch up but that just makes me sick again.

I recently had a throat infection but the antibiotics didn't really help so I went back to the doctors to ask some advice. Unfortunately the doctor I saw had made his mind up about me before I had even walked through the door.

He agreed my throat looked sore and I explained that during the past 12 months I'd had many infections and asked if there was anything I could do about it. He sat back in his chair ans said "well, you've already got a diagnosis of a chronic condition and you have suffered trauma (stillbirth 2 years ago) which can last for years if not dealt with."

I asked him what I could do to help myself and he said "Eat a healthy diet, avoid stimulants, get exercise and find a purpose in life". I was rather taken aback by this. I told him I already try to eat a healthy diet of fresh homecooked food, I drink red bush (caffeine free) tea, I already have a purpose in life with my 3 wonderful children and my hobby shop Flowerpot Tots (it doesn't make any money but it's good occupational therapy for me as it boosts my self esteem and makes me feel useful), and as for exercise, every time I increase my physical activity I get another infection!!!

He didn't have an answer to that, he said he was just a general doctor but he did keep repeating that chronic fatigue patients have the best outcomes when they stay away from doctors, especially specialists!!!

So I'm ill but I shouldn't go to the doctors because that will make me sicker? I haven't seen a doctor about my ME/CFS for at least 15 years and I'm still sick so go figure!

I was rather upset when I got home, now I'm just plain angry. I don't want to be ill, I want some help to make the most of what help I've got and unless I pay for private specialists or alternative therapies no-one wants to know!

I am seeing a rheumatologist in a couple of week about my reactive arthritis. He did some tests and I'm hopeing the results will shine some light on my current state of health. I'm scared that they will show again that nothing is wrong because that will put me back to square one and set me off doubting my own mental health. It's silly because who would chose to be this disabled and in this much pain for 20 years? I want to have a life, I'm doing my best to have a life but something keeps kicking me to the floor and I want to bloody well kick it back again.
I normally conceed and try and live quietly under it's shadow but it won't leave me alone at the moment, throwing one infection at me after another and it's all getting a bit too much.

Our Little Holiday

2009-08-29T06:53:00.001-07:00

We've just had a lovely little holiday in a caravan on a farm near Beverley. We had a great time despite the typical British weather. The caravan was nice apart from our mattress (which was so firm it was only just softer than the floor!) but we fixed that by investing in an air bed and sleeping on that instead. The kids loved the famr. There were only 5 static caravans on site, there was plenty of room for them to play outside and they loved feeding (and chasing) the resident ducks and chickens.

We visited Cruckley Farm, I took way too many photographs of their gorgeous and very friendly greyface dartmoor sheep and Sam found a tractor with his name on it. We visited The Deep in Hull and watched as sharks and rays swam over our head and we spent an afternoon on the beach at Hornsea. The kids braved the north sea and went paddling and collected some pretty stones.

We only went away for 4 nights but it felt like a week. I really enjoyed but I'm shattered now. I think I need another holiday to recover!

Learning lessons the hard way

2009-08-19T02:16:00.000-07:00

Further to my last blog post unfortunately things didn't improve quite as much as I hoped. I finished my antibiotics but still had white patches on my throat and the pain flared up again. I got some more AB's but the pain was so bad I went back to the doctors and was admitted to hospital for further investigations and better drugs.

The consultant diagnosed me as having Post Streptococcal Reactive Arthritis. I wasn't really told anymore than that, I was just given antibiotics and stronger painkillers. The hospital stay wasn't too bad (once they'd moved me off the very noisy admissions ward). I had to stay 1 day longer than I hoped because I had to wait for my steroid injection (took over 24 hours to get from the pharmacy to the ward!!!) but I finally made it home.

The steroids have helped a little but I'm still very sore and tired. I can knit again but not for very long as my hand and shoulder get very sore but I am able to potter about a little bit if I take things very easy.

Being an internet junkie hypochondria I googled PSReA and found out a little more about it. Apparently it can take 3-6 months to recover and some people have it for 12 months or more. It can cause symptoms of pain and fatigue and be caused by a number of different bacterial and viral infections. My reserach reminded me of my first major ME relapse. I was 19 years old and was admitted to hospital but not treated very kindly by the nursing staff or doctors. My current symptoms are very similar to the symptoms I had back then and I wonder if part (or all) of my ME has been undiagnosed reccurrent bouts of PSReA. I dont' know if I'll ever find the answer and I don't know who to ask without sounding like an internet hypochondriac but there are too many similarities for it all to be cooincidence.

For now I'll just keep plodding on and hope I can make it through the next few weeks without too much pain.

I don't do things by halves!

2009-07-29T09:05:00.000-07:00

As most of you might know I have more than my fair share of health problems. This time I've outdone myself! I've got a sore throat that's caused the symptoms of arthritis!

3 weeks ago I started with a sore throat. Nothing out of the ordinary for me, red, inflamed tonsils covered with white spots, but I had no fever and didn't feel that unwell so I didn't bother going to the doctors. After 3 weeks it still wasn't any better so I made an appointment to get it checked out.

The doc said it was probably a virus and asked if i felt like I needed antibiotics. I said no, the doc did a throat swab just in case and said they would phone with the results next week. Over the weekend my hands started hurting and my right knee was a bit sore. I put it down to overdoing the knitting and spinning. On Friday I managed to drop and smash a brand new jar of coffee and by Saturday night I couldn't use my hands properly. It was like I developed arthritis overnight. Sunday I was in quite a lot of pain, I couldn't hold a knife and fork to eat my lunch and I crashed, barely able to walk. My usual co-codamol didn't do the business so on Monday I made another doctors appointment.

I was seriously hobbling on Monday, I was so slow the doctor called my name twice before I managed the trip down the corridor to his office. It turns out I had a strep infection in my throat and the infection was causing the join pain. The doc prescribed penecillin, Ibuprofen and Omeprazole to prevent the Ibuprofen wrecking my stomach. I'm still in quite a bit of pain but I am slowly improving. I can now knit again which is saving my sanity! Fingers crossed I'll be fighting fit (well as fit as I ever am) soon!

Sari Silk Bag Pattern

2009-07-29T08:52:00.000-07:00

I wrote this pattern a few years ago. I set up a knitting website called The Knitting Room but it never really got off the ground. I've long since closed the website but the pattern was linked on Ravelry so I kept the file on my webspace. After a recent (and rather annoying) malware attack I was forced to tidy up my files so I've moved the pattern here. Enjoy!

Sari Silk Bag PDF

Tutorial on Dyeing Blanks

2009-06-30T01:09:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd write up a little tutorial on how I dye my wool blanks. I'm by no menas and expert dyer but I do like to muck in and have fun! If you have any questions, tips or suggestions please leave a comment. Enjoy!

Mrs Flowerpot's Tutorial for Dyeing Wool Blanks

First preapre your blank. You can knit your own on a knitting machine or buy ready made sock blanks. Wash the blank and either spin it on the wool setting on your washing machine or roll it in a towel to squeeze the excess moisture out of it. You want the blank to be damp, not wet.

Prepare your work surface. I cover my kitchen table with a roll of bubble wrap and place a couple of old towels on top. The towels help absorb the moisture from the dyes so the colours don't run.

Lay out your blank on the towels. Stocking stitch blanks have a tendancy to curl up so I pin mine out purl side up with blocking pins.

Prepare your dyes. You can use any kind of dye suitable for wool from Kool Aid to professional acid dyes.

Start painting! I use a turkey baster but you can use a foam tipped brush or squeezy bottles with a nozzle on. You want to cover the wool with colour but try not to get it dripping wet. The towel will soak up some of the liquid but colours will run if you get it too wet.

By pinning the blank purl side up you can use the lines of bumps to get nice straight lines for your stripes.

When you've covered the blank in dye take out all the pins and roll up the blank in cling film and set the dye by steaming it or nuking it in the microwave - just do whatever you would normally do to a hand painted skein of yarn.

When it's cool, wash, rinse and dry and then you're ready to knit! You can knit straight from the blank or if you're a complete perfectionist you can reskein the yarn and re-soak it to get rid of the kinks. Hopefully you should have perfect self striping wool :D

Catching up!

2009-06-16T05:41:00.001-07:00

It's been a busy few weeks and I haven't had a minute to blog anything so here's a quick catch up!

We were visited by a racing pigeon. It landed in our garden and was looking a little confused so I reported it as found and made contact with his owner. He said to let it go but unfortunately it came back to us! 5 days later he came and picked it up and took it home.

We went to Uk Ravelry Day. It was cold and wet but the people were lovely and we had a great time. It was fab to catch up with old friends and meet some people for the first time including Woolly Wormhead. We spent a lot of time on Babylonglegs stall and I bought some gorgeous rainbow roving. I also accquired some KnitPro symfonie crochet hooks and a fab kimono print book which is proving to be a great inspiration!

I've been busy knitting too. I made up my Suburban Graffiti into a cardigan for Emily. I was working on it during UK Ravelry Day and I must have bored everyone stupid with it as I think I showed it off to everyone I met *blushes* I'm really pleased with how it turned out and Emily loves it!

Suburban Graffiti!

2009-05-29T07:59:00.000-07:00

I have a new knitting machine, but I'm not using it to make clothes - I'm using it to dye wool! I used the knitting machine to knit the wool into blanks then I dyed the wool in stripes so when it's knitted up it will be self striping and hopefully will look fantastic.

To the trained eye it might look like a bit of a bodge job, but that was actually the effect I was going for - the random graffiti effect and the natural heathering will give the yarn a very unique and completely unrepeateable character. Ic an't wait to knit with it!!!

Bank Holiday Fun at Rufford

2009-05-25T09:23:00.001-07:00

We had a family day out at Rufford Mill today. We're spoiled having so many fantastic parks close to us but Rufford is my favourite. We got there quite early and it wasn't too busy. We said hello to the ducks, geese and swans, we went on a lovely walk around the lake, we saw some squirrels and rabbits and we went up to the new adventure playground (which is fab). We all had a wonderful time but it was all a bit much for Sam who fell asleep in the car on the way home.

Dyeing for the impatient!

2009-04-23T02:19:00.001-07:00

I love dyeing wool but I'm not the most patient person on the planet. I'm spontaneous, when I get an idea in my head I have to try it and I want to try it now - not in 2 hours time after I've soaked the wool...

I've been experimenting and have come up with some short cuts for instant gratification dyeing. I've got 2 main methods I use now and both take less than an hour from start to finish.

The Hand painted Microwave method.

You need:
wool
a microwave
cling film
an old towel
a big table
a plastic table cloth
food colouring
citric acid or white vinegar
a turkey baster

1) Soak wool in warm water with a drop of detergent
2) Prep kitchen table with plastic table cloth, cling film and old towel
3) Mix up dyes. I disolve Sugarflair paste in a solution of hot water with 1/2 teaspon of citric acid (alternatively you can use a glug of white vinegar).
4) Lay out wool on towel and paint with dyes using turkey baster. Turn wool over to ensure full coverage on the back.
5) Pick up wool, remove towel and wrap up wool in clingfilm.
6) Roll the wrapped wool into a coil and put it in a microwave safe bowl.
7) Zap the wool in the microwave on DEFROST for 2 minutes, let it rest 2 minutes then zap it on DEFROST for another 2 minutes.
8) Go make a cup of coffee and wait for the wool to cool down a bit.
9) When you've finished your coffee unwrap wool and hang it up to cool it down quickly, on an airer over the bath is a good place as it catches the drips.
10) Clean up the mess you've made in the kitchen while the wool is cooling.
11) When the wool is cool, gently rinse it in warm water, put it in a small laundry bag and spin it in the washing machine on the slowest speed setting.
12) Hang the wool to dry, I either put it on the line or in the airing cupboard.

The Stove Top Method

You can use this for wool or fibre. You can use it to create some lovely semi solid colourways.

You need:
wool yarn or fibre
a big stock pot with a lid
gas or electric hob
food colouring
citric acid or white vinegar
a turkey baster

1) Soak your wool or fibre in warm water.
2) Fill the stock pot about 2" deep with warm water
3) Mix up your dyes with hot water and 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid (or a glug of white vinegar)
4) Put your wet wool into the pot. Arrange it so it's in a single layer for the best coverage.
5) Turn on the heat under the pot. You need a gentle heat so have it on the lowest setting.
6) Paint the wool with your dyes using a turkey baster. You might want to turn the wool over to get good coverage or just stick the baster into the wool and squirt the dye to get it to the bottom.
7) Simmer the wool on the lowest heat setting for about 30 minutes.
8) Spend about 30 minutes browsing stuff on Ravelry.
9) The water in the pan should now be clear, if it is pour it out of the pan and leave the wool to cool.
10) Make a coffee and go look at Ravelry again.
11) When the wool is cool, rinse it in warm water, spin it in the washing machine on the lowest speed and hang it to dry.

Voila! Hand dyed yarn in under an hour!

Easter Fun :D

2009-04-17T05:00:00.000-07:00

The sun was shining on Easter Monday so we took a drive out to Clumber Park to see the lambs at Hardwick Village. They were soooooo cute! I wanted to take them all home with me!

And here are my little lambs having their ice creams!

Stock Pot Dyeing

2009-04-05T14:31:00.000-07:00

I invested the princely sum of a tenner in a huge stock pot form Wilko's the other day with a mind to do some dyeing. I usually dye stuff in the microwave which is fine for spun yarns but I tend to felt fibre which is not good. I read a few tutorials and thought I'd give it a go!

The first thing I did was some superwash merino fibre. It was mega thirsty for the dye so I just kept squirting more colours in and turning the fibre until I got decent coverage. I'm really pleased with how it's turned out.

Next I tried some organic merino dk. I had hoped that it would turn out more blue but I had a bit too uch liquid in the pan and the green travelled - I still like the result though, a lovely green semi solid.

Next I tried some more organic merino dk, this time in shades of lemon, peach and pink. It's much more orange irl and looks so zingy, perfect for spring. Now all I need is a few more hours in the day so I can get it made up into some fabulous garments!

Rainbow Daze

2009-03-27T10:55:00.000-07:00

I've been doing a lot of playing recently. I've been experimenting with different dyeing techniques (and generally making a big mess in my kitchen!) I saw a competition on the I'd Dye For Britian group on Ravelry for Spiral Dyeing so I thought I'd give it a go.

My attempts at dyeing wool fibre so far have been a little sketchy. Only I could manage to felt superwash! Anyway, I followed a great tutorial and managed to create some pretty cool rainbow fibre - AND I DIDN'T FELT IT! Woo hoo!

I'm really pleased with how it turned out. I can't wait to spin it!

Itchy and Scratchy Animated!

2009-03-17T04:50:00.000-07:00

Here are Itchy and SCratchy in action! Enjoy!

itchyandscratchy

2009-03-16T14:25:00.001-07:00

itchyandscratchy
Originally uploaded by ana_qi

Meet Itchy and Scratchy the Roborovski hamsters. I've had Syrian and Russian hamsters since I was a kid and I recently found out about this breed and fell in love with them. They are the smallest of the dwarf hamsters, only 5cm in length and they are mad little buggers! They can run VERY fast and are very entertaining to watch, plus they are super cute!

Turning Japanese!

2009-03-05T03:56:00.000-08:00

A couple of days ago I took delivery of a very special parcel. I was given some money for my birthday so I spent it on Japanese craft books. I bought a book of childrens dressmaking patterns, a crochet accessories book and a sashiko embroidery book. They are fantastic! I can't read Japanese but the directions are so clear it's very easy to understand. Now I just need more hours in the day to do all the projects!

New Shoes!

2009-02-19T07:20:00.000-08:00

I have a thing for shoes. I like shoes but I sometimes have trouble getting ones that fit me right because I have short, wide feet.

Recently I've had the urge to buy some red shoes. I found this pair of Hush Puppies on eBay and thought I'd put in a bid for them. I didn't think I'd win but I did! A brand new pair of Hush Puppies in red leather for only £13!!! Bargain! They arrived today and they fit perfectly (please excuse the purple socks, I know they don't exactly go with red shoes but I was too excited to change them). The bestest thing is they are Hush Puppies Harmony range, they are eco friendly and made from recycled materials. Happiness = new red shoes!

:D :D :D

I NEED this bag!

2009-02-14T09:54:00.001-08:00

I have my little obsessions, currently I'm on a major Japanese kick. I am buying Japanese books and fabrics, playing Japanese games, cooking Japanese food and even learning some of the language! I am particularly loving Japanese craft books, they are so far ahead of what you can get here in the UK or USA. I love their attention to detail, the simplicity of the designs and the cuteness without been too cutesy if you know what I mean.

On my quest to buy more Japanese craft books I visited YesAsia.com. BIG MISTAKE! Ok, I could have maxed out the credit card several times over with all the wonderful stuff they sell there. I was good and only ordered 3 books but I did stumble across their sister website YesStyle. It's full of asian fashion and accessories. As much as I love the clothes I no longer have the figure to fit into them, so I started browsing the accessories and fell in love with this bag.

It's not Japanese (it's from Hong Kong) but it's just so brilliant! They do puppies, bunnies and pandas too. Better hide the credit cards as I feel another shopping spree coming on!

Grumpy Rant About The Doctors Surgery

2009-02-12T00:56:00.000-08:00

I went to the doctors yesterday and thanks to the lovely receptionists a visit that should have lasted no longer than 30 minutes took us 2 HOURS!

To cut a very long story short a sign told us to wait in the wrong waiting room, which we did for 40 minutes before realising the error, the receptionists failed to take down the erroneous sign (my husband took it down himself 20 minutes after notifying them) they allegedly informed the doctor that I was waiting to be seen but the doctor left without seeing me.

I had a coughing fit, the receptionists were hardly appologetic but they did manage to get me seen by another doctor. By the time I came out of the surgery we had been there for 2 hours. I was exhausted and my DH was livid. Thankfully I got the medicine I needed and hopefully I should be feeling better soon.

Samuel on his first day at Puddleducks

2009-02-03T09:04:00.001-08:00

sampuddleducks
Originally uploaded by ana_qi

My little man is all grown up! Today was Samule's first day at nursery and he looked so grown up in his uniform!

Thomas The Tank Engine Cake

2009-01-30T06:48:00.001-08:00

thomascake
Originally uploaded by ana_qi

It's Samuel's 3rd birthday tomorrow and he wanted a Thomas The Tank Engine Cake. Now I could have done it the easy way and bought one from Sainsbury's but since when did I ever do anything the easy way? LOL!

I baked a chocolate cake, filled it with jam and chocoalte butter cream and spent 90 minutes playing with fondant icing and food colouring to make this! Sam was really pleased with it, so was I! It was the first time I've ever used fondant icing and I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out. Sam helped a little and we covered me and the kitchen with icing sugar but it was a lot of fun :D

2009-01-23T14:46:00.000-08:00

I've been busy with my sewing machine again. I got a wonderful pattern book for Christmas full of girly clothes and I decided to make this top for my daughter Emily. I'm really pleased with how it turned out, especially seeing as the pattern was quite a challenge. The pattern book was called Girly Style Wardrobe and it's written entirely in Japanese! Now I don't know much Japanese but thankfully the instructions are in the form of wonderfully drawn pictures so it wasn't that hard to figure out. I think it's pretty cute and so does Emily!

All grown up!

2009-01-08T01:37:00.001-08:00

school
Originally uploaded by ana_qi

My little baby girl is all grown up. It was her first day at school on Monday and she absolutely loved it! She was so excited and they even had her favourite food for dinner - spaghetti bolognaise. It doesn't seem 5 minutes since I was feeding her and changing her nappies. They grown up so fast *sigh*.

My wonderful Children

2008-12-05T01:45:00.000-08:00

My DD was practicing for her pre-school Christmas play and I videoed her on my phone singing Twinkle Twinkle Christmas Star, accompanied by her little brother :D :D :D

Enjoy!

Charity Auction Links!

2008-11-21T05:47:00.000-08:00

I've now listed the charity auction lots on eBay, here are the links:

Snail Set

Daisy Set

Please tell your friends, post the links on messages boards and spread the word! Thank you!

Clair

Abigail Scarlett's 1st Birthday Charity Auction

2008-11-20T08:51:00.000-08:00

As some of you may know my daughter Abigail Scarlett was stillborn on 21st November 2007. We were devastated but help was there from the charity SANDS. I have been running a series of auctions on the 12st of each month to raise money for SANDS. Some auction lots have been kindly donated by my friends, others I have made myself. To celebrate what would have been Abigail's 1st birthday I am running 2 very special auctions.

I have made 2 nappy and wool soaker outfits, one with a pink snails theme and one with a daisies theme. I will list them on eBay tomorrow, in the meatime here is a sneak preview of the sets.

NOT Sew Hip!

2008-10-31T06:44:00.000-07:00

There is a new sewing magazine hitting the newstands today, Sew Hip. Hooray! I hear you shout! Erm, well, no actually. On the surface it looks fab, all bright, colourful and full of promise but on the inside it's a little lacking in substance.

Sew Hip is a British magazine and you'd image the contents would be British too? Erm, no. Most of it is American and Australian. You'd think they'd have chosen the best patterns for the first issue? Erm, no. Amongst the patterns are 2 tote bags, 2 quilts and 2 needle cases? Hardly inspiring!

There is a cute toddler outfit and I thought I'd give it a go. I started with the blouse but had a little trouble with the pattern. I had a look at the instructions, the picture captions are wrong but that happenes sometimes in magazines. Getting the pattern is a little tricky as you have to enlarge it 200%. I have one of those all in one scanner/copier/printer things and after an hour of tracing, cutting and cursing I managed to get the pattern the right size. That's when I realised the first problem.

Problem number 1.
The pattern parts are labelled the wrong way around! The "sleeve" part is wider than the body and the "body" part tapers towards the bottom. Hmm, that doesn't sound quite right does it.

Problem number 2.
The cutting instructions are awful!. It tells you to fold the fabric with the selvages together and cut the pieces. Erm, we're doing a toddler top here, the pieces are pretty narrow so you're going to waste a heck of a lot of fabric doing it like that and you'd wouldn't fit all the pieces on 1m of fabric doing it that way. I used my brain and folded the selvages to the centre of the fabric giving me 2 folds across the width. The pattern doesn't actually say to cut 2 of each pattern piece, you are left to figure that out for yourself. It's nothing to an experienced seamstress but a beginner may get confused. Also it says to observe the grain lines and fold lines but there aren't any on the pattern!

Problem number 3.
The elastic guides seem to be a little out. The cuffs end up 4" wide and the neck only 7" wide. I made the cuff elastic shorter but used the 14" measurement for the neck but the neck looked much tighter than the one in the magazine.

Problem number 4.
I should have realised earlier but the sizing of the pattern is really big. It's supposed to fit a 6-12 month old baby and I know peasant tops have a lot of ease across the chest but this one measures 30"!!! If a 6 month old has a 18" chest that gives 12" of ease! I tried the top on my 4 year old daughter, the sleeves and body length were a little short but it fitted her!

I had wanted to make this top for a 1 year old but I'm going to have to draw my own pattern from scratch as this one is awful. I haven't tried to make the bloomers, the top put me off!

I looked at the other patterns to see if they were any better. They aren't. There is a pattern for a felted bag. It says you can felt any pure wool fabric, not just old sweaters. Erm, no. You can only felt handwashable wool because superwash/machine washable wool has been chemically treated so it won't felt in the washing machine. Trying to felt superwash wool is a common mistake to make and you would have thought they'd put something about it in the instructions as it is rather important but no, they didn't.

Now I appreciate there are often teething problems with new magazines but this was too much for me. Did ayone proof read it at all? Do they actually know what they are talking about? I honestly don't know!

I don't think I'll be buying any more issues of Sew Hip and I won't be recommending it to my friends.

Brownies

2008-09-08T08:18:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when you get a sudden urge to bake chocolate brownies and your 4 year old and 2 year old decide to "help".

Thankfully I had help to clear up but they did manage to cover themselves, most of the kitchen and some of the living room in chocolate before we threatened them with a bath and eventually cleaned them up with baby wipes.

The brownies turned out very well. I kind of adapted the recipe because I don't like pecans and I was too mean to give up my stash of good dark chocolate but we ended up with a lovely tray of milk chocolate brownies with dark and white chocolate chips. I had to sample one when I was putting them in the box because the lid wouldn't quite fit, honest!

My latest project: A Feeder Cover Version!

2008-08-16T11:07:00.000-07:00

Last week I took a little break from the needles and did a different kind of project - recording a cover version of Feeder's Silent Cry.

A few years ago I did a few cover versions of Feeder songs for a fan tribute CD, A Place Inside Our Minds. The lad who organised it got in touch with me recently and asked if would be interested in doing another track I haven't done any music in ages and thought it would be nice to dust off the old gear and give it a go.

6 days and a lot of hard work later my DH and I produced this. Enjoy!

To see more Feeder fan cover versions please visit www.silenttribute.co.uk

A Grand Day Out!

2008-08-14T10:41:00.000-07:00

DH took some time off work to have a little holiday at home and yesterday we went to a local butterfly house. We had a great time, the weather held out and the kids loved all the animals and activities. I wasn't so keen on the interactive signs that squirted water as you went passed but the kids though it was funny. I bumped into my friend Dougalfish which was a nice surprise and I got to meet an alpaca. I fed the sheep, I fell in love with a green tree python and I nearly ran over an iguana! Not bad for a day out in South Yorkshire!

FREE Shorties and Longies Pattern

2008-08-04T03:30:00.000-07:00

I've decided to share my DK shorties and Longies pattern with the world. I wrote it a few years ago and it's been through a few minor changes since then but it's very easy to do and it works.

It's great for beginner knitters as it's knitted flat (no scary double pins or kitchener grafting!) and being flat it means you can easily work cute intarsia designs or add embroidery to make an extra special pair of woollies.

You can download the pattern as a PDF file HERE. Please remember it is royalty free but not Copyright free. You may not distribute, copy or sell the pattern or use it to produce garments for sale.

I hope you enjoy it! Any comments or suggestions, good or bad gratefully received.

We got a brand new car!

2008-07-14T11:03:00.001-07:00

zsu
Originally uploaded by ana_qi

I got my brand new Motability car today. It's a Renault Grand Scenic 1.6 VVT Dynamique 7stMP in Eclipse and I love it! We've called her Zsu.

A Special Collaboration

2008-06-27T09:45:00.000-07:00

Buy British Month on Cloth Nappy Addicts has been a huge success. There have been so many collaborations between the WAHMs that me and Babylonglegs decided to get in on the action. I had an idea of making a nappy set with some lovely Michael Miller Funky Monkey fabric. Babylonglegs did a custom dye to match the fabric and this is the result!

We're auctioning the set on the Cloth Nappy Addicts forum. The auction ends 6pm BST on Monday 30th June so get your bids in quick!

Buy British Month

2008-06-01T13:42:00.000-07:00

June is Buy British Month on Cloth Nappy Addicts and I've been busy making some special items for Flowerpot Tots. I've made some special wool longies sets with my own handspun wool and I've launced my own clothing range featuring hand embroidered skirts and trousers generous enough to fit over a cloth nappy.

Happy Shopping!

Our trip to the New Forest

2008-05-23T15:03:00.000-07:00

We just got home from our trip to the New Forest. We had a fantastic week! It went so fast, I want to go back there again!

We stopped at Bay Tree Cottage in Lyndhurst. It was really lovely and had everything we could possible need. DH was rather pleased it had a dishwasher! The owners daughter was an artist and the walls were covered in her work. I liked this one in the master bedroom.

We saw the ponies... (Emily wanted to bring one home!)

We took in the scenery...

We visited Beaulieu (and took 300 photographs but the McLaren MP4/4 was my favourite)

We visited a farm...and now the kids are insisting they NEED pet rabbits!

We played on the beach at Bournemouth...

...but it was all a little too much for Sam!

We had a great time but now I'm completely shattered. I think I need a holiday to recover!

...and yet more sewing!

2008-05-15T08:21:00.000-07:00

My DH hates taking reusable bags to the shops. He always forgets them and thinks they are a hassle, so I made this. It's a tote that folds up to fit inside the pocket on the front. The design was inspired by the kids fold away rain coats, I made it up last night and it works! Woo hoo!

I'll have a rest from sewing for a bit now. I'm taking my family to the New Forest. Will blog pics when we get back.

More sewing!

2008-05-14T14:12:00.000-07:00

I got an idea in my head to make another bag today. It looks pretty good but I need a lot more practice at applique! My stitching is far from perfect but it looks ok from a distance.

I've given up knitting...

2008-05-08T05:18:00.000-07:00

...this week and have been doing lots of sewing! I seem to go in cycles, flitting from knitting, to crochet, to sewing and back to knitting again. This week it's definately sewing. I have made this little skirt for my Flowerpot Tots shop:

And a friend of mine was showing me some wonderful bags with skulls on Etsy and I thought I'd have a crack at making one myself...

I got a new toy...

2008-04-23T10:23:00.000-07:00

...it's a Louet S15! Yes, I've been spinning since January and so far I have acquired a drop spindle and 2 wheels. Not that I'm obsessive or anything you understand!

I love the first wheel I bought, it was pretty basic and I thought it was ok but as I started to learn more about the art of psinning I kept finding fault with it. It spun very fast, it rattled so much the mother of all was coming loose and on closer inspection the flyer rod was not only bent but was off centre in the flyer so can't even be repaired.

At Easter I visited my good friend Babylonglegs and she kindly let me try out her Louet S10. It was a dream compared to my rustic spinner so I gather together enough cash and found an S15 on eBay going for a bargain. My finger slipped on the BIN button and it was mine!

I was so pleased when it arrived, my DH helped me assemble it but we had a few problems. The treadle connector was split almost all the way through. Disaster! Thankfully Babylonglegs had told me about a way to fix it with coaxial cable so 10 minutes later my DH had pinched some from the kids tv aerial and it was fixed. The plastic cap bit that went over the bearings was slightly cracked and a piece snapped off when we put it on. I got it together and started to spin, a dab of vaseline soon stopped the horrendous squeaking and I was away!

I hadn't had chance to use it much what with family life getting in the way of having a life of my own, but last week I found some quiet time and I sat down to spin some lovely rainbow BFL roving when disaster struck again. I was in the groove, my long draw was really consistent and then PING! The drive band snapped in two and fell to the floor! Thank heavens for the Louet Lovers Ravelry group! A kind soul on there suggested that I melt the ends of the driveband to stick it back together and it worked. :-)

I love my new wheel but I was disappointed that so many things had gone wrong with it, especially as it was listed as hardly used and like new. I sent a message to the seller and I asked for a refund to buy replacement parts. She agreed, but even that went wrong! Instead of refunding me £10 she paid me 10 Euros, I got charged for accepting the payment and I had to convert the amount into US dollars in order to accept it. I got considerably less than the £10 I needed for the parts but I was keen to get it sorted so I accepted it and learned my lesson about buying second hands wheels on eBay.

Hopefully now everything is sorted and I can get to know and love my Louet. I've been busy with my first lot of handspun on it. I spun, plied, hand dyed and knitted it into a gorgeous paiir of longies which are going to be part of a special set in my shop Flowerpot Tots

RIP Scrumpy :-(

2008-04-07T02:13:00.001-07:00

In the early hours of Sunday morning my beautiful black and white moggy Scrumpy passed away. She had lived with us for 15 years and she was a loyal friend and companion.

We adopted her from the RSPCA on New Years Eve in 1992. We were looking at all the cats and she chose us. AS soon as she saw Trev she jumped off her bed and put her paws up at the glass as if to say "Take me!". She had been found as a stray, they thought she was about a year old. She had a patch of fur missing from her side where they had recently speyed her. She had the prettiest little face, perfectly symetrical markings, all black with white tummy and socks.

She loved to chase mice and birds. We used to live in a house that backed onto a pond. One day she caught a bird inthe bush by the pond but she missed her footing and landed in the water. She came up the garden path dripping wet with the bird in her mouth. I tried to fetch a towel to dry her off but she hissed at me with the bird still in her mouth. She kept that bird alive for a whole hour!

She was a stubborn litte thing and never gave in easily. Once a German Shepherd chased her along the path by the pond. She jumped up on the fence, turned around, hissed at the dog and launched herself at it! The dog ran whimpering back to it's owner, ashamed to be chased off by a little black cat. She loved to play too, she hated snow but loved trying to catch the snowflakes on the other side of the glass. She was also very patient, she used to chase snails. She would sit and watch them crawl along the fence and then knock them off. She would then wait for them to come back out and she would do it again.

In her later years she got quite fat and lazy but she still had a turn of speed, usually chasing off our other cat Spiggy. In the past few weeks she hadn't been well, she had been messing all over the house then she started to lose weight. She stopped eating and got weaker and weaker. In the early hours of Sunday morning I cam downstairs for a glass of water and found she had passed away. We buried her in the back garden in one of her favourite hiding places. I'm really going to miss her.

RIP Scrumpy xXx

Easter Monday Fun!

2008-03-25T14:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we took a trip down the motorway to see my good friend Babylonglegs and her family. We had a great day. Lottie gatecrashed with her kids and we all had an Easter egg hunt in the paddock that Babylonglegs has for a back garden. We had the yummiest homemade pizza for lunch and spent the afternoon knitting and drinking coffee while the big kids (our DH's) looked after the little kids playing with RC buggies in the garden.

A big thank you to Babylonglegs for having us!

Do I NOT Like eBay

2008-03-22T11:59:00.001-07:00

This morning I was very cross. I got up to find the charity auction I had listed on eBay last night had been removed. What was my crime? Breach of the inappropriate link policy.

The auction was to raise money for SANDS. 100% of the auction price was going to the charity, I would make no profit from the auction whatsoever. The auction lot was donated by my friend Natasha who runs the Cloth Nappy Addicts forum and a little online shop called Love Your Skin. In the listing, as a credit to Natasha, I included a link to the Love Your Skin website. I thought it was only fair and the website included more information on the products available in the auction. As far as I was concerned this is allowed according to eBay policy but they didn't seem to agree. They removed the auction and threatened to ban me from eBay if I did it again!

I have emailed eBay to complain about it. I was not a happy bunny. I had to relist the item then update the links on all the forums where I'd posted about the auction. Took me the best part of an hour! I am still annoyed. How uncharitable to remove a charity auction all because of a single text link to the website of the person who donated the lot.

Grrrrr! Rant over!

Oh yeah, if you fancy bidding you can see the relisted auction HERE. Thank you!

The Prodigal Returns!

2008-03-20T15:26:00.000-07:00

My little tabby cat Spiggy went missing on Tuesday afternoon. He didn't come home for his tea and we were really worried about him. When he missed his tea on Wednesday we got really, really worried about him. Then this morning at breakfast he jumps up on the kitchen window sill meowing to be let in! He flew in through the back door, downed a bowl of cat biscuits and then spent the rest of the day asleep on my bed. I was so pleased to have him back!

Spiggy is 14 years old but still acts like a kitten most of the time. I think he might have got shut in someone's garage as his front claws are blunt and split like he's been trying to claw his way out of somewhere.

I took this picture of him tonight, he hates having his picture taken and he's much more handsome in real life. I'm so glad he's home and I hope he's learned his lesson and doesn't have any more adventures like that in the near future.

More Creativeness!

2008-03-18T03:01:00.000-07:00

I'm on a bit of a creative roll at the moment. I got all inspired yesterday morning and made this with some scraps of handspun that were just sitting on the sideboard begging to be used. It's a cute little brooch with a silver plated pin on the back and wooden button on the front. Like most of the stuff I make I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it but I'm sure I'll find a good home for it eventually.

Felting Fun!

2008-03-13T03:00:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I get too many ideas for my own good. Sometimes I actually follow through and occasionally it works. Yesterday I got lucky. I had an idea to make some felted bowls. I found some left over BFL, grabbed a crochet hook and made these:

I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to do with them but I have the urge to make some more and experiment with dyeing...

...oh so much yarn so little time!

Winter Illness Woes

2008-03-11T02:55:00.000-07:00

Having ME is not fun at the best of times but especially not in winter. My immune system goes into hibernation and I seem to get EVERYTHING going.

EVeryone has had this nasty cold virus that has been going around and some kind soul thought they would give it to me. It is a very nasty virus, it's put most people in bed for a couple of days. I was in bed for 12 days and then it turned into tonsillitis. Now I'm on antibiotics and I'm starting to feel a little bit better, no thanks to the helpful lady on NHS direct who told me to take paracetamol and phone my doctor if I felt poorly *rolls eyes*. The nice doctor who came out to see me was brilliant though. Gave me a proper examination, wrote everything down and gave me a copy and then fetched me some antibiotics from the car. Can't get better service than that!

In the middle of all of this my charity auction ended. I managed to raise a massive £50.01 for SANDS! Plus many of my friends were inspired by what I was doing that they have offered to donate things for me to auction too. How brilliant is that?

Now I have to toddler proof the house as my very clever DS2 has learnt how to open baby gates!

Wool Longies Charity Auction for SANDS

2008-02-25T02:35:00.000-08:00

As some of your may know my daughter Abigail Scarlett was stillborn in November last year. I have made a very special pair of longies for her in my own handspun wool and I am auctioning them to raise money for SANDS, the stillbirth and neonatal death charity. They do some brilliant work and they were there when we needed help after the death of our daughter. Please help support SANDS so they can continue to support bereaved parents and research the causes of stillbirth.

View the auction HERE. Thank you!

A typical day of madness and wool

2008-02-24T08:53:00.000-08:00

Babylonglegs tagged me in her blog and ask to share what I do in a typical day.

Every day is chaos at the Flowerpot house! I wake around 6.45am to the sounds of my DS2 kicking his cot to bits. I swear one day I'll go in and find him sat in a pile of firewood! I get DS1 and DD up, change DS2's nappy and convince them all to go downstairs for breakfast. I make breakfast for everyone, which is not an easy task when everyone wants a different cereal and a different drink AND they change their minds at least 3 times.

At around 7.45am Mr Flowerpot gets up, drinks a cup of coffee and then at 8am we all get washed and dressed. 8.40am and DS1's childminder picks him up to take him to school, 8.45am and my PA arrives to take DD to nursery. My PA returns and we spend the morning playing with DS2, doing chores, I check messages on my computer and perhaps doing a little knitting.

11.45am and my PA fetches DD home from nursery and DD plays on the computer until dinner is ready. I make dinner and DH comes down from his office to eat. (DH works from home in the corner of our bedroom AKA the office.)

After lunch is quiet time, DS2 goes down for a nap, DD will watch a DVD or play jigsaws and I can get some spinning, sewing or dyeing done.

3.30pm and the chaos starts. DS2 gets up from his nap, DS1 comes home from school and kids and cats all pester me demanding snacks. Much screaming ensues and I try and keep the peace until 5.30pm when we have tea. We watch tv before bed then at 7pm it's bathtime.

By 8pm the kids are all clean and tucked up in bed and I sink into a hot bath or bottle of wine. I spend the evening talking to DH, knitting or crocheting, wasting time on the internet and planning world domination with handcrafts. By about 11pm I am exhausted and I fall into bed.

Zzzzzzz

Chocolate Box Sunset

2008-02-20T12:18:00.001-08:00

We get some wonderful sunsets, the sky turns the most amazing colours it takes your breath away. I took this photograph last night from my daughter's bedroom window. I guess it's a bit "chocolate box" as my old art teacher used to say but I think it's amazing.

Like Mother, Like Son

2008-02-12T14:22:00.000-08:00

This is my DS2. Today I found him desperately trying to shove a crochet hook through a ball of wool. I think he takes after his mum!

My first wheel handspun

2008-02-07T14:05:00.000-08:00

I think I'm getting the hang of my new wheel. This is the first thing I've spun on it. 75g of Corriedale kindly given to me by my friend Babylonglegs. I spun it, plied it and then hand dyed it. My 3 year old daughter chose the colour, she kind of likes pink!

It's here!

2008-02-06T12:35:00.000-08:00

The waiting is over! This afternoon a large package was delivered to my door and inside was this little beauty!

It took me a little while to put it together and figure out what went where but I think I got it right and after a few false starts I managed to spin this:

Not bad for a spinning novice eh? I love it!

Just call me Mrs Impatient!

2008-02-05T08:29:00.000-08:00

I am not the most patient person on the planet. I like instant gratification. When I buy something I want it now, next day at the latest. When I ordered spinning wheel from the Netherlands I knew I would have to wait. It takes time to ship something like that from one country over the sea to another. It's only been a few days but I WANT IT NOW!

I have been so impatient I have been browsing spindles on Etsy. I like my spindle but it seems way too plain and boring in comparison to the wonderful exotic wood, stone and decorated spindles available. I can't really afford to buy another spindle but browsing is passing the time until my wheel gets here.....

I might do some crocheting to take my mind off it, or design that bag I'm going to make with my spindle handspun...

Happy pancake day! The Best Before date has rubbed off the bottle of Jif lemon juice. It has been lurking in the fridge for quite a while but lemon juice doesn't really go off does it? I guess we're going to find out!

Happy Birthday Samuel

2008-01-31T07:10:00.000-08:00

It's Samuel's brithday today, He's 2 years old. I can't believe it's been 2 years since I gave birth to him in a paddling pool in our living room. He's such a little character, so cheeky and so adventurous!

We took him to the soft play at the pub this morning and he loved it. We're having a small family party for him this afternoon and Nanna has made one of her famous chocolate cakes. Will have to post pics of it later.

I have been a little distracted today trying to decide what kind of wool to buy for when my spinning wheel arrives. I had some BFL in the kit that came with my drop spindle so I spun a little of that this morning to see what it is like. I'm spoilt for choice when it comes to wool, will all the different breeds, white or natural, dyed roving or plain tops? I think I'll have to try a bit of everything!

*Clair*

I got a blog!

2008-01-30T01:36:00.000-08:00

Hello!

I've tried to do this blogging thing a couple of times before but I never had the dedication to keep it up. I promise this time it will be different!

Who am I? I'm Clair, wife to Trevor, mum to Joshua, Emily and Samuel and a total craft addict. I knit, crochet, sew, embroider, design, create just about anything. not everything turns out the way it should but it's all fun!

As a hobby I run Flowerpot Tots, an online shop selling wool soakers, little woolly shorts, trousers and skirts that go over the top of cloth nappies instead of wraps or plastic pants. I also make cloth nappies.

I am embarking on a new craft at the moment - spinning wool! I have a drop spindle and it's been great fun but very tiring so I've splashed out and ordered a spinning wheel! I can't wait for it to arrive. Handspun heaven here we come!