A New Craft - Diamond Dots

 Hi everyone,

I've been diamond dotting.

The last eighteen months have been quite unusual in that a lot more time has been spent at home but a lot less time has been spent crocheting.  Not quite sure why but I haven't felt the need to crochet (or knit) anything.

I've finished off a couple of UFO macrame projects and three diamond dots but no projects made from yarn.

Very strange but hoping to get back in to it soon.

What have you been making?

Lisa

2021 - No so much crafting ...

 If there is one thing that 2020 taught me it was to expect the unexpected!

This year I am going to take a break from crafting or decrease the amount of it and work on getting my health and energy back.

My cro-jo has disappeared.  I haven't crocheted anything in months.

Time to try and find it again!

Latest project - Comfort Bears

At the moment I'm practising my knitting skills. Even though I prefer to crochet, every now and then I get intrigued by the needles and knit something.

I was at a CWA Meeting the other week and one of the ladies there was knitting "comfort bears"

The pattern looked simple enough so I thought I'd give it a try.

As you can see from the two photos the bear is done in one piece and then sewn up around the edges to make the bear.

If you'd like to make one the pattern is:
Cast on 10 stitches
Knit 24 rows
- first leg completed, break yarn
Cast on 10 stitches
Knit 24 rows,
- second leg completed
Knit across all stitches
Knit 24 rows
- body completed
Cast on 10 stitches at the beginning of the row for the arm - knit across
Cast on 10 stitches at the beginning of the next row for the second arm - knit across
Knit 12 rows
Cast off 10 stitches at the beginning of the row
Cast off 10 stitches at the beginning of the next row
- arms completed
Knit 50 rows
- this does both sides of the head (front and back)
Then you work in reverse to complete the other side of the bear
Cast on 10 stitches at the beginning of the row for the arm - knit across
Cast on 10 stitches at the beginning of the next row for the second arm - knit across
Knit 12 rows
Cast off 10 stitches at the beginning of the row
Cast off 10 stitches at the beginning of the next row
- arms completed

Knit 24 rows
- body completed

**Knit across 10 stitches, knit 24 rows, cast off 10 stitches (first leg completed)

repeat ** for second leg

Then you just need to sew around the bear and diagonally across the tops to create ears and sew on a face.

Have fun and good luck, it is also a great way to use up scrap small balls of yarn.

500 - Five Hundred Matilda Poppies

In November 2017 I was scrolling through Facebook and saw a post talking about sending parcels over to Defence Personnel serving overseas for Christmas.  It suggested adding in a Matilda Poppy to acknowledge their service.

What the heck is a Matilda Poppy???? So I went looking further and found it to be a poppy that is orange in colour and acknowledges a veterans service.  The message being to "Respect Every Veterans Service", not just those lost to war or those from WWI and WWII but also those still serving today.  It is a way for us to say "Thank you".

I crocheted one and posted a photo of it and shared it with "Matilda Poppy", since then I've discovered that it is run by Andrea who is a veteran herself.

The more I read the more I was shocked that we have lost so many veterans to suicide.  Back then it was just over 300, so my goal was to make 300 Matilda Poppies, then if we lost another person I'd make another one so that no one was left behind.  ANZAC Day 2018 they were presented to the local RSL.

Fast forward to towards the end of 2019.  The number has sadly increased to be FIVE HUNDRED, so I made another 156 poppies.  Now there are 500 of them on their way to another RSL.  My hope is that they are acknowledged and those veterans we've lost are respected.  They may have died from their internal wounds but they still served our country and for that they should be treated with respect.

To all our veterans, I say thank you, to the mothers, fathers and families of Jesse Bird, David Finney and the other 498 I say thank you as well.  I acknowledge you and respect your service.

Thank you.

More information about Matilda Poppy can be found at www.matildapoppy.com

Poppy Crochet Pattern

Poppy Crochet Pattern (as used for the Matilda Poppy Project)

8 ply yarn in yellow and orange
4 mm crochet hook

With Yellow
Round 1: chain 2, 6 hdc in second chain from hook, join with slip stitch to top of first hdc.

With Orange
Round 2: Join in any hdc, 2 hdc in each hdc around (12 hdc)
Round 3: *chain 4, skip two hdc, hdc in next hdc repeat from * (4 chain 3 loops created).
Round 4: slip stitch into first chain 4 loop, *chain 3, 11 double crochet in loop, chain 3 sl stitch in same loop, repeat from *, this gives you your four petals.

End Off and weave in ends.

If you have any questions about the pattern please comment below and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

Thank you

Lisa

Sleeping Mats

On Tuesday I dropped off sleeping mat numbers 13 - 17.  That is 17 mats in total made in 16 months!!

Hopefully it means 17 people getting a slightly warmer, slightly more comfortable nights sleep.

I'd like to thank Sam from West Victoria Homeless Support Group who provided me with a peg loom to use to make the mats.  The mats made using the loom were a lot quicker compared to the first three that I crocheted.

At the moment there is another mat that is in progress, it is being completed by a Year 2 class of boys at Tintern Grammar.  Mrs G has got the boys weaving a mat so they too can help someone that is sleeping rough.  Thank you Tintern Grammar for taking on this project as well.

Homelessness Week 2017

What a week!!

It started last week when I heard about the launch for Homelessness Week at Lilydale Lake Community Centre.  It was advertised on the Yarra Ranges Life TV Facebook Page.

I'd been following Yarra Ranges Life TV's Facebook page after they did a special on Animal Aid up at Coldstream.

They were streaming the coverage of the launch live from Lilydale Lake Community Centre.

For the last fifteen months I've been making sleeping mats out of plastic bags.  I first found out about the mats on a local noticeboard where they were looking for helpers to make the mats.

I started going along to workshops being held in Frankston and started crocheting my first mat.  The first couple of mats were crocheted but then I found out it was a lot quicker to use a weaving loom.
Thank you Sam from West Victoria Homeless Support Group for gifting me a loom and the second two I also purchased for other groups to use.  One loom is on loan to a group of students at Tintern Grammar.

At the beginning of the week I had three mats along with pillows to hand over to people on the streets and I was looking for a group to give them to.

I took one of them along on Monday to the launch and met Councillor Tim Heenan who was sleeping rough in a cardboard box near Melba Park in Lilydale at the David Parkinson Pavillion.

Tim has been using one of the mats in his cardboard box and has provided valuable feedback regarding how they help him get a better nights sleep and at the end of the sleep out he will then pass the mat on to someone else who needs it.

Neal Taylor from Holy Fools was also at the launch and he has said that any mats I make after this week will be gratefully accepted and handed out to those who need them most.

I've met some wonderful people this week who are part of great groups that are helping people the most.  Holy Fools runs a lunch on a Wednesday at 12 o'clock and I'll be going down there to visit them to see their awesome work in action.

Thank you Tim, Neal, Phil and Pat who I've met this week along with the people on the streets themselves.  Looking forward to getting more mats out there and hopefully finding more local groups to help make more of them

If you have a group of people that would like to start making mats please contact me for further details via my Facebook page