It time to get your needles out again. If you remember I posted back in June about The Big Derby Knit and their plight to hit a target of 200 scarves to donate to a homeless charity in Derby. Here is the original post
knitting-for-charity.html and I'm glad to say they managed not only to hit the target but received many more than expected so not only was it a successful project it was a lot of fun too. 

Well they are at it again with project number 2. This time they are asking everyone to knit twiddle blankets and twiddle muffs for people with Dementia, Alzheimers and those who may be recovering from a stroke. We also think that these blankets would be good for people with Autism too. Basically you knit a lap size blanket and attach different sensory items such as velcro, zips, ribbons, and you can even attach a pocket to hold a photograph in. You can leave flat as a blanket or sew together to form a cylinder to allow people to put there hands inside. 

I have started one blanket to just experiment a bit and knitted with size 9 needles and a super chunky wool, I cast on 50 stitches and just knitted until it reached a nice lap size. I used 3 x 100g balls so thats gives you an idea. I've yet to sew on my bits and bobs but I'm enjoying just messing around and trying different wools. You could crochet too so come on get those needles and hooks a clicking! They need another 200 again. If you would like more information and take a look at some patterns for this project there is a Facebook page at:
www.facebook.com/BigDerbyKnit/

It just feels nice to take part and feel as though I'm helping in some way. These items are proved to have helped patients with Dementia so together we can all help some special people get some well deserved therapy and comfort. I have to be honest I had never seen these before and when I did see what the girls at The Big Derby Knit had planned I instantly wondered whether the blankets would also be good for someone on the Autism Spectrum.

As we know some people with Autism are very tactile and this maybe something they could use at school or in the home. I know my son will always touch, stroke and smell things and I'm actually going to make him one just to see if he likes it. You can personalise them to suit the person so my son's will probably have something to do with trains on there somewhere. With a thick wool it would become slightly weighted as well and a lot of people also like this as comfort. It's worth a try anyway. If you do use one already and it is successful please let me know, I'd be really interested in your views and what you think.

Don't forget knitting is very therapeutic to do. It is relaxing, can reduce your blood pressure and stress so what's to stop you now. You don't have to knit any fancy stitches, just keep it simple unless you want to be creative and push yourself a little. It's a great project for anyone, from beginners to those more experienced, you are in charge of your own little creation so good luck and I'm sure I'll post again to update how the whole thing is going on.

For now though thank you for reading, come back tomorrow for my Verse for Thursday that's if I haven't been blown away by Storm Aileen which I believe is on it's way overnight. 

​Take care everyone and stay safe........

I've been knitting a lot lately as I have been taking part in The Big Derby Knit which I wrote a post about here knitting-for-charity.html back in June. There will be a new project coming soon which I will write about but I decided to divert a little and have a little go at crochet. I'm a total beginner so only trying little projects to learn new stitches, well mainly dropping them and getting tied up in knots at present but I'm persevering. My nan was a big crocheter and it must be in the blood as I do actually enjoy it. Can't believe how patient I am being, normally fiddly things end up across the otherwise of the room after travelling 100mph because I've fell out with it, never to repeat the process ever again but I'm quite relaxed and haven't chucked it anywhere yet.

I had a couple of traditional hooks which in fact were my nan's and got on with them fine but then I saw these colourful beauties and wondered whether they would be easier to use with the rubber handles. Well I love them, they are really comfortable to use and the hooks seem to go where I want them to. You can get a good grip with these handles so nothing slips away and no dropping or snagging stitches. I thought they would be too bulky and the hook wouldn't move through the work easily but they do and I can say I do prefer then to the traditional kind. I believe they are very comfy for those with Arthritis and conditions such as Carpul Tunnel Syndrome because of the grip as it relieves the stress made on the joints and wrists, making crochet accessible to more people. 

I also bought a crochet magazine to see if there were any top tips but also I got distracted by the free gift, as you do. It had a free Tunisian crochet hook which on one end looked like a conventional crochet hook and then the length and other end resembled a knitting needle.

Well I thought 'what does one do with that then?' It intrigued me so much I tried following the instructions in the magazine but threw that across the room, yes that did go for a ride and I ended up on You Tube. I just find following someone in a real life demonstration is easier as you can keep rewinding until you get it right.

So I learnt the first Tunisian basic stitch as pictured and it's going well. I really like it. You go from left to right in a crochet fashion working stitches off and then work back right to left in a crocket/knit combo popping them all back on. I thought the needle would be horrendous and too big, in fact I made a clear space across my living room just in case that's where it was going to end up, obviously without piercing any human being, health and safety and all. I really love it though and think I may just learn a bit more. Had never heard of it before and to be honest haven't seen many people doing it. When I improve I may pop some video on a post so you can see how good it is. Let me get really good though first. 

I you fancy the coloured crochet hooks I purchased them from Amazon they are priced at £7.99 for 11 hooks and they include sizes 2mm, 2.5mm, 3mm, 3.5mm, 4mm, 4.5mm, 5mm, 5.5mm, 6mm, 7mm, and 8mm. Will put a link (affiliated) at the end of this post which includes all the details. I will also include a link for the Tunisian Hooks too. As I said previously there will be a new Big Derby Knit project coming soon so watch this space.

For now thanks for reading and join me tomorrow for a Verse for Thursday. Take care for now..... Here are your product links......