Learning Crochet and More De-Cluttering

Well as many of you may know I didn't have any New Years Resolutions this year, instead I decided on what I wanted to learn this year, one of them was Crochet.  There are so many wonderful photos out there of peoples gorgeous Crochet creations.

So off I trotted to the local haberdashery and got my hook.  I was advised there to get a large hook but this wasn't great advice, I am now finding a 4mm metal hook that a friend Kathryn gave me much better.  I had this bright yellow wool left over from Middle Sweetpeas birthday party last year when we made pom pom chicks so I was ready and raring :-)  My friend at work taught me to chain and then I found these great videos to master some other stitches.  Kathryn who gave me the hook also gave me a great DVD which came with a magazine called 'The Art of Crochet', I have found that really useful.

So only knowing the chain and single and double crochet so far I made the two girl Sweetpeas some cuffs.

Little Sweetpea wanted a Daisy on hers, of course I made her one :-)  Now middle Sweetpea wants hers updated with a Daisy.

Oh how I love toddlers cute little chubby hands :-)

I think they look rather cute on, and little Sweetpea seems very happy with hers.     I have had to mend little Sweetpeas one already as these aren't quite as sturdy as the hairclips I make and she pulled it off rather than unhooking it from the button :-)

Now I have hit a little brick wall with Crochet as several things I have learnt which I thought were called one thing are called another on the DVD.  I think I have come across an American tutorial (on the web) and the DVD is English.   hhmm not sure what to do now.  I was off work this weekend due to little Sweetpea being sick all Saturday night, I thought it was due to her really chesty cough which she still has but I think it may have been a separate bug as her best mate was sick too.    I awoke with the most fantastic thumping headache so had to call in sick so my break time Crochet lessons weren't going to happen :-(  This weekend I hope that my work mate can teach me more crochet, although I am not sure if I will end up more confused as she is from Estonia - not sure what stitch terms they use :-)

I am still de-cluttering the house and it seems it is effecting Mr Sweetpea.  We have had this dresser holding tools in the shed since we moved here 12 years ago, we didn't want to part with it but it wasn't our style anymore.  Well Mr Sweetpea suddenly decided that is must be sanded down and bought back into the house - I must say I like it a lot now it has been sanded down and it provides us with much needed storage.  The only problem we have is that the tools that were in it are now all over the floor of the shed and the table that used to be in that corner (our season corner) has now got to find a new home in the house and I am really not sure where.

I have been ploughing through my old cassette tapes the last few weeks.  Oohh it has been fun listening to the music on them, what flash backs they bring.  We have been listening to the likes of The Cranberries, a-ha, Suede, Madness, Another Man's Poison (my hubbys mates Ska/Punk band), the Trainspotting soundtrack, Garbage just to name a few :-)

It is quite funny how the children haven't really seen tapes before so they had fun trying them out.  Also the vinyls have been listened to too.  I got a bit of a shock a while ago whilst listening to one of them and then hearing it scratch only to realise that Eldest Sweetpea was trying to change the track on it :-o  I have now trained him up on how vinyls work :-)

By the way, does anyone else feel like they are living in the series of Outnumbered?   I am sure we are all being secretly filmed for the next series lol.