Sunday 6 December 2015

Needles and Pillow Talk












Storms are crashing around the house, whipping the trees as if they are little twigs.   I love the change in season I couldn't contemplate living somewhere the weather was the same all the time.  Winter brings the excuse to shut yourself away, light the fire and get some crafting done.  Of course it's not all good, driving to and from work in the dark is pretty depressing but I will grab my little pleasures where I can.

I have taken up my crochet needle and sit by the fire working on a blanket.  I have never actually crocheted anything before so I am hoping this turns out o.k., even if it doesn't I am enjoying making the little circles and I will snuggle in it's warmth.





I complete a couple of the circles each night if possible, hopefully by the time I take my Xmas leave I will be able to start joining them together to make my first granny square blanket.  I have admired so many that other bloggers have shared, now I'm taking up the challenge of making my own.  It will be my Winter Project for the link party hosted by thistlebear.  Pop over and take a look at all of the beautiful projects that have inspired me to take up a crochet needle.  Oh dear, nothing like putting pressure on myself, if you never see it on here again you know it's all gone tits up :)

Not happy with having one project on the go I will also be picking up my sewing needle and attempting some dressmaking.  My mother was a fantastic dressmaker and tailor but I never took it up, much to my regret now.  Yes I was a stroppy teenager who thought sewing was boring!  I picked this pattern up while in London.  It says 'easy', well we shall see!  Ditto the above if it never appears again.






Talking of needles I have also booked some acupuncture sessions.  I had my first session last week, if they can help with the hot flushes it may help with my insomnia.  A couple of people recommended it, I'm not sure if it will work for me but I'm willing to try anything!  Have any of you tried it?  The needles didn't bother me, it was the lying still for what seemed like ages after that I found hard, I'm such a fidget but was afraid they would drop out if I moved too much.

We had to buy a new radio alarm the other day and had the option of buying this with it.  I bet you were wondering what the pillow talk of the title was,  sorry to disappoint :)   It won't cure my insomnia but it helps pass those tortured hours when sleep evades me.

You plug it into your radio alarm and pop the speaker under your pillow, you can then listen to it without disturbing your partner, I find it more comfortable than earphones.  

I hope my blogging friends in the U.K. are keeping safe from the storms and floods.  I'm off to play with the Samba band today at the Padstow food festival.  Fingers crossed that I don't get blown into the harbour!!

Chickpea xx

49 comments:

  1. These winter nights are ideal curling up in front of the fire with a spot of crochet. You have made fabulous progress with your circles & used a lovely range of colours. xx

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  2. Your line about being a stroppy teenager rang true with me. Like your mum mine too was amazing at making clothes, knitting etc where as I can't do either. I've had acupuncture for migraines and found it helped.

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    1. Glad it helped you, hopefully it will help me.

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  3. Your crocheting looks amazing - I've never learnt to crochet. Also hate sewing, even though I did it in high school, and had to sew an evening dress in standard 8 (form 3?) Put me off for life...!

    Pity you can't take your pillow talk to your acupuncture - t'would help pass the time... :)

    Take care in Desmond.

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    1. Thank you Dani. She actually stuck a needle into my forehead to help me relax this time, boy was I chilled!!

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  4. I think you project looks fantastic. i live in Florida and it is hot and humid here, I would love a stiff wind and a change in temperature, especially this time of year. It gives you a reason to stay in and be cozy. I LOVE acupuncture, it has helped me in so many ways, even with hot flashes.
    Hugs,
    Meredith

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    1. Thats good to hear, I hope it will help me.

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  5. I love the colours you are using for your crochet. I haven't started another project yet in order to give me more time to decorate Bears room but I'm finding my fingers are getting twitchy. X

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  6. Cycling to work this morning was a real hazard, abandoned my first attempt until there was some light.

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    1. Cyclists on our country roads in the dark scare the life out of me! Stay safe.

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  7. I love the look of your crochet - there's nothing nicer than hooking away in front of the fire while the storm rages outside. Your sewing pattern looks lovely too. I've never tried acupuncture but do let me know if it helps with the dreaded hot flushes! Happy hooking. xx

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    1. I think I will need a few sessions but will let you know how I get on

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  8. You look well set up for lots of cosy evenings in front of the fire - very relaxing. Yes, I've tried acupuncture and it worked really well for me so fingers crossed for you too!

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  9. my son has a pillow talk, he listens to stories in bed and loves it.
    I've had acupuncture, it worked great for me, hope it does for you. The only time I got a little worried was when the therapist balanced a little foil cup on the end of needle and burnt some herbs in it. The heat passes down the needle into you. It is truly freaky........

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  10. Hope all goes well with the acupuncture. The crochet is looking good, love the wonderful combination of colours.

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  11. I haven't seen one of those before but it sounds like a good idea, it must be awful not being able to get to sleep. Hope the acupuncture works too, I haven't tried it. Your blanket circles look great and I'm looking forward to seeing the sewing. Good luck :-)

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    1. Thank you, will attempt the sewing after Xmas when I hopefully have more time

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  12. Hope you had a fabulous day at the Food Festival - I went to one in Newquay 2 years ago and it was great to try the varieties of food that were available. I'm intrigued by your circles - how do you join circles together to make a blanket? Wouldn't squares be better? (As you can probably guess, I am useless at sewing or knitting.)

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    1. Didn't actually taste any food!! Go so wet and cold I didn't hang around after we finished playing. You make them into square when you join them, not sure how I will get on with that bit

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  13. I've had acupuncture for a variety of things it has always worked for me, in fact any type of alternative treatment seems to work, it's the conventional that I have problems with. Lets hope it works well for you, have you tried lime blossom tea at bedtime, wonderful stuff sweetened with a little honey.

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    1. No I haven't I will look out for it, thanks

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  14. The pillow talk gadget looks wonderful. I find that I'm getting more and more nights when sleep just won't come or I drop off easily then wake around 2 or 3 o'clock and can't get back to sleep. I'm past the hot flushes stage so I don't know why it happens now. Maybe I should try one myself.
    Your crochet looks lovely. I want to learn how to crochet and have bought a crochet hook and got no further. Perhaps I need to Google.... :)

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    1. I love my pillow talk, as it's plugged into the radio alarm I have set it to turn off after an hour, hopefully I have managed to get back to sleep by then

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  15. Hey Chickpea,
    Let me know if the acupuncture helps with the flushes and insomnia. I struggle with this too. Loving the colours of your crochet.
    Leanne xx

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  16. I'm just beginning to struggle with sleep and temperature control so I'll be very interested to know how you get on. The crotchet project looks great - you picked quite a major project! The weather here is Surrey is calm at present but it was pretty windy on Saturday!

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    1. Yes I will let you know, it may take a few sessions. Haha I don't do things by half :)

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  17. I love the colours in your blanket, I am looking forward t the next post. Jo x
    http://joeveryday19@blogspot.co.uk

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  18. Hi Chickpea, thank you for joining in with my link party! Your circles are looking lovely. I really like the yarn colors you're using for them. I can't wait to see what they become!

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    1. Thank you for hosting the party Jennifer x

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  19. I'm sure your blanket will turn out beautifully. I'm no sewer and regret not taking it up sooner too, my mum was a knitter and I followed in her footsteps but I wish I'd listened during my sewing lessons at school now, not that we had many.

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    1. I made an apron at school and that was about it!

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  20. Really LOVE those colours and combinations. Can you give me any info about the yarn and pattern? I'd like to have a go myself. The shades are so gentle and mellow. I'm a beginner really enjoying crochet, and the friendship at a needles-n-natter group I attend. Hope the treatment goes well for you. xx (ShroppieSue on fb)

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    1. Thank you Sue, the pattern is from the book Granny Squares by Susan Pinner ( got it from the book people or something similar that bring books to where I work) and the yarn I used is just what I had already, I got it from the local market a while ago for another project so they didn't cost much. I don't know what make it is as they don't have the sleeves on them any more. I just picked out colours I liked.

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    2. Oh and I made a mistake on them so they don't actually look like they should.

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    3. http://yarnartwithsuepinner.blogspot.co.uk/ :-)

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  21. Your blanket pieces are already looking great and what a treat it will be to join them together over Christmas, a good idea to take time out from the hustle of it to snuggle down and join it together. You will love it x

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    1. I only have a few more circles to go so I'm really looking forward to the joining bit.

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  22. I love the change in season I couldn't contemplate living somewhere the weather was the same all the time.

    I'm with you there. If the weather were always nice, I think I'd be bored to tears. The harsh weather makes one appreciate the warm, sunny days all the more.

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  23. loving your crochet and sewing pattern, x

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  24. Wow, you have never crochet anything before, I'm impressed! Enjoy your cosy indoor crocheting :)

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  25. I do really love such days, when the weather is bad and you just sit in a warm and comfortable place at home doing different stuff like knitting, sewing or drawing. That's such a calm moments i my life when I'm alone with my minds.

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  26. I bought a menopause magnet from boots x

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