lovinghands

Well we keep saying we need a bigger room, and we have got one!
Last nights meeting started as planned in our usual room, and we then decamped into the new larger than life room.... with lots of windows for fresh air, and a door to the outside.... oh its the simple things.

Much more room, and we had a 'Cake Corner', a 'Yarn Corner', a seperate table for Marion to pin out her squares... lots and lots of room... can you tell i'm excited about our new room? What gave it away????

Tonight we had Lynn, Marion, Pauline, Julie, Jean, Mazzy, Margaret, Sheila and new member Sue (Greenfinch). We missed our lovely Molly, at home with her husband in a nurses outfit (dont be rude - i know what you are thinking ) as he gets over his recent op. We also missed Chrissy, and I had hoped I would get to meet her after missing the last meeting myself, we will meet i hope.

Pauline had made 2 lovely apple cakes which passed the LH quality control so i think it is safe to pass on the recipe.... Thank you Pauline, It would be lovely if you could share your recipe for the LH cook book and grandmanita.

Lots of great donations as always, and Lynn will kindly put some pictures on of the donations to be sent up to to Lou. Thank you Lynn.

I've kept aside some of the baby stuff for the Portsmouth NICU and Maternity department, based in Cosham very near to where we meet, and I will be delivering tomorrow (meant to do today but forgot ). I've taken some pictures but continuing to struggle to put on the forum , but I will persevere... They are on flickr for now if anyone wants to look.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/41408429@N02/

A great night, great company and great cakes.... did i mention there was cake....

Hi Abi and everyone at the Portsmouth group. - YES you did mention the CAKE !!!!! again. you all sound to have had a great night now in the much bigger room. so wish I could join you but sort of live in a place time forgot - a market town !! don't know where they got town - don't blink going throught or you will miss us.
It is great being part of the family!! always a smile and a laugh when you read the messages.
Love to all .
and please keep me a slice of APPLE CAKE.
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
Anita - Grandmanita

Delighted you'se had to get a bigger room - happy days. I think this recipe for the apple cake should be shared for all LH members - it may be early but I have no hesitation in sampling some (for the group of course)!!!

Had a wee nosey at the photos - brilliant donations.

Keep up the great work.

Cherryl xx

I should point out that some of the baby items and almost all of the burial items were donated by the whole group not just Portsmouth.

Lou packed me up a large box full which i've split down to go to 3 different places:
1. The Newborn Intensive Care Unit for the tiny tiny ones
2. The Maternity post natal service, where these items will be distributed to some of the parents and babies in some of Portsmouths deprived areas (in this day and age its hard to think that we have such poverty in the UK, but we do and apparently some of the worst is in Portsmouth)
3. One of our local funeral directors who has said they would be very keen to have some baby burial items.

Thanks for all of YOUR donations.

Hello ladies, well at least Abi's photo link clears up my confusion as to why I was missing some things to photograph! I know I was a bit out of it on Wednesday for some reason (couldn't tell the new member where I came from)

As we had three weeks break between meets there was huge number of donations and lots were scarves which proved very difficult to arrange nicely for photos but I think they have come out ok.

Firstly we have some lovely toys (especially the tortoise) from Pauline and the long leggedly people were from her daughter Sally.



More toys, this time from Julie along with a pretty baby hat - very cute red dinosaur



Jeannie made this lovely Beret and scarf set in fluffy wool along with a couple of beanie hats and a pretty chemo cap. I should have taken a photo of Jean modelling this hat as the photo does not do it justice.



Abi had made two scarves on her knitting machine and crocheted a lovely baby shawl. I love the orange scarf, it is very elegant.



Pauline had also been busy with her knitting machine and produced this lovely set of fun tube scarves and a hat and she had knitted some fingerless mitts too. I do like the colours of this ensemble.



Molly who was absent had sent her donations with me, she had made this lovely wavy baby blanket and a cosy green scarf.


I have been busy working through the donated cones and made these three adult scarves, two children's hat and scarf sets, one beanie hat and a baby cardigan. I like knitting with two strands as you never really know how they will knit up.




Our Sheila had made these four Oxfam jumpers, two scarves and a pretty lemon boob, despite having had a cataract op between the meetings. It was lovely to see her for a short time on Weds and hope you will be back to full health very soon.



This is the first of donations from Marilyn who had been valiantly working through that huge 1000 gms cone of blue aran Two scarves and a hat to match in the blue wool. A hat and scarf set in darker wool and a very pretty navy and white blanket which is delightful.



More from Marilyn, a very pretty mohair shoulder shawl, childrens jumpers and lots of hats. You have been a very busy girl Mazzy!



Mazzy also donated these bed socks from another source.


Margaret made a beautiful baby blanket and cardigan along with these hats on the left but Abi took those for the baby unit and are on Abi's Flickr link above. The squared blanket on the right was knitted by our Marion. Well done Marion, it is no secret that you don't enjoy knitting very much but you are doing a sterling job sewing up other donated squares and sewing on buttons, a job I hate.



Lastly, this bright yellow and red jumper and the little hats were knitted by Pauline's daughter Sally. Pauline donated both packs of sock, Abi donated the toothbrushes and my OH Chris donated the two shower gels which are intended for the shoe boxes.



Our new member Sue made some very pretty pink premature hat and cardigan sets which I didn't take home which again are on Abi's Flickr link so please do click on that and have a closer look as they were so cute.

Well done everyone, fantastic donations and so many of them!!! Must put my camera on charge now

A great meeting as usual, enjoyed by all of us. It was lovely to meet Sue, hope you will be there next time.
The photos have turned out really well, Lynn and Abi. What a lot we all turn out - keep it up girls, at this rate we will soon be through the 'mountain of wool' and begging for more! How you cope with it all at your end Lou, heaven knows. We all admire you for all your good work.
Thankyou for all the nice comments about my cakes - even if they did get a bit soggy in the foil en route. My husband asked for the leftovers when I got home!!! No chance!
I shall be making another one (or two) for the next meeting, as Molly and Chrissie missed out.
Look forward to seeing everyone again. Meanwhile keep knitting!!!!
Pauline X

Is the bigger room because there is more cake or more members or both? whatever, the donations are stunning. well done to you all. I love reading about your meetings. Hope Molly and husband are O.K.
Love Mad Maureen X

The photos have come out realy well.
It was a lovely meeting in the new room - lots of space and comfy chairs too.

I am so glad I found the group

Great photos and fantastic donations. Well done everyone

Maureen the bigger room is because we're eating so much cake we cant fit in the old one!

Seriously though, when Molly, Lynn and I had our first meeting, none of us anticipated that we would grow as we have in the 6 months.... but we have and its great to see new members joining us regularly.

I've heard from Molly today and her husband is on the mend, despite a little set back mid week. I'm sure she will be touched to know you are thinking of them both.

Thanks for the lovely photo's Lynn, and all your efforts in keeping us organised. You do a grand job.

I think I must have missed Sally's toys at the meeting... probably scoffing cake. They are great. Thanks Sally.

Just to let you all know I have delivered the NICU and Maternity boxes today.... ooohs and aaaahs all round as they looked at all our items and the staff I met with were really pleased.

Very pleased to hear that the NICU and maternity appreciated the box of goodies although they would have to be very cold fish indeed not to have been moved by the beautiful items that the girls crocheted and knitted.

We now know that our baby things will be going to a worthy cause and once I have finished knitting hats and scarves for the Autumn challenge with the donated wool I can return to knitting cute stuff Having said that, I am enjoying making hats for the challenge and my pattern is dead easy.

I caved in yesterday - bought some baby wool and a new pattern......I will get back to the dark side soon, but felt I needed something soft and gentle to do

sorry I didn't make the last meeting - just too much going on and I would have been ashamed as I hadn't done any work for the group. All your work is excellent. When is the next meet?

Just typed this once and somehow managed to lose it Here we go again. Looked through the pics and on flickr too and its great to see so many donations Wonderful to hear you have managed to 'expand' into a new room (as someone else says it must be all the cake) Anyway, keep up the good work Dot

Very jealous of your meeting, you do sound as though you have a good time together! Lots of lovely donations too, you're all very talented.