Innocent Smoothie Hats

Well here I am again knitting, it's 7.30am and I am watching the TV and making my hats for bottles of Innocents. Once you start making these little things you just cant stop, you'll find your head bursting with ideas for them. It only takes about 30 minutes from start to finish to knit or crochet one. (Quick tip, if you are crocheting don't use as many stitches, 20/22 chain will be enough.)

Here are some I have made:

 

Just to remind you the deadline for hats is Friday 30th November 2012.

For the last 2 years Innocent had a stand at the Christmas Craft Fair at the RDS and I hope they will be back again this year. You can sit with them at the stand and knit a hat, there is usually a queue to do so.

You could also get your friends involved by setting up a knitting party. All you need to do is set the date, buy some biscuits and put the kettle on. The Innocent website gives all the details but you can take a look at these PDFs.

	Download a Knitting Party Invite
	Download a Knitting Party Poster

If you do have a knitting party Innocent want to hear all your stories and photos from the day. You can send them all to howaya@innocentdrinks.ie, post them to their facebook wall or twitter account and while you're at it, give me an aul tweet as well, I love to talk to y'all on that twitter machine!

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Finding time to knit

You may think it's hard to find time to knit but really when you put your mind to it there are plenty of opportunities to take out the needles and start clacking away. I take my wool and needles or crochet hook with me wherever I go.

Recently I was in the hairdressers and while waiting for my highlights to take I was knitting mittens for my stall, and also using the opportunity to spread the word about the upcoming craft fair I’ll be at (it’s in Glasnevin, Dublin in December in case I haven’t mentioned it to you yet).

The weekend of course is a great chance to get the needles out. I’m an early riser at the weekends, old habits are hard to break, and while I’m watching the Food Network channel on TV I don’t feel guilty because I’m keeping my hands busy with my needles.

 

While visiting my Mum (who is quite elderly) on Sundays I knit and because of this she recently took out her own needles and started a baby blanket for a new great grandchild that is expected around Christmas. Mum hasn't been too well lately and lost all interest so it's great to see her back knitting.

Knitting can also help keep you healthy. I know, this one sounds far-fetched but I joined a slimming club a few months back because I want to lose a bit of weight for health reasons. In doing this I’ve learned it’s good to keep your hands busy by knitting instead of in the biscuit jar! And another way I keep my hands away from tempting treats is to take just half an hour to eat my lunch at work and the rest of the time, you guessed it, I knit!

All sounding a bit much? Well what about when you’re in front of the TV? One of my favourite programmes at the moment is Downton Abbey (are you a fan?), there’s nothing like ending a busy day relaxing in front of the TV and knitting away.

If you’re finding it hard to get the time to knit you should look at joining a class. Nothing makes you set aside time more than having to leave the house for the specific reason of knitting and it’s a great way to meet fellow stitchers! Some wool shops run them, I know Stitch on Shantalla Avenue, Beaumont do.

Now that the colder weather and darker evenings are here you could also think about getting your friends to meet one evening a week for a stitch and bitc...I mean a knit and stitch session!

These are just some ways I’ve managed to fit my hobby into my day. How do you find the time?

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