Easy knitted Easter Bunny

My Easter chick knitting pattern has proven extremely popular and I have been asked if I have an Easter Bunny pattern.

I came across this easy pattern which I will now share with you.

To make the Bunny you will need to knit a square in garter stitch (every row knit) of approximately 4½ inches square (as tall as it is wide) which will be the size to fit a small chocolate egg.

This can be a larger or smaller square to produce different sizes of Bunny. I have kept experimenting with various numbers of stitches to produce various sizes of squares and have  now decided upon the number of stitches required to make your Bunny  fit a small chocolate egg.

To make your square take 4 mm knitting needles and cast on 24 stitches. Knit every row in knit stitch (garter stitch) until your work measures the same in length as in width and cast off. This should make a square approximately 4½ inches tall and wide. (I knitted 38 rows to produce the square. Your square might take more or less rows.)

I found a mitred square which I had knitted previously as I couldn’t wait until I had knitted a new square and used this for the Bunny. I believe I used 5 mm (UK) knitting needles and Double Knitting  yarn and cast on 36 stitches. This produces the fairly loose knitted square shown below. Each side had 18 stitches.

 

Making your square into an Easter Bunny:

Take a strand of yarn, the same colour of your knitted square and sew a  running thread (best described as in and out, in and out) from side to side half way down the square and sew another thread from half way down the side to the centre top and down to the other side (in the position shown by the purple yarn in the photo below)

 

Pull on the sides of the top draw string thread and secure with a double knot, which will form the shapes of ears. You may need to add a stitch or two to the bottom of the ears when sewing in the loose threads,  to create the perfect shape.

I like the open part of the ears to be at the front of the rabbit and you will see that the nose shape now appears to be at the back as in the picture above. Push through a nose shape from the back so it sticks out in the same direction as the front of the ears.

Fill the nose with filling of your own choice and pull on the centre draw string slightly to form a head and tie in a knot to secure.  Sew in all the loose draw string ends.

To make a tiny pom pom for a tail, wind yarn around a fork and secure tightly at the front (as shown below) and at the back to secure all the tiny strands of yarn before cutting both sides of the strands to form a pom pom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To complete your Easter Bunny sew together the centre back and any opening still left down the back of the head as you need to enclose the filling for the head. Sew on the pom pom tail.

You can fill the body of the Bunny with a small chocolate egg of your choice. If you find the egg falls out, please sew a couple of stitches across the  tail end of the opening at the bottom, to reduce the size of the opening slightly, so the egg will be trapped and not fall out too easily.

I haven’s sewn any features on the face of the Bunny but of course you can if you choose.

I hope you enjoy making this as much as I did.

 

 

 

The Knitting & Stitching show, Harrogate. 23rd-26th November 2017

Competition is now closed. All winners have been notified

When buying tickets if you use the discount code EVIE you will be able to buy the tickets at a reduced rate.

The winners on this blog are Carol, Jay and Isabel.

Winners on my IG account @eviesgran,  have been notified.

 

I have been offered 5 pairs of complimentary tickets to give away for the Knit and Stitch Show in Harrogate which is to take place from Thursday 23rd November, 2017 until Sunday 26th November, 2017.

These tickets can be used on any of the days   EXCEPT SATURDAY 25th NOVEMBER 2017

At the show you’ll find everything from basic to specialist supplies, and fabulous finished makes by experts and students. There are workshops you can book places on and I love to go to the top floor (don’t miss it!) where you can see various groups at work.

I also love to sit in the Royal Hall for refreshments and look at the old theatre.

To be in with a chance of winning a pair of tickets, please comment that you would like to win the tickets, on this blog, or on Instagram, @Eviesgran or on my twitter account @Eviesgran

All names will be entered in the draw and the winners will be notified by Thursday 16th November. The tickets will then be posted out to the lucky winners.

I am soon to be given a discount code which will allow you to buy tickets at a reduced price.  Using this code there is a discount of £2.50 on adult advance tickets and £1 reduction on advance concession tickets.  Check back in a day or two when I should have received the code.

 

Good luck with the ‘giveaway and have fun.

Review: The True Tea Club

 

When I was offered a  free subscription box from The True Tea Club I hadn’t looked into it too much and I must admit didn’t know what I would be getting or what type of tea to expect so when I opened the box and saw the unusually flavoured, exotically named teas, I wondered if I would like them as in the past when I have tried green tea or fruit teas, I really wasn’t impressed.

I read the instructions which give amounts to use, brewing times and temperature of water to use and followed them to the letter.

In the past I realise now, I have had the water too hot or brewed too long as some of the packets say to leave the leaves in the water for 10 to 20 secs.  (the list below which came in the box of teas must have the maximum times to brew!)

I truthfully was amazed to find that I liked all four of the teas sent to me!

 

Some of the teas contain pieces of fruit (Pineapple in the Tropical Sundance, Orange in the Orange Crush)

All of the tea is 100% natural, unprocessed and boasts a plethora of health properties and antioxidants.

In the letterbox sized subscription box with the 4 teas are some draw string tea bags which you can use but infusing the tea in a teapot and using a tea strainer is the usual way to brew, I would suggest.

 

Copied from The True Tea Club website ( https://trueteaclub.co.uk/shop/) This is what to expect:

“Every month, receive a tea subscription box which contains four loose leaf teas from around the world. 

We have a huge selection of loose tea available. With new and exciting teas and infusions for all tea lovers.

We have Black, Green and White teas, Oolong, Rooibos selections, Fruit Infusions and specialist teas.

Whether it be delicate and aromatic, rich and fruity, or light and refreshing, there’s something for everyone. 

With a library of over 200 loose teas, expect endless surprise flavours inside your subscription box

There are no long standing commitments.

You can simply cancel anytime.”

I suggest that for anyone cutting down on calories (that’s me!) drinking these teas would be a great treat to enjoy when not having chocolate or other such delights and I have found I have savoured the teas and loved the aromas which have invaded my kitchen.

Personally, whether I’d drink enough of the tea to use it all in a month is debatable, but for larger households, especially if you already like flavoured and unusual teas, a subscription would be perfect.

 

 

 

 

The 2nd Sealy’s Deeper Sleeper Panel (EviesGran part 7)

For this challenge, I received some zeroUV  blue blocking glasses which I was asked to wear before bed, for one hour a day for a few weeks.

Devices such as smartphones and tablets are often illuminated by light emitting diodes, or LED’s, that tend to emit blue wavelength light, which can keep you awake for longer. The glasses block the blue wavelength light, therefore aiding a more peaceful night’s sleep after watching tv or using a smartphone before bed.

This was a difficult challenge for me as I already wear glasses and after trying to wear the zeroUV glasses over the top of my own, I found them very uncomfortable and to wear them alone without my own spectacles, defeated the object of the exercise as I couldn’t see to operate any of these blue light omitting devices!

I usually fulfil what is required of me for these Sealy challenges but because wearing the glasses proved uncomfortable and I was not able to relax with the zeroUV  glasses on, I wore them some days for a short time but did not wear them for the hour a day as specified on the challenge.  I always feel that being relaxed before bed aids a better night’s sleep and this challenge being uncomfortable wearing the zeroUV glasses, was not one that I felt helped.

I will interested to hear if any of the other Sealy Deeper Sleeper panel members who could wear them for the hour a day as stipulated, find them useful.

 

The Christmas Experience at Lotherton Hall. 2016

 

I was very happy to accept an invitation to the press preview of the Christmas Experience at Lotherton Hall and also extremely pleased that after two days of torrential rain, a fine day was forecast for the preview evening on Wednesday 23rd November 2016.

After picking up Evie from School at 3.30pm we ate our picnic tea in the car and drove to Lotherton Hall Estate.

(The address is Off Collier Lane, Aberford, Leeds LS25 3EB.)

The invitation had said

‘Follow the dancing fairy lights around our fun and interactive Twelve Days of Christmas woodland walk’ and it was exactly that, from the partridge in a pear tree, chirping away and onwards….

The children Evie 7 and Isaac 4 loved pulling the rope to flap the wings of the Calling birds. They came upon the ‘geese a laying’ where they could throw bean bags and knock the eggs off, as on a coconut shy.

The ‘swans a swimming’ was a ‘hook a duck’ pool. Lots of fun to be had there.

There were ‘drummers drumming’ with a little help from the kids and the ‘five gold rings’ were large and created  a tunnel of light to walk through.

The children spun the ‘ladies dancing’ to light up the figures and they raced round lighting them all up one by one till they were all lit up.

and here are Evie and Isaac with the ‘maids a milking’

The Elf village was equally exciting with an area where Fairy doors  could be painted and glittered and  they both enjoyed making Reindeer food and bagging it up.

The Elves were there looking splendid in their green outfits and of course I mustn’t forget our visit to Santa who chatted to the children as they gazed at him in wonder.

There was hot chocolate for the children which they both really enjoyed, and a cafe area and gift shop here in the Elf Village too.

We walked through the Fairy Dell , and Evie loved the whispering sounds of the fairies and little doors and houses.

The House itself looked wonderful, decked beautifully and sounding very Christmassy, with music and carols in the hall

We knew that the children had loved it when on the way back to the car, without prompting, Evie said ” That was great!” and Isaac cried and didn’t want to go home!

It was a lovely start to the Christmas season and the grown up had a good time too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 2nd Sealy’s Deeper Sleeper Panel (EviesGran part 6)

A really heavy parcel arrived for this the 6th part of the 2nd Sealy’s Deeper Sleeper Challenge and inside it was a lamp.

                                                                                              unlit lamp

This lamp was made of Himalayan crystal salt and when the lamp was plugged in and the electric turned on, it is believed that negatively charged ions are created and sent into the air. Positive ions tend to be overproduced and reduce blood and oxygen supply to the brain, resulting in irregular and disrupted sleep patterns.  Himalayan pink salt lamps are natural negative ion generators, so can help reverse these symptoms.

As I walked in the room where the lamp was lit, I somehow felt to breathe more easily. Was it my imagination or not? I really don’t know but perhaps the negative ions made me feel this way.

                                                                                           lit lamp

I already have one of these lamps in the house but had forgotten about it but when I felt this coolness in the air and the feeling of breathing in cool air, it brought back the memory that previously when I had switched on my older lamp, I had the same feeling of breathing deeper. It was a very relaxing feeling.

                                                                                      my old salt lamp

The idea of this challenge was to use the lamp for a minimum of an hour a day and notice it on the days when the lamp was used, if sleep was better than when not using the lamp.

I actually have been away on holiday to the east coast of England for some of the time of this challenge, so haven’t used the lamp every day. Whilst away I had lots of fresh air and excercise and sea air (and a glass or two of wine) so to say I was in a strange bed, I slept quite well there too.

I do think there are benefits to be had by using the lamp and introducing the negative ions into the atmosphere and the light which is a gentle glow through the salt crystal walls of the lamp, gives a relaxed feeling to the room and especially when I used it for the hour before bedtime I think  it did help me to settle and I have slept well while using the lamp.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Knitting & Stitching show, Harrogate. 24th- 27th November 2016

 

I have been offered 5 pairs of complimentary tickets to give away to the Knit and Stitch Show in Harrogate which is to take place from Thursday 24th November, 2016 until Sunday 27th November, 2016.

These tickets can be used on any of the days   EXCEPT SATURDAY 26th NOVEMBER

To be in with a chance of winning a pair of tickets, please comment that you would like to win the tickets, on this blog, or on Instagram, @Eviesgran or on my twitter account @Eviesgran

All names will be entered in the draw and the winners will be notified by Sunday 13th November. The tickets will then be posted out to the lucky winners.

I also have available a discount code which will allow you to buy tickets at a reduced price.  Using this code there is a discount of £2.50 on adult advance tickets and £1 reduction on advance concession tickets.  This will make the ticket price £12.

The code is     EVIE16

Good luck with the ‘giveaway and have fun.

 

13th November 2016

I’m pleased to say that the winners of the competion are:

Victoria Marks, Isma Almas, Bridget Mellor, Jasmine Whiting and Karen Dodgson.

Thanks to all who entered.

The 2nd Sealy’s Deeper Sleeper Panel (EviesGran part 5)

The 5th Challenge for the 2nd Sealy’s Deeper Sleeper panel had arrived when I returned from a few days away from home.

I opened the post from the Sealy team to find a ‘sportline 4202’ pedometer.

The idea of this challenge was to try to walk 10,000 steps a day  to see if by keeping active, a deeper sleep could be achieved. The pedometer was to keep a check on the steps.

Not the easiest packaging to get into!

I cut down the edge to preserve the packaging and still couldn’t access the item. Straight through the middle I decided to cut and then it dawned on me that there may be instructions somewhere inside. 

I did eventually get into it and rescued the instructions of how to set up the pedometer and on my first attempt, gave up on the programming of the, press mode, press set, press reset, concoction of instructions and perhaps  I would try again in due course.

The few days away from home that I mentioned above, was to visit Beamish museum which is near Durham. My husband and I had taken our children Helen and Richard there 25 years ago and Helen wanted to return to the place to show her children.

Although we are only a couple of hours drive away from Beamish from where we live in West Yorkshire, we decided to stay in a hotel which was only a few miles from the town so we could return again using our tickets which when purchased, can be used again and again for a year.

We knew there would be a lot to see and in the end we ended up visiting Beamish on every day of our three days in the North East.

I knew that Helen had an app on her phone which counted steps and the step count for our days walking about in Beamish were as follows:

Monday    8096

Tuesday   8895

Wednesday   8316

Being in a family room in a hotel we had to settle down to sleep at the same time as the children. On the Monday night, I achieved 9 hrs sleep of a good quality and some was deep sleep.

On the Tuesday night although the light went out at 9.30, I was still awake at midnight and woke at 4.40. I did manage to go back eventually and slept again until 7 ish. Not the best night’s sleep I have had.

Wednesday night I was back at home in my own bed. I was tired out with not only the activity but with the travelling too and I was asleep by 10.30. I did wake up once and then went back to sleep until 7.30. A great night’s sleep and a deep sleep too.

I think activity and becoming extra tired can make me sleep well although there are other things to be taken into consideration too, as the three nights mentioned above shows. Although I had walked a similar amount on the Tuesday, my mind was active and without a relaxed brain, sleeps eluded me so having lots of activity and just being extra tired, did not make me sleep well on the Tuesday.

Most days I do run up the stairs rather than walk up them and being an old lady only weeks away from being 70, I do feel I am lucky to still be as active as I am. In term time I look after my grandchildren on those days doing the school run, I walk further than on the days when I don’t look after them but it is very unlikely that I will walk 10,000 steps in one day, never mind every day.

Although it is quite interesting to see on a pedometer or perhaps a phone app step counter, just how many steps have been achieved, I know myself if I have been active or less active on a day to day basis and sometimes having a quiet day at home with less activity and more relaxation and therefore less stimulation of the brain works just as well for me in achieving a great night’s sleep and a deeper sleep than becoming excessively tired by having lots of exercise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 2nd Sealy’s Deeper Sleeper Panel (EviesGran part 4)

This is the 4th Challenge of the 2nd Sealy’s Deeper Sleeper Panel and I couldn’t wait to unpack the large parcel which arrived for it.

I had been asked earlier, which size duvet I would like for a forthcoming challenge so I knew in advance this time what to expect.

Although I have a double bed, I have always preferred to have a king size duvet so the duvet overhangs the sides of the bed, all my duvet covers are king size and a king size Sealy Select duvet arrived.

It always surprises me how they can squash such a voluminous duvet into such a relatively small space and on unpacking the bag, the duvet appeared to explode into the room. I would never be able to pack it back in there again!

My current duvet was  13 tog and much too warm to use on the hot nights of Summer. Yes, I know they are few and far between but we do have them occasionally. I have tried sleeping with a sheet over me but it doesn’t feel right. I prefer the weight of a duvet over me.

This Sealy duvet which arrived was 10.5 tog and perfect for me to use in the warmer weather and far more preferable than my Winter weight duvet.  It had arrived at the perfect time! The hot weather had arrived at last.

I’d forgotten how nice it was to have a new duvet. My old one was quite a few years old and flat. As this Sealy duvet tumbled out of the packaging I realised that I should have bought one earlier!

Through all the warm nights when I might have been tossing and turning trying to get to sleep, I fell alseep instantly.  I usually wake at some point in the night and I still did with this new Sealy duvet but I fell back to sleep again on most nights and I’m sure I slept better than with my old Winter duvet.

The Sealy website said the duvet was:

‘Filled With Luxury DuPont™ Serica® Fibres To Leave You Feeling Balanced For A Deeper Sleep@

This challenge had worked. I had certainly achieved a Deeper Sleep and long may it continue.

Now the weather is less warm, I have continued to nestle down under the newness of my Sealy voluminous duvet.  I love it!

My old duvet is destined for the bin!

 

 

The 2nd Sealy’s Deeper Sleeper Panel (EviesGran part 3)

These great items, a colouring book for grownups, a box of classic colour pencils and a token to buy a book from Waterstones were sent for the next ‘Sealy Deeper Sleeper Challenge’ with the request to remove all technology (phones, tablets and laptops) from the bedroom in the hope this would help in achieving a Deeper Sleep.

The removal of technology from the bedroom wasn’t difficult in my case as I do not have a tv in the bedroom and do not use a tablet or laptop anywhere else but downstairs.  I was reluctant though to remove my mobile phone as I always use the alarm to wake me up at the required hour each morning. The phone had to stay firmly at the side of the bed for this purpose.

I am sure that crafting in all its forms are beneficial to relaxation and I looked through the colouring book and no doubt on some occasion in the future I will enjoy a relaxing time colouring in some of the outlines on the pages.

My relaxation crafts of choice for the two weeks of this challenge have been knitting, crocheting and decoupage (in my case adding pictures and words to wooden spoons and spatulas and decorating candles too)

As you can see by the amount of items I’ve produced, I am an addicted crafter.

Many of my friends do love to read and drop off to sleep after relaxing with a good book. Whilst I used to read as a child and teenager, I haven’t read many books over the last few years but I am never without a crochet hook and yarn or other similar items to keep me occupied. I will no doubt buy some crochet instruction book or similar with my book token.

I am sure that after colouring in a picture in the book or other crafts which are repetitive, (as in crochet or knitting) you are not given any time to think about worries of the day and so therefore these are beneficial to obtaining a Deeper Sleep as you are already in a relaxed state before bed.

Yes, this challenge worked.  I certainly slept well (and probably deeper) after relaxing with my craft of choice before bed.