Kids Kitty Hat

At last I have finally got round to writing out the kitty hat pattern....I'm so sorry it's taken so long, hopefully it's worth the wait :)

It's kids size, for a bigger hat just add a few more inc rounds, in the hat until it's big enough for you & an extra increase row or two in the ears so that they don't look too small! Or you could always go for a thick Aran wool & bigger hook!

 

Needed

4.5mm hook

Black felt

Yellow felt

White wool (4ply)

A little black wool

  Embellishment of your choice (button, flower, ribbon, etc)

    

In UK terminology

  (crochet terminology chart)

  HAT

 Magic Ring

  rnd 1: 6 dcs intto ring (6sts)

 rnd2: inc into each st (12sts)

 rnd3: *dc, inc* repeat round (18sts)

 rnd4: *dc into next 2 sts, inc* repeat round (24 sts)

 rnd5: *dc into next 3 sts, inc* repeat round (30sts)

18.  rnd6: *dc into next 4 sts, inc* repeat round (36sts)

rnd7: *dc into next 5 sts, inc* repeat round (42sts)

rnd8: *dc into next 6 sts, inc* repeat round (48sts)

 rnd9: *dc into next 7 sts, inc* repeat round (54sts)

rnd10: *dc into next 8 sts, inc* repeat round (60sts)

rnd11: *dc into next 9 sts, inc* repeat round (66sts)

rnd12: *dc into next 10 sts, inc* repeat round (72sts)

 rnd13: dc in each st round (72 sts)

rnd14: *dc into next 11 sts, inc* repeat round (78sts)

rnd15: dc in each st round (78sts)

rnd16: *dc into next 12 sts, inc* repeat round (84sts)

rnd17: dc in each st round (84sts)

rnd18: *dc into next 13 sts, inc* repeat round (90sts)

 rnd19: dc in each st round (90sts)

rnd20: *dc into next 14 sts, inc* repeat round (96sts)

rnd21: dc in each st round (96sts)

 rnd22: *dc into next 15 sts, inc* repeat round (102sts)

rnd23: dc in each st round (102sts)

rnd24: *dc into next 16 sts, inc* repeat round (108sts)

 rnd25-33: dc in each st round (108sts)

 (optional rnd34: dc into first st, *ch3, miss st, dc into next st* repeat round.

 EARS (make 2)

 magic ring

rnd1: 4dcs into ring(4sts)

rnd2: inc into each st (8sts)

rnd3: *dc into next st, inc* repeat round (12sts)

rnd4: *dc into next 2 sts, inc* repeat round (16sts)

 rnd5: *dc into next 3 sts, inc* repeat round (20sts)

 rnd6: dc in each st round (20sts)

rnd6: *dc into next 4 sts, inc* repeat round (24sts)

 rnd7: *dc into next 7st, htr, tr, 2tr, tr, htr,* repeat  (30sts)

Stitch ears to top of the hat, 9th round from crown.

Stitch on eyes & nose & sew on whiskers.

Embellish however you wish!

 ***This pattern cannot be sold. For personnal use only.***

If there are any problems with the pattern please let me know so that any amendments can be made.

Also feel free to send me a link to any finished projects & I'll link to them here! :)

Meditating with Animals - They Help You Relax And Get In Touch With Spirit | The Shaman's Well

Meditating with Animals - They Help You Relax And Get In Touch With Spirit | The Shaman's Well

Interesting article....

Pagan Blanket

Yey! It's finished!
I'm fairly pleased with it, a few things I'd like to change. but all in all I think it's rather groovy. :)

I've been fairly busy recently so I haven't been able to convert my charts onto the computer yet, but as soon as I have I'll post them up.

As for the others....

The Pentacle can be found on my blog, HERE
The Cernunnos chart can be found HERE
The Tribal Sun can be found HERE
The Goddess can be found HERE
The 9 Circles Square (bottom left) is altered form THIS 

I can't recall the others, but when I do, I'll link to them :)

*UPDATE*
I've finally added the charts I drew for the seasons which can be found HERE

WIP Pagan Blanket

Nearly finished a pagan inspired blanket. Just the edging to complete. I'm also thinking of outlining the colour work, not made my mind up yet.
I've used quite a few freely available charts, which I'll link to once I upload the finished blanket.
There's a couple of squares I've designed myself (the seasons). I'll upload the finished charts ASAP!

I think it's safe to say that the blanket has Ginges approval...

Once it's done I'll note down as many points as possible, as a lot of the stitches were chosen for specific reasons & of course link to where I found the charts etc.

Crochet Goddess Doll Pattern

This is a simple design that can be left plain like the above image or easily decorated. It’s up to you. I originally wrote the design with children in mind. I think the arms are perfect to use as a handle, but it can easily be made for adults. Think of what it is going to be used for. It can be used like a poppet to represent a person or a specfic Goddess, an element, in a ritual,  etc.

Go with what feels right & let your imagination soar!

This pattern is written in UK terminology

Sl st – slip stitch                                                     

Ch – chain

Dc – Double crochet   (sc in US terminology)

Inc – Increase (2dc into 1 stitch)

Dec – Decrease (2 dc’s stitched together)

Gauge/hook size not important.

Equipment:

Stuffing

Darning needle

(*Stuff as you crochet...the more the better as it will help retain the shape of the doll. It will be quite firm.* )

Start of head

Rnd 1: Starting with the head, 7dc into a magic ring. Sl st together. Ch1. End all rounds in this way.

Rnd 2: inc into each st around. (14)

Rnd 3: dc, inc. Repeat round. (21)

Rnd 4: 2 dc, inc. Repeat around (28)

Rnd 5: dc in each st around. (28)

Rnd 6: 3 dc, inc . Repeat around. (35)

Rnd 7-10: dc in each st around. (35)

Rnd 11: 3dc, dec. Repeat around. (28)

Rnd 12: dc in each st around. (28)

Rnd 13: 2dc, dec. Repeat around. (21)

Rnd 14: dc, dec. Repeat around. (14)

Rnd 15: dec in each st around (7)

Stuff  tightly.

Start of torso

Rnd16: inc into each st around. (14)

Rnd 17: dc, inc. Repeat around. (21)

Rnd 18: 2 dc, inc. Repeat around (28)

Rnd 19: dc around (28)

Rnd 20: 3dc, inc. Repeat around. (35)

Rnd 21-25: dc around (35)

Rnd 26: 3dc, dec. Repeat around. (28)

Rnd 27: dc around. (28)

Rnd 28-29: 2dc, dec. Repeat around. (16)

Stuff tightly

Start of bottom

Rnd 30: inc into each st around.(32)

Rnd 31: 3dc into single st, 1dc in next st. Repeat around. (64) 

Rnd 32-39: dc around. (64)

Rnd 40: 6dc, dec. Repeat around. (56)

Rnd 41: dc around. (56)

Rnd 42: 8dc, dec around. Dc in last 2dc. (50)

Rnd 43: 7dc, dec around. Dc in last 2dc. (44)

Rnd 44: 6dc, dec around. Dc in last 2dc. (38)

Rnd 45: 5dc, dec around. Dc in last 2dc. (32)

Rnd 46: 4dc, dec around. Dc in last 2dc. (26)

Rnd 47: 3dc, dec around. Dc in last 2dc. (20)

Rnd 48: 2dc, dec around. (14)

Stuff tightly.

Rnd 49: 2dc, dec. Repeat around. (7)

Rnd 50: dc, dec. Repeat around. Dc in last dc. (5)

Rnd 51:dec around until bottom is closed. Fasten off securely leaving a length of wool. By pulling on this it will help shape the bottom. Weave into the bottom.

Arms

Ch 60.

Dc in each st for 12 rows.

Whip stitch sides together.

Stuff tightly. Use plenty of stuffing. The more the better.  Use a knitting needle/pencil to push the stuffing into the crocheted tube.

Position the end of the arms two rows down from the neck, making a curved arch over the head.

(This could easily be altered so the arms are facing down, making a embracing position.)

·         Optional extras

•      Herbs – these can be placed in with the stuffing
•      Embellishments -Some suggestions
• Shells for water
• Feathers for air
• Flowers for earth
• Red beads/sequins for fire
• Silver/white glitter for the spirit.     Use a colour of wool to correspond to a specific element.  
• Fill a small lidded tub (such as a Kinder Egg) with beads, rice etc. Glue round the lid & place in doll while stuffing to create a rattle
•     Thread beads onto wool before you crochet. Slip a bead into each stitch for a round, to create a necklace of beads. Stitched on beads have a tenacity of coming loose. Not good if you plan to give the doll to a child. This way the beads will only come off if the beads break.
• Stitch on sigils, runes etc

PLEASE do NOT sell this pattern. You are free to sell the completed dolls. If this is seen for sale anywhere please report the seller & let me know. Thank you .

I would LOVE to see any dolls hooked up, so if you make one (or more) please take a picture & I'll happily add it here to share with others. :)

If there are any problems with the pattern (mistakes etc) feel free to leave a comment & I'll do my best to help you out!

***EDIT 27-01/2016***
A massive thank you to Megan Torres for helping me with rds 31 & 40 I owe you one :)

***EDIT 18-05/2018***
PDF can be accessed at https://www.dropbox.com/s/m14r7zfmr551jkv/Crochet%20Goddess%20Doll.pdf?dl=0

Ten Cognitive (Thinking) Traps

1     All or nothing thinking:

You see things in black & white categories & there are no shades of grey. If a situation is less than perfect you see it as a total failure.

2.       Overgeneralization:

Here, one unfortunate event leads to the assumption that this will happen every time, but remember there is no justification for seeing one instance as proving the rule. Recognised by thinking involving the words always or never.

3.       Mental Filter:

You pick out a single negative detail & dwell on it exclusively. One word of critics eradicates all the praise you have received.

4.       Disqualifying the positive:

You reject the positive experiences by insisting they don’t count, maybe they are a fluke. If you do a good job, you tell yourself it was easy, or anyone could have done it.

5.       Jumping to conclusions:

You interpret things negatively when there are no facts to support your conclusion. Two common variations are mind-reading (you arbitrarily assume that someone is reacting negatively to you), & fortune telling (You predict that things will turn out badly).

6.       Catastrophising :

You exaggerate the importance of your own problems & shortcomings to disaster proportions – “I made a mistake, how awful; I can never show myself here again.” Do you feel this way about other people when you see them make a mistake?

7.       Emotional Reasoning:

You take your feelings as facts, assuming your negative emotions reflect the way things really are, as in “I feel guilty, so I must be a rotten person”, or “I feel anxious, so there must be some real danger.”

8.       Should statements:

Based upon out assumptions, you think you should be perfect all the time, should never make a fuss or never get angry. You may assume others should always be able to anticipate your needs, or this is proof they don’t care for you.

9.       Labelling:

An extreme form of all or nothing thinking, you label yourself as a ‘useless person’ on the basis of one mistake. It makes as much sense labelling yourself a joiner, because you put up a shelf.

10.   Personalisation & blame:

You hold yourself personally responsible for events that aren’t entirely under your control, & which may involve others’ actions or decisions making too.

"Not Perfect"

This is my Earth
And I live in it
It's one third dirt
And two thirds water
And it rotates and revolves through space
At rather an impressive pace
And never even messes up my hair
And here's the really weird thing
The force created by its spin
Is the force that stops the chaos flooding in

This is my Earth
And it's fine
It's where I spend the vast majority of my time
It's not perfect
But it's mine
It's not perfect

This is my house
And I live in it
It's made of cracks
And photographs
We rent it off a guy who bought it from a guy
Who bought it from a guy
Whose grandad left it to him
And the weirdest thing is that this house
Has locks to keep the baddies out
But they're mostly used to lock ourselves in

This is my house
And it's fine
It's where I spend the vast majority of my time
It's not perfect
But it's mine
It's not perfect

This is my body
And I live in it
It's x
And x months old
It's changed a lot since it was new
It's done stuff it wasn't built to do
I often try to fill it up with wine
And the weirdest thing about it is
I spend so much time hating it
But it never says a bad word about me

This is my body
And it's fine
It's where I spend the vast majority of my time
It's not perfect
But it's mine
It's not perfect

This is my brain
And I live in it
It's made of love
And bad song lyrics
It's tucked away behind my eyes
Where all my fucked up thoughts can hide
Cos God forbid I hurt somebody
And the weird thing about my mind
Is that every answer that you find
Is the basis of a brand new cliche

This is my brain
And it's fine
It's where I spend the vast majority of my time
It's not perfect
But it's mine
It's not perfect
I'm not quite sure I've worked out how to work it
It's not perfect
But it's mine

Rules Of Being Human

Rules of Being Human by Dan Millman 

• When you were born, you didn't come with an owner's manual. These guidelines help make life work better!

• You will receive a body. You may like it or hate it, but make the best of it because it’s going to be with you for the rest of your life. 

• You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full time informal school called life on planet Earth. Every person or incident is the Universal Teacher 

• There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of experimentation. ‘Failures’ are as much a part of the process as ‘Successes’ 

• A lesson is repeated until it is learned. It is presented to you in various forms until you learn it, then you go to the next lesson. 

• If you don’t learn easy lessons they get harder. External problems are a precise reflection of your internal state; pain is how your subconscious gets your attention. First it whispers, then it Yells. When you clear inner obstructions, your outside world changes. 

• You will know you have learned a lesson when your actions change. Wisdom is practice, practice, practice, practice. Remember a little of Something is better than a lot of Nothing. 

• ‘THERE’ is no better than ‘HERE’. When your ‘THERE’ becomes ‘HERE’, you simply obtain another ‘THERE’ that looks better than ‘HERE’

• Others are only mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another unless it reflects something you love or hate in yourself.

• Your life is up to you. Spirit provides the canvas you do the painting. There are three kinds of people; those who make things happen, those who watch what happens, and those who wonder what happened. Take charge of your life - or someone else will. 

• You always get what you want. Your subconscious rightfully determines what energies, experiences and people you attract, therefore only the foolproof way to know what you want is to see what you have. 

• There is no right or wrong, but there are consequences and responsibilities. Corollary Law: no one gets away with anything; everything has a value – and a price; you pay now, or you pay later. 

• Your answers lie inside you. Children need guidance from others; as we mature, we trust our hearts, where the laws of spirit are written. You must know more than you have heard or read or been told. All you need to do this is look, listen and trust.

• You will tend to forget all this. That’s why it’s good to remind one another.

Alana

My latest painting......

Comfort Bag Against Panic Attacks

Yet something else I found at JTF (Journey Towards Freedom). It's such a wealth of info & ideas!
I carry a large enough bag, so I can fit a smaller one with a few things in it, into it.I don't suffer from panic attacks anymore (thank god!) but I could do with something to distract my mind when I'm feeling low &/or stressed.....


How do you prepare yourself for panic attacks while away from home? Reach into your comfort bag for security, distraction or relaxation. Prepare yourself for anxiety and panic attacks by taking along comfort in a bag.
Difficulty: Easy
Time Required:Varies
Here's How:

1. Choose a bag.
   Decide what kind of bag is appropriate for your needs. If you drive a lot, you can take more in the car. If you carry a purse, maybe a large one is in order. A backpack is an option for anyone.
2. Brainstorm.
   Now it's time to brainstorm. Sit down with pen and paper, and write down anything that comes to mind that has helped relieve your anxiety in the past. Add to it anything that you'd like to try.
3. Pick the portable items from your list.
   After your list is complete, decide what is portable and put together your comfort bag.
   
   Below are a number of suggestions to help you complete your list.
4. Relaxation
   • Index cards with relaxation and breathing exercises
   • Lavender oil
   • Hand cream (for hand massage)
   • Music and portable player
   • Relaxation tapes
   • Herbal tea
5. Comfort
   • Photos
   • Cards/letters from loved ones
   • Teddy bear
   • Religious or spiritual items
   • Index cards with poems, quotes and calming reminders
6. Stimulation
   • Rubber bands (can put on your wrist)
   • Mints or tart candy
   • Cold water
   • Mentholated cream (to smell)
   • Upbeat music
7. Distraction
   • Puzzle books
   • Magazines
   • Portable computer games
   • Journal
   • Small children's toys
   • Coloring books
   • Books on tape
   • Pens, pencils, colored pencils, crayons
8. Emergencies
   • Cell phone
   • Extra clothes (including something warm)
   • Blanket
   • Extra medication
   • Small phonebook with all important numbers
   • Change for phone
   • Money
   • Toilet paper and Kleenex
   • Maps

Tips:

1. Have a list people you can call if you're stuck somewhere. They would be people who could come get you or talk to you until you feel calm again (make sure they've agreed ahead of time).
2. Forgetfulness is a common symptom during anxiety and panic. When you put together lists, like phone numbers, be sure to include even the most obvious (such as your mom) because you may forget the most obvious when you're anxious.
3. Remember that anxiety can make easy tasks more difficult, so be sure to bring distractions for an anxious mind (i.e., maybe a children's puzzle book rather than an adult's).
4. Don't be embarrassed about bringing what soothes you. If bringing that childhood teddy bear will help you take a few more recovery steps, then it's worth it!