Uses for odds and ends

The start of the new year means the stash count, when those of us who belong to Linda's Stashbusters go through our bags, cupboards, drawers and (in some cases) lofts to check out how much yarny stash we are starting the year with.  A side effect of this checking is the finding of lots of odd part balls of yarn which have been left over from completed projects.  I found I had enough odd bits and pieces of cream, grey and purplish aran yarn to make a corner to corner lap blanket.

 Above is the blanket underway, and below is the finished article. It is 36 inches square.

It's perhaps not the prettiest blanket that I've ever made, but it is lovely and warm.

At the moment it is lovely and sunny here, and as the days are starting to get longer, thoughts are turning to spring. Already the pots of miniature iris that I planted in September are flowering away, and the daffodils in the garden will be out in a week or so.  Springtime is when rescue sanctuaries need substitute nests for orphan animals and birds, so I have been using yet more oddments of yarn to crochet nests for Secret World, the wildlife sanctuary which is only a few miles down the road from us.

Nests need to be knitted or crocheted very firmly, to make a self-supporting structure.  Mine are made with 2 or 3 strands of yarn which together make at least chunky weight, using size 5.00 hook or needles.  I shall be dropping these off on Saturday.

So some inroads have been made into my woolly oddments; but there are still plenty left!

And now for something completely different....

.........knitted nests!

Soon spring will be upon us (yesterday was very sunny here in Somerset, even though the temperature dropped to below freezing overnight), and that's when wildlife rescue centres become inundated with baby birds and animals which have somehow become separated from their parents.  At this time of year there is a huge need for nests of varying sizes and shapes which can act as substitutes for the ones the babies have come from.

As part of Loving Hands Winter challenges, we were encouraged to make nests for wildlife centres, ready for the spring influx.  Using patterns from this Nest Guide, I have started making nests and caves:

These need to be knitted and crocheted very tightly so that little claws cannot get trapped in the fabric, and they need to be quite dense so that they will stand upright with firm sides.  The small nests were knitted on size 5.00 double pointed needles with 2 strands of dk.  The cave was crocheted with one strand of aran and one of dk with a 4.50 crochet hook.

Secret World Wildlife Rescue Centre is situated quite close to where I live in Somerset, and they have a collection point in a local supermarket for people to donate suitable pet food, kitchen towels and other useful items for the Centre.  I shall pop these in on Saturday when I do my shopping.