Quick Catch Up

Well, whether I'm nattering to myself, some peekers you other lovely people, here's a brief of what else I've been up to. 

I managed to collect some lovely bits in Devon when we took the girls there for our anniversary last month.  I've been trying to not go overboard on just shells, I have hundreds already, but try to find the more unusual.  I picked up some nice water worn wood, a lovely cluster of big barnacles and a fab bottle neck with cork still in it.  The cork shrank as it dried but I glued it back in before mounting them all in a deep box for one of the bathrooms.  

I think this is a lovely way of keeping memories from beachcombing and I have quite a few now.  

I really, really got fed up with waiting for the finishing instructions for the bead-a-long I took part in which started on 1st August for National Beading WEEK! Despite having several messages on her FB page from several ladies she was always doing other things. Why start something if you can't finish it? I would be devastated if I did that to others.  Anyway, I had to clear the space on my desk so strung everything together in what i thought was a pleasing way and it's finished.  

I have space on my desk!  Only a little mind and I have a commission to be doing.  Maybe I should try clearing some more first.  

I never seem to show the continuous stream of knits I do for the grandchildren any more but this little waistcoat is the latest.  Olivia doesnt seem to like sleeves, well I always seem to be knitting short sleeves for her anyway.  This is such a quick and easy pattern and I loved the repeat in the wool, quite short which is important when doing small garments or you end up with huge blotches of colour and it just looks wrong. I hope she likes it anyway 

My list for the K&S at Ally Pally is starting to grow and the next load of yarns is part of it.  There was also a fabulous button lady at Westpoint, I wonder if she will be there too?  I will have to check! 

And our wonderful Facebook Pointer dog group had another local get together when some of the northern members were down, two from the very top of Scotland and one from Yorkshire.  John calls the gatherings a stand arounds as 'walk' is a bit of a misnomer.  There is always a lot of chatter!! He didn't mind the coffee and donuts afterwards though.  The dogs love it and they really are a lovely bunch of people so worth going to. 

I have a West Country Embroiderers meeting with Fay Maxwell now so I will let you know how that goes later.

Fergus and Finishes.

I've managed some good finishes this past week.  

Meet Fergus! Yesterday I put the final pieces of his fishing rod together.  

He looks rather proud of himself! 

His snazzy little hat.

 The fishing creel has his catch of the morning all safe to take home.

Don't they look a yummy pair of trout?

I also put the dragon bag together.

 Sorry for the dreadful photos, it's really dark outside even at lunchtime.

Just a bit of the scale work done. 

I put the button on this this morning so that's gone off to Olivia now. 

We had an interesting couple of visitors the other day.  a pair of French Partridge. 

There have been plenty of pheasants but we have only had a partridge once before.  They were being very nosey.  Pretty little things aren't they.  

And Ruger and Ellie say enough of the building work, how about us!  This is with their friend Ruby who we went for a walk with the other day. Tully was still rooting around in the undergrowth for mice.

Have a great week! 

Move Along Now

Well I wish it wouldn't quite so fast.  Like so many out there wondering what happened to January I'm seriously beginning to think there is some world wide speeding up of time.  Is that possible do you think??

I have been plodding along with my EG course, or trying to if there weren't so many problems communicating with my tutor.  It's so frustrating.  I just want to crack on and it takes days to have a response.  So much for modern technology.

Anyway whilst waiting I have been trying to collect quotes I like and started looking for a suitable book to keep them in.  Then, in one of those stupid moments, I remember that I actually make books.  Duh!  So I did.

Just a bit of tweed and some off cuts of bits I've made.

And some buttons and bits.

And I gathered a load of mixed papers that needed using up, some hand made, sugar, printed and plain to make the pages a little more exciting.

I just have to start filling it now.

I have also been working on this quilt.  This is just a part of it as it's quite labour intensive but I'm getting there! A long way to go yet.

I've knitted yet another cardie for Olivia, this time for wearing now rather than later.

I have also begun working on a few of these.  And I mean a few.  I have been collecting the frames for a long time and have 40 or so but I thought they would make interesting items for the Art Weeks using some old quilt pieces I have.

I had another bad night on Sunday where my body really rejected the food I had had and most of Monday was spent trying to convince my hernia not to retaliate.  That's the second time in as many weeks.  I did manage to do a fair amount of knitting on yet another cardie though!!

And today we finally had some snow which the rest of the country has been on about for weeks! Not sure if thats a good thing or not but the dogs are enjoying it.

I hope you have a good week!

A Brief Interlude

Please play corny lift music whilst staring at the ceiling or your shoes.

I have had a bit of a cough for a couple of weeks and this week it exploded into full on something or another.  I've had a totally empty diary and so have spent my time working hard in my studio coughing and sneezing and basically dying in bed or on the sofa.  No energy or will to lift my head and aching tummy muscles.  I'm still anaemic according to Dr's tests and being susceptible to coughs and colds is a side effect.  This is the third bout since the ulcer bleed in October.

I'm becoming so fed up.

Whilst I could still lift my arms a little I did do this little waistcoat from a Noro pattern.  Jumping from the 8mm of the throw to 3.75mm for this was interesting! I loved the bright flecked yarn I found in a local shop.  (I may just put this one to one side, just don't tell Elsa and Mike).

And as I don't have much more to say here is a photo of one of the Great Spotted Woodpecker's through my studio window yesterday looking rather fine and dashing in his plumage.

And this is the male Blackcap who visited this week after showing a photo of the female last week. I think they are pretty little birds and, for those who don't know, they are of the warbler family and known as the northern Nightingale as they sing so beautifully.  They are really only a summer visitor but a few have started to over winter here now, but it's still a rare thing.

If my coughing allows I may lurk in my studio for a while and see what doesn't happen.  Have a great weekend.


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The First Colinette Throw

I finished the first of the Colinette Yarns Perugino throws.  It's here being beautifully modelled by Miss Tullamore Dew looking rather elegant.  Actually I think a bird just landed in the garden behind me so she's not paying me any attention at all. 

It was a lovely easy pattern and it's rather a nice thing to have over your knees whilst making it in this snowy weather.  The other colour way I think I will be crocheting a pattern but I haven't decided whether to do rows or squares.  I think I'm leaning towards rows as the differences in the yarns, three Mohair and three tapes, would possibly cause sizing problems.  I know I would work around it but the knitting and crocheting thing is for mindless finger occupation whist watching the TV in the evenings. Working out patterns is not why I'm doing it.  I spent years making Arans and Fairisles so I certainly don't think I'm missing something!

Elsa and Mike's training is going really well as you can see from the photos below.  I pinched them from their donations page (link on the top right of the blog should you wish to see), but I'm sure they won't mind.  They are very lucky to live right on the edge of the New Forest so they can train on similar terrain regularly.

Even Remi is loving the running in his Hi Viz!

I hope the weather is kind to you, have a great weekend.


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