The Joys of Spring

I don't know if it's because spring is in the air, but I've been feeling really creative lately and I can't seem to get enough of crafting. The week before last, it was my mum's birthday and I'd started a quilted cushion cover for her sometime in February. As is all too often the case with me, I'd started with enthusiasm and completed quite a lot of it, but then I'd totally run out of steam and the poor cushion cover lay in a heap on the back of the sofa until I was quilting against the clock. Now, I know that necessity is a great motivator, so I got up early on the Saturday before the actual birthday, edges the necessary bits of the quilt and sewed the sides together to create a rather lovely (if I say so myself) present for my very lovely mum.

I made the post and Mum loved her present and the crafting bug seems to have bitten. Since finishing the cushion cover, I've started another quilt, from a Hometown jelly roll by Sweetwater for Moda. I've never tried anything with a jelly roll before and wasn't quite sure where to start, but Emma from my new knitting group came to the rescue and kindly loaned me a copy of Jelly Roll Quilts by Pam and Nicky Lintott. It's a great book and shows clearly how to make the most of a jelly roll. I was really sceptical that you would get an entire quilt out of so little material, but having cut and pieced it's going to be a full sized quilt. I've really enjoyed having a day of cutting and sewing and I'm hoping that I should be able to get the whole thing finished in a matter of weeks, rather than the months and months and months that it took to make my first one!

On the needles, Olive is coming along really well and I'm already well past the bustline. I've also cast on a shrug from Ravelry by Katya Gorbacheva which is giving me the opportunity to use some beautiful vintage needles that have been languishing in a pen-pot on my desk. I've also started up the sock monster manufacturing again and have half a dozen sock-skins ready for sewing and stuffing. Busy, busy, busy!

Off the needles, D and I celebrated the birthday of a very special two-year-old with a delicious lunch at the True Lovers Knot pub near Blandford. We've also helped our local landlord and friend celebrate the opening of his new pub The Haunch of Venison. (He's still working on the website, so I'll post a link when it's up and running.)

Speaking of running, I've started that up again as well and am following a nice, gentle training programme, which I hope will help me feel fitter and more energetic - and full of the joys of spring!

This year, I resolve to ...

What with one thing and another it's been a bit of a slow start to the new year, and after a rather nasty bout of illness, I am now engaging with the world at large again!

December was incredibly busy, both at work and at home (sorry for the lack of posts) so the break over Christmas with D, family and friends was very much appreciated. It's been really lovely just relaxing, taking it easy and doing only nice things! And I know that it's not everybody's cup of tea, but the snow really was very special. When the snow in Salisbury was at it's deepest, the light took on a magical quality and I rushed out with my Olympus to take some pictures. I could post more here, but I've a feeling this post is going to be quite photo-heavy so I'll restrict myself just to this one of the Art Centre looking magnificent in the white,

I'm rather hoping that 2011 will be the year that I finally learn to quilt. My parents have very kindly ordered me a quilting book and they gave me some templates and some templates and some really lovely fat quarters. (Isn't that just the best name ever?!)
I'm going to start with a very simple diamond patterned cushion cover, maybe with a denim backing and border, sewn on the machine with had stitched quilting. Or at least that's the plan and as soon as the book that my folks have ordered I'm going to get stuck straight in.

On the needles, I've had a really good month. A Christmas present Baird for my sister, a lovely little asymmetric cardigan for Jenny's bump, and a cracking Capucine bobble hat for Shona's birthday.  I can't tell you how much I enjoyed making a pompom, I totally regressed to being a kid, which must've been the last time I made a bobble! The study blanket is coming on brilliantly. I've now got ten and a half squares, so probably only another forty-nine and a half to go! I think that my next big project will be a little cardigan and I'm thinking about using my Rowan Kidsilk Haze to knit up Melissa Wehrle's Grannie Smith Cardigan. It'll be lovely to finally make something successful out of it!

I haven't done a huge amount of baking, but I did come across this ingenious idea for Christmas presents for everyone at work. It's a really fun gift to give and everyone loved them. Here's a link to the chocablog website for the particular recipe I used.

I have been out and about a fair bit though, with trips to Mottisfont, Bath Christmas Market (twice) and ice-skating at the London Eye with my dear sister, which was just about the most fun ever. Here I am messing around on the ice - in the snow!

Right now, I'm relaxing on the sofa with a mug of fruity tea, my knitting one one side of me and the cat on the other, watching a showing of the Royal Ballet performing Swan Lake at Covent Garden, and it's really rather beautiful.

I'm going to leave you with a few of my favourite pictures from New Year's Day in Bournemouth with some lofty aims for the year ahead!

Look after myself

Be as good a person as I possibly can be

Be creative

See the beauty in everything

"Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts." Charles Dickens 

January – The Longest Month of the Year?

It's been three weeks, since I last posted here and it feels like it's been even longer. I don't know if it was to do with going back to work, or D being away, or the fact that I've been busy every weekend, but it just seems as if January is taking an age to pass. Still, I'm sure that it's taking longer for any of that you out there who have decided that January is the month to detox!

On the upside of the last three weeks, we have had some lovely, lovely snow. No I know that there are some people that hate the snow. Yes, it makes it difficult to get out and about. And yes, it is cold and wet. But still, I think it's just beautiful. There's something about the pure, brilliant white snow on the fields that just brings a smile to my face every single time I see it. Every day, I get up early to either walk (or in good weather, cycle) to the station, and there is nothing nicer than being the first person to walk through the newly-fallen snow. Heaven!

This weekend D and I found ourselves with a little time on our hands, so we took a trip for the first time to Salibsury City Football Club, to watch them humping Histon FC 3–0! We were in the old men's stand, and it was so much fun. It was alos pretty cold, so the celebratory dances did wonders in keeping us warm! I've also been out for a good long run in the sunshine and spent a couple of hours up in my den with my lovely Janome serwing machine. It just purrs! Here's a snap of the dress so far; pockets are on, side and back seams are together and the sleeves are nearly finished.

To round off a lovely weekend, D and I are having our Burns' Night supper a night early tonight. It is, of course, a veggie haggis and I'm dishing it up with the traditional buttered neeps and tatties. Yum, yum! (I only hope that there'll be enough left over to have again for lunch tomorrow!

On the needles, I have picked up my study blanket again and I should hopefully finish off my crochet scarf in the next week or two...

New Beginnings

Happy New Year and happy new beginnings to you all! 2010 has arrived and I wish that the year brings you only happiness. No great resolutions were undertaken by me, but I am hoping that this year will be as good as last and I shall endeavour to enjoy every minute. D and I got off to a rather nice start with a trip to Bournemouth for a stroll along the beach in the afternoon sun. It was quite buzzy and busy, and a great start to the year.

I've already started enjoying my new sewing machine. I laid out the pattern for my new dress and realised that I could really do with a pin cushion to help me out. A quick search of Threadbanger and Craft lead me to Planet June's tutorial for an Offset Square Wrist Pincushion for which I put my Janome into good use for the first time yesterday afternoon. I think that it might have to be a weekends only project as it feels as though I want to spend sizable chunks of time on it. I promised pictures as I go along, so here are the pattern pieces so far.
On the needles right now, I still have the study blanket and the lacy tea top, both of which are having a bit of a rest, so I'm using up my odds and ends to make up a stash-busting crochet scarf. (Accompanied in this picture by the stunning grey velvet bag that my sister gave me for Christmas!)
Off the needles, I am enjoying re-reading The Dark is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper, I've started running again, and I've also had a lovely night out with my dear friend Piney to see New Moon. Lastly, I'm loving listening to some new music thanks to an iTunes voucher from David. This week on my iPod it's been largely Scouting for Girls, Paloma Faith, Muse, La Roux, Jay-Z and The Temper Track.

The Eve of the Year

Merry Christmas to you all. Sorry that December didn't see me writing much, but I've been really busy finishing (and in some cases starting) the handmade Christmas gifts that everyone got this year. Mum loved her Shalom cardigan, Dad wore his Danica for a Boxing Day stroll with the dogs, Rich certainly seemed chuffed with his Deathflake Simple Pleasures hat, and I'm hoping that Amanda will put her bookcover into action when she starts her new job in January. Luckily, everyone seems to have really liked their presents, which was a huge relief!

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were spent with my family at my sister's house and we ate like absolute kings! Amanda really went to town - she even handmade our crackers! (I think that Rich, her husband, might have helped with mine as my cracker gift was a pair of raw Brussels sprouts! There was also a lovely blue teapot brooch from Folksy, which came after I'd enjoyed the sprouts.) On Boxing Day, David and I headed down the A1 to visit his twin, his wife and their five-year-old boy. We're finally back home and enjoying the peace and quiet of a few days off before we go back to work in the new year. New Year's Eve itself will probably be spent curled up on the sofa at home. I should probably start thinking about some resolutions. Hmmm.

David bought me the beautiful Janome sewing machine that you can see on the right. What a thoughtful gift. This has, of course, has meant that a trip to John Lewis in Southampton to purchase a pattern and some fabric. I'm really looking forward to getting started, and I'm also looking forward to making something for myself for a change! I've chosen a pattern for a dress and a t-shirt that look as if they should (hopefully) be quite easy. Some lightweight denim for the dress and a rather fabulous retro print for the top. I'll take photos as I go along, so watch this space...

Well, Christmas has been and gone and it's time to look forward to the forthcoming year as well as to reflect on the year that has nearly passed. All in all, I'd say it's been a pretty good year; a happy year with lots to treasure and celebrate. It's been a creative year for me and I've enjoyed working on numerous projects, whether they be knitting, crochet, jewellery making or needlecraft. I've loved exploring Etsy and starting my own online shop on Folksy. At work I continue to help produce some of the most beautiful books and I've been lucky enough to be promoted too. The recognition means a great deal to me. I've had a couple of great holidays in Cornwall and Tuscany and I've read some wonderful books. I've been delighted to watch my best friend meet the man of her dreams and fall in love. And I'm thrilled that my sister has finally left her ghastly job for pastures new! Mum and Dad have been out and about on their travels, helping people wherever they go. And David continues to be David - clever, thoughtful, funny and wonderful. So here's to friends and family, and everyone out there - may next year be everything that you hope it will be.

A Couple of FOs and a Comment on the Season

Sorry it's been a while since my last post. I've been a bit busy and have been out and about enjoying the last of the summer sunshine. I do love autumn and winter, but I shall miss the luxury of all those hours of daylight. It's now dark when my alarm sounds in the morning and by the end of this week I suspect it'll be dark by the time I get home from work. Oh well, I suppose I shall just have to adjust and get used to it. I think that this is the time of year that we all need to take a little extra care of ourselves and not get run down. (Something which I failed to do miserably this week and ended up with two days spent in bed.)

However, all gloominess aside, I have managed to get a fair bit of knitting done over the last three weeks. I've finished Milo the Armadillo, all bar some squiggly black lines on his back. My Fetchings are looking, well, fetching! And I've blocked my great big grey Flicca and it's drying out on the floor of my study waiting to be finished with some beautiful pink and silver velvet ribbon that I bought from Jolie, the LYS in my sister's village, last weekend. I also got a skein of pale blue Debbie Bliss Maya in the sale, which might just turn into another pair of fetchings for Amanda...

I had a lovely weekend with my sister, her husband and their three adorable dogs. We did a bit of window shopping, had a lovely lunch at the village tea-shop and took the dogs out for some nice long walks before we were joined by D and our parents for a lovely boozy dinner!

I know it's not knitting, but I'm incredibly proud that I have finally finished the Clothkits traffic skirt that my wonderful sister gave me for Christmas. I've worn it to work and I can't tell you how much I enjoyed it when people asked where I got it from and I could reply "I made it myself!" Here are couple of pictures so that you can enjoy it yourselves!

Mostly Books and Picnics!

The last couple of weeks have been really lovely. I spent a wonderful Monday evening strolling up and down the Charing Cross Road choosing which lovely carft books I would spend my birthday book tokens on. After um-ing and ah-ing between Foyles and Borders I finally settled on Homemade by Ros Badger and Elspeth Thompson and The Crafter's Devotional by Barbara R. Call. I also got a little cookery book called 200 Cakes and Bakes by Sara Lewis, and I've already tried out the very tasty Oat and Ginger Crunchies - yum! The last addition to my crafty library is an absolutely super book called The Gentle Art of Domesticity by Jane Brocket. I'd seen it in my sister's local yarn store, but hadn't bought it and regretted not buying ever since. I was pretty sure that it would be a great way to spend my book tokens, but everywhere I looked it was sadly out of stock. Luckily, my brother-in-law was kind enough to go to Jolie and buy a copy for me. He even took the puppy in with him- I would've loved to have been a fly on that particular shopwall! It was definitely worth the ritual humiliation of my dear big brother as it is a brilliant book. Really funny and I feel as if it was written just for me - there's a whole page on the benefits of combining knitting, reading, wine and chocolate. Heaven!

I've also been to the library to top up on my reading for the train and in the last couple of weeks I've enjoyed The Girl on the Landing by Paul Torday. It's quite a dark tale of one man's life as he descends into mental illness, but it's told so eloquently and gently that you end up really rooting for Mikey and his wife, and I found myself wishing that the inevitable unhappy ending could somehow be avoided. I'm now reading a non-fiction title by Linda Grant who wrote The Clothes on Their Backs. It's a part biography, part history, part social commentary and all wonderful. If you have any interest at all in clothes and fashion heartily recommend The Thoughful Dresser even if, like me, you don't usually read much non-fiction.

There's been a picnic a week since I last blogged, one last Sunday at a local event called Parklife, which is held once a year in the field that used to contain the old swimming pool by my house. There was live music, charity stalls, ice-creams and everyone just brought their own food, wine and blankets to chill out on the grass. D and I were joined by Piney, Jez and Libby, and I swear, if I'd eaten just one more party ring, it all would have ended terribly! Piney and Jez gave me the rather adorable egg cosy that you can see in the photo, which I used this morning to keep my boiled egg cosy, while I took it back to bed with me! They also gave me some fab eggs that Dotty had laid. There's nothing better for breakfast than eggs from a chicken that you've actually met! They came in a fabulous decorated box and each one seemed to have something to say!

Picnic number two was on Friday when I met my mum, dad and sister on the Southbank for a delightful lunch. I'd taken the afternoon off work to spend some time with them and we had a brilliant trip on the London Eye in the sunshine followed by a stroll along the Embankment and afternoon tea at in the cafe of The Museum of Garden History, where we sat out until they had to run off and get their bus back to Gloucester. I can't think of a much lovelier way to spend a Friday afternoon.

On the crafty side (apart from doubling the size of my library!) I have just finished my first foray into the art of crochet. The Noe Noa scarf by Bente Barosen was surprisingly easy and I really enjoyed getting to grips with it. It's a really beautiful scarf and I look forward to wearing it when it starts getting a little bit cooler. The pattern is available on Ravelry so get clicking and rustle one up for yourself! I've also spend some quality time with my Traffic Skirt kit from Clothkits that my sister gave me for Christmas, so watch this space for a finished object in the next post... (Don't you just love my sense of optimism?!)

On a final note, I must say a huge congratulations to Mister Jeremy Whitworth on his 1000th blogpost. Check out his blog here for an insight into the creative genius/madness that is Jez!

Happy Easter!

The sun is shining, the sky is blue and we've got a long weekend to do what we please. There's chocolate to be had and life is good! Easter is upon us and I'm having a wonderful weekend. Friday started off pretty promisingly as I set out to walk from Salisbury to Winchester along the Clarendon Way. I got to the halfway point (about 13 miles) just in time for lunch, but then I lost the path, the heavens opened, and I called on my handsome boy to come and rescue me! I was really enjoying being out and about in the fresh air, so I'll definitely finish it off in a week or so - but I think it might be better with a map! After a long hot soak in the tub, I was tired but happy and ready to enjoy another three days off!

Saturday was a real treat, as the boy and I went to one of our favourite places, Lyme Regis. As ever, it was absolutely beautiful and the light was amazing. I spent quite some time trying to get the perfect shot of the newly painted beach huts on Marine Parade. I was particularly taken with hut number 16, which was pink (of course) and had the most charming rose-printed curtains. We enjoyed a lovely cup of tea with Victoria sponge cake, walked along the Cobb in the sunshine and had some delicious chips while sitting on the beach looking out at the sea. What a lovely way to spend the day.

We also popped into Susie Cole, which turns out to be a rather lovely little shop. I'd bought an old lace nightdress from there a couple of years back, which hadn't fitted very well and after quite a bit of wrangling they'd reluctantly issued me with a credit note. Luckily, a much lovelier lady was working there this time and she let me use the credit note even though it probably should have expired by now. The result was a great haul of two wooden bangles, a gorgeous vintage pair of dusky pink satin gloves, a green leather rose bracelet and a pair of old 5.5mm needles made of pale blue plastic.



I also took the opportunity, while we were out in the sunshine on the Cobb, to photograph my Noe Noa scarf, which is now in it's third incarnation! Having frogged it once (do you frog in crochet?) because it wasn't particularly neat I realised that it was actually in the wrong stitch, so with the help of the ever-trusty Debbie Stoller and her Happy Hooker I set about correcting it. I still don't completely understand what I'm doing, but at least the American version of double crochet is twice as quick!

Easter Sunday itself was spent in a rather more prosaic fashion when out of the blue, the boy suggested that we have a spring clean. Now, anyone who knows me will know that cleaning is not exactly my idea of fun and I'd rather just scoop up the balls of cat fur when they get big enough to be mistaken for another cat. Still, it did turn out to be strangely enjoyable as I took the opportunity to sort out my stash, frog a couple of long-dead projects and start thinking about actually finishing something! I also dug out my Clothkits Christmas present and have spent this morning cutting and trying to edge the pieces on Libby's sewing machine so that they don't fray.

And finally, in the midst of all the chocolate loveliness that is Easter, I just wanted to show you something truly special from my sister. Check out this fabulous alternative Easter egg that she gave me! Isn't that just the best Easter gift a girl could ever want to receive?