A different kind of WIP

Good morning blog readers ....

The snow arrived here on Friday evening and is still with us with more predicted for today and the coming few days. The best place to be is safely snuggled up inside keeping warm and cosy.

I've been doing just that this weekend, so have an update of a WIP thats been on the frame for most of 2010. Grand Marquoir has 4 more squares added to it, only 4 more and page 5 will be completed ... does this mean i'll have a happy dance on this by the end of the year?

A few ladies have asked if i have kept a record of the colours used in this one, yes i have, so if anyone wants to know them when i have finished it, i'd be happy to pass the gridded list on to you, they are all standard DMC colours.

The last Christmas gift has also been stitched and made up, another no show i'm afraid as the person visits here. The only obligation i have now is a Christmas ornament exchange that Christine and i are doing together and the post out for that is mid December, i have the chart chosen, just need to sort threads and fabric and make a start. I am never this organised, i wonder why this year is different. How are your Christmas handmade gift plans coming along? are you on target?

It was a good job the snow didn't come before Friday, i had a very special appointment to attend with DD. She and her partner had invited me to go with them to the hospital. I'm going to be grandparent for the first time next Spring.

Technology has moved on so much since i had my own children. The lady doing the scan gave me a pic of my new grandbaby so i thought i would share this 'WIP' at just over 14 weeks with my online friends, baby is due towards the end of May.

A further scan is due mid January where they will tell DD the sex of the baby if they want to know. What would you do? It wasn't an option when i had my children and i'm not sure i would have chosen to know even if it was.

Happiness and contenment are in adundance in our world at the moment, so i'm sending some of the happy thoughts your way, i hope you are all well and keeping safe and warm in this cold snap, take care my friends.

Christmas in coming ...

Sunday was the switch on of the 2010 Christmas lights in our city's town hall square. It's always very well attended but I love to wander along the streets and see them all late at night when the town is empty, its more magical and is one of the those family traditions that we have been doing since my children were small. I'll take my camera and get some pics to show you this years theme when we have our wander in the City

Sunday i was busy making my Christmas cake. The recipe is one from my late MIL who received it from her own mum.

MIL would always tell DH when he was a boy and then my own children they had to have a 'wish stir' of the mix before it went into the oven as that was the tradition that had been handed down in her family when she was a child and through the years. When they were small they would get 2 stirs, one at MIL's and one here and it still happens in our house. When i mentioned to DD that i was making the cake at the weekend, i had strict instructions to make sure she would be there to have her 'wish stir' this year!

Eyes closed and holding tight to the spoon, wishes were made by us all and not necessarily what we would like from Santa this year. As you get older your wishes become different.

3 hours later and it came out of the oven, the smell whilst it was cooking was lovely. I even sent her a pic of the cake from my phone when it came out of the oven LOL. It is safely wrapped up now awaiting its marzipan and icing decoration a little nearer the holiday season.

What family traditions do you have handed down in your family regarding the Christmas holiday season?

Knitting pins busy again this weekend and SIL's socks are completed, these can now be wrapped up, i hope she likes them.

I've also been stitching, another no show though, sorry folks, the things i have done are for December birthday gifts.

I'll soon have finished gift making for 2010 and am hoping to make Grand Marquoir my focus piece as i really would like to finish it before the end of the year. I'll be joining Barb, Tina (no blog) and Hazel in their SAL of Shores of Hawk Run Hollow when it starts in January, thats going to be my biggie project for 2011, just need to decide on which fabric i'd like to use. If you've stitched a Hawk Run Hollow sampler design, what fabric did you use for yours?

This view was taken a couple of weekends ago when we visited a garden centre out in the country. A reminder of sunshiney autumnal days and thats what i have today as i look out of the window. Its not going to last though, weathermen predict a sharp drop in temperatures from tomorrow, snow for some along the east and southern coasts. Stay warm, cosy and safe ladies who live along that part of the UK, there are a few stitchers i know well and others that visit here that live that way.

Make time to indulge in the hobbies you love...

Watch out... Watch out...

Jack frost is about, he's after your fingers and toes!! As soon as we have the first bad frost of the year i am always reminded of my maternal grandmother who would always without fail say that as she was helping me to put on gloves and scarves before venturing out when i used to stay with her at weekends in my childhood, such happy memories of those times.









This week we have woken up to some real bad night/early morning frosts and folks have been busily scraping car windscreens before they can be off to work. My camelia bush has its buds ready for next spring and the wall flowers are planted ready for some spring colour too, but they do look sorry for themselves on these frosty mornings. Good news is that is does make for some lovely sunshiney days, i'll be taking advantage of it when i go off to the post office this afternoon, a girls got to make the most of the sunshine when its around to boost the mood at this time of year.









This weeks crafting pics are a bit like deja-vu from last week. A visitor commented on the noteblock last week, so i decided that it would make a good gift the them, and also a couple more of the doillys were crocheted. I have been stitching something else but unable to show that. It's that time of the year when blogs are not so full of pics as ladies are making things as gifts for friends.

Best place to be in the cold weather is curled up in a chair having a nap. Midge seems to be in coohoots with Alexander the meerkat off the TV advert (someone bought it for DH as a birthday gift) They can often be found cuddled up together and deep in conversation. What do you think they might be saying to each other???




Thanks for stopping by, i hope everything is wonderful in your world and life is being king to you
Love and {hugs}

Stitch, hook, knit ...

My car is off the road, it needs quite a bit of welding work doing to it, it's an old car that belonged to my late dad so it's quite sentimental but it looks like it wont be viable to repair it.

With not being able to nip off on a whim to friends or run errands in the car this week, i seem to have had quite a bit of time with needle, thread and wool making gifts for Christmas.

The little trinket box is for a friend, she collects them and this little one has been in my stash for such a long time waiting to have it's design stitched. The notecube is a small extra stocking filler for my mum.

Crochet hook has been busy too with two doillys made for the aunts, these are so easy to make yet really nice, i'm sure they will be a hit when opened on the big day.

Yummy chocolate santas are to stuffed into these cute stockings for 2 little people and can then be hung on their Christmas tree in future years, they were very successful when i made them last year and are quick to knit up.

SIL's wish will be coming true, santa has decided she has been very good (as good as a girl can be!) and will indeed be receiving a pair of hand knitted socks. Purple is her favourite colour and this Superwash wool is knitting up really nicely, i think i might have to get a bit 'clicky happy' with the mouse button and go shopping to get some more so i can have a pair too. One sock completed, one more to go and with tonight being 'Strictly' night, i'll be knitting away again.

When the schools were closed for half term hols, my neighbour went abroad for a week to get some late sun. DH & i were looking after their 5 little kittys. One of them seems to be missing me as he is coming round every day for a cuddle and a quick bite of my boys food. He is a lovely boy and very affectionate but i really dont know how he got the name Treacle? A friend of mine made me smile when she said he wasn't a cat burgler, he was the Neighbourhood Taste Tester LOL.

I hope you all had a lovely bonfire night last night, or maybe you are celebrating tonight like a lot of local people here. There will be lots of loud bangs and whizzes but DH and i will be remaining at home keeping Mr Moe company as he really does get frightened and needs a cuddle. Have fun and enjoy, but please, stay safe!

Nice mail day

Look what dropped through my letterbox last week, this years JCS ornament magazine sent to me by my dear friend Karen. There are lots of lovely ones in there this year that have been added to the must stitch list. Thank you so much Karen, it really brightened my week.

I do hope the monthly ornament runs again next year at Stitch & Stash, its a great way to get 12 stitched and finished each year to give as pressies to family and friends and to make sure you add a new one to your own tree each year.

Talking of the monthly ornament, those of you that follow my blog will probably be wondering where the one for October is.... *hangs head in shame* and admits that the challenge this month at Stitch & Stash was the lovely free design from Gazette94 called Noel, it just screamed lovely ornament and as i have been in a more knitting/crochet mood than stitching recently i haven't actually got an ornament done this month. You can see the other finishes to the challenge in this months album - well done ladies!

DS's girlfriend is studying equestrian studies and has requested a shorter fluffy scarf for the winter months when outside in the stables. Another pressie crossed off the 'to do' list as i've been knitting away each evening when watching 'It Takes Two' the daily update on Strictly Come Dancing that is on just after we've had tea. It's amazing how quickly a knitted project grows in that 30 mins each evening.

Strictly again on Saturday evening, the full show and also Merlin, so i was firmly planted on the sofa with knitting pins again and started another pair of socks. This superwash sock wool is so lovely to knit with and was a bargain price. Very good service from Knit and Sew with speedy delivery too and even though one of the balls was out of stock they only charged me one lot of postage.

Someone has been really kind and shared their germs with me, so i am now doing a very good impression of Rudolph the red nosed reindeer as i have a cold and the tissue box permanently planted at the side of me. There seem to be a lot of germs around right now, so {{big hug}} to the poorly folks, i hope you feel better soon.

I'm hoping my cold does a quick disappearing act, but not to you, this post is germ free... honest!