No internet and not a lot of time either!

Life in general has thrown some spanners into the works here recently and has been somewhat stressful and time consuming especially this past couple of weeks.  DH is still undergoing tests etc at both drs and hospital, some good news and some not so good and other family have things going on that has been out of our control too. 

Our internet connection was down for a few days which didn't help either.  Next door had their driveway pressure washed by a professional company and as the cables run along the boundary between us they became waterlogged due to the pressure of the water and we had to wait for them to dry out..... 4 days it took!  Did I stitch more due to it ... no, I certainly didn't, I was spending time in other areas giving help and support to family and friends who needed it.

I've just uploaded pics from the camera over the last couple of weeks and here's what was on it ...

Nature Alphabet - SAL with Gillie, T & U added....

It's looking really lovely and I do enjoy my evening each week on this, each little letter is like a happy dance finish.

CCN SAL with Barb and the ladies at NH - Gingerbread Emporium had only a few stitches put into it to add the roof and a start on the side.

Irish Garden hasn't had much attention either, just the shamrocks to finish the 4 corners completed. This will be out again today and one of the borders will get some attention, these are all speciality stitches so should add something nice to it.

 

Today is the reveal for this months challenge - a free design from the web chosen by Christine for us all to stitch and finish as we choose.  The last little piece of gingham has been used from my bits and pieces bag.

 

 

I'm pleased I have been able to keep up with the monthly challenge and now have 5 super little designs so far this year all so different.

 

 

A little birthday gift was sent out, a simple coaster finish, but the wording made me smile.  It was well received and liked which was nice.

 

 

At the craftshare we have been looking at making the best use of fabric offcuts, not wasting a single inch.  Another learning curve.

 

We were asked if we would like to make some bunting, easy I thought, but then as it was explained more, I realised why we were having this lesson.

 

How would you use the template?  Would you position it in a straight line one after the other as it looks when finished and cut out wasting the bottom half, or would your little brain cells think that the template could be placed upside down and used again, this way only using half the fabric.  And, this you can do with pattern pieces too when making other things and also turn the pattern piece over to use the minimum of fabric, thus saving cash and fabric for other uses. 

 

The fabrics I chose were -  a cream, that was easy, it didn't have a pattern at all!

 

 

Pale pink with a small white pattern, that was also able to be used either way round.

 

My patterned one was a bit different but it didn't matter if it was upside down or not, the pattern was a bit random on it and quite vintage looking, it really appealed to me, but was only a very small piece so only a few triangles of that were made.

 

The class is growing each week and last week there were 25 people who came along to learn something new. We were all making something different, all at different stages and having a fun time.

My finished simple bunting  (don't look too close, there are errors) ......

 

 

is now hanging outside on the arbour in the garden and very pretty it looks too and will make me smile over the summer months.  Midge seems to approve too!

 

 

We've also treated the birds that visit the garden.  Our old table was quite rotten and had to be thrown out.  We saw this new metal one at the supermarket and it came home with us.  With only having the thin pole, we have been able to position it closer to the house. 

 

 

The pigeon and magpie seem to be enjoying the mealworms and suet that hubby placed there on the day he put it up.  We've also had smaller birds visiting, which has been nice to see them closer to the conservatory window instead of right down the garden.

This weekend here in the UK we are celebrating the Spring bank holiday, an extra day off work for everyone ... well nearly everyone, not those who work in the retail industry and the emergency services.

The extra day off will be very welcome here, Monday will be Miss Isabelle's third birthday - how time flies.  Some family time with a lovely homemade birthday cake and we've bought her a new bike with stabilisers and helmet and pads to protect her should she fall so I guess i'll be walking alongside her as she ventures out to try out the new pressie.

Overseas visitors also will be enjoying a long holiday weekend too so do enjoy your holiday weekend everyone, whatever plans you have for it.

Sock it to them!

I hope all those celebrating Mothers Day had a lovely day yesterday and you were spoilt by your loved ones.

A wet and windy weekend here in the UK, perfect for curling up on the sofa and putting a few little x's into a project or a spot of knitting.

I finished off hubby's socks...

 

 

and as Dani questioned them being for a 'him' on a WIP post, just for you Dani, here he is modelling them, hot off the needles!

 

A little added to the UFO SAL project, Irish Garden.  All the middle row flower borders are now stitched and a few shamrocks have appeared.  There is still an outer border to be added once the middle borders have been filled in, so lots more to do yet on this one.

 

 

A little stitching last week, but not a lot as it was a busy week. 

 

Two weeks since my last post so there have been two letters added to Nature Alphabet on my Tuesday SAL with Gillie.   

 

R for rose..... 

 

and S for sunflower.... 

 

Just a few more weeks and i'll have a finish...

 

 

Wednesday as always is the CCN SAL.  A new start last week as the week before I finished house number 9 in the village - Santa Sleighworks

 

 

The new start is Gingerbread Emporium, house number 10, just a few stitches last week.

 

 

Nothing to show from the craftshare this time, it's still a WIP and should be finished this week.  There is also a combined project we are all taking part in that i'll share with you soon.

 

Thanks for visiting,  I hope you have a lovely week.

 

World Book Night and it's the end of the month.

Last Wednesday was World Book Day/Night.  Four members of our Book Borrowers were lucky enough to get tickets to a local library where there was an author talk in the evening to celebrate it.

Guess who came to chat to us ..... only M C Beaton, author of the wonderful Agatha Raisin and Hamish McBeth novels... I could hardly believe it.

She chatted for a while about how she started writing and then we had a book signing.  Apparently, there is to be a TV series filmed of Agatha and also Hamish McBeth but she couldn't say which actors would play the parts.  Who would you choose?

She signed my copy of The Agatha Raisin Companion and added 'To Julie and the Book Borrowers' after we talked about how I came to start and enjoy reading about Agatha and her antics after I began the Book Borrowers at the local community centre.

 

and here's one of our members getting the latest Hamish McBeth story, Death of a Policeman, signed for herself.

 

Down to earth again and back to normal ...... and here's some progress pics from last week.

 

The end of April is drawing close and that means the last Sunday of the month was reveal of the monthly challenge design at Needlecraft Haven.  Christine chose a lovely chart this time, something a little different.  Lots of great finishes in the album this month.  Well done ladies.

 

Here's what I did with the chart -

 

 

The usual SAL's were worked on.

 

Tuesday with Gillie, Q for Queen Anne Lace looks nice on Nature Alphabet

 

 

4 letters added during April, so good progress on this on.

With Barb and the parlour ladies at NH on Wednesday evening - although last week it was Friday as I was out at World Book Night on Wednesday - Santa's Sleigh arrived filled with gifts.  This one should have been completed this month, I better have 2 evenings this week to see if I can catch up a little and get a finish, not so good on this one for April then.

 

Irish Garden now has 6 planters to be filled in later with lots of special stitches. I'm pleased with how this one has grown during April.

 

 

Thursday at the Craftshare one of the tutors was away on holiday and some ladies still had Easter rag doll bunny's to complete so we had a 'catch up' week.  I'd finished off my bunny at home so decided to make a drawstring bag to keep my sock knitting in and then added a few more rows to the socks themselves at the meeting.

 

Those lethal double pointed needles will find it hard to push through this lovely cotton fabric so easily and stab me when I get something out the workbox!

 

Bunny knitting has been happening as well.  Here's the latest little bunny addition to the worldwide family of over 70 I've made.  She's gone over the Irish sea to Gaynor at Stitchersanon for a parcel she is putting together.  You can read about some of the other items that will be in the parcel on Gaynor's blog. 

 

Meet Miss Rosy Hope as Gaynor has named her. 

 

 

This weekend is another Bank holiday here in the UK, so a three day weekend.  I hope you enjoy whatever plans you have for it and spend time with those you love and care for.  Not sure what we are doing yet, that will depend on DH's health and the weather I guess.

 

A very quiet Easter weekend

I hope you all had a lovely Easter.  It was very quiet here for just the two of us.  A little time with the family and I did watch the live BBC televised service from our cathedral Easter Sunday morning.

I've been somewhat under the weather and instead of choccie, the easter bunny brought me a virus, sore throat and a mild cold that ended up with a day in bed with a migraine, I have spent better Easters.

Last week my 3 SAL's had a little time spent on them. 

Tuesday and Nature's Alphabet by Elizabeth Designs with Gillie - P for pumpkin was added.

 

Barb and the ladies in the parlour at Needlecraft Haven is my Wednesday SAL and I'm still working on Santa Village, this house is Santa's Sleighworks.  The roof tiles were added and Santa must be inside keeping warm as there is now smoke coming out the chimney...

 

 

Irish Garden was out again and the middle section is finally completed.  Just the 4 spider stitches to add in the middle corners but I'm leaving those till the end as they will 'fluff up' as I move it around the frame if I do them now.  Next week starts the 8 inner borders around the edge, still lots more to do on this.

 

 

Thursday at the Craftshare group one of the tutors showed us how to make an Easter bunny rag doll - practice using the sewing machine and sewing in curves etc.

 

She told us some handy tips when cutting out and sewing up.  Draw around the pattern, fold the fabric in half and don't cut out till you have sewn it, that way you are not working with fiddly little bits of fabric and getting your fingers stuck under the needle, but make sure you sew far enough inside the drawnline.   Oh dear .... my brain was obviously not listening too well and was overexcited at it being a bunny (you know how i love bunnies) as I didn't sew inside the seamline far enough and my poor bunny looked like she'd been tattooed down her arms and legs when I turned her the right way out.  

 

For a first attempt she's not bad, and after I had brought her home and added the final embellishments we'd cut out to finish her, she seems to look much better.    She needs a name, what do you think we should call her? 

 

 

 

A little knitting over the weekend but no stitching with having the rotten virus thing.  DH's sock number 1 is completed, sock number 2 is started.  The wool looks it's much truer autumnal colour this time, last time it looked quite pinky.

 

 

I hope you had a lovely Easter spent with your family and loved ones.

 

 

Magazines, WIP's, finishes and a little easter treat...

It's always nice to browse the magazine section when doing the weekly supermarket run, even better when you come across something that catches your eye and you have just got to have it.

A lovely knitting/crochet magazine came home with me this week.  Woman's Weekly knitting and crochet magazine is fairly new, the first issue was printed December 2013. This is the May issue and priced at £4.95.

 

A nice cardigan pattern for Isabelle as she grows ...

 

 

Crochet workshop on how to make some lovely flowers ...

 

A handy bag and some scented drawer sachets ...

 

Patterns also available to download (these you have to pay extra for)....

but there are some free downloads if you click the Woman's Weekly link above.

 

 

My three weekly projects i stitch-a-long with friends, Gillie, Barb and the UFO ladies at NH have had their usual weekly nights stitching added to them this week.

 

Nature Alphabet with Gillie saw O for oak leaves added this week 

 

Thank you for your suggestions last week about the bare 'N' for nest, I like the idea of adding some beads to look like eggs Carol, that sounds perfect.  I'll wait to add those till all the stitching is completed. 

 

CCN Santa Sleighworks had a bit more building work done to the house...

 

Irish Garden saw the bottom right triangle border stocked and another little kitty emerge... only 1 more triangle and the 4 spider stitch centre squares to add and the middle of the design will be finished next week I think.

The weekend was very quiet here.  DH was pottering in the greenhouse and garden and I spent quite a bit of Saturday sitting in the conservatory having a finishing marathon session.

The Pooh Bear mattress pincushion is finally put together...

 

 

Blackbird Designs - Pins and Needles - a pincushion finish with a flowery braid added...

 

Easter is fast approaching and last week I managed to finish stitching my holiday new start.  Farm Fresh by Prairie Schooler was complete and that also was made up Saturday afternoon, a little egg to go with my Easter display.   Can you spot the mistake??

I've missed off his two little backstitch toes!  Didn't see it till I was glueing the braid around the edges, too late then to do anything about it lol.

 

Talking of Easter, Thursday evening at the craft share group we had lots of fun knitting up this little guy and filling him with a chocolate egg that went inside a plastic egg and then inside him!  

 

A couple of ladies had never knitted before, they were given lots of help and encouragement and by the end of the evening had made themselves a little chick too, happy faces and a new skill shared by those that can and learnt by those that can't, exactly what the group is all about.

Those of us who could knit finished ours off quite quickly and were then sent to sit with James (the only guy in a room full of ladies, he's such a fun older chap) and he showed us how to construct a cardboard basket for our little chickie to sit inside.

 

Wishing you all a very Happy Easter