Season 3 of 4

Over at Needlecraft Haven there has been a Four Seasons SAL running this year.  The ladies have been stitching some lovely designs, all so very different.

My autumn has been stitched for quite a while but only finished this week.  

I chose to use Prairie Schooler Four Seasons from the Gift of Stitching magazine.  It's been printed out waiting to be stitched since it was in the online magazine many years ago.

 

 

Here it is with Spring and Summer

 

 

A little knitting finish as well.  Barb asked a while back if I could knit one of my bunnies for a friend of hers who is not too well.  This little lady went off in the post and made someone smile - result!

 

 

Remember this embroidery gift I had from the craft club ladies?

 

 

We all had a gift and one of the ladies who knits toys received something really gorgeous.  One lady decided she wanted one for her granddaughter.   She asked, did I want one ordering as well to save on postage .... silly question ... of course i had to have one as well for mine.

 

It arrived in a very smart posh box

 

 

Let's open the box and peek inside. 

 

I'm sure the little doll wont mind you seeing her prior to her wardrobe being created .... **any gentlemen visiting please avert your eyes and move down the page**

 

 

I'm looking forward to making her little clothes and giving her some hair.  A little stocking filler for Isabelle - if I don't decide I can't part with her when she's dressed.

 

Tonight the clocks go back here in the UK, darker nights will definitely be upon us.  I've actually picked up a needle and stitched a little yesterday, the first time in ages, and just in time for the longer evenings, what good timing that was.

 

Sending love and blessings to you all

 

Julie 

 

 

Using up the leftovers - Oct GG

It's nice to listen to others good news....

A friend came and was so happy.  She told me she's to become a grandparent for the first time, a baby boy is expected, exciting times to come for her and the family.

Peek into the stash drawer ..... 4 half balls of wool, 3 of them leftover from a little blanket I previously made and a darker denim shade to compliment the others.

The little guy is due to arrive just in time to meet Father Christmas.  They've kept it very quiet till now as the new-mum-to-be has not been well throughout the pregnancy.

I wasn't sure if her son and his partner liked hand knits so I'm using these 4 half balls to make a blanket, same pattern I used previously - a complimentary one from Deramores.

I've made a start, it was growing quite quickly and suddenly it's finished and ready to pass on the lovely lady.  

 

This month i'm in plenty of time to post for this months Gifted Gorgeousness.  Have you seen it on other blogs?  You post details of something you have been gifted or gifted yourself to others. It's hosted by Jo over at Serendipitous Stitching.   If you are unfamiliar with GG, hop over to Jo's blog and find out more about it.

A little wander outside in the autumnal sunshine and these little beauties caught my eye.

 

A little hiccup on the health front, blood results were not good so there was no chemo this past week.  A visit to take more blood at the end of last week and I am back for a visit with the consultant tomorrow for the next plan of action.

Love and blessings

Julie

A couple of September finishes

It's been a month again since I posted and like a lot of you are saying September seems to have whizzed by at supersonic speed. 

We've moved into autumn and now that Strictly Come Dancing has started on the TV that always makes me think of the run up to Christmas and the weeks fly by with each show up to the final the week before Christmas.  With that in mind, it's time to be thinking about crafting things I hoped to make as gifts for the festive season.  Oh no I've said the 'C' word.

Talking of gifts, today is the final day to get a GG post in for September.  I have only a couple of gifted things I've worked on in September, no other craftwork happening here recently.

I finished the scarf DS bought me as a kit for my July birthday.

 

 

It's going to be nice and snuggly for the winter months and i'm looking forward to wearing it.

 

 

This sock wool has a little story behind it.

 

 

I saw some on the internet when browsing, a bargain I thought and ordered it.  The details read Kroy Sock Yarn (sold as pack of 6).   I could get 3 pairs of lovely socks for the price of 1 pair and a lovely colour too.   It was coming from the USA so a little wait for it, but that wasn't a problem. 

 

Three weeks later a parcel arrived - a small parcel - with only 1 ball of wool inside.   Emails back and forth to supplier and they advised an error by amazon it shouldn't have read pack of 6 it was for one ball only.   They offered a full refund and I keep the one ball supplied, but I asked if they would just keep the payment and send me a second ball so I could make a pair of socks and I didn't know any one legged people I could knit one sock for with the ball they had supplied!  It wasn't happening, their emails were getting quite rude in the end so I emailed amazon with a little complaint explaining what had happened.  A reply came back, take the refund and accept the free ball, you are better off and nothing we can do.

 

My brother works in retail so when he came to visit I was ranting about internet shopping and bad service etc and showed him my 1 ball of wool and then stuck the ball away with my other stash. 

 

A few weeks later he came to visit again and gave me an envelope I wasn't expecting.   Inside there were 3 balls of the same wool - he'd sent pics of the ball band etc to someone he knows over the pond and they had found some the same .... the serendipitous thing is that it is the exact same shade number and dye lot so I now had 4 balls.   It was a gift, what a smashing brother he is.

 

Being a good sister I've been knitting up a pair of socks for him with 2 balls of the wool and gifted them to him when I saw him last week. 

 

 

The craft group I belong to had some funds and the ladies who run it bought us all a little gift.  I received an embroidery kit to try.  It's uses organza for the coloured parts and you fix it to the backing using embroidery stitches to make a pretty country scene.  

 

 

Thank you so much for the messages and emails I've received from some of you asking how I am.  With my condition being so rare its a trial and error of what is the best medication to help and halt the progression and find something that suits and works for me.  As well as the steroids, I started chemotherapy earlier this month and have been getting used to the effects of that.  With lots of medical appointments and rest there is a different normal in our home right now.  On a positive note, I have come into contact with a lady who was diagnosed some years ago which has helped me see things more positively recently.

 

Hoping to have a blog reading catch up session and stop by your blog really soon.

 

Love and blessings to all

 

Julie   

 

 

 

 

Better make this Augusts GG post ....

.......... before the stroke of midnight and we head into next month!

Oh dear, has it really been a month since I posted here?

Charged up the camera and upload pics to see what I had to share with you since last time.

A late birthday gift from a dear friend - afternoon tea at the garden centre, her treat.

 

The July challenge at NH, quickly stuck into a little frame and given to a cat loving volunteer at the community garden with DH for her birthday.

 

Two very tiny prem baby cardigans for one of the knitting group ladies to give to a charity she volunteers with.

 

Ssshhh ..... don't tell DH these are his Christmas pressie socks, now safely put away out of sight ready to be wrapped up and sent to Santa.  These have been on the knitting pins for a while and secretly knitting when DH has not been at home.

 

A lovely gift arrived in the post from our dear June, beautiful threads and holder and some Christmas buttons.  Many thanks June for your kindness.

 

A vintage knitting gauge/counter - gifted to me from one of my knitting group ladies, she works in a charity shop and when it was donated she purchased it as she thought I would like it.  She knows I love old items and do use them not just put them in a box for looking at.

 

 

My granddaughters school cardigan now being worn for the new school term.

 

 

A challenge at the craft group - decorate a small hat - mines the one with the red ribbon and the heart shaped buttons on the right hand side.

 

 

and my granddaughters doll looks very pretty wearing it.

 

My birthday gift from DS (shown in the last post) - I've made a start knitting the lovely scarf he bought me and the wool is sitting in the yarn bowl gifted for my birthday last year from Barb.

 

and finally DH came home from the community allotment with some goodies they harvested to be given out at the community centre, some of the seniors benefited from these fresh veggies and all for free.

 

 

A month of gifts, gifted and received during August.  

 

Love and blessings to you all

 

Julie x

 

 

Second helping of Gifted Gorgeousness

A birthday in the house yesterday.......

Birthday gifts =  a GG post and there's still time to get it in before we turn the calendar to bring us into August and it's far too long to wait till next months so for July a second GG posting (that's scored me some brownie points with Jo)

My daughter knows my love of Cath Kidston pretty things. We're going to make some nice buttons to add to my crafting and a girls got to have a manicure when working with her hands.

 

DS always knows he can't go wrong with something for me to make.  A scarf kit from our local wool shop.  The colours of this are called 'coastal' - I'm going to enjoy knitting this one up for the coming cooler seasons - perhaps i'll get to wear it later this year at the coast.

 

Postal gifts from online friends. Clare is not only an online friend, we often meet up for tea/coffee/cake.  She always has such good ideas for gifts.  This year she has chosen to send books to her friends with the author or title relating to their name.  I've not heard of Julie Klassen before, but this sounds just like my perfect read, its the first in a series.  Thank you Clare.

 

Peter Rabbit, a favourite of mine - a selection of teas are inside this pretty tin from Barb.  Many thanks Barb, the earl grey packet has been opened and sampled already.

 

Christine made the beautiful QAYG pouch, it is so pretty and was much admired by my visitors yesterday.  She showed a blue one on her blog in May for GG but I have to say my pink one is better!

 

A lovely handmade card from Gill.  The circular threadwork did remind me of the nail/thread pictures my dad used to make many years ago.  None of them survived the test of time, but I'm sure you all remember them from the 1970's.

 

Bunches of flowers and plants making the house smell beautiful

 

 

With recent events I was having a quiet birthday this year, DH took me out in the morning to the local garden centre and we chose a couple of nice plants for the garden.  Little did I know that there were shenanigans afoot at home and when I returned a small family party with balloons, banners and the table laid with a buffet for my close family had been organised by DD.   My granddaughter was very proud of herself as she had managed to keep it a secret from nanny..... good going for a 6 year old!  

 

She had glued some shells that we collected at the beach together last year onto a frame and chosen a favourite picture of hers with us and her dog Alfie paddling in the sea, that was her special handmade gift for me - teary eyes!  It now sits on my shelf with other shells, beach sand and sea glass that I have collected. 

 

DD baked a great homemade cake, she called it the 'Basket of Buttons' and thought it went well with her button gift, it tasted delicious.  The little sweetie buttons were a real hit with the children.

 

 

 

One friend dropped by with a card that made me smile.......  she doesn't have a book club but thought the ladies in this picture looked like they meant business and would give me a run for my money.

 

 

Many thanks for you kinds emails and words of comfort and support recently, they do mean a lot.  I'm a lot calmer and happier about things and just today I have kitted up a little stitching design that was also a gift, this one from Justine at the meet-up in the Spring.... gifts come along all the time into my life in many different ways and I have lots to be thankful for each and every day.

 

Love and blessings to you all

 

Julie x