Good heavens woman where have you been?

I thought I was doing better but it appears not. I have been up to things but just not showing them. Here is a round up

Made this which is needed now the frost has arrived this morning . It is knitted and went well I think. Its a lacy pattern which is something I wanted to have a go at, but it is just a scarf. There seems so much more to learn with knitting. For example I fancy having a go at this but it talks about wrapped short rows. There is a link but knitting at the computer is a bit hard. I need something like it ( no bow) for wintry running as I get earache.

Had a birthday (lets not go there) but yes lets because it meant that I was sent pressies, including one from far away.

My blog friend Louise sent me treasure of the utmost deliciousness. I don’t have many friends that would get me craft things for a present yet it is what I yearn for.

One of my friends is a paper crafter and she has encouraged me to dabble a bit in fact we made these at a class recently.

 

I made her this for her birthday and I love it so much I nearly didn’t give it. I will make myself one next week during half term. Details here

So you see its all go, I ‘m just not very organised and I am not famed for the written bits. More pictures and less writing is what I say. I will go and scrape the frost off the car and head to Harrogate, it would seem that Spanish weather is a distant memory now.

Slackblogger

Yep that's me. I have not given much thought to the art of blogging recently. I worried that I was getting all samey. Anyhoo I thought I’d drop by and do a catch up.

On the odd fine day we have been out and about. We went to Brimham rocks, just the other side of Harrogate. Have any of you been there? It was busy with all sorts of people we even came across a Goth wedding in the open-air.

It was a fantastic place to take a teen who is now too old for so many activities that he loved. Can’t think why we haven’t been before and will definitely be going back again.

 

On the hooky front I have been in one of my creative black holes. Well until this arrived from the US.

Fantastic or what!!! Well I just had to make something, its so soft and the colours are so yummy.

So, buoyed up by my cabling efforts I had a go at making this.

Big mistake, HUGE!! I got into such a pickle, It was awful. I made so many mistakes and had no idea how to put them right so I frogged the beggar and decided to stick to what I know.

Its a neck warmer. Not too bulky but cosy. I love the pattern, its quite like a knitted cable I think.

If you fancy a crack at it I found it on Ravelry here but I won’t lie to you I found it hard to start with and seriously rewrote the pattern but once I got away with it it flew. I think that they are going to be very on trend this winter.

I am off to relax a bit as its been eventful to say the least and has involved mousetraps and cheese. I am going to an important wedding anniversary party on Sunday with family from all over the place so I need to paint my fingers to match my toes.

Have a lovely weekend dear friends.

Lou

Happy days

First of all thank you all for your lovely comments and interest in my running. I really never thought it would be for me and to be honest I really do appreciate how lucky I am to be my age and still have relatively sound knees for running. I do have issues with one from an injury in 2005 but even that is being improved. I have repeated week 3 (run 90sec walk 90 sec run 3mins walk 3 mins times 2) because I just knew I would not be able to run for 5 mins which week 4 demands. I am also resting a day between runs which is sensible n’est pas?

The summer fair went ok and I sold a few of my wares, we had a natter. I made Alice flowers can you spot them?

 

This week I am mostly staying home while we have renovations to the house. We are spending a fortune on nasty plastic soffits and fascia's. Well I say nasty but it actually looks smart and dead right for the type of house we have. (Not listed or particularly old) So! The rotten and potentially leaking wood is gone and so is the bank account but hey!!

The only problem now is that the windows look tired.

Thanks also for the good words on the knitting. Maria says I am bi- stitchual!! I like that. I got cocky last night and attempted to cable a square that I thought I could send to Sue. Sorry Sue its not happening yet. I am off to you tube to find out where I am going wrong. I think the book I have bought is a bit pants. It couldn’t be me could it?

Been on you tube turns out I was not doing enough rows between cable stitches. Are you laughing at me?

That's how I learn. Do it wrong first then understand why the right way is the right way.

Been knitting

My lovely Dad does woodwork as a hobby and has recently made wooden bangles, mine are in the picture. I have therefore made a hot water bottle cover for him. He has a huge amount of grass to mow and has a ride on mower, actually its more like a tractor and he can get parky at the back end of the year. He has a hottie to keep him warm there and in his workshop but it is nude my friends.

So with this in mind I decided to make one for him but in knit. I had to buy a book on how to knit to help me out. I am prepared to say now that I can knit but not well or fast. I even did the collar with DPN’s!!! Well all that sock making over at Alice's blog made me curious. Well its full of mistakes but at least I could say I can do it now. Going to have a crack at cable next. I have used Stylecraft classique cotton Its fairly new and lovely to work and comes in some nice colours.

It is the annual primary school summer fair on Saturday and I have been making a few things to sell mainly corsages  like these here. I think I would like to share this as a tutorial with you as although they do exist out there I have ironed out a few kinks and I think they look great.

 

As for the running please do not think that I have transformed into Paula Radcliffe over night.

I am a big girl.

I don’t want to be.

I am trying weight watchers and it used to work for me.

I am over 40 ww doesn’t work any more.

Drastic measures must be taken.

I found this programme on the NHS website. You download podcasts and play them as you go. Its a 9 week plan and it assures me that I will be able to run for 30 mins at the end. I’m not bothered about that I just want to be a healthy size. I am on week 3 and have built up to running for 3 mins!!! I told you you'd be underwhelmed. Its a run /walk programme. In week 1 I ran for 60 seconds then walked for 60 seconds while a lovely lady tells me how marvellous I am for doing it. I go down a lane where no one can see me and I come home puce and sweaty. I am amazed to say I don’t hate it and am happy to continue especially as I have lost 3lbs in 2 weeks. I promise never to mention it again and only do so now as a mental image of a wobbly old bird might make you smile. I do!!!

Fab Friday

A while ago I looked around for new blogs to add to my reading list. One of the ones I found was In the sky. Lucy’s blog is so creative and I have truely enjoyed investigating her blog. I was especially glad that I found her blog when I won her ----tieth birthday giveaway!!!

Wow Lucy thank you. Afternoon tea will be an occasion. I am going to wash my hair and put on a frock!! Fingers are my ultimate, I could and probably will eat the entire box.

I am also grateful to Lucy's blog as it has enabled me to finish a UFO and that was one of my resolutions this year. I had made this colourful coffee cosy but had no idea how to attach it so it stayed on. Lucy drew my attention to Kumihimo-Japanese Braiding . It is such fun, so quick and the result is amazing. I used acrylic yarn but the finished product has (I think) a cotton texture to it. Great stuff thanks.

Other things I have been doing (between gradual spring clean of the glory holes and extreme dust bunnies)

More baby boots for my Aunts friends daughter, free pattern here

A knitting project because I am actually ashamed of how badly I knit. These are to cover creme eggs but they take me ages. They are Jean Greenhowe creatins and are also free Go get some!!

Finally I found this on tinternet  here its a great tutorial and quite easy to make. Its up to you how to decorate.

The best bit is the handle detail, I LOVE this. I have already made several to fill with easter yummies and give to lovely friends

 

I can feel that I am in a manic phase of crafts as I have just spotted a new crochet blankie idea, it calls for Noro silk garden and Kureyon. I bought some silk garden a while ago (£12 what was I thinking) Its awful!! So I am looking for an alternative (cheaper version) It is going to be a Riot of colour. I will share this with you just as soon as I have had it sanctioned by the reigning in police. Have a smashing weekend, I am off to crochet, what else!!

Weekend family things

I am loving the comments that you are leaving at the moment. for those of you that don’t get snow stay tuned I think I may be able to help!!! I have finally dug the car out and the plow and a gritter reached us by about 1.30 pm so I have parked my car at the top of the drive. My DH has had to put his car down the hill in the village. It has started again now and we expect more overnight. Ho hum more digging for  the morning. Still, we have managed sledging and DH managed to get to the kennels and collect the dog. How so kennels for dog? I her you say. Well, we went away for our annual extended family break in the woods.

  

This our lodge after pretty snow on Friday evening. Very Christmassy don’t you think? We get together and eat and drink, swim, play and have fun. It goes by so quickly. We set off early to avoid potential poor weather and boy am I glad we did. We were fine up until the last few miles where it dumped a load of snow on us. It was frightening.

The journey home had been so lovely. We were glad to be home in one piece!! Other family members had not seen a flake travelling in the west  to W Yorks

  

So , this was part of the reason that I was away from my dear blog. This and my setting myself impossibly short deadlines for projects meant that I had little time. I did manage to fit in a visit to the Knit and Stitch show in Harrogate on Thursday. I really need someone at the end of the phone at such events to “talk me down” as I get so excited that I really think I am having some kind of attack.

There were so many lovely things, I just love this cushion!!!

This is beadwork which I have done in the past, I should put some pictures here. I had a lovely chat with the lady on this stall and the tatting circle stall. I learned to tatt in honour of my paternal Grandmother as I had already learned to crochet in honour of my Maternal Grandmother.

 Chatting is a major part of these events and the place was full of like minded mostly women (some had dragged along taken their husbands – why?) The above quilt was so inspirational and made from Liberty prints. Don’t you just want to eat it? Anyway I bought a few things, (some have gone to Santa) Got some gifts for friends and some Christmas projects so watch this space!!!

 

I have noticed that my sixtieth follower has joined recently and I would like to welcome every new person here and thank you all from the bottom of my heart. This whole blog project has given me so much. Both friendship and returning self confidence so thank you all, I owe you so much.

I am hoping now that things could get back to some kind of slower pace but its the school Christmas fete on Saturday so not much chance.!! I am making more puds.

Have any more tried them? Manda and Ruth have and I have LOVED seeing them all so different and with so many new ideas. A successful project I think. Bye for now, Back later with more stuff,

Lou

xx

A bit on the side

I have alwys been a one hook woman, well for the last 12 years anyway. But this week my dear chums I have been tempted over to the dark, double needle side. Yes I know, I am sooo sorry but there was this lovely little bunny pattern and I wanted him sooo much. "So what if I cant knit" I thought, "I am going to do it" So I did and I m not the least bit sorry!!!!! Well enough of that, but can you at least see what the draw for this lovely creature was?

The pattern was by Debbie Birkin and worth every bit of the £2. Now as I said I was not a knitter except that time I made a bright pink batwing sweater in 1984. I only managed that because I was sitting next to my Mum and she put right all the millions of dropped stitches etc.

So, how did I get started? Youtube. I cast on , lesson one. Back to the computer. Knit a row. Back to the computer. Increase. Back to the computer. You can see how it was lots of too and froing. Now please dont get too close or zoom in, that would not be pretty but I am pleased with the result and even think I may make another.

To be honest I was very inspired by the blogger Little cotton rabbits and I so wanted a bunny but she only makes them and doesn't sell the pattern. Needless to say her creations are finite and sought after so I stand little chance but  this way I get something like and super cute or what?