frayed at the edge

6&6 in 2018 : the last report!

Well, here it is, the last report for the 6&6 challenge!  This has been such a busy month, not an awful lot has been achieved.  This piece of knitting will become  bag, with a fabric lining

 

I made these 6 shopping bags …….

 

..….. from curtain fabric samples that I have had since 1990!

 

I even unearthed some little labels to put on them

 

I had lots of fun knitting Sven and Solveig, from a kit I bought from the wonderful Lucy Locket

 

after I took their photo, they immediately got up to mischief, with Sven climbing the obelisk

 

and Solveig looking in the border for any signs of spring bulbs.  There is just the tiniest point of a snowdrop next to her left foot!

 

as always head over to Meredithe's blog to read her report, then scroll down to the linky thing to see what everyone else has achieved this month.  Meredithe and I have had a lot of fun with our challenge and we have been delighted that so many of you have joined in with us.  Thank you so much Meredithe for organising all the technical stuff for the challenge, which was beyond my computer skills!!

 

and now, for a rather sad announcement!  After ten years, I have decided to give up the blog.  I have enjoyed writing it so much, but finally I have run out of things to say.  I have made so many friends, some online, and some in the real world, and I hope to stay in touch with you all.  Thank you so much for reading my drivel interesting and entertaining tales, and taking the time to leave your lovely comments!  But don't despair, you can still keep up with all our adventures and scone eating over on Instagram where you will find me @annetaydon

 

I wish you all a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year, love Anne

 

6&6 in 2018 : November report

Well, this wasn't the report that I had planned at the start of the month!  I had sorted out all these wonderful fabrics and a set of appliqué templates which had been a free gift with a magazine ……. and that's as far as I got!

 

I had been turning the Attic upside down looking for something, and decided that a thorough tidy up and sort out was long overdue, starting with my desk

 

then working my way through the storage units

 

several lost things may have been found, and possibly fabric that I had forgotten about!

 

however I did manage one piece of sewing, making this large cushion cover

 

I am still doing lots of knitting in the evenings, with a collection of baby hats

 

red hats in various sizes

 

and blue hats, also in various sizes

 

when I got fed up with hats, I moved on to cute baby cardigans!

 

so I may not have achieved much sewing, but I have been busy!  As always, pop over to Meredithe's blog to read her report, and then scroll down to the linky thing to see what everyone has achieved.  It's hard to believe that there is only one more report to do for this wonderful challenge - I must make a better effort for December!

6&6 in 2018 : October report

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear!!  I missed last month's report as we were on holiday in Australia, I haven't got much to report this month, and I am a day late!    When we came home earlier in the month, I had a horrible bout of sinusitis, and just couldn't get myself organised to get on with things.  However, I have been knitting in the evenings.  I have donated these hats to Northern Soul Kitchen, to be given to any of their customers who are in need of a little bit extra warmth this winter

 

these mitts and hat will also be going there

 

as will these cosy scarfs, made from leftover fleece from quilting

 

so that is my rather poor report, which definitely deserves to be marked "could do better"!!  To see what everyone else has achieved, pop over to Meredithe's blog, and after reading her report, scroll down to the linky thing to check out all the posts.

6&6 in 2018 : August report

This had been a rather busy month, but I have managed to make some progress on my UFOs

 

this is my oldest UFO - I may have started this in the mid-90s!!  I loved these books by Angela Madden ……...

 

………. and wanted to make a quilt for our bed - but then we moved to Indonesia, and the blocks were left at home, and when we came back we bought a much bigger bed and the quilt wouldn't have been big enough.  So I made four of the blocks into a wallhanging

 

I still have all the patterns which Malcolm drafted for me, based on Angela Madden's books

 

so I selected one, and put it on my light pad

 

and put a square of fabric (these are the original blocks, which I had stored in a project box) over the pattern

 

and here is the pattern marked on to the fabric.  I have stitched some of the bias strips on - but I forgot to take a photo (oops!)

 

this is the second UFO I worked on this month

 

I decided to use a ruler to stitch straight lines from the centre of each circle towards each corner

 

I am pleased with the progress that I have made

 

next up was a knitting UFO - ok, we were in the middle of the hottest summer since 1976, so what better time to finish a shawl!  As you can see, it still needs to be blocked

 

I decided to include some beads at the edge, and I also finished it with a picot castoff, which will show up better once it has been blocked

 

I also finished a pair of socks, which also need to be blocked.  Those of you who follow me on Instagram (@annetaydon) will know that I have also been having fun with some simple sewing, so I have achieved a reasonable amount this month!

 

and to finish - I know that some of you have been missing my photos of delicious sconnage ……. so here is a wonderful cheese scone, served with onion chutney

 

to see what everyone else has been up to this month, do pop over to  Meredithe's blog, and once you have read her report, scroll down to the linky thing.

Nostalgia!

Oh my, I don't know where the weeks have gone!  I have been so busy enjoying the glorious summer, that blogging has been just about the last thing on my mind!  But I thought I would pop in and share these photos, which I took several weeks ago.  We were enjoying a cuppa in a coffee shop, when Malcolm spotted this Girl Guides diary in a pile of old books

 

the diary is from 1950, so it is (even) older than me!

 

by the time I was a Girl Guide, of course we promised to do our duty to God and the Queen, as the King died in 1952.  I still try to do a good turn every day, and of course I am always prepared!

 

the photo on the left brought back memories of learning how to drag an unconscious person from a burning building.  We took turns, dragging each other along the floor.  We also made a rope ladder, which could be dropped out of an upstairs window to escape from the aforementioned burning building.  As I was the smallest and lightest Guide, I had the honour of climbing up the ladder to test it!  We could do all sorts of things with our ties - give me my Guide tie and two wooden spoons, and I can put a splint on a broken leg ……..

 

who needs mobile phones …… I could still communicate by semaphore!!