frayed at the edge

A busy afternoon

After being very good and doing the housework yesterday morning, it was time to head to Borderland Fabrics to have an afternoon of chat and patch (although sometimes I think there might be more chatting than patching!).

 

It was a busy session, with lots of customers, as well as the usual supects working away.

 

I took my Jennie Rayment piece, to do some decorative stitching on it (the 'centre needle' sticker on the machine is because when you turn the machine on, the default position for the needle to the left.  I have my quarter inch foot on the machine a lot of the time and if you forget to centre the needle before you start stitching .... oops, the needle hits the foot and breaks ....).

 

I started with the centre block, stitching down the curved edges with this stitch, which looks like a continuous line of asterisks.

 

I then used the buttonhole stitch on this one (I've still to sew in the threads).

 

For this one, the stitch is a continuous curve with little leaves (again, ends everwhere!).

It was the first birthday of the shop, so when we stopped for tea, we had birthday cake, miniature eclairs and chocolate chip muffins - I'll need to do an awful lot of funky squats next week to work off that lot!  We then had a little competition, when we had to fathom out the names of blocks from cryptic clues .... and, yes, I won!!  For my prize I got this super Moda apron ...

 

Just before we headed for home, a Dutch lady, Barbara Jennekens, came in to the shop.  She had with her this fantastic bag, which she had recently made ...

 

The designs were done using her new embroidery sewing machine.  And if you think the front is cute ....

 

I think I'll be singing 'Jungle Book' songs for the rest of the day!!

I haven't been doing much knitting, as my arm has been sore - it's my own fault, as it is the result of bad posture when I'm knitting - I need a frame to make me sit up straight!

I've got another day out tomorrow ... I'll tell you all about it on Monday.

Orphan balls

Do you, like me, get seduced by those poor little orphan balls in the bargain basket in your local yarn store.  You know the ones I mean, glittery, glitzy, gaudy - they sit there saying ' please buy me, all my brothers and sisters have been bought and there is just poor little me left, the last ball of this dye lot/colourway/range'.  Of course you have to buy the sweet little thing and take it home, to love and nurture it - oh, and did I mention, it's been reduced to 99p!!

 

So now you have your collection of little orphan balls, what can you do with them?  Well, here's what I did with some last year for a fundraising coffee morning.  I knitted 'cosy cuffs'.  They not only sold well, I got orders for more!

 

You can use them to brighten up a plain cardigan or sweater .....

 

.... dress up a pair of gloves .....

 

..... knit a pair to match all your jackets - it's amazing how much warmer you feel without the cold wind blowing up your sleeves! 

But, I hear you cry, how can I knit these must-have fashion items?  The answer is - it's easy-peasy.  Experienced knitters look away, in case you're insulted that I think you might need instructions!    First, look at the ball band for needle size and gauge.  Decide how wide you want your cuff (they are knitted round the way) - remember to take into account the size of your ball of yarn.  Cast on required number of stitches.  Work in garter stitch until the cuff fits round your wrist.  Now, here's a little tip - before you cast off, pop into the kitchen and weigh what's left of the yarn, to make sure you have enough to do the second cuff (I may be speaking from experience about running out a few rows from the end).  Once you have worked your second cuff, sew the cast on and cast off edges together - that's it - I told you it was simple.  If you have a large ball, you could be even more adventurous and do basic fingerless mits - simply cast on more stitches to make them wider and when you sew the edges together, leave a hole for your thumb.  If you start collecting those poor little abandoned balls now, by the time Christmas comes round, you can knit cuffs for all your family and friends!

A short walk

It's Wednesday, so that must mean we were out for lunch - this time at Woodside Nursery, in nearby Ancrum.  Malcolm had colcannon soup, which he enjoyed, and I had a wonderful sandwich with local ham and apple and cranberry chutney.  On the way home, we stopped so that I could take this photo of a local landmark Fatlips Castle , a 16th century tower house, which is now a ruin.

   

When we got home, as it was such a lovely afternoon, I decided to go for a walk, so armed with my camera I set off for the local church.  It is only a short walk from the house, but by the time I got there, the sun had gone behind a very large black cloud!

This next photo shows a statue of a man, who in his day, would probably have been referred to as the 'village idiot'.  However, he made himself useful doing errands for the local 'laird' and endeared himself to the locals to such an extent that they had this statue made of him - unusually while he was still alive.

 

The story goes that he did not like the statue and kicked it, breaking off the ear of his dog!

 

I decided I would walk further on up the road, so that I could take a photo of this tree, which I think could have a place in a Harry Potter novel ....

 

... and it's even scarier when you see the other side ....

 

...do you think that could be a scary monster that comes out at night?

On the way back, I spotted these early lambs, but unfortunately I couldn't get any closer to take the photo (unless I squeezed through a hedge and climbed over a fence).  I know they are just two little shapes in the middle of the photo, but they are not just any old lambs, but Jacob's lambs.

 

As I meandered back down the hill, the sun came out again, so I stopped to take this photo of the view - unfortunately my little camera isn't at its best for shots like this, but is does give you an idea of our beautiful scenery.

 

I stopped again at the church, as it was now bathed in afternoon sun ...

 

.... and a final photo to show that spring is just about here, with not just snowdrops in the verge, but daffodils as well ...

 

I think that's the longest post that I've done so far - I think I will have to lie down in a darkened room to recover!

Where does the time go?

It hardly seems two minutes since the last Kist meeting, but two weeks have gone by, so this morning saw me in my usual headless chicken state, rushing about getting the coffee machine on, laying the tea table, lighting the woodburning stove....

For most of the day, I was working on 'sunset over the bay', but as I am still doing the basic quilting, there was nothing new to take a photo of.  However, later on, I did a bit of knitting on my new project.  This is very definitely making-it-up-as-I-go!

 

I thought I would have a change from socks, so this is the beginnings of a fingerless mit.  I am using the two at a time method on the circular needle, so at least the two mits should turn out the same.  I started with 80 stitches and did ten rounds, so that the cuff would curl over.  I then k2tog to leave me with forty stitches and started the cable pattern (which is only on the back).

 

The first cable has caused a fold in the cuff (which you can just about see on the left of the photo), but I think I can solve that with a button!  I haven't yet decided how to do the thumb - vertically, by knitting back and forward for the required number of rows, then knitting in the round again, or horizontally, knitting the thumb stitches onto waste wool?  Oh, decision, decisions!

And now a bit of fun to end with.  I hope you read Helen's comment on the Show Report (if not, why not??) about when wool doesn't count as adding to your stash.  This reminded me of a t-shirt I bought some time ago in a quilting shop .....

Implements of torture

Back in the dim and distant past, I was slim slender ok, just downright skinny!  I could eat what I wanted and never put on an ounce - I had a 22inch waist in my teens and early twenties.  Even when I had my son Stuart I didn't really put on weight and a week after his birth I was back in my pre-pregnancy clothes (eat your heart out celeb Mums, who need strict diets and personal trainers to achieve that).  But now every little over-indulgence means that the scales creep up (and up).  As I enjoy my food (and wine) too much to do proper dieting - I prefer to think of it as a lifestyle change - then I have to resort to the dreaded exercise.  Even more so as most of my hobbies seem to involve sitting down!  Before we moved here, we were members of a gym, but we couldn't find one we liked close enough to where we live to ensure that we would go regularly, so we decided to invest in our own implements of torture  gym equipment.

I leap spring crawl crawl out of bed at 6.45 Monday to Friday and until recently I would have started with the cross trainer ...

 

... watching breakfast tv while trundling along (I do distance rather than speed), then it would be on to the rowing machine ...

 

 ... it's a bit harder to watch tv from this one, as you slide back and forward!  Finally it would on to this aid to doing sit-ups, to work on my six-pack - although I think I have a whole case of beer lurking under my t-shirt .....

 

However, all that changed in the New Year, when I bought Coleen Nolan's latest fitness dvd.  So now you can find me strutting my stuff to the disco beat, doing the funky squat and the jiggly squat (don't ask!) and bouncing up and down doing the pony. 

 The result?  Well, not a lot of difference in my weight, but my shape is changing and my clothes fit better, so what I think I need to do now is combine the two kinds of exercise.  Of course I could be like Liz Hurley and survive on cabbage soup and five (or is it six) raisins, but as I am definitely someone who lives to eat, rather than eats to live, I shall just have to continue with the dreaded exercise.  And once the weather gets better, I can put on my gorgeous socks and my lovely bright walking shoes and stride out to get even fitter - and if I fall head first into a ditch, at least my shoes will be highly visible!

Show report (part two)

So, what did I buy on Friday?  Well the one thing I didn't buy was fabric!  I was tempted, of course, but I stayed strong.  However, I did succumb, first, to this kit from Susan Briscoe ....

 

I chose this colourway - isn't it gorgeous - and that's just the lining fabric you can see at the front!

 

I should point out that fabric in a kit doesn't count as 'buying fabric'!!

Then the lovely Eileen, with her wonderful enthusiasm, made me want this complete set ...

 

It includes full very detailed instructions and patterns which can be printed out from the computer and everything needed to make the bag and cushion (except for the fabric).

 

How could I resist - the sunflowers look as if you could pick them!

And then, I did buy one more thing - I couldn't come home without a new book (yes, I know, New Year's Resolution broken - but it is the middle of February!!)

 

I've only recently started needle felting - I'll show you something when I get a bit better at it!  As well as making lovely things, it is also very therapeutic - all that stabbing with very sharp needles - excellent for dealing with stress and/or tension.

It was lovely to be able to take the photos outside in the sunshine, especially this last one ...

 

These poor snowdrops were buried under snow for two weeks, but with the milder weather of the last few days, they have finally flowered - and it was worth the wait!

Show report (part one)

Yesterday I went to the Spring Quilt Show at Ingliston, organised by Grosvenor Exhibitions .  They are also the publishers of Fabrications magazine, which I am sure many of you will be familiar with.  I was allowed to take a photo of their stand (you can see the 'no photography please' sign in the photo) when I said it was to put in my blog and that I wasn't trying to copy their designs!

 

Unfortunately I can't show you photos of the wonderful quilts, because of copyright issues, but I can share with you some of the super traders and their wares.

 

This is the lovely Susan Briscoe, who posed not once but twice, as she looked down to take another stitch just as I took the first photo.  You can visit her website here and read her blog here.  Did I buy something from her - you will have to wait until tomorrow to find out!

   

This, as you can see, is The Seattle Quilt Company (all the way from Aberdeen!).  The stand was constantly mobbed, so this was the best photo I could get and unfortunately doesn't show the lovely flannels that they sell.

 

This is me (on the right) with the lovely Eileen .  I have to tell you, this woman could sell fridges to Eskimos.  I only stopped for a look and was swept along by her enthusiasm, the quality of her work and the excellent presentation of the instructions.  Did I buy something?  I'll tell you tomorrow!

 

This is my friend Bonnie, who was getting ready to teach a workshop when I popped in to have a quick chat.  I think you can tell from her smile that she is not only Bonnie by name, but also bonnie by nature.  She lives in the village of Twechar ... I can't think of anything that rhymes, to tell you how it's pronounced, but if you clear your throat in the middle, you'll just about get it right!

I also had a blether with the hugely talented, multi-award winning Frieda Oxenham.  I did a workshop with Frieda some years ago and using the technique I learned at the workshop, I made a beautiful ring pillow for my son's wedding, which I will show you some other time.  You can read Frieda's blog here and see the gallery of her work here.

I might have accidently bought a book as well, but all that will be in tomorrow's post.

But to finish, I have a picture of the TWO* pairs of socks I have knitted from my Totie Toe sock wool. 

 

You can see where I had to do the last few rounds of the second pair in a different yarn, but the colours go well.  They are a good match for my walking shoes - I'm sorry if you have been dazzled by the colour of the shoes - but they were greatly reduced in a sale (probably the only way they could get anyone to buy shoes that colour!).

* yes, Helen, that emphasis on TWO pairs is for you!

A mixed bag

  I spent quite a lot of today putting things in the 'dresser' in our new kitchen.  There had been a slight delay to this, as when the kitchen was delivered, the glass shelves were missing.  However, we finally got them, so I could start organising where everything was to go.  We simply didn't have enough cupboard space before, so it is lovely to have room not only to store things, but also to diplay our special bits and pieces.

 

Did you spot the cheeky monkey sitting on the dresser ...

 

Isn't he just so cute!  He was one of my Christmas presents from Malcolm and as well as being cute, he also is practical.  His tummy is made of chamois and can be used to clean computer and tv screens.

I thought you might like to see some more of the Woman's Realm.

 

I somehow don't think that boys today would wear a sweater like the one on the left (it isn't entirely clear, but those are apples on it!)

 

But this advert for Patons could be a current one.

I had hoped to finish my latest pair of socks last night, but I still have a few more rounds to go ...

 

This is the second pair from my Totie Toe sock yarn.  I don't think I have quite enough to finish the toes, so I thought for a bit of fun I would use the leftover sock yarn that I got from Lindsay .  I have made the pattern for these up as I've gone along, which is where the 2-at-a-time method comes into its own.  You don't have to write down what you did for the first sock to make sure the second one turns out the same!

Well, as I said in the heading, a bit of a mixed bag of meanderings today.  Tomorrow I'm off to the Spring Quilt Show at Ingliston (in Edinburgh) with my friend Lorraine.  Of course we are only going to look at the quilts and we wouldn't dream of buying any fabric ..... I'll tell you all about our day on Saturday, as no doubt I'll be too tired tomorrow night.

Who stole the sink!

 

For goodness sake ... you turn your back for a minute and someone steals your sink!  Just as well that by the time I got back from knit'n'natter this afternoon Malcolm had replaced it.

 

You might have noticed that things have been a little bit slow on the new kitchen front.  The reason for this is something that I haven't mentioned in the blog, as Malcolm and I decided this was not the place to write about it.  But it has caused, and is causing, such an upheaval to our family life, we decided that I would mention it briefly.  Maolcolm's Dad was in hospital - he was very poorly, with a chest infection and much reduced kidney function (he has ongoing problems with both his chest and kidneys).  As a result of this, he realised that he was no longer able to care for himself at home and decided to go into a residential care home.  Amazingly, two days after saying that's what he wanted, he had moved into the home - which is only a few streets away from where he lived.  He has been there now for two weeks and is gradually settling in.  Malcolm and his sister now have the sad task of sorting out the house ready to sell - but it's not all doom and gloom - when we were there yesterday, Jennifer gave me a magazine she had found ....

 

It's dated September 1985 and it's fascinating looking at the fashions, the adverts - and the fact that most of it is in black and white.  I guess we take colourful glossy magazines for granted!  Unfortunately, there was no sign of the free gift, or my next post might have had a host of gingerbread men running all over it!

Twiddled and fiddled

As predicted, I was simply too tired last night to post about my workshop with Jennie Rayment.  As soon as we had all arrived and set up our machines it was down to business.

   

Jennie's instructions are laced with humour, but she explained each block clearly and went over everything two or three times until she was sure everyone had understood. She went round the room constantly, making sure everyone was coping and offering help and advice when needed.

 

After a hard morning's work (ok, we did stop for a cuppa and a biscuit) we were halfway through our blocks when we stopped for lunch.

 

There was a choice of two delicious soups and lots of sandwiches - just what we needed to give us strength for the afternoon session!

 

Anne had brought her amazing new machine with her - it does everything but make a cup of tea!  Jennie has a vast knowledge of machines and gave us all advice on getting the most out of our assorted collection.

 

Finally I had the basic 9 blocks completed, ready to be sewn together.

 

Next, I added the outer borders.

 

And that's when the fun begins, because you fiddle and twiddle to add texture to the blocks.

 

As you can see. at the moment I just have pins in, but the rolled edges will be stitched in place and decorative stitches and beads added.  I have made mine in a selection of batik fabrics, but Jennie is famous for working with calico (muslin in America).  So here is not just nine blocks, but an entire quilt, based on the solution to a sudoku puzzle.

 

You can just see the blocks hanging on the bottom, one of which is the correct one to fit over the question mark.  I ccould work that out, but the real puzzles defeat me - I like word puzzles, not numerical ones.  If you think the quilt is a bit on the plain side, think again when you look at this detail ...

 

It's amazing what a bit of twiddling and fiddling can create! 

I did mention there was to be home baking - there was a delicious sponge to have with our afternoon cuppa - but it was all eaten before I thought about taking a photo!  Altogether, it was a great day out.

ps - I still have some Thistle Stitchery kits.  They cost £4.50 (incl p&p).  If you would like one, please let me know via a comment, and I'll e-mail you to sort out the details.