frayed at the edge

Plan B

The plan for today had been to go to Morpeth to visit Jennifer, but it started snowing yesterday afternoon, and by early evening, this was the view from the lounge window

 

 

We had hoped it might vanish overnight, but this morning the front garden looked like this

 

 

and this was the scene in the back garden

 

 

As the snow was falling steadily, we decided we would stay at home, which turned out to be the right decision, as the main road was closed later in the day!

However, there were certain little people in the house who were glad to see the snow ......

 

the Gnome brothers watching the snow

 

But, I hear you ask, what are they sitting on ...... we haven't seen that little stool in previous photos.  Well, that's because it's a new stool, which has just been made by Malcolm!  Here are the Gnome Sisters admiring it

 

 

It is a traditional stool called a cracket.  You can read more about crackets here and here.  Malcolm made this one for his other sister Judith, but I have put in an order for one and I rather think Jennifer would like one too!  When he makes the next one, I will have to make sure I get photos of the various stages involved, so that I can post a woodworking tutorial ...... but for now, here is another view of his first one!

 

 

Yesterday, I was delighted to find this book in a charity shop.  It was first published in 1977, with this edition coming from 1983

 

 

I almost wish I had open shelves in the kitchen so that I could make this edging for them

 

 

I think this knitted tablecloth is gorgeous ...... but I don't think you'll be seeing one on the blog any time soon!!

 

 

After such a horrible start to the day, the snow is now melting and the sun is shining .....

 

 

Tuesday Tutorial 12

Tassels

 

In this week's tutorial, I am going to show you a basic method for making tassels - and no special equipment is required!

 

For the first tassel, I used a piece of card measuring three and a half inches by five inches and some six-strand embroidery thread.  I cut two pieces of thread, one measuring twenty two inches, the other fifteen, and put them aside.

 

 

Holding one end of the thread  I started wrapping it round the card

 

 

I continued to wrap the thread until I had used it all, keeping the wraps close together

 

 

I took the twenty two inch length of thread, folded it in half and threaded a large needle with it and slipped the needle under the wrapped thread

 

I tied the thread tightly  round the wraps

 

I carefully eased the wraps off the card and tied them loosely with a scrap of thread

 

I took the fifteen inch piece of thread and made a small loop, the top of which I positioned about half an inch from the top of the tassel

 

I wrapped the thread tightly round and passed the end through the top of the loop

 

I pulled the bottom end of the loop, until the loop was underneath the wrapped thread and trimmed off the ends

 

I cut the loops on the bottom of the tassel

 

To finish, I tied a knot in the hanging loop

 

the finished tassel

 

For the next tassel, I used the same method and some wool, with a piece of card measuring 6 inches square

 

This made a lovely big chunky tassel

 

For the third one, I used the same card, a hank of mixed yarns and thread, a length of ribbon and three beads (with large holes)

 

I used the ribbon to tie the top of the tassel, then I also tied the body, knotting it at the front ......

 

....... then knotting it again at the back and using a large needle to put the ends of the ribbon down through the centre of the tassel

 

I then used the large needle to thread the beads on to the hanging loop

 

I knotted the thread to keep the beads in place

 

In this photo of all the tassels, you may notice there is a gold one as well .... but making it didn't go quite to plan .......

 

When I made the gold tassel, I threaded some beads on to gold thread, and every fourth wrap, I slid a bead up to the edge of the card (you don't cut the loops when you finish this one!)

 

 

I've made this kind of tassel before without a problem, but the gold thread that I used this time has too much spring in it, and won't hang properly ........

 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  

 

Another slice of history

 Last Monday, on our way home from our stay in Durham, we stopped in the village of Blanchland.  It has been described as the prettiest of villages, and you can read more about its history here.  When we saw this building .......

 

....... we thought it had been a church, but it was the village school.  It has now been turned into the White Monk Tea Rooms - we had a very pleasant lunch there. 

One very old building in the village is the Abbey

 

 

At the back of the Abbey you can see where the building has changed over the years - the marks on the wall show the roof lines of other parts which have been demolished

 

 

 

We think this stone structure once housed a water supply for the village

 

 

 

We were puzzled by these oddly shaped stones, but we discovered that they had been part of the winding engine at a nearby lead mine

 

 

 

And to end - a little bit of fun ........

 

 

....... don't worry, it's not incontinent ladies who cause the flooding - the toilets are next to the river!
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

Shadow Shot Sunday

 

 

It has been one of those busy weeks, when I just never had a moment to go shadow hunting, so it's into the archives for today's selection .....

 

shadows in the old graveyard in Kelso

 

 

shadows under a bridge on the way home from a day out to Berwick

 

 

the sun shining on the stone wall in the coffee shop at Meldon Park

 

 

the evening sun shining through the lace curtain in the kitchen

 

 

I took this photo last Sunday in Durham.  This is the restaurant where we had lunch - although it looks as if it's a dress shop ...... but that's a reflection of the shop across the street!  And that's my reflection in the bottom right hand corner, taking the photo!!

 

For more shadow fun, head as always to Hey Harriet, where Tracy hosts this super meme!! 

It was raining again .....

 ...... this morning, wet, windy and horrible .... so when it came to lunchtime, I definitely needed some comfort food!

 

delicious - boiled eggs and toast soldiers

 

I love to have pots of herbs on the kitchen windowsill, so I was delighted to find this double pot in a kitchen shop earlier in the week - just the thing to put my basil and thyme in

 

 

The rain did finally ease after lunch, so when I went out to the studio to fetch my sewing to go to Borderland Fabrics, I was able to take some photos of more signs of spring!

 

these narcissi are a month late in flowering

 

 

one of my garden favourites - alchemilla mollis

 

lovely soft shades of green and purple leaves of aquilegia 

 

 

 

the forsythia is about to flower

 

 

 

The challenge for March was to clear out my wardrobe - I had already taken some woolies to a charity shop, but then I had a thorough clearout!

 

 

Don't worry, Winnie the Pooh didn't go to the charity shop .... he was just relaxing on the bed in the guest bedroom!  It was hard to part with some of the clothes - but they are too small for me and I know I will never be that thin again ....... and I did feel better when they were no longer hanging in the wardrobe looking reproachfully at me for not being able to wear them.

 

Of course, Friday means cake, and Annette produced one of her light-as-air sponges for us to have with our cuppa

 

 

 

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend - we are supposed to have better weather tomorrow ...... but snow is forecast for next week!!!

Love Anne
 

 

 
 

 

  

 

 

 

Going to pot!

We seem to have been very busy for the last two weeks, but I did find time to put the plants I bought recently into the pots that sit at the studio door

 

 

It has been a horrible day today - grey, wet, miserable, foggy - but when we got home this afternoon, I did find some things in the garden to cheer me up

 

rather damp buds on the flowering currant

 

 

I'm looking forward to this lupin flowering in the summer

 

it won't be long until the air is full of the scent of honeysuckle

 

One of the reasons I have been so busy recently is that I am an executor of Malcolm's Dad's will.  There has been lots of paperwork to deal with ..... and last week I had to attend the Probate Court to swear an oath to carry out the terms of the will.  Yesterday and today has involved lots of visits to banks and building societies, but we did manage to go to a garden centre for lunch today. When we were looking round the plants, Malcolm spotted this bird  - we could see that it was a bird of prey, but we didn't want to risk getting too close in case it flew off before I could take a photo.  I only had my small camera, so having cropped the photo, it's a bit blurred, but you can see the talons and the beak

 

A whistle stop tour of historic Durham

There is so much history to see in Durham, I couldn't fit it all in to one post, but you can read more about it here.  The city is dominated by the wonderful buildings of the cathedral and the castle

 

a view of the magnificent Norman cathedral

 

 

the castle dominating the skyline

 

 

this Edwardian building is part of the University

 

Not all of the historic buildings are quite as magnificent. This concrete structure, which is the Students' Union, was probably built in the 60s

 

 

I loved this window above a shop ......

 

 

........compared to the reality of modern students' clothes in the shop

 

 

I took so many photos, I am having trouble deciding which ones to include, so I think it's time to have some fun ones

 

I have no idea why this little fellow was hanging about outside the bank!

 

 

this sign was beside a door in a very dark and scary passage in a cathedral building

 

 

this little robin was enjoying the sunshine on the river bank

 

To finish, a magnificent church window - look at the little faces carved on either side - I have yet to find out their significance

 

  

  

Tuesday Tutorial 11

Needlefelting

 

For today's tutorial, you will need  specials tools ......

 

a felting needle (available from craft shops or online) and a block of foam - I bought a foam seat pad from an upholstery shop and cut it up.  You will also need some wool tops and some old wool jumpers which have been felted - give them a hot wash (include old towels or jeans) then a hot tumble dry ...... of course you may have accidently felted a jumper, so here is a chance to  put it to good use.

The first thing I made was a brooch - I started with a flower shape cut from a felted jumper, and added some wool tops which I needled onto the centre

needle felting is a great antidote to stress - you just keep stabbing the needle in - the barbs on the needle make the wool and the fabric mesh together (but please be careful not to stab your fingers - the needles are very sharp!)

 

Next I added a ring of another colour 

 

and then another

 

I cut two leaves from another felted jumper and needled them in place on either side of the flower

 

I thought the flower looked a bit plain, so I added some lovely textured yarn ......

 

....... and added beads in the centre and round the edge.  I finished by sewing a brooch pin to the back.

 

For the next project, I started with a piece of organza and a selection of wool tops

 

I arranged the wool in a rough pattern on the organza and started needling it into place

 

I raided my stash for this jazzy yarn

 

and added little bits

 

 

I then needled this  onto a  piece cut from ..... yes, another piece of felted jumper (look for cheap woolies in charity shops).  I added some little spirals, by twisting some wool, then needling it into place

 

I finished by sewing on some beads

 

I haven't yet decided what to do with this piece - I think I will probably make it into a book cover.

 

This afternoon, I was having a final play - I started with a lovely piece of thick felt in shades of lilac (I bought this felt!).  I needled some green along the bottom, then twisted some more green to make tree trunks.  Finally, I mixed two greens together to finish the trees

 

I hope this will encourage you to have a go at needlefelting!
  

 
 

 
 

 

 
 
 

 

 
 

 

 

Gorgeous!

Yesterday we headed off over the Border to County Durham, on our way to visit Helen, as she had an open weekend at her wonderful studio

 

 

It was lovely to finally meet Helen, as we have been blog friends for quite some time ..... but every time she had one of her open weekends, I was unable to go!  We nearly didn't get there this time, as she lives at the end of a very bumpy farm road.   Malcolm blanched at the thought of driving his new car over all the lumps and bumps as it has a low clearance .... but he just took it easy and we got there unscathed!  We had a cuppa and a chat with Helen, then before I got down to some retail therapy, I took some photos ....... first of the gorgeous merchandise

 

lovely things for Easter

 

where else would you keep cushions!

 

 

more gorgeousness outside

 

 

Malcolm made a new friend

 

 

even I found this cute!!

 

some of my purchases - I can't show you all of them as they are presents!

 

After we has successfully negotiated the farm road again, we headed into Durham.  We hadn't been there before, so we were looking forward to doing some sightseeing.  As I took lots of photos, I will save them for another post, and will end today with .... food!  We went to La Tasca, a lively Spanish tapas restaurant, for dinner.  We ordered a selection of dishes, which looked like an awful lot of food when it arrived

 

but we managed to eat it all! 

 

After another walk round Durham this morning, we meandered home, with a stop on the way in a very intersting village - but I'll save that for another time as well ........
 

 

 
 

 

 

 

  

Shadow Shot Sunday

 

The sun was shining yesterday, which meant I could take some shadow shots to play along with all the other shadow chasers who meet every week at Hey Harriet.

baskets of houseplants on a windowsill

 

ornaments on another windowsill

 

garden trellis on the drive

 

 

the pergola on the grass

 

 

a miniature birdhouse and lavender plants

I'm sorry that the photos aren't centred - they just won't co-operate!!