frayed at the edge

I could tell a little lie ......

...... and say these snowdrops are ours - but they are in our neighbours' garden!

 

 

This is the sad reality in our back garden - I think this clump of snowdrops is sulking after having had several feet of snow land on it from the roof in December.  Perhaps this little shoot has been sent ahead to see if it's safe to appear now1

 

 

These dwarf narcissi are doing better in the shelter of the ceanothus (although they are a bit muddy after the heavy rain)

 

 

Unfortunately, the poor ceanothus is in a bad way.  A large part of it died last winter, and it looks as if a lot of it is beyond help this year

 

 

After the wind and rain yesterday, today was much brighter, but very cold.  This may look like glass on the road, but it is ice from the puddle on the right

 

 

These horses were quite happy out in the field, as they were wrapped up against the cold - one of them has two rugs on!

 

 

Do you think if I asked Malcolm nicely, he might buy me one of these wonderful machines?  If not, maybe Billy the Farmer (brother to Jim the Farmer who gave me the plums and apples last autumn) would let me have a little go!

 

 

Of course every farmer needs a helper - but I don't think this yappy little dog was contributing much to the working of the farm

 

 

I remembered this morning that I still had to put a bow on Angel's hair, so I got out my little stash of embellishments.  I bought these when I was living in Indonesia, and although I have used a lot of them, I only use them now for special things

 

 

So Angel now has her ribbon, and that is another project on the finished list!

 

It may look like snow ........

........ but it is very heavy frost - this was the front garden this morning

 

 

and of course the cold weather means lots of visitors to the bird feeders

 

 

 

 

I remembered finally to take a photo of the sock progress!  Julie's socks are still the same, waiting for the kitchener stitch on the second sock.  I finished Rachel's second sock last night - except for the kitchener stitch, and I have finished the first of Vee's socks.  I think I could now knit this sock pattern in my sleep!

 

 

As always, I spent the afternoon at Borderland Fabrics.  Cathy has been working on a design for a small wallhanging, which will form the basis for a workshop.  She has used my favourite sorts of fabrics and colours - perhaps I will have to sign up for the workshop?

 

 

Ruth was working on her Grandmother's Flower Garden, which is made with hexagons.  She is very organised, and has her prepared hexagons arranged by colour in a storage box, ready to sew

 

 

 the hexagons will make more flowers like these ones

 

 

There were two parcels delivered to the shop during the afternoon - which were opened to reveal ..... beautiful fabrics

 

 

 

Now to the best bit of the Friday post - cake!  Annette was a bit under the weather, having caught a very nasty cold from her grandchildren, so she hadn't baked for us.  But she knew there would be a riot if we didn't have cake, so she had bought not one, but two lovely cakes

 

rich fruit

 

 

raspberry and white chocolate

 

I've just seen the weather forecast for next week on television - very cold, but not quite as cold as in December ....... I think I will just stay in bed and pull the comforter over my head until the spring!!

I hope you all have a good weekend, love Anne

Lofty ambitions

As I will be out tomorrow and Thursday, I decided to pack Christmas away today.  Most of the decorations are put into boxes, but all the fabric ones are put away on the top shelf of the wardrobe.  The smaller things go into the bag at the back, on the right.

 

 

Given my recent dental woes, I won't be eating any of the candy canes ......

 

 

....... although I could keep them until next month to make hearts for Valentine's Day

 

 

In the dining room I took the Christmas runner off the dining table ......

 

 

....... turned it over, and put it on the sideboard!

 

 

I put away our Bangka tin angels, which we got in Indonesia (sorry, I wasn't able to find anything online about Bangka tin, other than it comes from the Indonesian island of Bangka!)

 

 

As I got everything packed up, I stacked it in the hall ready to go up in the loft.  Malcolm was out, and I did think about doing it myself, but decided that was perhaps a little too ambitious, and waited until he got home ........ he went up into the loft and I handed the boxes up to him, which meant the job was soon done.

 

 

The birds are enjoying the new feeders, so this morning I set the camera up in front of the window in the front lounge, ready to snap them whenever I came into the room

 

 

 

 

And finally ...... a reminder that if you would like a chance to win the very special giveaway for my upcoming 2nd blogiversary/600th post, then simply leave a comment before the 14th (leave a comment every day, if you want .... the more you comment, the more chances you will have)  The prize?  I will either knit a pair of socks or make a small wallhanging for you!

Supermarket madness

We popped in to the new Sainsbury's for a bit of shopping this morning - I didn't do my usual big shop on Monday, so we keep having to buy bits and pieces.  Amongst other things, we bought these sauces ........

 

....... not just because they looked good and could be popped in the freezer ........ but also because they were priced at 1p each!!  (We have no idea why!)

 

As it was busy, we used one of the self service checkouts, which was fine until Malcolm scanned this dvd

 

An assistant (oops, sorry, they are called colleagues - which isn't really correct, as they aren't our colleagues!) ....... anyway, she had to verify that we were over 12 years old before we could buy it!  Then we had a voucher to use, and in dealing with that she made a mistake so we didn't get our Nectar points, which meant we had to go to Customer Services to have them added.  By this time the people who had been in the queue we would have been in had long since been served and left the shop (they were probably at home eating lunch).

 

I have been making progress with the cross stitch kit

 

The heart on the left is for the scissors keeper, the heart with the squares round it is for the pin cushion, and the heart on the right is for the needlecase, and will also have squares round it.

I had popped out to the studio this afternoon to put some things away, when another UFO caught my eye

 

 

I started this quite some time ago - lots of squares knitted with wool I bought in a charity shop

 

 

I got bored sewing them together, and put them away in a basket, so this afternoon I got stuck in and sewed quite a few more

 

Once they are all sewn together, the plan is to crochet flowers to sew on the squares, and then to back it with fleece to make a very cosy throw.

 

This afternoon. I finally cut the Christmas cake, so that we could have a piece with our afternoon cuppa

 

 

Malcolm, of course, had a marzipan fruit with his piece

 

 

Inspired by all the bird feeders at the garden centre yesterday, I bought two new ones today - one for fatballs and one for peanuts.  As soon as they were hung on the bird table, we had visitors!

 

 

 

It's wonderful to see colour in the photos, after all those weeks of unremitting white!

Surveying the damage!

The drip, drip, drip has continued unabated since yesterday, which on the whole is a good thing, but one consequence of the thaw has been a deluge of snow and ice sliding off the roof at the back of the house.  Unfortunately, the cable for Sky tv, running from the satellite dish to the box in the back lounge, had become embedded in the ice, with this consequence ..... the cable has been pulled off the wall (but fortunately the signal is still reaching the tv!)

 

 

In this photo, you can see one of the lengths of ice which came out of the gutters - this one is about two feet long - it is just as well we weren't going in or out of the back door when it came down

 

 

I actually drove today - the first time for about two and a half weeks!  Our road is finally clear, so I was able to go to patch'n'chat ..... I missed the last two because of the snow.  I looked out a neglected Christmas project

 

 

I had already stuck all the pieces in place with Bondaweb, so today I started the blanket stitch round the edges

 

 

Cathy was busy working on the centre of a cushion - this would make a lovely romantic present for Valentine's Day!

 

 

Annette spoiled us today, with not only jam, but also cream in the sponge!  It was delicious - her sponges are so light and full of flavour - I should ask her for lessons!!

 

 

I didn't start knitting until quite late last night, so I only finished a red and white mitten, and started a white and red one

 

 

We are just about organised for the Christmas fair tomorrow - we will get there about an hour before the start, to give us plenty of time to set up our table.  As usual, tomorrow will be Shadow Shot Sunday, but I will take lots of photos to show you on Monday.  The weather may have warmed up, but I don't think I'll be taking off my thermal vest just yet!!  Stay warm (or cool if you are sweltering in the southern hemisphere) and have a good weekend, love Anne

 

 

Calamity!

This photo was taken from a funny angle ...... but that's because it was taken through the window - I haven't been out of the house all day.  During the night, a huge amount of snow came down off the neighbours' roof

 

 

and flattened several shrubs which had just recovered after the same thing happened to them last year

 

 

But to compensate, there was a lovely sky at the front of the house, with the clouds tinged with pink - a reflection of the sunrise

 

 

I thought I ought to make a start to my Christmas cake, so I got out my recipe, which I have used for years ......

 

 

The first thing to do was weigh out the fruit

 

 

then add an ingredient that isn't in the recipe - I always soak the fruit in several glugs of .....

 

 

The birds are still enjoying the food we put out every morning

 

 

Although the weather has caused a lot of disruption, the views round about us are beautiful, as you can see from these photos I took yesterday

 

 

 

 

We have icicles hanging from the roof ..... and also from the climbing rose in the front garden

 

 

The horses are still enjoying the snow, although they now have their coats on

 

 

This was the state of my car when Malcolm started to clear it before we went out yesterday

 

 

And to end ....... this snow obviously got a bit tired and had to sit down for a rest!!

 

 

If you have weather like ours, stay safe and warm.  If you have good weather .... can I come and stay with you!!  Have a good weekend, love Anne

So much fun!!

No - I lied, we haven't had much fun today!  We woke this morning to find that the electricity was off.  And just to cheer us up ....... it was snowing!  Our table now has an amazing 15 inches of snow on it - which probably means we have had more than that, as it will have settled a bit

 

 

After Malcolm worked so hard yesterday to clear the drive, he had to shift about another 3 inches today

 

 

I slithered, slid and slipped out on to the road to take this photo - it looks as if it is in B&W!!

 

 

I thought I would check the forecast for the rest of the week - now I wish I hadn't bothered!!

 

 

I much preferred the forecast for Pollensa in Majorca, where we had our wonderful holiday in May

 

 

Then I had a bit of fun with 'Talking Carl' ..... he repeats everything you say to him, he complains if you poke him - but tickle his tummy and he laughs!!

 

 

I love my ipod touch, which is my birthday/Christmas present from Malcolm.  I am finally getting to grips with all this new-fangled technology ..... I managed to set it up myself, put music on it, get apps for it (then I had to lie down in a darkened room for a week!!)  I can also use it for email, which is great, as it saves booting up the laptop.

We have had quite a lazy day (apart from Malcolm clearing the snow!)  We watched a film this afternoon.  I started on my second sock and knitted the toe, then I finished the first Christmas cushion

 

 

I'm going to show you one more snowy picture  .......and I'm not going to have any photos at all with snow in them tomorrow!

 

Breaking news......

.....it's snowing again .... and again ...... and again.  This was this morning's depth check

 

 

and this was the scary view from Malcolm's study window - snow sliding off the roof

 

 

But enough snow for the moment, let's have some knitting instead!  I couldn't show you these mitts before, as I knitted them for a swap with my bloggy friend Lynne.  She had admired the mitts that I knitted recently and had asked about the pattern, as she wanted to knit a pair for her daughter.  However, when she said that she wasn't sure if her knitting skills were up to it, I offered to knit them for her.  That was soon organised into a swap and she is going to crochet a mat for me.

 

 

Of course, I didn't just knit a pair for Lynne's daughter, but a pair for Lynne as well

 

 

I also popped a couple of extra things in the box (this is now a well-travelled box, as Meg sent my birthday present from Italy in it, and it has now gone to Germany!)

 

 

I have almost finished my first sock

 

 

I just have a few more rows of rib to do.  I think I prefer this toe-up method ...... no dreaded kitchener stitch to finish to toe, and no picking up stitches from the heel flap

 

 

I have had another day in the studio - I don't know when I last did so much sewing!  I have done some more quilting on Alison's panda cushion

 

 

I have almost finished the Christmas cushions - I found a fat quarter to use for the binding .....

 

 

.... and fabric from a sample curtain (I get them from a shop in Hawick) to use for the back

 

 

I watched a dvd this afternoon while I handstitched the binding on the back

 

 

And now, back to the snow.  Malcolm made a start to clearing the drive this morning - as you can see, there was rather a lot of snow on it!  Fortunately our neighbour Billy the farmer (brother of Jim the farmer who gave me the apples and plums) arrived with his tractor and moved a lot of the snow for him.

 

 

These horses had been turned out of their stable for the morning and were enjoying the freedom ......

 
 

 

....... even when the snow started (yet) again

 

 

Don't worry, they hadn't been abandoned in the field .... the owner, her children and dogs were all having fun too

 

 

I have taken lots of snowy photos, but I can't compete with this one taken by my Roving Reporter (aka Stuart!!).  He was unable to get to work, so this afternoon he walked along to the Falkirk Wheel, and took this from the canal bank above the Wheel.  You can see that the canal is frozen!  In the distance, the Ochil hills are covered in snow - remember you can click on the photo to enlarge it.

 

 

Looking on the bright side of this enforced staying at home - I haven't been out since Saturday, so I haven't spent any money!!  I have also been very strong and haven't succumbed to all these wonderful deals on Amazon for things I neither want nor need!!

Inclement weather!

Well, what can I say .... it's still snowing!!  This morning I stuck Malcolm's yardstick in the snow on the patio table ........

 

 

....... so how much snow have we had?

 

 

The birds were on the feeders from early in the morning, but they had to wait until I had showered and dressed before I put more food out.  However the robin found a stray seed

 

 

Having had the disappointment on Saturday of the Christmas Fair being cancelled (it might go ahead this Saturday), I was anxious about my dentist's appointment this morning (I've got toothache again!).  We had decided that we wouldn't go, but before I could phone to cancel, the receptionist phoned me.  She spoke to Malcolm, as I was in the shower .... he asked when I could have another appointment and she said that it would be sometime in the New Year!!  He then explained that I was suffering some pain, so her advice was for me to phone for an emergency appointment as soon as I can get there.  But as this was the state of our road this morning ...... I might have a long wait!

 

 

However, I have been making the most of my time at home!  I went into my stash of Christmas fabrics, and found this panel

 

 

I decided to cut it up to make small cushions.  This is the first one, ready to quilt

 

 

I decided to use YLI invisible thread for the quilting ...... I don't usually use it, but I am pleased with the result.  Here is a detail ......

 

 

....... and here is how it looks on the wrong side

 

 

I had asked Stuart for some ideas for Christmas presents for Alison.  Amongst other things, he said that she likes pandas.  I could picture a magazine that had a panda block on the front cover, and for once I found it quite quickly (usually when I am looking for a specific magazine it's the last one in the pile!)  It didn't take long to make the cushion front

 

 

After my success using the invisible thread, I decided to use it on this cushion too - here is a detail

 

 

and here is the back

 

 

I have been busy kntting as well - but I'll save that for tomorrow!

 

Cosy toes!

After I finished last night's post, I started reading the instructions for the Magic Cast On for my socks.  My eyes started to glaze over and my brain started to hurt!  So I went back online and watched a video on how to do it.  Perhaps it would have helped if I had turned the sound up, but we were watching tv, so I just watched the demonstration.  There seemed to be a lot of winding wool round needles, without any recognisable form of casting on.  When my wool fell off the needles yet again, I gave up on the Magic Cast On.  But there was a little tickle at the back of my brain ....... socks, after all, are just tubes (with shaping) and I know how to cast on and knit a tube with two needles.  So I adapted the method, and hooray, the first sock was started

 

 

I got the idea from the way I knitted the sock for my mobile phone

 

 

It's a very simple pattern - you cast on an even number of stitches, then every row you work p1,sl1 to the end.  If you went on knitting, a tube with a closed end would form.

 

 

As I didn't want to go on knitting a tube, after working two rows, which meant I had worked all the stitches, for the third row I purled the first stitch, slipped the next stitch onto a needle at the back and repeated this to the end of the row.  This gave me two lots of stitches, joined in the middle.   I could then go on with the sock, working increases on every second row .... just the other way round from normal sock knitting when you get to the toe and decrease!  My increases are slightly untidy, but with practice, I'm sure I will improve (and nobody sees the toes of my socks!!)

It is still very cold, but we haven't had any more snow.  The birds are spending far longer at the feeders ....... they need to eat a lot more food to keep warm

 

 

The horses didn't look very happy, grazing in the snow

 

 

The birds make sure every last little bit of seed is eaten

 

 

Just like the climbing rose in the back garden, this one on the front of the house is determined to go on flowering

 

 

Tomorrow (weather permitting) it's the Christmas Fair ..... I'll tell you all about it on Monday.  I hope you have a good weekend, love Anne