frayed at the edge

The black sheep of the family!

Oh bliss - there are some lambs in the field across the road from the house - including these little black lambs.  (sorry it's not a better photo, but they were at the top of the field and the weather was a bit murky!)

 

 

Then, when I was going out this morning, I had to do one of those screeching to a halt things (just joking, Malcolm!) ....... because more Jacob's lambs have arrived

 

 

In contrast to all the black and white, the greenfinches were back on the peanut feeder

 

 

On the knitting front, I have finished the two cabled cushion fronts.   Now I have to admit to a major faux pas.  I had taken photos of blocking them ......... but I had a thorough sorting out of my photos - and I have deleted them!  So all I can show you is the two fronts, ready to make up

 

 

In common with forty million people wordwide, I have become addicted to playing 'Angry Birds'.  Malcolm too has succumbed- we have nearly come to blows over whose turn it is!!  If you haven't encountered the game, let me explain.  There are cheeky little green pigs, sheltering in a variety of structures

 

 

You use a catapult to fire the birds at the pigs ......

 

 

..... in the hopes of demolishing the structures and getting rid of the pigs

 

 

There are lot sof sound effects - grunting pigs and chattering birds, then the bangs and crashes as the birds hit the structures!  And the cost of all thus fun - a mere 59 pence to dowload the App - money well spent!

 

Things old and new

To start, I have something fairly old - an Edwardian post box.  This is the first Edwardian one that I have found - I'm glad that we crossed the road for a closer look when we were out for a walk yesterday!

 

 

I think if the paint were to be cleaned off, this would look like the one on the left of the photo in the link.

 

 

Next, something considerably older!  We went for a walk after lunch today, heading up the bridle path.  We have on occasion looked for the remains of a tower house, which we know is somewhere in the woods.  I have tried to find out about the house, and this link has a very informative piece - especially the bit about the army using it for demolition practice!  Today, we wandered down a different path, and there, suddenly, through the trees, we spotted the house

 

 

Later additions to the house have mostly gone, but this date stone shows when it was first built

 

 

It must have been an imposing sight before it fell into ruin

 

 

We were surprised that the house hasn't been fenced off - or at least had warning notices posted.  This section of stonework looked ready to fall

 

 

As we walked round, a flash of colour caught my eye.  This must have been a floor in the Victorian part of the house

 

 

Now for something considerably newer - the tractor quilt!  At the weekend, I finished quilting the centre panel

 

 

a detail of the front .......

 

 

....... and the back

 

 

It's Monday, so time for the latest knitting news.  The egg bunny cosies turned out as cute as they looked in the book

 

 

This week's project is a bead necklace, so that won't take long to do!  The pattern is for nine beads, but the only packet I could get in my local craft supply shop contains eight - maybe I could put something else in the middle!

 

 

 

 

 

Almost a change of plan!

We got up this morning to discover it was snowing!  This was the view from the kitchen at 7am - no, it's not a blurred photo, that's heavy snow!

 

 

We were worried we would have to change our plans for the day, but an hour later, this was the view from the front doorstep

 

 

As we headed down the A68 towards the Border, there was more and more snow lying - until it was at its deepest as we crossed into England

 

 

Our first stop was at Jennifer's, to give her a stool that Malcolm had made for her

 

 

Jennifer had given Malcolm the piece of needlework, which had been done by her mother-in-law, and asked him to make a stool - she was delighted with the result!

 

 

There was a rather unusual sight in Jennifer's back garden - a female pheasant (unfortunately the male was nowhere to be seen, as he is much more colourful!)

 

 

Next on the agenda was ........ lunch!  We went to the Milkhope Centre, where we enjoyed some rather tasty sandwiches

 

 

But we were under strict instructions not to eat too much, as next we went to visit Rachel, who had promised us a feast of baking!  First we had the most delicious cheese scones, hot from the oven

 

 

You know that Malcolm and I usually share a scone when we are out, but these were so delicious, we disgraced ourselves and ate two each (as did Jennifer!!).  Then we somehow found room for a slice of this wonderful, delicious, gorgeous (you get the idea) mocha cake (yum, yum, yum)

 

 

But of course there then followed the quid pro quo ........ those of you who regularly read Rachel's blog will know the tale of woe about her dishwasher.  Although she had sourced and fitted a new circuit board herself, it still wasn't working.  Malcolm delved into the innards, and promptly produced a large piece of glass (from a broken wineglass) that the repairman hadn't noticed.  We all held our breath as he pressed the start button ...... drat, it still wasn't working!  Unfortunately, to do any further investigation required a specialist tool, which Rachel didn't have, so we will pop down again sometime soon (Malcolm hates to be defeated!)

My part of the baking/skills swap is much easier ....... to knit a cushion cover to sit on a chair with this cushion, which was made by Rachel's Mum

 

 

It is now 7pm, and we are still so full of cake and scones that we haven't had any dinner!  However, Rachel gave Malcolm the last two scones, which he will have later for supper.  She also gave Jennifer and me a large slice each of the mocha cake - I might share mine with Malcolm with our afternoon cuppa tomorrow ........ although I could be like Nigella and get up in the middle of the night and guzzle it (except I don't have the required red satin dressing gown to do that!)

 

Rescheduling

I had more or less planned today's post (yes, there is some planning involved in writing this stuff!!) when all my plans were changed.  Why?  I was driving up the hill on my home from Hawick this morning, when I saw ....... more lambs!  I ran into the house, dumped my bags on the kitchen floor, grabbed my camera and ran (well, walked quickly!) back down the hill.  It was dificult to get photos, as they were a bit obscured by a fence and a hedge ....... but prepare to say - aaaaaah!

 

pretending to be shy!

 

 

have you got my good side?

 

 

this little one has just arrived - but it won't be long until ........

 

 

it catches up with this one!

 

When I walked back up to the house, I could hear a lot of birds chirping in the garden.  I crept up and had a peek - and was rewarded with the sight of a bird that we've never seen in the garden before.  Once I had taken some photos, I had to get out the bird book to identify ......

 

a long tailed tit

 

These tits are tiny.  According to my book, they are the smallest British bird (I thought that was the wren).  This next photo shows you just how small they are

 

what bad manners, sitting on the food!

 

 

you can see its size compared to the peanuts

 

I took this next photo earlier this morning - I didn't get a good look at the bird on the right before it flew off, but I think it is a coal tit - we don't see many of them in the garden either.

 

 

If you look carefully at the sparrow on the right, you can see it has a little feather in its beak - we can already hear the sparrows outside in the morning, above our bedroom window where they nested last year

 

 

It's Monday, so that means a progress report on the knitting project.  Last week's face cloth didn't take long to do (it was such a bright sunny day, I took the photo outside!)

 

 

Given that it is Shrove Tuesday tomorrow, the timing is right for this week's pattern - little Easter bunny egg cosies

 

 

Normal service will be resumed tomorrow, with a look at the weekend sewing and our Sunday morning walk!

 

A cold and frosty morning

When I got up this morning at half past six and looked out of the window, I thought it had snowed in the night!  However it turned to be a very hard frost - and I can tell you it was very, very cold when I went out to take some photos

 

a very cold and frosty front garden

 

 

the cold didn't put the horses off their breakfast

 

At this point I retreated indoors to take more photos!

 

not angry, but hungry, birds

 

 

mmmmm - peanuts

 

I did quite a lot of knitting last night.  I finished this week's project (you'll see that on Monday), finished the frilly scarf and also the cushion front (and started another one, as I think it looks good!) 

 

 

I've pinned the cushion front to an existing cushion, to give you an idea of what it will look like

 

 

According to the video I watched about knitting the frilly scarf, one ball should knit a scarf with seven stitches, with enough left over to do one with four stitches.  So at knit'n'natter this afternoon, I started ..... and finished ....... one with four stitches.  I still had some of the ball left, so when I got home I weighed the smaller scarf and what remained of the ball .... there is enough to do a shorter narrower scarf. or perhaps collar and cuffs for a plain sweater or cardigan. 

 

But I don't really want two scarfs that are almost the same, so I think I'll have a little giveaway.  If you would like the chance to win the narrower scarf, then simpy leave a comment.  I'll choose the winner on Friday evening.

Catching up!

I've got lots of photos to show you, starting with this one from Saturday, when I finished the quilt top for the Linus tractor quilt - now I just need to layer it and quilt it!

 

 

When we were about to get in the car on Saturday morning to go to Hawick, the postman arrived, with a mysterious parcel for me.  It was from Amazon, but I knew that I hadn't ordered anything!  I opened it to find it contained a present from Rachel   (thank you  Rachel) ...... this wonderful book of vintage socks

 

 

It is packed full of the history of socks and the vintage patterns the book is based on.  There are clear instructions for the construction of the different heels and toes

 

 

and who could resist knitting a baby's bootikin!

 

 

Last week I bought a bunch of beautiful lilies.  When I left on Thursday morning only one or two of the blooms had opened, but when I came home on Friday, they had all opened

 

 

In the mirror, you can see a little bit of this embroidery, which I did many years ago for my Mum and Dad

 

 

Although we have had some frosty mornings, it has been warmer during the day, and there are more signs in the garden that spring is just about here.  This is new growth on the forsythia

 

 

and this is one of our many clematis

 

 

This next photo is actually from about ten days ago - I was just pottering round the garden, hoping to see some new growth (while lamenting the plants which haven't survived the winter), when I saw a flash of colour under the old leaves of the hellebore.  I immediately fetched the secateurs and snipped off the tatty old foliage

 

 

We went out for a walk after lunch today.  We were going to go up the bridle path, but it was extremely muddy!  Instead we walked through the wooded area beside the road.  This little holly has a long way to go before it it as tall as the trees round it

 

 

Two other flashes of green caught my eye - the first one is a welcolme sight of new growth

 

 

But it won't be long until this nettle is big enough to sting an unwary walker!

 

 

I hope you have enjoyed this round up of photos that nearly didn't make it into the blog - I need to lie down for a rest now!!

Another day out

 
Yesterday, I headed down the road to Chesters, for a Woolgathering - where a bunch of us get together and indulge in all things crafty.  It was a beautiful morning, so I had a quick stop on the way to take some photos.  Ruberslaw stood out against the sky

 

 

Looking back down the road, I had a good view of the Mintos and the Eildons

 

 

Oh dear, we were so busy talking and working all day, I forgot to take any photos!  But I can show you the progress I made on my scarf

 

 

But on to more important things ........ lambs!  I went out for a walk after lunch, and as I did last time, I struggled through the hedge and over the fence to try to get closer photos.  I was somewhat embarrassed when a woman appeared in the field, accompanied by a little girl and a small dog.  I thought I had better explaing what I was doing, but she had realised that I was taking photos and ....... she asked if I wanted to come into the field to get closer!!

 

the lambs are getting big

 

 

this is the tup (he has broken one of this horns)

 

 

they are just so cute!

 

I was delighted to get so close to the lambs ........ and I have permission to go into the field again to get more photos as they get bigger!  There were some ewes in one of the other fields - I wonder if the one on the right knows that she is different from the others

 

 

As I was walking along looking for things to thake photos of, a bit of colour caught my eye.  A closer look showed it to be a rotten apple!

 

 

Then later, when I was squeezing through the hedge, I noticed another little bit of colour - a ladybird!

 

 

It's Monday, so that means an update on the knitting project.  The little floral corsage didn't take long to do

 

 

This week's item won't take long either - a washcloth!

 

 

I still seem to have quite a collection of photos to show you - I will have to do a catch-up tomorrow!

 

Quilts galore!

There were quilts as far as the eye could see, traders with all sorts of wondeful things to buy ...... but first - breakfast!!  (yes, the bacon roll was as tasty as it looks) (and yes, I got some funny looks taking the photo!)

 

 

Suitably fortified, it was time to look at the quilts.  Since I started the blog, I have only shown general shots of quilts at shows, because of copyright issues.  But I have seen lots of quilts on other blogs - and by the time the quilts have been seen by the thousands of visitors to the shows, I really don't think there will be too much harm done if I show you some.  However, I have permission to show you these first two quilts, as they were made by one of my friends, and I saw her at the show.  They were part of a challenge to make 'journal quilts' - they are all the size of A4 paper

 

 

 

The next two quilts were made by another friend - I'm sure she won't mind my sharing them with you

 

 

 

There were several quilts with beautiful applique (the colours aren't true, as the lighting was rather dim)

 

 

 

The secondary pattern formed by the darker colours is much clearer in the photo than it was looking at the quilt!

 

 

I wish the colours were true in this next photo - I came round the end of the row and stopped in my tracks ........ the quilt is VERY bright

 

 

So did I buy anything?  Well, I didn't buy any fabric (although I was tempted!).  I got these two magazines, as they aren't available in shops here.

 

 

Then I was intrigued by this set of continuous line quilting patterns.  As I definitely need to practice my machine quilting, I thought this would be a good investment

 

 

This is part of one of the patterns

 

 

I also stocked up on my favourite thread for using in the bobbin

 

 

After all the bother of doing the post last night, I was glad to pick up my knitting and do a few relaxing rows.  But then I saw so many people wearing these scarves today, I have gone off it a bit!  I shall have to do something to customise mine.  I know I should have popped out to the studio and draped it round my mannequin to show you the progress, but by the time I got home, I just laid it on the rug in the lounge .......

 

 

Of course after seeing all those wonderful quilts, I should be spending the weekend chained to the sewing machine ...... but I'm off out for the day again on Sunday!  I'll tell you about that on Monday, when I'll also show you more of the photos from yesterday - and I'll also be using some of them tomorrow for Shadow Shot Sunday.  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, love Anne

It all started ........

........ when Rachel sent me a link to this beautiful blog.  One of the things that caught my eye was a super knitted cushion cover with cables.  Now, this is when a problem arose.  If I knitted something similar, was I stealing someone else's design, or was I just inspired to do my own version.  I decided that as I was only knitting one for myself, and not writing a pattern to give to others, it was ok.  Next problem - can I show you my version?  Well, here is a peek at what I've done so far

 

 

Still on the knitting front, on Friday at patch'n'chat someone was knitting an unusual scarf.  Then yesterday, when my friends arrived for Kist (my housegroup), one of them, Anne D, was knitting one of these intriguing scarves too.  Well, it wasn't just me, we were all making plans to go and buy a ball of the yarn.  I bought mine this morning when we were in Hawick (more later as to why we were there today instead of tomorrow)

 

 

If you hadn't seen how this yarn knits up, you would think it looks nothing special

 

 

But the yarn has a secret - you need to pull it open, to reveal a mesh

 

 

That's when I encountered a slight problem - although Anne had shown us yesterday how to knit with the yarn, by this afternoon I had forgotten.  Not that I'm the only person to forget things - I'm in good company

 

 

and obvioulsy I learned something new today, which pushed the knitting method out of my brain

 

 

However, thanks to a quick google, I found a tutorial, and I was soon underway.  You don't cast on in the normal way, you simply put the needle through the edge, leaving a gap of about an inch and a half each time

 

 

It's hard to show you the next stage - instead of wrapping the yarn round as normal, you leave a gap and put the needle through the edge, then use that to make the stitch

 

 

This is how it looks after two rows

 

 

On the sewing front, I got the fleece for the back of the tractor quilt - the same one that I used for the quilt that I made Stuart for Christmas

 

 

So, why were we in Hawick today instead of tomorrow ...... I am abandoning Malcolm again - this time for two days!  Tomorrow morning I am heading for Falkirk to visit Stuart.  Of course, you are thinking, why isn't Malcolm going with me?  It's because on Friday, I am going to the spring quilt show at Ingliston.  However, I don't think Malcolm minds too much, as he has made his famous lasagne (Stuart loves it) for me to take for dinner tomorrow (there was even talk of a bottle of Chianti to go with it).  All I have to do tomorrow is pop it in the oven!

 

 

But don't worry that Malcolm might be going hungry - of course he made some for himself!

 

 

On my way to Falkirk, I will be making a detour to take some very special photos to share with you tomorrow ....... and I may just have to have lunch at a garden centre!

I'll cross that bridge .......

Although it wasn't very nice yesterday - cold and damp- we still went for a walk.  We parked at the Leaderfoot Viaduct and walked up the hill until we had a view of the three bridges

 

 

On the way, we passed these ewes, patiently waiting for their lambs to be born

 

 

As you can see, most of the sheep were lying down, but this one was obviously keeping an eye out for trouble - she gave us a very stern look!

 

 

Back home, I spent the afternoon in the studio.  I added the eyes to the chickens

 

 

 

So that's the first of the four wallhangings finished ...... and work is progressing on the other three

 

 

I can no longer watch all the Star Trek re-runs when I am in the studio at the weekend - for some reason the channel is no longer available that they were shown on.  I couldn't find anything I wanted to watch on Saturday afternoon, so I watched a DVD of Cliff in Summer Holiday (I got it free some time ago from a newspaper)  Just have a look at his quiff!!

 

 

Yesterday, I was delighted to find an episode of Diagnosis Murder.  For the last five years of his life, I visited my Dad twice a week.  We used to enjoy a steady diet of Diagnosis Murder and Murder She Wrote - I think over the years we must have seen all the episodes.  We much preferred the earlier Murder She Wrote, set in Cabot Cove.  In one episode of Diagnosis Murder, they were on the pier at Santa Monica - I was jumping up and down, saying to my Dad 'I've been there'!!

 

 

Later, I was watching one of the music channels.  Malcolm showed perfect timing when he brought me a cuppa, just as Beyonce was telling him he should have put a ring on it!

 

 

It's Monday, so that means a progress report on the knitting project.  The flowerpot covers were very quick to knit.  They might have looked a bit more interesting if I had used different colours, but I didn't want to use small amounts out of full balls, and I didn't have any suitable leftovers from other projects. 

 

 

This week's project won't take very long, it is a little floral corsage

 

I will probably finish it tonight!