frayed at the edge

A nice cup of tea

It hardly seems two minutes since they were last here, but it is two weeks, so this morning saw me getting organised for Kist.  Of course, you can't have a bunch of ladies without providing refreshments, so the first job is to get the coffee on and lay the tea-table.

 

I hope you like the tablecloth - I bought it when we were living in Indonesia (but like New Zealand, that's a story for another day).  I am well known for the amount of tea I drink, so when I had to part company with Greenpark Quilters in Polmont (which is near Falkirk ... and if that doesn't help it's in Stirlingshire) when we moved to Indonesia, they all made me a block with a mug on it.  I used them to make this wallhanging, which appropiately is called ' a nice cup of tea'.

 

In the first photo, you can see the painted cupboard that the kettle and coffee machine stand on.  I did that way back in the mid-90s, when paint effects and stencilling were all the rage.  It has moved house several times now (and even had a spell under a dust cover in the garage) and I wouldn't part with it.  On the wall above the cupboard are family memories ...

 

In the middle is the sampler that I did for my Mum and Dad's Ruby Wedding in 1986.  Sadly they never got to celebrate their Golden Wedding, as my Mum died in 1995.  The photo above it is my grandparents in their shop in Glasgow.  I don't know exactly when the photo was taken, but I think it was before the War.  I embroidered the 'R' for my Mum one Christmas - can you just see it has roses twined round it?  I also did one for my Mum-in-law - her name was Doreen, so was her picture perhaps a lovely dahlia?  No, it was a dandelion!  The drawn-thread picture is my first and last attempt (again it was a present for my Mum) - not a method of working I wanted to do again!

I couldn't finish without a wee mention of the giveaway ....

 

Another little thing has been added - this time a lavender bag.  Now, it's not filled with namby-pamby French lavender - this is the real stuff, grown right here in my garden, good Borders lavender!  So leave a comment and it could all be yours.

Not more snow!

Yes indeed.  We got up this morning to find more of the nasty white stuff had fallen in the night (I don't mind a few days, but this had gone on for a week).  As we live on a back road, it meant another day of not venturing out (I had a bump in the car last year, so I really don't want to have another one!)  However, the snow does provide some amusement ...

 

Do you think Mr Owl is warm under his snow hat, sitting in his garden niche?  Although it did warm up enough later in the day for the road to clear, it was still cold enough for these icicles - even with the sun shining on them, they weren't for melting!

 

But that's enough about the snow and the cold weather.  With all the sewing that was going on over the weekend, I wouldn't want you to think I have been neglecting my knitting.  I knit in the evenings, when we sit down after dinner to warch tv, and here is my latest project ....

 

Of course, this is Helen's wonderful sock wool that I got last week - I told you it would go straight to the top of the to-do list!  As you can see I am using a pattern from my 2-at-a-time book.  I have stretched one of the socks over my hand to show the pattern off better ...

 

I love the colours, it makes the socks look really cosy.

And now for the giveaway ....

 

As you can see, I've added something.  But what is it, I hear you cry ...

 

It's a piece of beautiful fabric from Hinnigan made right here in the Borders.  It measures about 15"x30", so would be enough to make a small cushion or a book cover.  Remember all you have to do to have a chance of winning is to leave a comment on any of this week's posts. 

Gorgeous!

I wasn't planning to post anything today (yes, there is a small amount of planning goes into this!), but then I looked out of the window and had to take this photo to share with you ...

 

.... look at the wonderful blue sky.  You can see the snow-covered Minto Hills in the distance.  I'm so lucky to have such lovely scenery right here on my doorstep.

The other thing that happened to brighten up the day was the arrival of the postman ....

 

with a parcel from Helen. The top yarn is this month's Totie Toe sock yarn and the bottom one is the first one from the Selkie lace yarn club.  Aren't they just absolutely gorgeous.  If you haven't yet visited Helen's blog, pop over now and be prepared for a visual feast!  They are both so nice, I just don't know which one to knit first - everything else on the knitting to-do list has just been moved down two places!

Welcome to my world

   

I've spent most of today in the studio, so I thought you might like to visit.  Obviously, this photo was taken last summer, when we actually had a sunny day!  Why don't you come inside....

 

First, we step into the 'office' area, although as you can see from the rail on the left, my quilts get everywhere!

 

This is my knitting and general craft fabric stash.  The studio is on two levels - you can just see the steps on the left.

 

The French doors on the upper level also have outer storm doors.  I didn't open them today as it was a bit miserable.  You may notice I have one or two books and magazines!

 

This is the patchwork stash, which I am gradually using up (honest, I haven't bought any fabric for weeks ... well maybe just a little bit!).  You might notice at the top of the storage unit is the Patons logo - that's because I bought the units from Fiona, when she closed Woolly Ewe.  They are fabulous units and I was very fortunate to get them.

 

And now for the final report on the 2-at-a-time socks.  I finished the second 'pair' last night, so I now have two matching pairs - they are just toddler size, really cute.  I enjoyed knitting them and once I got the hang of the method, found it quite easy.  I will certainly have a go at a pair of socks for myself - at least I know they will turn out the same size, unlike most of my socks!

A busy day!

 

Yesterday got off to a good start, when I managed to take a photo of the woodpecker on the fat-ball feeder.  Most times, it flies away while I fetch the camera, or I scare it off when I try to get close to the window to take the photo.  However yesterday I got the camera in time and edged carefully into the lounge, then set the zoom to maximum and finally got a photo.

 

Then it was time to get ready for my house group, Kist.  The woodburning stove has to be lit, the coffee pot put on, space to be made on the worktables.  As you can see, fromleft to right  Tricia, Ali and Lorraine are all working hard (Lizzi is away skiing).  I was working on Sunset over the Bay, but haven't made enough progress to take another photo!  You may notice that the tables are different colours.  They were bought from Ikea at different times and I was sure I had bought the same colour ....  They are super tables, the legs simply unscrew if you need to move them to have more floor space, you don't need to worry about pins scratching them and best of all ... they were very cheap!  The quilt on the wall is called Crazy Lady Stars and Stripes - no, it's not a description of me, but the name of the shop - Crazy Ladies and Friends, where I bought the fabric some years ago when I was in Santa Monica, California.

 

And now, the grand finale of today's post (roll of drums, fanfare of trumpets please) .... yes, you see before you the start of my 2-at-a-time socks.  It took three attempts to get under way (and perhaps a naughty word or two!), but I think I've got the hang of it (at least until I reach the heel).  Before you think my colour sense really is defective - they are supposed to be different colours, as suggested by the author to make it easier.  They are just little child-size socks, so it will be no big deal to do another two!

A plethora of socks

 

We were in Morpeth on Saturday, which of course meant a browse round Appleby's book shop.  They always have a good selection of craft books, some of them at bargain prices.  I was delighted when Malcolm bought this book for me.  I have never knitted one sock by the magic loop method, never mind two at the same time, but I will give it a go (although it may be some time before you see the results of my efforts).

 

Sunday found me out in the studio, working hard on my Delights of the Sea piece.  I have moved so far out of my comfort zone with the method I am using for this that I'm almost on another planet!  It's going to be all raw edges and big stitch quilting.  To show the contrast with my usual style, this is last year's entry ...

 

... Bonnie Baskets, with hand applique and embellishments and machine quilting, which you can see in this detail ...

 

The working title for this year's entry is Sunset over the Bay, which is better than the working title of this one ...

 

... which was Taking the P*** .... it was at a time when lots of quilters were doing weird things with raw edges, burning holes, using anything and everything - generally creating 'art quilts', so this was my (rather tongue in cheek) art quilt!

 

Sunday night saw me finish the Happy socks.  I am very pleased with how they turned out, although the Channel Island cast on does not have a lot of stretch, so I don't think I would use it again for socks.  The bamboo feels lovely and silky, so I am looking forward to wearing them.

 

I'll finish with an update on the new kitchen.  You can see how much lighter the new wall units are, compared to the old floor units.  We are also replacing the black worktops with much lighter ones, so hopefully the kitchen will look lighter and brighter.

Duvet Day

 

Oh dear .... I woke up yesterday morning to find that I had succumbed to the bug/virus/whatever that Malcolm has just had.  So once I finally dragged myself out of bed, it was only to stagger as far as the armchair.  Malcolm was out all day, so I was able to have a good wallow in my misery!  Here is my day's survival kit .... no boring duvet for me, but the first ever quilt I made to snuggle under, a good book to read, some knitting to get on with, the tv remote ..... and of course something involving chocolate!

 

As you can see, I did quite a bit of my 'Happy' sock.  I love the pattern that has emerged, especially the darker squiggle.  The Happy yarn is lovely to knit with and has a silky feel that I am sure will make the socks very comfortable to wear.

 

As promised, a photo of the aran cardi.  The smartypants (k)nitpicky observant readers will notice that the cardi doesn't quite look the same as the one in Simply Knitting.  When I finished sewing up the cardi, I decided to wash it, as the wool was a little hard ..... and it stretched!  Now, I could have frogged it and knitted it again, but life's too short for that, so I simply overlapped the front, to make it fit better!

 

Fortunately, I felt much better when I got up this morning, so this afternoon it was off to Kelso for Knit'n'natter (we're much too nice to be a stitch'n'bitch).  We used to meet in Wooly Ewe, but since it shut last year, we meet in Under the Sun, a super coffee shop, where we have been made very welcome by Fraser.  The lovely Sarah copes with our complicated order, involving a different kind of tea and different variety of scone/cake for everyone.  We had our Christmas lunch there and I can recommend the food, which is Fairtrade and organic.  The lentil curry is especially good.  When we first started knitting there, we got some strange looks, but the other regular customers have got used to our clicking away!  At this point I have to admit I bought a magazine today - if I don't tell you I know that Lizzi will leave a comment informing on me.  I know I'm not supposed to be buying any magazines, but it's the new Yarn Forward and I have become a big fan of the magazine, so I know you'll let me off!

ps thanks to Claudia Schiffer for modelling the aran cardi.

Allowed out to play ...... again

   

Yesterday morning, it was off to nearby Chesters, for the Woolgathering, a meeting of crafty folk organised by local textile artist Lindsay Roberts ,seen here at her spinning wheel.  There were ten of us there and we spent the day knitting, sewing, giving and geting advice and just generally immersing ourselves in crafts ... a pleasant way to spend a Sunday which was wet, windy and miserable! 

 

Lindsay also dyes yarn.  I knitted these socks from a skein of her lovely sock yarn which I bought last summer.  In fact it is altogether a talented family ... husband Hugh is an artist and their chocolate labrador, Ash, has her own blog - who says chocolate labs are dim!

 

I bought this yarn last week.  If you haven't yet seen it, it is 75% bamboo and 25% nylon.  It has a lovely soft silky feel, but you have to be careful not to split the stitches.  I love yarns like this, when you don't know how they will turn out.  I haven't knitted enough of the first sock yet to show you, but it's looking good.

 

I also took along my most recent books to share.  (Two of them were bought before Christmas and the other two with a book token I got for Christmas, so I haven't broken my New Year's resolution - yet!)  I enjoyed Stephanie Pearl- McPhee's book, Free Range Knitter.  There is one part where she is talking about recognising fellow knitters, which reminded me of an incident from some years ago when I was living in Falkirk.  I was walking up the High Street one day, minding my own business, when I saw a woman walking towards me.  She changed direction and it was obvious that she was going to talk to me, which was puzzling, as I didn't know her.  However, as she didn't look like a crazed axe murderer, I stopped when she spoke.  She said she had been at Purely Patchwork in Linlithgow (hmm, I wonder what they sell) and the staff had told her there was also a fabric shop in Falkirk, so could I give her directions. I told her where the shop was and we went our separate ways ..... but then I thought ... out of all the people on the High Street, why did she approach me?  I wasn't  wearing patchwork clothing or have needles and pins about my person.  Did she somehow know I was a quilter, or did I just look like a kind and helpful person?

ps - I just have the button to sew on my aran cardi, so you'll see it next time.

Obsession

I'm not saying that I have become slightly obsessed with my lovely new blog - but I woke up about 4.30 this morning  and realised I had been dreaming about writing the most wondrous post!  Of course I could have jumped up and fetched the laptop in the hopes of remembering what I had written in my dream, but I think that might lead to some marital disharmony.

So I will just have to tell you about my socks.....

I bought the wool from Helen, who now lives in Sutherland - the colours she uses reflect the wonderful scenery which she is so lucky to have on her doorstep.  To see her gorgeous wool, visit her here .  The pattern was based on one from "fab feet and cosy toes" by Anne Tillman.  However after I had knitted the cuff and turned the heel, I realised I wouldn't have enough wool to do the second sock if I continued the cable pattern down the top of the foot, as the cable pattern has double the number of stitches, so I just decreased and continued in stocking stitch.  Once the sock was finished, I was glad that I had done the foot plain, as I think it would have been too bulky with the cables.

You probably noticed in the last post that the photo was most disobedient and wouldn't move from the left (nothing to do with my lack of computer skills) - I shall try to do better next time.  I shall have to consult my computer guru (aka Malcolm).