Day out

Yesterday we went out, a rare treat, especially without children. E is at university now, and F was on her Duke of Edinburgh expedition in Debryshire, so we joined a couple of Friends and spent the day in Nottinghamshire at Southwell Workhouse. This is the first workhouse built, and is one of only two remaining in the UK owned by the National Trust. We tend to think of Dicken's when the word is mentioned, dirty overcrowded places full of despair and yet this wasn't, it was a rural setting rather than the inner city, was built in 1824 by a man who had a lot of foresight.



Some photos are of the town itself, it had loads of Georgian buildings, with beautiful gardens.
Today, is Sunday and hubby and I have been a walk around our countryside, the day is glorious, sunny with a lovely blue sky.

Crackley woods in spring, even after all the rain the bluebells and wood anenomes have come out such a lovely walk, I must try to draw these bluebells.
Home now to make rock cakes,and finish this....



This Week

Today, I have done a little gardening, both Christmas trees needed repotting, the smaller one is my brothers, he lives alone and I have encouraged this tree from a small supermarket offering into what you see now, very pleased it's doing so well. Ours isn't so happy, the pines are quite yellow when you get closer and it has an infestation of ladybirds at present, not sure it will do so well over the coming months, but I will keep trying.

This is my recycled Starbucks smoothie cup, it makes a really good biosphere for growing my sweet pea seedlings,

sadly the ones in the seed trays are poor, but I have had the seeds a good while, probably need to buy fresh.

Also done some sewing, trying to make gifts rather than buying this year, so I have made mug mats out of Moda fabrics. Sewing isn't my strongest skill but I do enjoy it, also used up some Ikea fabirc with grey flowers  to make mats too.

I have also nearly finished knitting my youngest a large ''Granny'' cardigan (her description not mine)

Rainy Tuesday

Today it is just pouring with rain and hasn't stopped, so as I have returned to work in my office it was quite fitting really after so much lovely time at home. I watched the rain stream down the office windows and decided not to brave the city at lunch time so I borrowed a collegues knitting book and enjoyed a few peaceful moments with that ,until I came across a pattern for a pair of socks, very pretty I thought so I went to look for the pattern details and someone (it was a second hand book) had ripped them out before passing it on!! The owner was quite dismayed, she hadn't realised this either.



I love this

Got home to these pretty daisies in their Ikea pot,reminding me that it wasn't such a bad day after all.

Hubby is away this week so F and I make cakes,small fairy cakes for my brother with mixed dried fruit, these are his favourites, then F made a victoria sponge for her friends birthday tommorrow.




Victoria Sponge

 

New Begining

Hello again!

I have called this post new beginings because I am trying to start again and keep  this blog current.
 I do loads of crafting everyday of my life, it isn't complete without it, yet somehow finding time to write about it is difficult.
The baby's jacket pictured above is for a friend a work, she has just given birth to a baby boy, slightly earlier than planned and smaller too, Jack was 4lbs 14 oz and because this jacket came out smaller than expected it will sevre him well over the coming weeks.  It was knitted top down,(a first for me) and has circles of felted fabric with stars stitched on them as decoration. Love it, and would definately knit it again!

My basket is full of small mittens, nine down lots more to do, for an advent calendar found here I am making lots!!! one for each of my girls and one for a friend. My eldest is now at university studying nursing and won't be home to enjoy our traditional advent calendar this year so she can have one of her own in her flat. She doesn't know this yet, and won't be reading my blog so it will be a surprise.(hopefully)

This is my Clapotis  and only when I took the photo did I realise it matched our carpet!!!  worrying!! still the yarn was much prettier in the skein as you can see, sad that the finished result is not more blue. still have a way to go on this, tend to knit it in the car travelling long journeys.

I bought this yarn on Saturday at a new shop just opened in the neighbouring village. I was calling to collect something else and saw this colour and coudn't resist, my younger daughter wants  mittens as she loves Twilight books by Stephanie Meyer, so I intend to knit these for Christmas.
Well it's been good fun revisisting and I will do my best to return regularly, but home is calling it wants some love and attention today. so bye for now, and thanks for joining me.

Lazy Sunday

Plenty of clearing up to do around the house, this is one of my craft boxes for making cards.

These socks are coming along, they started out as a gift for a friends daughters birthday, but the knitted in wrinkles were very uneven and so I started again and knitted them with out the wrinkles, now my youngest daughter wants them, as slouchy socks for lazy days and nights!

I also did so sewing yesterday and made three little bags, which I will give away as gifts. The fabric is from Ikea and the lining is just plain.

Finally I started the mouse to be found as a free pattern on Ravelry. I must go now as I have 4 fouteen year olds baking cakes in my kitchen and the noise level has just risen to behond what I would consider OK. They are baking for a school bake sale in aid of a village in Africa.

Found Time

This is a recent photo of the bush outside our home after a severe frost. It may not look much here, but in reality it was a work of art.

I always knew 2011 was going to be busy, but not this busy! This year my husband and brother both celebrate their 50th Birthdays, our first child (she died at the age of two) would have been 21, Ellie will be 18 and hopefully off to university to study nursing in October, Francesca has been selected to run for England in The World Orienteering Championships in the Dolomites in Italy this May(so lots of training sessions to attend) and my parents in law celebrate their Diamond wedding anniversary. Finding time for work, choir and Brownies, plus being a mother would also have to be factored in so Choir has stopped for now, brownies , well my tawny owl has taken on more duties, and everything else will just have to fit in somehow. So time for being creative is limited. The picture above is the start of the knitted kangaroo, I saw it and loved it and just had to knit one. I am currently knitting two different pairs of socks and a shrug for my youngest. Pictures soon.

Busy 2011

Just before Christmas I started making a table runner I had seen in a book lent to me by my

aunt. Here are a couple of picture of it in the making, it is now on our dining room table. I am please with it.

Two weekends ago I found time to make two coasters, they now reside on my desk at work. We are not encouraged to have personal stuff on our desks, but I figured that a mug mat isn't really that personal!