A long awaited Ta Da!

Long term readers may remember that back when we were in St Helena we were visited by some lovely friends. Well, shortly after they returned home Janet and Toby got married. I couldn't go to the wedding because we were still 4500 miles away, but due to the magic of the interweb I was able to watch it live on YouTube! I put on my best hat and sat alternately, and sometimes simultaneously grinning like a cheshire cat and sobbing my heart out. 

I had always planned a handmade gift and made a start shortly after we got back.Then I stalled, and got distracted and started something else and then something else. Their first wedding anniversary came and went and my WIP was still in a basket under my sewing table.

Then some how, Just before Christmas it all clicked into place and I got my act together. It is no longer a WIP, it is a real and actual Ta Da! 

Ta Da!

 A Ta Da so large that I found it very hard to photograph. I completely love it and hope they do too.

I even love the back!

xx

A small hat for a small Small.

My cousin has a quite small Small who needed a hat, and while she is quite capable of making a hat, she has a quite small Small so has no hat making time or energy, so I made one instead. 

Ably modeled by Little Man's bunny.

xx

PS you can find the pattern here.

Paintbox Blanket

Some lovely friends we met on St Helena are going to have a baby in March. I wanted to make them something special for Bub that would remind them of our crazy rock once they return to Blighty. I was casting around for a boy type colour pallet that avoided the usual and remembered this place...

This valley is called paintbox because the eroded soil and rock has so many colours in it. It is very hard to photograph and we didn't have any pics that really did it justice so I have borrowed these from another St H friend. Thanks very much Ceri.

Inspired by these colours and the folded landscape I made a baby blanket. I used the most excellent ripple stitch pattern written by Lucy of Attic 24.

I used a starting chain of 143 stitches, a 6mm hook and  two 50g balls of seven shades of Drops Paris cotton for the ripples: Dark grey, rusty red, strong yellow, light ice blue, dark old pink, orange and petrol. The edging came from a further ball each of dark grey and rusty red. The finished blanket measures approximately 65cm x 85cm.

I have named it the Paintbox Blanket.

xx

Here and Now

Loving: That there is a reindeer painted on the rocks at the end of Bamburgh beach.

Eating: Cashew nut butter for the first time... uh oh...

Drinking: Another cup of tea. Of course!

Feeling: Chuffed to bits that a Top Secret WIP is nearing completion. And I love love love it! Nearly time to show and tell.

Making:The most of every scrap of light during these dark days. I have even begun to make my peace with the dreaded snow. I still dislike its slippery ways but I do like how much light it bounces around.

Thinking: About how to turn my resolution to be more Brave into concrete action.

Dreaming: Of warm sunlit camping trips next summer.


Hooking up with Sarah at Say Little Hen again for Here and Now.

Say Little Hen 100% Spelt Sourdough

A little while ago I offered to test a recipe for Sarah at Say Little Hen. She had been working for a while to perfect her own 100% spelt sourdough loaf and was thinking of publishing the recipe. Now, Sarah grinds her own spelt flour (as well as rearing sheep and cows and hens and tending a fab veggie garden) in Queensland, Australia. It is hot and dry there right now and we wondered how the recipe would fair in damp cold Blighty. 

I don't grind my own spelt flour, but I know a place that does, so I used spelt flour ground about 10 miles away at Heatherslaw Mill, Northumberland's only working water mill. 

All went well until I left my loaf to rise... It rose more out than up so mid-rise I flopped my UFO pancake thingy into a loaf tin which probably knocked some air out of it. It was a bit denser than I would hope but it was very yummy ad I will definitely be having another go. I think I'll go for the tin from the outset and see what happens. 

You can try Sarah's recipe too because she has published it on her blog along with a fab photo tutorial. I'd love to hear how you get on.

xx

Bits of stitchery

Two bits of stitchery I spotted this week...

A huge quilt, about 6 foot by 10, hung in the stairwell of Borders General Hospital. 

A jungle scene printed and stitched in my school textiles lessons when I was about 12. My Mum keeps it on the chest of drawers in her spare room.

xx

Twelve Days of Christmas

Can you hear it? That slightly mechanical manic laughter? That is the sound of time mocking me. I have been trying to make time to blog more and have failed spectacularly. I only have time right now because I have skived off choir with the aim of an early night. Hmm we shall see...

Anyway, back in those early days of the New Year, I finished opening my 12 little parcels from Janet of MacQue who was my partner for the 12 days of Christmas swap organised by Jo at Through the Keyhole. The plan: to send and receive 12 little individually wrapped parcels of happy for the 12 days of Christmas.

Janet had obviously gone to a lot of trouble with pretty wrappings and hand made tags. Some of my gifts were hand made too...

Thanks very much!

xx