not a crochet hook in sight....

We've had wonderful, mellow dawns and dusks to bookend our days over the last week.  On Friday evening, Grace, mum and I headed to the harbour to watch the sun set - and to knit (mum), crochet (me) and swim - a very brave 13 year old!!!

I love the colours in the sky and the last rays of light on mum's face.

Time for a little refurbishment too - one of mum and dad's wedding presents from 1958.  I'm not sure it's Lloyd Loom but it's very similar - an ottoman or blanket box with a wicker base and a lid that has been much sat and stood on.  

One of mum's favourite story is of buying me a nurse's uniform to dress up with when I was about three years old.  She was busy in the kitchen and wondered why things had gone quiet - I was no where to be seen.  Upstairs, she found the ottoman lid open and a wee nurse fast asleep inside on the pile of quilts and blankets.  

Time for a refurb then!  It was interesting to remove the layers of fabrics from previous recoverings right down to the original dark red and gold material.  

A new lid was needed and dad got to work on that while I sprayed the wicker.  

As the paintwork dried, I recovered the newly made lid with a lovely cranberry and grape striped fabric from Laura Ashley.  

I think it looks much fresher now.... except it shows up the matching chair... and the curtains... and the room maybe needs a coat of paint now too - you know how it goes!!  Just the kind of project I love and I'm looking forward to the next bit.  It did however, satisfy the crafty thing for a day or so and I haven't touched the crochet all day - imagine! A whole 24 hours and I haven't played hooky.

At last, my very own wee painting job...

I'm a convert.  I've admired many repainting projects on other sites, so was excited to be doing one at last. This old wooden "Sunday school" chair came from a church in Belfast and with a couple of coats of Annie Sloan chalk paint, it's be re-born into a lovely clean, fresh little chair for a child.  Can't bear to part with it though.... 

cosying up....

So while channelling my inner Amish, I've been making jams (strawberry, then lemon and elderflower marmalade) and lots of cakes, elderflower cordial etc.  I joked on FB about quilting (but yes, that's in the basket being worked on) and barn raising (that WAS a joke) but there's also the crochet; a granny square rug (why do American friends call them Afghans?) and a SECRET project for my mother's birthday in a few weeks.

The happy hookers also went on tour - a friend and I were invited out to Spain to help with a musical project for a week, but the home we were staying in was owned by a couple of friends who live in Dublin.  This is relevant.  In Ireland they have a green, white and orange coloured tea cosy - the source of much amusement from friends (male especially) who lump it in with other girly things like cushions etc.  Shame on them!

To prove how useful they are (and to keep the craic going) I crocheted one in Spanish flag colours while in Spain.  Thanks to a lovely lady called Leah, I found a very useful pattern which, in normal fashion I tinkered about with on the bits I couldn't do or didn't understand!  Ta da!  Thank you Leah -  hope the earth quits rumbling for you really soon.

Tick...

I finished, posted and days later in another continent, I see "my" scarf becomes "her" scarf...exactly as it should be!  Lovely smile Hannah. 

It's lovely to finish little projects....

UFOs at last!

It's been an interesting Easter - too cold to do the normal things like day-drives and picnics.

So I've been tidying up a few UFOs (UnFinished  Objects....) like the knitting; indigo merina wool cowl for mum and a scarf for Hannah (almost there), a prem baby coat (very cute) and a prem blanket. 

Then there was the crochet - several baby blankets with less or no pink as everyone seems to have had boys recently and there weren't any boy blankets left in my stash.

It's been satisfying.

This week?  Baking and writing and getting sorted for a whole week away at cookery school...  I think I'm looking forward to it... the hesitation is just because it's been on the horizon for so long, and I'm now fluffled in case it doesn't live up to it's expectations.  Trying to see it as a holiday doing something different.

365:117 Happy birthday Ellie

Aunt Ellie doesn't speak much, but she's good on dates when you get her started. She remembers when all her siblings were born, her parents too, and all the wedding anniversaries. She knows when she was born - it's today's date she struggles with.

I gave her the envelope with a birthday card and as soon as she saw the card she looked horrified, then mad and told me in no uncertain terms "I'm not 80!".

Oh yes she is.

I'm told by the time some of the family had a wee party for her later, she'd come to terms with the idea! It's nice to know that even when most of your mind has wandered to another place, you've still the sense to be vain, but never pass up on the chance to be the centre of attention and to party.

(Note to family members reading this - Ellie's to the extreme left of the black and white snap - and yes, on the extreme right in what looks like a very fetching saggy one piece, is dad and beside him, granny. I think he looks about 3 so probably taken in 1939.)

365:116 Stitchin' time

my camera case - very unsophisticated, but made in front of a toasty fire one night when I wanted to sew something... anything... and a new camera needed a bag. Black linen and a few threads to hand and... hey presto - a wee pouch to cushion against the bumps and lumps in my handbag.

Will buy a snazzy case some day - the new camera (Cybershot 14mp/HD) is overwhelmed by the size of the case bought for the last SLR type camera.

365:095 Quiltin' cousins

Had a wonderful day at Alex's - with two quilts rattling through two sewing machines and the clucking going nearly as fast as we caught up on all the gossip. I love quilting days - we're a couple of sew 'n' sews.

Got home to find the Sandyknowes and Killowen gangs here - just sorry they didn't stay longer. Had a revolving door yesterday - lost count of the number of cuppas made - but always good to see folk. Think I need a baking day though - the boxes are all empty!

365:043 Downpatrick today...

I've been in primary schools in different parts of NI yesterday and today. Today, it was the turn of St Brigid's. We've been "user-testing" a new website about St Patrick with 8 - 10 year olds. Some days it's a lovely job, despite the ridiculously early starts. The children had a display of crosses made for St Brigid's day which I think.. is at the start of February.

365:040 Mousemat

My favourite mousemat linking some of my favourite things... France, crafts, history and the computer - ok, the latter not a "favourite" thing, but it gets a lot of use. Roll on the holidays! Oh la la.

365:035 Catchin' up with the cousins

The highlight of today was catching up with lexibex and the family in their lovely new home. Great to see she's passing on the quilting bug to the girls too!

365:025

You don't have to be quackers round here, but it helps. It winked at me... no, honestly... it winked. (One of my favourite Christmas gifts... not sure who the potter is, but it's just lovely work.)

postscript: just poked about on the web and discovered the artist is Guy Holder.

365:024

In an Austenesque sort of way, embroidery seems like a Sunday afternoon activity, and chain stitch seems appropriate. Ellie - my aunt - is cared for in a place where no-one seems to know who owns what clothing and more worryingly, no one seems to mind. Happy confusion reigns. Dementia, alzheimers and the elderly mentally infirm live in this care home - physically anyway. Mentally and emotionally, they're more likely to be found either in the past or wandering in the daze of days between then and now.

Despite having a name tag stitched into every garment, folk often wear other people's clothes. I'm hoping that having her name embroidered smack bang on the front of the softest, loveliest new nightdress might draw attention to the "mistake" if the wearer is not "Ellie". Anything to make a girl feel special.

365:016

The rules for completing a UFO... in this case, for someone with a left shoulder closer to their left ear than their right shoulder is to their right ear. NASA, we have a problem.

Livestock arrives

Ok, so it's not the kind of livestock I'd thought of over the weekend for the plot.... but they're fluffy, cute and the inside bit is good to eat, so they pretty much fit the bill.




Mum's been knitting flocks of these chicks and I've been bestowing features. (And yes, I know, there are a couple of wonky beaks!) They've a chocolate cream egg inside and at a quid a throw, money's rolling in for the Senior's Stall fund at the church. Mmmmm.

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