... I said I would most likely not be here much this week .... BUT.. THIS...
..lovely package was delivered this morning x It is the first of my Christmas Swap packages to arrive x ..
I DID NOT cheat because the label says...
.. it contained this lovely ornament and beautiful note pad xx
That made me go and find some of my swap ornaments from previous years ..
Its starting to feel A LOT like Christmas round here xx
Diane x
.... swap block for 2015 is the one for the Brit Bee... I managed to sew it yesterday.. in-between dinner with the parents and sort of entertaining the grandson!!.. he more or less just needs me to provide drinks and the occasional Mars Bar xx lol x.. this is the block requested..
....and this is how she hopes the finished quilt will look ...
PINK was requested (again!!).. I really am running out now .. which is why this fabric..
was dug out from "somewhere deep" in the stash!
Today ... having already done the EARLY school run xx....I am off to shop for dinner as my friend.. who has the BIG birthday is coming to spend the day ... to-morrow I am taking the parents to do their "special Christmas" food swap ... there is a LIST!!!! ....Wednesday we are out for dinner then taking mother to the hospital for a little op (only there for the afternoon) ...... Thursday is MY chance to food shop AND Sandbach Quilt Group Christmas party ... Friday last cleaning day !!as if!..lol. and .....Saturday I will be pacing as the family FLY across the world from Australia xx
SO I don't think there will be much sewing done this week xx Hey-Ho xx
The no-brain Brussels Sprout knitting it will have to be!... oh! there was a suggestion .... Maggie!...I get a sprout and put it next to the knitting to see if it really resembles the colour !! WHAT.. buy a sprout and allow it into the house... are you MAD!!!!! lol x
Have a good week and I will catch-up when I can xx
Diane x
.... that if I wait for the sun to shine it will be SUMMER before you get to see the front room! SO... with camera in hand I set off to...( BE WARNED .. there are quite a lot of pictures! )......at least give you an idea of what has been accomplished so far ... (mm seems Gus crept in too x)
I think they came out pretty well x
The sharp eyed will have notice the HOLE behind the chair!! That is because the chair is "disguising" where the OLD fire was .. and the NEW one has not made it to ....as yet!! .. will this never end you ask? Well yes .. soon xx lol x
I hope you can see the texture in these ..
WELL ...that gives you a look at least .. and maybe also gives you an idea of just HOW HIGH the ceiling is!!... and of course a better picture of the carpet... it is sort of browns and greens with grey .. nothing like it looks here xlol x
I will have to take better pictures IF the sun ever returns to the North!! lol
I had these lovely ..
.. ornaments in the Post this morning from Maria (www.dottysdaughter.blogspot.com) we are swap partners this year x Makes me think .. I MUST get the decorations out of the cupboard !!... at some point xx
While I think of it .. Terry .. I do sleep .. usually when I fall comatosed into bed xx lol x
I am still working on the Brussels Sprout shawl .. I decided I would see if it got any better as it got bigger ... mm not really xx lol x
Stay safe .. we have howling winds to-day .. and all last night as well x.... cup of tea is best solution I feel x My grandson stayed over last night .. when I said .. hope the wind didn't keep you awake .. the answer was .. what wind? AH! to be 12 3/4.. lol x
Diane x
....at last!! This week just seems to have been non-stop x
Monday I FINISHED my present buying ... oh yes xx ALL done .. most have been wrapped ...and those that are travelling have gone in the Post .. just one more and that's a UK parcel x... GO ME xx
Tuesday I decided that... sit down if you are feeling delicate... that I REALLY should make an effort as I will be having house guests for a month ... SO I put life ,limb and various delicate parts of my anatomy under maximum strain AND great risk ... and hauled the Dyson up stairs and hovered!!.. I know if you are outside the UK you don't say you hoover .. but I do .. and Im too old, tired and cranky to change to-day xx lol x .. you all know what I mean x
THEN I continued down the stairs and into the back room ... that required a sit down to avoid an all out collapse!! .. before heading out to Congleton Quilt Group for the Christmas Party x I was so busy eating talking and drinking tea.. didn't fancy the punch Im afraid even if it was non-alcoholic .. it smelt funny to me ....that I forgot to take pictures! AND my camera stayed in the bag x
Yesterday I went out for dinner with mum and dad and then took THEM to finish off their Christmas shopping x We are SO organised this year .. we should have visitors staying over every year xx And in the evening my son came for tea .
Today I took mum and dad shopping .. then dad to warfarin clinic !... are you getting a bit worn out? I am!
I was going to take pictures for you so that THE SAGA of the Front Room can come to a close ..... we have a carpet AND new furniture now .....HOWEVER.. when I got home at 2PM... notice PM! It was soooo dark even with all the lights blazing it doesn't do justice to the pretty colours .. so keep your fingers crossed for a bright day xx IT WILL HAPPEN xx .. or there will be pictures with the lights on! Hey-Ho x
SO... for the first time in days ... I sewed xx YAAAAAAA
I made my Christmas Swap Blocks for December ...
..... my partner and I for December are making each other 2 blocks ... I also made a little tree ornament to include in the parcel .. just because x
I will brave the rain and wind and take it to the Post tomorrow x
While I was waiting with dad in the warfarin clinic I started a new shawl .. I find they require very little brain power or effort .. and I can just push then into my bag when his name is called. I have this wool that is called RADIOACTIVE NEON..
...and my goodness it is! BUT it is FUN and sooo soft and I LOVE the colour in this wool... so I started using it (it is sock yarn ... hence the 2 balls .. I am alternating balls so that the gradient will run throughout)....
...I must admit that as I was knitting the colour kept reminding me of Brussels sprouts !!! They being the vegetable that this carnivore finds the MOST repulsive!! I hope that as the colour changes I will change my mind because otherwise it will be undone and put away!.. watch this space xx
If you managed to get this far.. well done x You deserve a brew .. just off to make one. If you visit now everywhere is clean tidy and dust free.. it wont last long though so hurry xx
Diane x
.... Do-Your-Own-Thing day yesterday ... this..
... is about as good as the weather got.. and as bright as the sky got! It POURED down all day. WELL you say .. you were inside ..OH YES! BUT the heating broke down (again)!!
We had 80 something squares , made by the members at Congleton for a charity quilt.... to organise ... SO being the Daft/Fool-hardy/brave (?) lot we are .. the coats hats scarves and gloves stayed on.. and organised they were!!!!
NOW they have been taken home by a "volunteer" to be made into a top ready for long arm quilting x .. and for once the "volunteer " is not me xx
By the time we had finished the plumber had been .. it never got really warm but a few coats came off by the time it was home time xx
I made a panel (given to me by Maria ... www.dottysdaughter.blogspot.com ) into a baby quilt..
...just simple quilting and a fleece back x Very pretty though x The pictures are not wonderful .. but it is .. wait for it ... raining xx
Hope its dryer where you are x Im off to have dinner with the family so we will be warm INSIDE xx
Diane x
... I retired I have met up with some of the girls I used to work with ..... every two months ... for a meal, chat and catch up with all the gossip x
Last night was the time to brush the cobwebs off the Christmas jumper ..
and take myself off to Panama Hatties in Spurstow x Last night there were 8 of us ..
....FIRST Christmas do for us all .. AND .. can you believe it is TWO YEARS since I worked my last shift xx...... and I don't care what they say ..I don't have time/don't want to go back xx lol x
To-day the new carpet went down .. and next week there will be a new settee x BECAUSE two weeks to-morrow my daughter and family will be LANDING at Heathrow having flown all the way from Australia ... getting VERY exciting now xx
To-morrow I am off to the last Do-Your-Own-Thing day for 2015.. off to sort out what I am taking with me to work on x
Diane xx
... that it takes TWICE as long to put everything back after decorating! I have to .. sort.. and re-organise.. and decide what the heck was I keeping that for?..... lol x at this rate the shelves and cupboards in the front room will still be empty when the family arrive ... mm maybe then THEY will put it all away!!!.. now there s a thought xx
Do you remember I made a cot quilt for a baby born 12 weeks premature? .. well that was 12 weeks ago... and she is going home to-day (fingers crossed x)She will need oxygen at home and constant monitoring .. but she will be at home and mum and dad are SOOO excited x
I finished my latest shawl .....
I really like it with the stocking stitch x I don't think I told that I am using this..
....book. ... honestly the model must be the size of a 9 year old for the shawl to be that big on her!!! .....ANYWAY .... while I was making it I was thinking about my mate Sue.. remember I made the pink sparkly shawl for her up-coming BIG birthday... well my brain did a bit of overtime and I am giving her 50 presents for her 50th birthday!!.. her birthday is 16th December .. so that makes 10 days to Christmas .. SO ...5 presents a day for 10 days ... you still with me? lol x
... she loves pink and anything to do with African animals .. hence the wonderful tissue paper I found lol x...ANYWAY... I had this FUN wool in my stash..
....that I never knew what to do with (OR ....why I ought it ... am I the only one? .. surely not!!)
SO... I turned it into a shawl (WHAT else .. I seem to have a shawl obsession at the moment!!)... it will suit her and has made up the right number of presents ...
....this one is not from the book... but is a free download from Ravelry...
YES !!!.... garter stitch .. but it worked out well for this wool x
OH WELL! Back to sorting "stuff" into its rightful place ... carpet going down this week so I need to shake the old tail feathers and get going x
Diane x
