Scrap Happy Knit, and Natter Friday.

It’s Scrap Happy Day at Kate’s, where you will find links to lots of bloggers using up their scraps. As it happens I finished the fluffy hooded jacket , gender neutral, this week. A lovely quick make.

There was leftover yarn to make these

With the jacket

And there is still some left over for something I have wanted to make for a while.  I shall have a great time choosing some buttons for this jacket on Saturday.

Repair requests have been coming in this week, the cafe is on the 23rd September. So far ripped trousers, a cracked large flower-pot and a printer which stops after three pages! I need not have worried that there would be no repairs for the volunteers.

I mentioned last week that we had a fun night to look forward too , it was terrific , let me tell you. The Faulty Towers Dining Experience.

I have not laughed so much in ages. Basically, Mr and Mrs Faulty and Manuel take over the dining room of a hotel for a night to serve you dinner. Yes you get a three course meal, which was good, but be warned the food is a prop and you are an extra!

Back down to earth, literally , I have been planting spring bulbs this week. I love planting bulbs at this time of year, it makes me think that Winter isn’t so long and soon Spring will be here again.

Did you know that it was Roald Dahl day, Wednesday this week , I think. Courtesy of Mrs T I bring you from The Enormous Crocodile.

The Roly- Poly Bird

and Muggle-Wump the Monkey

and all the time I was knitting costumes I thought I was knitting jumpers!

Moving on, I bought buttons for the little blue cardigan. The photos don’t show that it really is powder blue in colour.

And the buttons are little footballs in blue and white. Gender neutral ones of course! Apparently the shop ladies Grandson insisted on Chelsea ones, black and white footballs were not acceptable.

I never remember to tell you what the patterns and yarn are. This one is in 4 ply yarn, Snuggly pattern 4512, and the fluffy nonsense is a chunky yarn Sirdar Snowflake, pattern 1882. It’s a so and so to sew with but knitting with it  is a dream.

And do you know what next? I may just knit myself a pair of gloves. I have not made myself something for a very long time!

Meantime I am off to my Family History Group this morning, the first meeting after the summer break!

So do you have any plans for creating this weekend, do tell and join me in some nattering. Weather permitting I hope to be outside in the garden.

What ever you do have a great weekend, and

Be Happy,

Cathy

 

 

Not, one a week, photo challenge- Beach

I can’t choose just one beach from all my favourite photos, please help, which are you top three pictures from this selection.

Starting close to home,

Scarborough , January this year

Scarborough during Go Wild challenge this summer

The wonderful Whitby, November 2015

Bridlington , May 2015 , or possibly further afield to

Chesil Beach Dorset,

Dorset, June 2015, further maybe?

An action shot, Eastbourne, July 2014

Beachy Head, July 2014. Further maybe and a bit more drama

Giants Causeway , Northern Ireland, 2009. Bit more atmospheric perhaps?

Crete, 2009. Too old?

Crete 2014, maybe a bit too arty?

Parga, Greece, 2014. Greece really does look good in the evening.

Thasos , Greece, 2016. But so far we’ve only been to Europe.

San Fransisco then and the Golden Gate bridge or maybe you prefer this one from the Pacific Grove Road, south of San Fransisco?

I don’t know, far too many wonderful beaches.

Can’t think about beaches this week without saying a little prayer for all those devastated by the hurricanes and earthquakes this month.

The sea and beaches are beautiful but we must all take care.

Please let me know if you have a favourite picture amongst this lot, or even three. And please leave a link to your beach photo/s in the comments .

Next weeks word is Orderly, I’ll be back to just one picture!

Happy Snapping!

 

Sew, Knit and Natter Friday!

I tried drafting this yesterday, but I was too tired, and managed to both publish and delete it entirely in a space of seconds, oh dear! Let’s try again.

It’s been a strange week, and I have been tired. I did a longer shift at the library than usual, and promptly fell asleep for two hours afterwards, which then meant that I slept poorly that night, which meant I was tired the next day and so on and so forth. We have an exciting night ahead of us tonight, so I am hoping I improve during the day. More on that next week.

Meantime the plans for the Repair Cafe are going well. Insurance is sorted and posters are going up. We went to see the hall we will be using yesterday.

The Moorside Room at Kirkbymoorside is slightly smaller than we expected, but it will be good for the first one and we shall see after that. Inside it’s quite swish.

There are four big tables which we shall make into four areas including sewing and computer repairs.

A little kitchen area so we can provide teas, coffee and cake for people while they wait. Now we just need to hope lots of people need help with their repairs.

I sadly annoyed a fellow blogger recently with a comment, turns out she wasn’t really up for a discussion at all. I decided that it would be my last comment on her blog when she got a bit unpleasant, her final comment dismissing my opinion, was that I am only a blogger who mostly writes about the knitting she does for her grandchildren.  Too True, a label I wear with pride! Next to being a Mum being a Nana is the best thing I have become, and I feel very blessed in that.

As a Mum I only had one friend who knitted, Julie, who taught me to crochet too. In the 70s and 80s it just wasn’t cool to knit, unless you were Kaffe Fawcett I guess.  So when I came back to knitting 10 years ago it was wonderful to discover that Knitting was back in vogue, and when I found blogging, to find a whole community of crafters was just wonderful.

So yes I will continue to blog about the knitting I do for my grandchildren! But I will be more careful on which blogs I leave a comment on.

The little blue cardigan is finished and awaits buttons, I’ll show you next week.

Meantime here is the back of a hooded jacket I started.

Yes it has blue and pink. It’s not only the John Lewis Partnership who can be gender neutral with their baby clothes! This first size will be the only one I get away with as far as the Dad is concerned.

Of course back in the day before we knew whether baby was a boy or a girl all baby clothes were gender neutral, pale lemon, purple, green, white or cream, although we did have a vivid orange babygro.

I wonder how long before all clothes are just clothes, do we need men’s suits and women’s suits for example, could we just have suits?

No, now I am being just ridiculous, not an unknown state of affairs round here.

Remember the Cath Kiidston sale recently, not the fabric one, there was one before that. I bought something and decided I then had the perfect project for the cowboy fabric, which in turn I replaced because I liked it so, well here’s what I made to go with my purchase.

Is that not cute and the place mat is ok too.

Actually its far from ok, the quilting is diabolical and the binding pretty dreadful, but oh its made with love.

So that’s it for this week, over to you for some nattering, what are you planning this weekend, any nice outings or projects? Did you ever leave what turned out to be an ill advised comment?

Do tell,

Meantime be happy!

 

One a week Photo Challenge- Found

I love it when you are driving down country roads you spot a table outside a house with goodies for sale. Look what I found last week.

Plants, total cost for all three £2.70. Bargain. He waiting to be planted at home,and  now in their new spot in my garden. My answer to globalisation, buy very local!

Also bought this summer, blackcurrant jam , cooking apples 10 for a £, fruit chutney and peach jam, all from tables outside a house. And all very good quality.

Please leave a link to your Finds in the comments.

Next week, its down to the Beach for a photograph.

Happy Snapping!

 

17 for 2017- August update

Do you realise that 2/3rds of this year has gone? And aren’t we all busy, busy, busy right now, harvesting in the Northern hemisphere and preparing and planting in the Southern.

Just a few of our plums and a cucumber this week.  But what about the 17 for 2017, well you might ask. Let’s see

17 swims-2 more this month, total 13

16 hour long walks-accomplished already, but I have done some great ones this month. Most recently a return visit to Rosedale.

15 books from the bedroom heap read-none this month, total is 13

14, forget 14, there is no more 14

13 cards made-total still at 9

12 village posts- total still 4

11 days out- accomplished this month.

The Thornton Dale Show and the Lavender Farm

10 new things tried- total unchanged at 9

9 Crochet/knitting projects completed- accomplished a while since.

8 other crafts- 1, this month. I fished out my needle felting bits and bobs, and had a good session and broke the needle. Doh. New needles bought, hurrah.

7 sewing projects- accomplished this month with this

and this

and this

and this

and Bertram

Wow that would be 10 now.

6 Non Fiction books read- total unchanged, but I am really enjoying this one

5 Family History questions investigated- still only 2 and I realise now that I came back from the Family History fair with a bag of info and its still exactly where I left it when I came home. I forget what is in there. Shame on me.

4 Good sort outs-done already.

3 Interesting finds- I  have tw0 more today.

Some wonderful stone carvings from Riveaulx Abbey- this is called the Tiger Hunt and

Toadstool season is here, any idea what this one is please?

Oh that makes 3.

2 picnics-

Second picnic on Bank Holiday Monday at Riveaulx Abbey

1 Boat ride-0

0 crafty/yarny, fabricy purchases- well there have been more days this year when I didn’t buy anything than days when I did, so that’s a good thing!

How are you getting on with the goals for this year?

 

Sew, Knit and Natter Friday!

How is everyone? Apparently it’s the first day of Autumn if you are a weather person. Personally its late Summer as far as I am concerned.

So big question, did I or did I not buy some Cath Kidston fabric. YES I DID. Well you knew I would.

8 fat quarters for £12, which I thought was ok. See the cowboy fabric in the middle. As it happens I had a remnant of that already ,bought from somewhere or other some time ago, and looking for a project. Well it found one, I have it all cut out and ready to go, but then found myself feeling sad because I had used it. I mean just how ridiculous is that? I think I mentioned before that I have a propensity for being ridiculous. So that is why when I choose which CK fabric to buy, this was the bundle. IT HAD MY NAME ON IT!

Meantime I have been busy with some owl fabric.

Which is now a pouch for baby wipes. Owl buttons and ribbons from my stash. I mean you can’t have too many owls in one project , can you? Can You? Have I gone OTT on owls? Feel quite pleased with this, never having made a pouch before.

Knitting wise, I am making great progress with the baby blue cardigan.

A back and two fronts resting on the cowboy project. I still don’t have a picture of Little Miss F in her skirt, maybe it doesn’t fit, but I do have two of my little darlings to show you , and the children are quite nice too..

On holiday in Devon, picture by my DIL Mrs T!

And just to round off, here’s the Sunset over the hill at the front of our house, I wonder can you see the sheep?

Just about spot one under the tree to the right by the telegraph pole above the hedge. I do make you work..

And just because this is so cute

Little Miss F’s idea of heaven, Mum and a unicorn, don’t believe me, look at her little face.

Pictures by her other Nana, taken at a garden centre at Lacock.

Hope you have a great weekend full of the things you love doing.

Be Happy!