Day two (still working the black jeans)

Yesterday's blog was written on my old iPhone (thank you Blogger app) as I waited in the paediatric day unit for my grandson to be assessed.  Doesn't this sort of thing always happen when you are looking after someone else's precious child?  I was just supposed to take him for a check-up with his GP after a nasty infection that had him in hospital over Sunday night. There should have been no problems, and his parents did not feel they needed to cancel a very short break away that they had booked ages ago.

But as we sat in the surgery waiting to be seen he became all floppy and fell so deeply asleep he did not wake even when I carried him from the waiting room to the consulting room. "Better be safe than sorry" said the doctor and rapidly contacted the paediatricians and off we went. Thus I found myself blogging on the tiny iPhone4 screen without glasses (sorry for typos/spelling mistakes) while the genial atmosphere of the day unit's play room worked it's magic so that C (sometimes known on here as The Little Senator) was distinctly perky by the time a doctor appeared, so after a very thorough examination we took him home.

This morning TLS was determined to get in on the act as I took the selfie of my Day #2 outfit

Black jeans from Marks & Spencer as before, silk shirt from an independent shop in Cirencester and the permitted accessory, a black pashmina in case it gets cold

Today the total donations on my sponsorship page have reached £242.31  I just can't thank my generous friends and blog readers enough.

xx

c

Seven, Eight (at the gate)

Cake baking, house-working and knitting today.  A good day with lots to be thankful for

Fruit cake to Knitsonik's recipe (from her book on stranded colour work)

we looked every where for this book when TLM stayed last week - found while dusting a high shelf

One fruit cake, one chocolate in time for tea

swatching colour while eating cake

lastly so thankful this little chap has been given a clean bill of health after a night in the hospital

A week of good things

A day sewing in my studio makes me very happy.  Being part of the Six Items Challenge  was a good excuse to get some done.  It's amazing how difficult I found it, even with a bulging wardrobe,  to find six items of clothing that all coordinate and allow as much variety as possible when it comes to mixing and matching.  My solution was 5 items from my wardrobe and a new skirt made entirely out of stash materials.  There will be more details about the challenge on here on Tuesday, including how you may be involved and the full reveal of my new skirt, meanwhile here are some shots of the process.

On the cutting table

Double needle stitching is perfect for stretch fabrics

I wondered if I might go bright with the top stitching

Lapped seams (more about this later)

And hand finishing

Sixth on Saturday

Not five different things but 4/5 from a fabulous workshop on colour work From Knitsonik that I attended today. I hope the pictures give a little idea of the day but you had to be there really.  And indeed you can if you sign up for one of Felix's workshops, I think the next one is being run by Yarn in the City. She is also teaching every day at Shetland Wool Week.  You can get an idea of her highly original approach to colour work from her book Stranded Colourwork Sourcebook

Knitting a few rounds to begin with

colour palette chosen

our work in progress

first attempt at interpretation (on top of inspiration photo) rubbish, second more like it

and home, prosecco, supper, sofa...

Fourth

Playing with patchwork scraps ready for doing some sewing with TLM tomorrow

Finding all the ingredients I need for a new skirt

Watching TLM at her swimming class

Bedtime story (TLM staying the night)

Colours... Colours just make me happy

Day 3

More signs of spring, a tiny bunch of snowdrops on my kitchen window sill

A new knitting gizmo, a counter that can count three moves at once

My studio mood board

My latest knitting project all done and on the blocking mats (Its Leadlight by Twist Collective)

Signing up for the Six Items Challenge more on the blog next week

Thankful for...

A huge cup of coffee to wake me up in the morning

A present from JTH I am going to buy new colours for this vintage set and use it as I learn to paint  later this year

Watching Testament of Youth today. This VAD's notebook belongs to the family featured in another film about WW1
Tell Them Of Us

Curling up on the sofa with these two lovely knitting books  (I'm on a yarn diet not an all things knitting diet!)

Anticipating the arrival of a new baby in the family in April by making a blanket

xx

c

Grateful

I'm taking a tiny break from my usual sort of blogging.   There will still be photographs of knitting, knitters too perhaps, I promise, but my focus will be a little different.  For the next couple of weeks this is going to become a photo blog as I record the things that bring me happiness. I hope you will excuse the blog becoming a bit me me me and sit back and enjoy the pictures

And here we go!

Sunshine

The first sign of spring in my garden

Finding exactly the right colour ribbon to back the steek in my new cardigan 

Earl Grey tea in my personal tea-for-one set

spending the evening knitting with friends

xx

c