I Am Beyond Proud

I cannot tell you how proud I am of my two eldest sons who cycled 241 kilometres for charity this past weekend. They cycled in  tandem to cover that huge distance. When you bear in mind, that although both are very fit, and play football regularly, they have never cycled any where near that distance. So it makes their feat even greater. This was the first time they had ridden in tandem and they did so well to complete the course and still continue to smile!

The ride was for the Prime Movers Against Disorders charity which helps those with diabetes, dyslexia, leukemia and lymphoma.

Then just for the last few miles they were joined by Alastair's son, my Grandson Dylan, on his new bike.



Having read this you can  understand why I feel so proud of them, and indeed, of all the participants who gave their time and efforts to raise money for this cause.

My Brush With Royalty

Last Friday The Mann Ladies (Janet and Heather to the uninitiated), Chris and myself went to Clarence House Eco Garden Party. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article7141845.ece
Prince Charles, whose initiative this was, opened up his Clarence House,Lancaster House and Malborough House Gardens to many companies who supported his eco friendly initiative. The event is part of the Prince’s Start initiative, which promotes a more sustainable lifestyle. He said that the festival would help to demonstrate how everyone could make a difference.

These are some photo's of the event

and my own brush with Royalty

Finally we all decided that this was truly 'The Way To Go' in a completely biodegradable woollen coffin complete with a blanket stitched edge!

I Said I'd Be Back

Here are a few more photo's to amuse you

This sweet piece is from Chessie & Me and it's called 'Chessie's Fern with Linen' As soon as I saw this I fell in love with it. It's so sweet and such a quick stitch.

I've been babysitting quite a lot this summer and I thought I'd show you my football mad elder Grandson. He's as football crazy as his Father and I often feel sorry for my DIL being the only woman in a house full of potential football stars.

It's Me Again

I know it's been a long time but I have been incredibly busy and not too well.

Way back in June I was lucky enough to be invited to the home of a wonderful friend called Mary Bruce to attend a private class with Jackie du Plessis. Many of you will know Jackie from last May when she taught for The Sampler Guild. This time Jackie tutored us through the finishing for Lady Jane's Garden.

This picture shows the fob and cotton reel holder. Whilst the pictures below shows the inside of the needle case and the finished basket.

We also took Le Petite Triannon but, of course, I haven't finished stitching this yet let alone done any finishing. This project has the most beautiful needle case in the form of a little bootie and sole. The picture below shows how many queen stitches I had to stitch before completing the bootie sole.

This shows the side panels for the bootie. And I'm afraid that is as far as I got with this piece.

Tomorrow I shall be back with some more pictures.

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Bonjour Mes Amis

Yes I have returned from the French Needlework show (Les Fete en Aguilees) a somewhat poorer woman in monetry terms but richer in experience.
Although the weather was so cold, mostly below freezing, after our initial day it was fine with none of the expected snow.
Here are just a couple of the beautiful charts that I bought.

 

 

Due to Bertie's diligence we were able to pay a visit to 'Sajou' at Versailles. If you ever get a chance give these ladies a telephone call and they will welcome you to their small wharehouse full of the most wonderful Sajou items. So here is Bertie, interupted just once, from her shopping mode.

 And finally, the palce of Versailles in the late afternoon sunshine.

Another Puppy Problem

This puppy jumps from one problem to another. Having only just got over the campyla bacter infection he decided to try and leave his crate without removing his paw from the the wire of the crate's side. Another £52 lighter we returned from the vets and Merlyn is blotto after the pain killing injection. This poses a problem only because I am supposed to give him NSAID pain killing syrup on his food and he's too out of it to eat. He looks so relaxed that I'm thinking I want some too !! In the 7 weeks we have had him (he's 15 weeks old today)there has not been 1 week when I haven't either been to or telephoned the vet. Luckily he's so lovely that he's worth all the worry.

A Beautiful Present

It was my Birthday early in December and I was very lucky to receive this wonderful pin cushion from Patti. I love the way she has finished it and I have it sitting on my needlework table all ready to use. The problem is that it seems so lovely I don't want to stick pins in it. So I shall have to keep it on display.

Yes the date on it is a dead give away of my quickly advancing age. It's funny how I never feel that old inside.

Aspirations

The other day Connie sent me a link http://xszemkozt.blogspot.com to the incredible talented Nina and her Blog. I loved what I saw so much that I decided to try and dye my own linen following Nina's instructions. I used a 'teapigs' tea called 'Berry Fruitful' and this was the result. Not bad for a first attempt but I was sure I could do better if I tried. Who doesn't remember that phrase from their schooldays?

My next attempt was using chamomile tea with this choice of threads and ribbon. 

And here is my final attempt using ordinary tea.

I really had a good time playing with this but no one need worry I certainly won't be making it a full time job.

Wonderful Presents

I was very lucky to have a wonderful hand made presents from my friends Janet and Heather this Christmas, Janet made mea beautiful scissor case complete with scissors in the colours that she knows I love best.

Isn't it just exquisite.

Heather, knowing my love of Teddy Bears, dressed these for me. They are called 'Penny Patch' and 'Suzie Sew'.

Wonderful people with great talent.

Will I Ever See Grass Again

More snow today. When I went to bed last night we almost had a thaw and then overnight another 3 inches. Not, I know, nearly as much as other places but still enough for me. Merlyn is able to go out for a walk now so he skated along on top of the snow. He looked like a bedraggled rag when we got home.

The poor birds are also having a problem finding food. We put out food on top of our garage roof and look what we saw...........

There is, however, an upside to being stuck inside the house for a number of days. I have completed several projects and here they are.

The first is a Shepherds Bush piece that I used as a box top. I painted and waxed the box and then mounted the needlework on the top. Now I need to find some goodies to go inside it.

Then I knitted nm DIL a lacy neck warmer and matching gloves. She is an absolute delight to have in our family and it's a pleasure to see her face when she wears the things I make for her. The pattern was given to me by a good friend in the USA who also loves lace knitting.

That's all for today. Now I'm going to carry on with my pre-stitching of Jackie du Plessis's 'Thistlewood' ready for our class in May. I've completed the pre-stitching of 'Briar Rose' and I am so looking forward to the classes to finish both these pieces.

The Peculiarity of Computers

I have been struggling for several days trying to change the surround on this blog. Nothing works and I cannot alter it. It's obviously something to do with Firefox because I have had problems with my email since Firefox updated. What it is to be computer illiterate.

Anyway here are a few finishes to show. I have a wonderful friend Janet who finished these for me as I was running out of time. She is trying to build up a finishing business and as you can see, is very good at it.
This is a Shepherd's Bush heart design called 'Gypsy Hearts'

I supplied all the finishing materials and Janet made this beautiful cushion for me.
I love Shepherd's Bush needlework. Their designs are always so delicate.

The next is another one by Shepherd's Bush called 'Quaker Heart'. Again, this is finished by Janet.

I used my choice of silks and so this is not true to the original but is more to my taste.

That's all I have for you now. I must get back to 'Puppy Patrol'

8.45pm - A big Thank You to my wonderful friend Patti who, in an instant, managed to change my background.

A View From My Window

You would be forgiven for thinking that this was taken abroad somewhere. But No - It was taken from our living room window yesterday. There is two inches of snow on the ground and the temperature is below freezing. These parakeets have been flying around for several years now but never been in such desperate a search for food that they would come this close to our home. There is a flock of about seven that were feeding on and off all day. It was almost 'One in, one out, keep moving' and we filled the containers twice over and poured seed on the ground.

The Guinea Pig Becomes A Puppy

Yesterday, one day earlier than expected due to the adverse weather conditions, we collected the newest member of our family. His name is Merlyn and he is a Blue Merle Border Collie. He comes from the same breeder as our other Border Collie Chia.

I first saw him when he was three weeks old and he looked like this...........















He looked so much like a guinea pig I wondered if he would turn into a proper Collie. But he has and he's so cute.















Chia doesn't think much of him but I'm sure as he grows she will get used to him. He's so small at the moment that I'm sure she is still running with the guinea pig theory!

Well Here I Am Again

I know I haven't posted for ages but I do have a lot of things to show you. These are things that I have quietly finished whilst the rest of my life has gone crazy. I've spent two wonderful visits with some American friends who are beyond wonderful. Their generosity, both with time and material things, have given me more than I can ever repay and my life is much the richer for having spent time with them all.

I plan (Yes everyone who knows me will no that nothing ever goes to plan) is to add a few photos every couple of days just to bring you up to date with the wonderful things that I have stitched upon.

I made a promise to myself that I would not buy anything new until I had completed some of the class kits that have amassed in my cabinet. I thought I had been so good when I managed to close the cabinet doors now. Something that wasn't possible before.

So let me introduce you to Miss Maisie and Miss Beatrice.

I really enjoyed making these as must be obvious from the fact that there are two of them. I just couldn't make up my mind between the two colours of felt. I had bought both pieces on a visit to France earlier in the year and this was just the opportunity to use them. Luckily I had cotton fabric that matched and there I was with two of them. They took on their own personalities and names as I was making them and now sit primly on the cupboard.

So until the next time.........................

It May Not Be Stitching

But it is something that I have made. Every year at this time my one housewifely feeling surfaces and I make jam and jelly. I have no idea why I am blessed with this longing to root through the hedgerows and pick blackberries but I am. So, as there is an abundance of blackberries in our surrounding fields, I took the dogs and started to pick. Now those of you who do this will know that one bowl is never enough and so it was that my kitchen work top was filled with bowl after bowl of beautiful, large juicy blackberries. Jelly was duly made and now I can sit back and gaze at the jars which fill my cupboards to overflowing. Perhaps I should point out that I am the only one in this house that eats jam and therefore it will last until I am in my dotage as will the jars of strawberry jam left over from last years jam making.
















Now on to something that I have completed on the knitting front. These are ' Scrunchie Gloves' the pattern for which is taken from '101 Designer Yarn Stash Wonders' They knit beautifully in stripey yarn and certainly much more by luck than judgement I managed to find yarn in my stash that really showed them well.

Slower Pace of Life

Life has taken on a much slower pace now that the wedding is over. The day was glorious and my new Daughter-in-Law looked wonderful. A few last minute panics such as Mel having lost weight and 'The Dress' now being too large were dealt with superbly by a wonderful friend of mine, Janet, who came to the rescue and altered the dress with only one week to go. There is little better in life than having great friends and Alastair and Melanie have many who came together to toast them on their wedding day.












Then came Wimbledon which gave me the perfect excuse to sit and watch the matches whilst finishing my remaining projects without feeling guilty. I've been trying to get these finished for some time now and here they are.





The first piece is by Ellen Chester of With my Needle and is called 'Friends in Stitches' I have had the kit for this for some time and actually stitched it at the beginning of 2009.






















































The second piece here is called 'Ackworth Variations' by 'Needlemade Designs' and is stitched on 40ct Lakeside Green Slate linen with Silk 'N Colors shade Wind Whistle Cottage. I have to admit that it was hard going for me. I don't often stitch on high count dark linen and this project showed me exactly why not. The chart has a small thible shoe to stitch also but by that time I had finished the needle pocket I was ready to give up.




















































Finally I completed a new cardigan for my DIL using 'Dream in Color' Smoochy double knitting yarn. This is a free pattern from the on-line knitting magazine 'Knotions'
There are several such magazines available on the net and I think they are marvellous. When you consider how much we pay for patterns and magazines now days they are a wonderful find.