I'm Back!

 Well, Hello Folks.

I'm back after a little absence, not particularly planned but sometimes I just don't have much to say.

When we last spoke the world was ticking along fairly well.  The pandemic was getting better, or we could live with it better and things seemed to be looking up.  Of course that all changed on Thursday 24th February when Putin decided it was a good idea to invade Ukraine.  The initial horror and then sadness for both sides, Russian troops and conscripts who didn't even know they were at war, for me has now turned into anger and hatred for the Russian 'army' who are not only it seems killing anyone they fancy, but also committing horrific atrocities.  The Ukrainians are defending their country with ferocity.  I am just hoping it all ends soon, but I fear it won't.

My Year in Stitches hoop is a quarter done, I had no idea that I would be adding things like war, invasion, refugees and a B52 bomber, which are once more flying from Gloucestershire and patrolling the skies in Europe. 

I am loving making this but it is a massive undertaking, not so much the sewing, but finding something to sew every day.

I sat in the sunshine yesterday and tidied up my thread box.  The local craft shop sells mixed skeins of threads with lots of colours cheaply, so I have been separating the colours out and winding them onto bobbins.

It looked much better after I had finished.

Last week my lovely cousin came down from London to stay for a few days.  We visited Kelmscott Manor in Oxfordshire, William Morris' country retreat which he described as 'Heaven on Earth.'   It was indeed, heavenly.

A beautiful building on the outside it was equally lovely inside.  

I would love to sit here in this light filled room and stitch a tapestry.  The hangings on the wall behind are original, faded now but they were once the most vibrant blue.

The tiles on the fireplace were also blue.

With every turn there was another stunning wallpaper or fabric; there were lots of 'oos and ahs.'  It's amazing to me that William Morris started printing wallpaper in 1891.  It really hasn't dated.

Original Strawberry Thief wallhanging.

More lovely tiles.

You can go right into the attic to see the bones of the building.

This room had a really great feel and we both decided we could stay in it.

The gardens are just starting to come into spring.

Of course we stopped for a cup of tea and cake, and there were even wall hangings in the (barn) cafe.

We wandered back through the village of Kelmscott to the car feeling restored.

Such a lovely place, if you get the chance it's well worth a visit.

That's me for now, I'm off for a cuppa and to catch up on your news.

See you soon...............Clicky Needles.

 Hello there.

Today it is the most miserable day, grey with constant rain.  There is only one thing for it, light the woodburner, hunker down and watch the Olympics. 

I have completed January in my Year in Stitches hoop and put the divisions and months in too.

I've only stitched one day for February so far, mainly because I am enjoying knitting my Mandal Jacket so much I don't want to do anything else.

We have had a couple of dry and even sunny days this week, so I have been up to our allotment to weed around the lavender bushes that we inherited.  They are large and woody and probably past their best, but when we took the plot over in August last year they were alive with bees, so they will stay.  

Underneath the lavender was a carpet of alpine strawberries taking over.  I used our new Homi Trowel to grub them out; it went through the soil like a knife through butter and I am definitely a fan.

This side of the lavender has a large area covered with membrane and stones and will be my no-dig flower bed.  All we need to do here is move the stones to the stone pile in the main car park, lift the membrane, cover the ground with cardboard and get several loads of muck in, and plant.   

I say all, there is also a pile of rotting down straw bales left by the previous occupant on top.  We're going to lay this under the cardboard.

I can't wait for this be covered with flowers.  I've sowed a few seeds but it's a bit too early to go full scale sowing yet.

That's me for now........Clicky Needles.

An Arrival

 Hello folks.

The wonderful news from here is that Tiny Needles has arrived.  She was a healthy 9lbs 14oz, the same as her sister.  She was a water birth at home, an experience that Miss Clicky and Mr S-I-L really enjoyed.

Miss Clicky was 10 days overdue, so I suggested that Baby Needles came to stay with us until something happened.  We had a lovely day, I used Baby Needles as child labour and got her planting Sweet Peas.

With the planting over we went for a long walk in the winter sunshine and pretended that we were really tall.

A sleepover, and the next morning we got the happy news.

I realised that I haven't shown you the fairy set I made for Baby Needles for Christmas.

A sparkly crown.

And a tutu and wand.

I have 2 new projects on the go.

Following on from my 52 weeks of stitches, I have embarked on a stitch a day hoop, embroidering a picture or word for every day of the year.  This is a big undertaking for me, not least because finding something to stitch for every day is tricky.

My other project is a new cardigan.  This is a Drops Pattern called Mandal Jacket, I'm using British Naturals yarn from Woolyknit.

That's me for now, I'm getting as many cuddles with Tiny and Baby Needles as I can and having alovely time planning my flower garden for this year.

Have fun............Clicky Needles.

Happy New Year

 Hello and a Happy New Year to you.

Our Christmas and New Year was rather quiet, catching up with presents when Master Clicky was covid free.

I can now show you some of the Christmas knitting I completed.  I was knitting a hat for Tiny Needles, who at the time of writing, still hasn't put in an appearance.  It is in Drops Nepal with various colours that I had in the stash.  As I was enjoying making the little hat, I thought it might be fun to make hats for all of Miss Clicky's family.  

I also made Mr S-I-L a pair of socks, his first from me.

These were made from Regia Design Line, designed by Kaffe Fassett.  I have had this yarn for ages so it was good to use it up.  I did the toes, socks and heels in a contrasting mustard colour.  As I hadn't bothered counting my stitches properly, I made 3 socks, the first being 4 stitches too small.  

I got out a sewing machine and made some pretty little Christmas Tree decorations.  The fabric for these came from some old curtains, I used ribbons from my stash ~ the little hanging ribbons were those annoying ribbons you get in clothing ~ and they were stuffed with dried lavender from our allotment.

Also from some old curtains I made some Morsbags, 

using my Singer 201 for the 'straight' stitching 

and took my newly acquired second-hand overlocker from my lovely knitting friend Romain, for a run on the seams instead of the french seams suggested in the pattern.  It didn't turn out to be as scary as I first thought and I was quite pleased at the outcome.

 

As 2021 has drawn to a close, so has my Happy Stitch Project, from Clare at HelloHoorayBlog.

This has been a brilliant project and I have thoroughly enjoyed being part of it.  I will be stitching something else in 2022 but more of that next time.

We don't go overboard with Christmas presents but I have two brilliant ones the show you.

A Lego wreath given to me by Master Clicky.  I have only just made this, (thanks to Mr S-I-Ls socks) but what fun.  It can either be a wreath or a table centre piece and apparently, you get light sets for it too.

The another cracking present (given to Mr Clicky) by my Mum and Dad is a Homi Trowel for us to use on our allotment.  I can be used to weed, hoe, dig, make drills.......  We've not used it yet, so I will report back later.

We had Christmas Day potatoes from our allotment, these were planted in September and were lovely.

That's me for now, right now I'm attempting to tidy up my craft room, but of course, I keep finding exciting things instead.

See you soon............Clicky Needles.