Noisy Planes

Hello All.

Hope you're doing well.

We've finally got to the last week at school~ waaaaaaay!

We've had the production of Joseph and his Technicolour Dream coat, sports days and school picnics.

I'm going on a trip next week with KS1 (the little children) and term will have finished.

Children and adults alike are worn out and tired.

DS and me had to go shopping yesterday to get him some things for our holiday, we're off next Saturday camping for a week. We popped into Wilkinsons and I got this rather pretty apron after seeing it on Bellascountry blog. A bit Cath Kidston but much cheaper. Unfortunately I don't think this apron will turn me into a domestic goddess but never mind!

Talking (ish) about designers I'd like to point you in the direction of a young print designer Katie Harding, she is the daughter of one of my colleagues. I particularly like the lime green flowery print she has at the bottom of the Fennofolk Section.

Today, the Clicky Needles gang went to Royal International Air Tattoo at Fairford well, not inside the gates ~ we have friend who lives opposite the runway so we went to her garden.

It's 12 years since we went last time, DS was 2 months old! which in hindsight is far too long.

Just after we got there this Apache Helicopter was displaying, turning upside down, flying forwards and backwards and doing things that a helicopter shouldn't be able to.

Up.............

....and down.

The Chinook was equally as amazing, making that wakka wakka noise.

This was part of a move called The Roller Coaster. Apparently when performing this the pilot sees sky, ground,sky, ground. It finished with a bow to the crowds.

These two made me shudder. The sound of those Rolls Royce Merlin engines...................

Hurricane.......

and Supermarine Spitfire

The two Tornado GR4 were so loud it made the ground rumble and our tummies feel funny. I had to shout at DS who was stood next to me. No pictures I'm afraid they were too fast!

The F16e was also incredibly loud, it could fly horizontally whilst in this position.

I think the highlight of the day for me was seeing the Avro Vulcan fly.

It taxied opposite us.......

....................and flew right above our heads.

Just awesome. One minute totally silent, the next the air is filled with noise.

This plane is funded by donations!

The display was finished off, as always by the Red Arrows.

We had a super time, I spent most of the day grinning like an idiot!

Despite those clouds looking grey and grim, the rain stayed away. Now we're back home however, (we only live about 30 minutes away from Fairford) it has started to rain.

I enjoyed it so much I didn't get out my crochet (!)

I took some more of my Little Granny Squares to sew some ends in but didn't pick them up. I've been working on them for the last week ~ nothing on the cardi ~ so I'll take a picture soon.

I'll say bye for now, please request some good weather for next Saturday when we shall be spending the week in the tent and I don't like camping in the rain!!!!!

Have fun whatever you do................Clicky Needles.

100th Post!!!!!!

Wow, my 100th post!

I really, really enjoy blogging, sharing my thoughts, projects and a small snapshot of my family with you. I've made loads of new friends and I love sharing their lives too.

I've even got 48 followers now! Thanks to everyone!

I've got that Drops cardi underway, I'm using Rowan Cotton Jeans, no, not from our favourite on-line yarn store (Kemps in case you didn't work it out!) but from the yarn swap/stash rearrange we held at the Butterfly Knitters in November. Not the most inspiring picture ~ sorry!

On to gardeny things.

We had these radishes in a salad yesterday, DS loves them because of the colours.

This has come from the next door neighbours' ~ it's managed to get through the fence ~ still I'm not complaining. I think it's a Hardy Fuchsia ~ if anybody knows for sure please let me know!

The Clematis on the front of the house is lovely ~ a 7 foot tower of flower! ~ no doubt helped along my DS' trellis that he made on Good Friday.

Lastly my white planter.

I try (sometimes) to be tasteful and decided on a white colour scheme for the pot. Can you spot the mistake?? The blue lobelia hadn't flowered when I put it there.

Nature seems to have a way to get the upper hand!

DD and Mr CN are away this week, DD is having a week work experience at an Army base in Wiltshire and they are staying in an hotel there, so DS and me are having a peaceful week.

This gives me lots of time to think spinning..................................mmmmmmmmmmmm.

Hope your week is a good one.

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

Baby Blanket Ta-Dah!!!!

Hello Folks.

TA-DAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

The baby blanket is complete.

I'm really pleased with the way it came out. I had planned to do a stripe of each colour for the border, but having used lots of the navy blue on the Little Granny Squares there wasn't much left, so it was just red, blue and green. I really like the effect. I could have carried on and on with the border, I was enjoying it so much but made myself stop.

Despite me being a bit scathing about the yarn ~ Marriner Double Knit ~ when washed it comes up very soft and just right for wrapping up precious things in.

I gave it to my colleague today she was very pleased with it. Other comments of 'You're so clever' and 'Wow' from the other teachers did wonders for my ego!

I finally got the Friendship Blanket Squares finished and sent.

My new cable book is really becoming useful.

I've been thinking quite a lot about spinning having enjoyed last Sunday so much and even dreamt about spinning. Dreaming about knitting/crochet etc is not uncommon for me (and I suspect for you also.) When I decide on a new pattern or project I quite often dream about it I'm so excited!

Now the Baby Blanket is out of the way I've started the Drops Cardi ~ I'll show you pictures next time when it's a bit bigger.

Have fun whatever you get up to.

Bye for now .....................Clicky Needles.

In a Spin

Hello Folks!

The weather around these parts seems to be a little better ~ it's stopped raining and is dry at least ~ although it has been a bit sticky too.

I've had a lovely day.

My (cyber!) friend Little Red Dragon was staying with her family this weekend who live just around the corner from me. She had her spinning wheel with her and kindly offered me a go. Here is my first single ~ well I say mine ~ LRD had a lot to do with it!

Then we made another single and when plied together....

........Ta-Dah !!!

I really enjoyed making it. LRD suggested that I 'park and draught' as though I was using a drop spindle and it worked quite well for me.

The treadle foot motion I found ok ~ I learnt to sew on my Mum's (and her Mum's) Singer Treadle sewing machine. If you go backwards on that you break the thread, so you learn pretty quickly not to do that!

We had a lovely morning, sat in the garden talking fibre and knitting. The wheel is an Ashford Kiwi. LRD likes it because she says 'It's all lined up in front of you' having looked at other designs I see what she means. I thought it was very nice.

I watched LRD for a bit ~ she is very good.

She made this.

Isn't it beautiful?

She's planning a shawl with this ~ she's not going to ply it.

Whilst we sat in the garden we were surrounded by the beautiful scent of a Philadelphus.

The plants in their garden were all my sort of colours ~ pinks, blues and purples, it looked stunning, putting our slightly overgrown (and a bit weedy) garden to shame.

Thanks so much LRD for the lesson and to your family for making me so welcome.

When I got back Mr CN and me set to work on our garden and made it a bit better (in places.)

This rose "Geoff Hamilton" is producing loads of flowers and smells divine. It is in the border by my favourite place (on the patio in my steamer chair.)

Talking of which (the chair) it was occupied after this afternoon's gardening exertions by me and the Granny Square Baby Blanket. I'm now on the border, so expect a big Ta-Dah! soon.

Righto need to go now and check out the price of Spinning Wheels. :-)

Have a good week.

Byeeeeeeeeeeee.........................Clicky Needles.

June Mosaic

My favourite pictures for June.

There doesn't seem to be much knitting or crochet, I'll see if I can do better in July!

Full post tomorrow.

Byeeee...............Clicky Needles.

Ooops it's Tuesday

Hello All!

What a bad blogger I've been, missed my Sunday post.

Well I'm here now so here goes.

The Granny Baby Blanket has changed a little since I last showed it. I decided after a bit of deliberation, that I would crochet the squares together, which is a great way of doing things.

So It's now looking like this.

The girls at Butterfly Knitters on Saturday persuaded me that it needed another row and it will therefore become a square.

This picture was taken in the garden on Sunday when it was very, very hot.

Monday turned out to be very hot and humid too (some very grumpy children at school) with nasty clouds around which eventually broke and gave us some rain.

DD has now finished GCSEs so is a lady of leisure, evident from the beautiful drawings on the drive which she and BF have been making today.

Self portraits.

Love is in the air.

A lovely cow.....

and piggy.

I've just realised looking at these pictures that I've a blob on my camera lens. It's been cleaned now so hopefully normal service will be resumed.

I've seen a pattern for a cardi from Drops which is getting me quite excited, maybe I can use up some stash, but I'm trying not too think about it too much because I must get off and do those Friendship Blanket Squares (why do I leave it soooo late?)

Hope you see a bit of nice sun in your neck of the woods this week.

Byeeeeeeeeeeee........................Clicky Needles.

P.S. I've just gone to the Drops website to give you a link to the cardi and they've released their Autumn/Winter Collection. Lots of lovely patterns there ~ flippin' 'eck ~ more in the queue.

Forgotten Scarf!

Hello All.

I hope you're all ok.

We've been to another National Trust Property called Hanbury Hall.

My brother and niece came too.

Quite impressive looking, it dates from 1701.

Side elevation!

The weather vane was quite impressive, but as you can see it was a bit of an overcast day.

As it was Father's Day there was a display of birds of prey. The 'headless' bird being a vulture ~ I think they were finding it a bit chilly.

This is Ted an Eagle Owl who was refusing to go back to the handler, as he knew his bit was over and he was about to be caught!

We wandered around and then had a picnic lunch ~ very nice.

When I looked back at my post for half term I thought that it was odd that I'd only managed to make a tea cosy with a whole week off.

Of course, I made something else I just forgot.

I used that wonderful Colinette Point 5 that I got at Woolfest and made a squooshy scarf, modelled here by our South Sea Island Head.

Not that he looks happy with it.

It was made with 12mm needles, so a quick knit!

The lovely yarn is really shown up well by the garter stitch.

I've been carrying on with the Granny Squares Baby Blanket this week and I'm also making the Friendship Blanket Squares for this month.

The weather hasn't been great but the plants don't mind too much.

This Sea Holly, Eryngium Giganteum, Miss Willmot's Ghost is as spiky as it looks. The story goes that Miss Ellen Willmott who became a garden designer in the late 1800s, would drop seeds of this around any garden she visited ~hence the name ~ she's not been here but it's seeded everywhere!

The frothy lime green flowers of Alchemilla Mollis ~ Ladies Mantle..........

....and the fuchsia pink of Lychnis. I love this colour.

Well, I'm off now, as always have a good week.

Byeeeeeeee.....................Clicky Needles.