Yes to Yarndale!!

Yes I went to Yarndale and had a great time.

Beautiful transport. . . . 

Amazing Bunting everywhere. . . . . 

A little wall art . . . . 

And loads of people . . . . 

I'm sure it will be all over blog land soon and the photos will be amazing. I didn't take loads of photos as sometimes it can spoil the pleasure of looking!

My secret sewing project!

A little background : Just over a year ago a very good friend of mine, Sally packed up her family and moved to Sweden. She then learnt the language and started up her very own small business, just like that!!

So onto the sewing project.

I thought I'd have a go at applique. So I copied the logo from Sally's new cupcake business and printed it out. Then, out with the baking paper and I traced around the shapes.

I transferred the pattern onto some iron on stiffener (but didn't neatly cut out the shape), then ironed it onto the felt. Then trimmed out the pieces neatly.

The pieces where then sewn onto the bag fabric.

The wording was next. Once again I traced this off the logo onto baking paper. I then forced the temporary sewing pen through holes in the paper to make small marks (its difficult to describe !!). I joined up the marks to make the wording, then just hand sewed it with black thread.

Once all my pieces where sewn into place I made up the bag, using the lovely floral fabric as a liner, around the top and for the handles.

I was really happy with the finished bag and also a bit reluctant to send it in the post. I then had a chance meeting with Sally's Mum and Dad in the local supermarket, who just happened to be travelling to Sweden the following week, hence the special delivery!!

On my lovely table. . . .

There hasn't been much happening on my lovely table over the last week. The sewing I did on Friday is a secret until later this week, so no more photos until then.

One big project going on at our house is - packing!

No we are not moving, we are (hopefully) having a new central heating system fitted, starting next week. This means packing away all my fabric and craft stuff and putting it in the garage. 

No quick sewing projects or a bit of knitting - nothing.

Next week we will have no heating or hot water. . . 

So  I hope everyone else is having a crafty time but for me I will just have to make do with some 'craft shopping'. Yes we are going to Yarndale, this will lift my spirits!! 

Friday....

Oooh how I love Fridays, no work, last day of school for the children, the weekend to look forward to and this week a sewing project!

This project has been wandering around in my head for a while.

I'll show you a little but I'm afraid its a secret.

I love this fabric, this was the last piece at the shop and although I only needed half a metre I just bought the lot!

There was a little bit of measuring required and pondering!!

And then some felt. . . . 

Now I just need to sort out my special delivery service.

The finished pictures should follow next week!!

Is it hat weather ?

So as the children had there breakfast this morning I wrestled  did the last few stitches of my hat. Ooooh how glad I am to finish it.

There has been some disasters along the way, several times I slipped stitches off the needles as I went and had to frantically try and recover them.
Occasionally there has been some 'taking back'.
There has been a lot of chanting counting out loud.
I have half watched TV but followed nothing.. . . . .
(not to mention having to re-start the hat several times)

But I did finish it!!!!

So here is the hat modelled by my young assistant (before she dashed off to school)

Here is the hat with a well earned cup of tea and a 'never to be used again' pattern.

And finally here is the left over wool. I only used one 50g ball of the wool I bought, but before you say it, no I won't be knitting another out of the other ball!!

On my lovely table . . .

So this has been a busy week, the first full one back at work / school. My table has been quite full of clutter (which I haven't had the time or will to clear).

We took a trip to 'Toys R us' the other week and came home with an Airfix kit.

The construction took place over a few days (without photos) and then it was time for the painting. Above is a tank part blu-tacked to the top of a jam jar - to try and make it easy to paint.

Also on the table has been homework, luckily I haven't been asked to help (why have they changed the way they teach maths, I could do the old way. My answer are the same but the method. . . . well, I'll leave it to my daughter)

Then, of course the knitting saga continues. . . 

No, I'm not a knitter!

 So the week started with this. . . .

I spotted a knitting pattern for a hat somewhere in blogland. I restarted my Ravelry account and located the pattern. Its the Houzuki Hat by Yoko Johnston. In my stash of wool I found a ball of grey double knit and also the double pointed needles. What could go wrong. . . .

Well it turns out (for me) double pointed knitting is in no way relaxing. The pattern didn't look right and I knew I couldn't go on. . . .

Off to the local craft shop for some circular needles and I also got some more wool. The original wool was only a 'part' ball, so I wasn't sure how far it would go.

Off we go again. This time the pattern still didn't look right (deja-vu moment!) although it was easier to knit on the circular needles.

Then I had a light bulb moment when I re-read the pattern, it all made sense . . . what do you do then?

You start again!!!!  

I'm ready to start the pattern section now. Wish me luck!

(tonight I will tell my family not to talk to me and then I will begin chanting the pattern outloud to enable me to knit the next part of the hat, it does confirm my original thought - no I'm not a knitter)

The worrying thing is I don't really wear hats, well not for the last 25 years anyway. . . 

On my lovely table. . .

So after a break from 'On my lovely table' weekly posts, I am back at the table, so to speak!

The last week of the holidays was pretty busy, with a few days out and the last minute preparations for school.

We did do a little baking last week.
After buying some lovely fresh beetroot at the farm shop I made a beetroot and chocolate cake. I used Nigellas recipe .

The beetroot needed cooking first.

Then puree.

Wow just look at the colour, ooh how it could stain!

Then mix and into the oven.

It does look a little burnt but it tasted delicious.

(My little boy who doesn't like veg, didn't even notice the beetroot!! result)

Then on Friday the Hama beads where allover my lovely table and the floor.

All that sorting.

Can you tell who it is?

He's just 'chillin' in this photo.

Yes he's a minion out of 'Despicable Me 2'

(Not sure he has a name, I'll ask my little boy after school. That remind me I suppose I should go and pick him up!!!)

Sizergh Castle and Sizergh Barn

Another day, another day out!

On Wednesday we headed to Sizergh Castle to look around the gardens.

The children got a quiz from the shop and happily ran away in front.

They have a lovely little vegetable garden with all-sorts of veg and cut flowers. Look at the green house, isn't it beautiful.

We followed the children into the more formal part of the garden and helped jot down the answer to the quiz.

As me and my Mum had a rest, the children played croquet on the lawn! 

On a previous visit the lake had some really big fish in, but we couldn't see any this time. We did see some moorhens and some dragonflies.

The gardens a definitely worth a visit and when the children are older we may even venture into the house for a bit more culture.

 We brought a picnic lunch with us but needed a little bit of cake. . . so we headed to Sizergh Barn 

Its one of my favorite places to visit. The setting is perfect, with walks across farmland and through wooded valleys.

But better still the shop is full of really lovely stuff !

Mum bought a selection of cakes which we debated over shared out back at the car.

Sand, sea & pebbles. . .

Last week we had a few last minute trips out. School & work where looming in on the horizon and a sense of panic was building ! (for me anyway)

The first of our trips was just to the beach.

We all love a walk on the beach and today was bright and breezy - perfect!

We collected, as usual, this time pebbles. . . . 

Luckily I had a bag and we all have pockets. Everyone was please to get back to the car and unload.