Two SpecSavers Home Visit Vehicles outside two adjacent properties. Is this a case of Double Vision?
Yesterday was very busy, lots happening on the craft front. One thing I hadn't done for ages...
French Knitting.
I bought this little knitting doll in Flying Tiger a couple of summers ago, and meant to teach Rosie but then forgot.
Now I have a genuine reason for wanting to make some cords myself, so I sat and had a practice after lunch.
I will explain later!
The 2x2 project is progressing slowly. K and I are exchanging a lot of WhatsApp messages. I will be glad when the weather brightens up, it's cold and damp found here!
Back in 2012, my blog friend Floss suggested a new blog event. [now a fully fledged Anglican priest, it was Floss who started the Pause in Lent and Pause in Advent events]
She called it The Thrill Of What You Already Have and you can read more HERE
I was reminded of this on Saturday when I was pottering in the old garage, and came across a carrier bag of silk flowers. There were some daffodils in there, and I'd just thrown away a bunch of real [but dead] ones. They were 95p in Lidl, and they had lasted two weeks and brought much joy. These ones could take there place until more fresh ones arrive.
Normally there is a green cloth on the dining table - I have two, bought from Scotts of Stow, back in the 90s, and I rotate them. But I felt like a change. I looked in the linen drawer - and found a single duvet cover. I know exactly when I bought that - Easter 1996, it was in Debenhams, half price - and I had just been given a new divan bed for the spare room in Kirby. That bed is long gone, and most of my other single bedlinen too. I shook it out, and put it on the table. Ta Da!
I really like the way the amber/brown pattern sets off the greeny blue vase, and the daffodils. And Steph's lovely picture behind picks up those shades too. I think she painted that when she was a student - it is at least 20 years ago... It has the words of the Lord's prayer, and a dove of peace, and fresh golden wheat against a sunny background [originally hung on a yellow kitchen wall]
I quite like this arrangement - fresh and springlike. I think I may unpick the duvet cover, and hem the fabric from this side, and retain the other for something else!
I found other treasure in the carrier bag - but that will be for another post.
Do you use silk flowers - or only fresh ones ? [my daffs were purchased for a Day of Prayer display four years ago]
How often do you find 'treasure' in the cupboard, when you are actually looking for something else?
I know I am not the only one excited by last week's announcement by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. There's a new book coming in the Autumn, featuring the Gruffalo Granny!
JD says the idea has been bouncing around in her head for over twenty years, and now she's a granny herself, it has all come together. AS says that down the decades since the first book came out, he has occasionally drawn a few Gruffalo pictures, to keep his hand in, Personally, now I am a granny too, let me add my two-penn'orth to the comments
I approve of the fact the Granny has let the rich chestnut fur grow naturally into an attractive silver grey
As I suspect, the Deep Dark Wood may be in Norfolk. Evidenced by the lack of adequate dentistry.
Her tail and ears are a little droopy - body sagginess a definite sign of age catching up with this busy woman.
A stick is always useful, for walking, poking, or hoicking things down from high places.
Her eyes remain alert and bright
Her expression is amiable, she looks secretly amused
She carries a pencil and notebook ready record important things
She has a sensible crossbody bag, capacious enough for knitting, drink, snacks, tissues whatever
The plot has yet to be revealed. Thus far we have just one line the Gruffalo said to his daughter one day "your Gruffalo granny is coming to stay"
My daughter has suggested that maybe granny visits so that G and his missus can go out to the Pub [that would be the one on the far side of the Deep Dark Wood? ]
However I suspect she may be going to teach her granddaughter important life skills
calculating the the Fibonacci sequence [you maybe female, but STEM subjects matter]
The former represents how I have been recently, not sleeping well and therefore feeling fatigued. The sinus issue was still bothering me - and I have apparently been snoring an awful lot. I finally saw the GP on Thursday, and he discovered I have polyps in both nostrils - and they, not the sinuses, are the cause of the problem. A daily nasal spray should deal with them [but allow 12 weeks for it to work fully, he says] I felt much better for knowing what was wrong! The latter- I watched Jamie's programme on Monday night [Channel 4], and decided to cook his £5 meal meat and potato pasties The recipe was easy, budget friendly and we both enjoyed them - but they were huge
They came out nearly 20cm across and filled the bowl, I served them with mix veg. The filling [mince, plus grated potato, carrot, onion] was very moist and the 3tbsp of brown sauce added extra flavour. We added a little ketchup at the table. Next time, I might make three[ or four] smaller pasties with this quantity of mixture. Using strong bread flour for the pastry meant it was both thin, and robust [but not tough] I need to practice my crimping technique though Have you cooked any of Jamie's £5 Feasts?
Post came bright and early on Thursday. with K's final patch
As well as the patch and notes, I discovered some lovely knitting stitch markers, and cute erasers in the small flat box. When I was wrestling with my knot ideas, I had told myself that if that failed, I would just do a miniature ninepatch piece. But I did accomplish the knot - and lo and behold, Kirsten has sent me a gorgeous little square, using scraps from other collaborations, and charm sqaures- and a postage stamp fabric to celebrate our cross country collaboration.
We are both itching to sew our dozen pieces together now. Arranging them is fun...
I'd started sewing mine on Monday at Craft Group, but the newest patch cannot go in that space, it is too similar to the one beside it. Meanwhile Kirsten laid hers out, and felt that maybe some of them [like the darned square] need a bit of a border
I can see how that edging helps soften the bright white evenweave. We are both working on the design of our finished pouches, and plans for the embroidered 'rubric' tape.
Do you like the soft grey woollen fabric which we are using to back our pieces? Suitably neutral I think. I was given a length of red viscose last month, which I am planning to use for a lining. I have sent some of it to K too. Seven weeks till Easter, and we hope to be done and dusted by then...
It is just 6 months since Norwich Castle re-opened after the multimillion£££ restoration. We were delighted to have early view tickets, because we hold annual passes. I was blown away by everything there was- not just the phenomenal embroideries, but also the bright colours, and the wooden furniture, and the ironwork on the doors. I knew that I wanted to represent this project on one of my two-by-two patches. It has taken me till now, the very last patch, to actually do it. I have been planning this for weeks and weeks...
Historians discovered that the medieval castle builders used lots of bright colours, and although we are used to dark oak church doors, when first installed they would likely have been glorious primary hues, with black ironwork. This new door was designed by a Norfolk company, and the ironwork created in the forge at Holkham.
It is the Bigod Door, named after Baron Bigod, first Norman Earl of Norfolk in the 12th C, when the castle was built. This door is oak, covered in gloriously bright blue leather. I was amazed by the way that strips of metal were twisted and knotted, similar to Celtic knots and then riveted to the wood. The metal work forms hinges, handles, and general decoration.
I copied one particular knot last autumn and decided to recreate it with fabric and thread. It proved quite a challenge. I abandoned the idea of satin stitch, then thought about couching down some cord. Perhaps a black shoelace on blue fabric? It didn’t look right. I did have a book of small linen samples. I opted to use a neutral colour for the patch, with the knot in a bright blue cord.
Having worked out the knot – under/over/under/ over I pinned it to a piece of corrugated card and adjusted the loops as best I could, then transferred cord carefully to fabric and stitched it down[blanket stitch] with two strands of floss [blue/ lilac/ purple random dye] Then I added NORWICH CASTLE, REBORN 2025 in back stitch in plain purple floss.
The first one, on darker linen, had the ends of cord going over the edge, and the lettering was perhaps a little too close to the fold. And in the wrong light, you couldn’t read it anyway! There were problems with the cord ends fraying too. So Kirsten is getting the lighter one which I consider to be better of the two!
This knot was hard enough to create with cord, I am in awe of a blacksmith
who can make such a knot with hot twisted metal – whether in 1100 or 2020!
Notes:
The knot is the one at the top of the vertical decoration which runs up the centre of the door.
This is my last patch. Kirsten's should arrive very soon and we will get on with stitching the 'rubric' and making up the project. Hoping to be done by Easter.
I'm becoming quietly obsessed with ancient needlework, but equally fascinated by the technological developments which mean my new sewing machine can do so much more than any I have ever used before...It's all about finding the best in both disciplines I think.
Preacher, teacher, wife, mother, grandmother, craftswoman. Married to wonderful Pastor Bob since 1979, now happily retired to Norfolk, but still busy. I am blessed with two brilliant grown-up daughters and four wonderful grand children
