Monday

The throw is made, very difficult to photograph, Ian used picture hooks and this was the result:-

Very warm and snuggly, pleased with the final result and yesterday for a few minutes this young man was lying on it, but he would rather be cuddled or sleep in some one's arms like this:-

Notice behind me is the Beekeepers Quilt over the back of the sofa. 

Edward and his parents stayed  Saturday night, gave his parents to catch up on sleep whilst we amused Edward. 

Meanwhile, I am battling with Ian's socks, not sure how many times I have carefully unpicked the work, stitch by stitch, now going to attempt the heels with an eye on Uni Challenge. 

Progress report

Just a brief blog to show what I have been doing lately. 

A Puerperium Cardigan for Rachel, along with a couple of hats, all three garments definitely for newborns, 

We don't know whether these are for a great niece or nephew, blue for outerwear would suit either.

A work in progress for Rachel too is a BSJ (Baby Surprise Jacket), I am attempting not too knit too tightly these days but still went up a needle size to obtain the right tension. 

For a long while crochet squares have been my portable project, all 156 have been crocheted together, borders have been created, one beige and one pink, just a final border in blue for definition to be hooked. 

The photo shows I have some ends to weave in. This throw started as a project to use up odds and ends of double knitting, from it I have learnt that double knitting covers a wide variety of thickness of yarn so shall we say that not all the crochet squares ended up the same size. However, it is warm, snuggly and I have the perfect home for it, although it is not going to be just for display but for use, warmth and enjoyment. 

More happiness

Happiness is going to and from London where all the transport systems worked well on Friday, Ian drove me to the nearest Piccadilly line station, I was offered a seat immediately, pulled out knitting to find fixed circular needle had come away from cable, whilst scrabbling around for needle neighbouring passenger spoke to me so we chatted. With her perfect English didn't connect she was German, she had taken A levels in London and was on her way to a class reunion, we spoke about the benefits received by the volunteers working in her museum shop, not tangible benefits, but increase in confidence, skills, companionship, friendship, these retired ladies (it was mostly ladies, many widowed) who play golf, holiday, meet together and would never have done so if it weren't for volunteering. One lady, in her mid-70s had walked tall and gained so much from mastering a complicated computerised till system. As a volunteer myself I can endorse so much of what she said, I told her of my delight at no worries about leave rotas or when one went to lunch, indeed which day one works. 

The transport fairy was at play on my way home, walked downstairs at Embankment station, a train for Richmond came in, I boarded and was offered a seat straight away so was able to read the Evenig Standard. After all cannot go to London on a weekday and not come back with the evening paper. 

Reason I was going to town was to meet with former house mate, another mid-70s lady who has just returned from touring China, we looked around the National Gallery in the rooms covering late C19th and early C20th works, I was taken with this:- 

Not clear, but winding a skein of wool, here's the details - 

Today was such a happy day. I was at church and down to read lesson, just Jonah, no New Testament as the service was shortened to allow for Act of Remembrance afterwards. All went well with the reading, well I had practised beforehand, back to pew,  a latecomer came to sit next to me, I looked at her and realised it was my lovely daughter Martha.

This may not unusual to anyone who doesn’t know me, but Martha lives 100 miles away in Dorset, we hadn’t seen her since the first weekend in September, she isn’t religious any more, so to join me for a service was considerate.  She had tried to be there before the service but M3 & traffic didn't help. Plans had been made for her to come here for 21st November and for the first weekend in December for “Mummy and Martha” time so her visit was a surprise to me, not to her Dad! I had intended to stay for the Remembrance service, Martha was willing to do so, instead we went home so she had time with her Dad too. Unwittingly I had left a big casserole slowly cooking, thinking it would be good for a few meals for us for a few days, we were able to give her a good lunch.

We went to Kingston in her new car,  a Joules Christmas jumper may have been purchased by me, and  Knit-pro circulars to replace the broken one. John Lewis did say they were having supply problems with Knit-pro, I wanted fixed size 4.5mm had to settle for just the tips, that's ok I have plenty of cables.

One very happy Mum, pleased when  Martha phoned to say she was home safely, she had had to contend with rain and heavy traffic on her way home. 

Oh happy day

Yesterday I spent the main part of the day at the local archive, working on my own project of recording details about photographs that appeared, or didn't in the local paper, the Richmond & Twickenham Times from June 1969 to the early eighties. The photos for each issue are now in folders, so my task is to plough through the microfilm to find the report that matches with the photo., record the details in the picture, file photos in special plastic wallets before word processing the details.  Sometimes there is an article where the photo wasn't used but was retained and can be linked to the relevant report. It does help that I would have read the paper all my life and recognise some of the characters in the report. My mother used to post it to me when I was at college in Liverpool to keep me in touch with home. 

As the photo collections starts from June it doesn't contain the photo from when I was on the front page of the paper in 6th May 1969 with my American pen friend who had come to visit after we had been writing to each other for ten years. 

As the weather was so beautiful I walked across Richmond Bridge, noticing the very high tide had flooded the tow path to wait for the bus home. At the bus stop I was asked where I bought my shoes, my enquirer thought they were gorgeous - I do agree, this has happened before so here are my red suede shoes bought in a sale from Jones the Bootmakers.

I do like the small heel, some how they make me feel elegant, if they make other people smile too so much the better. 

More smiles when I reached home, Ian had bought and planted a whole tray of cyclamen around our privet hedge, they should do well in the bed of horse manure compost. 

I hope these will bring a smile to anyone passing by, such colour throughout the year. 

Yesterday

L

Delighted to have won this quilted Advent calendar yesterday afternoon at the Richmond & Kew Quilters exhibition held at the Landmark Arts Centre in Teddington. There were a couple of raffles in aid of Breakthrough Breast Cancer and the Trinity Hospice, in this one there were  14 quilted items as prizes, one put one's raffle ticket in the numbered bag matching the item one would like to win. We bought a couple of tickets, chose a cushion,  another cushion we really liked had so many entries so we went for the calendar instead. Must give credit to Julie Standeven who made it, and a number of other quilts in the show. 

The show wasn't well publicised, the venue's fault not the quilters, I was told about it in the morning, just open for three days, finished yesterday and although I am not a quilter thought it would be interesting, and it was, plenty of books, gadgets, fabric  for sale as well as a cafe facility.  Given that it was the Rugby World Cup second semifinal very nearby we decided against driving but travelled by diverted buses each way, fortunately the traffic was light, we reached home about 10 minutes before the end of the match. Very pleased with the result, just the final next Saturday and our town will be back to what counts for normal when living near Twickenham stadium. 

Detail for 11th day of Advent or 11th December, DS birthday. We haven't had an Advent calendar for many years so I am unsure whether it is opened on 1st December or Advent Sunday so may I have a definitive answer from you, the reader please?

Another quilt we thought was very clever was  this:-

the embroidered map of Milly-Molly-Mandy's village, with buildings, Toby the dog and MMM herself quilted. Of course this has led me to perusing my copy of this book whereby I notice that MMM is sent to buy a skein of red wool for sixpence for Grandma who knitted socks and mittens and nice warm woollies for them all. Of course I had never picked up that detail before, nor that Auntie who sewed frocks and shirts had a sewing machine that looks just like the 70 year old Singer that belonged to my Mother. A very self sufficient family with three generations living under one thatched roof. 

 

Landmark journey

As mentioned, our grandson stayed at Pixie Towers last night, his first night away from home, pleased to say it went well, he had his own room, the so called master bedroom as it has original coving and is at the front of the house yet isn't the largest bedroom, such is 1930s design. Yesterday evening our Son went to the Old Hamptonians dinner, today Daughter in law met up with university friends for afternoon tea in central London. Ian and I went with her to assist with Edward's first train and underground journey as DS was busy umpiring hockey matches elsewhere. Edward now 12 weeks and two days old, slept most of the way on South West trains as below and again on the District Line. 

However, plenty of smiles on emerging into Sloane Square, so sorry didn't photograph them. 

On the District line started knitting a hat for Edward, cast on, knitted a couple of rows of the pattern, then made the error of knitting with the cast on tail so have to undo half the round. Didn't touch either knitting or crochet this evening, read the papers for I had picked up a Times, without the magazine, on the District line so with two papers and watching rugby from Twickenham and Manchester no progress was made with the four projects on which I am working. Since England are no longer competing in the World Cup my interest is waining so maybe more will be achieved another day. 

Work in progress

I haven't mentioned knitting and crochet recently, here is an indication of how I have spent this morning. 

It has been a surprising struggle to join crochet squares together to form this blanket, this morning I discovered the light blue square back to front so there was undoing of the slip stitch join I had done yesterday evening whilst catching up with the Bake Off. 

After a while it is easy to differentiate between right and wrong sides of these granny squares especially after weaving in over 144+ ends on the wrong side. Anyway, 'tis done, I am joining  horizontally, have one and half to go before the vertical rows are crocheted together as can be seen here:-

I am working from right to left, (I crochet and knit right handed but sew left handed) this shows the wrong side of the work, in the back ground shows the other half of the blanket to be joined.  then I plan a fair sized colourful border to frame it all. I doubt it will be completed in a week's time when young Edward and his parents stay here so here is a picture of him wearing the BSJ (Baby Surprise Jacket). 

Back to hooking now, byeee.