So true!

I found this little prayer on another blog quite a while ago and it made me smile. I found it again among my pictures whilst searching in vain for the photographs of two ornaments I finished recently, so instead of the sewing I thought I would share this in the hope it will brighten your day too.

Love
Irene xxx

And milk comes frozen home in pails - almost

Now, I really like Picasa as a place to store and edit my photos. It's fairly simple to use, even for a klutz like me, and I can manage simple editing. However, I have only ever been able to download one photo at a time to my blog.

Until now!!!!!

Today I did what I should gave done a long time ago and actually looked at the tips for using Picasa and now - as many photos as I want! Itsa kinda magic!

Yay!!!!

So the FIRST (!) photo is of my lovely setter Meghan in the snow. I haven't shown her for a while, but she's still here keeping me company, being my friend.

And the SECOND photo is of frozen milk.

So worth waiting for eh?

Some of my American friends who pass by this way may not know that here in England, one of our old traditions is to have a milkman. Yep - we have a man (or woman) who gets up at some godforsaken hour in the morning to deliver our milk to our doorstep. We just open the door and there it is, fresh milk in a glass bottle, just as ordered.

It could also be cream, or fresh orange juice. That's pretty special isn't it, but not something I take for granted. It is so easy now to pick up plastic cartons of milk from the supermarket that many people do just that and have abandoned their friendly milkman. Not me. I like to have my milk this way. And my milkman has ploughed on through all this freezing cold, (its -4 now at 12-30 in the afternoon) and has never missed a day.

But the milk can freeze outside as you can see from my photo. The little red stripey tops have popped off and we have this little volcano of frozen milk erupting from the neck of the bottle.

By the way, not only do I help keep a man and the local dairy in work, but its green too - well not green milk obviously - but the bottles are washed, left on the step for the milkman to collect on his round and they are then re-used.

Thanks for reading through this far. The experiment worked - 2 photos on one blog.

Mission accomplished.

Irene xxx

BBD Exchange

I interrupt my normal if somewhat erratic service to bring you news. My exchange gift from the Blackbird Design Exchange group arrived yesterday, and isn't it pretty?

My partner, and until the gift arrives, you don't know who your partner is, was Laura who lives in Mexico. Isn't it amazing that with modern technology you can connect with people you have never met, but who have a common interest, so easily?

Laura sent me this lovely and incidentally, my first, scissor keep. The design is called Summer Iris and is stitched using DMC
threads on Monaco 28 count antique white linen. It is backed with a blue fabric with tiny leaves and flowers which are not very clear here, and finished with a lovely ivory braid.

Nice eh?

By the way, the scissor keep was wrapped in a clear cellophane packet and tied with a lovely blue and gold organza bow. I tried to take a picture of this too, but the light kept reflecting off the paper so I am unable to show it.

Thank you so much Laura. It was so exciting to open the package and I was not disappointed.

Isn't it fun to receive packages full of goodiness?

Love
Irene xxx

PS I forgot to tell you, if you want to see more of Laura's work, her website is http://puntadasmagicasdepebble57.blogspot.com

1831 Pin Keep

I had a finishing session on Saturday. It was snowy and cold and treacherous outside so I just had to resign myself to staying in and sewing.

Some days life is preeetty hard!

So, one of the things I finished is the Good Huswife 1831 Pin Keep (Pyn Keepe?) above. It is a mixture of threads, mostly Vikki Clayton and is stitched over one on a 28 count fabric which is acually a mid-ecru colour, although it looks a bit white here. It has an edging of tiny bronze beads. I didn't photograph the back, but it is the same fabric with the single tree and bird and 2010 stitched underneath.

I also finished my piece for the Blackbird Design Exchange group. I can't show it here yet, but I really liked it so I hope the recipient does too. It was one of those that I kept picking up and thinking, 'I must do one like this for me'. I probably won't though!!!

So the snow.

Well, kinda boring now isn't it?

Fun at first, exciting, run to the door and look, let the dog gambol in it, watch it melt on your outstretched hand, take snowy pics with a view to using them as Christmas cards - all that - at first - but now its just white and slippy and freezing and is like the final guest at the party who just doesn't know when its time to leave.

The photo on my previous blog is very strange isn't it? That mist wasn't visible to the eye, it only showed up on the photo. Good job it wasn't Halloween then!

Thanks for stopping by

Irene xxx

Ethereal Snow

I have some sewing pictures to show too, but for today I thought I would share this photo with you.

Many of you will know that parts of England are gripped with Winter's icy tentacles already, having had the earliest snow fall for many years and temperatures of -18 in some places. That is cold!

I went out into the garden to record this winter wonderland and this was the result.

Those fronds of mist are hovering over a small pond, but the water in the pond was almost frozen and certainly not giving out any heat.

Eerie isn't it?

Love
Irene xxx

After the pride cometh....

So, these are the two pairs of socks I knitted recently. I began with the blue stripey pair and then, gaining in confidence, quickly completed the red motley pair.

Easy I thought - all this fuss about cuffs, heel flaps, instep shaping - in my sleep I can do this.

I will make a pair for everyone I know for Christmas.
They will be astounded at my prowess.
I'll knit them as I watch TV.

These are 4ply - I'll do some in double knitting, they will be even easier - and quicker to boot.

I may sell some on an etsy shop.

Or donate some to charity. That would be kind.

Two balls of your best double knitting sock wool if you please, my good woman.

Mmm - so I've knit the rib, and the cuff and turned the heel and now I have no wool left!

Well - I have a couple of metres, and another ball for the other foot but I will need a third ball to complete this pair. I have checked the pattern, used the needles offered by the aforementioned good woman, followed the pattern exactly, but the sock is enormous and sort of loose and of course, half-finished. And the wool is £4 a ball. Which would make the socks £12 a pair. Are they threaded with gold??

I have snuck it into a bag and left it for a while. I may have another look at it, or consult with people who actually know what they're doing with a set of needles (Maggie??) or it may just go to that happy half-finished heaven where it will meet up with an Aran sweater, a garter stitch cardigan and a scarf that only needs to be cast off and have a fringe added.

It is of course a fall which cometh after the pride!

And is my bum bruised!!!

Love
Irene xxx

The very last pear.

I looked out of my kitchen window on Tuesday and saw this - the very last pear on an ancient old pear tree, which actually sits in my neighbour's garden but overhangs mine.

It was just like this, a little golden orb hanging alone amongst the bare branches against the dark green of the ivy and naturally, the photographer (!) in me couldn't resist a photo.

Now - I know that I mutter constantly to myself that the pears from this tree - hundreds of them - fall on to my decking and go brown and squishy, and make horrid stains that only a power washer will remove and then the wasps come and are a nuisance especially to Meghan who having once been stung gets hysterical on hearing even a distance drone, and probably the roots are stretching out and undermining the very foundations of this house, but hey - what a pretty autumnal picture.

And yes, no doubt I should gather them and make pears in white wine and other such deliciousness but then - when would I stitch?

I had a really nice time with Clare and Judith at Fobbles on Thursday. The people there were so lovely and welcoming to these strangers from across the country. I bought some stash - scissors (of course) linen ( of course) threads (of course) and beads (of course) because I have none of these things and was in desperate need of them.

The journey back was tricky however with a severe weather warning in operation. We were driving on one of the highest roads running across the width of England (A66) and were exposed to the very worst of it. But we survived, Clare and I, and will live to stitch another day.

And - I have knitted a pair of socks. I know. How clever am I? And I have started another pair and knit nearly one whole sock in one day. Sleep and the need to eat got in the way or I definitely would have finished it.

Thank you again for your comments, read always with interest and much appreciated

Love
Irene xxx

Tulip pin cushion

I am just not back in the habit of writing this blog. They say the way to hell is paved with good intentions, well watch out, I'm on my way!

This is the second little pin cushion from the BBD Sarah Tobias booklet. It is stitched over one on a 32 count evenweave linen using a mixture of threads, some DMC and some from Vikki Clayton. It is finished on the back with a matching dullish print.

Have you noticed the clever bit yet?
Eh?
Come on, look closely.

Mmmm - maybe some of you will never find the clever bit, seeing as you don't know my full name - but my initials are IH.

Yeah - those clever gals at BBD designed this one so that my initials came in the right order and I could highlight them. Now how did they know to do that?

I enclosed a ric-rik ribbon in the joining for the edging and what a chore this was! Looks alright finished though.

This photo is very smudgy isn't it? I'm not sure why I have stopped being able to take a half decent photo. This one is using my camera which was way more expensive than my son's which I often use but his definitely gives a better close up. The problem is his battery is down and I don't know where all the wires are.

Do other people have boxes full of wires and adaptors and chargers and converters and cable things? We have so many, for phones, consoles, computers, games, cameras, every electrical appliance that has ever been made and every model of said appliance. Only my son can find the right one and he struggles sometimes. We should have a clear out!

Well, the builder has gone. He has been here for nine weeks and now he's gone and my house is an emptier place because of it.
I gave him his lunch every day and bought him a newspaper to read whilst he ate it and he had his own kettle and coffee and tin of biscuits which I replenished daily. Could this be why he stayed?

I am meeting up with friends from the Sampler Guild tomorrow over at Cockermouth which means a drive from the east coast of England to the west. It will take about 3 hours. England is quite narrow here! We will be stash building - of course - by calling in at Fobbles. We will be taking our latest stitching projects to look at so that will take all of two minutes for me, but I look forward to seeing what my more industrious friends have produced.

When I re-read my previous post, it sort of sounded as though the back of the Autumn Heart was too bad to show. The back, thanks to Anne, is perfectly wonderful, it was the photo of the back that was too poor to share.

Thanks for calling by
Love
Irene xxx

Autumn Heart

I think I mentioned that my friend Ann and I have a stitchy night every Thursday evening? She brings yummy biscuits and I provide as many cups of tea as we can get through - not as many as you might suppose as we talk a lot and drinking and talking are hard to synchronise.

Oh.... and we stitch!

It is a guaranteed oasis in the chaos of our busy lives.

Ann is much more adventurous than me and tries lots of new things, new finishes, or different stitches, I tend to stick to what I know.
I do have a bigger variety of stash though - ( c'est un surprise n'est-ce pas?) So I am sometimes able to help out with the odd thread and this lovely heart is a thank you gift from her.

Can I say that the French phrase above is just a shameful affectation. I have tried to learn French since I was knee high to a grasshopper and have spent many happy hours lounging around in France, sometimes staying there for five weeks in the Summer holidays, but in spite of that, and ignoring the fact that I sometimes even wore a little jaunty neckerchief (surely that isn't the word?) giving all the outward appearances of being stylishly French, and totally at home (a la maison?) as soon as I opened my mouth, my northern roots showed.

I so envy people who can speak a second language - or play an instrument - two accomplishments that in my life I have failed to .....well.....accomplish really.

Well, I did learn ....... naw... I can't really count that.

OK - when I was 6 I had my turn playing that clapper thing, that you bang on your hand, but hey - nobody recognised my potential so I just passed it to boy sitting next to me.

Raymond I think it was. He's probably in a boy band now.

Anyway, no good crying over that, the heart above is freebie from the gazette94 site and is stitched beautifully over one on a 32 count linen using an unnamed but appropriately autumnal thread from HDF. I also took a photo of the back which is finished in a matching watermarked cotton with a little 'hand-made' tag, but it was really too bad to post. Sorry Ann.

Love to all
Irene xxx

So I resume - with Sarah Tobias

It has been five weeks - can you believe that - five weeks since I last posted here.

I will tell you in a sec what has been occupying my time, but first to Sarah.

I was a participant in the Round 5 Blackbird Designs Exchange organised by Patti, and therefore browsed through all of my BBD charts and booklets looking for a suitable design to exchange. It was then I realised that in my eagerness to acquire stash, to possess it, to have it, own it, file it, organise it, gloat over it ( come on - you've done it!) I had actually hardly stitched any of it. So I completed my exchange project - afore posted - and decided to do a couple of things from the Sarah Tobias booklet.

I chose firstly the little alphabet pin cushion above, stitched over one on a mid-cream 32 count linen with Kaalund thread - the colour of which is lost in the mists of time. Now it seems that in the intervening interlude, any photographical skills I may have once possessed have deserted me completely, so the pictures show hardly any detail at all.

This, I think, leaves me open to a little exaggeration!

The piece is backed with a perfectly matching batik fabric ( you can't really tell so you'll just have to believe me) and exquisitely finished with opaque irridescent blue / green beads! It is packed with crushed oyster shells. I know - it sounds exotic, but I can't find those darned walnut shells that everyone seems to use and this gives a nicely weighty emery-ish feel.

So that is finish number one. I have a lovely gift and another finish to show another day.

Well, you ask, those of you who loyally check to see if I have made any effort to write here at all, what has the girl been up to?

A dream holiday on a paradise island.

Naw.

I've just been cleaning. Relentlessly. Unendingly. Exhaustingly. Purposelessly ........ cleaning.

Yes - purposelessly. To no purpose. Uselessly.

I still have the builder here. We are running into, I think, 6 or 7 weeks now. To be honest, he so much part of the family I've stopped counting. He came to renovate all the sash windows in the house, and just stayed. Like a lost puppy. We have adopted him. He hardly ever goes home.

He is now finally outside, repainting the house and it looks great. It is just taking so long. And because it was every window in every room that needed some work, every room was a mess, with dust sheets everywhere, and wood shavings and paint scrapings. He promised faithfully it would be completed before my guests from America arrived for their holiday.

Oh didn't I tell you? Oh yes, in the midst of all this I had guests for about ten days. Happily they are old friends and picked their way around the rubble, but it's not want you want, is it, when friends are staying?

So in a vain attempt to make the house look habitable I cleaned. But in the end I just asked people to wipe their feet as they left, not as they arrived.

There is just a glimmer of normality showing, a tantalising glimpse that I may eventually resume the retirement I signed up for.

We shall see.

Thank you for your patience

Ooooo - almost forgot to mention. Are you desperate for the 2010 Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornaments Special? My friend Margaret is giving one away in a draw on her newish newsy blog. She would love to have you visit. http://allthingsmaggieo.blogspot.com/

Irene xxx