🍂Ah September - the prelude to October 🍂

 🗓where i am 

Knitting

The Rainbow Sock Chronicles, which is a knit along hosted by Jooles of Sew Sweet Violet and Kelly of Lay Family yarns,  has reached the end of the seven rainbow colours and starting now in October we will be able to choose our own colours.

The picture above shows the socks up to July. For September (picture below)  I used one of Jooles's patterns called 'Sweet Bee Socks' using Henny Penny Yarns sparkle sock and Orkney Angora for the stripes and lace. These are definitely an indoor only, snuggle up in front of the fire pair of socks as the angora makes them a lot more delicate but so cosy and comforting.

There have been lots of test knits for Jooles of Sew Sweet Violet and one of my favourites was this Wondrous Shower Mitt which means you can put your bar of soap inside the mitt to wash and that means you don't have to buy plastic bottles of shower gel.

🪡🧵Cross Stitch

I have been working all year on two cross-stitch stitch alongs. Martha Dawson and Ann Morison both are reproduction of antique samplers by Hands Across The Sea Samplers. I am stitching Martha Dawson on a 56 count fabric using Au Ver A Soie silks and below is my progress so far.

I am actually a little further on but only have a photo of the process in the frame (see below).

I veered off the set monthly section so that I could work on the house whilst I was on holiday in Salcombe and I didn't have to think, just make crosses and it worked.

Here is my progress on Ann Morison being hosted and in celebration of twenty years in business for Traditional Stitches.

There are a lot of Algerian stitches in this project and they really take concentration and time but they do look wonderful.

Other crafts

I have been enjoying some hand stitching and recently caught up with some of Nicki Franklin of The Stitchery projects. 

One of the joys of stitching this year has been joining Dandelion Designs "The Secret Society of Redwork Stitchery and Craft Loveliness". We get a red dotty package each month which includes the redwork design for the quilt as well as a different project, sewing snippets and a recipe as well as Mandy Shaw's signature joke: sweets themed around the letter we are sewing that month. There is a private Facebook Group which is great fun to join in and share some sewing chatter.

Quilting

I joined in with Lori Holt's Red and White Sampler using four of her books. We made over thirty blocks, large and small and I have still to put the sashing around mine and then I can decide on how to quilt it.

This was a little English Paper Pieced Hexagon Bee panel which I bought as a kit from Jooles of Sew Sweet Violet and it was an absolute joy to stitch by hand and display in the glass frame which came as part of the kit.

Well that's it for now, a quick catch up. There are many other projects I haven't had time to show you here but I hope to pop some in a future post including what I've been reading. Happy crafting, 

January and February 2021 Edit

🌸🌸🌸🌸 Time for a catch up🌸🌸🌸🌸

Hello and welcome to the start of my 2021 posting. Here I am with my 'no hair cut for a year, just been for my first vaccination' look! I am relieved that I was allowed to have an injection as I have quite an anaphylactic allergic reaction to aspirin but it has not been triggered by the vaccine (but you must check with your own health advisors) and I have been happy to do my bit to help others in the fight against this awful virus. 

So today I am going to share a few things from my crafting life which has been the main occupation during lockdown here in the UK. I have been walking, reading, and crafting with the odd jog added in.

We had some snow in January and I wanted to record it by stitching a snow themed piece and I chose this one called 'Moments in Nature - First Snow' from Brambles & Me. It is beautiful to work on as the linen and silk threads are so soft and it is going to be a lovely project over the next few months.

I also started this stunning Ann Morison sampler in December with Traditional Stitches who are celebrating twenty years in business and created this sew along for us to join in with. I am using a 45 count linen with Au Ver A Soie 100.3 silk thread both of which are new to me and something I wanted to add to my needlework skills this year.

Every day I have been joining in with the Dean of Canterbury, Robert Willis's Garden Congregation on YouTube for morning prayer. It is absolutely delightful feeding both the soul and the eyes with good things. The Dean sits in the garden and is often joined by Cathedral animals which include Clemmie and Winston the pigs, Leo and Tiger the cats as well as hens and ducks. He has such a calming, gentle way of sharing both spiritual gifts, information about life events and music. It has been a highlight for me during these difficult times.

We have not left the village during this lockdown and regularly walk four miles from our home along the road, through the country park and down on to the beach and back home. There are always new and exciting things to spot and one day I was delighted to find these Goose Barnacles which I am told are edible (we weren't tempted to try) and people once thought it was how geese were born.

Over the Christmas period last year (2020) I joined in The Sheep and Cheerful podcast's read along for Dickens' A Christmas Carol and I stitched on this little piece which I need to finish and make into a cushion - watch this space. The discussion on Ravelry was so interesting and full of brilliant facts surrounding the writing, political history and social situation at the time Dickens wrote this wonderful story.

Now we are moving into Spring I wanted to have a project which would record the start of the cherry blossom and this yarn from Mr & Mrs Rabbit called 'cherry blossom' is going to be knitted up into a cowl called 'Spring Buds'.

January also saw the start of the Rainbow Chronicles being hosted by Jooles of Sew Sweet Violet podcast and shop and Kelly of Lay Family Yarn shop and podcast. We are given a colour from the rainbow and a pattern from Jooles which we can use if we want. My January pair were pink and used the Winter Birds pattern by Jooles and were knitted in Hedgerow Yarns Blossom Pink yarn.

This gorgeous book came out at the end of last year 'Quilting with Liberty Fabrics Book' by Jenni Smith and I have a signed copy which took so long to arrive because it was stuck in various ports because of Brexit and pandemic - poor Jenni was almost distraught at the delay but it was definitely worth the wait.

Another sew along I started in January this year was the Martha Dawson sampler also by Hands Across The Sea (as was the Ann Morison above) and this time I am challenging myself to use 56 count linen with another au ver a soie silk but not the 100.3 so it is a little thicker and it makes a different texture (which I love) and, apart from the one over one crosses for the text, has not been too difficult to work on.

Another great project during lockdown was the installation of new bookshelves. A room became spare when my darling daughter moved out to live with her fiancé at the start of the first lockdown (she was worried that working in London and travelling home to us would be a danger to us). I miss her so much but there is salve in a book and I love the way a new shelving system allows you to re-order and discover books you had forgotten about. 

February for the Sock Chronicles was dark pink and I knit these Sweet Vanilla toe down socks by Jooles in Moel View Yarn in the Protea colour way which was part of the Flower Power Sock Fund in 2019 and I thought this the perfect project for this yarn.

 

I took part in Dena of Half Stitch Cross Stitch's #FebruaryFestivals2021 stitch along. The first half of February was for Valentine's ornaments and the second for Easter ornaments. I had a lot of fun with it. I stitched three Valentine's pieces first: a small drum pin keep, a cushion and a small picture. Then  I finished an old piece of Easter stitching with three 'eggs' and then stitched a small sampler cushion, and finally three sweet rabbits which was a free pattern by WhilstIrisNaps.

I have loved the chance to read lots and my Goodreads goal of 50 books this year is going well so far. I had this book 'Cluny Brown' by Marjory Sharp (misspelt on the front of the book above) on my wish list but was put off by the high price for a re-issued edition. Then co-incidentally, whilst I was looking for something else in my late Mum's things, I found her copy from the 1940s and was absolutely delighted at such wonderful serendipity.

On that joyful note I will leave you for now and look forward to catching up again, hopefully, with less of a gap next time. 

💜Teresa🌸

September Edit 2020

 A bit of this and a bit of that....

Reading, knitting, sewing, outings and life in general...

We have moved into Autumn and already there is an abundance of berries and other signs of the changing year.

Earlier this month we went to South Creake in Norfolk where we rented a small cottage and enjoyed visiting the surrounding area. 

At Houghton Hall there was an exhibition of works by Anish Kapoor who is one of my favourite artists. Isn't this mirrored piece stunning:

The beaches along that part of the Norfolk coast are spectacular and we were lucky enough to enjoy really good weather whilst we were there.

I took my Purl Soho Half and Half Wrap which I am knitting for the Cady Jax knit along.

Near where we were staying was Bloodgate Hill, an iron age fort. There were only the sheep there that evening but we enjoyed the huge East Anglian skies on our walk.

We took the opportunity to visit St Withburga's Holy Well in Dereham which was very interesting to see. It made me think of my favourite cathedral, Ely, in quite a different light as the Abbott and monks stole her remains to keep as a holy relic for themselves and this healing waters well sprang up in Dereham as a result.

Another great visit was to Burn Valley Vineyard which we visited on a very wet and wild day. I was pleasantly surprised at how good the wines we tasted were and we took some bottles home with us including a sparkling wine we opened on a visit to my daughter in Yorkshire later in the month.

I signed up for a Selbu Mitten Course run by Patricia of Knitographyfarm and it has been great fun learning and recording how to knit these traditional mittens in my knitting bag notebook.

I write down what I am listening to, what I am feeling, the weather and all sorts of things that influence how I might knit that day. It is interesting to note because your tension when knitting can vary wildly. It helps if you notice the many things that might be contributing to your stress levels. It is good then to try to adjust the balance in your life in order to keep yourself at a healthy level of tension both in your knitting and yourself.

During September I bought a lot of books and am enjoying reading along with book clubs, especially Miranda's Notebook whose read for this month was R C Sherriff's The Fortnight in September. Set in the thirties it tells of a family who travel to the seaside for their annual holiday but nothing is as static as it seems as underneath each character's stream of consciousness a constant change is uncovered.

I am looking forward to reading the other two books at some point but I have a huge pile of to be read books right now including Miranda's October choice for her Tea & Tattle book club and The Botanical Yarn's book club which I signed up for for three months and have read two so far.

Miranda made a YouTube video telling us of new releases for October and one mentioned was Miss Mole by E H Young and I knew it was one I own and have read so I looked it out and, yes, I added it to that ever growing to be read pile!

Betty by Tiffany McDaniel was the second of The Botanical Yarn's book club choices for September and I found reading this tale of growing up in a disfunctional multi cultured family in America both difficult and absorbing. 

The first book was Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams with it's mini yarn skeins based on the book cover and my chosen pattern the Queenie Cowl by Amanda who used to run the Natural Dye Studio. 

Yarn to interpret a book cover - what do you think?

On a visit to my daughter in Yorkshire I was delighted by the cows who graze on the common have no barriers to stop them walking along the road. Most drivers are able to relax and enjoy the moment but some sadly are not and by harassing the cattle they often find themselves with some damage to their vehicles!! A lesson in life, I think, to understand that we are not supreme beings and need to respect the place given to us in this world.

I enjoyed this really tasty Lychee Martini whilst we were celebrating my daughter's birthday when we visited.

Later in September I was lucky enough to visit Farnham (picture above)  where my son has just moved. The Thread Festival was being held at the Maltings and I went along at the end of the afternoon on a late entry ticket to find I had the place almost to myself. Isn't that one of those dreams people have of being let loose in a shop when everyone has gone and that was exactly how it felt. I had the complete attention of each stall holder and was delighted to be able to chat and look at the wonderful stitching goods on display.

Some of the lovely bits and pieces I picked up at Thread Festival.

Vyckky of West Green Loft Yarns also started stocking yarn and embroidery kits in her online shop and I picked up this beautiful set of sock yarn and an embroidered wreath which I am looking forward to getting to at some point. (picture below)

Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic I have tried to continue to support local bookshops using online shops such as Hive but recently we went to Maldon where I was keen to pop into a new little bookshop, Maldon Books, and I picked up two really lovely books: A Poem for Every Autumn Day and D by Michel Faber. They are proving to be thoroughly enjoyable picks which I would really recommend. The poems are divided for each day into one to read in the morning to inspire your day and one for the evening for reflection. D is a children's fantasy book with so many references to children's classics which are fun to identify as you read, although Michel Faber is quite evasive about whether he sees them as influences or not, and the story is absorbing and great fun too.

Keeping me super busy this month too has been test knitting for the lovely Jooles of Sew Sweet Violet. Above is the Hybernation Sock which was a collaboration with Vykky of West Green loft linked further up in this post. And below is the Lola Sock which was another collaboration with Ali of Little Drops of Wonderful who hosts the Strictly Sock Along and was also a fund raiser for Bill's Special Bus who is Gayna of Tales from Cuckoo Land's son and they are raising money for his school bus where he is a pupil.

I am still very busy with my cross stitching too and was so pleased to make a start on this free gift from Nicola of Hands Across the Sea Samplers for those taking part in the Exclusive Ann Morison Stitch Along being hosted by Traditional Stitches, a needlework store based in Canada celebrating their twentieth anniversary. I have signed up for the sal which has been put back to December because of the problems the pandemic has caused with supplies but that is fine by me as I was more than happy to have this free stitch to be getting on with.

I am going to finish this September Edit with a few images from a Sunday morning walk in Colchester with all it's historical architecture and lovely riverside walk. We ended our morning with a cup of mocha in Bill's restaurant and were very glad of an outing during these difficult days but, as you will see from my favourite stitches right at the bottom of this post, they shall pass and we will have hope. 

                                                 🍂Teresa🧡