Cloudy Sky

It was very rainy and windy this morning,

now the sun is trying to peep through

Shrub

I do like the greens in this evergreen bush

Artists Horse

I always thought wooden artists models were like funny little men!

Anemone

One of the Anemone bulbs I planted last September.

Nice and bright for these cold winter days!

Three More Cards.........

Gold Peel-offs on clear acetate using Sticky-pads to make a 3D effect.

A SAGA - Socks! - I

About May/June last year I was chatting to Jan (wibbo's words). I asked about knitting socks. I would love to knit a pair of socks but I fight with the needles too much, and as Jan said it is like knitting with a hedgehog, she explained that I would find instructions for knitting socks with two circular needles on the internet. I typed the words into the search engine and low-and-behold sure enough up came the instructions. I printed these off and bought the needles and of two balls of sock wool. I thought I would go for a patterned wool so I wouldn't get bored. I should have practiced first! I cast on the appropriate stitches and knitted away while looking after dad after his heart operation, I thought this will give me something to do. Well I continued knitting away and just out of fun I thought I would try the knitted tube on my leg. Horror........! The calves of my legs were far too big for my casting on, the casting on just did not stretch the rest of the knitting was OK. I was just about to start the heel but at this stage the pattern got a bit complicated, although I like complicated I needed to concentrate, then I read about grafting the toes of the sock. I'm not a novice knitter honest...... I thought I may as well practise the heel but it went wrong! I undid the knitting and cast on with the thumb method, knitted a tube and tried it on again, and again the top did not quite fit, this time it was baggy! I put the wool and everything away and went back to my cross stitching watching the wool taking on a life of its own in the basket getting tangled. Mentioning it again to Jan, again she suggested knitting toe- up. So scoured the internet and found a pattern so we will see how we go and no need to graft the toes!

Spring must be on its way........

........I found these in a dark corner of my garden...........

Moss

Taking a photograph every day makes you look at your surroundings. I have passed this pillar at the end of a wall many times in the past seventeen years but today I noticed it much more with the green moss sitting tightly on the top.

Over the hill and far away.........

This is the view from my back door. This time last year the Popular trees were much taller than they are now. In the summer you cannot see the hill in the background.

Nice and bright............

............for a dull January day............

Literally two second after taking this.........

......... at 8am the grey clouds came over and it rained and rained!

Recycling...............!

Sunday drives never used to be like this.......

............Minehead Circa 2008

It stopped raining long enough to take this..........

It was very quiet for 10am on a Saturday morning!

The Sxties.................

These little ornaments were gven to my mother about 1963. They are about 9cm high (3 1/2")and I have always liked them and now have them in my house! I am not sure where they come from so if anybody has any idea please let me know and if there are any more in the set because each one has number on the bottom. From left to right the numbers are 5 - 4 - 2.

Cards

I made these six cards with one piece of A4 Black card and one piece of double sided card in Gold and Silver, using a flower punch and sticky pads.

Vintage Knitting

I quite like the bag!

Despite of the winds and downpours the last of the few winter flowering Pansies at struggling to give colour

Beaded Flowers

I just love flowers in any shape and form!

Why do they do that!

I did water the Hyacinths and cut the Irises down but I think they are now past their sell by date.......

Exeter Show

I helped Janice on County Needlecraft at the Crafts4Crafters show at Westpoint, Exeter today. There was a couple of needlecraft stalls, knitting and patchwork stalls but it was mostly papercraft. The company was very enjoyable and show interesting. I enjoyed looking at the quilts and watching the lacemakers. I amazed myself I did not spend much money which was very unusual for me. I usually come home laden with new crafts and/or books!

This very wet afternoon.......

It has done nothing but rain all day. It was very dark and dismal this morning. I was hoping at some stage to prune the trees in my garden, it is so much easier to prune them while there are no leaves, I know it is probably all wrong!

So..........I settled down with some pure wool and a pair of knitting needles, well actually skeins of Paterna tapesty wool and started to knit some flowers. About year or so ago Jan, a friend, inspired me to felt. The simple felting instructions were quite easy to follow I thought I would have a go! I made these flowers and put the two large ones in the washing machine and the small rose I felted by hand. The rose was not as successful as the machine washed flowers but I am pleased with the results.

Minehead Circa 1900............

Chocolate..............

I'd rather have five of these a - day!

Yet Another Unfinished Project..............

Two years ago I started to make a "Crazy Quilt". I never got the quilt out of the box last year due to lack of time, it was July before I had time to myself as I had done a rather large cross-stitch for the shop I work in (The Poppyfield - from Anchor). This year I plan to try and finish some of my unfinished projects like the quilt my mum started for my eldest son, and try and start two more for his brothers, because mum would have made them one each, make another quilt for my eldest son too, from me, poor lad won't know what to do with all these quilts! Then eventually make another quilt. The "Crazy Quilt" is for my middle son. I have always wanted to make a crazy quilt so I can practice my free embroidery and let my imagination run riot with the many threads and beads I have collected or inherited! As the year goes on I will try and show my projects in their various stages but I promise those of you who don't stitch and craft I will not bore you everyday with one or another of my projects, but I can think of at least four that needs finishing and one that needs starting. I had a beautiful cross-stitch for Christmas from my bosses which I will reveal when I start it! I suspect my "Unfinished Projects" will well and truly go well into next year..........

Why do they do that!

I did follow the instructions - honestly..................

Epiphany!

It means manifestation. This is when the Magi (The Three Wise Men) visited Christ after his birth.

Twelfth Night is actually the 5th January and all decorations and greenery should be removed from the house by the 6th January.

In times past sometimes a fruit cake was made for 12th Night. It had in it one dried Bean and one dried Pea. The Lad who had the dried Bean would be Lord for the day and the Lass who had the dried Pea would be his Lady for the day. They became "Lord and Lady of Misrule". This tradition went on till about the nineteenth century. It was normally the servants who played these people.

Victorian housewives use to vie with each other in a competition at Church Suppers by making an Epiphany Tart. This is actually a jam tart with intricate patterns made with pastry and the spaces filled in with jam. Sometimes the patterns were quite complicated to use lots of different jams.

It is the first Saturday after Christmas isn't it?

We have just had Christmas..............!
Today we went to Taunton to change two Christmas presents, and to buy a new mobile phone. We saw on the way bright yellow Daffodils in full bloom on the roadside, (it is normal here in this part of Somerset for this occurrence - I think this phenomenon made the National News once).Then when we were looking round the shops we saw in amongst the Winter Sales, Valentine cards and other Valentine goodies and Easter Eggs. Forgive me but isn't Valentines in February, and Easter in March this year. We don't have a problem with special days and holidays, but we would like to get over one event before starting another!

The facade of one of Taunton's oldest building

Yet Another Cold Day.............

...........but we have not had any snow yet!

The weatherperson said SNOW, so where is it?

One cold afternoon..............

I make simple 'sampler' cards for the shop counter just for ideas for other people improve on.

I was never much good with paper craft hence the simplicity of them!

I made these...............

..............from all this.........

Hi Ho......Hi Ho.......Of to Work I Go........

This is what I see at the moment as I enter the shop where work.

............Beginning of the New.............

I never make resolutions they never come to fruition. So we will just see what happens this year, also, I have a record of what I have done too! My head is spinning with ideas and my brain is working faster than my fingers!

I bought this kit late 1999, I started it 26th December 2007