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Bring out the bunting

I can see by my choice of crochet projects that my thoughts are turning to Spring.  And indeed it is March so it is officially Spring!  Although there was a brief moment of snow this morning as I ran out to get some milk.  

These little crocheted bunting flags are making me very happy.  The colours, the simplicity of it all - what more could you want?

They consist of three rounds of your basic granny square and then edged with a chain stitch border and a couple of loops in the corners.  All strung together with a bit more crochet - although I am tempted to try a bit of ribbon here as an alternative.  

I seem to be making lots of bunting lately and I think it has taken over my tea cosy obsession.  Maybe tea cosies are a winter project and bunting is for spring?  I did see a nice tea cosy on 'Call the Midwife' last night (which I have to say was deeply traumatic - I thought Sunday night drama was meant to be nice and cosy and gentle not a whole hour of me saying "Oh my God!").

Anyway more bunting pictures to come...

 

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Highcliffe Castle

Highcliffe Castle

 

 

 

We went to visit Highcliffe Castle at the weekend.  There wasn't a lot to see inside the castle particularly as they were filming "Don't Tell The Bride" there at the time.  But it was interesting non the less and so good to get out and about.

You can easily walk down to the beach there and the sea was quite dramatic.  Very quickly there were wet feet.  Not too long ago that would have been disastrous for everyone and would have signaled the end of the day I'm sure.  But now they just get on with it and were still up for going into Bournemouth afterwards for some Ben & Jerry's and a go on the Tuppenny Drops in the Arcade on Bournemouth Pier.

These long winter days still feel as though they are upon us although yes there are signs of Spring all around now it cannot come quickly enough.  Today I am full of cold and my wisdom tooth is coming through just to add insult to injury!  I feel cold and shivery and wish I was in Barbados.  I think a cup of tea and a hot water bottle might have to suffice.

 

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Apple Flapjack Teacosy

I found the greatest Apple Flapjack recipe.  It is quick, simple, few ingredients and tastes AMAZING!  I made 2 batches in quick succession and they all went!  I convinced myself that because they contained mainly oats and 2 apples that they must indeed be healthy and I chose to ignore the whole pack of butter and the huge amount of sugar and syrup.  

I love those recipes where you have to melt butter and sugar and syrup in a pan - it's like some kind of magic going on in there!  It's a great recipe for children to make too as it's so quick and there's not a lot of messing around.

I've also been making a lot of teacosies! (I'm never sure if it's one word or two).  I just can't seem to stop. I've hit upon this pattern which I invented and which I now love and have to keep making in as many colour combinations as possible. 

The possibilities are endless.

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Successful sewing

Well I've been quite pleased with myself for making this phone case for my daughter and her continuing love of the Unicorn.  This is the first time I have made a lined pouchy thing and I always have a mental breakdown when I have to think about which side you lay the fabric and how it will work when you turn it the right way out.  So I held my breath for that bit - not being sure if it would work.  I was so pleased when it did.

I did break out in a mild sweat for some of the sections but that is just normal for me and sewing.  I still don't find it a thoroughly relaxing activity but I have improved massively over the years as I have built a little tiny bit of skill.  It used to be that my ideas far outweighed my abilities but this little pouch has brought me a lot of joy and satisfaction to know that I built it from scratch with no pattern or anything!  I have to admit there was a previous version which the phone just did not fit into but it very happily turned out to be useful for holding tissues so you know, every cloud!

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Inner peace

The pretty pictures are to hide the fact that I got derailed this week.  Just a sentence is all it takes sometimes to put you back where you came from and it seems harmless to those around you but you know all the years of manipulation that it rests upon.

So I was thrown off course - again.  And although I know it won't be the last time, it has changed me.  I don't know how yet but something has shifted, I feel it.  Perhaps it is a door closing.  I do hope so.

Now I need to restore some inner peace. Kung Fu Panda.

 

Homely

Early February - it's the beginning of the end of the winter.  Thankfully.  But it's always darkest just before the light and I'm feeling that right now.  I need to be warm. I need some sun.

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I found this pile of granny squares in a bag the other day.  They were the first things I worked on when I returned to crochet and I had just wanted something easy and pretty.  I had then obviously just stuffed them in the bag at the end - not being able to face all those ends and the trouble of turning them into an actual blanket.  

I was never very good at finishing things but I am working on that!

I'm going to border it in navy blue.  I'm not so keen on the classic black granny square blankets and I think the navy will make all the colours I have used so far really 'pop'.

I've also been working on a new tea cosy pattern and some different colour choices. 

Ron, meanwhile, has mainly been working on eating my magazines!

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We took a very cold Sunday trip to Lacock Abbey, a National Trust property near Chippenham.  

There were loads of Snowdrops to please me - real and otherwise.  They had a series of outdoor sculptures which was entitled "Frozen World". When I saw the sign for this I imagined they were going to be ice sculptures and as we walked around I kept waiting to see something made of ice - clearly I hadn't read the signs properly.

Lacock Abbey was once the home of William Henry Fox Talbot who contributed significantly to the invention of photography.  I did manage to drop my camera when I was there which I sort of knew I was going to do as my hands were freezing and I did think how strange it would be if I broke my camera at the birthplace of photography.  Then it just became a self-fulfilling prophecy!  Well, except it didn't break thankfully although it did drop onto the hard stone floor.

The Abbey has also been used (like many National Trust properties) as a filming location, most recently for Wolf Hall but also for some of the Harry Potter films.  I was pretty sure I was stood in the exact spot where Dobby became a free Elf!

We couldn't stay too long as it was literally freezing but of course there was time for a nice cup of tea and a slab of something amazing in the National Trust tearoom.  Ooooh we love a tea room!

 

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Lighter nights and resisting books

The nights are slowly slowly drawing out - I just about see the signs.  I am completely ready for this.  It has felt like a long winter.  I know it's not over yet and we're still due some very cold weather.  But that's good because I haven't finished my Alpaca scarf yet (which is quite slow going) and now I don't know if I'll have enough wool and all those other things that happen when you're making things and you're not sure where they are going.

I am reading The Letter for the King which came up on my radar a little while ago but I didn't buy it.  I have this thing where I like to put off reading books.  I do it particularly with very popular books that everyone is reading and raving about.  I deliberately won't buy them because I decide that I am different and I just won't like it and it won't be as good as everyone says.  Then years later I will read it and find out it was brilliant and wished I had read it at the time.  Anyway, this book wasn't like that.  It's been around for ages anyway but I somehow came across it in the bookshop months ago.  Then I made myself wait.  When it was my birthday I went back into the bookshop and decided that if I were to come across it I would buy it but I could not search it out.  Anyway - there it was, just sat on the table and it even had a different cover (this apparently is the Winter Edition?) to when I had first seen it.  So I took this as a sign and bought it.

I think The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton is going to be a book I will resist.  No, in fact I know I'm doing it already.  I saw it a while ago, nearly bought it (it's always the same routine) then resisted it because I knew people would love it and that annoys me.  Now people are talking about it and I want to read it (kind of) but at the same time I want to feel I am different and seek out books people have never heard of, little gems that are mind-blowingly wonderful and stay with you for a lifetime.

The thing is nobody knows I am playing this stupid game so I should probably just do myself a favour and buy it.

 

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Beryl

This is Beryl.

She is so beautiful.  I got her for £2.00 in a Charity Shop and I'm thrilled to bits with her.  She is a custard jug.  There was another one, slightly bigger, for £2.50 which I didn't get because I only wanted something to keep my felt tips in but I love Beryl so much that I may have to go back and get her big sister.

She makes me happy every time I see her.  I think we all remember this set from our childhoods - village halls always seemed to serve their tea in it and would have a full set in their cupboards.  When I bought it the lady in the shop said she had a full set of it at home but she doesn't use it any more.  The shop was full of wonderful tea sets that were so pretty but which I knew I wouldn't use either.  What a shame - what will happen to all this wonderful stuff?

I also got these to add to my growing collection of vintage patterns.  I don't know if I'll ever make them but I like to have them.  Maybe I will be inspired when the Great British Sewing Bee comes back on (February I think!).  I have been looking at sewing some clothing - I would love to make a dress but maybe a skirt would be a better starting point.  

I love the fact that the pattern on the left has a picture of a horse and a dog on it as if this outfit is entirely suitable for mucking out the stables in!

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