Flowers and Stripes

It must be the sudden appearance of blue skies - everything seems more colourful today! The anemones have suddenly burst into colour and are brightening up my kitchen windowsill. I love having flowers in the house, especially at this time of year when there is so little colour outside.

Oh sigh - Gallo socks - a happy find while on holiday in Italy - it's good when the washing makes you smile and makes you think of Tuscan skies even in the midst of a Scottish winter. It's probably a good thing that no one seems to stock them in the UK - how many pairs of socks does one woman need.

The temperature dropped significantly yesterday and because we've been out working all week and the stove hasn't been on during the day, the house has been a little chilly. However, it's always an excuse to pull out the crochet blanket of ripples and keep cosy. This is still a bit of a work in progress, but is definitely big enough for keeping warm on the sofa. There is something very rhythmic and soothing about crocheting ripples. This pattern was from the wonderful Attic24, Lucy's tutorial's are brilliant and I certainly would never have fallen in love with crochet the way I have if she hadn't made it appear so simple.

I managed to cut out the pieces for the next patchwork block and I wondered why it had taken me all week to do it!

Today has been a very mixed bag of colour and fabric - it was good to finish work this afternoon, head home and know that tomorrow was a day without work - somehow that spurred me on to do a little bit of crafting. The beret is finished, all sewn up and stretching into shape as I type.

A Little Craft Every Day

It's good to do a little craft every day. This has been my January mantra and as the month draws to a close, I feel quite pleased that I am in a routine - although I sometimes think, does my daily life ever follow any kind of routine? - and it's nice to sit and lose yourself in a pattern for a few hours of an evening.

Using up more impulse yarn bought in a sale last year  - I decided to start a hat from the book "Hats Gloves Scarves" by Louisa Harding. I'm tackling a plain beret and I'm using Mini Mochi by Crystal Palace Yarns - it's a self striping merino mix and the colour is Fireworks. It's a fairly straightforward pattern in reverse stocking stitch - nothing too taxing and the stripes are very nice!

Block of the week this week is Basket - I looked out some fabric to use and I will have to cut out some more templates - there are 7 different shapes and the handle has to be appliquéd. I will try not to be daunted and take it one piece at a time. I have been admiring images of hexagon quilts on Pinterest, but have told myself to concentrate on the job in hand.

Although it looked like we might get some snow or even some frost this week, it appears we are sticking with the rain for the time being. The garden birds have been busy at the feeders and a treecreeper has been close to the house on a couple of occasions. Here it is doing what treecreepers do best - creeping round a tree.

Short and Sweet Saturday

I finished my hat just in time for the snow forecast for tomorrow! I love it when you can finish a project in an evening.

Fruit Basket

A big box arrived at the back door this morning and inside was a large basket of fruit. A very kind thank you to Mr M from someone he helps out now and again. It looked really tropical - especially on a dark January morning. Evie liked the big box it came in.

I had to have words with my little cat friend yesterday. Evie was inexplicably drawn to the beaker of pussy willow. I had the very long branches in a tall vase and she spent a few days jumping the height of herself and grabbing the pussy willow buds. I then decided to split the branches into smaller pieces and placed some in a beaker. She would position herself beside it, then dip her paw in the water and pull the beaker and its contents over - spilling water nicely all over the table. Never before has a plant been so well named.

Tonight I started a variation of a hat I knitted as Christmas gifts - can't believe I didn't take a photo of them?! I'm using the remaining Adriafil Candy that I bought in a sale from a local yarn shop. The ones I made had an owl motif in cable on the front, but I think I will just make this one plain.

It shouldn't take long to knit up. Busy week at work and I just need to switch off.

Surprise Iris

When we were on holiday in North Berwick I bought a little vintage jug that had been planted with bulbs. The shoots were just showing back at the start of December and I have kept the mossy top moist and watched the slow progress of the green shoots. Then all of sudden today I looked at it and there were not one but two iris blooms. It was such a lovely surprise as today has been very short on daylight. Yesterday they didn't look close to opening - isn't nature a star?

I finished the first quilt block and it is almost the right size??!! Anyway, I declared myself to be quite pleased and not resting on my laurels decided to tackle block number 2  - Autumn Tints - not very seasonal, but it is the next one in the book and I selected some nice Moda fabric that I had used to make some cushions. I admit to having a crush on their lovely precut bundles of fabric.

I have cut out the pieces required and they are all ready for me to start stitching. So far so good.

I think if I just think of it as a block at a time, then I won't be overwhelmed with the task in hand.

Feeling inspired to do a bit more on the craft side of things, I added a few more motifs to my crochet blanket - it's a crazy harlequin sort of colour thing - Floral Fiesta by Maggie Weldon - but I am trying to use up my odd balls of wool (impulsive purchases of single balls of Rowan Wool Cotton - it is so nice to crochet with) and I do love the randomness of it all.

Short and Sweet Saturday

Baking an apple cake to take with us tonight, we're having tea with friends.

A January Stroll

It was a good day today. The snowdrops are pushing up through the soil in the garden and the ones kindly donated by a friend and neighbour a couple of years ago are thriving and filling out nicely. I was really pleased to see that the snowdrops we bought when we visited Cambo Estate in Fife last year, have survived and it won't be long before they flower too. For such small flowers they have such presence and are a real sign of a new year and nature's remarkable resilience.

This afternoon I went for a walk with the very same snowdrop giving friend. It was nice to get out into the open air, get some exercise and catch up on each other's weeks.

The sea was so calm and still. The sand had been pounded by the recent storms and was really compacted. The water is so clear here and it just drags you towards it. Your eyes say "take your shoes and socks off", but your head says "are you insane"! I did dip my fingers in....it didn't feel too cold....

We wandered further along the road. I just love the old gates you see dotted around the area, real craftsmanship in the making of them and now often sadly neglected and somehow out of place between modern fences.

I don't think you can ever tire of or take the views for granted. Every time you look it's slightly different.....the light, the season, the weather, your mood......it was so quiet today - apart from our chattering - a real stillness and calm and yet I felt that nature was gathering itself, getting ready for a busy year of growth and change.

Attic Windows

I had a slightly shorter day at work than I thought I was going to have which is always nice. Once I had tidied up and tackled the washing, I thought I would have a go at the first patchwork block on the Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt task I set myself yesterday.

First thing was to print off the templates and copy them onto some plastic. I wasn't paying attention and printed off one of the wrong template numbers, but carried on nevertheless! I managed to find the sheet of plastic I had stored away just waiting for a project like this....I love it when I think ahead.....but couldn't find a permanent marker.....need to add that to the next shopping list.

That done, I looked out some fabric from my copious fabric stash and chose some that a friend brought me back from a Canadian holiday. I pondered the thought that a nice part of making the blocks would be using the fabric that I've been given or that I've bought on trips to different places.

Next job was cutting out the shapes....I need to read up on this as I am sure there must be a more efficient and accurate way of doing this!

I then settled down to hand stitch the pieces together. It was a nice way to spend the afternoon, quietly stitching and trying to make the stitches even and make the pieces join nicely. I was quite pleased with my efforts and glad to be on a crafting roll!

Feeling motivated I'm now going to pick up the shawl and crochet some more rows.

A January Plan

One minute we are wishing each other Happy New Year and the next thing you know it's half way through January. I think 2014 has galloped off to a start, so I thought I would pull on the reins a little and slow down to a walk.

It's time to make some plans. The days are getting a wee bit longer and the snowdrops are beginning to show their leaves. There is a whole year ahead to look forward to and I need to set myself some goals. Why do I lose the momentum of making things as soon as Christmas arrives?

I may regret writing it, but I am going to attempt to make a patchwork block a week. I've lots of fabric that I have hoarded over the years and it would be nice to turn it into something! I fell in love with The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt book by Laurie Aaron Hird last year and instead of just saying I'd like to make it, I am going to do it!

The first block is Attic Window......seven pieces in total......four different shapes.....four different fabrics......am I feeling confident....not really.......but the hardest part is always starting.....

.....January not very cold, not very frosty, mostly wet and mainly windy......I'm ready if you are.

Completed Works

We are away staying at my in-laws for a couple of days. The house has been the family home for over 40 years and I think it's great that Mr M can still go home to the house he grew up in. Sometimes I think he doesn't appreciate it as much as he should. Sometimes I think he takes it for granted. Sometimes I think he doesn't realise how lucky he is. My relationship with the house and the family goes back 30 years - as I type that I can hardly believe it, but it's true.

So as a result in the house there are a few things dotted about that I made for my parents-in-law and gave to them as presents over the years.

A bit of cross stitch.....

  

......some more cross stitch.

Some Tiffany glass work....

...and more for Christmas...

.....and a bit more.

A bit of appliqué......

......a bit of patchwork.....

....and a fabric covered box!

Short and Sweet Saturday

J'aime les Macarons.......enjoying a bit of big city life this Saturday.

Between the showers

It's hard not to focus on the weather and nothing but the weather at this time of year. We had a wee bit of a change today. Fleeting glimpses of blue sky through the clouds and the happy thought that the sun might shine through.

This morning two red squirrels were very busy chasing each other from the squirrel feeder and although I have vainly tried many times to sneak close enough to take a photograph, my sneaking skills need a lot of work. This pantomime usually ends with me standing in the rain for a while and then thinking the squirrel is never going to reappear, walking back to the house only to turn round and find my furry friend back at the feeder. Grrrr!

This morning either my sneaking has reached new heights or the squirrel has just got a bit more blasé about the whole deal. I managed to be in the right place when it strolled back to the tree and then had to endure a torrent of chattering and scolding when my presence was revealed. I was so pleased with myself as I headed back to the house, until I slipped and landed with a thump. Only my dignity was bruised and as I limped back inside I thought I had probably made the squirrel's day!

Buoyed by my success, I thought I would go out for a stroll and take my camera, however, every time I got as far as putting a hat on it was raining. The showers didn't last for long though and it was nice to get out and appreciate the fact that the days are starting to stretch out little by little.

Along at the old pier I wondered at the boats or ships that used to tie up to this hook fixed into the rocks. It's hard to imagine any boats on the loch on a day like this - it's so still and quiet - but the metal hook is evidence of past activity and it cut a very solemn and lonely sight today.

I walked on a bit further and stopped to look back up the loch and it was so nice to see a bit of blue sky peeking through the clouds.

Has the sky fallen in?

The weather has been beyond words. I find myself longing for cold, crisp, clear frosty days. Instead we have rain and wind and days so dark it really feels like the sky has fallen in. I know that January's days are short on daylight, but somehow so far this year it feels like there has been no daylight at all. Has the sky fallen in Chicken Licken?

It set me to thinking about the children's books that seem to stick with you all your life. Some books you just can't bear to part with - I loved these books - they made me love reading and they made me appreciate good writing. Some books remain as fresh in the mind as the day you read the last line and
closed the back cover.

I have a whole tower of books to look forward to this year. Sometimes it's hard to decide which one to open and delve into first.

It's been an odd few days - getting back into a work routine and hours spent trying to deal with our internet provider, who told us our usage since 1st January was a ludicrously high amount - dealing with call centres would make you lose the will to live. Thankfully through a bit of lateral thinking it is being investigated! I have been writing thank you letters and writing up this years diary with birthdays, holidays and events. Not much else you can do when it looks like the sky is about to fall in!

Short and Sweet Saturday

I realised my old camera still had photos on the memory card.

Sir Chris Hoy at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, Glasgow in 2012.

Here's to 2014 and a whole year ahead of exciting cycling - Tour de France, Commonwealth Games, Tour of Britain - I can hardly wait.

New Year Treat

We saw in the New Year in Glasgow at my parents-in-law's house. It was a last minute decision to come here on Hogmanay and it felt quite good to say goodbye to 2013 and hello to 2014.

Today was a highlight for me - after lunch - a plate of homemade mince pies. I had to remove myself, my plate and my mince pie from the room and take a photo. My first happy moment of 2014. It made me smile.

One of the high points of my married life is always this time of year when my mother-in-law hands me a tin of mince pies, freshly baked for us to take home.

Happy New Year! Here's to a year of happy moments.