Brrr!

Last week I was working on these brooches (when I wasn't having problems!)
This picture is for Sally.
Its lime green with a pale orange background.
The knitting needles have nothing to do with anything they were just out on the table.

Then today was gorgeous. We don't often get really cold sunny days and they are so picturesque I just had to get out for a walk.

The day reminded me of 'The Eve of St Agnes' by Keats. Another snippet from my remembered store:

'St. Agnes' Eve--Ah, bitter chill it was!

The owl, for all his feathers, was a-cold;

The hare limp'd trembling through the frozen grass,

And silent was the flock in woolly fold: '

The focus in this next picture is all wrong but it gives the right impression.
There are more pictures of today's walk on Flickr. The link is below the pic.

Brrr!, originally uploaded by dogdaisy92.

Last week I sent a parcel to a lady in Hawaii.
We joked about the differences in our climates at the moment and I was a weeny bit envious of the blue sky and sunshine they were having.
But on a day like today I wouldn't swap.
A wonderful beautiful cold English Winters day.

IMPORTANT PLEASE READ THIS.

I have just opened a Google Alert e -mail and its infected my laptop with a virus.

It said 'The lovely jackie cardy has tagged me' in the bit where a snippet of the message shows. So being a vain and nosey person I opened it and now I have wild windows popping up all over and threats of dangerous viruses.
Then it gives you a solution which is also a virus.

Is it see saw down?
Not too bad. My son will fix it for me tonight.
Meanwhile I can use the desk top.

Just thought you may like to know and avoid the same thing hapening to you. There was something about folars coffee on it. (I deliberately spelt that wrong just in case. It had a g after the l and was 'ers' at the end. )
Thank you for your lovely commenst by the way. I'm feeling up beat again today.
well, you've got to.

Blog as therapy

We talk about emotional roller coasters..what about see saws?
I said last saturday's craft fair couldn't be as bad as the one the week before.
It was.(See Saw down)
The Knitting and Stitching show on Sunday was a terrific high.(See saw up)

I enjoyed the Graduate showcase but it never fails to amaze me when people feel the need to speak their minds.
There was a lovely young Textile Artist in the 'Graduate Showcase' with her work.
A much older woman who felt her opinion had to be aired went up to her and said she thought her work was awful and she didn't like it, it was grotesque.
I felt so hurt for the girl. Her work was competent skillful and very unusual.

I added my bit to the Julia Caprara tribute.
(Awful pics on this entire post. Sorry)



It had hand stitching on it.
Don't faint.

Then Monday was a busy day.
I attended a steering committee meeting as patient rep for a local service.
I felt stupid.
I couldn't speak 'adminese'(See Saw down)
I went to see my Mum.(See saw up)
Tuesday was a day of anxiety and actual panic about a number of issues..some 'credit crunch' related, and some family related.(See saw down)
But in the evening a friend phoned me and said she'd been to an Art Gallery in Mid Wales and the owner had seen my brooches and wants to sell some.(See saw up)
Wednesday was a positive day and I was upbeat in the morning. Got on with some brooches.


(This post was going to be all about how I do lots of samples and discover some happy accidents of colour combinations.)


Poor pics.
Working on many brooches.(See saw up.)
Phone call at lunchtime.
Older son in severe difficulty. (See saw fluctuating violently, flying around in circles)
I sorted it out as far as I could...very anxious time.
(See-saw broken and lying upside down on floor.)
Reasonably good outcome. (See-Saw repositioned and ready for action again.)
Glass of wine. Food .
Blog.
Should I publish this?
Go on then.



PS Attention Jill you left a question on my last post and I don't know how to get in touch with you. E mail me if you like.

Results.

This is such a responsibility.

I didn't sleep last night. (Partly because I'd got to the gory bit in 'The Kite Runner')

I had 103 comments about wrists..well, 102 really..one was from my son calling himself 'James' and he has never expressed an interest in owning a cuff or a brooch so I didn't put him in.

I wrote them all on paper.

I cut them up

but Oh No! My patent draw holder was too small.

So I put them in my salad spinner

but it has no hole in the bottom so I just had to put my hand in and pull one out.

There were witnesses..this one can't see but she listened very carefully and made sure of fair play

and it was seconded .

Here is the winner:

CONGRATULATIONS SESGA.

You can choose a cuff or a brooch in any colour you like made especially to fit.

And now I won't sleep because of the 101 people who left me their wrist size and lovely comments and didn't win.

All I can do is thank you very much indeed and try my very best to analyse the results.

I'm doing a craft fair tomorrow at Lostock Hall High School Near Preston.

Its usually good fun with craft taster sessions and traditional music.

I'll be doing two feltmaking classes.

I don't expect many sales, but its bound to be better than the one I did last week.

It couldn't be worse.

On Sunday I am going to The Knitting and Stitching show in Harrogate.

See you there?

Heavenly Harris Tweed

Here's a 'sneeky peek' (a term well loved by many of you I've noticed!) of what I am doing with the fabulous fabric from the far North (bit of alliteration for you there).



OH Oh Oh I love it!
I love working with it.


I love looking at it and deciding which bit of velvet I'm going to put on it


which snippet of silk



and which little beads.
ONE DAY LEFT to the big draw.
I have almost 100 comments..only 8 to go.
A clear result is emerging.

(And Willow is on the magic drops so no more wet beds. Yippee!)

Playing Hookey

Its such a lovely day so I took a break and had a walk in the woods with Willow and saw willow leaves like these.

I didn't take my camera but these are old photos taken about the same time of year.

As I was walking I started saying something I remember my Dad taught me when I was little

'Come little leaves said the wind one day

Over the meadows with me to play

Put on your dresses of scarlet and gold

For the summer has gone and the days have grown cold'

I might have remembered it wrong but I do love poetry and have all sorts of snippets stuck in my brain from the past.

'The woods are lonely dark and deep and I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep'

...and miles to SEW before I sleep!

Thanks you to those people who have put a link on their blog to my survey. I am going to thank you by giving you two 'tickets' in the draw.

As far as I can tell they are Robin, Jennyflower,Tricks, Julie of Mixed Media.

If I've missed anyone please let me know. Its a big blog world out there.

Only 25 wrists to go, and only three days. Its the draw on Friday.

''This week I have mostly been making.......

....gold and red.''

These are by far the most sumptuous versions of my cuffs and brooches but the pictures are so disappointing.
The red is deep, deep, shimmery, subtle so I have chosen the pictures on the basis of colour not sharpness.


I just wanted to ask you dear reader, to ask all your blog friends,

to leave me your wrist size and preferred width of cuff

on my survey post which you can click here to visit.

I think to be a valuable survey it has to have about 100 participants.

If you have already done it, thank you, and please leave a comment here instead.

I love to hear from you.

I am doing a craft fair on Sunday if anyone lives nearby pop along to The Old School, Ulnes Walton near Leyland.

Porky and Blodwen will be there.

A Parcel From the Outer Hebrides

Its here!
My new consignment of Tweed from Catherine Campbell on the Isle of Harris.
Pure wool handwoven in the most beautiful patterns.


It has a subtle soft colour that is hard to photograph.


The daylight hardens the colours a bit.
And using flash makes it look too vivid.

So use your imagination and add a modicum of fuzziness and warmth to my poor efforts to convey the loveliness!

Now its just up to me to add my bits

and construct brooches, bags, cuffs,

and perhaps scarves.

I think I have enough Harris Tweed now to last me for the rest of my life.

And I am expecting another box today!

In the sewing room its been pink lately.

More hearts and flowers!

Don't forget to leave me your wrist size and preferred cuff width for a chance to win a prize in the draw on this post.(Click the purple words to take you there)

Even if you wouldn't wear a cuff, we can negotiate a suitable prize.

You must leave your wrist measurements to be entered for the draw....its a survey with a carrot.

But please don't be shy to leave a comment here too.

PS. I was just thinking.....for it to be a meaningful survey I need about 100 results so please spread the word and get all your friends to comment.

I was given the 'Kreative Blogger' award by Jennyflower a short time ago, but as I had already had it I have decided to have a bit of a rest from tags, memes (Whatever they are) and awards. Jenny is a sweetie and you could still visit her lovely sewing and family blog.

She does a mean gweeeen buttercweem!

Update from the Doghouse.

As far as I can tell both animals are feeling much better.
Jools did not become addicted to oversized dog painkillers.
Willow has stopped barking continually so must be in less pain.
(But still leaks a bit.)

And I have listed a whole new lot of things on Etsy.
But isn't it a pain?
All those tags every time?
Is there no 'list another one like this' feature?
I've had a lot of wrist sizes thank you. Please click here to leave yours and take part in the draw.

Words and Pictures

Keeping my own counsel has never been my strong point.
I talk too much.
I often speak before I think.
A bad idea.
And when my first son was born 26 years ago, I talked to him...a lot.
The result was that he had an amazing vocabulary from the age of two and when the health visitor came to ascertain that he knew red, blue and green, he added 'and this is pale pink and thats a sort of greyish beige....'

My younger son born two years later had an equally good grasp of colour.
But he knew what he liked.


Consistently throughout his early childhood when asked his favourite colour the answer was emphatically 'Gweeeen'.


So here's some gweeeen for you.

I must point out that my wonderful place for taking pictures was the kitchen table.
Being a Victorian house the kitchen is at the darker cooler end, and now its November the sun doesn't get round there.

Its extrememly difficult to get good pictures of velvet and silk together, but I think you can see the sheen of the silk in these.

Since I posted the silver pictures I have had some lovely comments, thank you, and sold quite a few cuffs and brooches to lovely ladies, to whom I am very grateful.
And I am tantalisingly close to two new batches of Harris tweed, winging their way from the Hebrides at this moment.

MARKET RESEARCH SURVEY
Now I would like to ask you a question..well two actually, about the cuffs.
I need an average of wrist sizes.
I have made long ones and people have asked for shorter and vice versa.
I have made narrow ones and people have asked for wide and vice versa (again)
If you could leave me a comment including your wrist measurement and a preference for width of cuff I will put your names in a hat (well you know what I mean) and there will be a prize.
A cuff in your choice of available colour, width and length. Or something else if you don't wear cuffs.
So please include in your comment width preference and wrist measurement, according to how tightly or loosely you would like to wear one. I'll leave this open for two weeks. I'll do the draw on 21st November.

A THANK YOU
I just want to add a little thank you here to all the people who have left comments and ratings on the 'Top blogs by Crafters'. There's no way to find out who you are from the comment itself so I am thanking you here.

A Great Day!

I know I promised embroidery on my next post, but how can I let this day go by without
congratulating you Americans?

Not for the squeamish.

Other bloggers have parcels through the post containing wonderful colourful treasures.
Here's what I received on Saturday.

This note and two very large disposable nappies from my friend who works in a school for children with severe learning difficulties.

Don't worry they're not for me...but for this old girl.
I have been at my wits end with a bedwetting dog.

I tried a 'Pampers' with a strategically placed hole for her tail but she wagged it off.

The larger version in the parcel was a great success..one wet nappy, one dry bed, one very confused dog.

Are you horrified?

Yesterday we took her to the vets and discovered she has severe osteo arthritis in her spine which is causing the other problem so she was prescribed painkillers.

We paid extra for the palatable variety.

Unfortunately she doesn't find them so.

I got one out of the bottle and put it on the table, went to fetch Willow and when I got back the cat had eaten it.

It was the size of a Scrabble tile.

I won't describe the consequences.

Now for something nice.

Quite some time ago I visited one of my favourite blogs and found I had won a giveaway.

I didn't take a very good picture of it so click that link to see it.

That was a lovely surprise and I wanted to say a public thank you to Caroline Inckle who's artwork I really enjoy, especially her embroideries.

They have a magical and enchanting quality and reflect the mysterious northern land she lives in.

They give me the same kind of feeling I had when I first read 'Moominland Midwinter'.
Just have a look through these posts.

Thank you for all the really lovely comments you have been leaving.

I've sold one of my silver cuffs three times over.

Embroidery next post.

(Green.)

Silver Service

Mass production is not my strong point.

I like to surprise myself with each little unique creation, taking as much time as it takes to work the patterns and designs till I feel satisfied.

This is as near as it gets bulk sewing, and I can tell you I used the utmost restraint to stick to one colour for a whole stint.


I only managed it because the silver silk is so beautiful.

I did change the velvet from a lilac bias to a silvery blue on the one below.

I don't know whether to put them on Folksy or Etsy at the moment but I had two or three enquiries about them when I posted the last pictures so if you are interested they are available directly from me at ten pounds for the brooches and fifteen for the cuffs. including P&P to UK.

This last one is constructed in sections so has a square sided look.

Now for the Science:

The square one measures nine inches overall , two inches of it is the velcro tab.

The circle one is nine and a half overall, two inch velcro tab.

The flower one is quite small, eight and a half inches overall including two inch tab.

The velcro makes them slightly adjustable.

They can be worn loose or tight.

They can be extended slightly but a bit of velcro will show underneath your wrist.

They can be made smaller by tucking more velcro under.

Coming soon: A Green Day.

(PS: Have the word verifications got easier? They seem to have stuck more vowels in to make nonesense words and I haven't failed as many this week)