2018

How can it be January?

Haha! I wrote that more than a month ago and then came unstuck trying to blog from my ipad app. So here I am at last on the trusty laptop. The blogger app has stopped working on my ipad and I cant find a way round it. its to do with updates, and it was so handy to upload the photos you've just taken.

Ah well.

Enough of that. Ignore it.

Here’s a post.

Christmas came and went.

 with the addition of a new stove.

Gas.

They sent the wrong front, we wanted plain but still waiting. I have to say,  it's not the great  throbbing source of warmth we'd hoped it would be but we're stuck with it now.

But when the weather has been cold

 

Someone appreciates it!

 I got a bit creative with the Christmas cakes..

... but won't be making a full time job of it. 

The one I did for my Mum was nicer. Just stars and silver balls, and the joke is, we always peel that horrible sickly sweet fondant off before we eat it.

The last day of the year was cold but we had a little trip out with my Mum to Lytham where we walked along the 'front' and a complete stranger took this for us.

     Mum had two coats on!

Then friends for New Years eve, a last minute decision so that was a nice way to end 2017.

It was a very busy year sewing wise and I'm not doing any big selling events for this year so that I can look at other ideas and not just keep churning out the same old stuff.

I have a few workshops booked, one in Llanidloes in July, and another one in August in Wooler for the Embroiderers Regional summer School.

I've had a little play with an idea I've had for ages but not got round to.

Fish.

Not vivid tropical fish but old fashioned Mr Crabtree Goes Fishing type fish. Its a book from about the 1940s of which we have a copy. In the book, Mr Crabtree takes his nephew Peter on fishing expeditions (in a full three piece suit and hat) and teaches him the ways of British freshwater fish, and how to catch them.

Mine are the ones that got away. 

They have a bit of pond with them.

I like their glum expressions.

Ive sold all the freestanding ones and had a request for brooches so there are some in my shop.

The trouble is, they are not as easy to make as the usual brooches and require a lot more individual attention (not that the brooches don't have individual attention, they do) so have to be a bit more pricey. I daresay I could get in the swing of making them but I don't really want to just mass produce them.

The spotty ones seem to go first. They have French Knots on them.

They're not any particular species of fish, just generally fishy.

I've also done a bit of knitting .

 My model isn't putting her all into it is she? She's not 'working it'

I got it as a kit two Christmases ago so decided to knit it eventually. It got me through an extremely stressful few weeks by giving me something to focus on. The pattern instructed me to use navy yarn for the neck and the picture showed the neck in white but I'd done it by then and wasn't unpicking the trickiest bit. I'd already had a lot of help from my Facebook friends.

I want to knit another one for Hetty without the sailor collar, just a tube really to keep her underneath clean on muddy walks. Of course in the 'Great Big Clearout' I gave away all my acrylic yarn so am now on the scrounge, it only takes two balls and I think stripey would be nice....

My most exciting thing of the year was having a cataract removed from my left eye, It's BRILLIANT! 

My right eye now seems poor but it isn't. It was my good eye before !

I would urge anyone who is dithering about it through squeamishness  (As I was) to get on with it.
I didn't feel or see a thing during the operation and it's improved my life enormously.

Trees have become three dimensional wonders instead of fuzzy brown blurrs.

I'm so inspired by bare branches with fruit.

Unfortunately I'm going through a bit of a paralysis of motivation. I go into my sewing room with great ideas but just freeze up when I get in there. (I freeze literally too...it's cold!)

Sometimes its good to recharge your batteries with an afternoon out. We regularly travel to this area and enjoy the peace. It's not too far away and refreshes the soul. Arnside, where we watch the train chug across the estuary and listen to the seabirds.

And here's Saint Hetty ..well.. her shadow from the back of the sofa, with the shadow of a beautiful glass snowflake made, and given to me by the very wonderful Chris Daley of Woodland Ridge retreats in USA.

I keep it in my window all the time. I'm so lucky to have received gifts from fellow bloggers all over the world. In fact when I get out my Christmas decorations it's a trip down the memory lane  of blogging. Little peg doll angels from Sesga, a tree angel from Mary-Anne, a little gift box from Sid Simpson,  a beaded snowflake from Carolyn Saxby and so many more, I'm sorry I haven't mentioned them all. Ahhh the golden days of blogging before facebook and instagram took over. I made so many friends.

Before I go allow me to introduce The Fab Four we met whilst out on a walk. 

They spoke very highly of just about everything. They were very vocal and happy pet piggies.