Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me!!

Well, I've had a lovely & unexpected day with lots of friends dropping by with pretty cards, pressies & flowers.


Ooh, what could it be....
from a favourite shop in Penrith...
a lovely bracelet.



It's so thoughtful, I was there on Monday with friends & rather coveted this & wished afterwards I'd bought it, so it was a really nice surprise to be given it by the friends I was with, so very lovely. You know you should have bought something when later you're thinking about going back to get it.


Then I got some flowers and tonight my husband's going to cook me 1 of my favorite meals, Scallops & Chorizo by Nigella,

Springwatch

Spent the day at The Whinlatter Visitor Centre near Keswick today, taking part in the BBC's Springwatch Weekend.

Myself and Marion from the Woolclip were there to help promote rural crafts.

We were a bit disappointed by the number of stands there, only 5, a willow weaver, cookery demonstration, a felter, an artist doing charcoal drawings & ourselves; but people were interested in what we were doing, Marion spinning & me knitting,
so hopefully people will have a look at the shop, The Woolclip & come along to Woolfest & see more of what we do.

Happy New Year!

Well, Christmas is over for another year & we're into 2010. I'm always grateful to see the back of the old year & on with the new......

I don't like new year's resolutions as it just sets you up to fail, & they're always the same;
lose more weight,
exercise more,
etc, etc
although one year I did make a resolution to go away somewhere every month of the year, that was a good one, if expensive & don't think I made it through the whole year!

However, this year I want to finish all the projects I've got on the go before starting new ones, actually, that's about to go out the window already as I'm learning how to felt next week! But generally speaking, I WILL TRY & FINISH THINGS BEFORE I START SOMETHING NEW....

I did finish the other sock, bit tight around the top as I usually cast on so loosely I didn't want my socks falling down, so I cast on quite tightly, hopefully they'll loosen a bit. Enjoyed making them, in a masochistic sort of way, will definitely have a go at some more exciting designs, even the husband wants a pair!

I need to finish my beaded shawl, only 5 rows to go....

Started knitting a scarf yesterday with some wool I've had for ages, it's just a practise piece really, as don't have many balls. I've done a ruffle edge to it just to make it a bit more interesting.

I've been doing a web design course for a few months, which I'm on again this morning, not quite sure what I'm going to do on my website yet but at least I'll know how to design it.

Can't decide whether I want to make hand embroidered names and cards, which is something I did years ago when our son was little. I used to sell through craft fairs & shops but I don't know if I want to do that again as I did it 20+ years ago. What I really fancy doing is making bags. I love bags, doesn't matter how fat/thin you are bags & shoes always fit!

Here I am!

Well, here I am world, come & find me!

I'm a 40 something year old living in the beautiful north of England.

Been interested in crafts all my life. Have done embroidery, knitting, cross-stitch & needlepoint forever & I've just started learning to crochet, a friend is very kindly giving me lessons, she has a lot of patience!

Went to Woolfest last Friday which was very exciting. Lots of inspiration but was very good & didn't spend too much. Did buy some hessian & a proddy to make a rag rug - another project to start!

But first I must finish the rug I've been doing for 13 years, just got the border to do, only been taking me 3 years!

Then I need to decide what I want to crochet with my new-found ability.

& get wool & pattern for a cobweb lace shawl/stole. If anyone has a reliable pattern, would love to see it, keep looking them up on the net & can't decide what to do. Saw some absolutely fabulous ones at Woolfest & am desperate to make one. Also want to use Rowan's kidsilk haze mohair as it looks beautiful & the colours are to die for.

Yesterday I made some elderflower cordial for the first time & it was so lovely that I'm now making 6 bottles more.

Also making some elderflower champagne, apparently it's non-alcoholic, which is a bit disappointing & you have to wait 2 weeks for it to mature, looks pretty dire at the moment but smells wonderful. Using a recipe given to me by a neighbour from a WI Cookbook from 1939!

So many things to do & just not enough hours in the day........