Spring has Sprung.

It's very definitely Spring today.  How do I know? .....

1.  I've just cut the grass for the first time this year.  It's always a worry - will the lawn mower spring into action when required?  It wouldn't be the first time that I've ended up with a pulled shoulder, and blisters on my hand from pulling the starter cord so many times before giving up and turning into a Basil Fawlty lookalike, kicking it in frustration.  But today it worked perfectly.   I topped it up with fresh petrol first, following past advice from my uncle Mick,  and my Dad (and what they don't know about engines and lawnmowers isn't worth knowing) and after a couple of good pulls the engine fired into life.  It's not a great lawn - it has too many weeds and far too much moss for that, but it still looks much better for a trim.

2.  I saw my first butterfly for this year.  I can't tell you what make it was, but it was a citrus-y lemon-y colour if that helps.

3.  And, best of all, it was warm enough to do this ...

Lunch in the garden!

Yesterday my friend Jill and I had a trip out to Berkamsted, because I'd read about an Antique Centre that we fancied visiting.

It was quite interesting, lots of little rooms off rooms full of, well, mostly old stuff.  I think the term 'antique' was pushing it a bit - it was more vintage junk than antiques, but more interesting to us because of that.  What it did confirm to us is that you should NEVER throw anything away - we both saw things that were marked up for sale that we'd thrown out in the past.  Saw several things I liked, but managed to resist.

I might not have bought anything there, but we did have a root through a number of charity shops and I got these little treasures ...

Oh,  and then we found a Laura Ashley shop and I bought these ....

Some lovely new handles for the cupboards in my sewing room, a 'Gilly Pink' icecream sundae glass,  and a pretty mug (that was actually from Waitrose).    They have a very nice Waitrose at Berkhamsted, and we spent quite some time smelling all the scented candles that they had to offer.  As I said to Jill, some women have to spend fortunes on a pair of Jimmy Choos or the latest "It" bag - but give us a couple of charity shops, and let us sniff the posh scented candles in Waitrose - and we're happy.

Maybe that's why I like the CD I've been listening to recently - I bought Paolo Nutini's new album 'Sunny Side Up'.  Not my usual musical choice, but it's very 'summery' and I especially like Track 6 with the lyrics "I've got food in my belly, and a licence for my telly, and nothin's gonna bring me down"

My sentiments exactly, Paolo.

So many pleasures, so little time .......

I've discovered the inherent problem with blogging.  At the times when you're  really busy and dashing about doing interesting stuff - there's no time to write about it, and then, when you have time to sit and update the blog - you haven't got anything to write about.  And it has been a 'fun-packed' couple of weeks which is why I've not had time to post.  I had my niece to stay for a few days which was great, then at the last but one weekend I went to an afternoon tea party, held in honour of one of my neighbours who was celebrating her 95th birthday!  It was a surprise, organised by one of her friends, and her daughter who is currently visiting from the US.  There was a young girl at the party who suggested that we all hide and jump out when Nora arrived, but I think we managed to convince her that maybe at 95, that wasn't such a great idea.  Anyway, it was a lovely afternoon and Nora thoroughly enjoyed it. 

Apart from that I've worked, practised guitar, been to Pilates and the gym, lunched with friends, beaded and knitted, (having gate-crashed a freeform knitting workshop run by June Linsley at ArtVanGo) .......

Oh, and not to mention a Whole Lotta Led gig, and giving blood (totally unconnected events, you understand.)

On Saturday I went to the Embroiderer's Guild - I'd not been for ages as it seems to coincide with Leyton Orient home matches.   I took the day off  as they had arranged a speaker I particularly wanted to see - Libby Smith who is a member of the E.A.S.T group, and who was talking about her most recent work.  I loved it and have booked onto a workshop with her in a few months time (fortunately after the football season finishes!)

On Sunday (it's ok, we're nearly up to date now so I'm not going on for much longer) I went to the Landmark Arts Centre at Teddington for the Contemporary Textile Fair.  It was wonderful - every imaginable type of textile art, and all of a very high quality.  I could have spent fortunes, but I managed to be fairly controlled and bought some very different, but equally beautiful pieces of jewellery.

The first is a pair of earrings, using stitched wire around large press studs, which I thought were really unusual, and which were made by Judith Brown .....

Next, several pieces of wire jewellery - two brooches and a pair of earrings, made by Jo Dewar

and finally, a really delicate and beautifully stitched brooch made by Karen of Contemporary Embroidery.

It was lovely to meet up with Karen after following her blog for some time, and a little bird tells me that she may be running workshops in the future, so I will definitely try to put my name down for one of those.  In fact, I'm going to see if she'll come to our branch of the  Embroiderers Guild - her work blends traditional stitching, used in a contemporary way, that would appeal to all stitchers.

Right, that's me up to date, just got time for a quick guitar practise before heading off to the cinema.

Another one down, two to go!

I've been to City and Guilds today and had the second of my four projects assessed and verified!  The project was for a 3D functional item, and I decided to make a cushion.  Following on from my design work on shape, which, naturally enough, was based on hearts (no surprise there, then) I had been looking at tattoo designs incorporating hearts.  Following a chance remark made by a friend, (whilst we were discussing my total inability to turn down demands on my all-too-precious time) I decided to base my design on a heart shaped emblem with the motto "Just Say No!"   I'd originally intended to make the cushion from denim or black velvet, but when my sis saw the emblem, she said it looked as if it should be on the back of a leather jacket, so I changed my choice of fabric and made the cushion from imitation leather. 

The heart is machine felted merino top onto felt, the wings are made from Angelina, and the banner is free machined onto watersoluble fabric in granite stitch. 

I realise the cushion isn't to everyone's taste, but it is very me!   More Rock than Vintage I guess.

Incidentally, while we were at C&G today, my lovely friend Pam was having trouble changing her needle as the screw that holds it in place had clearly been tightened by the same bloke who puts the lids on jam jars.  She asked me if I could do it (I couldn't) so our teacher Gina volunteered to have a go.  While she made an unsuccessful attempt, Pammie had popped round the other side of the dividing wall, to the shop.  In the meantime, I remembered that I'd got a pair of pliers in my needlework box (who doesn't?) so gave them to Gina who was then able to undo the screw and remove the needle.  I told her not to tell Pam about the pliers, and to say that she'd done it with her teeth.  I then said in a voice loud enough for Pam to hear "Careful Gina, you'll get your head stuck!"  Pam came back in and asked what had happened and was terribly concerned when Gina said she had undone it with her teeth, saying "Oh no, you shouldn't have done that, the machine's still switched on, you could have been electrocuted! 

See, all that Health and Safety Training wasn't wasted.

PS I've just posted the photographs I took at Textiles in Focus on ArtVanGo's blog

Quick catch up.

This is going to be a short catch-up as I've been having problems with my internet connection, hence the delay in posting. 

I was walking past a charity shop last Thursday evening, when I spotted a lovely treasure in the window.  Sadly the shop was shut, but I made a note of the phone number, as I knew I wouldn't be able to get there the following day.  I rang the shop the following morning and they kindly agreed to save it for me, so on Saturday morning I was up bright and early and drove over to the shop, and now it's mine!

The reason I couldn't get to the shop on Friday was because I had a day out with my little sister at the Textiles in Focus show at Cottenham, near Cambridge.  It's a really lovely show, not on the scale of Ally Pally or Harrogate but very friendly and one of my favorites.   Small, but perfectly formed, as they say.  I'll be posting more pictures from the exhibitions on Art Van Go's blog just as soon as I get time, but in the meantime, I particularly liked this work by Vanda Campbell of the MESCH Contemporary Art Textiles group.

It was part of a series, combining watercolours, metalwork and textiles.  All very delicate, yet vibrant.  And , apparently, she taught herself to crochet to make these pieces.  I must say, she seems to have had much more success than I did, when I tried to learn to crochet in order to make myself a hat.  (it's still pending)

On Saturday, on my way back from collecting my aforementioned treasure, I stopped off for a few bits at the shops, and bought these tulips.  And, as the sun was shining through the kitchen window for what seems like the first time in years, I took a photograph.  (I must admit that I had to clean the window first, though)

I would say, maybe Spring is on the way - but as it rained all day on Sunday and has snowed several times since, I don't want to jump the gun.

PS - What about this little beauty my sister found in her bag of potatoes - I think her husband thought she was barmy when she rushed to take a picture of it.

 

 It almost makes me want to start eating vegetables.

A non-Valentines parcel.

This huge parcel arrived earlier this week.

Obviously, I knew it wasn't an early Valentine present.  (No, none at all, seeing as you asked.)

Believe it or not, I couldn't think what it was.  But I soon realised ....

It was very well packaged, in swathes of big bubble wrap....

It's my lovely mugs, that I was lucky enough to win, courtesy of  DogDaisyChains

Aren't they beautiful.  Thank you again, Jackie, you are welcome for a cup of tea anytime you're passing!
On Friday afternoon,Val and I went to The Handweavers Studio in Seven Sisters Road.

They used to be in Walthamstow, but have moved (under new ownership, I think) to Holloway, just a stone's throw from Finsbury Park Station.  If you are interested in anything textile-y it's well worth a visit.  Lots of things to look at, even if (like me) you are not a weaver.  There are lots of books and magazines on knitting, felting, textiles and, obviously, weaving.  Loads of different yarns - wool, cotton, sparkley lurex, etc at very reasonable prices and beautifully displayed ....

 and also a million shades of merino wool for felting. 

So, having left there, we noticed that opposite is a shop selling shopfitting and display stuff.  As Val has been looking for something to display hats on her stall, we called in and asked the men behind the counter if they had any heads.  They had several, and Val ended up buying a large, long necked polystyrene lady on which to put a hat.  We managed to get the chaps behind the counter to put her in a black bin liner to make her easier to carry. (The head, not Val, obviously)  It wasn't very heavy, but it was a bit awkward and Val didn't want anyone banging into it in case she dented.  She was immediately christened 'Alfredo' (as in 'Bring Me The Head of Alfredo Garcia')  We stopped for lunch, tucking Alfredo down by the side of our table while we had coffees and lunch.   Needless to say, when we left, the inevitable happened, and several hundred yards, and one or two charity shops later, Val stopped and said "Oh no, I've left Alfredo!"  We ran walked quickly back to the cafe and said to the waitress "did you find a black bin liner with a head in it?" which seemed to cause a bit of consternation amongst the other diners.  Anyway, they had found it and we got it back, thanked them very much and carried on with wandering.  About an hour later, I was buying a couple of bits and pieces in Rolls and Rems (another good reason for going to Seven Sisters Road) , and on getting my purse out of my handbag, it suddenly occurred to me that I hadn't paid for our lunch!   Another brisk walk back, and into the cafe for a third time to pay the bill.  The girls who served us didn't seem at all bothered.  I guess it isn't their cafe, and it's not their money.  Anyway, we got home, having paid for and arrived home with, everything we should.

Where did you get that hat?

On Sunday morning, I woke with the alarm at 6.45am.  (I like to set the alarm early at the weekends, otherwise you don't get the full benefit of a lie in, do you?)   About 7.30 I made myself a cup of tea, and went back to bed and drank it whilst flicking through a Grazia magazine.  Not my magazine of choice, it's full of young skinny B- list celebrities.  But some of the fashion pages are interesting, including a section on stylish young women that they've stopped in the street and photographed.  I thought  that maybe I should try and be a bit more stylish, (not to find myself stopped in the street, you understand) so after my shower, I had a play with some make up, and a little try-on session from my wardrobe. 

Fast forward about half an hour, and I was bored with that, so decided to get some fresh air and a bit of exercise.  No real point in a walk without a dog, so I texted my friend's daughter and arranged to collect her dog, Trixie.    I got dressed in normal dog-walking gear - jeans, anorak and walking boots and went to fetch her.  I thought my friend's daughter looked slightly taken aback but didn't think anything of it, until about half way round my walk, it occurred to me that I was wearing scruffy walking gear, but fully made up, complete with bright pink lipstick.  The other dog walkers must have thought that I was either .....

a)  the most stylish dog walker out this morning, or  b) some mad old woman who's only outings in life are a muddy stroll round Waterford marshes. Never mind - as they say, 'barmy is in the eye of the beholder'.

Talking of which, I've made two hats this week.  One is a knitted one with flaps.  I've always thought they looked a bit daft, but with the recent cold snap (and another one promised_ they seem practical for keeping your ears warm.  So, I found a pattern, and some recycled yarn from a jumper I'd unravelled and reknitted,  that was about the right 'consistency', and I knitted it.  See, I'm keeping to the 'buy less, make more' resolution.  And here it is - no tittering at the back, please.....

I can't help reminding myself of a spaniel when I shake my head. 

My second hat was intended to be a 1920's type cloche. After much searching, I found what looked like the perfect knitted-and-felted-cloche.  I already had some felting wool from Knitting4Fun (which always felts reliably) which I'd originally bought for a bag.  Having compared the tension for that yarn, with the one on the pattern it looked about right, so on I knitted.  I finished it at our knitting group in Baroosh in Hertford.  I was a bit concerned that it seemed a little on the big side .....

Not deterred, 'cos I know that knitting shrinks a lot when felted,  I put it through the washing machine at 40 degrees.  Although it had shrunk and bit and started felting, it still needed a bit more, so I re-did it, this time at 60, which definitely did the job.  I haven't got a hat block, which is why Friday night found me watching the double episode of  the new series of  'LOST' wearing a damp felt hat.  Well, it can't all be party, party, party.

I left it to dry overnight on an upturned wooden bowl that my dad made, perched on top of a glass vase, and by the morning it was perfect.

So, opinions please on the two hats.  I'm really aiming for "quirky yet stylish" as opposed to "mad old bird".  You decide.  Oh, small tip - when pinning a flower brooch to a felt hat, it's probably best to do it when you're not wearing it.  Those pins really hurt when they jab into your scalp.

And on a final note - these have probably been there for days, but isn't it lovely when you wander down the garden with the recycling, and notice snowdrops for the first time this year.

What a perfect day!

Sorry it's been a while - I've been up in Norfolk with my folks for a week - doing a bit shopping with my Mum, celebrating my Dad's birthday, having my hair coloured for a quid - my nephew's girlfriend is training to be a hairdresser and she needed a willing volunteer for one of her college assessments. The colour's great, but she omitted to tell me that the other assessment she needed to cover was the "all-over use of curling tongs", hence I came out looking like an ageing Shirley Temple.  And yes, there are photos, and no you're not seeing them.  I had a day with my sister too,  at her patchwork group and then a mooch round the shops to buy a few threads, and ribbons, a bit of fabric - oh and a new sewing machine. All the usual stuff.

But I'm back now, had a couple of days at work, followed by an evening at Leyton Orient.  I know you're not at all interested, and neither am I normally, but I think it only fair to mention that they won FIVE-Nil on Tuesday.  Even I got mildly excited.

But not nearly as excited as I got today.

It started well, and I met my friend Val and we went up to town to go here again ...

Yes, it's my third visit to the  Fashion and Textile Museum in Bermondsey, and I still noticed things I hadn't seen before. 

In addition to the Foale and Tuffin exhibition,  there was another small exhibition about Debbie Moore, the former model who founded the Pineapple Dance Studios.  We watched a video about her - apparently she was born in Manchester, but I think she must have been to elocution lessons, because she spoke with a very clipped and posh accent.  In fact she was interviewed by a young Lynda Lee Potter, and it sounded as if they'd both been sent to the same Finishing School.  I think that was the only way you got on the television in those days.  There were examples of the Pineapple range of clothing too, lots of stretch animal prints.  And no, I wasn't tempted to buy - I think my leopardskin catsuits days are over.  The videos of the aerobics classes made us smile - rows of dancers exercising in shiny coloured lycra, with highlighted perms and heavy make up - and the women were just as bad!

Having left the exhibition we headed to a wool shop near Waterloo Station, and decided that we'd walk, rather than catching the tube.  You find places you'd just never know about otherwise.  Like this lovely cake shop- Konditor & Cook  - they had masses of delicious looking cakes, and some really pretty ones like this....

 and these (which remind me of a game called Misfits that I had as a kid)

Val bought a couple of slices of cake for the men in her life, but I resisted, partly because I haven't got a man to buy cake for, and partly because I ought to be watching my weight, just in case I change my mind about the leopardskin cat suit.

Then, we'd almost got to the wool shop when we passed a great looking vintage store called Radio Days

I said to Val, "Can we just pop in here for a look"  It was brilliant - loads of clothes, accessories, vintage magazines, books, music, jewellery, ceramics and other collectables from the 1920's to 1970's.  I could have spent hours in there, but I did buy this lovely bit of pink vintage bling ...

You can never have too many sparkly brooches.

Then we dragged ourselves away, and finally got to the wool shop  I Knit London.  I bought some Jelly Yarn (plastic knitting yarn) in Shocking Pink, to knit a flower pot cover, like you do.   Val spent several hours (I kid you not) drooling and choosing, and particularly sorting through a large barrel of yarn, while I happily flicked through knitting books.  She bought lots of yarn, needles and other essentials, and whilst I'm not prepared to reveal the exact sum she spent, suffice it to say that the slice of cake she intends to present to her husband seems a rather meagre offering by comparison.

So, I got home, having had a lovely day, and popped in to check my emails, and had some very exciting news.  I've won a beautiful set of TG Green Mugs in a giveaway on DogDaisyChain's Blog.  What a perfect end to a perfect day.