Monday, 31 January 2011

What Does It Mean?

In the car with mum yesterday and she was describing a person, she thought I might know and said -
"You know, she is just like you - tuppence worth of coppers"!!!
So as I'm driving I start to think - what did this actually mean - apparently you can also say two penneth!
I'll leave you to think about it - and Blog the answer later today!
We are now returning to Boundary Mills as the assistant forgot to pack half the purchases and we did not check til we got home!

Sunday, 30 January 2011

A Glimpse of My Week

Well, what a busy week we are having. It is so good to have mum and dad here and to spend some time with them. It has been a bit hectic here, and I sometimes think life in Newcastle may be a bit too busy for them!
However, here are a few photos of what has been happening in the last week.

Saturday Morning Knitting Group @ The Knit Studio 22nd January.

Mum's Christmas Present Scarf

Coffee and Cake at Debenhams

Cute card received from a dear friend

New yarn arrives at The Knit Studio


100% Silk                                                       100% Linen




'Magic' Range of superwash 4ply 

And, there has actually been some knitting going on!
I have been knitting this all week in the evenings, and I love it!

I also 'christened' my Christmas present mug! How cool is this?
There seems to be a bit of colour co-ordination going on, doesn't there? It is quite unintentional!

And finally, a word about our belated christmas Dinner. Even the cats are beginning to wonder - Mittens is offering himself up to be the table centre piece! Look how worried Pebbles looks - it's a kind of 'Ooo you are going to get into such trouble!' look, isn't it?
The poor turkey has been squashed in the freezer since December, and today finally he will be revealed! You know what it's like in a busy household - you think you have a day sorted when everyone is free - then, something unexpected but important crops up. Today was to be our Christmas day - but is now postponed til tomorrow evening. As I type, Sarah is heading towards Stockport, in Cheshire to play in a Basketball match and will not get home until 9.00pm this evening. (Good luck Sarah).
This does mean that now, mum and I are free to partake in a little retail therapy - Royal Quays beckons..... Enjoy the rest of your weekend - and thanks for all your lovely comments!



Monday, 24 January 2011

What Does It Mean?

Yes! It means that tomorrow my parents are travelling from Bexhill to Newcastle! Hooray! We can have our 'real' Christmas Dinner! They can open their presents! They can even open their suitcases and be re-united with their 'best' clothes!
I am so looking forward to seeing them, Christmas just was not the same without them.
So, there has been a lot of activity chez moi, tidying, hoovering and even ironing in readiness for the grand arrival. Even the weather seems to be on its' best behaviour with the forecast promising much milder weather for their stay.

Last week was a bit frantic too - a trip to the passport office in Durham to get Sarah's passport processed for a school trip next month. Her current one doesn't expire until end of March but suddenly it 'needed' to have 6 months validity after the date of departure! Anyway, cue panic photography, finding an available 'professional' person to validate the application form, and queing for what seemed like hours in the Post office to be told it may not be back in time and that I would have to 'Fast Track' the application (also known as let's make your stressful time worse by charging you an extra £40 for the priviledge) Anyway, it's all sorted now and we received the new one within 3 days! Pretty impressive.

Meanwhile, some brand new to the North East yarns arrived at The Knit Studio which meant a bit of shuffling around of stock and of course photographs being taken.(Show and tell to follow).

I have also joined a brilliant group on Ravelry called #11in11. You pledge to knit 11 neck adornments (scarves, wraps, shawls etc) in the 11 months to November, 2011. The only problem with joining the group has been that it has highlighted some fabulous patterns that I would have otherwise not seen and now feel the NEED to knit, crochet and add to my list. My 11in11 looks like it could become 111inwhenever!

TTFN




Wednesday, 12 January 2011

Workshops 2011

Sewing!

Well, that was a long silence! Must have been being in the close proximity of so many Firemen!
Anyway, apart from trying to recover from illness, getting Sarah ready for return to school, actually reducing my ironing pile from two to only one basket!! The only other, but very significant thing I have managed to complete over the past week is my 2011 Workshop Programme for The Knit Studio - go take a peek, there may be something to interest you!
I have some brand new sewing machines on the way - Heike is returning for Continental Knitting - Hooray! ..... and Emma King and Frederica Patmore - both Rowan Tutors and Designers, are coming to visit! It is all very exciting!


Crochet!


Knitting!

All I need to do now is - add them to the Ravelry Group, print the booklets, do my Newsletter, finish that ironing!!!

Saturday, 1 January 2011

Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Mo!

Mmmmm, which one to choose? They are all so lovely and make me feel happy just looking at them!

Yes, the sun will shine this year, and yes, I will have some fabby, summery clothes to wear, and yes! they will fit!
In the quietness that was New Year's Day Morning I took a little trip down to The Knit Studio. It only takes ten minutes from home and even less today, it was a green light journey. All the traffic lights I had to pass through were green!and when your journey has seven, yes, seven! to get green lights is marvellous. This does not happen very often so I am taking it as a sign - today will be a good day!
I needed to visit for a number of reasons, I hadn't really cleared up from before Christmas as I had been feeling so ill. The bins needed emptying of all the left over Christmas Party food and bottles. It needed a bit of a tidy. As usual I cannot do things by halves, and within an hour there were bags of yarn on the table, bolts of fabric at one end and pattern books and a huge mug of coffee in the middle and THEN !!!! cue the Fire Alarm! Yes, that's right the Fire Alarm!!! EEEEK! Now, for those of you who have been to Blackfriars, you will know that to access the Cloisters there is a little archway which has a Metal Gate at each end. Today, because of the date, these gates were locked meaning that I was the only inhabitant of Blackfriars. So.....I went outside to look around, peer through the Restaurant windows, listen at other peoples' doorways, sniff the air for signs of smoke and nothing! Apart, that is from the sound of sirens getting louder and louder. Because I am in an Ancient Scheduled Monument, the Fire and Burglar Alarms are hooked up for a 'Rapid Response' and it certainly was!!! Can you imagine the puzzlement on the Fire Crew's faces as I unlocked the Ancient Gates??? It did have humorous overtones, really, it did. Anyway, cutting what could be a long story short - no smoke, no fire, and a nice chat with some firemen. How was your day?
Getting back to the material, in a mad impulse I cut myself some skirt and top lengths and my only task now, is to decide which to cut out first.
Oh, and Happy New Year to you all!!