Sewing and Knitting and Mud.

I think I have been revelling so much in the festive feel racing through blogland that I had sort of missed the fact that the Big Day is actually also racing, ever closer, ever faster. Lucy has just informed me she has eight school days left. EIGHT SCHOOL DAYS!!!! How did I miss that? Of course, there are weekends in amongst it all, but even so. Ah well, I have thoroughly enjoyed my perusing of everyone's wonderful Christmas makes, decorations and feeling of good cheer, so thank you one and all. Now, on to my own little blog and here's today's Christmas Mug Shot




Now, I did promise some crafting. You may remember I had put myself firmly back in the world of sock knitting only to find I didn't like the wool I was using? Well, its garish tones are growing on me as the sock itself moves along. It certainly isn't something I would choose, but I guess it will be good to wear something different by the fireside as I snuggle down for the evenings. This change of mood was much helped along by Mr Davy who announced that he would be happy to wear them if I made a larger - much larger - pair. Lor', the very thought of knitting such long socks again made them seem beautiful to mine eyes. Not sure I could stomach the sight of them on his mannish feet either!



This wonderful piece of pink knitting is my dear Lucy's own. She has been knitting now for a couple of years and has moved on so much just lately in terms of progress. Her tension is becoming better than mine - afraid I am affected by mood and knit furiously when holding an imaginary conversation with someone or there is some action film playing in the background, particularly if we are watching a psychological thriller. The needles fly and although mistakes are fortunately rarely made it does mean the tension varies with the plot! Lucy is the image of calm and can now even work out how to correct some of the mistakes she makes. not bad for an eleven year old is it? (Dave take note, and stop asking me to pick up your dropped stitches please!).



Today's orders waiting for finishing and packaging include some of these Little House Notebooks



and a couple of these Butterfly Bags, one in each colourway which makes for a lovely bit of variety on this dullest of days.



So much rain is falling outside that a cheery boat picture is just not possible today, so I will settle for one of the nuddiness that is Mylor Creek; so beautiful when the tide is out, but Saturday wasn't playing fair with me and the rain, grey skies and gloopiness of the mud made me ever-thankful for the cosy house waiting for me.



Now I am off for a blog catch up with my mug of coffee before starting the real work of the day.



Have a happy Monday x

A Birthday, Some Hens and All.

Golly, it's so dark here again today. In fact we have had a mix of beautiful sunshine and such gloom over the past few days that I will scatter a few pictures of bright autumnal leaves glowing like jewels to stop the rest of my light-deprived pictures tipping you all into a state of deepest depression.



It's been such a good half term holiday so far with the start consisting of Dave's birthday weekend. Thank you, by the by, for all those birthday wishes which were much appreciated. A birthday lunch with children, girlfriends, boyfriends and friends for ten on Saturday meant that our huge table came into play - a piece of specially cut MDF which is placed on top of our usual table means that we have seated up to fifteen at Christmas and other events whereas we can usually only stretch to ten and that more on the cosier side of comfy. We scoffed a huge vat of beef in red wine, a parsnip roulade (one of my most very favourite veggie meals), cauliflower cheese, roasties, oh you get the gist with a pile of chocolate brownies for Dave's birthday cake, all crispy on top and gooey in the centre...yum.



Our lovely friend Lou gave Dave just the best present in the shape of these two beautiful copper laced maran hens. Now we are known for giving our animals a strange melee of names - I cite Mustang the drake and Fatty Arbuckle the cat to prove my point with past choices including the likes of Discovery, Fitty, J-Lo and The Bishop. I, of course, usually go for the prettier side of things: Marigold, Tansy, Madeleine, etc but Dave and the children definitely err on the side of bizarre. No surprises then that these two dears are now known to us as Oss and Feffer!!!



A quick picture of the acer to lift the spirits. This glows right outside our kitchen window and makes washing up dishes quite a pleasant thing to do.



And as for me, look what I (finally) finished! Woohoo! Awful photographs as the light is so poor and has turned everything somewhat orangey. A frantic knitting session on friday saw the last rounds knit, the last stitches of the Kitchener toe finished. I am most pleased and so thank heavens is Dave who insists they fit and feel like you can't imagine, telling us it's like the sock is cupping your heel.



Ok, fortunately I am used to his ways (!) and can also report that finshing a pair of socks is akin to giving birth in that I am now ready to knit another pair, the pain, sweat and tears of this last pair already consigned to the outer reaches of my incredibly short memory. Anyhow, I have little feet so surely this won't be so bad?



In the meantime I am back to knitting fingerless mitts as Christmas presents; so much faster with this one almost being finished in an evening.



I find something so appealing in photographs of wool. Whether it is a close up of crochet or knitting is of no matter as it is the weaving of fibres which I love, the varying textures making me want to reach out and touch them. So many wonderful and enticing images of such things out there in blogland aren't there?



An image of berries glistening in the front garden for you.



The darker weather which seems to have come in here has made us head off in search of a some light and air. Yesterday we headed over to the north coast to a beach called portreath where the surf crashed in and the wind blew away any cobwebs.



Caves were explored and soft sands



and a cuddle kept me and Lucy warm



until we got home for a cup of tea and a slice of passion cake.



well, a slice or two that is!



And that's the holiday so far. A clean of my sewing room in a while, a walk this afternoon and some knitting tonight are my plans for the rest of today.



What are yours I wonder? x