Preparing for the Sweetpea crochet along

Preparing for the Sweetpea crochet along

15 different colours of Stylecraft yarn wound into balls.

Attic24 have a new crochet along starting on January 4th, so I have prepared everything to start as soon as I can. I think it runs for 7 weeks and we happen to be on holiday for seven weeks, so it is a perfect holiday project.

New Mitts

Just off the needles a new pair of Mittens. I love wearing mitts in fact rarely wear anything else.. they enable me to drive, shop and pick up things unlike gloves which I have to keep taking off and loosing.

Pattern by Susie Rogers 'Reading Mitts', yarn Woolcraft Nuvo, bought in Spain, worked in the round on size 4mm needles.

These are just SO cozy to wear.

Christmas Wreathe workshop

Definitely in the swing of Christmas now. My friend Penny and I attended a Christmas wreathe workshop at a local florist. Everything was provided starting with an oasis ring and Santa apron!
Gradually the layers of greenery were added followed by sprigs of holly. Next the choice of coloured balls and cones etc... plus if you intended to hang it, the raffia ribbon for a bow. I decided to keep mine as a candle surround on my dining room table.

Mincepies, hot drinks and a cracker added to the fun of the morning.

A visit from Harriet the cat as the wreathes start to take shape.

Wearing lots of clothes as we are working in a marque and the temperature outside is minus degrees centigrade burrr!

Pride of place on my table with red candle added.

Family meal & friends sewing

On Sunday the family arrived for a meal and the girls were full of beans.

A competition to see who could do the most scissor splits, or something like that!
Oh for an ounce of their energy!!!

Tuesday four of us got together for a sewing day, Penny, Christine and Pauline. It was so nice to sit and sew with company away from thoughts of the Christmas preparations.

I managed to almost complete my second Christmas cushion.

IAM Christmas party

Decorations up, mini workshop organised, presents wrapped, games prepared...

Three members were missing, due to holidays and illness, we missed them.

Preparing the Happy Room

Busy making candle holders that I had cut out with my Sizzix machine

Everyone was given enough cutout pieces and candles to make two
However some managed to make 4!
Great sticky fun!

Desserts brought by Dorn were delicious

Show and Tell by Penny, the star is a little bag on the back to hold a gift.

Shirley had been 'hooking' again, love the colour

Dorn showed us her Christmas panel, quilted ready to hang.

Dorn also had crocheted a blanket for a new baby

 I showed my new Christmas cushion, which has already appeared on my blog.

Fun time with our £2 gift opening. Eight gifts each all very different.

We then played two games, firstly the Left/Right game with fat quarters

Next a dice game where the £5 gifts went backwards and forwards until frozen by throwing a 12 or 9.

This caused much laughter and fun.

Some of the gifts I received.

I look forward to our 19th Anniversary year in 2019 and the great friendships that have been made through crafting in the Happy Room.

It's Christmas

December 1st has arrived again, why does that always surprise us all?
I must admit I have been busy getting all my gifts and even have them wrapped, only need to get to grips with the Christmas cards.
Chris decorated outside while I tackled the inside. One of my favourite things at Christmas to to see again my Nativity sets.

Our fireplace looking festive

My latest Nativity bought in Spain

My special nativity set made by my friend Jane in the USA and given to me many years ago.

Decided on a red and gold themed tree this year, hopefully it will last until Christmas as I have put it up earlier than usual.

My new Christmas cushion made this week sitting next to Santa who is 15 years old!

This nativity set was bought when on a trip to Michigan and carefully brought home in my luggage.
Probably 20 years ago.

This wooden nativity set was bought for my granddaughters to arrange but now they are
older we do not see them as much so it just has a nice memory.

My smallest nativity, in a walnut shell

December 1st the first Christmas card arrived, thanks Diana.

Sewing Day

Penny, Clare and Dorn visited for a sewing day. It was wonderful getting together with friends to work on our different projects.

Penny was busy cutting out and sewing hearts to squares for Linus projects.

Clare continued with her ribbon blocks made from a jelly roll

Dorn was busy bag making for her scrabble friends.

I worked on a Christmas cushion, which turned out much bigger than I thought it would! 

[picture on next blog post]

The Birthday holiday

We set off early on November 20th for Thursford Christmas Spectacular, 

stopping at a cafe for a quick bite to eat.

We had tickets for the afternoon show and the place was packed.

As you enter the show grounds the display of lights and little gift shops really set the mood.

A display of wolves complete with howling amid the many different trees twinkling with lights

Love the displays, which looked even better when it got dark

Next to the restaurant a beautiful Nativity scene

Thursford has the largest collection of traction engines in the world
They were all decorated for the Christmas season 

Mechanical organs stood silent as we prepared to watch the show

Seating was arranged in the centre of the building and every seat was taken by the time the show started.
Musicians, dancers, Irish dancers, bagpipes, opera, story telling, and a really good comedian/ compere 
made for a wonderful afternoon in a spectacular setting.

Love the sign in the loo!

Onward with our journey to Cromer Country Club for three nights. We were amazed how nice it was in our self catering studio apartment, and will definitely put it on our list to visit again.

Next day we wandered around the shops and took a look at the sea and Cromer pier.
It was very cold and damp in the air so a nice meal was called for.

A drive along the coast and we stopped at The Ship in Mundesley for dinner.
We had been before and were not disappointed.

Our ground floor studio apartment at the Country Club

Felbrigg Hall was our choice of place to visit on Thursday. Wrapped up warm in my new coat, bought in Cromer we had hot chocolate and shortbread in the National Trust cafe.

Stable Yard and building converted into a cafe and shop

The walled garden was very well kept and surprising how many plants were still in flower.

Even the many chickens wandering about had a 'posh' residence

The vegetable garden with its central pond

In the orangery I stood in my new coat next to the dolls house

Felbrigg Hall, not open at the time of year.

We finished this day with a meal in the Country Club bar, which I must say was very nice and good value.

Back home on Friday via a visit to Colemans Warehouse to buy some fabric... a great birthday holiday.

Birthday Time

Thank for to the family for a lovely birthday meal on Saturday.

The BEST cheesecake made by Richard

Followed by a lovely birthday cake also cooked by Richard

11th - 17th November

Sunday 11th we remembered the men and women who fought for our country 100 years ago.

My own Grandfather took part in WWI although I know little about his time during the conflict.

A contact through Ancestry.com informed me that a distant relative was named on the War Memorial at Sibbertoft, where many of my family came from.

After church in the morning Chris and I went to Sibbertoft to see the WWI exhibition and visit the war memorial and pay our respects.

Pte Alfred Kenny, 8th Middlesex Regiment.
We share a third Gt Grandfather.

Other names on the memorial I would like to research.

Monday I continued with a Financial Course that I started last week. It is organised by my church and most interesting. Keeping the old grey cells working!

Tuesday my friend Penny called and we chatted and sewing in the afternoon.

Wednesday I suddenly decided to remove the large TV, which never gets switched on, in my Happy Room and have a serious clean up and sort out. Two crochet wreaths are covering up the holes left by the TV bracket! This is an on going project.....

Happy Thursday in the Happy Room. Christine and Penny joined me for a sewing day.
We all seemed to be working on UFO's and actually accomplished quite a lot.

It is now Saturday [ no idea what happened on Friday other than a walk around the cemetery!] and I have a free day
plus no cooking as we are going to the family for dinner.
Decided to make a start on wrapping Christmas Presents, not exactly my fun job.
Happy to report I have almost everything I need bought and wrapped.