Look who came home with me

Spent the day with Sue and the ladies in Bedford, working on my placemats, and the binding of a lap quilt. 

I managed to get as far as I could with both and still had half an hour free.

Mavis was making a penguin and kindly gave me the makings, so with glue gun action a black and coloured sock, I managed to make Mr Penguin to come home with me. Maybe I’ll make some more to decorate the mantle at Christmas.

Isn’t he fun?

Christmas, sorry to mention it so early

The family are all coming here for Christmas Day, so I decided to make a new table runner and nine new place mats.

All the fabric is out of the cupboard, which hardly looks any emptier, but I guess the stash is going down!

I did have to order more Insul-bright, the heat resistant wadding as I had run out.

I have been wanted to make a French Braid, so chose this for the main area of the runner and mats.

Even the binding is sewn down!

Place mat number one of nine I intend to make.

Friends, sewing and helping

A few days ago four of us got together for a  sewing day. It was very productive and a lot of chat and laughs.

I worked on a Christmas table runner and a couple of bags, while Clare was busy with a Linus quilt.

Christine was busy with a large quilt she is making for her new bed, while Dorn made a pretty green bag.

On Saturday six members from my Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints came and helped Chris and Richard trim our long Leylandi hedge. It is such a big job we were extremely great full for all the help. They seemed to be quite enjoying them selfs with hedge trimmers and saws of every size.

Even all the trimmings were taken away for us.

Chris has also been replacing the garage door and window, he is doing a great job, and its starting to look very smart.

New shoes for me and Mrs Fox

I managed to complete knitting Mrs Fox a pair of new shoes last night and also bought myself a new pair of shoes.

Now to knit her a coat, its feeling very wintery around here.

From Road Kill to Mrs Fox!

The worst part of knitting figures is the sewing up and faces, always a big struggle for me, but Mrs Fox has gone from ‘road kill’ to wearing her new French Knickers, dress and messenger bag.  The weather is turning colder so I need to knit her a coat before she can go out!

So many pieces.

That’s better, but she needs a coat and shoes.

Felixstowe and Southwold

The knitting I am doing at the moment calls for Scheepjes yarn, so today we set off for the nearest stockist at Felixstowe about an hour away.

After a little searching we found the Wool Baa only to find it having a workshop and so full of knitters and crocheters that you could not move, making it impossible to look at the shelves full of delicious wools. The owner asked one lady to move so she could look for the colours I wanted... no luck.. so I left empty handed.

We had decided to find lunch at Southwold on the way back to Pakefield and enjoyed the journey. Fish and chips on the pier was followed by a walk the length of the pier before returning home for a cuppa in ‘our’ beach hut.

Chilly breeze did not stop us enjoying the day.

Southwold storm clouds 

I have really fallen in love with beach huts, they are so bright and cheerful even on a chilly day.

Strange clock built to show the power of water, fun when the hour and half hour strike and it starts to move.

One of the mosaic tables outside the restaurant where we ate fish and chips cooked in the local beer batter... yummy.

Pakefield Parish church

Having blogged a photo of the thatcher working on the church just across the path from where we are staying, we went to take a look inside.

What an unusual and interesting Church, or should I say two churches.

Keeping the thatcher busy with two roofs to work on.

Originally there were two churches with a wall separating them, but sharing the one tower. 

The first church built around 600 - 700 was changed over the years and the church we now see was mentioned in the Domesday Book [1085]. 

St Margaret’s is on the left and All Saints on  the right, the dividing wall was removed years ago, with the record of the last man to be separately Rector of both churches buried in 1748.

During WW2 the church was hit by incendiary bombs setting fire to the thatched roof and causing great destruction.

Last week a terrifying storm hit this area and the church was flooded, so a clean up operation is in progress.

All Saints has a beautiful stained glass window above the Altar, where St Margarets just has plain glass windows.

The old and the new. St Margaret’s.

Such history and a lovely harvest theme to the flower display.

The stone arches were once a wall separating the two churches. The wooden Rood Screen was mostly destroyed by the 

Puritans but some original panels can be seen.

Many beautiful modern quilted and patchwork hangings through out the two churches.

I wonder who made all these banners.

This was such an enjoyable Church to visit. 

Downton Abbey movie

Wednesday already and we are so enjoying staying at Pebble Cottage.

Our early morning walk passing the pretty beach huts.  There is something so nostalgic about a beach hut.

The weather does not look too good but at least its dry.

After fish and chips from the local ‘chip shop’ we sat in ‘our’ beach hut and watched the sea.

Four horses were out for a stroll

This weather is looking ominous! Time for a visit to the cinema.

A trip to the local cinema in Lowestoft to see the movie Downton Abbey.

 I had brought the code for two for the price of one but because it was value Wednesday 

we were only charged £4.50 for the two of us.. what a bargain and a brilliant film, loved it.

In th evening I managed to complete the French knickers for the fox I am making.

The beach hut

Our first full day here at Pebble Cottage started with a walk along the sea shore enjoying the weak sunshine. All this fresh air and exercise called for a Hot Chocolate, so an extension to the walk to buy a tin at the local Co-op was called for. 

Gathering our drinks we walked up the garden to the beach hut, where we stayed for the rest of the morning, what a delight.

Me with my knitting and chocolate drink

Chris reading a book. Catch of the Day, this place is definitely a good catch.

For lunch we decided on a carvery meal at the Wherry Inn on Oulton Broads. 

The Wherry Inn, where we had a lovely meal sitting near the window overlooking the Broads.

Pakefield Suffolk

Having a few days free I searched Ebay for a 5 day break and found a fisherman’s cottage next to the sea.  We left home after an amazing sun rise and had a pleasant journey to Suffolk. Stopping for lunch and to do some shopping at Morrisons we had time to kill before we could move into our home for the next five days. Needless to say I had researched fabric and wool shops, so we went to A Wool Shop and was greeted by the welcoming owner, unfortunately she could not help with the needles I wanted. Husband, always happy to oblige, suggested visiting the wool shop at Rollesby, about 15 miles away, who am I to refuse such an offer, so that was our next stop, where i bought needles and some yarn to try.

Back to Pakefield to find the cottage and you know you are in Suffolk and Norfolk when you find a church being thatched, in fact the cottage overlooks this church on one side and the sea on the other.

Sun rise from the front window, before we left home.

The Thatcher busy on the church roof.

The cosy living room of Pebble Cottage, Even a box of Milk Tray to welcome us.

Everything you could want in the compact kitchen

At the end of the garden a summer house on the edge of the dunes.

View from the summer house

Cannot wait to sit here with my knitting and a hot chocolate.

Needle Felted Robin

I have found a couple of hours to work on one of my needle felted robins, the kit contains five. I adore him and cannot wait to make the rest.

Such a lot of equipment for one little robin !

Knitting a dress for a fox!

Recently I purchased the book Knitted Animal Friends by Louise Crowther as I fancied a new project, seem to be doing a lot of that lately!

I do think it is good to keep the brain cells working as I approach 75 years of age.

I would not call myself a knitter, especially of fiddly little clothes so this is quite a challenge.

My first chosen project is the Fox, so off went an order for Scheepjes cotton yarn to Wool Warehouse. A couple of days later a lovely squishy package arrived with the colours I had choosen.  Now to sort the Knitting needles, opps I do not have what is required but will make do with the correct gauge and stick stoppers on the ends of DPNs to use as straight needles.  I then find I do not have any needles 2.75mm which is needed for actually knitting the fox, so eager to start I started with the dress. 

After deciphering the double Dutch of the pattern and deciding just cast on and have a go, I managed with a few mistakes to make the dress. I could not fathom the picot edge and thought I was going to run out of the blue yarn so made the dress shorter and did what I thought would be OK for the hem.

It is far from brilliant and I will have another go and ask one of my ‘knit friends’ how to do the picot edge.

Next the messenger bag, this was easy and the instructions for knitting the I-cord simple enough for me to follow... bingo a bag.

I now have the needles to actually knit the fox, so watch this space...

October IAM

Well here we are, October already! Nights are turning dark far too early and the temperature gauge has dropped too low. 

So what better than to enjoy a day in the Happy Room with my IAM friends.

Five of us had a lovely chatty craft time, working on our different projects, don’t mention the Holly leaves !

My crochet Teddy, such a fun make.

Dorn was busy working on her hexagons, already looking really nice.

Clare had made a pretty bag, then attempted to make crochet holly leaves that her daughter had asked for, 2 hours later 

and it was decided it would be easier to just go pick some off the tree!!

One of my coloured trapunto cushions, so glad this has finally been made into a cushion.

A second coloured Trapunto cushion, yes I’ve been busy finishing things.

Stained glass bird cushion by me. I’m going through a ‘cushion stage’

Maureen had made a very interested bag we all admired.

Isn’t this great, a doggy Christmas gift for one of her family.

A music themed cushion made by Pauline for her Grandson.