Day 2 Yarndale

I am so looking forward to today, my first visit to Yarndale, the wool show to beat all wool shows!
We arrive in good time but it takes us half an hour to get through the gate due to the vast number of people and the bag searching.

Once inside it is hard to know where to go first there is so much to see, including one or two pens with real sheep in. I wonder what they are thinking seeing all these people and all this wool!

I buy a couple of gifts for Christmas presents and treat myself to a magazine subscription that has a set of needles as a free gift... just the sort I was planning to buy.

After a couple of hours on my feet we find a seat and Chris brings us a drink and slice of shortbread, just what the doctor ordered. Re-energised we tackle a few more displays and stalls before heading for 'home'. The cuppa goes down well.

Photos will be added when I get home! Are you ready for the  mass photos?

sheep great us as we enter the Auction Mart

Where to go first?

A wonderful display of banners

I chat to some lacemakers

Chris finds a Unicorn

I find an enormous crocheted mandala

Socks socks

And more socks!

Lots of wool for dying and spining

I just love these knitted birds

Colourful mandalas

Think this was the felting stall

Settee covers made from dressmaking patterns

Yet more mandalas

Christmas is coming

POSH socks made from Alpaca wool, SOOOO soft.

Tiny miniatures

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After a couple of hours on my feet we find a seat and Chris brings us a drink and slice of shortbread, just what the doctor ordered. Re-energised we tackle a few more displays and stalls before heading for 'home'. The cuppa goes down well.

Day 1 Arrival in Yorkshire

We have booked a cottage for a week near Keighley Yorkshire. The sun shone for the three hour drive  which made it very pleasant. Today also happens to be Chris's birthday.
Shaun the Sat Nav goes a bit berserk and we suddenly find ourselves on a very narrow rutted lane more suitable for the Land Rover!
The cottage is bright and welcoming with the most amazing view across the valley.

View from the window of the Stable Cottage

Cosy and comfortable

Standing outside the front door... I could live with this view.

Needing a few supplies we head over to Skipton and visit Coopers Cafe where Lucy has a studio, we are allowed to go and have a look, so many great ideas to cheer up my Happy Room when I get home.

Lucy 'Attic 24' studio

I definitely need pretty lights in my Happy Room

Such a neat cupboard of wools

The Studio above Coopers Cafe [ which was so packed with 'wool' ladies there was no where to sit!]

Back at the cottage I cook fish and chips, the first time I have used an oven in eight weeks.

The new furniture

Exciting times, the furniture lorry turned up this morning with the new settee and chair.
Two men quickly had it in the house removed the wrapping  and put in place.

Such luxury after making due for the past 8 weeks with spare chairs and garden furniture.
My new cushions look great and add a touch of colour.

Furniture lorry off loading a lot of BIG boxes

The new furniture with the new cushions is looking very smart

An added bonus is the chair and both ends of the settee recline
plus there is a USB port for my iPad... will I ever move again?

Four new cushions

Having the house in such a mess has meant I have been able to spend time in my Happy Room without feeling guilty that I should be doing some housework!  Not that I ever feel guilty about housework ha! ha!

Plus a bonus is time to sort out my Happy Room and find the UFO's hidden from sight.

Four of the eight UFO machine embroidered blocks have now been made into cushions. I am hoping they will go well with my new suite when it arrives. Not sure what I will do with the other four blocks, maybe a table runner.

The Electrician

The noise and dust yesterday were horrible as the Electrician spent the day re-wiring the kitchen.

Holes in the walls and ceiling, hard to believe this will ever look like a kitchen again!

Hanging onto my washing machine as long as possible,
even though I have to use an extension lead as there is no electricity in the "kitchen"

Hectic times

Life is so hectic at the moment I just have not had time or inclination to blog.
Today however I am banished to my Happy Room as the electrician is working and making a terrible noise in the completely empty kitchen. The floor of the upstairs bathroom has had to come up for him to be able to sort out the downlighters in the kitchen underneath.
In fact every room seems to be in upheaval.
I have given up trying to sort out meals and resorting to Microwave dinners, visiting friends / family or eating out.
At the IAM meeting last week I completely forgot to take any photos. Jenny asked me to make a couple of machine embroidery pictures for her grandchildren. In all the chaos I could at least find the EM and managed to make her two pencil cases with pictures to colour in on the front.

Sweet Treat embroidery machine designs

My Star BOM quilt finally met its batting and backing and I safety pinned the three layers together.

Love my Kwik Klip tool for fastening safety pins, saves breaking nails.

Memo to head.. do not wear black trousers when basting a quilt.
My trousers were covered in white fluff by the time I finished leaning over it.

The kitchen has been all consuming and when the old wallpaper was removed it revealed I had decorated it three time in three years and Chris installed the kitchen in 1986

Richard helped his dad put in the old kitchen in 1986

What a team, I wallpaper and he paints!

Earlier this week three friends came for a sewing session

Christine and Pauline deep in thought

Penny working on her bag

I managed to turn a UFO block into a cushion

Stars BOM

In April last year I started a BOM [ block of the month] stars project and it has become something of a UFO, but having spent a day with friends sewing it has motivated me to get on with it.

All the sashing is now cut out and as and when I get a few moments I will put it all together.

As most of the stars are different sizes the sashing
also has to be different sizes, so quite a mammoth task cutting it all out.

Hamtune Quilters

Hamtune quilters meet twice a month and I like to go as often as I can.
For the meeting last night we were asked to bring a can and fabric to cover it.
Having not been able to attend for the past couple of meetings I was not sure of the requirements, so I quickly opened a tin of creamed rice [ I love it cold with jam] removed the label and washed it thoroughly. A delve in my fabric stash and I decided to use a Christmas theme fabric with contrasting band and light interior fabric.

Fabric prepared plus wadding and empty can

Ann's demonstration table, love the hand embroidered Christmas can.

My first attempt.

I wonder if anyone would think it odd if on Monday when they put their bins and recycling out I went around and collected  in the tins to make more ?

£12 of colour

My garden was looking a bit dull, so I treated myself to six large geranium plants on sale for £12.
I love the splash of colour, they make me smile every morning when I open the curtains.
I must admit I didn't get around to planting them, they are still in their pots, but they seem to be ok.

The men in my life!

The men in my life, husband and son, are both willing to have a go.

Firstly Chris painted his shed and the next thing I saw he was standing on the roof, laying a new roof. Are you suppose to be doing things like this when you are in your late sixties?

Husband re-roofing his shed

It looks very smart now

The kitchen dishwasher and units have been sold and a lonely washing machine and fridge freezer are all that are left in the kitchen. 

Thank goodness we have a downstairs bathroom, that is now my kitchen sink!

Richard helping his dad strip the old wallpaper

I think he's saying why did I stick this wallpaper on so well!!

Kitchen plans

Today the fitter called to make the final arrangements for the kitchen, and of course said he wanted to start the day we go on holiday! Final arrangements were made and he would start the day we come back, although we may have to come back a day early for the units and appliances to be delivered.
It is getting exciting now and I cannot wait for it to be started / completed.

The whole house is a mess, with the dining room taken over by the kitchen, plus the small bedroom looking like a kitchenware shop!

Units in the kitchen are all bare and I am trying to hang onto my washing machine for as long as possible.
The tiles made such a mess when they were removed.

To get a breath of fresh air, plaster dust seems to get everywhere, we took a walk along the railway path enjoying the countryside at it's best... the blackberries were delicious that I picked and ate as we walked.

The end of the line for the railway enthusiasts, they seem to have a enough sleepers and track to go for miles.

Sewing day

With the kitchen plans full stem ahead, it was so nice on Thursday to have a get together with a couple of friends in my Happy Room. We all worked on different things, mostly playing catch up with UFO's. Christine was busy with yet more cushions, she really must have a house full! Penny worked on a new banner for her kitchen and I attempted to get back in the sewing mood and complete the last four Stars from a BOM challenge that ended some time ago.

A new kitchen banner

working on the final Star blocks from a BOM.