Blue Blue and more blue

I seem to be going through a BLUE period, which is unusual for me as I am very much a RED person!

About a month ago I started knitting a Hill Top Shawl by Helen Stewart using a 4mm 100cm long circular needle. I love her patterns as every row is listed and also the number of stitches that should be on the needles each row. Starting with a cast on of only five stitches it quickly increased to 383!

I used 4ply yarn, (25% wool and 75% Polyacryl,) by Dy choice bought on sale for the princely sum of £2 it knitted up fairly well.

I have been having a problem with my hands and terrible cramp, this is under investigation by the Doctor and I await a series of blood tests. The weight of the knitting project probably did not help.
At one point I knitted two rows of garter stitch too many, 608 stitches, there was no way I was going to undo that many, so I adjusted the next set of garter stitches to match it... life is too short to go backwards!

Blocking the finished shawl, as soon as I completed the pinning I realised it was upside down, hey ho!

My Christmas Tree modelling the shawl in the sunshine

BLUE item number two... to give my hands a rest I started a new quilt, rail fence with diamonds.

Again I choose BLUE, a jelly roll this time with an accent yellow diamond.

It will probably be a charity quilt and I have not really decided on the size yet.

Using my EQ7 computer programme I have worked out quantities for a 39x51  or a 50x60  size quilt.

Joining three strips together and cutting into 6 1/2 squares

Adding a few diamonds and laying out a few blocks to see the effect.

Warwickshire/Worcestershire Fords

Set off early this morning to follow a Tulip map route Chris had collected from 2016. It took us one and half hours to reach the starting point outside a pub in the middle of nowhere!
The main attraction of this route were the many Fords to wade through, plus we had not travelled in this area before.

Armed with Tulip maps and Ordinance Survey maps!

This start of our Green Lane adventure is VERY green !
Need to keep the windows closed to stop the stinging nettles attacking me!

The first of many Fords looks a bit tame, cannot imagine it getting to the top of the height marker.

Chris stopped in the middle of this Ford to take a photo of the Pack bridge

Ah this one looks better... splish splash

For the sake of a photo I get out and walk across the footpath bridge

Gentle approach until you know how deep it is.

At this point I realised the walkway went off into a field and there did not look like a way to get back to the car!

Will I see you again?
A short walk through a field and a gate let me back onto the lane and rescue.

Lots of these signs everywhere

Even though there is a foot bridge I'm not getting out again to get lost in the brambles.

Looks like a couple of streams meet at this point

Another pretty bridge as we drive through the water

A really brilliant day out, sun was just bright enough but not too hot, the lanes were fun although some were extremely overgrown, Chris thought at one point he would have to get his saw out [always prepared] to get through the tangle of trees. We found a nice spot where only the birds could be heard to have our pack up lunch.

Seven hours after leaving home we arrived back for a  most welcome cuppa.

A walk in the sunshine

One of our favourite walks starts at Brampton Halt and is easy walking along the side of the heritage railway. There always seems to be something new to see and this time we were surprised at how much rolling stock seemed to be on the rails, some we had not seen before.

I know nothing about trains but liked this pretty blue one...

Funny how the steps soon count up when you are train spotting

Chris was impressed with this crane undergoing some restoration work.

Costco fun day

Here we are the last day of May, the time seems to be flying by.

This is half term week for my granddaughters and we were lucky enough to have them here for two days. Having taken them to Costco on a previous visit I asked if they would like to go again. They were so excited you would have thought I had given them a sweet shop!

Ipads were used to "shop" while we waited until it was time to leave, what fun choosing everything from a shed (£4500) for Grandad and a ring (£29000) for me. Then they added a sauna, Jacuzzi, 4.5kg of jellybeans ( dentist need afterwards) TV for about £2000, climbing frame, etc etc...

Eleanor decided she would just cross off the things on her list if she found them, thank goodness they would not fit in the trolley!

trying out the rocking, swivelling garden furniture

We decided to shop, I really did not need many things as I had been with a friend recently, and then eat at the cafe. The demonstrators were doing a roaring trade and Abigail and Chris tried everything, while Eleanor and I just went for a few tasters...

Eventually it was time to check out and go to the cafe, where we purchased four extremely large jacket potatoes, with cheese, chili and baked bean fillings and four drinks all for the pricely sum of £8.50.

Yummy lunch

Thank you Costco for all the fun we had, plus the bargains of course.

Green Lane trip starting in Helmdon

Yesterday was the only day this week we had time to go out and enjoy the Green Lanes [Byways], so we set off around 9am to travel to Helmdon in Northamptonshire.
The weather was perfect, dry and bright and not too hot.
Chris had chosen a route using Tulip maps, which I love to use. The version we use are B in the information below.

The name of this type of navigation comes from the Tulip Rally, which first used it in the 1950s.
Tulip, or ball and arrow instructions, are simple diagrams of the route junctions with the ball indicating where you come from and the arrow indicating where you are going to. Normally they are given in order.
Tulips may be orientated as on the map, or turned around so that the ball is always at the bottom, or most of the balls and arrows may be left off deliberately. 

The gap looks too small to get through, so Chris goes off to investigate

Hardly wide enough for a path, but we get through with a few more flakes of paint being rubbed off the Land Rover!
The other side of this was a small hump back bridge and a VERY muddy patch to be navigated through.

A really old Ramblers sign in the middle of nowhere!

Gates, gates and more gates on this route!

Everywhere looks so lush, I wonder how many shades of green there are?

Toilets are always a problem, but Canons Ashby owned by the National Trust comes to the rescue.
Only about 1/2 mile off our route we make a detour to use the facilities and have a drink sitting outside in the sunshine.

The gardens are looking magnificent at this time of year.

Back on the route we stop for our picnic lunch and I spot a row of these pretty flowers.
No idea what they are, the leaves look like clover.

2pm the final gate before heading for home.

Sewing with friends

Such has happened in the past few days, not that I am complaining, it is wonderful to have such a  full diary.
Saturday 19th was the Royal wedding of Harry and Megan, now the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, the sun shone and I am sure no one who saw the event did not have a smile on their face, it was just perfect and I watched every minute of it on TV. Even managed to do a little knitting.

Sunday Chris was a volunteer for the Race for Life at Corby, starting at 5.30am he helped setting up and rescuing anyone that needed it. A count of his steps pointed out he had walked further than the 10km racers! I had a lazy morning and church in the afternoon.

Tuesday four of us got together for a sewing day in the Happy Room, we all worked on different projects and I managed to complete a child's Peter Rabbit quilt that will be donated to a charity.
I also managed to make a cover for my new sewing machine from two UFO machine quilted blocks.
It was a very relaxed day spent with friends.

Love this EM design

Reverse of the sewing machine cover

A simple 6 fat quarter cut into 5inch squares child's quilt

Love the fabric

The same day Church were holding an evening auction to raise money for the youth camping trips. Items were donated and pledges of services offered. I donated a quilt and a day quilting in my Happy Room. Much to my amazement the quilt fetched 25 pounds and the day 50 pounds.
As I write the total money raised is over One Thousand pounds.

The ribbon quilt designed by my friend Christa, in the process of being made by me.
This was auctioned and raised 25 pounds

Yesterday was a Green Lane day... more on another post.

A few days in Norfolk

We decided to take a few days away in Norfolk and booked a chalet on the Sundowner Park.

The chalet is pretty basic but has all mod cons.

However the wind has been gale force, so outside pursuits have been rather limited.

We took a trip to the Blickling Estate, now owned by the National Trust to admire the grounds which are in full bloom at this time of year.

Shelter walking through the tree lined avenues was most welcome.

The view of the lake and house through this bluebell lined avenue was breathtaking.

Rhododendrons of every colour were in full bloom

The scent from this Rhododendron was amazing

Such beautiful colours

Colours clashing but melding together for this beautiful display

This view made me want to take up painting!

Chris and another beautiful rhododendron

Blickling House in all its splendour 

Another avenue of bluebells and rhododendrons 

Lunch at The Ship, Mundesley on our way back completed a really nice day out.

Guess I should mention while here in Norfolk I visited The Lost Sheep wool shop in Rollesby twice! Such a nice shop with friendly owner and great selection of yarn. Also visited a wool shop in Kings Street Gt Yarmouth again twice! Better on the inside than it looks from the road.

Pink Socks

Another pair of socks, this time in Pink, completed.
I used Knit Pro 2.5mm DPNs [double pointed needles] and Stylecraft 'Head Over Hills' 75% superwash wool 25% nylon. The colour is Olympus.

I try to match my socks and they started off pretty even in colour but for some reason the toes are different !

I have a number of new projects I want to work on so watch this space.

What a night!

Last night as we were watching reruns of Blue Bloods, one of our favourite TV series, there was an almighty bang, sounding as if someone had thrown a brick at the window!

Chris went out to investigate as we could see nothing thorough the window and there was a man on next doors roof  who preceded to jump down into their garden.
999 was called and soon three police cars arrived while Chris continued to talk to the dispatcher. Another neighbour had seen a man fall into our garden and jump on our Land Rover to reach the neighbours roof! That was the bang we heard.
Eventually six police and a dog handler surrounding the property and apprehending the man who turned our to be the nephew of the neighbour blind drunk!

Blue Bloods the police TV series seemed a bit tame after all this excitement and I’m glad there was no nurse here to take my blood pressure!

The new sewing machine

Having been on a workshop recently I decided I really needed a new lighter sewing machine to take to workshops. My choice must have needle up/down, a needle threader and a small range of different stitches. I decided on a Janome CXL 301, it looked like it had everything I needed and was within my price range of a maximum £350.

Now to find someone selling it on offer, or with extras [ maybe free delivery]... everywhere it seemed to be £319. While looking for something else on a local Market Place facebook group I came across the same machine I was looking for. The write up said it had only been taken out of the box once and was not used again, being a sceptic about such an advert I asked to go and see it. It was exactly as described without a mark on it. The person selling it did machine embroidery for a living and already had other machines so was not using it.

£220 and I have a new toy, and I love it.

Need to make a pretty cover for it

The seller threw in a walking foot and a load of other feet.
I will have great fun exploring what all the feet do.

ps. Anyone any ideas what I should spend the £100 I saved on? I'm thinking wool and fabric!!