Projects and project bags... and Tuc!

Hello

I must start this post with an apology - it is crowded with photos of my latest project and latest project bag, because for me every project needs an inspiring, roomy, extremely portable project bag. 

Last week I very naughtily cast on a  new project - "naughtily" because I have far too many

 WIPs already. You should see the pile by my bed - I might take a photo soon 

and "own up". 

But one day last week I'd had a busy day out of the office and as I walked home from the train station I just happened to walk past my local yarn shop - how strange that my route 

home took me that way!

Anyway, I went in for a browse and suddenly decided I could knit my office colleague 

something for her baby girl due in September.

 I saw this cute pattern for a pinafore dress and cardigan. 

And I chose this gorgeous Sirdar baby bambino - it has a lovely sheen and great stitch 

definition, so definitely no mistakes allowed!

Now I do love a project bag for my knitting/cross stitch and have several cheap 

cotton tote bags - Primark is a good source of bags. 

But I'd seen the Penguin Books bags in Waterstones (I think they have been around 

a while) and fell in love with it, even though it wasn't particularly cheap. 

And once I'd married project and bag.....

well, I just loved the colour combination and couldn't stop taking photos of them.

I even found some old knitting needles in my collection with red ends - I loved them! 

It was a Bank Holiday weekend here, I took a day's annual leave and with the extra day off on Monday I had a loooong weekend and I made good progress.  

I love the label so much I still haven't removed it. 

Making good progress on the back....

...gorgeous yarn.

Oo, just another look at my new favourite project bag...

and finally a photo of our little, well in truth our "not-so-little" Tuc getting 

some exercise on the patio. 

He is soooo cute. Tuc has a hutch in the kitchen and he can see when we go outside

 and when we return with dandelion leaves 

(yes plenty of dandelion leaves in our garden!) 

he gives a big purr - just like he is saying thank you! 

Hope you had a great long weekend!

xXx

Resorting to using a teabag...

Hello, 

Our tea cosies are beginning to look a little sorry for themselves,

so I decided to knit a new one using one of my favourite yarns - Rowan Felted Tweed DK.  

I have chosen to knit said tea cosy using 3 colours,

but my goodness, this tea cosy is taking a loooong while to come together and the

fundamental problem is this....

As with us all, life is quite busy and so I most often knit when I sit down to have a cup of tea. 

Now I am a great lover of loose tea, nothing fancy mind you, just plain old loose PG Tips Tea 

(and no royalties received for giving PG Tips a little plug) 

and so my tea always comes from the teapot!

And therein lies the problem

I am making the pattern up as I go along and so when it comes to making sure the cosy fits,

the teapot is always full of hot tea just at that 

very moment when I want to try the cosy out for size. 

Not the best time to try a woolly jumper on a teapot!

As there is no way I can forfeit my cup of tea - such a sacrifice -

I've decided I'll just have to resort to a teabag in a mug for a while just so that I 

can this tea cosy finished. 

Oh, if only all life's problems were so easily sorted by resorting to the use of a tea bag!

xXx

A late evening walk...

up to the Outwoods....

We are heading up to a point about in the middle of the trees ahead

The light was fading fast here - my camera has compensated for the low light levels

Looking towards the power station and airport

Looking back towards town.

You can just see Venus to the left of the vapour trail

 It's rare for us to get to the woods and not enter through this gate but too late tonight....

The trees in this wood are some of the most beautiful I have seen
and particularly charming when it is dark.

 Admiring the view across the town and out towards the city....

wishing I could capture the birdsong on film!

A beautiful end to a working day!

xXx

One cowboy

Hello,

One cross stitched cowboy,

(sewn from a kit bought from Mouseloft many years ago)

now sewed up at last as a little hanging decoration for younger son. 

Boy, I lost count of how many times I sewed this and then unpicked it 

- the "stitched with love" ribbon still isn't straight but I think I'd given 

up by about the 5th attempt!

This has now been packed up and posted to Sheffield.

Elder son said he would like one now 

and guess what? 

I'm more than happy to oblige!

Happy crafting

xXx

Day tripping.....

... to Matlock

... by train

... providing time for some more mindless circular knitting of socks 

(still LOVING that cute, diddy  needle!)

 ... disembarking at quiet stations

.. climbing through pretty woods

... seeing sheep and thinking "yarn!"

... enjoying the colours of spring

... taking in distant views

... contemplating the sky above Bilberry Knoll

... marvelling at the stone mullions of a house built in 1633!

... thinking how much the chimneys remind us of rooks on a chess board!

... admiring neat allotments

... gasping at statuesque chimneys

... appreciating beautiful architecture

... salivating at scrambled eggs on toast

... wishing there was a band playing to complete this picture of the bandstand

... not being envious of canoeists on the chilly river

... enjoying more bluebells

... astonished at the cheekiness of this robin

... waiting for our transport home

... finding time for a few more stitches and, from the photo I'd taken on our outbound journey, noticing the progress I'd made so far today! 

All in the very agreeable company of eldest son!

I needed this day out. 

I am essentially an outdoor girl who hates routine, but unfortunately, since November I 

have been working in a job which entails sitting in an office, shared with just

 one other person, 4 days a week from roughly 8am until 4pm. 

This drives me stir-crazy and in truth, I'm not sure how much longer I can do it, so this day

 out in the open spaces, no routine, with lots of walking and even more laughter was sorely 

needed and a great restorative. 

Enjoy your weekend  - and here's hoping for even more sunny days 

(we have been so lucky here in the UK lately!)

xXx