industrious fern

Wristwarmers

2009-09-03T23:26:00.001+01:00

Wristwarmers, originally uploaded by ninethreeo.

Knitting A LOT of gloves and mittens recently, clearly I am nesting for Autumn - my favourite of all the seasons.

LOVING this new book: Knitting New Mittens and Gloves (an early birthday present) for when I'm not actually knitting

Jacket featured on The Creative JAR

2009-08-31T11:05:00.003+01:00

The Clothkits jacket I have up for sale was featured on The Creative JAR
She's put together some lovely themed galleries of Etsy items, so click over to see the delights.

Looking at the gallery she's put together shows me I need to up my game photography-wise. Must get on to that!

Down time

2009-08-30T15:36:00.002+01:00

Back at Mum's for a few days, and with an extra pair of hands and eyes to watch the kiddo, I get chance experiment with my phone camera when out for a walk.

My sister pointed me in the direction of some filter programmes, so I've been having a play around with them

Clearly, I don't know what I'm doing, but I am quite liking some of the effects.

I've also been to my usual second hand and vintage haunts, and my hubby really hit gold with a find yesterday. Photos coming soon!

Yarn Haul

2009-08-26T20:43:00.001+01:00

Yarn Haul, originally uploaded by ninethreeo.

I'd been planning to knit Pebble for a friend's baby. I wanted red. There's a reason, I'll go into that later.
Now earlier this year, this friend donated me some red yarn, and I had thought how sweet it would be to make it with that. Yarn that came from her in the first place.
It was almost DK, it looked like it would work. I swatched. It was almost OK. I went with it.
Two thirds of the way through it was obvious it wasn't working. And it's not really right to hope your friend's baby is born on the small side, is it?
I tried again, with yarn held double. He can grow into it, I thought. Not so great either. Newborns don't have a lot of need for armour, and this is exactly what it was turning out like.
Frogged. Again. Admit defeat and head to the shop.
Which is where I picked up the Patons Fairytale. ahem. There in the bottom right hand corner.

oh, that other stuff? I didn't need that. I'm considering it a reward for persistance.

Smith the Hedgehog

2009-08-22T18:55:00.001+01:00

Smith the Hedgehog, originally uploaded by ninethreeo.

Smith Finished!
Relax? or pick up another project?

Smith's bottom

2009-08-22T09:53:00.001+01:00

Smith's bottom, originally uploaded by ninethreeo.

Ysolda has released Whimsical Little knits 2.
Smith the Hedgehog is the second design released from the set, and just what I needed when I found myself needing a new project Thursday night. Great timing.
Pic is from my phone this morning, so not very clear but hopefully you can see this hedgehog's bottom here. I had plans for this but E claimed it when she found out what it was going to be. She's taking my word for it, because her 3 year old brain can't see a hedgehog here yet. She has offered to help me stuff it, which I will let her do, but she wants to stuff it with candy floss, which I won't let her do.
I hope to get him finished this weekend.
Links:
Smith Pattern Page on Ravelry
WLK2 page on Ravelry
WLK2 page on Ysolda's Site (if you're not on Rav)

Reclaimed Tray

2009-08-17T20:19:00.003+01:00

I found this old tray someone had thrown away

It's not a great photo, but hopefully you can see what I saw. Filthy, weird, but with some great potential, yes?

I stripped it down to it's component parts: wooden backing, glass front, dirty chrome and grubby bakelite. Each piece was cleaned according to it's needs and material.

The bakelite came up lovely:

I discarded that weird photo that was under the glass and rooted in my stash of stuff for something nice to replace it with, and found a lovely piece of thick, blue and silver paper.
Now look!

Problem is, now it's so clean and shiny it's hard to get a good picture without any reflections

Even with help on the photo shoot from my little one:

Here are a couple of close ups

I LOVE my new tray and I'm happy to have given it a new lease of life.

Progress on yesterday's soothing project continues, and I hope to get some more done tonight

Soothe

2009-08-16T21:58:00.002+01:00

This Sunday didn't start out as relaxing as a Sunday should be.

By 6 o'clock I was ready for a soothing project.

This was how it started, albeit a couple of days ago..

Spent a relaxing half an hour stripping the lavender. The tot and I dug our fingers in, it smelled heavenly!

And here's the next step:

And now for an evening of soothing, repetitive stitches. Next steps coming soon!

After a Break

2009-08-11T18:04:00.001+01:00

Meakin Poppy Mug, originally uploaded by ninethreeo.

Hello all, I've been on a bit of a summer break, I've had a bit of a sort out and have started adding some lovely vintage things to my Etsy shop:
http://fern.etsy.com

I love old things but I just have too many and it's time to let some things go. I'll be adding more things a few at a time so keep me bookmarked, I might just have that lovely thing you need to treat yourself! Whatever tickles your fancy: china, knick-knacks, vintage haberdashery, vintage craft magazines and books, clothing, housewares and sparklies, I probably have it and it'll be coming soon! Any questions about these items, or shipping, or any aspect of my Etsy shop feel free to drop me a line. I want you to be delighted with anything you buy from me because uniting a vintage item with a loving owner is what's important.

Hope you're all having a lovely summer!

Llandudno Pier

2009-06-26T19:54:00.001+01:00

A photoset from Llandudno Pier (including shots from the lovely sweetie shop there!)

A Week on Anglesey

2009-06-23T22:07:00.003+01:00

A Week on Anglesey, originally uploaded by ninethreeo.

1. Aberffraw beach, 2. Rhosneigr sunset, 3. Holiday Crocheting, 4. Ready for the beach!, 5. Aberffraw, 6. St Cwyfan's Church, the Church in the Sea, near Aberffraw, Anglesey, 7. St Cwyfan's Church, 8. St Cwyfan's Church, 9. St Cwyfan's Church, 10. St Cwyfan's Church, 11. Holiday Knitting, 12. Seagull on the Wire, 13. South Stack, Holyhead, 14. Rhosneigr beach, 15. Rhosneigr beach, 16. Amlwch, 17. Amlwch, 18. Amlwch, 19. Anglesey Model Village, 20. Anglesey Model Village, 21. Anglesey Model Village

Had a very relaxing week on Anglesey, knitting, crocheting, walking, eating, flying a kite.
and a little bit of thrifty shopping. Have some new treasures to post up soon!

Jewelled Door Curtain

2009-06-12T00:18:00.001+01:00

Jewelled Door Curtain, originally uploaded by ninethreeo.

Thrifted this jewelled door curtain for just 20pence. Needs a little work to detangle, but will hopefully keep the flies out when done!

Ships

2009-06-10T22:51:00.001+01:00

Ships, originally uploaded by ninethreeo.

Things have been a bit busy here. Will be back on track soon.
In the meantime, thrifted ships in my bathroom. Both from different jumble sales

Stay Tuned

2009-05-29T08:21:00.002+01:00

Having let the blog be a random scratchpad for a few months, it's time to become a bit more specific. I've been having a little think. What are the main things that interest me here? There seem to be three:

1) Vintage. I love old stuff. Old fabric feels better. Old china sounds nicer. Old stuff has a history you can feel in your hands. I'm addicted to seeking out new treasures and I'm going to share them with you here.

2) Repurposing and recycling. I've been trying wherever possible to buy/find/be given pre-owned stuff to make into new stuff I need. It's keeping stuff from landfill that still has some life in it, it means I don't need to have something else made, and hey! sometimes it saves me a bit of money (though weirdly, not always). I'll share some of my makes with you

3) Home made. I rarely buy new craft materials as I often find vintage notions and haberdashery on my treasure hunts (See 1), or deconstruct sweaters for yarn to knit with (see 2), but sometimes I use new supplies and these things fall into this third category. Like gardening. Or cooking. I'm definitely a learner at both, but I'll share my attempts with you here.

So, that's it. I'm trying to specify
Vintage. Repurposed. Homemade.

Please stay tuned!

Thrift Crazy

2009-05-24T21:06:00.005+01:00

At Mum's for the long bank holiday weekend I have been merrily thrifting away my hard earned wage packet.
Something about the car repair bill, boiler service and kitchen tap repair I've had to pay for this week makes me want to spend some on little pretties. Of course, this is retail therapy thrift-style, so really wasn't all that bad.
Here are some of this weekend's pretties. This might be veeery picture heavy. For the full extent of my thrifting madness this weekend, see my Flickr pics!

Pretty Wedgwood plate. The pink and blue look so pretty together.
Here's a close up of the motto

I think this might be pretty old, but I'm no expert on Wedgwood backstamps. Anyone know?

Meakin Celeste platters. Two of

Alfred Meakin Thistle plates. Three of. I love love love these

Losol Ware plate. Know nothing about this. Except I like it!

Sadler Roses teapot. I'm not kidding when I say I've really not spent all that much this weekend. I can't possibly reveal my sources, but this teapot was less than 30 pence.

Such a pretty shade of pink

Two pink and black chrysanthemum cups

Turquoise teardrop shaped bowl.

Looks like something from Nigella Lawson, but I think it's older than that. Here's the back:

Finally, I think my favourite find of the weekend. Sadler mug:

Beautiful!

J&G Meakin Blackberry side plate

2009-05-15T17:38:00.001+01:00

J&G Meakin Blackberry side plate, originally uploaded by ninethreeo.

Back to my love affair with J&G.
Last night's jumble sale turned up the following side plate, which I had to bring home to stay for a while with it's J&G Meakin siblings.
Such a pretty shape and design.

A bit on the side

2009-05-07T21:34:00.003+01:00

My love of J&G Meakin pottery is obvious the moment you step in the door of my house.

But...

Sometimes..

I'm very tempted by a little affair with their brother, Alfred...

Alfred Meakin tea set

Alfred Meakin Cactus side plate (and Battenburg!)

Tuesday Thrifty Finds

2009-05-05T19:58:00.002+01:00

Popped out on my lunchbreak for some recreational thrifting, and found these lovely buckle. Whole bag for a pound.

And just before I left, nearly overlooked: This cotton tape. One and a half reels for £1.

I have crafty plans for this...

Broccoli

2009-04-29T20:50:00.003+01:00

ahem.
hi there!

here's some of the purple sprouting broccoli that I grew in the garden

and here it is cooked, with just a little butter, lemon juice and black pepper

delicious!

Map of Australia Sock Hanger - a how to!

2009-02-07T22:31:00.000Z

You know those hanging dryers for socks and smalls? I went through three of the shop bought versions last year. They were always snapping and breaking and I resolved to try to make something more hardy. Or at least easier to mend. And less plastic-y

I had been scouring charity shops for an old picture frame for the top part, I was envisioning something chunky and gilt for laundry glamour. But then I saw this:

How fun! £1.55 from the hospice shop. A roll of string, a pack of clothes pegs and a dremel drill and I was ready to go to work. I cut the string off the back and marked evenly spaced holes with tippex

After I drilled holes in the board and the pegs, I threaded the string through one hole in the board and through the peg....

I tied a knot in the string.

I trimmed the knot, and tied another knot about 5-6inches in on the fancy side, this is for the board to rest on when it's hanging. Sorry about the quality of the next photo. I hope you can make out that knot.

On the flipside I measured the length I wanted the hanging string to be, then added another 5-6inches and cut the string.

I threaded this end through a point on the opposite side to the one I'd already done. (Australia is an irregular shape so I balanced the board on two fingertips to see where I should thread the string through. If you're using a regular shaped frame, go for directly opposite).
After threading, I tied a knot 5-6inches up from the end, on the picture side, then threaded the end through the peg, and again tied a knot near the end.

Again, sorry about these next few photos, it was getting late and the light was terrible. I hope you get the idea!

Repeat that process twice more, positioning the strings in a 6 point star shape. Tie a knot in all three strings to make a little loop

In the remaining holes, thread a string with a knot in the end. Thread through the frame, then through a peg, and tie another knot on the other end.

Wash a load of socks! You're done!

Snow!

2009-02-06T20:46:00.001Z

February_Snow, originally uploaded by ninethreeo.

Hello!
I'm so sorry I wasn't back on the 4th for the giveaway. Snow interrupted play.
Or rather, snow caused play. I've only made it to work one day this week. The rest of the time E and I have been at home, building snowmen, slipping over, and eating rice pudding. It's been lovely.

Thanks SO much for all the entries, how lovely. The random number generator at Random.org picked Lissa. Thank you Lissa! I'll email you.

Hope you're all staying warm and having fun!

Valentines Ring Giveaway

2009-01-30T09:15:00.004Z

Another ring! This time of my own design. I'm giving this away. Leave a comment below before Tues 3rd Feb, and I'll pick a winner on the 4th and hopefully get this to you before Valentines day. Wherever you are in the world

The ring is a crocheted heart, edged in gold blanket stitch, with a red bead sewn in

I cut a cardboard heart to size and blanket stitched the whole thing to that. Then glued on an adjustable ring back.

I'm still pretty new to making things, so I don't know how long-lasting a construction this is. But, hey, it's free, right?

It's perfect for wearing whilst you pen those love letters.....

PS. I tried to improve my photos this time. A tricky process involving my desk lamp and a piece of paper sellotaped to the desk. I really must read those photography books I got out of the library!

Cheap Thrills

2009-01-28T11:25:00.002Z

Crocheted Cocktail Ring, originally uploaded by ninethreeo.

The washing machine broke on Friday - £110 (which the lovely repair man assures us will keep it going for another 5 years, fingers crossed for that!). It should hopefully be back with us tonight.

The car went in for scheduled repairs on Monday, another £92.

So last night I glammed it up for no pence!

I was re-reading Craft:04 in the bath and saw the instructions for a crochet cocktail ring. Ingredients: thin elastic, beads and a small crochet hook. All things I had to hand already, so I settled down on the sofa and had made this within the half hour. I left off the last row of beads because I used larger pearly numbers and by the time I'd reached the second row of beads, it 'looked done'.

I know I should be holding a cocktail, that's a large glass of apple and blackcurrant squash. These are hard times after all!

PS. The beads were reclaimed from broken jewellery. So it really was cheap

PPS. My hands look awful! I've been handwashing clothes...

Memories of a Shellfish Masacare

2009-01-26T21:54:00.001Z

Memories of a Shellfish Masacare, originally uploaded by Paul Salkeld.

My latest favourite Flickr group!

http://www.flickr.com/groups/transportpatterns/pool/

Crayon Roll

2009-01-23T22:27:00.002Z

Crayon Roll, originally uploaded by ninethreeo.

E is 3 years old
Today I've thrown a party for 6 kids, there has been jelly, ice cream and balloons aplenty.
And party bags at home time.

These, (I finished something!) are the crayon rolls I made for the girls to take home. I've seen similar things around the crafty blogosphere, but in the end I worked this out myself based on what materials I had and the size of the crayons. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out.

Off to bed. Kids parties are tiring for grown ups too!

No Pictures!

2009-01-16T22:50:00.002Z

Two Quick Updates:

1.My laptop died. Properly died.

I think I've eyed up a suitable (and exciting!) replacement, but it might be a couple of weeks before it's actually mine. Stay tuned for THAT announcement.

In the meantime, I do have internet access using my work computer, but it's temperamental about letting me play with photos. Something to do with the fact that it really should be used for work purposes. Or something. Shocking.
I might be able to get photos uploaded another way in the meantime. I'm working on it.

2. I broke my 'not doing excessive overtime in 2009' rule. ha. See those New Year's Resolutions? Not doing so well. I've done loads of extra work this week and I'm completely exhausted. E has run rings around me today. But it's the weekend, and with the exception of a three years olds birthday party to attend tomorrow (!), I'm looking forward to a lie-in and some time to catch up with my sewing project. Fingers crossed.

Hope your weekend is restful and fun!

oh no, more shopping

2009-01-10T11:00:00.002Z

E and I walked into town yesterday, I had some Christmas vouchers to spend.

The walk takes about an hour, and we were meeting friends in two hours, so I detoured into the charity shops on the way.

I know there are issues to be addressed with the amount of stuff in this house. I know. But oh my friends, what would YOU do if you saw this for £1.50

As a little aside here, this is a plea to charity shop workers. PLEASE! No Sellotape! I know things have to be held together. May I respectfully suggest two rubber bands in cross shape. Many thanks for your time.

So many wonderful distractions in this box. And all with that thick card/vintage paper feel. I think it's from the seventies.

I was loving the graphics on the snakes and ladders board

A look at the booklet reveals it's even more wonderful than I originally thought. A snakes and ladders lesson in morals. Perfect.

Self Denial leads to the prize? Then, man, am I in trouble. Clearly self-denial is something I don't do

Tiddlywinks.

This got removed seconds later by E and Daddy who practiced in the living room, while I snapped the other goodies.

Wooden dominos and draughts sets (the boards pictured are double sided: draughts board and nine mens morris are on the reverse)

Word games

Bingo / Lotto

Ludo and Steeplechase

It also has the original die in the spears plastic cup. So, you'd have bought it, right?

Having fallen off the wagon, I also found this book

which I'm telling myself is for E, but... the colours! the inspiration! I love it

And this for me.

Line drawings of different flowers. Maybe good for embroidery?

And a Ladybird Little Red Riding Hood, with scary illustrations my little thrill-seeker will love when she's a bit older!

Some fairy tales are DARK! Hope she loves Andrew Lang Fairy Books as much as me

We got into town. Finally. I didn't spend my vouchers in the end, but I did buy these cute silicone muffin cases from habitat. A rare splash out treat for me, but silicone = reusable. So that's a good thing right?

OK then... back to the clearing out

Bless This House

2009-01-08T22:05:00.002Z

Bless This House tiny cup, originally uploaded by ninethreeo.

Today was the day of the first post-Christmas jumble sales. Starting with the one just up the road from me.
I told myself I wasn't going. I'm in the middle of a big clearout. I didn't need to go.
Start time came. Start time went.
"I'm not going", I said to S

I stood in the kitchen doorway

"All the good stuff will be gone by now anyway", I said

He looked at me.

"I'm going", I said. I grabbed my keys and left.

Although I was 20 minutes late, it was really quiet, hardly anyone there. I spent less than three pounds, but I got a nice lot of stuff. I'll try to take some pictures at the weekend in better light, until then, here's a shot of a tiny cup I found, just an inch tall.

Bless This House. And all the stuff in it.

Knitted Gloves

2009-01-07T19:35:00.002Z

Finally, I make something. Although it's a bit poor because it was originally intended as practice for the magic loop method of knitting, but it's made by me, and it's in use, so here it is.

I made this up as I went along, then decided it was going to be fingerless mittens, added an off-centre cable band, and knit til I ran out of yarn.

Don't look too close at the cabling, because I was practicing magic loop, not concentrating on the number of rows between cables. Or indeed, how many stitches I was cabling.

Despite their flaws, they are VERY cosy, and when the temperature plummeted here last night I wore them in bed!

With busy busy days (toddlers and day jobs) finding time for making stuff is scarce round here, but this was, *is*, my New Year's Resolution and so last night I managed nearly an hour on another project. Tricky stuff (for me). Sewing. On the machine. Hopefully back with some pics soon.

Tableau by E

2009-01-05T10:59:00.004Z

So after I failed to get out of early this morning (after the weekend's decluttering went on late into the night) and E played quietly in her room, I was relieved.

And later, delighted, when I went into her room after breakfast and found this:

On closer inspection she has found her sunloungers and chairs (vintage Fisher Price) and lined them up very carefully (manual dexterity!), organising the matryoshkas from large to small (sorting and grouping!) in a relaxed, reclining fashion

It really made my day!

A good start

2009-01-05T00:14:00.002Z

I am being so very very good.
This weekend I have donated 4 big bags and three pieces of furniture to the charity shop, and freecycle. There are two more boxes, and two more bags ready to go tomorrow. And a box of crafty stuff for E's nursery.

I'm still planning on gathering some stuff for another giveaway.

I'm tired. and also exhilirated for finally starting to shift some stuff.

Giveaway Winner

2009-01-03T15:00:00.000Z

I'm just taking the very briefest of pauses from a MAMMOTH craft room clear out (yay for me sticking to my resolutions) to randomly choose a winner for my giveaway.
Four entries! I know I'm only fledgling so I'm very pleased.

The winner, as chosen by Random.Org, is Kitschen Pink

But thanks to all for entering. I'm really culling in the craft room today so I might be back later with my SECOND giveaway. Hot on the heels. I'll try to sort out some nice stuff!

New Year's Day!

2009-01-01T18:58:00.002Z

Today we went to the Midland Railway Centre at Butterley for a New Year's Day Steam Train Ride

We took the 12.30

It was so so cold out so the steam looked fantastic, curling around the old train

We left Butterley Station on our round trip

E made a train-and-carriage of her own with the tickets

The inside of the train was wonderful

So was the view outside

Everything was so frosty and silvery, it looked magical mingling with the steam from the train

We stopped at Swanwick Junction, where they have a museum and other things to do

including Brittain Pit Farm:

(a farm built on the site of an old pit)

where they have rabbits, ducks, geese, and a goat in a coat

Then it was time to go back up the line to Butterley

Hope you had a wonderful first day of the year!

NYR!

2008-12-29T18:04:00.004Z

New Year's Resolutions. I love them, I really do.

Like Katy Carr, I make bushels of good resolutions all the time, (and never stick to them), so I love the idea of a clean slate a new year brings.

Here are my NYRs for 2009

There are two main ones. Very important. And I must stick to these:

1) Make a little time for myself for crafts and reading
This is pretty important. I feel like I've lurched through 2008 from house cleaning to work deadlines to toddler tantrums with rush hour traffic taking me from one to the next. It's been making me a bit crazy. I really need a little space and quiet in my head, and I really must make time for this next year

2) Tackle the Clutter
I guess I have to address this, especially as it's contributing to the stuff in no.1. I've had to think about how to sort it so I have a realistic chance of sticking to it. Am I going to stop thrifting and looking for treasures at jumble sales? No. I'm really not. Can I fit all of this stuff in my house? No. I really can't. What can I do? Keep seeking out treasures and bringing them home, but REGULARLY swap and change what I have on display and pass on those items which I no longer have space for. Look for a vintage treasures etsy store coming in the New Year!

Then there's a couple for icing on the cake.

1) Learn to use my digital camera.
I've already got some books from the library to demystify aperture and shutter speed. S says he thinks there's a tripod in the attic!
2)Learn to make balloon animals.
Erm, at our work Christmas do we all chose something we wanted to learn in 2009. C and I chose making balloon animals, so I guess I'll have to add this here too.

Happy New Year!

Christmas in Review

2008-12-29T17:55:00.005Z

Firstly, please go enter my giveaway, you have until 2nd Jan to enter!

So, Christmas is over and went too fast. Mum was sick, then E was sick, then Dad got it. E opened 3 presents on Christmas morning, then went to sleep. Dad opened 4, then was sick, then went to bed. I managed 1 story from Elizabeth Gaskell's Gothic Tales, and one and a half squares of my Christmas blanket. Then S got sick. Then we drove back on Saturday to traffic jams on the M6 and M1. It wasn't as calm as it could have been.

So, we're back home, and Santa was very good to me. Here's some of my goodies:

A watch with interchangeable ribbon straps

A great assortment of stationery, always one of my favourite things to receive

S got me these vintage Georgette Heyer. I'd been wanting to read some since I heard Mr Stephen Fry wax lyrical about his guilty pleasures. And I LOVE those covers

Amy Butler patterns from my sister, via Nerybeth Fabric and Crafts

On the craft front, I also got Sew Pretty Homestyle and Sew and Stow

S also found me a tin of vintage sewing bits: ribbons, threads, zips and binding, and a vintage green apron. He always does well finding me pre-loved treasures
Lastly, but by no means leastly... the textile section. Socks and pyjamas, always welcomed by me. Cupcake apron from the dear-departed Woolworths, and these fantastic fingerless mittens from Joules, which I am totally loving!
Hope Christmas has been good to you! See you in the New Year! With Resolutions!

A giveaway!

2008-12-24T15:22:00.005Z

My first giveaway!

This morning I bought some of the fine things Arran businesses have to offer. Many do mail order, so that fact that you might not currently be on this fine island shouldn't stop you from partaking.

We bought chocolates from James of Arran, a selection of cheeses from The Island Cheese Co, and goodies from Arran Aromatics, including a bottle of their Soft Cinnamon perfume from their Parfumeur range.

I also bought these travel size bottles of Waterbabe Shampoo and Body Wash, Waterbabe Hydrating Body Cream and Earthwise Grapefruit and Cardamom Body Toner, and these are up for giveaway. I'm happy to post to anywhere on earth that Royal Mail will allow, all you need to do is leave a comment below and I'll pick one name on the 2nd Jan.

Merry Christmas!

PS, Arran also makes beer, whisky, mustard and preserves. All sorts of good stuff. You really should visit.

Corrie

2008-12-24T14:40:00.004Z

Seals resting on the rocks. How do they get up there?

and this guy practicising his yoga positions

Corrie harbour

More photos in my Flickr set here

On Brodick Beach

2008-12-23T21:19:00.003Z

As is often the case when you've been working very hard and then you stop, a couple of members of the household came down with something icky this morning, so much of the day was spent in pyjamas.But we needed to get out before dark because the dog wanted a run. Which he got. Can you spot him in this next picture?

Once that burst of greyhound energy is spent, there's time for a sniff...

And there's lots for the toddler to see too, when equipped with these winter-time beach necessities..

I think if you dropped me blindfolded on to Arran, I'd know where I was the instant I took that first lungful of air

Good to be back
When we got in from our walk, we sat on the sofa for a cuppa. E fell asleep in six seconds. Not kidding.

Which gave her a renewed energy for decorating some Christmas biscuits.

Good Morning Arran!

2008-12-22T20:37:00.001Z

Nice to wake up and inhale that air and have nothing to do all week.
Nothing except make the house festive
and cosy...

and make some progress on Christmas knitting.....

(and yes! we have internet access!)

Leaving...very soon!

2008-12-20T10:17:00.002Z

CalMac Arran ferry, originally uploaded by ninethreeo.

In a couple of hours, we're starting our journey (via one stopover) up the country to the Isle of Arran. I haven't started packing yet, but as soon as this cup of tea is finished I'm going to start gathering presents, clothes (including something nice for a cocktail party), favourite toys, knitting and books from various parts of the house and trying to squash them into as few bags as possible.

With books in mind, I was forward thinking enough to ask Sarah for some Christmas reading suggestions , but not forward thinking enough to leave myself time to source them.
E and I went to the library late yesterday afternoon, when I was sure the bout of poorly had passed. They had a performance of a finger puppet pantomime, which E was bemused by for the most part, although she liked the songs and the shouting. Afterwards the librarian let the children choose wrapped presents from a sack which turned out to be Christmas themed books. E got "Reindeer Games", a book all about Reindeer's favourite things at Christmas, most of which are my favourite things at Christmas too.

After THAT, I had to quickly look for something Christmassy for me to read, Tricky. None of Sarah's recommendations were there. The computers were down so I couldn't do any keyword searches. I ended up at the Classics section and the only thing remotely appropriate was Elizabeth Gaskell's "Gothic Tales", and that's if you're going for the tradition of telling spooky stories on Christmas Eve.

This morning I remembered that I have a fantastic example of the spooky stories on Christmas Eve genre. A beautiful, old first edition of Jerome K Jerome's "Told After Supper".

I shall pack it very carefully and not squash it in with the knitting or the toys.

So, my tea is finished. Have to get moving. I'm not sure whether I have the time or ability to post from Arran (google "wireless hot spot Arran" gets you the 'Internet Cafe and Wireless Hot Spot' section of Arran's online paper and the message "Unfortunately, there are currently no entries in this section") so, until next time:

Merry Christmas
Hope you have a peaceful and festive time

Shirley's Winter Wonderland

2008-12-19T19:34:00.002Z

Shirley's Winter Wonderland, originally uploaded by ninethreeo.

I finished work yesterday until the 6th January, and I woke up at 6am this
morning being sick.

Toddler E and I have been taking it easy this morning on the sofa under a
duvet. After watching The Muppets Christmas Carol, we got out some books for
a read, mostly Shirley Hughes today.

I LOVE Shirley Hughes. There's something so cosy and real about her words
and images. With the family theatre of bathtimes and bedtimes, trips to the
park and the shops, set against the backdrop of nature so evocatively
painted through the seasons, they remind me to appreciate the new things E
is learning everyday. And not just her numbers and letters, but the myriad
of things which occupy her mind.
As Shirley says of children in this article at The Times Online:
"They are learning more at this stage than at any other, grappling with
these big things: are my boots on the right feet? Can I safely put my
security blanket down? You have to tap into the way they feel about these
things."

There are the things E experiences everyday, the things she notices and
hasn't yet learned to take for granted, and through Shirley Hughes's books
they are captured in such beautiful detail: the cat on the wall on the way
to the park, the difference between day and night, the sound of falling
rain.
They remind me what it's like for E to be a small child, and they also remind me to appreciate these things too.

Over at the Penguin website she says this:
"I want children, however tiny they are, and wherever they live, to use their eyes, to look out and see that it's ravishingly beautiful out there."

I really knew nothing of what Ms Hughes looks like or about her personal life before reading these articles though, but I liked this, also from The Times:
"Appointed OBE in 1999 for services to children's literature, Shirley Hughes
at 78, tall and upright in elegant, home-sewn clothes, shows no sign of
slowing down"

Websites:
Penguin

The Times

Recommendations
The pic is of E reading Colours, from Shirley's nursery collection which also includes Noisy, Bathwater's Hot, All Shapes and Sizes, and When We Went to the Park. We have these as
individual books and also as a collection. The individual books are better because the illustrations are bigger and given the right amount of space. In the collection some are cropped.

E is nearly three and still really enjoys these books. She is getting Rhymes for Annie Rose for
Christmas

Thrifty Christmas Find

2008-12-17T22:45:00.001Z

Thrifty Christmas Find, originally uploaded by ninethreeo.

Happy happy with this batch of 40 vintage glass baubles found at the charity shop. There are two Santas and the bell really tinkles. £4 for the lot

Thankyou Mr Postgate

2008-12-16T23:11:00.001Z

Knitted Clanger, originally uploaded by ninethreeo.

For my own childhood memories of Ivor and Bagpuss.

From my daughter, nearly three, who loves the Bagpuss mice and is besotted with the Clangers ("more soup!"), and who is getting the Bagpuss/Clangers/Ivor box set for Christmas

From my husband, over 40, who shed a tear when he found out.

Thank you.

Winter at Rufford and a Lantern Walk at Sherwood Forest

2008-12-16T21:22:00.006Z

We headed back to the woods on Sunday for another festive day out. This time we reversed our destinations and went to Rufford in the daylight.

E got quickly into the swing of things by testing out the muddy puddles with her boots....

and hands when she thought I wasn't watching.

The woods were pretty...

The ducks were out enjoying the day

Then it was time to go! We had a lantern walk through Sherwood Forest at 4.30...

People had brought torches, and fairy lights of different colours.

The trees looked dramatic in full torch glare against the dark woods

And it really was pitch black in Sherwood Forest, away from roads and street lights and houses

Then to the restaurant to get warm again with a mince pie and a hot chocolate with loads of cream

Bugs, Berries and Pink Doggies

2008-12-13T15:57:00.002Z

Just a quick post, I'm coming down with some pre-Christmassy bug: I have that feeling behind my nose like my sinuses are insane. Do you know it? Like something is fizzing in your head?

I've been catching up on blog posts (other people's!) while sipping a warm mug of Bottle Green Spiced Berry. I have Olbas Oil on my tshirt. Anyway, I've just seen this lovely giveaway at Kitschen Pink, get on over there and leave a comment for entry, or link to it from your blog for two entries. Just like I just did!

Hopefully, we're off for another full day of woodland adventure tomorrow, though it 's been cold and raining all day today. I'm really hoping for better weather tomorrow, we're going on a lantern walk in the evening! Rain would not be welcome.

Tree Dressing at Sherwood Forest and Aurora at Rufford Park

2008-12-07T21:55:00.003Z

As E is currently fond of saying "I'm back!"

We took E to the Tree Dressing at Sherwood Forest. She made a spider-on-a-stick in the nature workshop. She met St Nicholas. She ran and ran in the woods. At 4 o'clock a man called Gordon ("but everyone calls me Toad") told us a very theatrical story about a storm in the woods. It got dark very quickly. E made wind noises and waved her spider vigorously on demand. Everything was going fine until we all had to shout for Santa to come and switch on the lights. Her lip trembled. She full-on bawled. She hates shouting.

She calmed down quickly for the switch on of the lights. The tree looked amazing covered in ribbons and flags made by children to celebrate nature. S took her back to the car for a picnic of warm pasta, while I got hot drinks from the cafe for us. Everyone had left. It was cold and very very dark and quiet.

After getting warm in the car with our coffee, hot chocolate and warm fusilli, we headed over to Rufford Park, to see their Aurora exhibition.
Around every corner was a stunning, dramatic light display set to atmospheric sounds.

E LOVED it, running through tunnels of light, and between trees.

S and I agreed it was the BEST £2 we've spent this month so far. Superb.

Walk in the Woods

2008-10-03T22:45:00.003+01:00

Walk in the Woods, originally uploaded by ninethreeo.

E and I went for a walk in the woods. E collecting pine cones and feathers
in her little pink bag.

Walk in the Woods, originally uploaded by ninethreeo.

Monday Stuff

2008-09-15T20:39:00.001+01:00

E was a little out of sorts this morning, having been a bit poorly yesterday (while I was out for the day). She picked at her lunch, had a good long sleep and then we went for a walk round the local shops.

I found this cute Puppet Theatre in one of our charity shops. £2.99
At the moment I'm probably more excited about this than she is, because I'm thinking about how fun it's going to be to make the puppets.

I'm sure she'll get into the whole thing when she's a bit bigger.

We popped into the local greengrocer and I let her choose what veg she wanted to eat for her tea, she chose courgette (as always), carrot and a parsnip. hmmm.
While I was there I noticed that the (japanese run) grocers was also selling treats. Look at these cute biscuits I found within a mile of my house! They're really yummy.

I cooked the carrot and parsnip together with a little honey and butter. She ate all her tea, then had a good run about all over the house, getting all her toy animals to 'play piano' on the table. I'd say she's back to normal.

Potting Shed, Calke Abbey

2008-09-14T22:07:00.002+01:00

Potting Shed, Calke Abbey, originally uploaded by jogafoto.

Yesterday while I was at Calke Abbey, trying to snap shots of the garden I met John, who was taking photos with infinitely more skill than me.
Although I didn't fully understand his explanation of how he was taking this photo, the results are fantastic.
Check out his other Calke Abbey photos at Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jogafoto/

John's website is here:
http://www.johngardnerphotography.com/

The NEC Knitting and Stitching Show

2008-09-14T21:09:00.004+01:00

Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef

It's nice of the NEC to stage the Knitting and Stitching show for me during my birthday week every year, means I can swing a day to myself, pockets jingling with birthday money.
That's where I've been today.

We started with the exhibits and showcases. Some yummy links here:
Caren Garfen
Linda Marie

We took part in Alfreda McHale's "Seeking Pearls", more details here

The large jar is mine, the smaller one is SJ's.
I wonder if Alfreda gets to empty out ALL the jars and re-sort them after each installation? Lucky lucky Alfreda!

At lunchtime I took Ruth MacGregor's "Silk and Spindle" workshop, which was fantastic. Unfortunately, I'm typing this too late to take a snap of my handiwork. My spinning....um.... needs work, I'll keep trying!
Ruth's website is here www.spinningforth.com. She's a wonderful patient teacher and a sweet person.

Ok, time for some retail therapy. I'd decided I wasn't going to buy any more yarn, but I really did want some wooden sock blockers (an upgrade to my current bent coathanger models).
I bought yarn and no sock blockers:

Jawoll Sock Yarn from ArtYarn
Some braiding kits from the Braid Society stall created by Shirley Berlin
A piece of soluble cross stitch canvas from DMC

and a tub of screen print ink. Not stitching related but something I have a plan for.

I think I was quite restrained. I still have pennies left. mmm. a trip to Lush?

Reading: Under the Skin - Michael Faber

2008-09-14T20:18:00.002+01:00

I finished this at 2.30 last night. I really needed to see how on earth he was going to end it.
It begins with a lone female motorist looking for a hitcher on a Scottish road. Not just any hitcher, male and muscular. Nothing else would do.
I can't really say much more about this book, I can't even say what genre it is. The above was as much as I knew when I started reading it, and I think the 'not knowing' was a bit part of the enjoyment of this novel.
Unfortunately, that makes this a bit of a non-review, but you'll just have to get hold of a copy to see what I mean

Calke Abbey

2008-09-13T22:59:00.006+01:00

We had an afternoon out at Calke Abbey today. The gardens were amazing:

and particularly Autumn-harvesty
Check out the gourds!

I loved the potting shed

S and E had already gone back to find the tea shop at this point, so I leant on the sofa and watched the deer...

More thrifted stuff

2008-09-12T21:03:00.001+01:00

I've been on a spree this week, another jumble sale and a quick trip out to a charity shop on my lunchbreak.

Here's the charity shop finds:
J&G Meakin Glamour jug. This is the Celeste colour I mentioned in a previous post. I'm collecting the dinner service in this colour, but I do have some small desert bowls and I figured I could use this for cream. In any case it was 50p so I couldn't really pass it up

And this lovely green glass jar. I though I might use it to store some threads.

I filled it with a few I got from one of last week's sales which hadn't yet made it to my crafting space:

Then, the Thursday night jumble sale delivered this. It's a set of 6 Brexton cups, saucers and plates. I'm pretty sure these are from a 1950s or 1960s picnic set. I got them because I have a red Sirram picnic suitcase with an incomplete set of china and these will fit just fine.
The set isn't without it's flaws, the pattern is scuffed in a few places and there are firing mistakes on some, but this is for picnicing outside and I'll feel less worried about them getting damaged if they're not perfect to begin with. Whole set for £1

One from last week,

....Star shaped brooch.

There's probably more to come, there are a few bits scattered about the house waiting to be cleaned

Athens

2008-09-08T22:41:00.000+01:00

This is another of the things I found at Friday's Jumble. A large piece of fabric. The selvedge reads "A Francis Price Screen Print" and "Athens"
No idea what I'm going to make from this, any ideas?

Pinwheel Cardigan

2008-09-07T20:19:00.002+01:00

This has been sitting around since forever waiting to be blocked. Pattern here. This morning I popped out for a plug for the 'new' Kenwood and whilst in Wilko's I saw these childrens puzzle playmats - kind of a thick foamy plastic construction - perfect for blocking knits.
This evening I finally managed to get it pinned down. Of course I still have those ends to weave in....

PS. The Kenwood works a treat. Just need to hunt down a balloon whisk now...

Jumbling - part 2

2008-09-06T20:56:00.000+01:00

Today's Jumble Sale pretty much sucked. We've been to this one before and it was terrible then too, so I'm crossing it off the list for next time.
I'd been geared up for some hands-free rummaging (S was around to distract E), and to be let down is a terrible thing, so we headed to a nearby suburb to check the charity shops.
A great find: A cake stand from the J&G Meakin Glamour range, in Rosa (the pink one). I'm collecting Rosa (for a tea service) and Celeste (the blue one, for a dinner service) though I'm far away from anything like a complete set. Finds are rare (and pricey) on eBay so I was delighted to score this. It's been put away with my other Rosa treasures so I haven't got a photo. I'll try to take one in daylight with the other items I have.

Jumbling - part 1

2008-09-05T20:28:00.003+01:00

Today E and I went to the first of this weekends jumble sales. A great one, lots of tables. First E found a tray with a big picture of Santa on and a little Christmas snowman, she has a good eye for a two year old and we snap up the cute Christmas stuff regardless of month.
Then on the bric a brac stall we found this:

Kenwood Chef A701. With K beater and dough hook. £3. Over to the toy stall. E could wait no longer. She rummaged through the plastic boxes of bits and pieces under the table (her favourite bit, they're right at her level) and I spotted this on the table:

I've been wanting a vintage tiny tears for her, just like I had. I actually saw one in the window of an Edinburgh charity shop but by the time I got there it had gone. So pleased to find this - £1!! I have plenty of old knitting patterns for tiny tears clothing, so it'll be great to dig those out.

(Sunday night update - dolly has had a bath this evening. Hair washed with baby shampoo and vinyl body cleaned with baby lotion and soap-n-water. She's had her hair brushed and is sitting next to me drying out)

Next up, the book stall.
First I have to confess a weakness for vintage cookery books. Gaudy and/or weird preferably. I rarely use these to actually cook from, more for eye candy. Here's what I scored:
The Penguin Salad Book

A lovely penguin example, they had others, including Cooking in a Bedsitter. I tried to show some restraint and not bring them all home.

The Daily Mail book of Party Time Cookery:

Superb photographs:

And, of my goodness, how could I leave this behind? Cooking with bananas. A Geest publication

Mostly puddings and desserts, but some recipes which appeared to just put bananas on a plate with other stuff and call it a meal. Check out that photo bottom right: chicken, peas, sweetcorn... and bananas

More book finds: Home Making by Julia Cairns

Mostly black and white text and photos, but the colour pages are amazing:

Furniture styles:

Chrysanthemum Room

Advice for the home maker:

The text reads:

"This close up picture of a modern table in light oak emphasises the practical rise of the popular larger place-mat. It is of a size which accommodates all required cutlery and silver, and partly takes the smaller bread-plate too. The Copenhagen dinner set is in soft celadon green, and is quietly decorated with a floral motif in the centre. Modern ladder-back chairs, cane seated, and available with and without arms, are a wise choice for the small dining room of today"

A few finds for E too, including this Colours book by Jan Pienkowski. A little scuffed but delightful

She loves Meg and Mog, and although she already knows her colours now (we're currently getting a running commentary on the properties of everything) this is a lovely find. It's odd because it has no bar code, or publication details. I guess it's based on this but this one isn't 32 pages long.

There are a couple of free online books by Jan Pienkowski on his website. E and I just read Farm before her bath

Reading: James Ellroy - The Cold Six Thousand

2008-09-02T20:41:00.003+01:00

Reading: James Ellroy - The Cold Six Thousand, originally uploaded by ninethreeo.

I used to read a lot. I kept a notebook listing everything I read and
a rating out of five. It abruptly stops January 2006 - when my
daughter was born. Suddenly not so much time for books.
There's one other entry since then: Truman Capote's In Cold Blood
which took me a RIDICULOUSLY long time to read. And now I'm reading
James Ellroy - The Cold Six Thousand.
I would probably never in a million years have picked this up in a
library or bookshop, but I actually won it in a competition. It sat
around on my shelf for a long time (I find it hard to part with books)
until a couple of weeks ago when I suddenly found myself with the time
and inclination to read again.
A two-year break can cleanse the palette and I found myself quite open
to trying something new bookwise.
I'm actually REALLY enjoying this. I'm halfway through. I love the
fast pace, the slang and the short sharp sentences. It fits perfectly
my current reading abilities: reading in snatched moments, a page here
and there while she drinks her milk in the morning, while I wait for
the vegetables to boil, while my computer boots up at work.
And even though it's a chunk of a book, I'm getting through it much
quicker than my last read (sorry Truman)

I found this Tuesday Teasers at A library
is a hospital for the mind... and played along. With a little trepidation at what this book might serve up.

The rules:
1. Grab your current read.
2. Let the book fall open to a random page.
3. List the book Title and author.
4. Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.

I got:

The Cold Six Thousand James Ellroy (page 242)

"Sonny Tufts. What's the story on him?"
"He bites showgirls on the thighs. The girls get rabies shots when
they hear he's in town."

That's better than it could have been!

Can anyone recommend any other fast-paced reads?

2008-08-28T20:03:00.010+01:00

I've not had time to get much done this week as I've been doing extra hours at work. In the few minutes I get after getting in and before going to bed, I've been working on this:

Little Star Afghan, originally uploaded by ninethreeo.

I started this shortly after E was born, it's made from what WAS a thrifted acrylic stripy jumper, which I washed, unpicked and unravelled. It was pretty handy for a small baby, you could throw it in the wash when she spit up on it (often).
Here's a picture of her on it, a couple of years ago.

Then, about a year ago, I found another instance of the exact same jumper, so that too got unpicked and unravelled and I picked up the hook again.
I've been trying to go through some of my MANY unfinished projects (I start way too many things at one) and actually finish some of them.
This particular blanket will be finished when this:

is used up

First harvest 2008, originally uploaded by ninethreeo.

A pic from a couple of days ago. Our first proper 'harvest'. Up until now we've just had a couple of sungold tomatoes every few days. We had the courgette with tea that night, the plums for dessert and on porridge the next morning, the tomatoes barely made it into the house. E loves those little tomatoes.

Colleen told me to....

2008-08-27T11:53:00.001+01:00

So here we are
I'm Sarah
I like to knit, and find vintage treasures in charity shops(thrifting), I can't resist vintage haberdashery and I bring way too much stuff into the house. I'm trying to learn to sew. I just started vegetable gardening this year. I sometimes make ice cream, I'd like to find time to cook more, but my day job and my toddler keep me busy.

So here's a few recent things:
Little zipper purse I made for my sister's birthday.

Earrings for same:

Socks with leftover chunky yarn. Wanted to try the two-socks-at-a-time-on-circulars thing.

Didn't know how it was going to turn out, but just swatched, measured and set off and the result is actually wearable!

Now just need to find time to keep posting...
Thanks Colleen!
http://www.freshblogtips.com/2008/08/fear-schmear-si.html