Happy 2008!At last we are back online - only been three weeks but it felt worse. Spent part of yesterday bringing the Border Tart into 2008 though I realise I have not photographed my finished kantha bags so that I can get them into the shop too.
My little still life on the windowsill has gourds grown by Tricia plus tamarillos she brought for me - grown in Berwickshire by Lady Swinton, no less, mother of actress Tilda Swinton.
(Many years ago I remember Tilda's brother coming round to play with my little brother and my mother making biscuits for them - they ate them ALL so she made more for him to take home ---aaahhh!) .
In the big glass jar is a wonderful temari ball made by the talented PG. They are all resting on a handwoven striped mat which I picked up at the flea/antiques fair held in Kelso last weekend
The next WOOLGATHERING is on February 3rd - The theme is NEW so any yarn/tip/stitch/ project that's new to you, bring it along and spread the word! I am sure we should manage to rustle up a bit to swap/sell/share too - I have had another clear out so I can promise a weird collection of bits that you really NEED!
Details - Sunday 3rd February at Southdean Village Hall in Chesters
from 10.30am to 3.30pm - coffee and cake always on the go
but bring your lunch and £5 towards the cost of the hall hire
I have been working on a few things for the house - mainly pillows/cushions as our lovely new kitchen table is built for giants.... each chair needs a cushion or two. We have a rather eclectic collection now, created from scraps and saved bits and pieces. Two of the cushions are from dishtowels too pretty to use for that purpose, one is from a pair of Hugh' cast off combat trousers...you get the idea. The lovely cockerel dishtowel was a present from a kind friend this Christmas. The ones below that are for the living room - the right hand one is made from bits of blanket, felted stripey socks which bit the dust and a couple of pieces of samples that I wove at college a hundred years ago. The left one is from the wee fabric remnants that I bought at Hinnigan's in Selkirk in December. The tamarillos make another guest appearance...
Sock knitting in progress but this is the best I can manage - strictly two needles and titchy size only. I made five pairs and sold them in little boxes at the Christmas Fayre. I still had a few ends of balls left, thanks to Janice, so I've been knitting and TV viewing or, better still, listening to some of the books on CD which Hugh gave me. Imagine, in this stylish tin there are 45 CDs, covering 10 classics. So far I have listened to the six which make up Pride and Prejudice but there's everything from Great Expectations to Middlemarch and Frankenstein to look forward to. I mean, yeah, I'd love to read them for myself but realistically having a good actor read them to me means I can be doing something and 'reading'.
The shop has been updated with the completed baby socks and my kantha bags so do drop by for a closer look sometime. Here's a heffalump one gracing one of my treasures - the little rush seated Arts and Crafts type chair with the wavy back which was my great aunt's.
