French Knots

Snuggly Scarf

Thanks to My Little Helper for taking the photo

I think it was Chipper Nelly who posted the link to this simple  scarf. Just the right size for filling that little gap at the top of your coat and for keeping your neck nice and warm. I'd had a little trip over to Black Sheep where I had found some wonderful mustard coloured cashmerino, this was the perfect quickly hooked project to use it. Very satisfying trebling backwards and forwards, my wrist joints are painful at the moment so a speedy project is perfect. My ankle joints are pretty rubbish too but I don't need them for crochet!

Do pop over and have a look at The Compound Word Project, it started this week and you can play along by visiting and guessing what compound word each diptych represents. You can email Ali with your guesses at the end of the week and might even win a prize. You'll have no competition from me as I lack the gene for anagrams, puzzles and the like.

 

Thoughts

As she often does Ali wrote a thought provoking post the other day (thank you!) about blogging and how it has changed over the years, the feeling of community was certainly strong when I started 6 years ago next month (blimey, I wonder if anyone who read it then still reads it now, well beside me I mean!) and many of my favourite bloggers posted regular snippets about their lives, makes, crafts, knits, bakes and family. All of the common things that unite us across the blogsphere that we record together and for ourselves - the changing seasons,growing children, the ups and downs of life, the small inconsequential but vitally important moments,sharing ideas, recipes and how tos.

I think the growth of immediate social media has changed blogging and the growth of bloggers who are running their blogs as a platform for a business so are concerned about SEO,stats and sponsors. But I'm sure of the community of like minded individuals who enjoy the commonality of the everyday even if they are separated by thousands of miles.

Ali's post also reminded me about pleasure of sharing. I held an applique banner making workshop recently and when I brought out my suitcases of doilies, tray clothes and other vintage household goodies one of the ladies commented 'how can you share them?', but seeing their pleasure in choosing which of my little treasures they were going to combine to make their own treasured banner was lovely. I have more than I will ever use in my lifetime and want to see things used and enjoyed. Though of course as it was a work event the ladies had paid, but the pleasure of sharing something cared for with someone who would care for it too is, I think, the same regardless. That then set me thinking about sharing for free and the pleasure of creativity and it's benefits for the spirit so I am going to do some research about local charities and see if there is one in my local community that would have a use for my skills and treasures.

It is easy to slip out of the habit of posting and the longer the pause between posts the harder it feels to get underway again- the light is bad so I have no photos to share( for what use is a blog post without some pretty pictures too) I've been so busy my patchwork/knitting/crochet project hasn't been touched, the things going on in real life are not events I want to record - so it goes on in my head. But actually having my posts, my journal to look back on is a delight. And I want to be able to continue to look back in the future so I need to get on with it, just do it. So I shall! 

Gratuitous picture of the playdough flower The Baby Brother made for me, because unexpected gifts are always welcome.

Summer 2012

So Mr FK had his operation and was going to be laid up for 6 weeks recuperating and the children were off school for 6 weeks....humm...what to do....well of course the plan was to extend our holiday to Cornwall and spend the whole summer away! How exciting! The only teeny fly in the ointment was that as Mr FK had a cast on his leg he couldn't drive or more worringly couldn't tow our ginormous caravan! Argh! Stay at home or get over myself and learn to tow?? Of course the lure of the sea won hands down!

It was scary and stressful, remember your first driving lesson when you were whizzing along at breakneck speed and then noticed the speedo said 15 miles an hour? But we went on a short trip first for me to practise and build my confidence and Mr FK promised not to grip the seat tightly or make that 'sucking the air in through the teeth noise' while I was towing and we were off!

Todmorden,Cirencester, Cornwall, Modbury, Great Malvern then home, an amazing summer!

  

While we were in Todmorden we visited the amazing National Media Museum in Bradford, I revisited my childhood gazing at The Wombles  and Morph

While The Baby Brother was more impressed with Andy Pandy. We watched excerpts from the amazing Olympic Opening Ceremony on the huge, better than HD screen that they have there - which was rather better than the slightly fuzzy picture we'd watched on the caravan 'for watching films on really rainy days' portable TV.

Then down to Cirencester for a couple of nights where we swam in thair Open air pool, well not Mr FK, obviously, I hate our local pool so grotty and yukky but an open air pool would entice me to swim often

 

The drive to Cornwall was looong, I was relieved to get there and not have to worry about towing for a while. We had lots of rain, like everyone else in England this summer, but made the most of dry days and chilled out on the beach. The children all enjoyed bodyboarding and even The Baby Brother was super confident in the water. The Big Sister is a brilliant swimmer and spent hours in the waves

  

Being August in Cornwall of course the beaches were heaving but we manged to find a quiet spot most days by walking further along the beach to enjoy a bit of peace

Though we had to take it slowly so Mr FK could keep up!

 It was the snazziest cast ever! Rigid plastic with inflatable pannels inside to hold his foot in just the right position as it healed. He could also take it off for a little gentle walking and paddling to encourage the bone to regrow and I'm sure the wonderful Cornish sea water helped the healing process.

We visited Crantock Beach often as well as Holywell Bay and Porth Joke

Lovely sandy beaches, backed by sand dunes and just right for family lazing in the sunshine

We explored rock pools at Perranporth and found crabs, fish and shrimps, played beach cricket with friends and of course had plenty of delicious ice creams.

  

Padstow was pretty but heaving with people

 and we all enjoyed the National Maritime Museum, though the RAF pilot who was telling people about the helicopter perhaps regretted starting to explain sonar to my inquisitive 3 year old! We ate our pasties watching the goings on in the harbour and popped into Trago as we had heard it advertised so often on the local radio station 

I was very envious of these amazing camper vans, they look ready for a round the world adventure

Evenings were spent bbqing, playing with friends on the campsite, crocheting, leg resting  and cheering on Team GB in the Olympics

The children cajoled me into going on this with them - on my giddy aunt, I held on for grim death and closed my eyes, trying not to hyperventilate as the two bigs ones yelled with excitment and had a brilliant time!  I staggered off for a lie down with wobbly legs and they went on a few more times for good measure.

Three weeks passed quickly and then we hitched up and headed for Devon, to Modbury famous for banning the plastic bag in 2005.

  More lovely beaches found down windy lanes nestling between high banks

Dartmouth was lovely but so wet and misty that soon these colourful houses disappeared from view

 And Noss Mayo where Mr FK and My Little Helper enjoyed a game of chess in the pub, I longed for a little cottage clinging to the harbour wall and on the way back to the campsite we found some brilliant holiday treasure - deserving of a post of it's own soon!

Happily the rest, sea air and hi-tech cast had worked wonders on Mr FK's foot and he took over the towing on the way to Great Malvern where we met up with Grandpa and Grandma E in their camper van.

We visited the Cider Museum marvelling at the smocking and buying some rather delicious blackberry cider 

 

and enjoyed a trip on the river at Worcester

 Before taking our sunkissed, sandy selves back home. How strange to have a whole house after 6 weeks in a caravan, little familiar things welcomed us home and with fresh eyes I could see lots of changes I wanted to make too. Caravan life is simple and pared down, something I wanted to bring home with me to some degree so there has been some clutter clearing going on in the last week. But My Little Helper and The Big Sisters bedrooms are beyond even my post holiday enthusiasm!

Well

Thank you so much for your good wishes and positive thoughts.The operation went well, I madly crocheted away the waiting time in his room while it was going on and he came back morphined up and so quite funny. The wait for the biopsy results was endless but he became very good at sitting around with his cast on a stool watching rubbish on tv. Happily all is well, nothing nasty had eaten the bone away - there was a lump on the third metatarsal which had eroded the 4th and caused the problem. As the lovely surgeon chopped the lump off it is just a matter of the bone regrowing - sounds easy to me ;) 

Somehow the shadow of the stress and worry has taken a while to lift and I didn't feel as relived as I thought I should. Does that make any sense?

It's very different having Mr FK at home all the time though with crutches he's not able to do much. His kind colleagues sent him a model making kit which has been a perfect distraction while he waits for the bone to heal. Tiny little components to fit together, glue and paint - all good for keeping the hands busy while times passes.

Yes all is well.

Apart from my tonsillitis!

Waiting

Mr FK's foot trouble has continued and the worry has consumed me. I haven't really had anything to say, I love recording our lives here and as I've been blogging for 6 years enjoy seeing the pattern of the year repeated as the seasons come and go. But the last few months have been overshadowed and burbling on about days out or crochet just didn't  fit in.

His foot was in a cast for 7 weeks, the consultant didn't know why it hadn't healed and suggested physio over the summer then another appointment in September. His manner didn't inspire confidence so we decided to get a second opinion. Thanks goodness. After a CT scan, xray and MRI the new consultant referred us to a more specialised chap at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Birmingham (2 hours from home). As the new consultant specialises in tumors we had many sleepless night waiting for the appointment. The worry took over about 90% of my brain leaving only 10% for normal life. Plus the knot in my stomach that wouldn't go away either. The appointment reassured us, the specialist was knowledgeable and honest and told us to go for the holiday we had planned. He is doing a biopsy on Friday, an open bone biopsy the very thought of it makes my stomach lurch anew but at least we will know what the real problem has been since before Christmas. 

So we are waiting.

Lovely New Studio!

Would you like to come in for a cuppa and some cake? Bring your knitting.....

 This was Mr FKs man shed, full of tools and spiders, now it has been lined with t&g, freshly painted with a lovely wide board floor. That peely green door leads to the extension we built ( one snowy weekend in January!) and that now houses Mr FKs workshop. Isn't he kind! Not only vacating his workshop but also doing so much work every weekend and many evenings to get my new studio ready for the first class. Oh yes, did I mention he did it all with a broken foot!!

The swollen foot that caused so much suffering over Christmas turned out to be a broken bone - only took 3 months to diagnose! So he's now in a foot cast and we are hoping the bone is finally healing.

So I feel really lucky to have this as my workspace, sharing it with the lovely ladies who have been to one of my workshops so far and looking forward to being busy in there in the future. I've put together a range of new classes that I'm really looking forward to-  Spring Classes. Showing somebody how to do something you love is so rewarding, when they love it too it's just brilliant. No it's not life or death but I think the peace and healing that takes place when your mind is still and your hands are busy is important and so beneficial.

It looks great in these pictures but is even better when it's full of people chatting and making, with bits of fabric all over the place and the sewing machines whirring away!

So if you are passing my way call in, I'd love to see you! 

Ready for Spring

I have been fighting off the lurgy all week, sore throat, swollen glands, joints even more painful than usual - so far the lurgy seems to be winning! So I am ready for a bit of sunshine, a rise in temperature and return of vim and vigour, looking out of the window today it doesn't look likely so I'll settle for a bit longer in hibernation mode.

 I want to finish these socks, (which have moved on a bit since I took this picture during a long car journey the other week) as the heel has been turned and the foot is half way there. Luckily I only have small feet so they will soon be done. It's a few years since I knitted a pair of of socks and my eyes have certainly got older as the 2mm dpns seem more fiddly than they used to :)

If I get a move on I can have them finished and on my feet in time for the weekend, so even if the weather isn't Spring like I'll have a spring in my step from my pretty socks instead.

Happy weekend!

Exterminate!

You may have a cosy rug, a lovely lamp or some wonderful artwork in your sitting room ...............I have this 

I know you are wracked with envy!!  Mr FK had a phone call about a competition he had entered but when the chap who delivered the prize got this out of the (large!) van I started laughing somewhat hysterically. I mean who doesn't want a life sized gold Dalek in their home?? 

It keeps watching me when I'm on the laptop and I wouldn't be surprised if it swivelled it's head (oh yes, it moves!) and fixed me with it's eye thingie. It has wiring inside for the lights and Mr FK is planning a battery pack so it can be appreciated in all it's glory........!

Ebay you say......yes indeedy!

If anyone had a better present for Valentines I would love to hear about it :)

Suffolk Puffing

I seem to be in the grip of a passion for cutting fabric up then putting it back together! First it was patchwork hexagons and this last few weeks it's been suffolk puffs. I like playing with the different colours and patterns, arranging them to give a pleasing and cohesive effect.

This little fabric necklace has become a favourite to wear, it's made with some perfectly scrumptious fabric that I bought from Sal's Snippets when we were in Cornwall a couple of summers ago and I convinced the family we had to drive to Porthscatho to the Homespun Fair and they were rewarded with delicious cakes after I'd had a lovely mooch around the tempting stalls. I had been saving the fabric, as I do so many of my lovely fabrics, but then thought what am I actually saving them for? So much better to use them and enjoy them.

Then I had an idea for a little girl's birthday present

and mounted the finished puff arrangement on a hairband. The Baby Brother kindly modelled the hairband for me so I could judge where to stick the puffs but was not keen to have his picture taken wearing it - poor lad has to put up with so much!

Enjoy your chilly weekend, I'll be back next week with the first in a new series 'Meeting.......' a chance to be nosy and find out more about some of our favourite creative bloggers.

 

A busy few weeks

The last few weeks have been a mixed bag

* A bit of knitting

round and round on a circular needle to make a cosy cowl for me, just right for these frosty days

I used Monsoon from JC Brett, lovely colours but the dye came out onto my hands as I was knitting it. I've soaked the cowl in cold water and vinegar so am hoping I don't end up with a purple neck when I wear it.

 * Mr FK has been slowly regaining the use of his foot, after the third course of antibiotics he has been able to stop using the walking stick and the pain is much reduced too.

*Some wonderful workshops at the Studio with lovely ladies joining me for crochet, clothing alterations and repairs, patchwork and cushion making.

* A shocking conversation, someone slagging off my husband, an angry response from me,the after taste has stayed with me.

*Poorly children, a nasty sicky bug has laid low The Baby Brother and The Big Sister, hopefully My Little Helper has a strong constitution, I have my fingers crossed. Also hoping I don't get it.

* Planning nearly done for my new range of kits, very exciting!

*Oh yes, a bit more knitting

The lovely hat from More Last Minute Knitted Gifts sadly this is the only time he has agreed to wear it! Perhaps I should send it off to Craft Hope along with a few more handmade hats for their latest project.

*My second tutorial appearing in Popular Crafts and having the wonderful opportunity of writing and photographing some more. I love dreaming up the projects and of course any excuse for a list is a very good thing!

* Joining a local Wellness Programme run by the NHS, if we don't take care of ourselves we wont have the energy or health for everything we squeeze into our lives. Making new healthy habits and, of course, a list to keep me on track. 

So yes, a mixed bag but that's what life is isn't it - remember to notice the good things this weekend!