I've been tagged.

It has been interesting these last few days since Jenny tagged me, trying to think of seven things about myself. Seven things isn't too hard, its the thought of trying to make it interesting.

Also the thought of sending the challenge on to others. Who to send the tag to? So many of the people I initially thought of have already been tagged............... and recently too!
I shall send emails to those I would like to tag and then come back to mention their names here, when they have agreed.

Seven things about me:

1. Well, I love cats, dogs too. I have two gorgeous felines - now aged eleven, they are loving and dear friends and companions. All my life I have been lucky enough to have been surrounded by really affectionate cats and dogs. My mother has a delightful photo of me in my pram, being chaparoned by Whiskey the cat and Kimmy, the dog. Both were black and white, great friends and took it in turns to guard me in my pram.

2. Music is another passion. I love playing music as well as listening. My tastes are decidedly eclectic - varying from Early Music (pre 1750) to Folk Music. I'm guided by my mood at the time of listening.

3. Textiles - I always have some projects on the go at the same time. or example at the moment I have the following projects: a knitted tunic, a shopping bag - the rebuild which has previously been mentioned, the black, red and white quilt and a japanese quilt which I have taken out of storage (it has been in a cupboard for over a year, waiting for something to be done to it.)

4. Family - need I say more? The support of my family (and friends) means such a lot to me.

5. Home - I love the area in which I live. We are lucky to have some wonderful areas to just go and have a walk or a cycle ride.

6. Podcasts - I love listening to these whenever I am working. I have learnt so much as a result of listening. Thanks to all podcasters out there.

7. Radio - I suppose this follows on from the podcasts. Though really I have always been a big fan of the radio. The podcasts have come along far more recently. My big favourites are BBC7 with its wide range of broadcasts stories and comedy shows, and Oneword - a broadcaster with a very similar range of programming.

Still here

Its been a while since the last posting - its been a busy, but not terribly creative time!


Firstly, this is a photograph of the Band Robin which I completed for my friend Ktj:



Its just arrived, I'm relieved to say. Its always a heart-stopping moment when a piece of work is passed on to Bob at the Post Office. He is very kind, but it is nerve-wracking especially when it usually takes around two weeks to get to the USA from here.
The next photo shows a detail of the section I did - its the lowest one on the photo. Here is a close-up.



The section above mine is the most enchanting design I've ever seen. Its based on a knot garden. This was stitched by Margaret.
I was blown away by Margaret's design when I received this. It took me some time to catch my breath and explore ideas. Luckily, the cherry blossom was just coming into flower in the gardens around my house..,. Hence the design. I kept it simple. The sketch below is the one I used for the Band Robin.






The other photos are ones I took as references. First, the flowers:



Now the bark:



I really love the texture of the bark, so used french knots and bullion knots to try to imitate this.
At present everything else is continuing quite slowly. I still have not finished the shopping bag. It is sitting next to me, the side seams are all stitched, with the bindings pinned. These need to be handstitched in place.
Why is it that I always prevaricate with the last bits of anything I work on? It seems to happen with everything I make. Whatever it is, it sits there for at least a couple of days before I get around to finishing off the last touches. How silly..........
Oh yes, the new piece of knitting is carrying on. I have ripped it back three times so far. I kept on misreading the instructions! Its been far too many years since I last knitted lace.

Making repairs - creatively.

Well, my cardigan got finished this week - Aggie is acting as the model here. The Rowan Tapestry yarn that I used is just so soft and comfortable to wear. The design is "Heath" by Sarah Hatton from the "Tapestry Collection" book.




Sadly, the weather is getting a little warm for wearing this just now, but it will be just right for a cooler evening. I can see myself sitting out in the garden, knitting............ Ooh yes!



This is the start of my new knitting project. I have already ripped this back twice when I got the lace design all scrambled. I resorted to underlining all the instructions I should be reading to make sure I wasn't following the wrong details. The yarn is Jaegar Trinity, which is really soft to knit with. The design is also from the Jaegar book, JB 25 which gives 15 designs by Martin Storey. As you might recall this started out originally as a cardigan.

The rebuilding of my shopping bag has been continuing too. Not sure what Coco is thinking here - probably wondering what these are doing next to her bed. (Well, it was her brother's sleeping place, but now she has claimed it for her own! She does let him share......... sometimes.)

Each of the four sides started off looking a bit like this - a mix of oddments of furnishing fabric and remnants of the jute from the original bag.

Then I added some lettering, first writing it out on some stitch and tear. Then pinning this over the top of some satiny upholstery fabric I found in the stash. Yes, my stash is embarrassing large.

Some free machine embroidery and tearing off the paper later and it turned out like this.

I enjoyed myself messing around with slogans. The 3Rs refer to the recycling mantra: reduce, reuse, recycle. The +1 just refers to my addition of the term "repair". Sometimes needed if you are going to reuse something..... I added the cats and Snoopy, just as a bit of fun. They had been intended for a handbag - but I can always go and get some more.......
A dangerous thought, venturing into my local yarn shop. I seriously doubt if I will be able to come out again with just the replacement motifs...........