Thursday was mostly...

Thursday was mostly like this, crisp icy air racing into our lungs. Eyes stung by snowflakes flying on the bracing breeze. 

 Thursday was mostly cold and wintery, the lanes were sporadically impassable, the dog was mostly giddy - like she used to be when she was younger.

 Our surroundings were mostly monochrome except for this part of the stone wall, where a weed seedhead left from last summer had been decorated with beads of snow.

Youngest began to roll snow, as the sky began to change colour.

Thursday was mostly wild, with dramatic clouds as if on icy fire. Huge jagged  monoliths towering above us.

Youngest seemed oblivious to the impressive display as he and the dog ran around. The lanky teenager still learning how to deal with his sudden growth and the elderly dog who'd temporarily had forgotten her aged bones.

Eldest, on the other hand seemed as captivated by the brooding display as was I.

We all agreed however that returning home would probably be the wisest idea. The added promise of mugs of tea and warm noses completed the plan.

We turned towards home, facing into the impending storm, feeling the icy wind on our faces.

Thursday was mostly a snowy day, at home with my boys and we entirely enjoyed it.

Dolly-tubs and Possers

Morning!

What a snowy-road-icy-cold-hands-frozen-toes-day it is today! Youngest was so hoping for what their school calls a 'Snow Day' where it is deemed unsafe to open and advises students to stay home. Unfortunately for him, school is 'business as usual!'

I on the other hand had today pre-booked off months ago so am at home with the fire and the cats, feeling a mixture of smug and sympathy for the boys.**

Firstly thank you (again) for your lovely comments recently - it still amazes me that you are out there and take the the time to comment. It makes my heart SkiPPiTy SkiP with happiness:)

I do try and reply to your comments, especially if a direct question has been asked. Today, I thought I'd reply as part of my posting.

My crafty Ta-Da with the posser brought up lots of queries and comments, so I will chat about that.

The posser is an old fashioned clothes washing tool used like a plunger. The clothes would be put into a 'dolly-tub' a ridged galvenised steel large bucket filled with soapy water on wash-days.  The posser was then pounded up and down to 'pummel' the washing clean.  Possers often have a concave base which helps with suction, lifting the washing before being 'possed' back down again.  The word 'poss' comes from the Middle Ages and means to pound or to beat.

I use our posser as a door stop - which is why I wanted to cover the wooden handle as we lift it several times through the day - mainly to allow a cat through... they deem it beneath themselves to push the door open.

** Thank you to my 'hand-model' - Youngest (with his feet on the footstool) and yes- today did turn into a 'Snow Day' I received urgent text messages from the boys saying their bus had become stranded, a truck had slipped across the road and everyone was walking back to the village.*sigh* He got his wish!

Simplex No1 copper Victorian posser, complete with dents and green paint from the now covered handle - love it!

The posser and dolly-tub photo comes from an image from the Museum of Welsh Life as does the next image of a Welsh Quarryman's wife doing the washing in a wooden dolly-tub and posser.

Well, it is still snowing - lighter now though and the traffic is picking its way down the hill very carefully. Most folk seem to have opted to walk rather than drive.  Anyhoo - have a lovely day today - whatever your weather!

xxxxx

Crafting Ta-da!

This one has been on my to do list for absolutely ages.

We'd been gifted an unwanted copper posser and it came with an essential but grotty wooden handle which we'd never really liked.  It was crying out for some sort of happy handle happening bit it was one of those crafting jobs that I just never got around to until last weekend.

 Before - wooden pole handle

A little crochet magic, a cone of cream carpet wool and lots of glue!

After - just a simple make over. 

Nothing special, 

but

*HaPpy me*

Crochet happiness - Ta-da!

Hi there! Before I waffle on I have to thank you all for your wonderful comments and emails about my estuary shawl - You made my heart skippity skip with happiness (and a weeniest-teenist bit of pride :)) but mostly happiness xxxxJ

***************

We went walking this weekend, it rained, a lot, I got wet and cold and wet. End of story.

**************

Now another ta da!

A week or two ago, Youngest needed some minor surgery on his toe and required a day at home with his foot up. To keep him busy I asked him to wind up some scrap wool from a previous project - a giant 'ball of wool' used as an advertisement for a wool festival we used to hold.  It kept him quiet for a couple of hours.

  I have to admit to being not only surprised how well he did but how he coped with the fact the yarn in places had been glued down as well as tacked to preventing it moving from it's wooden frame.
If you were wondering how much yarn he wound up for me - each one of those balls is approximately.......1kg (2.2lbs) heavy !

Still can't visualise how large they are (were)? That hook is my largest one and looks dwarfed.

See what I mean?

Anyhoo, now that I had these two enormous lumps of yarn and I felt that I had to make them into something...would be such a shame not to! Especially after all of Youngest's efforts so with a little bit of trawling around ravelry for inspiration - I decided to make a......Foot stool!!

 Is the size of a car tyre and weighs a tonne!

 Comfy for feet, comfy for cats, comfy for sitting.

Seems fitting that Youngest uses it the most :)

*happy smile*

I do have another Ta da! but that can wait for a day or two x 

Have a lovely and Happy Monday!

Estuary Shawl Ta-Da!♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

My laptop is working! (well in a fashion) and I am back and I have missed you so. I really love the blog-community that is out there - and I really really did miss you :) While I was 'away' with my poorly laptop, you still kindly commented and emailed me and kept in touch - thank you ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ I did manage to do a few emails during my lunch hour at work but it was not the same.  

I ordered  a new keyboard and when it arrived in the post I was delighted!  Himself very cleverly changed the board and put my laptop back together - it is still being temperamental but I can use it... might be time to buy a new one (said in a whisper so not to upset my existing laptop  shhhh)

Anyhoo on to happy things!♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

I have finally finished my estuary shawl and it has been blocked, with the help of Pepper who either lay on my blocking or helped hold it down while I pulled the blocking pins out.

 

 

It felt like I had to remove a billion pins before I could pick my shawl up. As I lifted and looked at it I could not speak for amazement and happiness and disbelief that I'd AcTuaLlY made this shawl and that it AcTuaLlY looked like it should!

Himself took photos for me - it was snowy and white outside and a perfect foil for the dark shades of blues -

 ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

I love the way the rivulets and the runnels have formed.

You can see why it was named Estuary - happy happy happy me.♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

 ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

 ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

 ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

 ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Did I mention happy?

No?

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Oh - ok, in case you didn't notice...

HaPpY HaPpY Me!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Nearly a Ta-da

Thank you so much for your kind comments about my  fairisle  bauble, I should have also thanked everyone who  voted for it on the Shetland Wool Week Facebook  page. In my excitement  I completely forgot. ...sorry! And  oh yes - thank you!

I am still  ever so slightly giddy about it :)

 Any hoo, still on a knitting theme, I have finally completed my estuary  shawl. At this very moment it is being blocked. At one point I had a little helper sitting on one corner and I was so worried she would pull out the pins that  I've had to lay out a cover - so far it has  worked.

I want to take photos tomorrow,  the weather's promising to be grotty so I'm not that hopeful.

My laptop is still not been well. Youngest, a week ago, was playing with a small ball, throwing for the cat and in his enthusiasm the ball flew out of his hand knocking a glass of water over my keyboard. ....cue an awful lot of cussing and leaping up to quickly disconnect my laptop. Now about a quarter of the keys don't work. In desperation I've hijacked  Himself 's tablet and have typed this one key at a time using a stylis ..... gah.

I have already started another project - photos and story to follow soon x