In which I discuss rain (briefly) knitting (a little more in detail), birthdays (to include baking) and #30DaysWild

Now, I am not one to get excited about the rain, but today I am happily making an exception as I watch the rain hammering down the window. After a rather dry winter and a gently warm and dry spring, the garden is a little parched. The water barrels have been completely emptied onto the potager keeping the veg seedlings alive. So to see the rain, steady wet stuff, makes me (and my garden) rather happy :)

In my last post, I shared a snippet of my current knitting and a smidgen of the book I was using .... Sorry J, should have imparted more detail! So, I shall reveal the finer points ..

The book I was gifted is called 'The Best Of Jane Austen Knits 27' (I have linked it to amazon but I have no affiliation nor am I paid in peanuts/wool or books by them). It is also on Ravelry HERE. The wool is DK 'Colour by Numbers' by John Arbon Textiles and has been in my stash for some years, I was lucky enough to find three whole hanks languishing at the bottom of a box. May be I should dive in head first more often!

It is a gentle rhythmic pattern with a ten row increase until the centre back, then the reversed gentle decrease. I am half way as I type and really want to get it done so I can start wearing it.

When we collect and drop of Eldest to uni, I have two hours each time of dedicated knitting time - they are the fastest two hours of the day.... I don't often decided to repeat a knit but I suspect I will with this one. May be the next one will have rich wintery colours or autumnal tints, oh, what a wonderful thought ... one for each season in the perfect seasonal colour. Yum.

Sunday was my mum's birthday and the sun was shining. It called for a picnic birthday tea in the garden. It was such a pleasant afternoon, sitting in the sun, drinking tea and eating various rather calarifically loaded goodies while watching the cats bounce on flies, flop over and sunbathe on the path, tramp through the potager with size 10 cat feet. We rather overdosed on chocolate cake, butter biscuits, scones and homemade fudge. I waved my waistline goodbye as it rapidly disappeared.... must go and find it again (but not just now!)

Youngest has been experimenting in the workshop and has been creating sparks (I try not worry, but I do a quick finger count each time he appears ... yes, still has 10 - phew)

It is still raining. Still steady earth soaking stuff. Good. The water table must be quite low, the rivers and reservoirs levels are down. 

A gentle reminder of this month's Scavenger Photo hunt, remember - only choose ten words and share with us your stories and pictures.

Then in June, I am part of #30DaysWild and will be posting a daily 'wild' themed story and photo. Our June Scavenger Photo hunt list will be similarly 'wild' but is only the usual ten words.  

I am not asking you to join in with the #30DaysWild, but do ask you to pop over and see what it is all about - you may even be inspired!

If you fancy seeing what sort of things 

I blogged during the previous two years

2015 - HERE

2016 - HERE

A letter to myself

When I was about 16 years old, many, many years ago, the day before we left our beloved home country for one further south, I spent the last evening with my best friend. We chatted and reminisced about our childhood days and wondered about the future. Then, when my friend went to refill our hot chocolate mugs, I picked up a scrap of paper and wrote a letter ... to myself.

I wrote how I felt, where I was, who I was with and what I hoped for, for the future. I then tucked it in my bag, the next day we emigrated. I left behind friends and family, left behind a boyfriend and pets. It was hard, I think harder on me now than it was then when the invincibility of youth carried me through.  I had that letter with me for many years until once again I changed countries as well as hemispheres and with moves and time, the letter disappeared.

 Fast forward a few years, I am now married, sharing a mortgage and Christmas decorations to take down.

As I was packing away the baubles and bells, I remembered my letter to myself and sat down and wrote another. It was a short note, listing what we were doing, what the cats were up to, where we lived and what I hoped for in the coming new year. I tucked the note in a box and hid it to the Christmas decorations box.

As the years passed, I wrote more letters and added cards made by the boys and special cards from special folk.

Today, as usual I wrote myself my annual letter and on a whim looked back at the others. I never re-read them, usually only glancing at the previous year's note. This time I looked back at all them.

I have (minus one or two) twenty letters to myself... twenty years of tidying away decorations, twenty years of thoughts and fears, twenty years of stories.

Plans for jobs found and jobs lost, moves, emigration, immigration and scraping enough money to buy a home.

Thoughts on the baby, the toddler, the second baby, the tweenies, the teenagers and now the young men that fill our lives. Tears for those that have died, both friends, family as well as pets.

Fears for the future, thoughts on the past and what is happening now, each year, as I write.

Each one has a mention of the weather - the snow, the rain, the stifling heat. Each one always says what Himself is doing - washing up, pottering around, walking the baby/riding bikes with the boys, packing away the tree.

I found myself reading them all - I never done that before .... I felt the hope and optimism, the worry and concerns, the pride and delight in the words that I wrote to myself.

And it made me realise that I need to get on with my 'grand plan' that I must not hesitate any longer. If I get anything from these letters from me, I get new strength, greater determination and a belief in 'm*y*s*e*l*f.

In me.

Watch this space!


#art  #hawthorn

Paperback Novel Trees and counting chrimbly numbers 18

In a small ex-industrial linear village, lined with stone terraces and squashed cottages, a little home pressed up against a shop opposite a local supermarket has the delightful view of a soulless tarred car-park. Quietly it has a very small and almost indiscernible house number at pavement level.

Paperback Novel Trees

You will need ...

Pages from a thrown away novel

Ruler

Hole punch

Wooden skewers

Small block or wood or wooden buttons

Drill (may not require)

Stars - sticky, button, hand drawn

Scissors
Extras - small vase or pots, ethically gathered moss 

1. Fold your page in half - but only pinch the top crease, try not to bend the remaining paper

2. Draw from the central top fold down to create a triangle. Some trees I made were very narrow tall triangles, others fatter and wider

3.Cut out the triangle, keep the off-cuts - they may be a good shape to make tall thin trees

4. Fold the triangle in a concertina pattern, starting from the base. Narrow folds give a nice zig-zag tree but see what you think

5. Punch a hole in the middle of your folds - you may have to do in several stages if you have a small hole punch

6. Thread your wooden skewer through the holes

7.  If you find the peak tends to tip over, which I did, you can lightly pierce the top triangle with the skewer point which works well to keep the tree upright

8.  Before you attach your tree to it's base, this is a good time to add your star to the top. I used a star shaped button and tied it to the top of the skewer. Equally a star sticker would work just as well

9. Insert your skewer tree trunks into the pre-drilled block of wood or in wooden buttons (I was lucky enough to be gifted some ages ago and never had a use for them - until now!) 

Ta-Da!

In my enthusiasm for making my Paperback Novel Trees, I ran out of bases, so I filled a little jar with moss and 'planted' three more trees :) 

If you have been inspired by my tutorial, 

please could you be so kind to link back to my blog

I would love to see your little trees :)

Linking with Julie's Advent

#hawthorn

#crafts  #christmascrafts  #handmadewithlove #handicraft #inspiredby #imadethis #livelovecraftme

Oranges, Lemons and Cloves and Chrimbly counting 16

16? ? ? - well I don't have one ... I thought I did, but no, I don't... So - oh well, let's get on with today's little crafting!!

Oranges, Lemons and Cloves 

For the scent of Christmas you will need...

Oranges (I added a lemon to sharpen the fragrance)

Cloves

A zesting tool

Skewer or kebab stick

Decorative bowl

Although a really easy and often done festive decoration, I have never actually made one before, so I thought that, in the spirit of all the crafting we have been doing, I would give it a try. I wish I had not waited so long, our lounge has gently filled with a heavenly scent -  a mixture of sharp citrus and rich and warming cloves - yum.

1. Using your zesting knife, scour groves along or around your orange

2. Press your cloves into the grooves, if the pith is thick, then gently use the skewer to pierce holes first 

Ta da!

3. How easy is that? 

Place your decorated oranges into a bowl. I added a couple of cones to help fill out the bowl and then left it in the lounge ... it does smell lovely there :)

Linking with Julie's Advent

If you have been inspired by my tutorial, 

please could you be so kind to link back to my blog

I would love to see your oranges and cloves :)

#crafts  #christmascrafts  #handmadewithlove #handicraft #inspiredby #imadethis #livelovecraftme

Handmade gift boxes and chrimbly counting number 15

Ribblehead Viaduct, a striking 24 arched overpass, is a Grade 11 listed structure. It is a huge sky lifting monument with an interesting history - it also happily supplied today's number - 15!

Handmade gift boxes

You will need ...

Coloured card

CD disc

Pencil

Pen

Ruler

Ribbons

Gift tags

Scissors
Special gift for that special person

1. In pencil, draw around the CD disc and place a dot at the centre point

2. With the ruler bisect your circle twice to give you four quarter shapes (left photo)

3. Using your CD, now draw a curved line through each quarter - see photo on right

4. Draw a second circle (see photo above) and repeat steps 1, 2 and 3

5. Change to a pen and score firmly the curved lines in both circles

6. Make sure that the score line makes a clean 'dent' in your card - you will be folding on these curves

7. Cut out the completed circle shapes as one unit

8. Carefully bending the outer parts of the circle towards the centre using the scored line as the crease

9. Go around both circles, and, where two curved lines meet - make sure you pinch the fold tightly

10. The most 'fiddly' folds are the two where the circles cross over, this does need extra but still gentle persuading

11. As the folds become more pronounced, begin to fold the two circles towards each other to create the little box

12 Ta- da! You have just make the cutest little gift box - go you!

You will find that the box will open up again but once sealed with a ribbon it stays closed beautifully!

All you now have to do is hide a special little gift inside for that equally special person :) Tie closed with the ribbon and add the gift tag all ready to put under the tree!

Linking with Julie's Advent

If you have been inspired by my tutorial, 

please could you be so kind to link back to my blog

I would love to see your little gift boxes :)

#crafts  #christmascrafts  #handmadewithlove #handicraft #inspiredby #imadethis #livelovecraftme

Twinkly wintery table decoration and chrimbly counting 13

Eldest has a friend who's birthday is in early November and he used to, when much younger, choose to have his party Halloween themed. This particular year, all the party guests came home with a rather rich chocolate cupcake. Eldest, having partaken in lots of party food already, generously donated to Youngest who didn't need to be asked twice and scoffed it in an instant!

Simple and Easy Twinkly and Wintery Table Decoration

You will need ...

Dried twisty twigs

Battery operated twinkly lights

Glass vase

Assorted smaller sized cones
Mug of your favourite warm drink

1. Select your twigs to suit the shape of your vase

2. Place two or three cones at the base

3. Start draping in your lights

4. Arrange your twigs and add to the vase then build up your layers of cones around the stems

5. As you go along add your lights around the cones - a bit fiddly and I admit to pulling it apart and starting again twice, none of your perfect 'this is how it is done' tutorial here! Nope, I did rearrange and rearrange until I was happy (but probably will tinker with it later!)

6. There! It certainly comes into it's own once it is darker but even during daylight I had the lights on and it added a certain little magic sparkle - perfect for a dull overcast day!

If you have been inspired by my tutorial, 

please could you be so kind to link back to my blog

I would love to see your twinkly table arrangement :)

Linking with Julie's Advent

#hawthorn

#crafts  #christmascrafts  #handmadewithlove #handicraft #inspiredby #imadethis #livelovecraftme 

Noughts and Crosses (Tic tac toe) and chrimbly countdown 12

A small aluminium tag studded into the tar. We did a little research and came up with a blank.   ?Is it something to do with testing the road surface quality.    ?Is it marking a boundary - we have no idea. But, it does mean, that today - the 12th December, I have my number!

Noughts and Crosses or Tic tac toe

Tic tac toe, tic tac toe,

Give me an X

Give me an O!!

You will need:

A selection of small rounded pebbles - a minimum of nine preferably 12 per game

Pens - light coloured for dark pebbles, dark for light ones

Pencil

Ruler

Scissors

Small jewellery box, gift box or tin

Coloured Card

1. Choose small fairly rounded similarly sized pebbles - we'd been for a dog walk and as we always do, we had to stop by the river for Moss to play. While she splashed and dashed and generally had fun, I collected a small clutch of pebbles.

2. Choose the nicest ones and on one side of the pebble - mark an X, allow your marking to dry before turning over

3. On the other side, write an O, again, allow to dry

4. Selecting your tin or box, measure the inside of the lid

5. Using the card you selected, cut out the shape required to fit snugly in the lid

6. Draw a grid onto your card

7. Glue the card and stick into the lid, allow to dry

8. The card box already had a sponge base however the tin did not, so I lined it with a layer of soft card - to reduce any rattle noise.

There you have it!  

A quick and easy gift to make,

ideal to take camping,

light enough to take on picnics or walks

or to leave in the car.

If you have never played Noughts and Crosses, here goes ...

It is a two player game, decide who will be Noughts or Crosses and who will go first.

Each player takes a turn to place their pebble onto the grid, the target is to line up three pebbles before the other player blocks. The first person to make a line is the winner!

Ta da! 

This should take you less than an hour to make (as long as you have already collected your pebbles), unless you get distracted by the dog needing a walk!

If you have been inspired by my tutorial, 

please could you be so kind to link back to my blog

I would love to see your tic tac toe, give me an X give me an O!:)

Linking with Julie's Advent

#hawthorn

#crafts  #christmascrafts  #handmadewithlove #handicraft #inspiredby #imadethis #livelovecraftme