Thursday, March 17, 2016

When You're On A Roll

Hi Dear Folk,

I just love this little crochet pattern.  I haven't blocked them but I'm not going to because they curl around the neck just right and with a pin to hold them in place, snug and secure.


This of course you have seen before, my alpaca yarn from New York State and the colour I call Heather and Broom.  I've decided to take it on my trip with me, I have a Heather coloured velvet cloche which matches it quite well.


Here is another scarf I made for a friend and with a special pin.  The yarn is wool, mohair and non natural yarns.  I lovvve this yarn it is sooo soft.  I have been on a quest to find long pins and have done pretty well.  Perfect one for Candyce above.


Have you seen these great big ball of yarns at Jo-Ann?  Just right for a scarf or cowl, I bought one for my sister in grays, as you can see it has all different textured yarns in one ball.  See the two pins on the right side the bottom one is for my scarf, top one auntie Joan's.


So now I'm on a roll with these little scarfs.


One for aunt Joan with a pin.


The pin is for sister BB, she loves cats.


One for cousin Esther with a pin.

So you get the idea I really have been on a roll and I don't think I'm finished yet because I want to look for some special yarns in UK.  So I'll throw this out there I will be in the Cambridge area any yarn shop suggestions?  Also Colchester, Halstead and Harlow.  Maybe I'll find something really exciting in Amsterdam.

We will see, take care, I think this may be my last post before crossing The Pond.

Christy


Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Holding Pattern

Hi Dear Folk,

Time is flying five days before I leave, so I thought I would show you the last two weeks at home and clean out my camera card.

Remember I promised myself some daffodils for this vase, well here they are three bunches from Trader Joe's and all from the UK.



And since I'm making a trip to Amsterdam, I could not resist this plate at the thrift.  I love blues, although a couple of weeks I stepped out of the zone and splurged on a Johnson Bros Heritage Hall in brown, a dinner service, I just love it, but more on that another time.




A lovely quiet Saturday morning, poached egg on toast, coffee and reading.


Mr. B. put up two of the remaining pictures that are closest to the corner both Gozzard prints.


Snowdrops from the front garden.


Just the past weekend I picked these out of the garden.  I have a little collection of vases which I keep handy this style reminds me of the south-west, and since I haven't used it before put it out with my daffodils in.  Not sure it was the best fit for them, but it gave me a smile to see my daffs and use my vase.


Another little vase makes it flower debut with miniature daffs from my garden.  I'm glad I picked them as it has rained since and I get to enjoy them in the house.  The pile of books on the chair is some of my library books.


Mr. B. jumped on this as it was unpacked from the box at the thrift, $6.00 not bad.  He had to redo one hook that was broken, and cleaned it up but otherwise very nice.  Does one call this chinoiserie?  I think so.  In any case it was not hard to find eight odd cups and saucers just hanging around.  I'm amazed a had a piece of wall to hang this on.

The cup on the bottom left was from my grandma and has the song Widecombe Fair a Devon folk song.  Another favourite is the Brambly Hedge bottom far right, but I may change them out, see how the mood takes me.


I did get almost everything done on my list.  My friend who is a hair dresser and cuts my hair chopped off six inches and it is still long, although maybe six inches was a bit drastic, but not really. Raincoat back from cleaners, gifts made and sorted, items washed, shoes cleaned and on the list goes and now I am so thankful that I'm not a totally last minute person.  Maybe I'm just getting slower.

Packing is hard when one minute it's 72f and sunny and the next minute is 42f and raining.  I looked at the long range for UK and Holland, but that is up and down too; well usual packing, one raincoat with detachable wool lining, one umbrella and the rest will fall in place.

That's my catch up, books have been reluctantly let go of and returned to the library.  I'll just have to get them again.

Christy


Friday, March 11, 2016

Spring Forward Twice

Hi Dear Folk,

It seems you have lots of time then you have none.  So with less than a fortnight before I go away I'm trying to get all those little things accomplished that must be done.  Get a long overdue hair trim, get rain coat dry cleaned, get some pounds sterling, think about what I'm going to pack and collect it together, all in one place so do not go into panic mode at last minute in not being able to find my passport or something like that.  When you work full time you cannot leave everything to the last minute or you'll be a basket case.  Plus tomorrow I am out all day and before I leave I should really drop our taxes off to be done.

Plus I have several books I have read and should write reviews, but I know they have to go back to the library before I can probably get to do that, bother.  And one has to go back to Omaha, Nebraska, it's the Persephone book.  As Mr. B. said all the way from Nebraska and you don't have to pay a thing, and when you think about it libraries are a wonderful resource.


Maman, What Are We Called Now?  by Jacqueline Mesnil-Amar  a Persephone book diaries written by Jacqueline during the last part of WWII in Paris, 1944 - 1945


This is a loan from another library so think this will have to be returned before I can even get to read it.  A Shepherd's Life in Wiltshire circa 1910


The Shepherd's Life in the Lake District circa 2000 and onward, in which he referred to the older book.


This a biography of Virginia Woolf which is most interesting, because when I first started reading this I could have thought it was a biography about Leonard Woolf, who I do not think the biographer thought too much of.

Plus have read The Leading Note by Rosalind Murray who also wrote The Happy Tree a Persephone book, but I could not find that one at my local library but they did have this her first book written 1910 when she was twenty.

Also this weekend is Spring Forward and I have to spring forward twice because in UK it is not until the end of March, I have a hard enough time with doing it once.  I didn't think that one out.


Well will try and keep you posted, but is a busy time so may be a little sparce.

Will try posting some Instagram while away.

Take care have a great weekend.

Christy

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Counting Down

H Dear Folk,

Now it is March1st the count down is on before I leave for the UK and Amsterdam Saturday 19th March.  One of the things on my to do list is get a hair cut.  My hair has never been this long in my life and it seems the wrong end of my life to be this long.  When I was a teen I longed for long hair, but it seemed to grow at a snails pace, now for some reason, not that I'm knocking it but it seems to grow twice as fast.  It has now become so long it is becoming harder to sweep up and hold with one giant clip, so I think a cut is in order.


While reading The Vintage Traveler she mentioned a clothes show at the Rijksmuseum showing the fashion of the Dutch from 1625 to 1960 I think this will be so interesting, we hope to go.

Christy

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