On a day like this

When I’ve just finished my book and part of it lingers there in my mind to be considered, dwelt on and pondered. 

When I’m sitting at my desk and idly browse through a few favourite websites and read this “4 minute read”.

I am thankful that I am here and not there.

I am sure he would much rather be at the Pleasure Ground this afternoon, too.

A creative evening

Spending the evening in the company of my small friends, I took the opportunity to try an idea I’ve had pinned to my Pinterest board for several months.  I felt the moment had come to gather a couple of hula hoops and get weaving.

The instructions are clearly set out here with plenty of advice gleaned from experience.

We chose to use plastic bag “yarn” rather than finger knitting, because I wanted to give the method a try without too much time investment.  When you’re seven, it’s important to have success not only guaranteed but also pretty quickly achieved.  In no time at all, a sizeable and very satisfying circle of tightly worked weaving was being admired.

Older hands worked more quickly, with fewer mistakes prompting a need to undo a bit now and again.  The biggest challenge was finding a range of coloured bags – we’d have loved some pink, blue or purple ones!

An hour or so was enough for one evening, but the results were impressive and enough to be going on with.  Perhaps we’ll tackle finger knitting next time we’re together and use what we’ve learned from this prototype mat to create something a little more colourful.

It’s a great rainy day project, though!

New tricks

Last Saturday, whilst judging at a local village show, I slipped up.  I was breezing merrily through the knitting and crochet entries and failed to recognise a particular technique.  Thankfully, the exhibitor caught me as I was leaving and we were able to spend a few minutes discussing the characteristics of tunisian crochet. 

There are several variations of yarn crafts, all related to the two most widely known: knitting and crochet.  But I’ve seldom seen anything unusual on a village show bench and in my bag of samples I take with me when teaching, there’s just one sample of hairpin crochet which usually foxes everyone enough to prompt a little research.

Well, would you recognise that as crochet?  I have clever friends! (thank you, Sally)

Anyway, back to the Tunisian Crochet.  Failing to spot it was especially annoying since, earlier in the year, I’d come across a tutorial and simple pattern which I’d shared with my crafty friends online.  I’d intended to give it a go but didn’t get round to it.

Guess what I did yesterday, though?

I found a plastic hook in my Mum’s knitting needle box.  I’m sure it was the kind of thing given away free with Woman’s Own or whatever.  Still, it was enough for me to have a go with.  In no time at all, I’d completed the foundation row and gone on a little further.

When I looked closely at the back, I could see how I’d mistaken it for knitting. 

Though the front looks very different.  Just like crochet, though, my work is so tight – I might be able to achieve an even tension but oh my goodness, it’s really dense!

Anyway, whilst shopping this morning, I bought a metal hook which has speeded the process up rather and my dishcloth (yes…) is nearly complete.

The edges are firm and neat and the technique is easy to pick up.  This afternoon, I browsed Pinterest for a few more pattern ideas and came across this.

Gorgeous!  And yes, I have some of that Malabrigo yarn in my stash…

Would you pardon the pun if I said, for now, I’m hooked?

Made it!

There were times last week when this afternoon seemed a long way away on the horizon.  This afternoon being Monday, the first empty space in my diary since the last time I posted anything here.

Oh my.

It was a week of lists of things to do, of prioritising things which could wait a while in order to get those things which simply had to be done completed in time.  (I don’t normally write like that by the way, but was feeling in need of a little silliness at the end of a long day)

I wasn’t the only one to be feeling the pinch either.  In an open plan office, it’s quite hard to focus at times!

But we made it.  With a couple of breathing spaces to keep me on track, thankfully.  Lunch with a good friend in an empty pub and lunch with my hero in another empty pub on the following day meant that there was no need to shop and cook. 

There was the other fun distraction of my WI meeting too – our speakers, Sue and Mark from Kelsmor Dairy arrived in their ice cream van and having told us all about their farm, their herd of Guernsey cattle and the business of making award winning ice cream we formed an orderly queue and gave it a try – one flavour at a time!

This was the view from my workroom on Friday, where we spent most of the day in the company of almost 200 colleagues and my working space was aptly described by a colleague as “the bottom end”.

No comment!

The last of my show bookings for this year on Saturday and a fun finish with this unusual class.  Can you work out what they are?

I thought this little chap was the cutest animal made from vegetables I’ve seen this year.  First prize, of course!

And there we were, almost into the open again.  A comforting lunch of Rose Prince’s Poached Chicken with Leeks and Tarragon will stretch for a couple of meals and I left Cirencester this morning having ticked off the last entry in my work calendar for a few days and feeling good about that.

I think it’s time for some fun, don’t you? 

Except…

There is the European Ironing Mountain to keep me quiet.

So much to learn

I’m making progress with my LSNED project though some days offer more opportunities for learning than others. 

Take yesterday, for example, when I enjoyed a lovely day at Moreton Show.  Once I’d completed my work judging the crafts in the Home and Garden marquee, I set out for my favourite corner: the Livestock arena.

I spent a happy hour or more, learning a little about judging cattle from the grey haired gentleman in the photograph, who was giving an excellent commentary as the judge did his work.  Don’t worry, though, I have no intention of broadening my specialism!

Taking photographs to record the entries I’d judged earlier proved that I still have a bit to learn when it comes to composing an image, too!

Walking around the show is a great opportunity to admire the skills of others, even if I’m not really inspired to grow enormous vegetables.

All of this is a strong contrast to what I learned on Friday, though, when I realised that there is a difference between a pivoting table

and a pivot table

Hmmm. 

I have so much to learn.