Open for business

All was looking good, everything was finished and we were ready to go.  Various Mayors (five in all), our Lord Lieutenant and his wife (good friend, extraordinarily talented needlewoman and WI member, of course!) his Deputy and his wife (another good friend, extraordinarily talented woman and WI member, of course!) and guest of honour, the Duchess of Beaufort all arrived to share the celebrations for this, the 90th anniversary of Gloucestershire Federation of WIs.  Corks were popped, toasts made and many, many photographs taken.

Me?  I took care of the head of BBC Radio Gloucestershire, here seen interviewing "Adelaide Hoodless", one of our founders.  David spent a couple of hours making sure no-one was forgotten; that everyone had her moment and a chance to tell her story.  Finally a bit of fun, as the tables turned and I got to hold the microphone for a while as David put one or two stitches into the commemorative kneeler which will be presented to the Abbey as a memento of the event.

A good day.

Coming together

Things are coming together, beautifully.  The gracious old Abbey is kindly accepting of all of these brightly coloured, modern intrusions and is working wonders to accommodate every piece.  The steps around the glorious font, there is the centre of the photograph above, seem to lend themselves perfectly to a whole raft of cushions, kneelers and a great collection of June's couture hats.  When we were stuck for ideas of where to hang a wonderful wallhanging, we seemed to find a nail or a screw in just the right part of those old, old walls.  When we looked for a space to place the collage about wartime women, where better than that corner by the war memorial? 

When most of the worker bees had drifted off in the late afternoon, the peace that replaced all of the activity settled over it all like a light and protective cloud.

Tomorrow, there'll be champagne and celebrities.  What stories that place could tell. 

Realising the vision (1)

To Tewkesbury Abbey this morning, to put together the display which represents the committee I sit on: Home Economics, Gardening and Specialised Crafts.  In other words, all the activities that most people associate with the WI - including flower arranging, food and drink.

We'd all agreed to use these 4ft diameter boards, lifted slightly on bricks and covered with grey jersey.  I worked on a Domestic Goddess/Desperate Housewife theme and was very appreciative of the member who agreed to loan me her amazing wicker lady.  With something like a 20" waist and legs almost to her armpits, this fantastic structure lends a modicum of elegance to the display, for which I am grateful.

The Abbey was fairly quiet this morning, but the few visitors who were wandering around were curious about what we were doing and why.  I must say, I really enjoy talking to those brave enough to stop and ask questions and it's that aspect which is most appealing during the next few days.

Tomorrow, I'll begin the craft exhibition, as 200 or so items of craftwork are brought to the Abbey for the display.  I can't wait to see what treasures appear!

Fresh start (2)

Remember the breadmaking day? 

Since then, we've tried (very hard) to recreate the process which resulted in such yummy bread.  In particular, we've struggled to get any consistent outcomes from the sourdough/natural yeast starter.  We've had helpful advice from Clive, have tried again with a newly invigorated yeast mother but still felt dispirited and hopeless.

Then we went on holiday, leaving "Clive's mother" in the fridge for nearly four weeks without food.  Unsurprisingly, there was little sign of life when we tried to resuscitate her and we left her to sit there as a cruel reminder.

Then I came across this.  It was all we needed to get us going again.  We remembered that Clive had advised us to put half of his mother into the freezer "just in case" and having brought this back to life over the weekend, we've begun again.  A bowl of healthy-looking dough is rising in the kitchen as I type.  It looks and feels much more "the thing" and so far so good.

Update on Tuesday, September 1, 2009 at 8:48AM by Gill Thomas

 

Good, eh?

Fresh start

I am a better blogger whilst on holiday than I am when I'm at home.  For one thing, I have more to blog about.  Here, the days whiz by full of activity which is pretty mundane for the most part, although I did have an interesting Tuesday on the judging panel of a knitting competition.

On this Bank Holiday weekend however, I am preoccupied.  On Tuesday we'll start to set up an exhibition in Tewkesbury Abbey to celebrate 90 years of the WI in Gloucestershire and that's quite some task.  Needless to say, my mind is there already and I'm making lists.  And more lists.  Hopefully this time next week, I shall have great tales from the front line to tell.

If you're in or around Tewkesbury next Friday, Saturday or Sunday, do drop in!

For now, though, let's talk knitting as I try really hard to use today to relax and forget about next week!

Inspired by my friend Nita, at our recent "escape" to Urchfont Manor, I wanted to start a triangular lace shawl.  This is not the first time I've tried.  The archives here tell of failed swallowtails, of tinked Ene and of encouraging sessions with talented friends who reassured me and shared their tips and hints.

But, off on holiday with plenty of car time to knit, a skein of Handmaiden SeaSilk (Lily Pond) from my stash, I set about knitting the Little Arrowhead Shawl which seemed a fairly straightforward pattern that even I could manage.  Sure enough, I could manage, though I still made some basic mistakes which irritated me intensely (I'm such a perfectionist) and the end result is less than perfect and rather small.  Even though I added several extra pattern repeats, as many as my ball of yarn would allow, I find the shawl more of a neckerchief and the border pattern disappointing to the point where it might as well not be there at all.

But I did it.  I have a completed shawl and my confidence is restored.  Thanks Sue and Sue for sharing those tips and tricks which made it possible.

The other holiday project was a crochet scarf begun at Urchfont as a hookalong with friends.  They've all finished theirs already (some have made more than one!) and most are double the size of mine as a result of my tight tension issues.  Still, I'm pleased with it, am still enjoying the process but find that I can't do much at one sitting as the crochet tires my hands (tension issues?!)  The Sublime cashmere merino silk yarn is so soft and cosy and was an excellent choice but why did I choose brown?

 

Anyway, with these gorgeous yarns sitting on my table, yesterday I found myself thinking back to Nita's knitting and went in search of a pattern for a better lace shawl.  Still nervous of my ability, I was glad to find the Forest Canopy Shawl which looked pretty good and would be a great one-ball-project.

Look!