Ali Pali, bits bought and made

On Sunday I went with my Monday group of ladies to Alexandra Palace for the 'Knitting and Stitching show'.  I had never been to Ali Pali before, but what a wonderful venue it is.  Unfortunately for us the coach couldn't drop us at the entrance,  so we had a quick (but long) dash to the door and as it was pouring with rain there was no time to take in the views, but by the time we left the rain had stopped and I was able to take in the stunning vista of the London sky line - and what wonderful views you would have on a clear day.  I never realised before just how high the palace stood  and what a great position it holds over London.  Next time I visit, my camera will certainly go with me.  The show was quite nice with a good mix of stands.  I didn't buy very much, but it was fun wandering around with friends and climbing back into the coach to be chauffeured  home.

The weather has been getting a bit chilly on some days, so I thought I would make myself some more fingerless mitts as I did find them very useful last year.   Originally I  thought they would be a waste of time because it's my fingers that get really cold, but I made them last year and wore them about the house. They are really great.... you can carry on doing everything you want because your fingers are free (and warm)......washing the dishes ends up a bit messy but for the rest they are great!
This year I bought some variegated wool (from Alexandra Palace) rather than keep changing colours with each row, and must admit that works well ....... what do you think!

Now its time to play at a new craft.  I am not sure if I have told you, but I fancied trying needle felting, and when we were at 'Yarndale' there were a number of people selling all the materials - so how could I resist! Especially as the demonstrators made the 'art' of needle felting look so easy.  Let me tell you its not easy, for a start those needles are really sharp, and can so easily get poked into your fingers instead of the wool! Secondly it takes ages to get any shape at all, but do I give up.........NO!

So here is my first attempt at a gnome.. I have to tell  you its a gnome just in case you don't recognise him.

He is cute, but not sure I am going into production.

And last but not least I have been making some new patchwork blocks, this one was found here.  I can't tell you what it is for as I am on a secret mission preparing for Christmas but I can show you the block.

The photos were taken indoors as our weather has been very grey lately, so you have to excuse them.

Quilted in white thread

This one is quilted in a variegated thread 

We are visiting friends this weekend and they live near to Hampton Court Palace so we often walk along the river taking in the sites, but this weekend is raining again, so not sure we will be out and about much - still, good company and good food is not a bad consolation is it?

See you next time

Going, going, gone

As promised just a few photos of my 'undoing'

Just getting started

and now

Winding the rope back will be a task

and finally...

Ready to start again..

Back to the drawing board with this lot.......

Time just flies when your having fun..

Oh my where had the time gone..... I can't believe its been two weeks since I was at the Yarndale festival, but I can tell you the weather has definitely changed in the last few days and Autumn has really settled in, jumpers out and heating on.

What have I been up to..... not a lot actually.  I am making a few Christmas (go wash my mouth out for mentioning that word ) gifts, so I can't show you those, but I have finished one of  my little balls that I bought in kit from Yarndale.

Its been a while since I last did a Fairisle pattern

No 2 in the making 

they were fun to make, but I won't be going into production.

I have been playing with this

50 mts of rope

Yep! pinterest has got me into trouble again........ a friend saw this  and could I resist....... you know me too well, I offered to make it for her, it all started well

foundation row

and carried on for a bit

Think its getting a bit tight at the ends

I am not a perfectionist but I couldn't let it curl at both ends so...... I unravelled it

how neat are those ends now

I started again and managed to get the ends to lay nice and flat, but this basket didn't seem stable, I just hoped that once I started on the sides it would stiffen up .......forever hopeful

The plasters were needed as I was trying to crochet so tightly I was wearing my fingers out

I couldn't see how the sides were going to stand up by themselves once they were 10" to 12" tall no matter how tightly I tried to crochet, and the base would need something (possibly plywood) in the bottom, so

after much soul searching I decided to crochet to the end of the ball (shown in the photo) and go for a second opinion. I hate to be beaten by things, but I really didn't know where to go with this.  I think the original basket that was on Pinterest was a lot smaller, half the size in fact, and the sides may have stood to attention for the photo shoot, and once filled with wool the wool would keep the baskets shape.  I loved the idea of this being a 'Moses' basket for a baby and enjoyed trying something new.........but at the end of the day the vote has been cast and its the end of the road for this baby, and as my friend provided the rope and the yarn she has the pleasure of the unravelling.....hope she sends photos.

I've also been lucky enough to be given lots of  cooking apples, and, as they make my favourite pie, I have been busy baking.  This morning I made 4 apple pies, now nicely wrapped and frozen, and also 2 apple cakes.

I used to make an apple cake years ago, so had a go at that again...

Looks Yummy

tasted good too.   I then did my usual thing and searched the internet for another apple cake recipe and came up with one that added Almond extract and flaked Almonds on top.......yummy  

Can you spot the mistake???

Yep! forgot the flaked Almonds ...what an idiot,- still, I am sure it will taste good.

Last, but definitely not least, I won a give-away Yeah!
Kate from http://bythebabblingbrooke.blogspot.co.uk/  had a give-a-way, she even gave you a choice of gift if you won, so I chose a foundation pieced needle case ...not dreaming I would win, but my number came up and it arrived last week.  As well as the needlecase kit, Kate made me a tissue holder for my handbag. I think it will go very nicely with this bag that I made a few weeks ago

Lucky Me!

Tomorrow I am off to the 'knit and stitch' at Alexandra Palace so I hope to see some new things that I need (like I need 'a hole in the head'!!)....but its all a bit of fun.

Happy Sewing

Yarndale here we come.

A lot was going on this weekend, our group was having its bi-annual quilt show which I unfortunately would be missing because I was off to the Dales to see our daughter (S) and family.  I had a date on Sunday to visit the very first Yarndale Festival with S.  The weather was wonderful, and there is nowhere more beautiful than the dales in the sun.  This is the view from their garden....

but we could not stay here gazing at that all day - we had places to go and things to see.  The festival was being held in the local auction mart and I had wondered how they would manage to 'tart' it up from the usual livestock pens, but 'tart' it up they did..

Not sure if you can see but we entered through the 'calf unloading'
- glad it wasn't for the 'old cows'

Bet this floor has never been so clean 

and the bunting was spectacular.....shame about the photo being blurred

 Most of the stalls were selling yarn, so can you imagine the colourful displays of dyed yarns and fleeces...

Just a sample

Some stalls were selling unusual cushions.....this Rhino just being one of them...

The Rhino cushion is the one on the right ...not sure it would be so comfortable
and it certainly doesn't have such a great smile.

 In the centre of the shed exhibition hall Lucy ( Attic 24 fame) had her own little area for 'knit and natter' and a few of her creations, including the (dare I say it) 'over the top' Standard Lamp.  Mind you if you think that is over the top, you should have seen the bus stop (no photo sorry)!!!

Let me tell you she had no time to sit

and this is the lady herself.......especially for you V.

Everyone had some thing to show and tell

S and I had a bit of a break to be a bit creative ....... well, we weren't really creative just trying something new...... yep we made rag rugged sheep.......so sweet.

Sheep grazing and a knitting kit to be made up

The food hall  (usually called the auctioneers arena)  had some really yummy hot and cold foods, some other exhibition centres could take a lesson from them..... two teas and a 12" turkey salad baguette = £5.95 .

This stall on the other hand was not selling its seafood delights...

All of this was knitted...some folk really do have too much time on their hands

As far as I am concerned the first Yarndale festival was a great success.  Entry price was great, food and drink prices great, and as far as I could see from the  few I bought, 'kit' prices were very good as well, with most folk leaving with more than one bag of goodies.

Last of the summer...I hope not

Back to normal after our trip to Chester and Liverpool, and the weather has been good to us, but Autumn is definitely on the way.
We had a fantastic Sunday, and spent the day in the garden catching up on tidying and just enjoying the day, but I feel there are not going to be many more days for sitting in the garden enjoying the warmth of the sun.

I feel this is going to the last Pimms of this summer

and we harvested the last of our carrots and beans.

Just enough for supper

but we can look forward to some beautiful sunsets

Just the beginnings of winter sunsets

Now a few weeks ago I think I mentioned that I was in a 'flickr swap' with the Mini QT group.  In this group you know who you will be swapping with, so you never show the whole quilt, just give a few sneaky peaks until your partner has received the quilt.  My partner (who lives in America) received her quilt a couple of days ago..... its made up of 1/2" hexigons.

The quilt measures approx 8.5" by 12"

 its not compulsory but you generally add a few extras, so I made a couple of things for her

Hexagons gone crazy, pincushion and wallet

 and best of all - the postman comes bearing gifts for me....... Yeah!  

The stars are all English Paper Pieced (EPP) and then appliquéd onto the backing fabric.   

Rainbow Stars...who could ask for more

and again there was a stack of goodies to go with the quilt.  Two packs of paper piece templates, and some very special needles that have a black coating and gold eyes (can't wait to try them), and a lovely little wallet to put them all in.

So who's a lucky girl??

and lastly a bit of crochet.  I have crochet the edging on a pillowcase. I used a Percal cotton pillowcase,

 but think in future I will use 100% cotton as the percal was not that easy to get the crochet hook through.

Next time pure cotton I think.

See you soon

Liverpool

After travelling from Chester to Liverpool we made the most of the day.  Our first trip was on the Mersey Ferry with Gerry Marsden pointing out all the places of interest, and playing his song 'Ferry across the Mersey'.  We set off on a really choppy trip,  the wind was blowing, so the waves came up, but we had a great time seeing the sights in the sunshine....it was even warm enough to sit outside.....you had to sit or be thrown from one side of the boat to the other....it really was that choppy.

Doesn't look that choppy but believe me it was

After we got off the Ferry we made out way to the City Tour Bus.  Yes, we were tourist for the day, so bus tour was another thing on our list.  I was so impressed with Liverpool as a city, it seems to have everything The old city sits with the new very comfortably.  There has been so much regeneration in this city, old warehousing turned into boutique hotels and restaurants, Quayside warehousing now museums, art galleries and shops, which proves some cities get it right.

Locally know as 'The three Graces'

What a skyline!

No time for lunch next stop........

Magical Misery Tour here we come.  Once again this tour was recommended and the tour guides were great, they took us on a tour of birth places and schools of the fab four.  There were a few stops on the way, but the only one I was really interested in was Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields.  When I was expecting my first baby, radio Caroline managed to get hold of the record before the release date and they played it on the hour every hour for weeks before my baby boy was born, so it has a special place in my heart and brings back very happy memories.  We ended our tour at the Cavern Club where there is live music every afternoon.

Memory Lane for me

What a full day we had so back to the hotel for an early night before getting to visit the Cathedral the next day.

We packed our bags but left them at the hotel while we trundled off to visit Liverpool Cathedral.  Once again this building is so huge. Did  you realise that the architect was only 21 when he entered a competition to design the Cathedral?

So much stained glass

Add caption

Taken from the embroidery gallery, those people look like ants.

The tower was opened so we had to have a trip up to the top....have to tell you I thought we would have to climb to the top, what a. relief they have a lift.   The lift doesn't go all the way, so there is a chance for you to see the bells,

The bells were made in Loughborough 

and there is an exhibition of embroidery  that we stopped of to see on the way down.  The view from the top was unfortunately marred by the rain, but we just had to go to see for ourselves,

Some lovely Georgian Houses down there!

and the embroidery was magnificent.  I'll leave you to drool over these beauties

Oh to be able to 'Needle paint' like this.

Gold and silver work to make your eyes water

Such delicate flowers and tendrils 

This key was about 8" tall

Samplers and a finished piece

Raised work, like padded long and short

So beautiful

What inspiration!  Doesn't it make you want to get out that embroidery frame?