A beader's life

Paper play

2012-01-15T09:25:00.000-08:00

The unusually warm weather over the past few weeks means that in Southern England flowers are blooming and insects buzzing around as if it was mid March, not mid January.

I have been having a bit of a break from beading and knitting to play with paper. Just before Christmas OH gave me a pile of old maps and the instructions for making paper ornaments, printed off from a link on the Purple Podded Peas blog. Instead of making the ornaments I surprised him by using the maps to cover a handmade notebook as a Christmas present (see my previous post).. A week ago we went to Hobbycraft and I bought a small glue gun and a 2 inch paper punch in their sale.

The ornaments call for between 45 and 75 circles of paper. There was no way on earth that I was going to be able to cut that number of circles out accurately with scissors! So last Sunday afternoon I sat down with an old copy of 'Mollie Makes', the paper punch and the glue gun.

They are fun to make and I think that they look really attractive. I aim to make a few more and display them in a bowl on the coffee table in our living room.

The instructions can be found here. Whilst browsing through old posts on the 'Rhymes with Magic' blog I came across a kusudama flower ball. It was made from old maps. My mind at once went back to the maps that OH had given me before Christmas.

When I was growing up we did not have the internet and very limited television. Making things was my main source of entertainment. I remember watching a programme on TV in the 1970s, presented by Roger Harbin on origami. I was hooked. I bought several of his books and spent many happy hours creating boats, birds and boxes out of squares of paper. Seeing that kusudama ball brought it all back to me. I took one of the maps, cut it up into 3 inch squares, heated up the glue gun and started to create a flower ball.

Here is the result. As you can seeI couldn't resist adding beads (6mm pearls) to my finished creation. I think that it rounds it off nicely.

Finally I have been making some more notebooks. I think that I have got the basics under my belt, so now is the time to start experiment with different types of binding. I will let you know how I get on.

Now I feel the need to get back to my beading. I am working on an elaborate collar. More about that in future posts.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, everywhere you go...

2011-12-24T13:36:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that it is Christmas Eve already! The last few weeks have just flown by. For various reasons this year I have found it difficult to get into the Festive spirit. Work has been quite a struggle, very busy and stressful. Also last week I had a wisdom tooth extracted and so have been nursing a very sore mouth and jaw. I was sedated during the extraction so the 24 hours afterwards is a bit of a blur. OH was great as usual. He took me to the appointment, drove me home afterwards and even took the following day off work in order to take care of me.

While I was recuperating I beaded some Christmas ornaments to give as gifts. The pictures above show two of the designs. The top one is adapted from a design by Lynn Firth and the one immediately above is adapted from an original design by a Canadian beader called Cathy Lampole aka That Bead Lady. I hope that the recipients will keep the baubles and use them each year and when they hang them up they will spare a thought for me.

OH and I don't really bother much with presents for each other at Christmas. We have been together for a long time so just tend to give each other a small gift rather than a large expensive one. I know that a lot of people will find this strange but neither of us is particularly materialistic. I usually try to make him something if I can.

He loves notebooks and has a collection of them. If I see a nice example when I am out and about I will buy it for him. This year I decided to make him a note book as a Christmas present. (I can share this with you as he is now safely tucked up in bed until Christmas morning). I have been fascinated by the art of bookbinding ever since I saw a demonstration when I was a student. A local bookbinder showed us how to re-bind a book. I was fascinated and entranced. Books have always been very important to me. Although I like the idea of Kindles and e-book readers nothing beats handling an actual book as far as I am concerned. So I love the idea of creating them.

I have been on leave for the last few days so decided to put the time to good use. I gathered together some supplies and, following the instructions in an amazing book called 'Cover to Cover' I set about making a notebook.

Those of you who read my blog regularly will know that I have done several City & Guilds beading courses over the last five years. One compulsory element of the course is to produce a sketch book showing your experiments with colour, texture and form. As a result I have collected a small range of different types of paper. So, for the pages of the notebook I used some lovely handmade paper that was lurking in my stash. The cover was made from some offcuts of board, left over from making some display boards for my jewellery. The cover paper was from an old, out of date Ordnance Survey map of Dartmoor. I chose the Plymouth section for the front cover as that is where I was born and brought up and holds a lot of memories for both of us. The front tie is a scrap of ribbon which had been in my sewing basket for a while.

The whole thing came together beautifully. What really pleases me, and I hope will also appeal to OH, is that it is made from odds and ends that I already had lying around. I have also given a new lease of life to the map which might otherwise might have been consigned to the recycling bin.

I love the recent revival in 'make do and mend' and using vintage materials. I think that it is mainly due to my parents' influence. They both grew up during the Second World War when severe rationing meant that you didn't waste anything. I think that some of that has rubbed off on me. Both my Mum and Dad were always making things when I was growing up and I am eternally grateful that I seem to have inherited a little of that talent. Making things enriches my life beyond measure. I hope that it also gives pleasure to the recipients of my handmade gifts.

I wish you all a very happy and peaceful Christmas wherever you are.

Children in Need

2011-11-20T04:46:00.000-08:00

This Friday M (aka 'A Girl in Winter') and I took part in a craft fair to raise money for Children in Need. For non-UK readers this is a huge national fundraising event, which this year has raised over £26 million for children's charities. The fair took place at work and proved to be a great success. M provided some beautiful handmade Christmas cards and I donated some jewellery. There were a variety of other stalls selling cakes, Amaryllis bulbs, jewellery, card making and stamping supplies and 'nappy cakes' and other baby things. There was also a tombola, which raised a lot of money on its own.

I took along a few pieces of jewellery that I had made during my City & Guilds courses. Plus I had a rummage through my UFO box. I normally try not to have too many unfinished things lying around. By nature I am a 'completer/finisher' type person. But I do have a small box where I put any things which are experiments and work in progress. The idea is that one day I will revisit them and try to make jewellery out of them. Well, over the last couple of weeks I have done just that. I finished off some beaded charms and a beaded bead and strung the results onto lengths of organza ribbon. I then added some sterling silver clasps. Voila! Some very attractive necklaces. I added some beaded earrings, based on art deco designs, hung on sterling silver ear wires.

M's Christmas cards proved very popular. In my opinion their simplicity was a major selling point.

I found a new use for some vintage buckles picked up at antiques and vintage fashion fairs. Coupled with some pretty buttons they make unusual and attractive brooches.

Obviously the main object of the exercise was to raise money for Children in Need, and we did in fact raise £95. But it also proved to both of us that our craft work will sell. It was also a useful dry run for attending a commercial craft fair.

Brief Update

2011-11-09T14:02:00.000-08:00

Work has been dominating my life recently so to be honest I haven't had much energy for beading. However I am currently working on some small things. I will share very soon.

Until then its back to checking my emails and planning my teaching sessions. Time to get to grips with a seminar on financial regulations - oh joy!

BTW - can you work out what the picture is? It is a close up of a poppy seed head courtesy of my OH.

Autumn in the New Forest

2011-10-30T04:31:00.001-07:00

Yesterday OH and I took a drive through the New Forest to visit Exbury Gardens. It was a bright, dry day with a slight nip in the air. The perfect day for a country walk. Autumn has been late coming to the south of England. September and much of October has been exceptionally mild. But over the last week or so the trees have started to change colour and the temperatures have begun to dip. Autumn is finally here. I love the changing seasons, Spring and Autumn are particular favourites.

Exbury has a huge collection of trees and so is famous for its Autumn colour. I took my little 'point and shoot' digital camera. I take it with me everywhere in case inspiration strikes. OH used his fancier digital SLR. Between us we got some beautiful shots. Here are a very small selection....

Part of the woodland walk takes you along the very edge of the estuary. It was a tranquil scene, with the odd boat drifting silently by.

The Sundial Garden is a particular favourite of mine. It is a totally enclosed space with formal topiary arranged around a stone sundial. The total surprise was to find it ablaze with colour. Dahlias, salvias and fuchsias blooming away as if it was the middle of August not nearly the beginning of November.

Part of the reason for going to Exbury was to relax and kick back a bit. I have been very stressed out recently and not really enjoying life. Yesterday was a great tonic. Thanks the continued love and support of OH and my friends I am slowly regaining my equilibrium and starting to feel better.

Hiatus

2011-10-18T10:51:00.000-07:00

Wow! Is it really nearly a month since I last posted. Apologies but I am not in a particularly good place emotionally and physically at the moment. Therefore I am putting both blogs on hold for a week or two in the hope that I will feel better. If you are a regular reader (I know that there are only a very few) I am sorry but I really don't have the energy to update regularly at the moment. I hope to be back soon.

Creative Stitches

2011-09-25T05:24:00.000-07:00

This Saturday we went to the Creative Stitches show at Westpoint just outside Exeter. For the past 6 years I have made the trip up to Alexandra Palace for the Knitting and Stitching Show. It has always been one of the highlights of the year for me. However, last year was very different. Due to my health problems I found the whole day gruelling and not particularly fun. I was in a lot of pain and I just didn't have the energy to cope with it. So, this year I decided that I would go to the smaller and more accessible show at Westpoint.

It was hot and a little crowded but it was much easier to get around and see everything. Last year I only saw about a quarter of the stalls at Ally Pally before having to give up in defeat.

I bought a few things - some more cables for my Knit Pro Interchangeable needles, some black beads, a kit for a beaded necklace from Spellbound Beads and a really interesting book called Treasured Notions. It has some gorgeous images in it and lots of inspirational ideas.

I did attempt to rummage through the yarn mountain at the Black Sheep stall, but gave up when I couldn't find what I wanted. (For those of you who don't know what I am talking about - Black Sheep sell discounted yarn packs. They simply make a huge pile of them on the floor and you have to dive in and rummage around, literally).

It was a good day and I am extremely grateful to my OH who drove me there and back (a round trip of over 200 miles) and waited patiently while I browsed around. On the plus side for him there is a garden centre close by and he did manage to get some garlic and onion sets for the allotment while we were there. It is a shame that I won't be going up to London in October this year but I have had my fix of craft shows for now.

Busy times

2011-09-17T10:02:00.001-07:00

Life has been too hectic recently to update this blog as frequently as I would like. Work has been very stressful indeed. I won't go into details, but are in the process of reorganisation and my job is about to change quite dramatically. In honour of this I have made another charm for my bracelet. I have always loved butterflies and dragonflies. It was only after I made this charm that I realised that it could symbolised new beginnings, just as the butterfly emerges from its chrysalis.

I embellished a 14 delica bead peyote tube with Czech fire polished crystals and size 15 seed beads. I then added a beautiful Swarovski butterfly.

I wore my bracelet this afternoon when I went to the hairdresser. One of the staff asked me where I had bought the beautiful charms, as she had never seen anything like them. I explained that I had made them myself and she was very surprised. OH says that I should carry business cards in my pocket, and then produce one when someone asks me about my jewellery. I am definitely going to consider making and selling the charms as they can be embellished in so many ways. People certainly seem to like them.

Butterflies

2011-09-03T12:49:00.000-07:00

Apologies for the long gap since my last post. Life has been so hectic for the last couple of weeks. I have been too tired to do very much after work except cook a meal and go to bed.

In my last post I promised to explain how I made a scrap booking embellishment into a beaded pendant. I was inspired by an article in 'Bead Unique' magazine. Three beadwork artists were asked to incorporate scrap booking elements into their beadwork. There were no instructions, just photos and a brief statement by the designer. The following is my interpretation of those photographs. So, this is how I did it -

The scrap booking baubles are made from clear acrylic and have a self adhesive coating on the back. I could have left it on the clear acetate backing in the pack and simply cut around it. However I decided that I wanted a bit of colour behind the butterfly to show it off effectively. I dug through my stash and found some pale lilac handmade paper.

I stuck the bauble onto the paper and cut around it. As the paper was going to be next to my skin it needed a protective layer to seal it and to keep out dirt and moisture.

I painted the back of the bauble with a thin layer of 'Glossy Accents'. You could use any varnish or even a decoupage medium such as Modge Podge, It is up to you.

(You might have noticed that the bauble above is different to the one in my previous post and in the two pictures below. Unfortunately I managed to delete some of the pictures of the original so I was forced to improvise!)

I now needed to start creating the beaded bezel. I picked up enough beads to fit around the bauble. I used size 11 delica beads and Fireline 4lb test beading thread. It took 98 beads to completely encircle it.

I worked six rows of circular peyote stitch, then two rows with size 15 delicas and then a row with Czech size 14 Charlottes. I popped the bauble into the bezel, needled to the other side and then repeated the rows of size 15 delicas and Charlottes. Using the Fireline thread meant that I could keep the tension very tight without running the risk of it breaking. I don't think that Nymo or C-Lon would be strong enough.

Well, that is how I did it. Look out in future posts for the finished necklace.

I have been continuing to work on my charm bracelet. More about that, and some other creative adventures, in my next post.

A new charm

2011-08-18T13:13:00.001-07:00

I have been on leave this week and so far it has been a strange mixture of stress and relaxation. The stress was caused by a visit to my Dentist on Tuesday only to be told that one of my wisdom teeth needs to be extracted. She assures me that it should be straightforward to take out. Apparently upper wisdom teeth are much easier to extract than lower ones and luckily this is an upper one. So I have an appointment in two weeks time to have it pulled. I have a really good dentist and I trust her completely but I am a bit stressed out about it.

The rest of my break has been quite relaxing. Monday was a really beautiful day so we decided to go for a walk. We are very lucky to have a great deal of green space in Bournemouth. The Gardens run through the centre of Bournemouth, for about 5 miles down to the sea. We joined the Gardens in Westbourne and walked down to the centre of Bournemouth. It is a beautiful tranquil space filled with a wide variety of trees and shrubs, including some beautiful Sequoia. This is what the Upper gardens looked like on Monday afternoon.

Below is a picture of the Upper Gardens taken this afternoon (Thursday) by Nick Beck for the Bournemouth Echo. This morning we had a freak storm. At 11 am it was so dark that we had to turn on our living room lights and there was a violent thunder storm raging overhead. Over two inches of rain fell in less than two hours. The result was flash floods, which caused havoc in the centre of Bournemouth and Poole. Shops and houses were flooded, roads blocked and traffic in both areas ground to a complete standstill. Luckily we were not affected directly by the floods, but the car park at the back of our flats was ankle deep in water for a while. Sadly it meant that the first day of the Bournemouth Air Festival had to be cancelled. The forecast for tomorrow is much better, so hopefully the rest of the planned events will still go ahead.

On the beading front I have completed another charm for my bracelet. I created a peyote tube and then embellished it with size 15 seed beads and 2mm Swarovski crystals. I glued sterling silver grommets onto the sides of the bead to give it more stability.

Finally I attached a tiny Swarovski crystal heart charm. I have had this in my stash for a while. I bought it at a bead show without really knowing what I was going to use it for. It was in the 'bargain basket' on a stall, and I have never been able to resist sifting through reduced price beads. You never know what treasures you might find.

For me it symbolises two things. The first is a resolution that I have made to try to improve my general health and well being. Unfortunately I can't do anything about my arthritis, but I can try to take regular exercise and eat well, to ensure that my body is as strong as I can make it. Hopefully that will make coping with this auto-immune disease a bit easier. The second is to symbolise the love and support that I have received from my friends and family. I will talk about this a bit more in my next post in my other blog Arthropy. But this last twelve moths would have been virtually impossible to bear without their constant love and support.

And finally I have also been working on my butterfly necklace. I have embellished the bezel and added some beaded dangles to the bottom of the pendant.

The next stage will be to create a beaded rope and a bail. I will ashow you more pictures and describe how I created the necklace, in more detail, in my next post.

Update

2011-08-12T07:47:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update. A while ago I wrote about my plans to create a beaded charm bracelet to record my progress in coping with the recent changes in my life. Well, I have made the first charm. It is fairly plain but for me symbolises the start of my journey. Not trying to take on too much at once. Hence the simplicity of the design.

Also as part of my coping strategy I have started another blog, simply called Arthropy (see the link to the left). In it I try to explain what coping with a chronic illness means to me. I have been having some counselling recently and the counsellor suggested that I might want to record my thoughts in some way. I agonised for quite a long time as to whether to keep the blog private. In the end inspired by 'Stitched Together' and 'A Girl in Winter' I decided to make it public in case it might help someone else in my situation. After all, you don't have to read it if you don't want to.

Finally I have been experimenting with using 'found objects' in my bead work. This butterfly is actually sold for scrap booking but I thought that I would see if it worked as a pendant. I will tell you more about it and post some more pictures in future posts. So far I think that it looks really good and would make a great centrepiece for a Victorian inspired necklace.

Time Off

2011-07-30T08:44:00.001-07:00

I have been on holiday for a few weeks and so I am afraid that this blog has been sadly neglected. It has been really good to have some time off and we managed to pack in quite a lot. The first day of my leave was taken up with collecting OH's new car and then taking her for a bit of a run up to Shaftesbury. It it really strange having our own transport after many years of having to rely on public transport, but it certainly gives us more flexibility and independence.

We also managed to fit in another trip up to London. It was a bit of a spur of the moment thing. Several weeks ago I had tried without success to get hold of tickets for the Cult of Beauty exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum. As time was running out (it finished on 17th July) I decided to make another attempt, and was successful. Whilst having coffee with a friend she reminded me that that was the same weekend as Knit Nation at Imperial College. As the V&A and Imperial College are right next to each other I decided to try to take in both on the same day. As it turns out it was a very exhausting day, it was very hot and humid and extremely wet. It rained solidly until mid afternoon.

The exhibition was interesting and full of beautiful things. Exhibits included 'Veronica Veronese' by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (see the image below), silverware by Christopher Dresser, Arts and Crafts dresses, William de Morgan tiles, William Morris hand painted furniture and a whole host of Pre-Raphaelite paintings.

The exhibition was well worth the trip and the discomfort. I am not sure that the same could be said for Knit Nation. I went to it last year with 'A Girl in Winter' and we had a good time. This time I felt that there were not as many vendors and was also disappointed that Wollemeise were not attending. I did however pick up a skein of Wollemeise sock yarn from the Loop stall. It is really hard to get hold of so I took the opportunity to buy some. I understand that lots of people tweeted to say how wonderful Knit Nation was this year, so I may be alone in my opinion. However I am certainly glad that I did not make a special trip just for that alone.

Another highlight was a trip to Sandle Cottage, near Fordingbridge, which was open as part of the National Gardens Scheme. It was a lovely tranquil spot with lots of interesting plants. We then drove home through the New Forest.

I have not been idle on the beading front during my time off. I was working on a necklace as my entry in the Stitch and Craft Swarovski Charm Challenge. the idea was that you were sent a Swarovski bead every month and had to create a charm with it. You then had to put all twelve elements together to make a necklace. I am afraid to say that I sadly was not able to complete my necklace in time. I was hoping that I could spend the whole of Friday putting the necklace together. However the tingling and pain in my right hand just got too much and I had to admit defeat. I will continue with the necklace and hopefully post pictures of it in future posts.

I am a bit upset and annoyed with myself that I could not finish in time. However, I enjoyed making the charms and I have come up with some new ideas for jewellery to make in the future. Here are three of the charms -

A ring bead with a sprig of leaves and flowers attached to it.

A large crystal triangle rivoli. I created a bezel around it using delica beads and size 15 seed beads. I then embellished it with circular netting.

A 27 mm crystal button bezelled with delica beads and size 15 seed beads, topped with flat circular herringbone and then embellished with netting.

Shopping

2011-07-02T12:15:00.000-07:00

Just a short update. Quite a lot has happened since my last post. I have been struggling a bit with my arthritis, but happily that seems to be improving at the moment. I have also been experimenting with my sewing and beading. I am not ready to share at the moment, perhaps in future posts.

This was a short week for me as I had annual leave from work on Thursday and Friday. Thursday was spent in London. While I was there I visited VV Rouleaux near Sloane Square. I must admit that I was completely overwhelmed by the range of ribbons, braids and other lovely things. I bought some pieces of ribbon plus a vintage butterfly clip, a carved bone pendant and some turk's head knots made from strips of leather. In fact while we were in the shop one of the staff was giving a customer a masterclass in tying the knots. I found it fascinating. They have a really good web site but there is no substitute for actually visiting the shop. If you are ever in the Sloane Square/Kings Road area of London I would highly recommend it.

Friday began with another visit to Poole Hospital Physiotherapy Unit. The latest course of treatment has meant attending once a week for the last 6 weeks. The good news is that I have been discharged for the time being. I have nothing but praise for the staff there but I was very glad to leave on Friday morning. Unfortunately I doubt that is the last time that I will see them.

Finally this afternoon saw a shopping trip with a difference. Those of you who read my blog regularly will know that shopping is normally one of my least favourite activities. However this trip was very exciting. This is what we bought.

A shiny, Lightening Blue, almost new (the word used by the Mini dealership is 'Cherished'), Mini Cooper. We are due to collect it next Saturday. We have managed for a long time without a car. However, the time finally has come to change that. It will give us more independence, make it easier for my OH to go to the allotment and for us to visit my family in Devon.

Inspiration is everywhere

2011-06-13T12:14:00.000-07:00

It is amazing what we experience during the course of just one day, we are constantly bombarded by sights, sounds and sensations. Often ideas come to me, as I go about my normal working day. A shape, texture or snatch of music will stimulate an idea. I have not been feeling too great today, probably a combination of an arthritis flair up and the medication that I am having to take to counteract it. I have still been having ideas, despite struggling to function. For example an idea popped into my head this afternoon about how to incorporate vintage buttons into a bracelet. I have found that on days like these the best plan of action is to write these flashes of inspiration down as soon as I can, before I forget them.

I hit a bit of a brick wall about 6 months ago where my beading is concerned. I am not really sure why it happened. For the last 5 years I have been completely absorbed by it but perhaps I just needed to take a break and recharge my batteries. I think that I am now working through the beaders' block and hopefully coming out the other side. Going back to my opening sentence - I have so many ideas buzzing around in my head that it would take several lifetimes to realise all of them. On days like today when just navigating my way through the working day takes all of my energy, writing my ideas down is the best plan of action. It also means that when I have a bad patch with my beading I can browse through my notes and ideas and see where it takes me. (Sorry if I am rambling, but as I said earlier - very bad day!).

During my City & Guilds and NCFE beading courses I got into the habit of keeping a beading journal. I now have a small collection of sketch books. I have found it a great comfort looking through them over the last few months. Even if I have lacked the energy to actually make much I have at least been keeping my mind ticking over.

I also have a couple of large lever arch files full of beaded samples with scribbled notes and instructions. These have proved absolutely invaluable.

I would definitely encourage you to start a creative journal, whatever your chosen craft. I don't profess to be an expert and there are many books available on creating and keeping journals. However here, for what they are worth, are my tips for keeping one -

Buy a number of inexpensive journals or sketchbooks. I find the Daler Rowney range really useful as they come in a range of sizes and the paper is robust enough to cope with paint, marker pens and glue.

If you find a blank white page daunting then colour it with a pale watercolour wash or diluted ink.

Write in your journal or notebook regularly. It will soon become a habit. It doesn't matter if you think that you cannot draw. Don't worry about being neat, no-one else has to see it.

Collect items which inspire you - postcards, magazine cuttings, scraps of fabric, dried flowers and leaves, feathers - whatever takes your fancy.

If you are frightened of using colour in your work, use your notebook or journal to experiment. Get some magazines (garden and interiors magazines are good for this) and tear pieces out, then create a collage. See what works and what doesn't. Very few people have an instinctive way with colour. We all see colour differently, good use of colour come with practice and trial and error.

If you make something write down instructions and the exact details of your materials before you forget them. Then, if you need to recreate a piece you have all of the information in one place. I have been extremely thankful on a number of occasions that I have done this.

Finally - have fun. Who knows where it might lead!

I honestly couldn't have got through the last few months without the support from my family and friends. It was 'A Girl in Winter's Birthday today and I decide to make her a bag to say 'Thank You'. A couple of years ago, at the Knitting & Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace we bought an Anne-Marie Horner bag pattern, splitting the cost between us. The idea was that we would each make a version of the bag. For various reasons that simply did not happen and the pattern has lurked in my stash since then. I recently came across it and decided to make it for her as a surprise.

For those of you who are interested, the pattern is 'The Multitasker Tote' and the fabrics are Amy Butler's Daisy Bouquet in 'Misty' for the handles, side pockets and lining and Sweet Jasmine in 'Gray' for the main outside panels. I was a bit worried about my fabric choices. I ordered the fabric online and when it arrived, as often happens, it was not quite what I was expecting. However they are definitely 'A Girl in Winter's favourite colours so I hoped that it would be OK. As it turned out she loved it.

The pattern was easy and fun to make. It is not a pattern for a complete beginner, but would suit an intermediate sewer. I have made a number of bags and I have to say that I found the instructions mystifying on a first read through. My advice would be to simply follow the instructions to the letter and everything will fall into place. The construction is really ingenious.

I made the following modifications to the pattern -

The finished bag is quite large, and as I was using quilting weight fabric I was worried that it would be too floppy and not robust enough. Therefore I attached medium weight fusible interfacing to the pocket panels and lining and fusible fleece onto the external panels. This gave the finished tote just enough substance and strength.

I used a double layer of fabric for the interior pocket (instead of the single layer in the instructions) for the same reasons as above - to give it strength.

I added a magnetic snap to the upper edge of the tote, to make it more secure and to prevent the top edge gaping open.

I was very pleased with the finished bag. OH remarked that the fabric reminded him of a 1950s apron, which was exactly the look I was aiming for. I would definitely like to make myself one. The only problem is going to be deciding which fabric to use.

Rainy Sunday

2011-06-12T09:34:00.000-07:00

The weather was appalling today, gale force winds and torrential rain. It has been unusually dry in the South of England this Spring and some of us have been secretly hoping for a good downpour of rain to soak the parched gardens and freshen everything up. Well today we got our wish and more than we bargained for. I had arranged to meet a couple of friends at the Pavilion in the centre of Bournemouth, as there was a Vintage Fashion Fair being held there. So I ventured out in the driving rain to meet them.

Unfortunately one of my friends had to cancel at the last minute, but I did meet up with 'A Girl in Winter'. I am glad that I made the effort, as despite the weather as it was really fun. It was being held in the ballroom which has some lovely period features such as the Art Deco wall lights. Despite the foul weather outside the atmosphere was very warm and welcoming.

There was so much on offer - vintage clothing, shoes, hats, bags, jewellery, buttons, textiles, knitting and sewing patterns. I bought some vintage celluloid buttons and some buckles. I have an idea for incorporating them into my bead work. I will put pictures and further details here on my blog, if my ideas work out. There were some beautiful clothes if you have the confidence and the figure to wear them. I found a beautiful blue felt cloche hat which really suited me and an immaculate beaded bag, complete with a small mirror in a case. Sadly both were outside my budget. However, I could not resist buying a vintage Vogue Knitting magazine. It doesn't have a date on it but I am guessing from the photographs that it is from the early to mid 1950s.

I am not sure that I would ever knit the beaded halter neck top in the 'Evening Glamour' section.

But, there are many really timeless designs (well, we are talking about Vogue after all!) and I could definitely see myself knitting and wearing some of the sweaters in the future.

You can't really see it in this picture (I don't have a scanner at home so had to resort to my digital camera for these shots) but this cardigan is knitted in a interesting textured stitch, rather like basket weave.

Part of the fun of reading period magazines is looking at the adverts. It gives you a glimpse of what everyday life was like at the time. I particularly love this one for the Rallie Health Belt which promises you a more slender and youthful figure if you wear it for 5 minutes a day. Oh if only it was that simple!

'A Girl in Winter' bought some lovely buttons and some beautiful vintage embroidered cloths, possibly to make into cushions. Then it was out into the pouring rain to walk, to a nearby Costa, for some hot drinks to warm us up and a bit of a natter. Although we both work in the same office things have been so hectic over the last week that we have hardly had time to talk to each other. It was nice to catch up.

Vintage Market

2011-06-09T11:47:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday I went to the Boscombe Vintage Market with two of my friends. Both K and M (aka A Girl in Winter) had been before but I had not. My reason for going was twofold - I am always interested in vintage or antiques fairs, but more importantly M and I wanted to look at it with a view of having a stall in the future. For some time we have been talking about trying to sell our crafts online. We are considering setting up an Etsy or Folksy shop. M knits, crochets, makes cards and does cross stitch; I knit, sew and make beaded jewellery. I was really impressed with the Vintage Market. It has only been in existence for 4 months but I was bowled over by the sheer quality and diversity of the good being sold. It was extremely busy and there was a very warm and friendly atmosphere.

It was heartwarming to experience this as, you see, Boscombe has a reputation for being a tough area of Bournemouth. There have been attempts recently to redevelop and rejuvenate the area. It was hoped that the artificial surf reef would attract more visitors and money has been spent on Boscombe Gardens, refurbishing the pier and building new apartments on the seafront.

After a couple of hours exploring the Market we went to a local restaurant, Bosconova, for some lunch and to discuss what we had seen. After much consideration we have decided to rent a stall and see what happens. Life is too short for regrets and we both feel that we ought to try it once and see what happens. Hopefully we will be successful and sell enough to cover the cost of the stall. If not then we will set up an Etsy shop to sell our craft work. I personally feel that I want to take the chance or I will always regret it and wonder what would have happened. Who knows where it will lead!

The lovely things bought at Boscombe Vintage Market - two Liberty fabric remnants, a couple of vintage brooches, a handmade felt and bead dragonfly brooch, some purse frames and some lovely beads.

I couldn't resist this dragonfly. The designer Meninafeliz had a selection of hand embroidered butterflies, dragonflies and birds for sale as well as some beautiful flowers made from paper.

Another stallholder was selling vintage clothes and jewellery. Again I was drawn to a dragonfly brooch (do you sense a theme emerging here!).

There was someone selling beautiful beaded jewellery. She had large glass dishes full of loose beads on her stall. I was immediately attracted to them, they looked so pretty sitting there. I chatted to the stallholder and she told me that she was taking a bead needle weaving course herself and that she was addicted to beads. I had found a kindred spirit! In fact all of the stallholders were very friendly and only too happy to talk to us about their items and how they were made. The whole day was very inspiring and uplifting. I honestly did not realise that there were so many creative and generous spirited people in my local area. Plus I got to spend some quality time with two wonderful friends. What more could I ask!

Finally inspiration for all you men out there. My OH is constantly losing buttons from his shirts. I have to admit that mending and sewing buttons on are not high up on my list of favourite activities. In desperation last year the poor man asked me to teach him how to sew the buttons on, if I was not willing to do it for him. I happily got my sewing box and spent half an hour teaching him the basics. Last Sunday he asked me for a needle and thread and then proceeded to replace some missing buttons on one of his shirts. I felt a little bit bad for not doing it for him, but also very proud of him too!

Fun Days Out (Part Two)

2011-06-06T12:20:00.000-07:00

The Saturday before last I met up with a couple of friends and, along with OH, we went to visit The Knitted Garden in Bournemouth Public Library. You may have heard of it. Lots of community groups around Bournemouth worked together to recreate a garden completely made out of yarn. I had read about it and assumed that it would be a small display in a corner of the Library. Nothing could be further from the truth. It occupied most of the Library space! Knitted and crocheted flowers were everywhere, twining around pillars, spilling over bookshelves and there was even a knitted vase of flowers on the Enquiry Desk.

There were creatures galore, bugs of various sizes, frogs, mice, hedgehogs, spiders, birds, a barn owl with a mouse hanging from its beak and a rather scary looking cat. There was even a life-sized green man sitting in a deck chair. Apparently the Library staff have been having great fun by moving him around the building and giving him different books to read such as an Alan Titchmarsh gardening book. The sheer scale an exuberance of the whole thing really bowled me over. Not just the huge amount of work that had obviously gone into creating it, but also how well it had been integrated into the space. It really made me wish that we could do something similar in the Library where I work. Another bonus was the amount of people it attracted, some of whom might never have set foot in the building before.

A knitted and crocheted picnic and barbecue. I particularly liked the knitted prawns.

I was really taken with this sweet little mole poking his head through the knitted grass. My rather blurry photo doesn't really do him justice.

As a Librarian I couldn't resist taking a shot of the Returned Books Bay festooned with flowers.

Flowers of every shape, size and colour adorn the entrance lobby to the Library.

Another favourite. You can only admire the patience it must have taken to knit all of those bees!

I would love to have a pond like this on my living room. I don't have a garden at the moment and it would certainly be low maintenance!

After our tour of the garden we walked to a nearby Cafe Nero for coffee, cake and lots of laughter. The perfect way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Fun Days Out (Part One)

2011-05-30T12:57:00.000-07:00

Cones, Lichens and Feathers by Angie Lewin

The idea behind this blog was to document my beading with the odd reference to everyday life. In recent months it has been more about my life and less about my creative endeavours. In future posts I hope to redress the balance. I have had a lot of upheaval in my life over the last 18 months, mainly a number of health problems. I am now determined to get my life back on track and spend more time on my beading and other crafts.

One of the strategies to get things back on an even keel has been to make sure that we go out and do things. I am not sure what the future holds for me so we are determined to get the most out of life while we can.

Part of this strategy was another day out to London. My Father was born and brought up in London so we used to go there a lot when I was growing up and I have a great affection for it. We currently live about two and a half hours away on the south coast of England, so it is fairly easy to go there for the day. When we arrived at Victoria we walked the short distance through Belgravia to Baker and Spice.

OH ordered a coffee and one of their amazing blueberry muffins.

And I had a hot chocolate.

We also bought a loaf of bread and some chocolate brownies to take home. They make the best brownies I have ever tasted. This one is a 'Cheesecake Brownie'.

Next stop was the Chelsea Physic Garden, another favourite destination. It is a beautiful 17th century walled garden, planted with medicinal plants, right in the heart of London. The recent warm weather, followed by some rain, meant that it was looking absolutely stunning. After we arranged the trip we realised that the Chelsea Flower Show was taking place in the grounds of the Royal Chelsea Hospital, next door, so were expecting it to be really busy. It wasn't so we were able to wander around to our hearts content. There are plenty of benches where you can sit and just take in the views and listen to the bird song.

A garlic bulb sculpture created out of living willow. Part of the garlic plot.

After leaving the Chelsea Physic Garden we walked the short distance to Potterton books to look at a display of watercolours and prints by one of my favourite artists Angie Lewin (see the watercolour 'Cones, Lichens and Feathers' at the beginning of this post). Then we made our way back to Victoria, stopping off yet again at Baker and Spice for some refreshment on the way. By this time my leg was really starting to hurt and I was ready to go home.

Finally, although I am having a short hiatus with my beading, I have been doing a bit of knitting. I generally carry some knitting with me in my bag, usually something small like a hat or a pair of socks. I try to knit a few rows in my lunch break, while waiting for a bus or enjoying a hot chocolate in Starbucks. I have got used to the stares and occasional comments. My latest creation is a pair of Spring Forward socks from the Knitty website. I have really enjoyed knitting them. The pattern is really easy to follow and to memorise. However to my dismay when I finished the first sock and tried it on it was a bit too big. How disappointing! Never mind I can wear them around the house in the winter. (I really don't like wearing slippers and tend to favour thick socks in the winter and bare feet in the summer).

Sadly it looks much better on the sock blocker than on my foot!

Next time I will tell you all about my visit to the 'Knitted Garden' with my OH and two friends. Now, please excuse me - I have a sock to finish.

Charming

2011-05-09T10:27:00.000-07:00

I have always been interested in the idea of charm bracelets and their symbolism. As the last twelve months have been very difficult I have decided, as part of an effort to be more positive, to start one of my own.

I actually own a gold charm bracelet already. It was left to me by my maternal Grandmother along with her beautiful Art Deco style engagement ring. The bracelet is very heavy and chunky and not really my style. I have only worn it once and that was on my Wedding Day. To be honest I found it very uncomfortable to wear everyday but somehow it seemed the right thing to wear on one of the happiest days of my life. There is so much love associated with that bracelet.

I loved both sets of grandparents but was particularly close to my Mother's parents. When I was three years old my Mother was taken seriously ill. For a few weeks her condition was critical and she nearly didn't survive. During her illness and subsequent long recovery, her parents looked after me and my brother. My poor Father had enough on his plate earning enough money to pay the bills and trying to cope with spending as much time at the hospital as possible. As children we were not allowed to visit her at all in hospital. I was too young to understand what was going on but it must have been very distressing for my brother, who is much older than me.

Throughout it all my Grandparents were there, simply caring for us.

I can remember my Grandmother wearing her charm bracelet and she would tell me the story of each charm and why my Grandfather had bought them for her. When she died she left it to me. It now languishes in a drawer, sadly unworn. But there are so many good memories associated with that piece of jewellery that I don't think that I will ever be able to part with it.

I have come to realise that I will never again enjoy the good health that I took for granted for so many years. I will have good periods and bad ones - hopefully more good than bad. There are two ways that this can go. I can either let the illness dominate my life, and the lives of those closest to me or I can take charge and start to rebuild my life.

Just before Christmas last year a shop opened in the centre of Bournemouth selling Pandora jewellery. I had heard of Pandora but hadn't really seen any pieces close up. The idea is simple, you purchase a bracelet and specially shaped beads or 'charms' to add to it. Each has a particular meaning such as 'I love you' or 'you are my inspiration'. I like the idea of a 21st century version of my Grandmother's charm bracelet. However I have decided that, like her bracelet, the Pandora style is not for me. For one thing there is the cost. If you go to the Pandora website you can design your own bracelet. You choose your bracelet and then the charms. There is a running total of the cost in the corner of the screen. I had reached over £2,000 before I had even half filled the bracelet. Not only can't I afford it but it is just a bit too ostentatious for me. I cannot ever imagine myself wearing a piece of jewellery worth several thousand pounds. Please understand me I admire the quality of the pieces and I like the idea of the bracelet, it is just not me and doesn't fit into my very modest lifestyle. Plus I find the sentiments associated with the charms a bit saccharine for my taste. Just my opinion!

Recently I came across a good quality, silver Pandora 'style' bracelet in a local shop for a fraction of the price. It came with a few beads already on it. Eventually I will make a bracelet base from beads using a stitch like herringbone stitch. Until then I will use this one. My idea is to create charms out of beads to chart my journey through this difficult phase of my life. More will be revealed over the next few months.

Finally, this weekend saw me carrying out cat sitting duties for a friend. As you can see below my two furry charges were completely unimpressed by my efforts to take care of them! I enjoyed it anyway. We don't have any pets of our own at the moment but I grew up with cats and I had forgotten how nice it was to have them around. I find them soothing for the soul.

Everybody hurts

2011-04-15T07:20:00.001-07:00

I have been listening to a lot of R.E.M. recently and I had forgotten how uplifting their music can be. A particular favourite is 'Everyone Hurts'. It so perfectly sums up the human condition and the way that I am feeling at the moment. http://

I am blessed with a wonderful partner and amazing friends. The past couple of the weeks have been quite difficult. My health has not been great and I have been dealing with a very unpleasant and stressful situation at work. You really find out who genuinely cares about you at times like these and I count myself very lucky.

Spring is definitely here and that makes me feel much better. It seemed to be such a long time coming!

Last week my OH and I went to London for the day. I almost didn't go with him as I was feeling quite low emotionally and physically. At the last minute I changed my mind and I am glad that I did. We had a lovely day out. When we arrived at Victoria we walked around the corner to Baker and Spice for a coffee and a blueberry muffin. Rather unexpectedly we ended up sharing a table with Anton du Beke of 'Strictly Come Dancing' fame. Then OH wanted to go to a Syd Barrett exhibition. So, whilst he did that I had a wander around Liberty's. I must admit that I was disappointed by their range of fabric and yarn. I suppose it is a sign of the times that they are cutting back on stock. I do think it is a shame though! I then walked the short distance to Kingly Court which is just off Carnaby Street. The small shops are arranged around a central courtyard. It is such a haven of peace andf tranquility that you would not think you are a stone's throw from the hustle and bustle of Oxford Street. I visited 'Buffy's Beads' and 'All the Fun of the Fair'. There is also a vintage clothing shop with the wonderful name 'Fur Coat No Knickers'. Unfortunately it was shut when I was there. My OH met me outside the Camelia Tea Rooms and we had a salad for lunch and a cup of herb tea. they have an amazing array of teas. The canisters are on display and you can browse through them, take the lids off and sniff the teas before making your choice.

Unfortunately, I still have not finished my 'Jewel Bead Necklace as I have not been feeling well enough. However here is a picture of one of the beads. Hopfully I will finish the entire necklace this weekend.

One of my friends showed me some ribbon yarn recently. She bought it from 'IKnit London' and she is making a scarf with it. When I was in 'All the Fun of the Fair' I saw the same yarn for sale and couldnt resist buying some. I am sure P. will forgive me for copying her.

Weekend adventures

2011-04-09T10:59:00.000-07:00

Each weekend we make a point of going somewhere for the day. A couple of years ago we resolved to come up with a list of fun things to do, to make the most of our free time together.

One such trip was to London a few weeks ago. I was keen to see an exhibition at the Foundling Hospital near the British Museum. The exhibition was called 'Threads of Feeling'. During the Eighteenth Century mothers were given the opportunity to take their children to the Foundling Hospital on Coram Fields. If the children were illegitimate, or the mothers simply could not provide for their child, they knew that by leaving them at the Hospital their son or daughter would be well fed and cared for. The idea was that they gave official guardianship of their offspring to the Hospital and if their circumstances improved they could come back for the child. In reality only 1% of mothers returned. In order to identify their son or daughter the women left tokens. Many of these were scraps of clothing, ribbons, small charms or buttons. The result is that the Museum has one of the finest collections of Eighteenth Century fabrics in Europe.

The exhibition was very moving. The ledgers were on display with a description of each child and the scrap of cloth or ribbon. As we walked around the Museum there were facts about everyday life in the Eighteenth Century displayed on the walls. One really shocking fact was that in Eighteenth Century London 75% of children would die before the age of 5. That really stopped me in my tracks. It is really easy for us to look at these things with our 21st Century view of life with its childhood vaccinations, good quality health care and long life expectancy. My heart went out to these poor women who had to make the decision to hand over their children with the knowledge that they would almost certainly never see them again.

I have recently become interested in creating memory jewellery. A way of incorporating fragments of everyday life into my work. This exhibition certainly gave me food for thought.

The exhibition has finished now but here you can find out the background to it. If you every have the chance to visit the Foundlings' Hospital I would urge you to do it. I am told that they graze sheep in Coram Fields, in front of the Hospital, and that in the Spring and Summer the air is filled with the sound of sheep calling to each other. Quite a strange experience in the heart of London!

Another fun exhibition was a bit closer to home in the Salisbury Arts Centre. We went to see a touring exhibition called the 'Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef'. The project was created by Margaret Wertheim, the Director of 'The Institute Of Figuring' in Los Angeles. It is quite simply, as the name suggests, a coral reef made entirely out of crochet. It is touring the world and everywhere that is appears local people are encouraged to add to it. The reef even has its own web page and blog. It was absolutely fascinating, particularly as close inspection showed that parts of it were made from crocheted wire, plastic bags and even lengths of audio and video tape. One of my favourite parts was the large octopus. I think it is nice to think that like a real coral reef it is constantly growing and changing.

I would certainly like to use some of the ideas, shapes and textures in my beadwork. A very inspiring experience.

I am still working on my 'Jewel Bead Necklace' due to the continuing problems with my right hand (which have now been officially diagnosed as carpal tunnel syndrome). Hopefully I will be able to show it in my next post along with an account of another recent visit to London.

Sunshine and shadows

2011-04-06T09:29:00.000-07:00

At one time I used to make quilts. I haven't made one for a while, although I have to confess that I do have a quilt top lurking in my spare room, neatly folded on top of a roll of batting. One day I will get around to uniting the two to make another (hopefully) much loved quilt.

I have always liked Amish quilts and admire their complex patterns which seem so simple on first glance. Their use of clear colours and the balance between light and shade fascinates me. One of the things that has stuck with me is the idea of 'sunshine and shadows'. The Amish believe that you can only experience great joy in life if you have known great sorrow - life is made up of sunshine (joy) and shadows (sorrow). This has great resonance with me at the moment as I am definitely going through a 'shadow' phase in my life.

I have made eight quilts in total and have given half of them away. One full-sized bed quilt to my Mother, one baby quilt to a friend and two memory quilts, also to friends. I have four that I use everyday. The first quilt that I ever made, a log cabin quilt, is used as a Summer bed covering when the duvet is too heavy and warm. Another Mariner's Compass quilt is draped over the back of the sofa in our living room. I can see it out of the corner of my eye as I write this. The other two, a nine patch and an Ohio Star, are folded up on a rocking chair in our spare bedroom having done their duty as winter lap quilts and an extra layer on the bed when needed (my OH can testify to the fact that I suffer from chronically cold feet in the Winter!). They might have points that don't quite meet and the odd wobbly quilting stitch but they are very important to me. They remind me how far I have come in my sewing life. I have learnt so much making them. I still vividly remember cutting out the strips for the log cabin quilt without the aid of a rotary cutter. What was I thinking! I went out and bought one pretty quickly after that I can tell you.

I had a similar experience recently when a friend asked me to repair a necklace. It is actually one of mine. She bought it from me several years ago and she wears it a lot. Unfortunately one of the fire polished beads on the edging has become detached. It was really interesting for me to see it again after so long. I made it as part of my City & Guilds Level 2. I was looking at it earlier today and I started thinking about how I would have done things differently if I was making it now. For one thing I would use a different thread, probably Fireline, to avoid accidents such as the one that I am having to repair at the moment. But despite its flaws she loves it and that is the most important thing.

Sadly one of my friends lost her battle with cancer last week. Although we knew that her condition was terminal the speed at which she faded away was a shock. She was one of the first friends that I made when I moved to Bournemouth nearly eight years ago. I still find it hard to believe that I will never see her again. In the last conversation that I had whith her she said 'We have had so many laughs together haven't we? Remember that when I am gone, don't be sad'. I am going to try to do just that, although it won't be easy. She will be remembered with much affection by all who knew her.

Catching up...

2011-03-22T12:25:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the long break from posting but I have been struggling a bit with my arthritis. Quite frankly by the time I get home from work and cook a meal I am just about ready to go to bed. I have done very little knitting and beading recently as I have been having problems with my right hand. My GP suspects that it is carpal tunnel syndrome and I am going to Poole Hospital tomorrow morning for some nerve conduction tests to establish how bad it is.

Although I have not been feeling up to doing much in the evenings I have been trying to get out and about at the weekends. I have also made a couple of things since I last posted, although my progress has been slow.

Three weekends ago there was a bead fair at Poole Arts Centre. I went along and met up with some of my beady friends. It was great to see them all and to catch on all of the things that they have been doing. I bought a few beads and a couple of patterns from Oaktree Crafts. As a result I have made a butterfly brooch and some beaded beads. I am particularly pleased with the 'Jewel Beads' and will be making them into a necklace, with some lampwork beads and pearls. Pictures to come in my next post. I have to bead in short burst at the moment due to the fatigue and problems with my hand, but I am determined to finish them.

I made some fingerless mittens for a friend. It was my way of saying 'Thank You' to her. Over the last couple of years she has given me numerous lifts and fed me on a number of occasions. She is one of the three women who I count as my closest friends and I am grateful for all of their help and support over the last 12 months.

She greatly admired a pair of Veyla mittens that I made for myself last winter and so I decided to make her some (Ysolda Teague's patterns are great fun to knit - if you haven't tried them yourself you really should). I was really pleased with how they turned out and P was thrilled with them.

I am going to leave it there for now. In my next post I will tell you about a couple of fascinating exhibitions I have visited in the past few weeks and progress on my necklace.

Life is full of surprises

2011-02-06T10:08:00.000-08:00

Early last week I had a nice surprise. I was literally going out of the front door on my way to work when I found the Postman on my doorstep bearing a large parcel. I just had time to open the mysterious cardboard box quickly before leaving. This is what I found -

A yarn swift. At the beginning of December I ordered a Sunflower Swift from Brownberry Yarns with some of my Birthday money. They are handmade from a mixture of beech, ash and sycamore with a solid brass spindle. A 'Girl In Winter' has kindly let me borrow hers in the past, and I loved it so much that I decided to buy my own. The bad news was that as they are handmade to order there is a waiting list, therefore I might not get mine until the end of February. So imagine my delight when it arrived early. It really is a beautiful object, skillfully made, built to last a lifetime, and a delight to use. I have bought a ball winder so I am all set to wind my skeins into lovely sqidgey cakes of yarn.

I have been so tired recently, a combination of my arthritis and the weather that my beading has virtually ground to a halt. This only a temporary set back and to try to jolt myself out of the malaise I took some of the beads that I bought at Bijoux Beads in Salisbury recently and made a quick bracelet for myself (it is based on one that they had on display in the shop). Now that it is done I am not sure if it really suits me. However, it has got me thinking and I have come up with some more variations on the theme, using beading stitches rather than stringing.

I have also created wire links with some heart beads and headpins which will be incorporated into a necklace. They seem very apt given the date.

On the knitting front I have been making something as a gift for a friend. All will be revealed in due course.

FO's and a Grand Day Out

2011-01-23T10:13:00.000-08:00

Over the past week I seem to have hit a bit of a hiatus where making things is concerned. This wasn't helped by my contracting a really revolting head cold, which doesn't show any signs of going away and has turned my brain to mush. So I decided to make something straightforward and mindless, that I could knit without thinking too much.

I finished knitting a green version of Woolly Wormhead's Limpetiole beret a couple of weeks ago and wanted to make a scarf to go with it. I looked through Ravelry and my own books and magazines and could not find anything that I liked so I decided to improvise my own pattern. The scarf incorporates half a skein of Manos del Uruguay, left over from knitting the hat, with some scraps of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino and some Mirasol Tupa. I am not going to pretend that this scarf is a completely original idea. There are lots of ready made scarves in the shops, and a few patterns where the scarf is made lengthwise but most of them use linen or herringbone stitch. I decided to make mine entirely in garter stitch.

If you are interested in making your own version this is what I did -

Materials
Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend - 80 grams (Shade 7325)
Debbie Bliss Cashmerino - 60 grams (Shade 340016)
Mirasol Tupa - 50 grams (Shade 817)
5mm circular needle (at least 120 cm long - 47 inches long)

Finished dimensions - 6 inches (15 cm) wide and 65 inches (165 cms) long, excluding the fringe

Making the scarf
Cast on 260 stitches using a long tailed or similar stretchy cast-on. Working in garter stitch knit the following sequence -

Cashmerino - 4 rows
Manos del Uruguay - 4 rows
Tupa - 4 rows

I repeated the above sequence 5 times and then ended with 4 rows of Cashmerino. I deliberately left 8 inch tails, rather than darning them in, when joining in and breaking off yarn which were later incorporated into the fringe. I cast off with the 5mm needles but very loosely.

To make the fringe I cut 16 inch lengths of yarn in all three colours. I put one strand of each colour together and folded them in half. Then, using a crochet hook, I pulled the loop through the edge of the scarf where two colours join and pulled the strands through the loop to make a half-hitch knot. I repeated this on both ends of the scarf. I then trimmed the ends level and it was ready to wear. I did not need to block it.

You can experiment with different colour combinations and numbers of rows, using whatever scraps of yarn you have to hand. One side of my scarf is striped and the other has a more blended effect. I really love the effect of the two next to each other when the scarf is wrapped around my neck. Of course you can also make it shorter or longer, and vary the width. Whatever yarn you choose I would recommend using a needles one or two sizes larger than normally recommended for the yarn to give it a nice drape. My finished scarf is soft and squishy and very warm. I love it!

I wore it on Saturday when we went to Salisbury. It was bitterly cold and I was glad of my new scarf and the Limpetiole hat too. We had a really good day, despite my cold and the fact that my leg was rather painful by the time we got on the bus to come home. We went to one of our favourite places in Salisbury, Fisherton Mill. They sell beautiful items created by local craftspeople and the upper level includes workshops occupied by a jeweller, a milliner and a weaver plus an art gallery. They also have a great cafe which sells wonderful home cooked food. We both had a bowl of their lovely carrot, coriander and lentil soup served with freshly baked bread. Just what we needed on such a raw day. Afterwards we paid a visit to Franklins in Fisherton Street where I bought some King Cole Baby Alpaca DK in a lovely shade of green, called Lichen, to make some gloves.

My final port of call was Bijoux Beads on the edge of the Market Square where I bought some beautiful beads and some thread - more of that in my next post.

Happy New Year

2011-01-02T09:08:00.000-08:00

I am only too glad to be saying goodbye to 2010 and starting a new year afresh. The last twelve months has seen us sadly losing two family members and a major health challenge for me. I am not normally one to make resolutions but this year I have broken with this and resolved to face the year ahead with optimism.

Christmas turned out to be very stressful as my Mother was taken seriously ill on Christmas Eve. What was originally thought to be a heart attack turned out to be blood clots on her lungs, a complication from recent surgery. Luckily it was caught before it could become life threatening and she is receiving treatment. She was a bit annoyed at being forced to spend the Christmas period in hospital but to my delight she was discharged on New Year's Eve. The hospital staff were great, doing their best to make Christmas fun. She enjoyed lots of festive food and even went to a carol service on Christmas morning in the hospital chapel. She will need many months of treatment and careful monitoring but she is on the mend.

I had been looking forward to time off over Christmas after a long and stressful three months at work. I had a list of projects to make and things that I wanted to do. Instead I found myself on an emotional roller coaster. The result was that I didn't achieve anything. I feel as if I need another week off to recover!

It has not been all bad. I have had some quality time with my OH and time with friends. On Boxing Day we went for a walk by the sea. The pictures above don't really give a sense of how cold it was. I was well wrapped up but my face was completely numb by the time we finished walking. However, it did give my OH an opportunity to play with his new camera and it gives you a good view of my hand knitted hat. It is 'Rose Red' by Ysolda Teague, knitted in Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend yarn. It is super cosy as I can pull it down over my ears so I have been wearing it very frequently over the past few weeks.

I know it is usual to take some time to look back over my achievements during the past twelve months. I am not going to do that instead I want to draw a line under 2010 and look forward rather than dwelling on the past.

Short Break

2010-12-24T15:16:00.000-08:00

I will be taking a short break from blogging until the New Year. Unfortunately life is a bit difficult at the moment and I need to divert my attention elsewhere for a while.

My Mother has been taken seriously ill and will be spending Christmas in hospital.

I hope to return in the New Year. Have a really Happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year.

Christmas!

2010-12-19T15:46:00.000-08:00

Today was not a good day in some ways. I woke up in pain and the bitterly cold weather has moved in again. We managed to go out and do some food shopping on Saturday but the journey back from the shops was stressful. We faced a 10 minute walk on sheets of ice and compacted snow to get home. My OH was great as usual and carried most of the shopping bags. He went out again in the snow today to get a couple of things that we had forgotten to buy. On his way back home he fell heavily on the ice. Luckily he only suffered some bruises and did not break any bones.

This weekend has had its good points too though. My OH made a lovely lemon drizzle cake to cheer us both up. Also he spotted some yarn for sale in a local charity shop. On investigation I discovered a bag of very good quality chunky yarn, enough to make a sweater, and a skein of hand dyed double knitting wool. I bought both for just a few pounds.

This afternoon I sat down to write the last of my Christmas cards. However, I discovered that I was a bit low on cards so decided to make some of my own. During my various City & Guilds courses over the past 5 years I have collected quite a range of paper, card, ribbons, beads and sequins. Now seemed like a good time to delve in that stash and do something useful with it. So I sat at the dining table in my living room and made some cards. It was quite strange sitting there creating Christmas greetings with the snow falling steadily outside, but strangely comforting at the same time. The resulting cards would not win any prizes but I am quite pleased with the way they turned out. I only hope that they get to their respective recipients in time for Christmas.

Knitted hats and other cosy things...

2010-12-15T03:59:00.000-08:00

Following a suggestion by Crafty Cripple I have attempted to recharge my creative batteries over the last few days. I have been browsing through Ravelry and also through my yarn stash. It is small by most knitter's standards but big enough for my very small flat. It was great to sit and look through my collection. Many of the skeins have been purchased on special days out with my OH and dear friends so it was soothing to think back to where and when I bought each one.

I came across two skeins of Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend in a lovely mix of blues and greens and some Malabrigo Worsted in a glorious purple colour called Velvet Grapes. With the bad weather approaching again I am now knitting a hat with the Silk Blend. It is a Woolly Wormhead pattern called Limpetiole. I hopefully should have enough left over to make a scarf.

Limpetiole by the lovely Woolly Wormhead

As for the Malabrigo it will probably become a shawl/wrap. I have had Hawthorne by Susanna IC in my Ravelry Library for a while now and the Malbrigo would be perfect. The only worry is whether I have enough of it. Oh dear, another excuse to buy more yarn!

Hawthorne by Susanna IC at Twist Collective

On the beading front I have just received the latest copy of Interweave Beadwork. So I plan to settle down tomorrow evening with a mug of hot chocolate and have a browse. So watch this space!

What shall I bead next?

2010-12-12T08:46:00.000-08:00

For some reason this past week has been a bit of a struggle. I have found the cold weather particularly hard to cope with. Probably as a result of this I have found myself completely demotivated when it comes to my beadwork. I am finishing a couple of things but cannot really get inspiration for anything new. Hopefully this is just a temporary state of affairs. I am going to spend the next few days looking at my beading books and magazines to see if that sparks any ideas.

I normally have some knitting in my bag and try to knit a few rows in spare moments such as during my lunch break. I usually have a sock, hat or pair of gloves on my needles. However I also seem to have run out of steam where my knitting is concerned.

Maybe a break for a few days will re-energise me!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

2010-12-06T01:17:00.000-08:00

We have been very lucky in my part of Southern England recently and missed out on the snow, that is until Thursday. We woke up to find everything covered in a white blanket. It looked just like a Christmas card and was a complete surprise. It continued to snow quite heavily during the day. We apparently have our own micro-climate in Bournemouth, due to the proximity of the Isle of Wight. It is very rare for us to get snow here, at least snow that settles on the ground.

I was unable to get to work as I rely on public transport a lot of the time and lifts to work from a kind friend. She was unable to get her car out of her drive and I did not think that I could cope with the long walk. It would normally take me nearly an hour to walk to work in normal weather conditions so I dread to think how long it would take me in deep snow. Two of my friends who live nearby put me to shame by making the effort to walk. I know it sounds really feeble but I have problems with my left leg at the moment so like many others I worked from home. I am glad that I did as a bit later in the day the decision was made to close the University. I am fairly new to the wonders of broadband Internet access but it was great to be able to read my emails, work on a presentation and also help by staffing our online Chat service, all from the warmth of my living room. All due to the wonders of technology.

This is the scene that greeted us when we woke up.

After several hours of steady snow fall this was the view from my kitchen window.

The poem 'London Snow' by Robert Bridges sums it up completely -

'When men were all asleep the snow came flying,
In large white flakes falling on the city brown,
Stealthily and perpetually settling and loosely lying,
Hushing the latest traffic of the drowsy town;
Deadening, muffling, stifling its murmurs failing;
Lazily and incessantly floating down and down:
Silently sifting and veiling road, roof and railing;
Hiding difference, making unevenness even,
Into angles and crevices softly drifting and sailing.
All night it fell, and when full inches seven
It lay in the depth of its uncompacted lightness,
The clouds blew off from a high and frosty heaven;
And all woke earlier for the unaccustomed brightness
Of the winter dawning, the strange unheavenly glare:
The eye marvelled - marvelled at the dazzling whiteness;
The ear hearkened to the stillness of the solemn air;
No sound of wheel rumbling nor of foot falling,
And the busy morning cries came thin and spare...'

I first read this at school and growing up in the far South West of England, kept warm by the Gulf Stream, I had never experienced heavy snow, and it was very hard to imagine. Looking out at the scene on Thursday morning I was reminded of his vivid description. When I went out to take these pictures the normally busy road was eerily silent

And finally a picture of a gorgeous cake that my OH made for my Birthday (the strange round things on the top are Maltezers). Another reason to cheer up and forget about the winter weather. As one of my friends says 'There is never a bad time to eat cake!'

Christmas comes early

2010-11-24T06:23:00.000-08:00

I have a new toy to play with. Last Friday after work I went with my OH to a local shopping centre and bought a new laptop. We chose an Acer Aspire 5742 and to our great delight discovered that it was on special offer at PC World. I have to say that shopping for a computer was a bit humiliating. The sales assistant looked as though he was about 14 years old and yawned his way through the whole transaction. I also inadvertently provided a bit of entertainment for his work mates. I am sure they were snickering at me when I mistakenly asked if the computer had a 3i processor! I should have said i3. My only excuse is that it had been a long and tiring week and although I consider myself quite computer literate, it doesn't come naturally.

I am not really a gadget person, I was probably one of the last people to buy a mobile phone in the UK. Perhaps it is my age. I won't disclose what it is but just let us say that I grew up when there were no home computers and mobile phones! However, I am really excited about our latest purchase. It no only gives me some flexibility about where I work but it hopefully will mean that can update this blog more frequently.

Sadly my Mother-in-law died last December just before Christmas. She left us some money in her will. Instead of frittering it away we have decided to buy a couple of things such as the laptop and possibly a new camera for my OH. We are also going to make sure that we have a really nice holiday. The rest will be safely tucked away for a rainy day. I was extremely fond of my Mother-in-law and her long illness and subsequent passing was very distressing. I would like to think that she approved of how we are spending the money. She always tried to enjoy life despite her poor health. Thank you Eileen, wherever you are!

Now that Winter's here....

2010-11-08T04:39:00.000-08:00

Here are the pictures of my OH's gloves as promised. Not very exciting I know but they are the first pair of gloves that I have improvised from a basic pattern. He chose the colour. I am really pleased with how they turned out. He wore them to the allotment yesterday and reports that they are very comfortable. They are made out of superwash sock yarn so at least I can throw them into the washing machine if he decides to plant broad beans or turn his compost heap whilst wearing them!

I finished them just in time as we woke up this morning to find the UK in the grip of its first bad winter storm. I love the changing seasons, particularly Autumn with its glorious colours and Bonfire Night. Plus it is an excuse for lots of cosy nights sitting at home knitting! However this morning was not pleasant with gale force winds, torrential rain and falling temperatures.

Brief Update

2010-11-02T03:33:00.000-07:00

It is quite a few weeks since I updated this blog. Everyday life has got in the way and I seem to be splitting my time between work and waiting around at the hospital for various appointments.

I have been plodding on with a number of projects. I have almost finished my commissioned necklace although I have had to apologise to my client for taking so long. I have to admit that I have found concentrating on anything for any length of time difficult. In addition to the beading I have been knitting some fingerless gloves for my OH and have finished my own gloves, athough they took me 6 weeks to make. That must be a record! Pictures to come very soon. When I have finished the necklace I am going to dust off my crochet skills and attempt this hat from Stitch Diva Studios. I love wearing hats and, as I am currently growing the layers out of my hair so that I can have it cut into a bob, this pattern seemed ideal. It is quite a while since I have crocheted anything so we will see how I get on!

On the health front things seem to be progressing well. I am having physiotherapy for the problems with my left leg and I finally seem to have found the right combination of pain medication (the past few weeks has been a bit of a struggle with bizarre side effects such as vertigo). I have to admit that I consider myself very lucky to have all of this excellent care without facing huge medical bills. At the risk of opening a can of political worms this whole business has made me realise how lucky we are to have free healthcare in the UK. I know that the NHS has its critics both here and on the other side of the Atlantic. I am just glad that I have been able to get the support and care that I need without having to worry about how I am going to pay for it. The past three months has been stressful enough without that too!

2010-09-24T02:29:00.000-07:00

Thank all of you who have given me your support and best wishes, they are much appreciated. Crafty Cripple suggested that I look at Lene Andersen's blog about her experiences of living with rheumatoid arthritis. Thank you, it has really helped and I would highly recommend it to anyone else who has been diagnosed with arthritis.

One of Lene's posts which struck a particular chord with me was about living with pain. September is apparently National Pain Month in the US. She asks not only for better understanding of pain but also for pain sufferers to be more honest about what they are experiencing. Most people try to hide their pain from others and think it is weak to admit to it or talk about it. I have definitely been guilty of that. During my trips to the doctor over the last few years, due to pain in my back and left hip, I have been made to feel stupid, a time waster or simply a nuisance. As I was otherwise fit and healthy my pain was usually dismissed as a trapped nerve or a pulled muscle which would heal in a week or two. Sometimes the pain went away sometimes it didn't. After a while I just put up with the pain and survived by taking over the counter medication. Fortunately the pain was moderate so I was able to get by, until recently. Finally three months ago I had had enough. I really liked my GP and decided to talk to her about the problems I had been having and the new problem with my ankle. Instead of dismissing me as a hypochondriac or just hysterical she actually listened to me and took me seriously. It is thanks to her that I got my diagnosis earlier this week. Sadly for me (although not for her) she has just retired, but I will be eternally grateful to her for believing me and helping me do something about it.

I do realise that I am partly to blame. I should have been more assertive with my doctors. There have been a few times over the last couple of months when I have been close to tears because of the exhaustion and pain. The only person that I have been able to talk to is a friend who herself lives with chronic pain so she understands what I am experiencing. I have now resolved to me more honest about how I am feeling.

I am gradually coming to terms with my diagnosis and I have now got dates for physiotherapy and an appointment with a rheumatology specialist. I still feel guilty for putting my OH through this though. His Mother suffered from severe arthritis for most of her adult life and she unfortunately died last December from the complications of her illness. He knows only too well what to expect and I am so sorry to have to put him through this. The only positive thing is that my arthritis is fairly mild at the moment. Hopefully, with the right treatment, I can stay well most of the time with only the occasional flare up.

When life gives you lemons...

2010-09-22T07:29:00.000-07:00

Sometimes life takes an unexpected turn and you find yourself somewhere you never ever expected to be. Such a thing happened to me yesterday. I have been having problems with my back for many years. About 18 months ago I had an accident and hurt my knee quite badly. After the accident my back problems got much worse and then my ankle started hurting. At first it was simply dismissed as complications of my knee injury as I was not walking well. However as the knee healed it became apparent that my other problems were getting worse. Worried, I visited my GP and was referred to a rheumatologist. You see, I have a very strong family history of arthritis and my doctor was concerned that there might be a connection between this and my symptoms. So finally yesterday, after weeks of hospital visits and tests I finally got the diagnosis - rheumatiod arthritis.

After a sleepless night I am still in shock. Lots of things are running through my head at the moment. How will this affect my future, my relationship with my OH and also my working life? I really haven't come up with any answers yet. I feel as if the rug has been pulled from beneath my feet.

I am determined to be positive about this latest development but at the moment I honestly don't know quite what to do next.

I thought long and hard before writing this blog entry. I was worried that it would appear as though I was wallowing in self-pity. That honestly isn't the case. It really does help to write it down. I will let you know what conclusions I come to over the next few weeks.

Understandably I haven't been able to concentrate on my beading. However I have a commission to complete so I will have to try to forget my problems and get on with it. Hopefully it will help me feel better, beading usually does.

'Time is free, but it is priceless' (Harvey MacKay)

2010-09-17T03:00:00.000-07:00

The weeks are flying past so fast at the moment it is quite frightening. At the moment I am bracing myself for a very busy period at work. As things get more hectic I am starting to daydream about all of the things that I want to make. When the stress levels start to rise I just take a few moments to think about my latest knitting or beading project and it calms me down. At the moment I am still knitting the 'Bobbie' gloves. I am probably one of the world's slowest knitters. I really envy people like my friend 'M' aka 'A Girl in Winter' who can produce beautiful socks and shawls in a matter of days.

Last Saturday 'M' and I had a really lovely day in London attending the IKnit Weekender. We caught a coach up to Victoria and walked the short distance to the Royal Horticultural Halls in Vincent Square. It was really nice spending the day with 'M' and browsing through the lovely yarns and books. I bought a copy of Elizabeth Zimmermann's 'Knitting Workshop', some Addi circular needles, a couple of patterns and a skein of gorgeous yarn from the Natural Dye Studio. 'M' and I both bought some amazing buttons from Textile Garden. Theirs was, not surprisingly, one of the most popular stands at the event.

Sunday was spent recovering from the previous day. I have a problem with my leg at the moment which is making walking too far really painful. I am currently on the waiting list for some physiotherapy so hopefully that will help. It is so frustrating to go from being fairly fit and active to my current state in just a few months.

'M' and I have made a pact that we will both starting wearing what we make more often. Spurred on by this I have been making a necklace which I will wear to work next week. It was inspired by an article on vintage jewellery in a jewellery making magazine. The original idea is not my own but I have adpted it slightly to use materials from my bead stash. I have strung the pendant onto a piece of suede thong but I am not totally happy with it. This weekend I will be going to Salisbury with my OH so I will look for a lovely piece of ribbon to replace it.

Life's little challenges

2010-09-09T04:00:00.000-07:00

It has been such a long time since I last posted. Sorry everyone. Life has just been too hectic recently.

Since I finished my NCFE beading course I have been looking for a new challenge to spur me on. Last week I found it. I was ordering some Fireline thread and crystals from my favourite bead store - Stitch and Craft when I saw the details of their monthly charm challenge. The idea is that each month, for twelve months, they send you a Swarovski crystal bead or stone and you have to make it into a charm. All of the charms should then be attached to a necklace. The only rule is that the beads cannot be simply strung they have to be incorporated into the beadwork in some way.

So far I have received one artemis bead, a rivoli and a square ring. I have lots of ideas for the rivoli and the artemis bead but I have to admit that the square ring has stumped me! I think it is going to be fun.

I also received some good news last week. Someone who attended the Textile Kaleidoscope exhibition has commissioned me to make a necklace for her. This is my first real commission, as in the past I have always made things for friends and relatives. It is very flattering to think that she was so impressed by my work.

This Saturday I will be going to London with M (aka 'A Girl in Winter') for the IKnit London Weekender. In addition to my sock addiction I have now got hooked on making gloves. Now that September is here I have started thinking about hats, gloves and scarves again. I have ridiculously small hands and find it almost impossible to find a ready made pair of gloves that fit me properly. Knitting them myself has been a revelation, as I can try them on as I knit and so make sure they fit me to a tee. When M and I attended Knit Nation recently I saw some of Julia Mueller's gloves on display on the Wollmeise stand. I was smitten and immediately got her 'Bobbie' pattern from Ravelry, dug out some Violet Green sock yarn from my stash and cast on. I think everyone might be getting gloves for Christmas this year!

Unfortunately it means that I will miss the first meeting of the Piory Beaders, but I am really looking forward to spending the day with a good friend and drooling over all that yarn!

Green Fingers

2010-08-09T01:59:00.000-07:00

This weekend I visited an amazing garden as part of the Open Gardens Scheme. Behind an ordinary looking house we discovered an exotic wonderland full of bamboos, banana plants and palm trees. By now you will have gathered that my OH and I are both gardeners and love plants in all of their shapes and forms. I love the way that gardens feed all of our senses. As we sat in that garden on Saturday I was struck by how tranquil it was even though we were right in the centre of a town. The wind was sighing through the bamboo plants and everywhere we looked were vibrant colours and shapes. It had been raining a little bit earlier in the day and I could smell damp earth and scent from the flowers. My only dissapointment was that there were no herb or vegetable plants. I really believe that no garden is complete without at least a small herb bed, but obviously that is just my opinion!

The landscape architect Russell Page once said that "Green fingers are the extension of a verdant heart". I do hope that is true.

Flowers fascinate me and I have tried over the last few years to interpret them in my beadwork. This weekend when I wasn't wandering around gardens I was trying to create one in beads. I have been working on a collar for the last two weeks. At the moment I have just been experimenting with shapes and textures but my aim is to completely cover the necklace with flowers, leaves and tendrils. I might also include a butterfly or insect as I am enthralled by them too and they have their place in every beautiful garden. For once I have decided not to plan it too carefully but just to let it evolve. I can't wait to get home every evening to work on it. I will post more pictures as it evolves.

Happy Holidays

2010-08-03T01:19:00.000-07:00

I have not updated this blog for a couple of weeks as I have been on holiday. I decided that I would not go near a computer for the whole time because if I did I would have been drawn into doing work and answering work related emails.

Friday 23rd and Saturday 24th July saw the final Textile Kaleidoscope exhibition, at least in its current form. The Thursday of that week was taken up with setting up the exhibition. It was totally exhausting hauling furniture around, not helped by the extremely humid weather. However it was an opportunity for the 9 of us to spend some quality time together and to admire each other's work. The exhibition went well but I was a little bit disappointed that numbers were down slightly compared to last year. Nevertheless we all received some lovely comments from the visitors and I got to meet someone who had actually read my blog! I was really surprised as according to my Stat Counter I have a very small number of followers, but it was great to meet her.

The event was overshadowed by the news that one of the Priory Beaders had been taken seriously ill. Sadly she died on the Saturday. She will be missed. Although in her mid 80's she was always out and about attending beading shows and beading classes. She lived her life to the full and was a joy to be with.

After the exhibition we had a small get together to mark the end of an era. We have all finished our beading classes now and our tutor Jane is moving on to pastures new. I will still see most of them at Priory Beaders but somehow it just won't be the same. Jane handed us each her feedback on our work and told us that we had all passed our NCFE Level 3. I felt a great sense of achievement at finishing my course. I am one of life's plodders, always have been and always will be. I remember being told by one of my lecturers when I was studying for my degree that I was an average student and that I would never 'set the world on fire'! I was upset at the time but have come to realise that he was right. I may never be a high flyer but I feel that I have achieved a lot over the last 6 years and feel really proud of myself.

The second week of my break from work was really quiet. I was happy to spend some time at home recovering. I am struggling physically a little bit at the moment with pains in my back and left leg. It is possibly a legacy from a bad fall that I had last year which left me walking with a stick for three months. I am due to have an MRI scan of my back soon so hopefully that will shed some light on what is causing the pain.

Last Saturday I went to Knit Nation at Imperial College in London with 'M' aka 'A Girl in Winter' and my OH who came along for the trip. 'M' and I spent a couple of hours wandering around the Marketplace drooling over the gorgeous hand dyed yarn on sale. We were a bit starstruck too as we saw Woolly Wormhead, Ysolda Teague and the founders of Ravelry, Jess and Casey. We had a good day ending up in a lovely pub found by my OH.

Now it is back to work and back to reality.

Beady Delights

2010-07-12T08:17:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I attended a Beadworkers' Guild Cascade Day at Stanpit Village Hall near Christchurch. The idea is that someone from the Beadworkers' Guild brings along examples of beadwork from the Guild's extensive collection. Everyone is encouraged to use the pieces as a starting point to experiment and produce their own work. The theme of the day was 'Tassels, Fringes and Trims'. There were some beautiful examples of Victorian beadwork on display and a selection of more contemporary work. We were each given a workbook containing lots of hints and tips to get us started.

It was great fun. There was lots of laughter and a steady supply of tea and cakes - who could ask for more? I experimented with different types of braids and will put up some pictures of what I have made in the near future. Plus it was a great opportunity for me to catch up with some of my beady friends.

I am still beading like a maniac to get my work done for the exhibition in two week's time. I have finished the Art Deco brooch and watch strap and I am currently working on the necklace.

Here are a few pictures taken by my OH at our allotment yesterday. It was too hot for me to go with him plus I am having a few mobility problems at the moment. The good news is that I have an appointment with a Rheumatologist next week so hopefully I can get to the bottom of some of the weird symptoms that I have been experiencing over the last 12 months.

You always want what you can't have...

2010-06-29T07:26:00.000-07:00

Today has not been a good day. It started early this morning with a doctor's appointment and has gone steadily down hill ever since. I can't wait to get home to my OH and to lose myself in my beading. I am on the home stretch now with the Textile Kaleidoscope exhibition in my sights. I have two projects on the go at the moment, a set of Art Deco style jewellery and a beaded collar. I am sad in a way that my course is coming to an end in a couple of weeks time. After 5 years of studying there will be no more courses to take. I have learnt so much not only about beading but also about myself in the process. I have definitely developed my own style and I think it is quite distinctive.

It is strange however that I always want to be able to bead like someone else. Last Thursday at my beading class I took the opportunity to walk around the class and see what other people have been making. My excuse was that my back was hurting me as usual and I needed to stretch my legs. In reality I am just plain nosey! Plus it is always a delight to take time to fully appreciate how talented my fellow beaders really are. I was particularly taken with a beautiful lariat, covered with flowers leaves and buds and I remember thinking 'I wish I could make something like that!'. Imagine my surprise a bit later in the day when I overheard the maker of that exquisite piece of beadwork telling our tutor how much she wished she could produce precise beaded pieces like mine. It seems that we are never satisfied. I admit it I am a total 'neat freak'. I hate living and working in mess, everything has to be in its place. Luckily my OH has accepted this personality trait with his usual tolerance and good humour.

Centrepiece of an Art Deco necklace

Although I will be sad when the exhibition is over I am looking forward to spending time on my other interests such as quilting and knitting. I already have a queue of potential knitting projects building up. After this morning's appointment it looks as though I will be spending more time waiting around in hospital clinics so they will come in very handy for passing the time.

Beads, beads and more beads...

2010-06-11T01:25:00.000-07:00

After many hours of work my Art Deco bag is almost finished. It hasn't turned out exactly as I would like but it is really good to finally have it done so that I can move onto other things. The only thing left to be done is to embellish the handle with a strip of beadwork and its complete.

Also on the subject of beads my beading class took part in the Christchurch Community Festival during the Bank Holiday weekend at the end of May. It was a bit disappointing I have to say as of course it poured with rain and as a result we did not have many visitors. We did manage to sell one pair of earrings but otherwise it was very quiet. We had all made jewellery on the theme of spirals and there were some really lovely pieces on display. I had two items for sale - my 'Spring Bracelet' and my 'Purple Passion' necklace.

This weekend I will be doing more beading as I need to get everything finished for our Textile Kaleidoscope exhibition at the end of July.

Lets twist again...

2010-05-19T05:42:00.000-07:00

Beading is dominating my life at the moment. My evenings and weekends have been spent trying to complete some projects. If I stop and think how much I have got to do between now and the end of July I start to panic. So, I have been keeping my head down and trying to take it one step at a time.

My experimentation with spirals continues. This time I am playing with peyote or Cellini Spirals. These are great fun. By varying the size and shape of the beads you can exaggerate the shape of the spiral. There is a really good tutorial on creating this spiral here. My aim is to make some beaded beads out of spirals and put them together in a necklace to sell on our stall at the Community Festival at Christchurch.

Then I have to concentrate on my course work so that I am ready to exhibit at the Textile Kaleidoscope exhibition at the end of July. This is a showcase for local City & Guilds students. Sadly it might be the last ever exhibition as Dorset Adult Education is scaling down the range of art and craft courses it offers. Apparently government funding has been cut for 'leisure' courses choosing instead to fund adult literacy, numeracy and computer courses.

Even though I am up to my eyes in beading at the moment I still need to have a project on my knitting needles. It is really nice to have a project in my bag to work on in my lunch breaks or when watching the television in the evenings. I have just started a pair of socks for my OH as he really loves my hand knitted ones. I found this pattern on knitty. It is a great source for beautifully designed hand knitting patterns and I would highly recommend it.

Diamond Waffle Socks designed by Danny Ouelette

Gardens, elections and other things..

2010-05-07T07:25:00.000-07:00

The weeks are flying past and another Summer Term is whizzing past. Last week I took an extra day off to try to get to grips with some of the beading projects that I have on the go at the moment. I have several items partially made for my NCFE Beading course. In addition to that a group of beaders, myself included, will be taking part in the Community Celebration of Christchurch at the end of May. We are going to have a stall displaying and selling our beaded jewellery. I am really excited about it and have been making two necklaces for it and will be trying to sell them along with my Spring Flowers bracelet. Most of my waking hours seem to be consumed with either thinking about beading or actually beading! Most other things, including my knitting, are having to take a back seat at the moment.

Last weekend I took some time out to visit a local garden with my OH. It was open as part of the National Gardens Scheme. This encourages ordinary people to open their back gardens to the public. Visitors pay a small admission charge which goes to charity. This Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday my OH and I visited a beautiful garden just a few minutes walk from where we live. It is a favourite of ours and it did not disappoint. It was full of colour from rhododendrons and azaleas as well as a host of spring bulbs. They also always serve a mouthwatering selection of homemade cakes too.

Yesterday I took some time out in the evening to go an vote in the General Election. Our route to the Polling Station took us through Alum Chine, a deep, wooded ravine which leads down to the sea. As we were walking back I was struck yet again by how lucky I am to live in such a beautiful place. I was really happy to note that there were a lot of people coming to vote. I can never remember see a queue at a Polling Station before. It makes me really angry when people are only too happy to complain about the state of the economy, the NHS etc... but can't be bothered to vote and try to change things. I don't feel that this blog is the right place to discuss party politics but let me simply say that I was disappointed to discover the result for my constituency when I woke up this morning, although to honest the outcome was fairly predictable.

My route to the Polling Station

I am currently considering whether to carry on with this blog as, according to StatCounter it is only ever read by 2 or 3 people. Although I suppose I was being a bit arrogant in assuming that anyone would be interested in what I have to say.

A Host of Golden Daffodils

2010-04-15T04:54:00.001-07:00

I simply had to post these pictures, taken on my journey to work yesterday morning. After the coldest Winter in the UK for over 40 years Spring is finally here. Everything is flowering about 5 weeks later than normal and the Gardens in the centre of Bournemouth are looking spectacular.

I have been temporarily distracted from my beading by my OH's request for some red socks. This is the first pattern that I have made up as I go along. It is knitted from the toe up and is based on the Lifestyle Toe-up Sock recipe by Charissa Martin Cairn on Ravelry. I have also incorporated Evelyn A. Clark's gusset heel and her instructions for the stretchy Russian bind-off. I just cast on and improvised. It did mean that I had to rip the first sock back three times to get it right but I am very pleased with the result.

I have also completed a Haruni shawl by Emily Ross. I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it on Ravelry and had to make one. It was my first complex lace pattern and I learnt so much from it. I now feel that I could tackle most lace knitting with full confidence. I have worn it to work several times and absolutely love it. Perfect for this time of year when you need something cosy around your shoulders but don't want to wear a sweater.

New beginnings

2010-04-13T01:30:00.000-07:00

After some time away I now feel ready to post again. The last few months have been difficult. I won't go into details but both my OH and I each had a family bereavement over the Christmas period. The last few weeks has been taken up with funerals and dealing with wills etc. so I have not really felt like posting. The unusually bitterly cold winter weather did not help, making visiting family and friends extra difficult.

However all that is now behind me and Spring has at last started to appear. One of the latest assignments for my NCFE Beading class was to experiment with spiral rope. Spurred on by the promise of warmer weather I have been trying to incorporate flowers and leaves in the ropes. It has been great fun. Spiral rope is one of my favourite stitches.

I am particularly pleased with the spring flowers bracelet. Some time ago, at a bead fair I bought several tubes of pressed glass flowers and leaves without really having an idea of what to use them for. I dug them out of my stash and started playing. This is the result.

Last Wednesday my OH and I went up to London for the day. Recent events have made us both realise that life is short and you never know what is around the corner. We have made a promise to each other that we will try to enjoy life to the full and we have made a list of things we want to do over the next 12 months. First on the list was to go to the Victoria and Albert Museum and I wanted to go to the 'Qulits 1700 - 2010' exhibition.

We started the morning by walking the short distance from Victoria to 'Baker & Spice'. They make the most amazing bread and cakes, their chocolate brownies are a particular favourite. The cafe is in a quiet street in Belgravia and the walk from there to the V&A took us past lots of exclusive shops and boutiques which I found fascinating. My Father grew up in the East End so we would often go to London when I was a child. We very rarely visited the normal tourist haunts such as Buckingham Palace or the Tower of London, although I do remember him taking me up the Monument in Pudding Lane and telling me about the Great Fire. He was a skilled storyteller and I used to love hearing him talk about growing up in London during the Second World War and working in the East India Docks during the 1950s. Visiting London always makes me think of him, particularly as I seem to have inherited his inability to walk past a bookshop.

The exhibition at the V&A was well worth visiting. It was really great to see some of the quilts displayed as they would have been used, on beds. One of my particular favourites was the oldest quilt in the exhibition. It was made around 1700 for the Bishop's Palace in Exeter. It is made of silk and velvet and positively glowed in the subdued lighting. It is very beautiful. We also visited the new Jewellery Gallery which was absolutely stunning and made a pilgramage to look at Pink Floyd's Azimuth Co-ordinator in the Performing Arts gallery. My OH was in total awe and took exception to my comment that it looked like a box with two sticks jutting out of it! Apparently to Pink Floyd fans it is a sacred object.

After grabbing some lunch at the museum we set off again. The original plan had been to visit the Chelsea Physick Garden. but it had started to rain and we decided to go elsewhere. We ended up in one of my favourite haunts, Kingly Court, just off Carnaby Street. While we were there I bought some yarn to make some socks for my OH in 'All The Fun of The Fair' and had a browse in 'Buffy's Beads'. We ended the day by having some tea and cake in the Camelia Tea Rooms before heading back to Victoria and home.

Viruses and Christmas Knitting

2009-12-11T01:23:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that it is two months since I last updated this blog. To be fair I have a couple of good excuses. First of all I had major computer problems. It managed to get a virus and that completely corrupted my hard drive. The result was that I had to have it rebuilt. Then three weeks ago I managed to get flu. Now, I know that people often say they have flu when all they actually have is a bad cold. Trust me this really was flu - I couldn't get out bed for three days, then just to finish it all off nicely I developed bronchitis.

Despite spending my Birthday shivering on the sofa, cuddling a hot water bottle watching awful day-time television it hasn't been all bad. I have at least had some time to do some beading and knitting, although I have found it hard to concentrate at times.

This year I decided to make a lot of my presents. Although I like Christmas itself I hate the build up to the festive season with a passion. Quite frankly I would rather stick needles in my eyes than fight my way around the shops at this time of year. So I have knitted something for everyone. Since discovering Ravelry I have had no difficulty in finding lovely things to make. Plus I have lots of support and encouragement from my OH and my friends.

Now that my Christmas knitting for other people is almost over I have started something for myself. I have wanted to make myself a shawl for quite a while. I love having something warm and cozy to wrap around my shoulders either in the office when the air conditioning is just a bit too much or at home in the evenings. I have just started a Milkweed Shawl using a skein of Violet Green Supersock. It is hand dyed in a range of blues and purples and is called 'Parma Violets. I am a great fan of Violet Green. The yarn is absolutely gorgeous and very affordable.

Milkweed Shawl designed by Laura Chau

I have to admit that I have not done as much beading as I would have liked in the past few weeks so now that I am feeling better I must concentrate on that.

And finally just to cheer everyone up (he always makes me smile), a picture of a friend's adorable dog Charlie. Who could resist him in that Santa hat?

Of yarn and beads and other lovely things

2009-10-07T01:28:00.000-07:00

It has been weeks since I last updated this blog. The time has just flown by as I have been so busy at home and at work.

On 12th September I went up to London to attend the 'IKnit London Weekender' with M otherwise known as 'A Girl in Winter'. We had a lovely day and I came home with a selection of yummy yarn. When we were having lunch Ysolda Teague wandered past so M. asked her to sign her copy of 'Whimsical Little Knits'. We were both a little bit starstruck as M. has knitted several of Ysolda's designs and I am just about to start her Damson shawl. The afternoon was spent listening to Alice Starmore talk about her design influences. The talk was illustrated with stunning pictures of her Hebridean home, she is very lucky to live in such a beautiful place. Then there was just time for tea and a little bit more yarn shopping before heading home.

On 24th September I started my new NCFE Level 3 beading course. It looks as though it is going to really challenging and fun. Our tutor is going to arrange a visit to the new V&A jewelery gallery to give us some inspiration. However it was with great sadness that we discovered that one of our group has been diagnosed with lung cancer. I knew that she had been ill over the Summer, but did not realise how serious it was. It is a sad time for all of us as we are very fond of her and she was greatly missed at our first meeting. Our thoughts are with her and her family.

Last Sunday M. came around to my flat for a sewing day. She wanted to learn how to make herself some skirts but had done very little sewing. I am quite an experienced needlewoman and used to make a lot of my own clothes so I was only too happy to help her. She did really well and after a few hours work she went home with a lovely skirt. Thanks to my OH we were kept supplied with tea and coffee and he made some delicious pumpkin soup for lunch. If you want to see M.'s finished skirt check out her blog 'Knitting Keeps me Sane'.

I have got a little bit sidetracked with knitting Christmas presents at the moment but I must knuckle down and do some beading. I am off to the Knitting & Stitching show this weekend at Alexandra Palace. I have seen a list of traders and unfortunately there will be lots of opportunities to purchase more yarn and beads.

Gardens and goodbyes

2009-09-10T08:31:00.000-07:00

Life is starting to get hectic again at work and the days are flying by. Last week was very emotional as my friend P. retired after working for nearly 20 years at the University. As a very personal present from her immediate colleagues I made a friendship quilt. I asked all of them to each sign a strip of muslin and then I sewed them together into a quilt. I had to work into the early hours on a number of evenings to finish it in time. As I put the last stitch in the binding just before 1:00 am on the day of her retirement I experienced mixed emotions. I am happy for her as she will get a well earned rest and be able to spend more time with her family. But I will miss her desperately and she has been a valued colleague and friend for the last 6 years. She was almost moved to tears when she saw the quilt. The expression on her face more than made up for all the work which went into it.

My OH and I took advantage of the late Summer Bank Holiday to visit a couple of gardens in Wimborne - The Secret Garden and The Dean's Garden. I am not sure whether I liked the Secret Garden, which was full of quirky things such as a shell grotto, a human skull and an obelisk. The Dean's Garden was much more to my taste with its sweeping lawns, lake and walled kitchen garden.

The Secret Garden

Shell Grotto

Kitchen Garden

Now it is back to working on my beading. More on this in my next post.

What I did on my holidays

2009-08-28T05:26:00.000-07:00

I have just had two weeks off and it has been rather a jolt getting back to work. We decided not to go away this year. My knee injury put a stop to our plans to go back to Lulworth for a walking holiday. So we decided to stay at home instead. We were very lucky with the weather. This year has been rather mixed as far as Summer weather goes. One day blazing hot the next day 5 or 6 degrees cooler. The last two weeks has been glorious, hot and very sunny.

Some of the time was spent pottering around at home some on days out.

Salisbury is one of my favourite places to visit. It is easily accessible by bus from Bournemouth and there is lots to do and see. Saturday is the best day to go as there is a market in the Square selling everything from work boots to locally made beer. We often go home with a loaf of artisan bread, mouthwatering olives and a plant or two. My OH is a keen gardener and loves to browse the plant stalls selling herbs and unusual perennials and shrubs. The shops themselves are really good and I usually pay a visit to Bijoux Beads and Franklins to browse through their range of knitting yarn and fabric. Very close to Franklins is Fisherton Mill which has been converted into an arts centre. They sell a range of locally made crafts. When we visited last there was someone weaving cloth on a loom and a silversmith making jewellery. They have a great cafe selling delicious food too.

Gilbert the Dragon who has recently taken up residence in the centre of Salisbury.

One of my dear friends - P - is retiring next week and she held a Barn Dance to celebrate her and her husband's retirement. I was not able to dance unfortunately, due to my ongoing knee problem, but found watching everyone charging around the hall very entertaining. Much fun was had by all and I was able to finally meet fellow blogger Nadia, of 'Shadows and Clouds' fame, and Mr M. who were over in the UK for a visit.

A good deal of my break was taken up with knitting, sewing and beading - more about that in future posts. In search of inspiration as always I finished my holiday by visiting Wimborne to see 'The Banquet' exhibition at Walford Mill. The room was laid out for a feast. However this was a meal with a difference in that every item of food was made from non-edible materials such as wood, felt, yarn silk, glass and ceramics. I found the whole thing really inspiring and took lots of photos.

Now it is back to normality with a bump after being a lady of leisure for a fortnight.

Textile Kaleidoscope

2009-07-22T01:52:00.000-07:00

Things have been a bit hectic over the last few days so I haven't had time to add any updates. The end of last week was taken up by the Textile Kaleidoscope exhibition. I was stewarding on Friday morning and then helping to pack the exhibition away on Saturday. Sunday was spent recovering. Although my knee is getting better I still find standing for too long very painful. I have taken the decision not to use my stick anymore and I seem to be walking better. Hopefully this means I am well and truly on the road to recovery. Here is a selection of the work on display last weekend.

Summer at last

2009-07-06T01:47:00.001-07:00

I am progressing with my beaded bag. I have decided to take some elements of the passion flower and play with the shapes. It will be a pyramid in shape and very heavily influenced by Art Deco. I plan to line it with coffee coloured silk dupion.

My OH has also been very creative recently. One of his work colleagues is leaving to return to her native Australia. He came up with the idea of making her a cake in the shape of the Australian flag. Although he hasn't done much cake decorating before but it turned out really well. I am very proud of him and I know that everyone in the office enjoyed it very much.

On Friday evening I took a walk down to the beach. I am very lucky in that I only live a short walk from the sea. The route is through a wooded valley, locally know as a Chine, which is actually a dry ravine. It is only a ten minute walk but it was a positive step forward for me (no pun intended) as my knee is still quite painful. It was really nice to sit on the sea front and watch everyone playing on the sand and walking their dogs. My next goal is to start going to the gym, I have asked one of the staff to devise a programme which will allow me to ease back into exercise.

Sunshine and thunderstorms

2009-06-26T05:03:00.000-07:00

I was woken at 1:30 this morning by a loud clap of thunder. Summer has finally come to the South of England and after several hot, humid days we were treated to a spectacular storm. Realising that I would find it hard to go back to sleep, I got out of bed and padded to the living room and watched out of the window for a while. There were some amazing forks of lightning, I only wish that I had been able to take some photos. My OH of course slept through the whole thing!

At one time I was a bit scared of thunder storms. Silly I know, but I think it probably stems from an experience in my childhood. Whilst staying with my grandparents on the Kent coast, the house next door was hit by lightening during a particularly violent storm. It shook the whole house and scared me out of my wits. For quite a long time after that storms made me nervous. Now I don't mind them so much and even find them quite exhilarating.

Summer (and the hard work of my OH) has brought its rewards. Last night we sat down to a meal of salad, including the first of our potatoes from the allotment, followed by fruit pie, containing homegrown blackcurrants. I can claim absolutely no credit for them, especially at the moment with my limited mobility. I really do appreciate his hard work as you really cannot beat homegrown fruit and vegetables.

Yesterday was a sad day for me, it was the last day of my City & Guilds Beadweaving course. To mark the occasion we all went to a local pub for lunch. We sat in the garden, enjoying the sunshine, chatting away and it struck me how lucky I am to have met these women. They are all ages and from many walks of life with one thing in common - their creative spirit.

I will see some of them at our annual exhibition - Textile Kaleidoscope - which showcases the work of City & Guilds beadwork and embroidery students, in three weeks time. I am working away on my Art Deco bag , which will be one of the exhibits. So the weekend ahead will be full of beading and writing up my design journal.

Reasons to be cheerful...

2009-06-11T03:36:00.000-07:00

This week has been hard. My leg has been hurting and I have found the normal routine of work and everyday life quite difficult. To make me feel better I have recently got into the habit of counting my blessings. I know, it makes me sound a bit like Pollyanna! But it really can help, so here are a few things which bring me joy -

1. Strawberries from the allotment, still warm from the sun.
2. Beading with friends.
3. Feeling the sun on my face and the warm breeze in my hair.
4. Summer evening walks along the beach listening to the waves crashing on the shore.
5. The soothing rhythm of my knitting needles as the yarn slips through my fingers.
6. Three wonderful women who are happy to spend time with me no matter what my mood.
7. Fresh asparagus from the allotment.
8. Sitting quietly reading with my OH.
9. Sharing a meal with good friends.
10.Wearing hand knitted socks.

I could probably go on and on. I feel better just writing this list!

Some more good news this week, my team at work has won a national award - a Times Higher Education Leadership and Management Award. So now I am part of two award winning teams at work and out of it, that can't be bad. Another reason to be thankful!

Congratulations

2009-06-05T05:09:00.000-07:00

I attended one of my City & Guilds beading days yesterday and discovered that not only have the Priory Beaders won the Beadworkers Guild Group Challenge but one of our members, Val Robertson, has won the Intermediate Category for individual beaders. Congratulations Val! Both entries can now be seen on the Beadworkers' Guild website.

Good News

2009-06-03T03:45:00.000-07:00

I received an email from the organiser of Priory Beaders telling me that we have won the group entry of the Beadworker's Guild Challenge. Great news I am so thrilled. We are a very new group having only been formed in September 2008 so it is a great achievement. I don't have any pictures of the finished piece at the moment but will post some as soon as I can. This cheered me up immensely as the saga of my injured knee continues. I have had the results of my MRI scan and there is good and bad news. The good news is that I have not torn the cartilage and so don't need an operation. The bad news is that I have extensive bone bruising. This means that I have lots of little cracks on the head of my femur and tibia. It will take a long time to heal, possible up to Christmas and beyond. So far I have been trying to carry on as normally as I can but it is very painful and I will have to continue to walk with a stick for quite a while. At least I haven't done any permanent damage!

On a brighter note I have been working on my next beading project - a beaded bag. It is once again inspired by the shapes and colours of passion flowers. The whole thing will have an Art Deco feel and will be pyramid shaped. I am aiming to make it up from beaded shapes and line it with silk in a contrasting colour. I am going to incorporate lots of Swarovski crystals and fresh water pearls.

Some beaded elements for my Art Deco Bag

And I am continuing my adventures in sock knitting. Spurred on by the success of my Salvation Socks I bought a copy of 'Cool Socks Warm Feet' by Lucy Neatby and I am now knitting some toe up socks with a Turkish Heel. Great fun!

My finished 'Salvation Socks'

Fun days out and not so fun days in!

2009-04-28T04:54:00.000-07:00

I had the week leading up to Easter off. It was much anticipated as work has been very hectic recently. It gave me an opportunity to unwind, do some beading and generally take it easy. My OH and I went up to London on one day. We both love gardens and are interested in their history so we planned two visits - one to the Garden Museum and a second to the Chelsea Physic Garden. I would thoroughly recommend both.

The Garden Museum (formerly know as The Garden History Museum) has recently been given a face lift so I was looking forward to visiting it. The museum is based in a converted church in Lambeth, right next to Lambeth Palace, where the plant hunters John Tradescant Senior and his son, also called John, are buried. The garden itself is quite small but beautifully planted with box topiary and many fascinating plants. When we visited there was a exhibition about the gardener Beth Chatto which proved very interesting.

After a delicious vegetarian lunch at the Garden Museum we then went to the Chelsea Physic Garden. This is a beautiful walled garden situated right next to the Royal Chelsea Hospital. All of the plants are well labelled and regular guided tours enable you to get the most out of one of the oldest medicinal plant gardens in England. Then after tea and homemade cake it was time to head home.

This photo does not really do this beautiful garden justice.

The rest of my leave was very enjoyable and on Easter Saturday I went to a meeting of the Priory Beaders which meets in Christchurch once a month. We were working on a group entry for the 2009 Beadworkers' Guild Challenge. The theme is 'Celebration' as 2009 marks its 10th Anniversary. I can't give too much away about our entry but we were all given the task of making a beaded representation of ourselves to be incorporated into the piece. The instructions for doing this were devised by one of the organisers of the group, Jane Griffin. We will have to wait several months to find out if we have won. Even if we are not placed we have still enjoyed immensely working on this project together and have some great memories.

Me - represented in beads - blue and green are my favourite colours.

I was enjoying the remainder of my Easter break when, on Easter Sunday, disaster struck. I slipped getting out of the shower and twisted my knee. It soon became apparent that it was fairly serious so I took myself off to Accident & Emergency. Luckily my X-ray showed that I had not broken anything. However I have damaged the ligament on the inside of my knee. The result was one week at home followed by the past 10 days back at work hobbling around on crutches in a fair bit of pain. My physiotherapist is convinced that it will heal fairly quickly, I hope that he is right. I have always been ridiculously healthy and never hurt myself like this before. I can safely say that I never want to use crutches ever again after this and will be extra careful in future.

'Salvation Socks', so named as they saved my sanity during a period of enforced rest.

During the week that I was stuck at home, after being instructed to keep off my leg completely, I turned in desperation to knitting to keep me occupied. I read until my head ached and saw enough daytime TV to last me for a very long time. Sock knitting proved my salvation. I have been knitting a fairly complicated pattern called 'Mermaid Socks' by Lucy Neatby (later rechristened 'Salvation Socks'). I absolutely love them, and I think that they will be fun to wear. At least something positive will have come out of this experience!

2009-03-13T05:23:00.000-07:00

I saw this on A Girl in Winter's blog and could not resist having a go myself. Why not see how many you have read? -

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen - YES

2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien – YES

3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte - YES

4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling – YES

5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee - YES

6 The Bible – bits of it

7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte - YES

8 1984 - George Orwell - YES

9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman - YES

10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens - YES

11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott - YES

12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy – YES

13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller – NO

14 Complete Works of Shakespeare – some but not all

15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier - YES

16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien - YES

17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks - NO

18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger - NO

19 The Time Traveller's Wife - NO

20 Middlemarch - George Eliot- YES

21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell - NO

22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald - YES

23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens - YES

24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy - YES

25 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams - YES

26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh - NO

27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky - YES

29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll - YES

30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame - YES

31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy - NO

32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens - YES

33 The Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis - YES

34 Emma - Jane Austen - YES

35 Persuasion - Jane Austen - YES

36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - YES

37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini - NO

38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres - NO

39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden - NO

40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne – YES

41 Animal Farm - George Orwell -YES

42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown - YES (This definitely has no place on this list!)

43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez - NO

44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving - NO

45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins - YES

46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery - YES

47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy - YES

48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood - YES

49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding - YES

50 Atonement - Ian McEwan - NO

51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel - YES

52 Dune - Frank Herbert- NO

53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons - YES

54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen - YES

55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth - NO

56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon - NO

57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens - YES

58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley - YES

59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon - YES

60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez - NO

61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck – YES

62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov - NO

63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt - NO

64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold – NO

65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas - YES

66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac - NO

67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy - YES

68 Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding - YES

69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie - NO

70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville - NO

71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens - YES

72 Dracula - Bram Stoker - YES

73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett - YES

74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson - YES

75 Ulysses - James Joyce - NO

76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath - NO

77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome - YES

78 Germinal - Emile Zola - YES (in French! Do I get an extra point for that?)

79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray - YES

80 Possession - AS Byatt - YES

81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens - YES

82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell - NO

83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker -NO

84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro - NO

85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert - YES

86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry - NO

87 Charlotte's Web - EB White - YES

88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom - NO

89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - YES

90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton – YES

91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad - NO

92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery – YES

93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks - NO

94 Watership Down - Richard Adams - YES

95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole - NO

96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute - YES

97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas - YES

98 Hamlet – Shakespeare – YES

99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl - YES

100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo - NO

A total of 64, not as many as 'A Girl in Winter' but not bad.

I'm Back!

2009-01-09T07:39:00.000-08:00

Well I have decided to start writing again. I have been feeling very low for the last few months. My Birthday just made me feel even worse. And to add insult to injury just a week before I had my eyes tested and discovered that I needed reading glasses. So now I look like the stereotypical librarian with glasses perched on the end of her nose! Thank you to all who have left nice comments on this blog while I have been away. They are much appreciated.

One thing to celebrate - after over 110 hours of work my Passion Flower vase is finally finished. I have gone through many emotions whilst creating it - frustration being the main one. However now that it is finished I am quite happy with it. Tomorrow I hand it over to my City & Guilds tutor for assessment. Now I have to start the next project, a beaded bag.

We are having the coldest winter here in Britain for 25 years. Normally we would never see snow here on the south coast but here are some pictures taken on my walk to work just over a week ago.

The daylight hours are starting to lengthen so hopefully that means Spring is on the way.

Take a break

2008-11-13T02:51:00.000-08:00

I am in a melancholy mood at the moment. Life seems to consist mainly of sleep and work and so I am reluctantly taking a break from updating this blog at the moment. There is just too much going on in my life, some not particularly fun things. I am hoping to start again at the beginning of December in a much happier frame of mind.

Grand days out

2008-10-14T05:12:00.000-07:00

The past few weeks have gone past in a blur. I have been so busy that I haven't had time to update this blog. Work is hectic as always, with lots of teaching to plan and deliver. However I have been busy with fun things too. On 4th October I attended a 'Vibrant Velvet' workshop run at Walford Mill by Jane Venables, a very talented textile artist. I have experimented with dyeing cloth in the past but sadly don't have the space at the moment to do it. As soon as I saw the course advertised I knew that I wanted to attend. I have read several of Jane's books so jumped at the chance to be taught by her.

Getting to the venue in Wimborne meant that I had to get up quite early. I woke up at 6:00 am with butterflies in my stomach - excitement and nerves combined. When I arrived I was welcomed by Jane who then proceeded to show us some of her stunning work. Her technique involves painting dye directly onto the back of the velvet using a large brush - very similar to painting in watercolours. Because the velvet is dry, and the dyes are very runny it starts to spread and the trick is to paint quickly so that you have some control over it. I couldn't wait to get started.

I was the only complete beginner there. Everyone else immediately set to work and produced stunning works of art. To my embarrassment mine resembled the daubings of a three year old. Jane was very supportive and gave me lots of encouraging advice. So, undaunted I embarked on my first scarf length. Part of the joy of this technique is that you really are not sure how it will look until you are finished and can turn it over. To my immense relief the design of red tulips on a dark background looked quite nice. My next attempt was going really well until I accidentally dropped dye where I shouldn't have. I then had a go at creating my own devore using fibre-etch fluid. This was a bit of a disaster and will probably be relegated to the back of a drawer. I have one length of velvet which can be made into a scarf and one piece which will be used for my beadwork. I also ended up walking around with blue hands for a couple of days after picking up a piece of velvet which wasn't completely dry. The next day I got some very strange looks from the woman on the supermarket checkout. I wonder what she thought I had been up to! Despite my lack of artistic talent I thoroughly enjoyed my day and have signed up for the next one day workshop in June.

My feeble attempts at painting silk velvet

Last Saturday I went to the Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace with my long suffering OH and three friends - M, P & K. I have been to the show before but none of the girls had so I was interested to see their reaction. It involved a very early start. I am used to getting up at 6:00 am but even I struggled to get out of bed before 5:00!! Once on the coach my OH discovered that, apart from the driver he was the only man amongst 35 women. Brave soul! I think that everyone had a good time. M gives a very funny account of the day on her blog 'Knitting Keeps Me Sane'. The highlights of my day were meeting Nicky Epstein, seeing the work of Takako Sako and the looks of complete wonder on my friends' faces when they entered the Great Hall for the first time. I bought a copy of Nicky's new book 'Knitting On Top of the World'. She was there at the show that afternoon and signed my copy. It was a real privilege to meet such a talented person. I rounded off the day by buying some gorgeous hand dyed sock yarn and a scarf pin. Then it was home again on the coach, happy but very exhausted.

Alexandra Palace (affectionately known as 'Ally Pally') in North London

Full sized kimono by Takako Sako - it contains over 180 colours and more than 2,000,000 beads

Scarf pin from Purlescence

Cherry Tree Hill 'Supersock' and Hand Maiden 'Casbah'.

Life's ups and downs

2008-09-17T02:21:00.000-07:00

Life is a bit hectic at the moment. The beginning of the new University term is looming so I am spending my time preparing for the Autumn round of teaching. Last Saturday was a welcome break from this. I attended the inaugural meeting of the Priory Beaders. There are 20 members so far and we meet in Stanpit Village Hall on the outskirts of Christchurch. It is a lovely venue with great views across Christchurch Harbour towards Hengistbury Head. The Beadworkers' Guild are celebrating their 10 anniversary in 2009 and to mark this occaision they have asked each of their members to make a beaded bead. These will then be made into a giant necklace, with the aim of getting into the Guiness Book of Records for the longest necklace in the world. It will subsequently be auctioned for charity. As most of the Priory Beaders are members of the Beadworkers' Guild we decided to spend our first day together making beaded beads. For those of you who are wondering beaded beads are just that - beads made out of smaller beads. They can be hollow or have a wooden core. You can see some superb examples on the BeAdfinitum web site created by Gwen Fisher and Florence Turnour. I am in complete awe of their talent.

Some of my beaded beads

The weekend was also spent knitting a second Marsan Watch Cap for my Other Half. He liked the first one so much that he asked for another. I used differnt yarn this time and to my utter frustration it has turned our shorter than the first one. I will now have to partially unravel it and reknit it. Grrr!!

Spurred on by my good friend 'A Girl in Winter' I have cast on for the February Lady Sweater featured on Ravelry. It has an intriguing structure in that it is knitted in one piece from the top down. This has the advantage that you can try it on at any point to check the fit. I will let you know how I get on.

Finally after a lovely, relaxing weekend disaster stuck. On Sunday evening I bit into an oatcake and broke a large chunk off one of my teeth. It just goes to show that eating low fat food really isn't good for you. I am sure that it wouldn't have happened if I had been eating a chocolate digestive! After an emergency visit to my dentist yesterday I emerged with a temporary filling, another appointment on Monday and a bill for nearly £100. That was a very expensive oatcake!

Back again!

2008-09-04T03:17:00.000-07:00

I have sadly neglected this blog over the last few weeks. I had some more time off from work - to recharge my batteries before the onslaught of the new academic year. I took the time to concentrate on my beading and my other creative work. I have decided not to post any pictures of my passion flower vase until it is finished, which hopefully should be quite soon. I have also been trying very hard not to be seduced away from beading by the knitting bug. For that last few evenings I have been obsessively knitting a scarf. The yarn is a beautiful skein of Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend which was purchased on a trip to London with my friends. The colours are gorgeous and I am really looking forward to wearing it. Every time that I do I will be reminded of that day spent with three wonderful women, 'Chesh', 'P.' and 'A Girl in Winter'. It was filled with laughter and friendship. I have never had a large circle of friends and I really cherish the ones that I do have. I am not really an outgoing person and I think that it probably takes people a while to get to know me. I am really glad that I have these three in my life.

My Other Half wanted a hat so I looked on Ravelry and found a great pattern to knit him one. It was fun to do and only took me a couple of evenings. However, he wants another one and a scarf and gloves too. I now have lots of knitting projects queueing up in my head. I need several lifetimes to get through everything that I want to do. If only I didn't have to go to work! I am just kidding - I love my job, but it would be nice to have some more creative time.

'Marsan Watch Cap' from Ravelry

And finally - Autumn is on its way. there is a definite chill in the air. Last weekend I glumly contemplated my sparse winter wardrobe and tried to steel myself to go shopping. I would normally rather stick needles into my eyes than shop for clothes - I absolutely loath it and usually end up totally depressed and disheartened. However on my way home recently I saw these boots and fell in love (virtually unheard of for me!) Now all I have to do is persuade my Other Half that they are worth every penny!

Serendipity

2008-08-12T03:41:00.000-07:00

You never know where life will take you. I suppose that can sometimes be one of the great things about it. A chance meeting or a seemingly insignificant event can result in some surprising, occasionally life changing consequences.

Five years ago, just a few weeks after moving to Bournemouth, I happened to see a poster in the window of a quilting shop advertising an exhibition of work by local City & Guilds embroidery students. I was feeling a bit overwhelmed at the time, I had just moved to a strange town, started a new job, I had no friends or relatives nearby to talk to and to make matters worse my OH was working over a 100 miles away and we were only able to see each other at weekends. I have always loved looking at textiles and embroidery so I went along to the exhibition to cheer myself up. When I arrived I was surprised to see some amazing beadwork on display. Intrigued I chatted to one of the students who was acting as a steward. I had dabbled in off-loom beadwork but was mainly self-taught and so found it difficult. That afternoon a whole new world opened up for me. I immediately signed up for the Level 1 City & Guilds Beading course. In the past four years I have learnt so much and made some wonderful friends. I am blessed with a wonderful teacher who has given me constant inspiration support and encouragement. One day I would like to teach beading and she has given me the confidence to believe that anything is possible.

A beaded passion flower created by me and based on a pendant designed by American beader Laura McCabe

A detail from one of my necklaces inspired by a trellis covered in climbing roses. Four years ago I would not have had the confidence to design and make my own jewellery.

Recently another event has unexpectedly opened up a new range of possibilities and a chance to make more friends. A few months ago P, R and I attended a talk by Linda Harrold, a local medical herbalist, about the medicinal properties of herbs. The talk was very interesting and Linda proved to be an engaging and informative speaker. At the end of the session she mentioned that she was interested in setting up a local herb group affiliated to the Herb Society. P, R and myself volunteered to help. Last Thursday was the first meeting of the Dorset Herb Group. The aim is to provide an friendly and informal atmosphere where like minded people can discuss growing and using herbs. P gave a wonderful talk on how she grows and uses herbs in her garden. Every month there will be a 'Herb of the Month' spot presented by one of the group. This time I was asked to talk. After much deliberation I chose nettles, not an obvious choice. I think that they are very under used and under appreciated. They are often considered a nuisance by the gardener but can be useful for conditioning your soil, encouraging wildlife into your garden and are very good to eat. The whole evening was a great success. Yet again I have been able to get to know a whole new set of people and to expand my range of interests. As I said you never know where life will take you next!

As Promised - more holiday pictures....

2008-08-07T04:35:00.000-07:00

My Other Half staring over the cliffs near Stair Hole. I couldn't resist taking this as he hates heights. I suspect that he is clinging onto the railing out of shot - the sign says it all!

My Other Half having a surrealist moment.

Armillary Sphere in the grounds of Kingston Lacey House.

Part of the Fernery at Kingston Lacey House

Temple at Stourhead

Abbotsbury Sub Tropical Gardens

Abutilon flowers in Abbotsbury

Chesil Beach as seen from the viewing point in Abbotsbury Sub Tropical Gardens. Another steep climb (oh, my aching knees!) but well worth it.

Lulworth Cove seen from the rocks above Stair Hole

Part of the coastal footpath leading to Durdle Door. I really am very lucky to live in such a beautiful part of Britain.

I am going to leave it at that for now as I am in danger of becoming one of those people who insist on boring everyone with their holiday photos. No one is interested but they are too polite to say so!

Holidays at last!

2008-08-05T08:02:00.000-07:00

I have not been able to add any entries for the last two weeks as I have been on holiday. When I started my vacation I made a conscious decision not to log onto a computer, as I knew that I would not be able to resist checking my work emails. I needed a complete break from everyday routine. Plus my time away from work was actually very busy so I really didn't have time to update this blog.

The first week was spent preparing for and helping at the City & Guilds Exhibition - Textile Kaleidoscope. It showcases the work of City & Guilds Beadwork and Embroidery students. Also this year we have some work by the local branch of the Embroiderers' Guild on display. I was unable to display anything this year but was in awe of the talented people around me. Here are just a few pieces on display.

Gabby's necklace inspired by an old snakes and ladders set given to her by her brother.

Liz's lizard (affectionally known as Lily) inspired by Antoni Gaudi

Tricia's wonderful beaded lampshade inspired by Tiffany glass

Val's Cherry Blossom necklace

The second week was spent in Lulworth - about 40 miles from where I live. We have been wanting to explore that area of Dorset for some time. My Other Half had been told about the Castle Inn in West Lulworth and so we decided to stay there for a few days. It is a lovely 16th Century thatched pub which offers bed and breakfast accomodation. It is full of character - our room had a four poster bed and exposed beams.

On that first day my OH persuaded me to go for a walk to Durdle Door. It turned out to be quite an afternoon! The footpath is long and very steep. These pictures give you an idea of the scale of it. And no, in the first pictures those dots are not specks of dirt on my camera lense but people.

About half way up the footpath to Durdle Door. By this stage my knees were starting to hurt!

The footpath to Durdle Door seen from Stair Hole

Durdle Door

We then walked down into the village and went to look at Stair Hole and Lulworth Cove. The strange rock formations are created by layers of shale and limestone which have been forced up at an angle through the earth's crust. The shale erodes faster than the limestone creating dramatic ridges and folds.

The next day we visited Abbotsbury. The Sub Tropical Gardens are well worth a visit as they have so many exotic trees and plants. There is also a viewing point (yet another steep climb) where you can see Chesil Beach.

On the final day we decided to go to Stourhead. This was stunning as always although the weather had taken a turn for the worse. Thick unpleasant drizzle coupled with high temperatures did not make for a comfortable afternoon. We trudged on regardless. After all being British it takes more than a bit of rain to spoil our day.

On Friday we went to Kingston Lacey and wandered around the fernery and gardens. I will post more pictures in future entries. I really needed the break and will now return to work with renewed vigour!

Time for beads!

2008-07-15T08:40:00.000-07:00

We are now into the Summer Vacation at work and everything has slowed down. However I suddenly seem busier than ever. I have been trying to go to the gym at least twice a week and that really seems to be helping my general sense of well-being. If anyone had told me six months ago that I would be going to a gym and not hating it too much I would have thought that they were mad. M is away on holiday at the moment but K has agreed to go with me this week. It is a bit boring but I find that I am able to do more each time that I go and it does make me feel better about life in general.

I was recently asked by one of my colleagues if I had any pictures of my beadwork. I brought in what I had and this has resulted in me selling a couple of pieces. I am very bad at selling. I find it hard to price the things that I make. They take a long time to make and I put so much of myself into them that it is sometimes hard to part with them. But I don't wear them often enough and it is only right that they should go to someone who will appreciate them. I have decided to document my beadwork in more detail in future. It is really good to look back at some of my pieces of jewellery and remember the process of designing and making them.

Last weekend I went on a 'bead' trip to Shaftesbury. I normally buy most of my beads by mail order (thank heavens for the internet!) but nothing beats handling and choosing them in person. Unfortunately there are very few places in Bournemouth to buy craft materials. There is a good bead shop in Poole but it does not have a range of seed beads and cylinder beads - the type of bead that I use most frequently. The nearest bead shop is Shaftesbury in Dorset. It is quite a trek for me but I try to go two or three times a year. There are now three bead shops in Shaftesbury, one having recently opened at the top of Gold Hill.

Stitch and Craft in Swan's Yard is my favourite. They stock a dizzying array of beads in all shapes and sizes, Swarovski crystals, beading thread and wire, sterling silver clasps and even a range of knitting yarn. The staff are very knowledgeable and helpful, nothing is ever too much trouble. If you can't visit Shaftesbury they have a great online shop.

Bijoux Beads is literally a few feet away from Stitch and Craft, also in Swan's Yard. They stock a range of larger focal beads, pearls and a small range of semi-precious beads. they also have shops in Salisbury and Bath.

The latest addition is The Beadster which is situated behind the Town Hall and at the top of the picturesque Gold Hill. This is not a great photo of the shop -you can just see it on the left hand side of the picture. However it does show how pretty Shaftesbury is. Gold Hill was immortalised in the famous Hovis advert which featured a young boy pushing a bicycle up this very steep cobbled street.

I spent a great morning wandering around Shaftesbury and then headed home to continue working on my Passion Flower vase. I am a bit stressed about it at the moment as I want to finish in time for the City & Guilds exhibition at the end of next week.

Finally here is a selection of photos taken by my Other Half at the weekend. He is talking about doing another photography course. I hope that he does as he is very talented (although I might be a bit biased!)

Race for Life

2008-06-25T01:56:00.000-07:00

This Sunday myself and M took part in the 'Race for Life' to raise money for Cancer Research UK. It is for women only and anyone can register to take part. The course is 3 miles (5K) long and you can choose to walk jog or run. We chose to walk on this occasion. It was a beautiful day, sunny and warm but rather windy. The course was along the seafront from Bournemouth Pier to Boscombe Pier and back again. The only down side was that we were sandblasted on the way back as the strong wind whipped up the fine dry sand. There were 3,000 entrants and approximately half decided to walk. It was a great fun event with all ages taking part from small children right though to women in their 70s and 80s. M and I walked the 3 miles in 1 hour 4 minutes which I am quite pleased with. I am particularly proud of M as she has never done anything like this before and was rather nervous about the whole thing. In the end we both enjoyed it and are determined to take part next year. Between us we have raised £100. It is a cause that I feel very strongly about. We were each given a card to pin on our backs saying who we we thinking of when we were taking part. When I was writing it on Sunday morning I rather sadly realised that I had quite a long list of family members and friends who have been affected by cancer. In the end I decided to put my Father's name as it is 20 years ago on 18th September that we lost him to liver cancer.

I continue to bead as much as I can. Last year I made a beaded chatelaine as part of a group project. It involved beading around a wooden needle case, a tape measure and creating a beaded scissor case. I based my design on an Art Deco wall tile. I was sitting at the dining room table (where I do most of my beading) the other day, deep in thought and I looked down at the beaded tape measure and realised how much I enjoy using it. Underneath the beads it is a cheap plastic tape measure costing only a few pounds but now it makes me happy just to look at it, use it and to remember the experience of creating it. Joy can be found in so many everyday things, I will try to remember that the next time that I am feeling down or frustrated with my beading.

"Mens Sana in Thingummy Doodah" (Victoria Wood)

2008-06-17T06:51:00.000-07:00

I have always loved Victoria Wood and her hilarious take on the trials and tribulations of everyday life. One programme is a particular favourite "Mens Sana in Thingummy Doodah" where Victoria and a friend go to a health farm to get fit and lose some weight. Well yesterday the joke was on me as I did something very out of character - I joined a gym. Six months ago some routine blood tests showed that I have high cholesterol. It came as a bit of a shock as I have always been fit and healthy. I knew that my Mum and my Aunt both had high cholesterol but I did not realise that a raised level be hereditary. I am so grateful to my doctor for suggesting the test otherwise I would never have found out that I am potentially at risk of heart attack and stroke. I asked my GP not to put me on medication but to give me a chance to change my lifestyle. She agreed and gave me three months to lower it with diet and exercise alone. My diet has always been fairly healthy but I concentrated on cutting out as much saturated fat as possible, eating more whole grains and at least five portions of fruit and vegatables a day. Also, I started to take more exercise, trying to fit in at least 30 minutes of brisk walking three times a week. Being on such a strict diet was hard at first but it had an added bonus - slow but steady weight loss without having to worry about counting calories. At the end of February I had my cholesterol re-tested and was over the moon when I discovered that I had managed to get it down within a normal range. I will have my blood tested again at the end of August and if that is OK will just need annual check-ups.

Eating a low fat diet has become second nature to me now. I am an expert at reading labels in supermarkets and of keeping track of how much fat I am eating. I try not to stress out if I have a bad day or if I am eating out. I simply make sure that I am extra careful for the next few days. My Other Half has been very supportive and he is feeling the benefits too. People have been commenting on how fit and healthy he is looking. Losing weight was never an issue for him as he has always been sickeningly trim.

Joining the gym is the next step for me. I always said that I would never do such a thing but I am lucky that we have a free gym at work. Plus, I will be going with my friends M, K & P. We can support and encourage each other. I would advise everyone to have their cholesterol level tested at least once. It is impossible to tell by looking at someone whether they are at risk.

Now I am faced with another challenge. I am struggling to find things to wear as most of my clothes are now too big for me. I loath shopping, especially clothes shopping, so I have been putting it off.

Featuring more stunning photos taken by my Other Half

On the beading front things are progressing very slowly with the passion flower vase. More pictures to come very soon.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

2008-06-10T02:39:00.000-07:00

Today I am featuring some photos taken by my Other Half. We both love thistles and he has created a 'prickle garden' at the allotment to attract bees and butterflies. He recently spotted a clump of thistles by the side of the road and took the following stunning pictures. Although they are commonly thought of as weeds they are very beautiful if you stop and look at them closely. One thing that I have learnt from my City & Guilds courses is to take a closer look at the everyday things around us. You can find beauty in the most unexpected places - paving stones, panes of glass, moss growing on a tree stump, even weeds, the list goes on.

I am feeling very guilty because I am not helping my Other Half at the allotment at the moment. Last weekend he spent Saturday afternoon and most of Sunday digging and planting. Sometimes I suspect that he secretly likes being up there by himself - enjoying the peace and quiet! My excuse is that I have been concentrating on my beadwork and at last seem to be getting somewhere with my vase project. I have been struggling with covering the base and have tried different methods without success. Finally I decided to try netting and it worked. Now I just have to tackle the fluted top. Once I have finished covering the vase it is time to make lots of passion flowers, leaves, buds and insects to attach to the netting. the flowers themselves will probably not be faithful reproductions of passion flowers but inspired by them. More photos will be posted as the object develops.

And finally when we woke up yesterday morning we discovered that the borlotti beans my Other Half had planted were starting to grow. We had a really good crop last year and ate them both fresh and dried. I am looking forward to many tasty meals in the months to come.

A Grand Day Out

2008-06-04T04:10:00.001-07:00

Time has got away from me this week so I have been unable to add any updates for a while. Those of you who read my blog regularly will know that things have been a bit stressful for me recently. One of the things that has helped me cope is the support of three wonderful friends. Last weekend we all went on a trip up to London for the day. I had been looking forward to it for a long time and I wasn't disappointed. First of all we went to I Knit London near Waterloo Station. I bought skein of Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend in a wonderful mix of blues and greens (my favourite colours) plus some of my favourite Brittany knitting needles. I had already knitted a scarf for my Mum in this yarn so I knew that it would be very soft and wonderful to wear next to my skin. K bought a Rowan starter kit as she has only recently learnt to knit, and M bought some sock yarn. By the time we had finished in 'I Knit London' we were all hungry and thirsty so we stopped for lunch in an Italian restaurant for a delicious lunch.

My London haul

After lunch we went to Carnaby Street as I know of a small shopping arcade called Kingly Court. It is signposted about half-way down Carnaby Street but the entrance is so narrow that you could miss it altogether. I really love it - a small oasis in the heart of London. My Dad was a Londoner, born and brought up in the East End, so I used to visit London a lot as a child but we very rarely visited the usual tourist spots such as Carnaby Street and Oxford Circus. I find them too busy and touristy for my taste. However Kingly Court is different. It is full of small independently run shops and has two great places to stop for coffee. My OH and I stumbled across it one day on our way to Liberty's. I had heard of a shop called All the Fun of the Fair and thought that the others might enjoy it. It sells yarn, haberdashery and a range of handmade gifts. It was a big hit and we all spent some money there! P bought a lovely knitting needle case and some socks for her grandson, K bought a knitting kit and M and myself bought some yarn. I also paid a visit to Buffy's Beads nearby. P also bought a beautiful vintage brooch from a shop called Fur Coat No Knickers. Then it was time for tea and cake in Camelia World Teas a few doors up from All the Fun of the Fair. I had a lovely cup of mint tea made with fresh mint leaves and served in a beautiful glass teapot. I was still too full from lunch, having stuffed my face with pasta, to eat cake but the others had slices of the biggest Victoria Sandwhich Cake I have ever seen in my life. We just had time for a quick trip to Liberty's and then it was time to go back to Victoria Coach Station and the trip back home. I am really blessed to have three such creative and supportive women as my friends. As you can image the day included much laughter and it was exactly what I needed.

The amazing Victoria Sandwich Cake

I was quite tired on Sunday and so decided to have a quiet day at home. I blocked a scarf that I had knitted for my Aunt. Part of the morning was spent crawling about on my hands and knees pinning it out. M kindly lent me her blocking wires and that made things a lot easier - I must get a set of my own. It turned out beautifully so that has inspired me to make more lace scarves.

My version of Brooke Nelson's Column of Leaves Scarf

This week is flying by - it is time for my beading class again tomorrow. I really don't know where the past four weeks has gone.

Strange times!

2008-05-23T04:13:00.000-07:00

This week has been a bit unsettling. First we had some more news about my Mother-in-law. A worrying time but we have been assured that she should recover well. Then I developed a very bad migraine - possibly a reaction to the worry and stress. I thankfully don't get them very often but when I do they can be quite severe. It is such a shame that this week has been so horrible as we had a great weekend.

On Saturday I went to Christchurch and had a wander around the Priory and Quay. It was very overcast but I spent a happy afternoon experimenting with my camera.

The foundations of Place Mill, on Christchurch Quay are over 1,000 years old - it is mentioned in the Domesday Book.

On Sunday we spent some time at the allotment. Our fruit bushes are developing well and we should have some blackcurrants, raspberries and blackberries this year. In the afternoon we went to look at a garden nearby which was open under the National Gardens Scheme. This is a great way of a raising money for charity. People open their gardens to the public for a few days each summer and the entrance money is donated to their chosen charity, in this case Cancer Research, which is a cause very close to my heart. The garden was absolutely stunning. Then we wandered home and I made a meal of fresh pasta and the first of our own homegrown broad beans and asparagus.

Our rather overgrown herb patch. I have promised my Other half that I will help him sort it out!

The beautiful garden opened under the National Gardens Scheme.

This weekend is a Bank Holiday so I am looking forward to spending an extra day with my Other Half. The weather forecast does not seem very promising so I am planning to do a lot of beading. The City & Guilds Summer Exhibition is looming and I want to finish my passionflower vase in time for it. Hopefully I will post some progress photos next week.

Beads and Knitting

2008-05-12T03:18:00.000-07:00

Although I have recently been distracted by knitting. I am primarily a beader at heart. Whilst knitting some socks recently I was irritated that I could not use my conventional row counter on double pointed needles. So I found a pattern for a beaded row counter bracelet designed by Kate at West End Design Knits. Great - an opportunity to use my beads to help me with my knitting. So I raided my substantial bead stash and half an hour later I came up with this.

I had some trouble with the coloured tiger tail (not my favourite beading thread) so the toggle bar end is not as neat as I would like but otherwise I am really pleased with it. It works on an abacus principle. Each time you complete a row you move a pearl through the beaded ring (strung on elastic thread) and then when you have done 10 rows you move a crystal through as well, and so on up to 99. Then you start again. I can't wait to try it out with my next pair of socks.

I have finished the Prismatic scarf for my Mum using the Manos del Uruguay hand-dyed yarn. It is beautifully soft and is a pleasure to wear. Although it is a bit too hot to wear it at the moment - it is currently around 24 degrees C outside.

My next project will be for my Mother-in-law and I am going to make her a lace shawl. She is in hospital at the moment. Thankfully her illness is not as serious as we first though but she is still has a long recovery period ahead of her. It will be nice to sit and knit it for her, sending lots of positive thoughts and hopes for a speedy recovery. One of my friends, who has recently learnt to knit, was entranced when I said that the movements would start to flow as soon as she relaxed and enjoyed what she was doing. She said that she could imagine thoughts and love flowing through her fingers into her knitting. What a lovely idea. I will try to do that when I am knitting the shawl.

I saw this hydrangea flowering outside my neighbour's house so I had to stop and take some photographs. I would like to use it in my beading, although I am not sure exactly how. I will add it to the dozens of potential projects currently swirling around in my brain.

Socks update

2008-05-09T05:35:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update as I promised to post some pictures of my finished socks. Now that I have my camera back again I have been able to take the following photos. They have proved a great hit so I am aiming to make another pair - possibly from the toe up this time - as soon as I have finished the scarf.

Plus here are some more pictures of the Gardens in the centre of Bournemouth, which are looking absolutely stunning at the moment. I was waiting for my Other Half yesterday evening and couldn't resist taking a few shots.

Bank Holiday Blues

2008-05-07T02:44:00.000-07:00

This Monday was the May Bank Holiday, normally a time to spend with family and friends and enjoy the Summer weather. The weather was not too bad but unfortunately this weekend was marred by sadness, as a close relative was taken into hospital unexpectedly at the end of last week. She has a potentially serious health problem so we could have a stressful time ahead. Her test results will come back at the end of this week so we will know more then. So, I was in a very sombre mood when I arrived for work yesterday morning. As usual my friends and colleagues were a great help. Lunchtime spent with two friends sitting in the sunshine lifted my spirits. I rarely take a real lunch break, often eating at my desk, so it was a real treat. In the evening I attended our craft group where we chatted, laughed, knitted, sewed etc. and ate Jaffa Cakes! Who could remain blue after a day like that. When I got home my Other Half was also feeling a bit more positive about things too, so the day ended much better than it had started. Such is life!

My current knitting project is a scarf. I was tempted to buy some Manos del Uruguay yarn recently which is absolutely beautiful. It is a mixture of silk and wool and is hand dyed, so every skein is unique. It was quite a challenge to find a pattern that does justice to such a stunning yarn, but I am a member of the Ravelry online community and I found the ideal pattern on their website. It uses slipped stitches to break up the coloured patches on the yarn and so make the most of the brilliant colours.

The Prismatic Scarf designed by Huan-Hua Chye.

The slipped stitches show off the beautiful yarn to perfection.

The reverse is just as beautiful as the front.

I have my precious camera back at last from being repaired. I collected it on the way to work this morning. It is such a beautiful day that I took some photos of the Gardens in the centre of Bournemouth whilst I was standing at the bus stop. As you can see, Summer is well and truly here.

The joy of socks

2008-04-22T02:49:00.001-07:00

I am getting totally obsessed with knitting socks. That is probably a very sad admission! I have almost finished knitting a pair of socks for my Other Half. They are my first pair and I can understand how people become addicted to making them. They are little miracles of engineering yet you can make a pair in a matter of days once you master the technique. My Mum, who is a skilled needlewoman, taught me to knit as soon as I was old enough to hold knitting needles. She showed me how to knit in the round using 4 double pointed needles so I already had that skill under my belt - thanks again Mum! Now I simply had to master turning a heel. The first sock was a bit of a struggle. I couldn't get my head around the different parts of the heel and how they fitted together. I took a deep breath, forged ahead and I did it - a sock started to take shape before my eyes! I have now discovered that there are lots of different ways to turn a heel and shape the toes. You can knit a sock from the top down, or the toe up, or even two socks at once on a circular knitting needle. I can't wait to explore. I will upload some pictures of my progress as soon as I get my camera back from being repaired.

I want to take a moment to pay tribute to my wonderful Mum. I owe her a huge 'Thank You' for teaching me how to knit and sew. My Mum was a dressmaker when I was a small child and one of my earliest memories is sitting on the bedroom floor playing with cotton reels while she worked on her beloved Singer treadle sewing machine nearby. When I was old enough she taught me to sew on that machine. I can still remember the joy of finishing my first sewing project, a brightly coloured wrap skirt trimmed with white rick-rack braid (well it was the 1970s!). Who cared if the hem was a bit wonky and the stitching was far from perfect - not me. Over the years I have sewn a host of things, curtains, clothes, patchwork quilts, bags, scarves, cushions, slip covers for my sofa, the list goes on. I owe all that to my lovely Mum. Thank you for your patience and encouragement.

I attended my City & Guilds beading class last Thursday. It is held in Christchurch and I sometimes go to the Quay and watch the swans after my class finishes. It clears my mind and lets me think about what I have done during the day. I always look forward to seeing the others on the course. They are all very talented beaders and it is fascinating to see how their work is progressing and to bounce ideas off them. I really look forward to our monthly meetings.

Swans squabbling over bits of bread on Christchurch Quay

Monument in the grounds of Christchurch Priory

Life, knitting and other mysteries...

2008-04-16T07:12:00.000-07:00

My Father died nearly twenty years ago and I still miss him and think about him every day. A recent incident started me thinking about him and the influence he still continues to have on my life. He was very down to earth and practical and a good person to turn to in times of trouble. Diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis while still only in his mid twenties his adult life was a constant battle with ill health. He rarely complained, although he must have suffered a great deal. Whenever I told him of my troubles he would listen very carefully and give me some really good advice but would invariably end by saying. "No one ever said that life is easy or fair - you just have to make the best of it". When he died at a relatively young age from cancer I was devastated. I still feel that he is with me, guiding me, so I am trying to take his advice and I am feeling much more positive this week. As always, a friend was also a great help. After meeting her for coffee at the end of last week she suggested that I go home and spend the afternoon doing something I really enjoyed. I did just that and took up my knitting needles again. I started knitting a pair of socks for my Other Half! I have been promising to do this for over a year. So far I have been really enjoying it. The process is challenging enough to keep me engrossed but as socks are fairly small I should finish them in a day or two. Sitting in my living room knitting away I felt a sense of peace come over me. Not only was the knitting soothing but I get to keep a promise to my Other Half.

I feel bereft. My camera has been sent away for repair. I bought a digital camera in December, using some of my Birthday money. I have never been one for gadgets and the latest phone but I love my camera. It is so small that it fits easily into my pocket and it takes great pictures. Apparently it is only a minor fault with the mechanism that holds the SD Card in place so it shouldn't take long to repair. I can't wait to get it back. I use it to record the things around me and use it for inspiration for my beadwork.