Playtime

I love it when my children play together. Now my youngest is nearly 20 months old, there is more and more time spent playing together.

I also love it when they use their fantastic imaginations and build a tent and go camping in the living room. Who hasn't ever done this themselves? And I love the fact that lego is used to build whatever they need for their camping trip!

Perfect play!

Balcony Update

This is the way our bedroom balcony is progressing, it's not there yet, I would like a type of display structure, like 3 steps, to put the pots on, so they are lifted off the ground and also take up less floor space. No money for that at the moment.

Here are the 2 Ikea balcony boxes, which I'm really pleased with. They sit on the same "wall" a few feet apart. We have them facing in just in case they fell, we're on the 3rd floor. But it doesn't matter as the flowers trail every which way!

They have geraniums in them, trailing Decora red. And one sneaky pink variety!!! My husband says geraniums in window boxes remind him of France (Paris, specifically).

Gocco Yahoo!!!!

I've been secretly looking at these for nearly a year, and have ummed and ahhed over it, but I finally decided to buy one. I' very excited, and I have a few ideas up my sleeve to do with it.

I don't use illustrator or photoshop, so I'm going to have to rely on my drawings and clipart. For my first test run I've done a simple set up, inserted the picture and a text box into Word, and printed it out. I was inspired by this. I then got it photocopied. And I was ready for off!

Springwatch

Today we went to a Springwatch event at Stanmer Park. Couldn't find small camera, so no piccies.

Whenever I hear Springwatch I cannot help and think of this song that is dragged out year after year on CBeebies!

We bumped into quite a few people we know also enjoying the event, plus there were birds of prey, sheep shearing, all kinds of stands, one on knitting and weaving, but the eldest son was not being cooperative enough! Anyway Sienna wasn't tehre but Duncan Goodhew was (Olympic Gold Medalist 1980 Moscow Olympics) and he was showing the children his Olympic Medal - cool! That'll be the closest that I ever get to one of those!

Why would I want a Clairol Footspa?

Was what I thought the night before my birthday many years ago. My sister had given me a present, and it looked the size of a Clairol Footspa box and there was nothing else I could think it might be. Maybe once or twice I might have joked after a hard day's work, that I'd like one. But it was a joke.

So when I woke up, I unwrapped my gift and it was an ice cream maker!!! Yeah! Something I did want, but had forgotten about that (my birthday is in November).

Anyway I recount all this as I just got a little book called Scoop, The Little Handbook of Traditional Ice Cream Recipes by Natasha Zabolsky! It has a recipe for Brown Bread ICe Cream in it, which they serve at Betty's and is apparently very nice. So I might make that first, using homemade bread from my bread machine!!!

Are my knitting needles trying to win me over?

This afternoon I popped into Purl to by some thread (for sewing) and Debbie, the owner, said that she had a book for me.

Apparently a few people complained about the instructor on the course I did a few month's ago there, and as the course tutors work for Rowan, Rowan sent along a book called Finishing Techniques for Hand Knitters by Sharon Brant for all the people who were on the course. I was impressed by the course, and got a lot out of it. The teacher did expect us to go pretty fast though, one thing I'm not so great at.

The book looks pretty good, nice clear photography and instruction, so I'm very pleased.

Knitting needles 1 VS sewing machine 0 !!!

Can Sewing Machines Read?

Last night I went to finish off my apron, and the sewing machine needle kept jamming. I changed the needle, took the plate off to see if there was any blockage, which there wasn't. Checked the bobbin, still no mystery fluff!

I just don't know! All I can think is one day it will work the next day it won't. Clearly it has logged on and read my blog!!! And wants to show me a hard time!

I should never have spoken aboout my apron until it was finished. I might have known.

Or could my sewing machine be jealous of my knitting needles?

Tie One On!

I have finally got round to making myself a very nice full apron. It's not quite finished, and has taken quite a while to do, but I'm hoping that I'll be very pleased with the end result. The pattern is by Montesorri by Hand/ Sew Liberated and I am making the lovely Emmeline Apron. They appear to have had a name change to Sew Liberated - I like that!

It was a little tricky lining up the straps so they sewed in nicely, but I'm still learning so I'm getting there. Hopefully I'll be posting some pictures soon!!

Sewing Machines - why oh why?

Why is it when I get my sewing machine out I have absolutely no idea whether it will work like a dream for me or simply refuse to get going?

I have a relatively basic Silver 302, chosen for me by my dad, when I asked him for a sewing machine c6 year's ago for my birthday. Before I could go to John Lewis to get some advice, he'd found some online sewing machine shop and ordered it!!! I of course wanted an all singing all dancing, computerised one with the clever embroidery functions, but I'm pretty sure they would have been out of the budget. But all in all I'm happy with my machine, as it does what I need it to do, so far.

But I was wondering do other people have my trouble? Or should I be cleaning it out after every project?

Or is it that my machine is basic so it is what it is, and if you use a more high spec'd machine you get less trouble? All advice and comments welcome. Please let me know what make and model you have.