Almost there

For the past few days I have been helping the HD3QBEM with her knitting.   We have these bright ideas but sometimes they are just too much for aged eyes.   So I picked up the 'needles without eyes" and valiantly knitted and purled halfway through a small sweater.   But I really do not enjoy knitting. For me it is a necessity when I want a new cardigan or sweater for myself.   My days of knitting happily to give generously are past- even if temporarily.  Although I may find that when I am in my late 80's I will become my mother?!@!
Anyway no photos of that.

But I needed some light relief and decided to begin construction on the Christmas Noel Tray.  It's cute and I am pleased but the teeny tiny buttons supplied with the chart are not a true Christmas green.  That, coupled with the fact that I am not using Dinky Dyes floss means they do not match.  So a roadblock. I will tack this together and then leave it until I find teeny tiny buttons in the correct green or red.
The inside looks pretty too.

A good press and the right buttons and this could be called a success.

At long last

For some time now I have been meaning to take my dressmaking scissors to the House of Knives.   They needed sharpening.   So now I have no excuse for not starting my summer sewing :-)

Tonight I will be backstitching around these two squares and then this can be added to the "Great Pile For Construction".  

One day soon (when the Christmas Chook is finished) I will begin a marathon of finishing.   Until that time I merely continue to fill the basket.

Collective noun for the Tui - a cacophony, a chorus, a nuisance??

Some years ago in its wisdom the City Council suggested that residents plant flowering trees, especially flowering native trees,  to encourage the native Tui to return to urban areas and to increase the population of this beautiful bird.

The beauty of the bird is not in question.   Undoubtedly the flowering trees make Spring in Auckland a sight to behold.   But the cacophony of tuis that has resulted drives inner city residents mad each Spring.

Glistening iridescent wings swoosh past unsuspecting heads.  Raucous birds have no internal volume control.  Nor is their time clock set for dawn and their chorus starts well before that.

Today I stood at my window looking at the flowering Kowhai tree in my garden and caught a culprit on camera.

A very pretty noise!!

Using up stash

Today was Embroiderers' Guild and I needed a simple project to stitch so started a Snippets Tray.
Fabric and threads are all from stash and the chart is a very old acquisition.  

This is the inside of the tray.   The outer has Noel and snowflakes (in red and green) around all sides.
There is also a Christmas Chicken!   I stitched the chicken for a gift back in 2009 ( here) but I want one for myself.  
It has rained all day but the chores got done, the HD3QBEM had a skype session with GreatGrandDaughter#2, I went to Guild, I cooked a new recipe for dinner and now I am tired and off to bed/

A finish and a start

Tonight I have finished one ornament and started another.
The Cricket Club "christmas wish" is gorgeous and I am thinking I might make one for myself too -  just not yet.

And I started the 3D Holly Band ornament - an old design by Jean Farish.   Just two things : I don't think these look anything like holly berries and I don't really want to stitch three identical pieces.   But onwards and upwards :-)  Three pieces are needed to form the 3D ornament.

But right now....I am off to bed.

Christmas is coming

Yes, Christmas is coming and the ornaments need to get finished.
So tonight I have made a start on The Cricket Collections freebie from years and years ago.   It is close to completion - tomorrow I should be able to do the trunk, the pot it stands in and the ribbon.

Rather cute don't you think?   The HD3QBEM wanted another 4 ornaments for small Christmas gifts and I need to do another three so the production line has opened and we are in business.

Another finish

Some Permin linen from stash and two hanks of Caron floss have gone into the making of this hardanger pocket.  

Well, to be quite truthful, there is enough linen and floss left for at least another two identical pockets.   As the spiders web on this was supposed to be an edelweiss flower, I may have to stitch another just for the satisfaction of knowing I did it all ;-)  The colours are not very true to life but is is 9pm here and my lounge lighting is not photography studio standard, so you just get a general idea.
Now I need a day to finish off/construct everything in the basket.
But first, there is summer sewing to do.

It's official - I am below average

Today I had it confirmed.   I went, after a gap of some years, for a check and was told by a young, slim,  attractive woman that I was below normal.   At least the bone density of my hip and spine are;-)

Apparently at my age and stage there isn't too much I can do except have lots of weight bearing exercise, eats lots of yogurt, broccoli  and fish.   Sounds good to me.
Recently I started the Couch to 5Km programme as I no longer go to the gym after work and tonight I had broccoli and cheese for dinner with yogurt as dessert.  What a good girl am I.
Now I'm going to finish off a hardanger needlecase -  and my book.

I want, I want...to knit myself one of these.

Today one of my colleagues was wearing this really neat sweater and I fell in love.
I want to knit that I said to myself,  so she obliged with allowing me to take photographs.

I am already thinking of how....to graph it all out

Can it really be all that difficult?

But then again there may already be a knitting pattern out there in the big wide world.   Has anyone seen one?

Jemma said she bought her sweater for $3 at a charity shop here in New Zealand and she had to have it because she's British:-)

Home again

The best part of a holiday is coming home??
It is for me this time at any rate.  I am now unpacked, washing machine filled and switched on, preparations for back-to-work-tomorrow all complete and the kettle on for a hot drink and some time with a library book.

We went up to Waitangi, three hours north of Auckland and the birth place of our nation.

The view from the flagstaff is amazing even on a grey day.

And on a sunny day the bays look beautiful.

In the evenings I stitched, read and watched TV so all in all it was a great break away.   However sadly, I think these mini-vacations are now too much for the HD3QBEM and we may have change to "stay-cations" from now on.   We shall see.