Can you...

guess where I have been?

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I'll give you a few clues.

We travelled a short distance up the motorway to Cockermouth in the Lake District.

Arriving in good time, we didn't have to queue very long to get in.

We saw wonderfully WOOLLY Wensleydale sheep.

Absolutely adorable WOOLLY Alpacas.

White WOOLLY Angora rabbits

and Gorgeous WOOLLY Angora goats

WOOLFEST 2010!

Did you guess?

I hope you appreciate how hard it was taking photos

when really all we wanted to do

was touch and caress

ooooh and

aaaaaah!

Yep! It sure was a real hardship having to stop and click

when there was soooo much scrummy woollyness all around us.

but...

You're worth it! x

Hope you enjoyed it.

Sorry, what was that?

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Did I buy anything?

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Of course I did! LOL!
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Love Fi x

What have I been up to?

Hello.

When the weather is good we like to take full advantage of it up here, because when it's bad it's bad!


This is one of our favourite places. We make a flask of tea and drive 10minutes up (literally) the road. We park up, pour the tea, I crochet and take in the view and

enjoy a couple of hours of peace and quite.

Back home again now. I know I've been neglecting my blog a little, but I hope you'll forgive me as I have been busy. Here is a fabric doorstop I've made. It's for my friend Sarah who has just move next-door-but-one to me and was finding her heavy doors a bit of a pain!

Here it is finished. There's 2kg of rice in there! The fabric is one of Laura Ashley's to match Sarah's roman blinds. Thank you Hen for your help.

I was also inspired by Hens 30's patchwork tea cosy, so here's my version. I gave mine a modern twist by lining it with fluffy white fleece fabric instead of wadding.

Thursday was knitting at school. As you can see we started this knitting at the beginning of term in September and there's not a lot on those needles! There seems to be a lot of chattering and singing, but not a lot of knitting!

So I took an executive decision and decided I should bring the knitting home and do some for the children so that we can stitch up our little purses or monsters (that's what we are making) and get them finished next week before the half term holiday starts.

I've been baking too. Quite seasonal.

Pumpkin Pie!

Well actually I couldn't get a pumpkin around here so I had to use butternut squash.
Here it is waiting to be wrapped in its foil and roasted in the oven.

Ta-daa! And here is the pie. Well I didn't quite get to it in time with the camera! But as you see it went down a treat! You can find the recipe here if you fancy a go. This was the simplest recipe I could find. The recipe asks for a 16oz tin of pumpkin, but I just roasted the squash in the oven until it was tender then scooped the flesh from the skin. Easypeasy!

I've also been enjoying these beautiful freesias that wonderful man surprised me with on Tuesday. He bought them for me because he thought I might have had a rough day at work. (I had to stay and serve over lunches, which I hate!) They smell WONDERFUL! They remind me of our wedding day, I wore them with rosebuds in my hair and in my bouquet. See! I told you he was WONDERFUL.

Hmmmm... big sniff! I've been smelling the freesias and crocheting all these little centres to make a row of squares to go around...

the edge of my 'accidental blanket'.

But most of all we've been snuggling up at home in front of the fire.

some of us snuggling in places we're not allowed when Mum is there! I caught these two having a cuddle when I was out of the room! I won't say who, but one of these two is not allowed on the sofa and they know it. There seems to be a blatant disregard for the rules around here! (Just noticed! A man with the TV remote! That's unusual isn't it!)

Well that's all for today, but look at this box of treasure! I liberated this box from the charity shop.

Would you like to see whats inside?

You would?

Would you?

Really?

Ok then, meet me here next time and we'll empty it together!

Thank you all for the Christmas Pudding love.

till next time

Fi x

It's no good if your not happy with it!

And I wasn't! But I am now!

I'm talking about the cushion cover. It was too large and baggy in the last post so I've altered it and now it is much better. It fits nice and tightly, pulling the fabric flatter. I am happy with it now.

This is the back.


Yes, that's much better.
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This is my first attempt at bunting. It's been hanging around (no pun intended) half finished on my sewing table for weeks and weeks.

It was waiting for some wide cotton tape, but as I live out in the sticks, shopping trips are few and far between. Then when I did get to the nearest haberdashery shop, they didn't have any! AAAARGH!!!
Anyway it's finished now and hanging in the kitchen.

*****

We've just had our annual 2 weeks holiday, which was spent here in Blighty travelling around visiting relatives. As you know I am extremely organised, so 30 seconds before we departed on our 4 hour car journey I grabbed some wool left over from my granny blanket, a hook, and a pair of scissors and hastily stuffed them into the foot well of the car.

As I said, being so organised (not) I had no idea what I was going to make, but being a real panic pants in the car (you really wouldn't want to travel with me) I need something to keep me occupied and stop me cringing every time a lorry pulls level with us.

I decided I'd have a go at some squares like Lucy's at Attic24 that are crocheted together as you go, removing the need to sew them all together at the end. Only being soooo organised I had no idea of Lucy's pattern. Anyway I'm rather chuffed to say that I worked out my own pattern. ( well I did have an uninterrupted 4 hours)

I also feel obliged to tell you, that I've never done so much frogging in my life before either!!!
( I can hear you laughing!)

Not quite sure how far this project will get but for the moment I'm enjoying it, and it's costing me nothing.

Love Fi x

Flowers for Dinner and Bunny for Lynnie.

Hello again!

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I don't quite know where to start today. I seem to have so many odds and ends in my camera to show you... I know, I'll start where we left off last time.

Gosh! Isn't this just SCRUMMY!

This beautiful wool yarn was given (yes GIVEN!) to me by my new friend Anne. Anne is the lady who volunteered with me to teach our local primary school children how to knit.

Now Anne is very clever and has spun this wool herself. I wouldn't know where to start, it all sounds very complicated with wraps per inch and twists clockwise and anti clockwise.

Yep! That label says 'home dyed', too. Very clever lady!

Anne wondered if I'd like to give them a little test run?

Well I didn't take twice asking.

.

I've been a bit busy at work this week. I don't really like to talk about mundane work related things on my blog as we all have plenty of that going on in our lives, but I did have to bring some of my work home with me on Friday. (I cook in a pub kitchen just incase you were wondering, it's all glamour for me you know!)

What do you think? I was rather pleased with my little floral displays. We needed one to go in the centre of each dining table for an important annual dinner event we were catering for. I must admit, I thought they looked rather nice on my kitchen table... I didn't want to take them to work!

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Changing the subject. Lynnie at Keeping up with the Jones will be glad to hear that I have made time to crack on with her little bunny.

He looks a little worried in this picture. Maybe it's the thought of travelling all those miles to Australia.

I do hope you are happy with him Lynnie?

I thoroughly enjoyed embroidering him for you. Maybe it had something to do with sitting in the garden in the sunshine while I sewed.

Love Fi x

P.S. We might have to go for a walk next time, as I have at least two sets of photos waiting to show you. One is a walk in search of wild garlic and takes in a pretty local waterfall and the other is a steady climb with fantastic views over Wensleydale.