Hope

This week is very ,very hard, and I am trying to stay positive and looking for something hopeful in each hour. I am glued to the radio and listening to all the stories that are coming from Christchurch, and today I finished quilting the quilt top for Sarah's wedding.




It feels strange to be doing normal things when the people in ChCh have their lives turned upside down. I would like to offer our home to anyone who needs to leave ChCh and has no place to go to. We have spare beds, and would love to give a safe haven for you, here in Nelson. Just send me an email and we can help you.

Just a wisp

A little while ago I bought a skein of handpainted 2ply yarn from Touchyarns in shades of blue, violet and red. It reminded me of the delphiniums in my garden, and I decided to make a scarf on a variation of the pattern Pseudo Shibori Scarf in the book Boutique Knits.

I used 4.00mm needles and cast on 55 stitches. I then knitted three rows stocking stitch and three rows reverse stocking stitch, all the way increasing and decreasing one stitch at either end of every alternate row.
I like it so much that I am going to make another...a 4ply version in stocking stitch.

Summer Needlepoint

It has been too hot for me to get excited about my knitting, and just lately with the summer colours inspiring me from my garden, and along the sea front, I drafted a design for some needlepoint.

I have always loved playing with half square triangles in my quilts, and marvel at the huge range of geometric designs you can achieve with this simple little block.

I am making it up as I go along, which is the way I always design my quilts....block by block.

A Beauty Bounty

Plum Jam made today,

Pear juice to be made tonight,

Plum preserves and

tomatoe pasta sauce tomorrow.

Anniversary Weekend

Celebrating 36 years together, Ian and I were down at The Sounds and enjoying a long weekend with family.

Trees were climbed,

and one little elderly Basil dog was wondering.........

why he wasn't top dog at retrieving sticks any more.

Billie was usurping his position very firmly.

Adventures were had with a very large log,

and one little boy learnt a new skill.

So much fun was made.

Windfalls

We are having some very strong winds today, and I see our poor apple tree is taking a bit of a hammering. The apples are falling before they are quite ready.

Whilst visiting with my granddaughter yesterday she showed me a very cute little apple cosy that she loves to use in her lunchbox. It protects the apple from bruising and she says makes it more crunchy ! What a good idea, I thought as I hurried home to 'google'it.

I soon found what I was looking for on ravelry and made one up this afternoon.

I wonder what our tree would look like if every apple that was about to fall was covered in it's own little cosy !

Looking through windows

A slow, quiet start to my day.

Today being a public holiday...well here in this town anyway, I watched the clouds move across the sky as I lazily stayed in bed and finished The Nice and The Good by Iris Murdoch. Beautifully written about human frailities, loves and losses, the self seeking part of us all with our egos and the huge inner world of thoughts and feelings.

It finishes with a happy ending ( I so love happy endings !) with a slight twist, and leaves me wanting to embark on another Iris Murdoch novel today, but which one I wonder ? She has written quite a few, and I already have a huge collection of summer reading to deliciously wade through.

Dreamily gazing at the light through the kitchen window as I think about the possibilties for today, and munch on toast with freshly made strawberry jam.

Glancing over to the table I see the quilt that I had pin basted on a productive Saturday morning, quilting...right on schedule, so definitely some quilting time today..... not too much though,

I am wanting to look through this pile of Kaffe Fassett fabrics by this window, to sort out the pieces for my applique quilt. We have our little stitching group meeting for the first time tonight this year, and I need to make some preparations for work on this...

My day is starting...