Fit Nor Nothing

You know how you think it would be wonderful to have some quiet time at home and then you get ill and think NOT this way?!!! Well, that is what happened.

On Tuesday, I came home from work feeling a little bit grotty so I had a shower. I thought it will pass.  Silly me. By the time it was 10pm, my throat felt like it had been ripped apart by barbed wire, every joint in my body ached and my nose was completely blocked. Oh the joys of being unwell.

Wednesday, I pretty much spent cat napping on the bed on and off for the entire day...finally, I just went to bed at 7pm and slept and slept and slept. Today, the throat is feeling marginally better and I'm still fatigued and achy. Clearly, no work for me for the rest of the week. So, yet again, life is put on hold. It happens.

Today, I've been losing myself in blog land. Reading some of my favourite blogs and admiring some people's approach to life. I don't ever remember country life being this appealing when I was young! Soulemama and Small Measure are worth reading. I've also been looking at Brooklyn Tweed and this cardigan is just gorgeous! However, I made a promise to myself...finish what you are doing first! I'm waiting for my concentration to return and with that, energy levels.

 

The other half has not been updating the shop with stock yet as we have car issues and we are awaiting parts for him to carry out a repair job.  Also, he is in the progress of completing cushion covers for dining room set.  Two more to go!

Cable borders

I'm not really a huge fan of television. There is a lot of stuff on telly now that does not interest me at all. However, last night there was a film on telly that I quite enjoyed. It was a golden opportunity for me to sit feeling calm and focus on my knitting.

Remember the cardigan I wanted to knit a lace panel into and then decided against it? Well, in the end I decided on a cable pattern going down the sides. I've finished a bit, sleeves still need to be done. It needs to be blocked and pieced together. But here is a picture of the cable pattern so you can get some idea of what it might look like:

Remember it hasn't been blocked yet...
 

The weather today is gorgeous. Bright, clear, crisp day. I spent a few hours gardening today. It might be the last time before the tedious job of pruning things back, raking endless leaves and removing the old flowers in the flower bed. I feel refreshed. Last night I slept very well...where has the weekend gone?

The Maker's Fair!

The past two weekends have been spent enjoying the Saltaire Festival. Last weekend was the Maker's Fair. Its probably one of my favourite events of the year in this year. There was lots of beautiful prints, cushion covers, ceramic pots and other lovingly handmade crafts. It was exciting to meet the makers themselves and appreciate their work.

One of the women I was impressed with was a weaver, Chrissie Freeth. I loved the colours of her beautiful cloth and I fully intend to buy some buttons from her in the foreseeable future! I always like the idea of having a loom and being able to make my own fabric. I remember years and years ago, I worked in a summer camp in Vermont and they had looms and I was thinking how great it would be to learn to use a loom and then how disappointed I was when I found out the person that ran that craft was absent that one year! 

Rachel Johns had some incredible quirky art as well. I love the boobs on things! I got a Christmas card that I know I will have trouble posting off as I love the art on it. Maybe it will find its way into a frame for all to appreciate in my house.

The Print Project also had some quirky post cards and wonderful designs. I bought a collection of postcards to add to my collection. I have some albums of postcards I collected over the years. Some from family and friends, some I just love and others to mark significant moments in my life. However, since the Internet, I seldom collect or receive postcards any more. What a shame!

If you ever have the chance, I would recommend a visit to the Maker's Fair!

A more little time please

Its only Tuesday and I'm exhausted. Work has taken more out of me than expected. I would like my blog to be upbeat and positive and inspiring and all those good things but today, nah, that can't happen. I'm tired, the sky is overcast and I have no energy. Life happens, I'm human...that's how it rolls sometimes.

I have a list of things I would like to do in the forthcoming weeks. Realistically, things might not happen immediately. I would like to sew a tunic dress with my new fabric. The fabric is beautiful and when I look at it, I sigh...to sew this tunic dress would take some time and patience. Patience is in short supply today. Maybe tomorrow if I pace myself, I might begin tracing out the pattern from the book, another day for cutting pieces out and then leave the sewing for the weekend. We'll see...

Anyone else get back to work blues? This too will pass but for today...I'm just going to flake out.

Back to Work with a Bump!

I am back at work now its the end of summer. This always causes me a bit of anxiety and tiredness. I try to avoid it but it always happens, no matter how carefully I try to adjust to new sleeping patterns. I'm not a morning person...I find getting up early difficult and even the walk to work just about wakes me before I get to work. Its a 3 mile walk. That should tell something about my zombie state most early mornings.

The weather has suddenly changed here in the past few days. It did nothing but rain all day Friday and it was actually cold. Saturday was dry but still bitter. I walked my son to his guitar lesson and we had a chat about life and the meaning of the universe as normal. We put the world to rights and then quickly forget our solutions on arrival home. However, that walk was punctuated with talk about the cold wind and what a shock it was to the system.

On a positive note, I finished the lining on the satchel my other half crocheted for me. Its beautiful and unique. I'm very happy with it. Its a wool blend with a cotton lining so I will only hand wash this and let it air dry. Its actually pretty hard wearing. Here's a picture for your viewing pleasure:

Inside view of lining



Closed with buttons

I finally got my colouring pencils from the States. All 72 of them. Beautiful ones indeed. So no excuses, I can get on with some art. I also got my beautiful Kaffe Fassett fabric as well. When we were in Liberty over the holiday, they had some there and I won't even tell the price per metre...it was not in my budget!

So yes, lots of project in mind. One tunic dress to be made with new fabric. Portrait of other half to be completed. Cardigan to be finished. 

On the plus side, I'm not ill. All last night, my body ached all over, even my wrists and this is never a good sign. I was convinced that I managed to catch some nasty bug this weekend or from work. However, last night I slept like the dead and feel like myself once again. I think its just Arthur again screwing around my joints and the excess rain we had on Friday triggered a return visit from him. It made me realise that the weather had dry and warm for so long, I was living without pain for most of the summer. Oh the joy of winter coming...grumble, grumble, grumble.

Pleats and (Lack of) Waistlines

At the start of the school holidays, I began sewing a top from the Stylish Dress Book. It is a Japanese import book as lately I've had trouble finding sewing patterns I like, not to mention the crazy prices. One pattern I loved, then managed to cut the pattern too small and we all know this has everything to do with the expanding midriff, shrinking waistline and ever increasing boobs...in my head I still have the same body I had 10 years ago and of course, this is wrong, wrong, wrong. The outcome was the pattern is no longer suitable/usable for my size and I ruined a perfectly good piece of fabric. So when I saw this book at one of my favourite haunts, I was immediately impressed by the loose fits and dresses that would hide a multitude of sins. Since buying this book, I've made a pink smock top and then finished this one off today.

This top was a total pain...make no bones about it. It was a stretchy fabric and on more than one occasion, my sewing machine decided to chew it for lunch. The biggest problem was the neckline. The original neckline called for three big pleats and well, they looked like crap on me. So then I tried an off-centre pleat, it made me look like I was carrying three tyres up front. Finally, I decided on lots of pleats. I got my inspiration from this etsy shop. Her clothes are amazing...hats off to her. I love her waif like designs but you know what? I'm not skinny any more.

Here is the finished top. Along with a close up of the neckline.



Nice fabric but a pain to sew

A close up the neckline...a lot of work but worth it.

I'm getting some Kaffe Fassett fabric soon and I know what I want to make out of that, but that will be a surprise. I still have too many unfinished projects...I think that's the norm for me. I have lots of ideas that need to be documented, dated and maybe then it would be the kick up the butt I need. Anyone else have these problems?