A Prickly Subject

This is going to be a mainly photo driven post. I had a coffee this morning in Manor Nurseries in Angmering, West Sussex, then decided to go walkabout around the nursery. I remembered I hadn’t had a look in their Cacti section for a while. So off I toddled armed with my little compact camera. I think I timed it well as so many of the plants were in bloom. I spent ages in there until I got overheated myself. Here are some of the plants – warning – quite a few of them!!

 

 

 

 

 

I think this looks like a load of bunnies gathered around!

 

 

 

 

 

 

This could bring a tear to the eye!

 

 

 

 

 

And finally – two beautiful Irises in bloom

 

This blue and white one is called Bold Print, it’s just gorgeous.

 

Sláinte

 

Linda xx

A Couple of Ta-Das & A Strange Tabby

I’m still sticking to my mission of finishing all the projects I’ve started and using up my stash before I buy anything else, although I will admit to buying this embroidery design and this sewing pattern over the weekend.

I’ve had this project on my needles for ages

I wanted a really warm, chunky, snuggly dress to wear over leggings or jeans in the winter. I used Drops Eskimo 100% wool instead of the recommended Debbie bliss Como wool. A fraction of the price but it was lovely to knit with and I loved the deep old rose colour. So here’s the finished dress ready to go into the wardrobe to await winter – which should arrive next week if today’s drop in temperature is anything to go by.

 

 

The second Ta da is my mandarin collar top made with some lovely self embossed off white satin fabric I got from a shop on the Goldhawk Road on my last visit to London.

 

Please ignore wrinkles across tummy and waist, I will have to de-stuff my dress form as I’ve lost a bit of weight recently. I used New Look 6407, a really easy pattern to make up.

 

 

So that’s 2 more projects down and about 100 more to go!

Now onto to this lovely little pussycat who came to visit last night.

 

 

I couldn’t get too close as it got a bit skittish, but it gobbled up the cat biscuits that my cats had left. I gave it some more food and that was gobbled up really quickly as well. It seemed to be very hungry. It does seem to look quite healthy and well fed and cats are well known for being con artists when it comes to food.  I had one ginger cat called Bramble who was well known in the neighbourhood for being able to charm food out of people’s cupboards.  I’ll keep monitoring it to make sure it’s OK.

 

That’s my Lily guarding the front door to make sure the little cat didn’t get in.

 

I love it’s little white moustache!

 

Must go more projects to complete!!

 

Slainte

 

Linda xxx

What to do with all those crochet flowers you’ve made.

Over the last couple of years I’ve made dozens of crochet flowers to try out new patterns or yarn. When finished I’ve just put them into a bag and forgotten about them. I came across the bag a couple of weeks ago and in my drive to finish up ALL my projects before I start any more I decided to create my own everlasting, no more watering, always in bloom hanging basket and here it is!

 

 

I knitted a lining for it following Caroline Wilbor’s pattern on Ravelry. I then crocheted a brown circle for the top and stuffed the whole thing with toy filling.

 

A few hours were spent with an upholstery needle sewing on the flowers. I used my knitting mill to make the wibbly wobbly stems twining round around the hanging chains and sewed a few tiny flowers onto them.

 

 

It’s high enough to be out of the reach of the cats as they tend to swing around on anything that dangles!!

 

For those of you who are not into crochet here are some pics of a two legged mushroom I had for lunch yesterday!

 

 

 

Slainte

 

Linda xx

Nailed It!

I came across this lovely crocheted wrap around cardi in an old Rowan magazine (number 49), it’s called Charm and it’s designed by Erika Knight. I fell in love with it and just had to make it. Only one problem, the pattern confused the heck out of me. It was all written without an accompanying diagram. I like a diagram so I can check where I am in the pattern cause I usually head off in bizarre directions with crochet!

 

I attempted the first row, then the second, ripped out the second, worked it again and tried the third row, halfway across, went wrong and ripped it back out again. Thought I’d got row 4, but I hadn’t. ripped it out again.  Ran screaming to the kitchen cupboard looking for the whiskey bottle.

 

I was in desperate need of help. Went on Youtube where I did find a tutorial on it but the lady did go a bit fast in certain places and my pause and rewind buttons were getting worn out. Visualising the rest of my life  spent in an institution for crocheters and knitters driven mad by confusing patterns I had one last place I could go for help.  I went online to my beloved Ravelry to see if I could find any references to the pattern. I found it featured in a few projects, one lady had written that she had given up on it, another lady wrote that she had to write out her own diagrams because the instructions were misleading. However I did find a post by the lovely Cupani aka Chris who had not only finished it but added a helpful comment about working row 2 and posted a link to a diagram of the stitch. The thought that another human being on the this planet had actually made the cardi really spurred me on.

 

Cupani’s beautiful finished cardi. See her gorgeous shawls at Chrissie Knits too Much

 

So this is it so far, only a few pattern repeats done so far, but I feel as if I’ve just split the atom!

 

 

 

Check back in a year and you never know, I might just have it completed!

 

Sláinte

 

Linda xx

Meet Eric & Ernie!

My friend Claire has just given me an old fish tank she had no further use for, and being the lovely person she is she also bought me two Goldfish that I promptly christened Eric and Ernie.

 

 

Ernie is on the left and Eric is on the right. You can tell them apart as Eric has orange ‘lipstick’. Maybe I should have called him Erica!

 

 

They are absolutely adorable, they do everything together. In fact it was hard to get a picture of each one on its own.

 

Eric

 

Ernie

 

 

My cats were fascinated by them for approximately 5 minutes. Then realising they couldn’t get to them to give them a proper poke with the paw they lost interest in them. They are more fascinated with the bubbles coming from the airstone. The last time I had fish was when I was 12 and like most kids they were won at the local fete.

I’m growing more fond of Eric and Ernie every day, such lovely little characters. They are learning not to be scared of human fingers in the water as it usually means they are bringing food. Anyway they certainly bring me sunshine!!

 

Sláinte

Linda xxx

I Got Me A Ukulele!

I’ve been debating with myself for ages about getting a ukulele. On the negative side I did get images flashing through my mind of George Formby singing “When I’m Cleaning Windows”. I’m even shuddering now thinking of that. However when I saw Garcia playing one on Criminal Minds it put a more positive slant on it. In true Garcia style she had pimped it with rhinestones and although she only got out one line of “Old McDonald Had a Farm” it turned negatives to positives for me.

 

 

I have a full size vintage acoustic guitar which is just a beautiful work of art and has fantastic tone, but I wanted something smaller to play and when I read Getchen “Gertie” Hirsch’s post on Ukulele Ladies I realised that a ukulele would fit the bill. Plus it is immensely portable, you could stuff it into a large handbag very easily. I have visions of whipping it out for impromptu concerts if I get bored waiting in lines at checkouts or at the post office!

I’ve got a beginner’s one from Amazon. It had a particularly helpful review submitted from a very knowledgeable and funny customer. Also it is purple which is one of my favourite colours so it just had to be! Here she is.

 

 

I have christened her “Gertie”. It’ll be a while before I’ll be posting anything on Youtube but I know I’m going to have so much fun with her which is really all I want from a musical instrument. Mind you I would like to learn “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and I did find an online tutorial for that. So far the Four Mouseketeers have ignored my renderings but did take turns to sit in the box it arrived in.

 

Here are a few vintage stylish Ukulele Ladies.

 

Greta Garbo

 

Marilyn Monroe

 

Lingerie Lady

 

Sláinte

 

Linda xx

Walkies

This week I went for a couple of circuits of Cissbury Ring, an ancient Iron Age Hill Fort near Findon in Sussex.


I don't go very often, but when I do I tell myself off for not going more! It’s very popular with dog walkers, so I get to pat quite a few! Today I met a couple walking 4 Collie dogs. As you know from a previous post Collies are my fav breed. I thought I’d died and gone to heaven!! There are two circular paths, one at the top which is narrow and chalky but has brilliant views over the Downs and a lower wider grassy one with loads of wildflowers and tweeters in bushes.

The banks and ditches which you see are are the remains of a vast defensive wall. It’s approximately one mile around taking the top path.





A welcome sight if you are still knackered from the climb up!

It’s great to imagine Neolithic tribes living here and mining the flint for their axes and arrowheads. Examples of Cissbury Flint have been found as far away as the Eastern Mediterranean. I sometimes think I must be walking the same paths as these ancients. I wonder what they would make of how it looks today.


Bird’s Eye View

Part of the surrounding area is farmland and you never know what you are going to find!!


Woodland Creatures!!



I’ll be taking my big camera up to see if I can get some shots of the famous round headed Rampion “Pride of Sussex”


Picture courtesy of Plantlife.org.uk
Can’t wait!

Sláinte

Linda xxxx