A weekend of happy dances

Wow, this week has just flown by! I worked far too late every night this week (leaving at 6.50 was early????), but made up for it over the weekend. On Friday night I set myself a little challenge - to totally finish three crafting projects before going to bed tonight - and despite spending most of the daytime running errands or gardening, I achieved it!!

On Friday I pulled out the lace Christmas decoration that I made at the Harrogate Knitting and Stitching show in Harrogate. Last November. All I needed to do to finish it was to sew in and tie off the ends... which I finished just as True Blood was coming on.



Yesterday it was the turn of Holiday Holly biscornu by The Sweetheart Tree. By bedtime I'd got it to the stage that it needed stuffing, and I finished it early this evening. It's my first ever biscornu, and I really enjoyed it - apart from the fact that the floss for the back stitch border and whip stitching was so close in colour to the fabric that I had trouble seeing the stitches. I see more biscornu in my future...





After that I put the last bit of sewing into my lovely blue cardigan, and added a pretty handmade button by Stuart Johnson, which I picked up at the lace event last weekend. The cardigan is lovely and warm (possibly a little warm for the current weather, but never mind - there's always a cold day not too far away!!). It fits brilliantly, but the sleeves are a little long. Not that that's a problem - it keeps my hands warm! The pattern is by Twilleys, and I found it very simple to follow. This is the first garment I have knitted since I was in secondary school.



In the garden, we planted most of our veggies, generally tidied up after the weekend, planted some primulas and I attacked (and beat) the snowberry bush that I hate in the front garden. RIP bush - you'll be replaced by a lovely rose next year, once we are sure you are totally beaten ;)

I can't believe it's April already. I'll pop online tomorrow and deal with goals and the TUSAL. I hope everyone else had as relaxing a weekend as I did.

Harrogate Lace Event

Yesterday was a fabulous day of stash enhancement!! Eddy and I met Sonia at the Harrogate Lace event a little after 10 and hit the stalls. It was a lovely day - I've been making lace long enough that I've started to know some of the 'crowd' - it was lovely to catch up with Stuart and Sue Johnson and Christine and David Springett (the team behind the May lace course we go on), then Jane and Agnes (plus their husbands) who also come along in May. And lots of people from Sheffield Lace Makers - and especially Phyllis' gang - Margaret, Kath, Di and Barbara - and Phyllis of course!!

So we spent as much time chatting and catching up as we did shopping. Eddy really enjoyed himself too - he can't wait until we can work out how to get a lathe for him - he really enjoys turning bobbins! He was also in an extremely generous mood, and bought me a lovely present of stash from one of the stalls, plus I joined a bobbin a month club - and the first three bobbins for that are part of a Christmas present from a few years ago!



So what did I get... I bought some bangles for making lace Christmas ornaments, some ribbon and pins, a glass paperweight to pop my Bedfordshire flower in, some new plyers and cutters for spangling and some huge bobbins for making large scale lace with different fibres (like wool or ribbon). Eddy bought me the lovely rainbow wood knitting needles, scarf pattern and skein of 2-ply alpaca (yup, definitely going to give large scale lace a try - I just need to buy some more of the large bobbins!!), and I bought the rainbow wood crochet hook as a present for Louise.



I also bought some beautiful bobbins from (left to right) Acorn bobbins, 2 by Stuart Johnson, I can't remember who did the next one, Margaret Wall, three unspangled bobbins by Malcolm Thorpe. Sonia bought me the one on the right, which is by Sarah Jones and which says 'making lace is making friends'. The spangle on the far right is by Margaret Wall, and all proceeds are going to Comic Relief! The four buttons are by Stuart Johnson (one will go on my new cardy when I finish it), and Eddy bought me the four dividers by Brian Goodwin.

After all that shopping we went to Fodder (a lovely farm shop/deli/cafe) for a lovely (if slightly late) lunch, and bought lots and lots from the shop...

Last night I worked on Holiday Holly Biscornu - I'm about half way through the second side now:


Today we went to two garden centres and did some gardening - my roses are all pruned an ready for summer now.

Happy Stitching :)