February 2021 ~ week 4~ Spring is on the way!!

 It has been fairly glorious the last few days!!

So much so...

...that I decided that it is high time to gather some local inspiration for new work(shop) ideas :-)

Off we went...

...up REALLY narrow lanes...

...to make a visit to Patricio aka Patrishow Church and Holy Well.

The little stream is delightful...

...and folk have left so many offerings here.

Just a bit further up the (steep) hill is the church...

The locals were beautiful!!

I have now got a REAL problem...

...too many ideas going round and round in my head!!!

Back at Ty Mabon...

...stitching continues apace.

That little Valentine heart has now become a pendule...

I have also finished these tiny squares...

...but haven't decided how to make them up yet.

A new chart has been started...

...and the next Grove panel is in the hoop...waiting....

I do hope that Spring is on the way for you too...

...wherever you may be :-)

Take care

x C

February 2021 ~ week 3 ~ wildlife stitching etc.....

 It's only the 22nd of Feb...

...and we were able to have lunch outside on the terrace today!!

I only went out to put in my first seeds...

... and found that it was so warm that I had to take off my little cotton jacket :-)

Si I dashed back indoors...

...put on a saucepan of packet Minestrone soup...

...and we had that...

...followed by tinned peaches with double cream...

...and an espresso with chocolate mendiants that I'd made on the weekend.

All feels a little more "right" in my world :-D

Meanwhile...

...indoors over the last week...

...I've been stitching some "wildlife".

I had some "Grove" panels from Makower a couple of years ago...

...and have only now done anything with them.

This is number #1

I have another 7 to go!!

Another bit of wildlife was done in cross-stitch...

...a "BlackBird Designs" strawberry entitled..... "Dancing Sugar Plum".

Done on 18 count linen Aida...

...it was a bit hard on the old eyeballs...

...but I love it!

Especially made up with some lovely grey lace and a pink hanging ribbon :-)

I have a lot more cross-stitch planned...

...and have been dyeing some Aida to dull it down a bit...

I used various bister powders from yellow ochre to walnut brown and black...

....mixed in different amounts in spray bottles.

I am happy with the results and now need to alter some threads to "age" them before stitching.

Have a very pleasant week dear folks

x C

February 2021 ~ week #2 ~ hearts, hexies....and houses

 It's cold.

Very, very cold.

We've hardly had "plus" temperatures all week.

Maybe love can keep us warm?

A love-ly little terracotta plaque that I picked up at Kelmscott Manor...

...and, of course...

...it wouldn't be Valentines Day without some red heart stitching would it?! :-)

I decided to re-visit the tiny hexagon project ...

...and am getting on with a few more "flowers" to make into "grandmother's garden diamonds".

Also on the table...

...advances with my "Old Amsterdam" samples...

I do so loooove doing these doors and windows.

They may take a looooong time...

...but the results are soooooooworth it!!

(I only just found the "o" key on my laptop can't you tell!)

There are more bits of knitting happening too...

...I made up a pattern for this cowl...

...after finding an odd large ball of "something"...

...can't actually call it "wool"...

...but the colours are delicious :-D

It was a bit of a challenge on a rather long circular needle...

....and I wouldn't want to do another one...

...but hey-ho....it's finished...

...with more cold weather still to come I'm sure.

Keep safe and well folks

x C

February 2021 ~ week 1 ~ punching....painting.... and a "Pendule"

 It will make a change to have absolutely no pictures of a snowy garden today.

The promised "white stuff" turned itself away in someone else's direction...

...and left us simply very, very cold!!

I even fired up the beast yesterday evening because it felt chilly...

...even in this usually cosy house.

So, I stitched with the fire crackling away...

...on a little piece of punchneedle...

...to go on this rather lovely old glass bottle found in a flea market somewhere.

The paints have been out lately too...

...working on some "medieval" pieces...

...stained glass windows from Chartres Cathedral.

They take ages because I work with this tiny Brause nib to fill in the black areas.

(Why do I always do this to myself!!?? :-o  )

A small cross-stitch project got finished on Thursday.

It was supposed to be yet another biscornu...

...but I thought I'd try a different format...

...and made this one into a "Pendule".

I can see a basket of these being done to hang up on a line or pole somewhere.

They don't take long to come together...

...and are useful time-filler-inners for the odd evening :-)

They are also very pretty don't you think?

Have a good week...and keep safe...

x C