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

It's time for a new movement....(sorry...bit of a rant coming)

So...

...we left Devon...

...and drove through Somerset and Gloucestershire....

...to arrive in Malmesbury in Wiltshire...

...where we're having a few days to ourselves.

Our first outing was to Kelmscott, Cotswold retreat of William Morris...

I haven't taken much notice of the "Arts & Crafts" stuff...

...being a pre-historian and interested in "things ancient"...

...but after reading around the subject, I've come to the conclusion that...

...we need another "Arts & Crafts" movement today...

...with more and more people taking up the crafts that our grandparent did without even thinking about it...

...and getting away from buying anything mass-produced...

...especially if it comes from the PRC!!!

I'm sick and tired of going into towns and finding loads of cheap or poundshops selling absolute crap!

I get even more annoyed at little craft fairs/markets when I overhear people saying that they can get "that" cheaper in Wilko or somewhere of the ilk.

Someone has taken the time to make something beautiful...take a stall....go there....set it up with the work of many, many weeks....

...and have to listen to insensitive prats who should stay in bloody Wilko!!! :-(

I would like to see loads of arty-farty-crafty people get together and make a stand for what we do...

...and begin by staying out of the crap-shops.

Those of you that don't make/craft/stitch or whatever....but enjoy what we do...

...then I ask YOU to stay out of the crap-shops too!

We need you to come to fairs/shows etc and actually BUY what we make...

...or take up what we do. We are more than willing to help you get started.

Step 1 is very, very easy - Turn off the TV sometimes :-)

Learning a new hobby/craft is very rewarding and it makes you feel good...

...unlike some of the storylines that seem to proliferate through the "soaps".

Pick up a needle...paintbrush...colouring pencils....carving tool...ANYTHING...

Just DO IT!

It'll put a smile on your face and make you feel a lot happier.

There...

...rant over....

Enjoy your weekend (hopefully making something :-)

X C