Violet White

Gramps Cardigan for Max

2012-01-17T10:40:00.000+01:00

I found this rather lovely blue yarn, which I think will be perfect for Max. The pattern is made all in one piece, which is great for me as I hate the sewing-up bit, and it seems relatively easy so far.

The 18 months size doesn't have much of the trellis pattern, but I guess it will look OK when finished...

...and I like the fact that the back is pretty plain - less pattern angst and a better fit too, I think.

New Dress for Rosebud

2012-01-15T20:03:00.000+01:00

Well - I finished the dress, after several attempts and lots of pulling-back! I don't think she'll be getting a change of clothes any time in the near future!

I think it turned out quite well, though my finger may never recover from those VERY pointy little needles!

I made her a little flowery headband too, which was fiddly but effective.

I decided against the sleeves:

a) they looked fiddly to make as well as sew-in

b) I thought they would be difficult if a child was trying to put the dress on (or off) the doll.

The Latest Projects

2012-01-14T11:54:00.000+01:00

While sorting through boxes at the shop I found this little Rosebud doll...

She obviously needed something to cover her nakedness, so I looked out this book...

...and decided to make the bridesmaid dress which was on the front.

I had to hunt a bit for the needles (old imperial size 15!) and eventually found a set of sock needles I had bought at a brocante in France some years ago. I tried them in my needle gauge, but they were smaller than the smallest size... I think they are 1.5mm, which I reckon is about right. They are really fine.

The thread I am using is a Bergere de France mercerised cotton - also pretty fine. The needle size recommended on the ballband is 1.75mm so I think it will be OK.

This is the beginning of the dress...

...you can see how small the stitches are. I think it's the smallest gauge thing I've ever made, and I thought it would be terrible to knit, but I'm actually enjoying it, although it's slow going!

The Latest Sock

I have just started another pair of socks to keep me going through this cold weather. This time it's a yarn called Trekking XXL, and the colours developing are beautiful...

A Busy Day

2012-01-11T21:39:00.001+01:00

I've hardly knitted a stitch all day! I've been really busy in the shop (no, not with customers, but re-organising).

Then I had to do some shopping...(I hate shopping, but I do get hungry)...

...and then I decided to change the backgrounds on both my blogs, and that took some time. Hope you like the new look!

Take a look at the Chez Penny blog, to see what I've been up to!

Tiny Slippers

2012-01-10T22:29:00.000+01:00

I had a little of the yarn left over from the socks, and thought I'd give this pattern a try...

...but the ones I made turned out really tiny (only two inches long)...

...so I think they will have to be for Molly's doll!

Soxy Lady

2012-01-10T12:03:00.000+01:00

That's me!

I finished the Kaffe Fassett Regia socks yesterday - here they are...

...I must say this pattern (Peter's Socks) looks much better on than off!

At my advanced age, I am rather pleased that I managed to get my leg up on the table with no bother :-)

Retro Baby Cardigan for Max

I made the first cardigan from this pattern when I was living in England, last year. Then I got a message on Ravelry asking me if I could help a lady with the instructions (which are sketchy, to say the least). So.... I dug out the pattern and some yarn, and made another cardi!

Once you've worked out how to do it (I wrote it all down this time, folks) this pattern knits up quickly, as it's in double DK, and I finished it in a day. As the only making up was the sleeve seams, the longest bit was finding some matching buttons in my stash!

I think it looks a little wide, but he can wear it over other things this winter...

Corde of Wood

2012-01-07T17:48:00.000+01:00

I finally got my wood delivered today - by a very nice young man!

This is what it looked like tipped out of the trailer...

...doesn't look all that much does it? Although it is about the size of my car...

It took me just over 2 hours to get it all in my woodshed...

...here it is - GONE!

It's a very mixed bag... small bits, branches, huge great bits, rooty, gnarly bits (I may sell those as sculpture) and none of it particularly dry. Still, it's more or less what I was expecting, and at least I don't have to look forward to a winter sitting in six layers of clothing and wrapped in a blanket!

I really like wood (does that sound weird?) I mean it is fascinating stuff. For example, this was a little piece I found in the corde...

...it is where a little branch came off, I think. Amazing how big the 'lump' is for such a small diameter of branch...

First of the Socks

2012-01-06T23:06:00.000+01:00

Just thought I'd show you the first sock finished...

...at least one foot will be warm!

Keeping Warm This Winter

2012-01-05T18:48:00.000+01:00

Firstly the Bad News - I have run out of wood for my log-burners. Not good. But the Good News is that I am having some delivered this Saturday, which is only a day away now. In between I'm burning all sorts of rubbishy bits, though I haven't started on the furniture yet...

This is how the stove burns on bits and pieces of wood that came out of the shop when I had the roof re-done...

...not bad, eh? But I spend all my time putting more bits on, and proper logs last a bit longer!

Anyway, a local man is delivering some on Saturday afternoon - although it has been stood out in the field and is not really dry (been raining a bit lately) although it IS seasoned. Hopefully it'll burn eventually, on top of some of the bits and pieces!

Secondly - warm socks! After a long time making children's socks (I think I've saturated the grandchildren market for the time being) I am making myself some more socks. I'm currently using a Regia yarn - from the Kaffe Fassett range. I've just got past the heel. Here it is on my foot...

... and I hope you appreciate that I dropped several stitches in the course of taking this photo! I tried it on my hand, but it looked VERY strange...

Crochet Beads

2012-01-03T15:05:00.000+01:00

I have a new pattern on Ravelry - for crochet beads.

You can download it here.

I originally made the beads with my 4 1/2 year-old granddaughter in mind. I made them in white cotton, with the idea that she could colour each one as she pleased, using felt-tip pens.

The idea is to string them together on round, hat elastic, to make them safe for her to wear.

The beads could also be made into a bracelet, or the head of a teeny-tiny doll or angel, using a simple, gathered circle of pretty material or lace to form the dress.

The Sock Saga

2011-12-24T12:02:00.004+01:00

Seems that all I do at the moment is knit socks! I'm still not sure if they're the right size for my grandchildren, Max and Molly, but they are on the big side, if anything, so at least they will fit them at some point!

The pattern I was using had some serious flaws so, after a lot of alterations and puzzling over it, I am finally devising my own! This is the latest effort - for Molly...

UPDATED TO SHOW THE FIRST SOCK COMPLETED...

I am using 2.25mm DPNs and a starting number of 56 stitches, with a hand-dyed sock yarn in apple blossom colours.It was from StashUpYarns and the colourway is called Chinese Fringe Flower. There were 530 yards, so it'll make more than one pair of little socks, and it's an 80% superfine merino and 20% bamboo mixture. It is lovely and soft and the small needle size means that the stitches are tiny and close, which should give a really warm pair of socks.

I have another yarn from there, called Amphitryon that I have already made Molly some socks with (they went off in the post yesterday) and one called Petit Trianon, that is yet to be knitted up. I love these yarns - such pretty colourways and a lovely feel to them.

StashUpYarns' Etsy shop is on holiday at the moment, but you should visit after Christmas if you love sockyarn!

One More, Two More...

2011-12-22T21:42:00.000+01:00

Finally got the new batteries for my aerobics bear today...

Love this bear. When I re-discovered it a week or two or ago, the batteries had worn out. No chance of finding any in the local shops, so I had to wait for them to arrive from an Internet company.

Sea Socks - another Pair for Max

2011-12-20T13:46:00.000+01:00

Well - the colour reminds me of the sea around Greece...

...and it seems to be a favourite with the Polar Bear (Mr Pockets) too!

Now I'm starting on a pair for Molly, although I don't have her measurements yet...

Frosty Weather

2011-12-18T18:58:00.000+01:00

I'm not complaining - we've had it so good for so long! But this morning was the first time this winter that I've seen frost... and I got up late today - almost 9am - but still the garden and the hills beyond were white with frost...

...15 minutes later the sun had started to melt the frost...

The this evening there was a sweet-pea colour to the sky as the sun went down...

I may not like the cold weather, but it does produce some beautiful sights!

BBC Radio 4

2011-12-18T17:33:00.000+01:00

I have been trying to listen to Radio 4 for some months now. Every time, the little window of Radio Player appears and tells me that it is loading... loading... loading.... but nothing happens after that.

Finally I have discovered that the problem is to do with my browser (Google Chrome). Not that I know WHAT the problem is - or how to solve it, as it seems impossible to communicate with anyone.

SO... I've downloaded the latest version of Mozilla Firefox and am using that now. SUCCESSFULLY !!!!! Phew.

So I was able to listen to Desert Island Discs this afternoon, with the guest being Julian Fellowes, and I enjoyed it very much.

I used to teach this stuff many moons ago, so how frustrating must it be for someone who doesn't understand it at all? So many promises of good stuff and so hard to find out why it doesn't work. (Yes, I know, Jason - I should get a Mac...)

Dolls for Sale

2011-12-17T18:00:00.002+01:00

I have a lot of dolls. Big ones, small ones, grandfather -tall ones (no, sorry - no grandfather tall ones)...

They're just getting out of hand - they are popping up everywhere and they've just got to go...

These are just the ones we had to move out of the way in the spare room when Jason came to stay. In the shop I have boxes full and some at home too. They are all vintage - some 1930s or 1940, lots of Ginnies from the 70s and many Madame Alexander dolls, some in their original boxes.

I have tried to find out some rough prices, but this seems to take an awful long time. For example, I couldn't find anything on the two Fisher Price girls, and they are fairly recent, being made in the 80s...

I definitely need to get rid of them - and probably my Muffy bears too. Any ideas on how to sell them? The shop is not the right place, as they are just seen as secondhand toys...

Raining in My Heart

2011-12-14T18:42:00.000+01:00

OK, not in my heart, but in Le Dorat, where my shop is.

I went over today (I'm open on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays) and had 3 boxes, a bag and some other stuff to take in. Just as I got to Le Dorat it started to pour with rain. Coming down in stair rods, as they say... ...so I got as wet as a very wet thing - the proverbial drowned rat. Of course, when I had taken all the boxes in and moved the car, the rain stopped and there were only a few showers (although strong winds) for the rest of the day!

Pop over to Chez Penny to see what I've been doing!

Seduced by the Dark Side

2011-12-13T20:14:00.000+01:00

I tried to resist, but it was futile... I saw them everywhere.... I wanted to have my own...

So I finally downloaded the hexipuff pattern! I've made three, with no idea of what I will make in the end - if there is an end...

You see, what finally drew me in was the fact that these are made using LEFT OVER SOCK YARN.... ...and I've got quite a lot of that!

So I've ~~wasted~~ spent an entire afternoon making hexipuffs and the total so far is... THREE!!!!! Here they are...

The pattern is by Tiny Owl Knits, and this lady is definitely (shall we say) 'alternative'. Watch this video...

the beekeeper's quilt from tinyowlknits on Vimeo.

But I have seen these everywhere and the only pattern source seems to be from Tiny Owl Knits. So I had to bite the bullet and BUY the pattern. Ouch.

I don't cast on the way she does, and I don't do the crochet 3-needle bind-off that she does (I use Kitchener stitch instead) so there's really not much pattern left for my money! Anyway, I DO like making them, and maybe they'll be part of a doll's quilt for my granddaughter.

I'll let you know.

Socks and Sizes

2011-12-11T17:02:00.001+01:00

I've been making socks for some years now, but am definitely NOT an expert. Recently I've been making them for my little grandson and it is surprising how few patterns there are for small children (most in my books start at 8 yrs) and how little information there is in BRITISH English about the average sizes of shoes and socks related thereto.

I don't have my grandson at hand to measure every time I make a pair of socks, and often when I speak to his mother (my daughter) he is asleep in bed so cannot be measured...

Last time I made him these socks...

...and they fitted him perfectly. The yarn I used was DROPS Fabel.

Now I have just finished this pair...

...in a different make of yarn (Fortissima Socka), which I felt was thinner. They seemed narrower round the top and I'm a bit worried they'll be too small (given that he's a month older now too) but you can really only tell by trying them on! In case they are, I'm making another pair (again, a different yarn unfortunately) on a larger needle (2.5mm instead of 2.0mm) and the first one has come out LOADS bigger. Here's a comparison picture...

...I guess he'll grow into them...

More New Arrivals

2011-12-03T14:01:00.001+01:00

My TickTock rooibos tea came today! HOORAY!

I ran out about a week ago and was feeling quite deprived - I can't find it anywhere locally and ended up getting it on the Net, from Victoria Health.

Ok - got to have my second cup now...

Removals

2011-11-29T15:58:00.000+01:00

My stuff came back from England today. I'd forgotten just how much there was. This is just some of it...

...now I just have to sort it all out!

Starry, Starry Night...

2011-11-28T20:05:00.000+01:00

Wow - seems this is the season to post a new pattern for a star...

70 downloads in a couple of hours...!!!!

Auto Update

2011-11-28T15:25:00.000+01:00

Automobile, that is.

I rang the garage this afternoon and they told me they have ordered a part which should arrive later today. The lady said there was not a major problem, so I feel sure they have not been told about the oil warning light and buzzer... Anyway, I'll find out more when I ring back later, I hope. My guess is the order is for a new oil filter. There just hasn't been time for them to explore anything else. So difficult when you are not fluent in the language!

So, I've been moping about, wondering how much this is going to cost and knitting hats. I've also designed a star in crochet, and the pattern is on my Ravelry page.

I rather like the 'star-within-a-star' look of the puff stitch centre.

Those Knitted Hats

Here's a couple of pictures...

My problem with hats is that I have a small head, so it's no good trying them on myself - I just have to hope they will fit the buyer (Hope there IS a buyer).

Good News, Bad News and a HAT!

2011-11-26T14:12:00.000+01:00

The good news is I'm loving having the shop open. People drop in (and sometimes buy things too) and have a chat and maybe a coffee with me. It is also giving me a bit more routine to my life, and I have to get up at a reasonable hour at least three mornings a week! It is a pity it's not nearer (a 60K round trip) but that's just the way it is - which leads me on to...

...the bad news... which is that I have had a little bit of a problem with the car.

In fact, it had to be towed away this morning after I broke down on a busy road between Bellac and Mézières-sur-Issoire. Let me explain...

On Thursday the oil light and little buzzer came on, so I put what little oil I had left in. On Friday evening it did it again, but then went off, so I thought I just hadn't put enough oil in... Today I went into Mézières to the Post Office and when I was halfway there the light etc came on again! So I pulled into the parking and trotted off to buy some oil. I duly put it in and checked the dipstick. It seemed to have oil all over it, so I assumed there was plenty in. Off I went to Bellac and, halfway there... you've guessed it! So I turned off the road and put some more oil in. When I restarted and got back on the road there was a strange noise from the exhaust and clouds of dense white smoke.

To cut a long story short, the breakdown man shook his head sadly, and said there was much too much oil in. As is the way in France he spoke, not to me, but to my friend, Duncan, who had come out to see if he could help. I explained that Duncan did not speak French, but it made no difference! I explained about the oil light but to no avail...

So, Duncan ran me home, and here I am, cut off from the world without my car. Life in the country is not all wildflowers and beautiful sunsets!

The Hat

Enough about the car! On to THE HAT...

Tired of making mittens, I made this hat, in chunky yarn, yesterday evening...

Personally, I hate hats with a clingy rib, as they always seem to work their way up and end with sitting on the top of my head like a Smurf hat - so I made this one with the double rib edge, and all on the same size needles. The yarn is one I bought from a friend, and is called Country by Omaghi. It is 50% wool, 10% Alpaca and 40% acrylic.

I'm writing the pattern, and it'll be on Ravelry soon.

Update on the Chez Penny Shop

2011-11-21T17:26:00.002+01:00

I've spent most of the day in Le Dorat, at the shop today, and I think I've achieved a lot. Hope so, 'cos I'm planning to open the day after tomorrow!

Click on this picture to have a look at the shop blog and see what I've been doing...

Cactus

2011-11-19T19:52:00.000+01:00

Today I went to Chauvigny market with my friend Anne. It was an amazing day - sunny and relatively warm! It was hard to remember that the date was the 19th November!

We had a lovely morning and I bought a ball of green, slightly fluffy yarn to make some cacti for the shop.

I used to make these years ago and sold several on eBay, though it was always a bit nerve-racking wondering if they would get to their destination without the pots being broken!

I never did write out the pattern, so I'm going to do that this time, and probably I'll post the pattern on Ravelry when I've finished.

Brooch Winner

2011-11-17T11:03:00.000+01:00

I didn't actually OPEN the shop yesterday - it'll be next week, I think - I just haven't had the time to get everything sorted and arranged. I'll post some pictures later.

But I DID manage to draw the number for the little brooch...

...and the winner is...

Elizabethd!

Hope you like it!

Working in the Shop

2011-11-12T17:38:00.001+01:00

I've been over to the shop today - done some painting, tweaked a few things.

Click on the picture to read more about it on the Chez Penny blog.

Planting for REAL Flowers

2011-11-11T18:28:00.000+01:00

Okay - so I didn't get to the shop today and I didn't do any painting. Hopefully, I'll make it tomorrow. So why didn't I go? well, the shop is 30K away from my house - so a 60K round trip. Normally I try to combine it with something else, such as a visit to the supermarket, or even coffee with a friend... so as not to use up too many of the earth's resources needlessly, you understand.

Honestly, I was so nearly on my way, when I remembered that today was a Public Holiday - for Armistice Day - and that nowhere would be open. I wouldn't be able to get anything from the supermarket and I wasn't even sure that the local cafés would be open for coffee or lunch...yes, I know that sounds ridiculous, but honestly - when it's a holiday here, NOTHING opens!

So instead I made some more brooches (getting brooch addiction...) and planted some bulbs in pots...

At least I'll be ready for the Spring!

Incidentally, I have so many brooches now that I thought I'd do a Giveaway. Just leave me a comment (and include your email address) and I'll do the draw next Wednesday - after my first day of opening the shop!

Sunshine and Flowers

2011-11-11T10:47:00.000+01:00

after a rainy and cold day yesterday, today is sunny and the breeze is warm. Fantastic for November!

I've been making some flower brooches...

...and some of these...

I call them Boss brooches because they remind me of the boss in the centre of a shield.

I'm just having a coffee and then off to the shop to paint a wall. Maybe I'll remember to take pictures today...

Shop·ping

2011-11-10T20:04:00.001+01:00

Penny'pedia: getting the shop ready to open..

Lunch with some friends and, afterwards, working in the shop with Viv, getting boxes down from the attic.

This is what it looked like last summer and now I'm going to get it ready for Christmas. No-one celebrates Christmas here like they do in England (as far as I can see), but I'm hoping to make Chez Penny a beacon in the darkness. It was dark when I finished today, so no pictures, I'm afraid, but next time I'll take some. Check the Chez Penny website for future news...

Ivy Wreaths

I thought you might like to see the wreaths I make from ivy...

I simply pull down the ivy - as long lengths as I can get - and then make it into a wreath. I usually take 2 lengths of ivy and twist them into a circle. I use the rest of the lengths, or join in a new length, and twist around the original pieces to hold them in place. I don't use string or anything to hold things in place, as the ivy lengths are very pliable and usually hold well. I tuck the ends in to secure them. Then I hang them on my airer to dry off for a week or so.

When the leaves are all dry I simply rub my hands over the wreath to get the leaves off. After this I either use the dried wreaths as they are, or decorate them.

An Easy Life

2011-11-08T20:45:00.001+01:00

Many people come to France because they think life here is easier: less frantic, more rural, better health care, less bureaucracy... more land for your money, less bills, etc... I'm not saying they're wrong (except, perhaps for that bit about bureaucracy) and I'm not saying they're right. I came here because my husband died suddenly and unexpectedly and I didn't know how to cope and I needed to get away. And it's been good for me.

Over the years since he died I have realised that my husband was not the only person who loved me and, recently, with the breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, I realised that my children care a lot about me - (yes, I know I should have known that before...) and that I have a lot of friends in France who care and are willing to help me out. I have one or two in England too, but they're a long way away and don't come out here nearly often enough! In Blogland I have made friends too and I value them highly.

It's amazing how much all these people have contributed to my well-being and I would like to thank you all (you know who you are).

But my recent 'brush with death' has taught me that I carried all the bad stuff and sorrow with me and that now I need to put it all behind me and just be grateful for what I've got and get on with my life. So that's what I'm doing.

You may remember that last year I opened a little shop in Le Dorat and sold some of my 'excess baggage' and craft work. I loved doing it. So I've decided to do it again! I've re-registered in the French system as an 'Autoentrepreneur' - a new business type introduced by Sarkozy (bless his little cotton socks) and I will be re-stocking the shop and opening up next week. If you live near enough, pop over and see me (I promise I'll make you a cup of coffee) and, if you don't, why not spend a holiday here (it's lovely, I promise you).

So - apart from bringing down the bazillion boxes of stuff I have stored in the attic of the shop, I've also been making some new stock.

With Christmas in mind I've made some tree ornaments...

...and the garland you saw in my last post. Today, also, I cut some ivy to make wreaths...

...which I plan to do tomorrow morning, while the stems are still pliable.

Of course, it hasn't all been unicorns and fairy dust! The first day I was back I noticed that my butter dish had some 3 month-old butter streaks in it, and dropped it on the way to the sink...

...and, likewise, I picked up a water glass that I had left un-emptied in my bedroom, and dropped it straight on the floor!

And, in case you are wondering, I hadn't even got a bottle of wine in the house at this stage!

I had another butter dish in my cupboard, so I am using that although obviously the size of a half-pound of butter has changed somewhat, as I have to cut one end off to make it fit in this dish!

I tend to think that recent stress has affected my mind as I put a bread mix on in my breadmaker, and didn't notice that it was a mix designed to make two loaves... consequently it was a complete disaster. I noticed my mistake when the mix was not mixing properly - added extra water, thinking I would let the breadmaker do it's thing until the baking stage, then turn out the dough, knock it back by hand and make two loaves myself and put them in the oven to bake. However, when it got to that stage, I had a couple of friends round for coffee and forgot all about it. So it rose to completely fill the breadmaker and the strain of it all nearly melted the plug!

Anyway, I managed to clean up the machine eventually and today is the first time I have used it again. It was successful - ish. I say 'ish' because I forgot to put the little mixing paddle in place originally and ended up with my hands covered in wet floury paste, trying to locate it in the mess of water and flour in the bottom of the machine! You may wonder if the cancer has not already spread to my brain...

Anyway, it DID work and here is the loaf I made earlier...

...and I've already had the crust with some Petit Billy cheese and it was delicious!

Tomorrow afternoon I am taking a French lady to see the La Tache house, which she just might be interested in renting - or even buying. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Starry, Starry Garland...

2011-11-07T13:39:00.000+01:00

Finished! I used a whole ball of Phildar Perlé, held together with a thread of gold from a cone I have been trying to use up for years... difficult to use as the gold breaks easily. It is really hard to display the garland...

I didn't stiffen the stars in the end - too much hassle - and I crocheted the 'string' with more Phildar Perlé, using 50 chain at each end and 20 chain between stars...

Must get on with Max's socks now...

A Stiff Upper Lip

2011-11-05T11:57:00.000+01:00

The other day I made this little star...

...from this pattern.

I want to make a garland to hang in the shop window, but I know from experience that the garland will be better if the stars could be stiffened. So I bought some spray starch (the sort for ironing)...

...but it didn't seem to make the star any stiffer, so I looked on the Net for a product and found something (excuse my sniggers) called Stiffy...

Now I know this must be a USA product, because stiffy, in English, has an entirely different meaning...

Anyway, they won't post it to me in France, so I'm just going to have to find another way - I'm thinking I'll dilute some PVA adhesive and dip the stars in that. Got to make more stars first, though.

Pink Chicken

I'm still working on my birdies and keep on tweaking Lucy's pattern. The latest - done in a rather thinner 4ply cotton, turned out quite large and threatened to be a vulture before calming down and hatching into a pink chicken...

Now I'm working on a much denser crochet fabric for the bird, so that the stuffing doesn't show through. I'll post a picture when it's finished!

Buttons and Birdies

2011-11-04T14:50:00.001+01:00

I've been making those birdies again - based on Lucy's pattern. These latest ones are less flowery, and more buttony...

I think the tail needs some more work though!

Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater

2011-11-03T17:11:00.000+01:00

It IS the season for pumpkins. A friend gave me this one...

...and I crocheted these...

...from this pattern.

Mellow Fruitfulness

2011-11-01T11:08:00.002+01:00

Yesterday I went to the La Tache house. There is a chance that I might have someone to rent it and I wanted to check everything looked good, and also to get some of the fruit from the back garden...

There were not many quinces on the two trees, so I only got about 6, but I discovered several medlar trees forming part of the hedge, so picked some of those too. The old apple tree (variety 'Pierre' apparently) was loaded with fruit and lots of windfalls on the ground too, so I got what I could...

...a reasonable haul, I thought.

I have found two recipes for medlars - a fruit jelly and a Walnut Bakewell Tart with roasted medlars, and I think I'll try this tart first. Well - the medlar jelly takes 2Kg of medlars, and I don't think I've got that many!

Catnip Carrots

I MAY have mentioned these before... anyway, I've perfected my pattern now and have made most of the order for them (from The Green Apple) and so I thought you might like a little look...

...for healthy cats!

My route to La Tache takes me alongside a little lake, at St. Barbant - a small village near me. It was a perfect autumn day, so I stopped on the way back and took this picture...

No Fire Without Smoke

2011-10-28T12:08:00.000+02:00

I lit the wood-burner this morning, as it's a little nippy here - although not too cold. But, as the house has been closed up for 10 weeks, I thought a little background warmth would be nice.

However - I forgot that I had blacked the stove with a proprietary product (specially meant for cast-iron wood-burning stoves) and had not used it since.

My neighbour had called round to see how I was, and as we were talking, I realised the room was filling with smoke. Not due to the stove itself, but this 'blacking' product which was smoking as it got hot.

You can't see the smoke in this picture, but you CAN see that my washing is drying on the Kitchen Maid rack in front of the stove, so I guess it's all going to smell like I've been to an early bonfire night party!

Also, not much chance of warming up the house, as I have now had to open all the doors and windows to try and get rid of the smoke!

Catnip Carrots

Remember that carrot from Mollie Makes? Well I have created my own pattern for a similar one (but easier to fill) and have an order for ten! So guess what I'm going to be doing for the next few days!

I'll put the pattern on Ravelry when I've tested it out and sent off the carrots! They're £3.50 each, plus postage, if anyone would like one for their favourite pussycat's Christmas box! Just drop me a line!

Farewell to London

2011-10-26T14:42:00.003+02:00

Tomorrow I go to France - through the Channel Tunnel, which is a first for me. It means I can do the whole journey in a day and be at my old house by mid to late evening (barring delays).

Today it has been raining here but it looks like it is brightening up now. Here is the view from my bedroom window...

I've really enjoyed my time here (except for the Breast Cancer operation of course!) and have more or less lost my dislike of travelling on trains buses and the Tube. Guess I'll be back in 6 months for the next check-up, or possibly before if I manage to let or sell my properties.

Knitted Cakes

Thanks to all those who bought cakes - do let me know that they have arrived safely. I have now changed the possible postage locations to anywhere in the world, and I'm just hoping that no-one buys from a location that will be REALLY expensive to post to!

Those of you who have not bought cakes - you'll need to be quick, as most of the listing expire in a day or so. After that it will be coffee mornings in the Limousin or the shop in Le Dorat.

Just to remind you - the cakes are HERE and ALL the money goes to Breast Cancer Care.

So far, I've sold 13 cakes which, happily, is a Baker's Dozen. This means the total raised for Breast Cancer Care so far is £35.75.

46 Cakes So Far!

2011-10-21T17:45:00.001+02:00

That's the result of two days listing on eBay. And now I find I need to make at least another 10 to reach my target. Seems that maths is not my strong point!

Many thanks to those people who have already bought some cakes - I posted two lots off this morning! I have had to reconsider free postage, as each parcel cost me £1.75!

Mostly, today, I have listed the doughnuts, of which I need to make more as there are less of these than the pastry tarts.

Have a look at my eBay page now!

International Buyers

I am happy to send cakes to other countries, but need to sort out postage individually and eBay has no way to deal with this. Therefore, if you would like to buy some cakes, but don't live in the UK, just email me (there's a link on the side bar) and let me know.

Off to France

I have booked a ticket for the Channel Tunnel and am going back to sort out my properties next Thursday. I will, therefore be gone from this blog for a few days, and cake sending may be delayed a little. Wish me luck!

Knit Yourself a Cat

I bought this great book today (though the shop didn't have the right wool to make the cat I want)...

They look pretty fiddly, and the text is in VERY small print, but I'm going to have a go. Anyone made one yet?

Cakes For Sale!

2011-10-20T11:56:00.000+02:00

So - I've started listing the cakes on eBay. I'm still not certain of the costs, but it looks to be the site where I will lose least and Breast Cancer Care will benefit the most!

Yesterday the trial cake was snapped up instantly - thank you Jill! And so far this morning I have listed 3 pastry tarts - two Lemon Meringue and one Raspberry! It all takes time!

Incidentally, the tartlet pattern I'm using is from Cakes, Cakes, Cakes on ETSY and the doughnut pattern comes from Lynne's Pattern Parlour on Folksy. I highly recommend both patterns as being easy to follow and giving a great result!

Keep an eye on my eBay page as I will be adding cakes all the time!

Charity Begins...

2011-10-19T18:24:00.000+02:00

...with hours and hours of reading through incomprehensible waffle on the Internet! Or, at least, that's what it seems like to me.

I wanted (still want) to find a way to list my knitted cakes - on an Internet site or on my blog - so that I could raise money for breast cancer research.

I had no idea it would be so complicated.

After hours of reading about PayPal's policy toward donating to charity and then eBay's, I decided to list a trial cake on eBay.

However, even after all that reading, I am still not sure how much of the £2.75 selling price will go to the charity. You see, eBay claims to 'refund' the fees if 100% of the proceeds is donated to charity, but I'm not sure if this includes the final fee (in this case 27p) if the item finally sells. Mission Fish (an eBay partner that administers the donations to charity) also takes a cut - of 3.75%, and it is impossible to work out how to add this to the item exactly - given that, as a percentage, it changes each time you add to the price!

So I reckoned that the only way to proceed was to run a trial. What I need now is some kind person (could this be YOU?) to actually BUY the cake, and then I will know what the final costs are.

Mission Fish collects the money from my PayPal account (which is a little scarey) and hands it over to Breast Cancer Care so, if it all goes well, this should be a neat way of doing it!

Pink Friday imminent!

2011-10-19T13:27:00.000+02:00

I am going to move the Pink Friday Cake Sale forward to this Friday - the 21st October. Why? Because I will have made all the cakes by then, and they are all over the room...

At present I have 47 (although every time I count I get a different figure) and I need 53 to reach my target. Lots of doughnuts...

...and even more pastry tarts...

...and a few cupcakes...

... but I don't seem to get very good results making cupcakes, and they take me much longer.

A Dog in a T-Shirt

I've just spent a few days in Kenilworth with my friend Joan, and she was looking after a dog (J-J) for friends who are on holiday. Just before they left, the dog was bitten by another dog and had a wound that was not healing as J-J kept licking it. Joan found a good solution, by putting a T-shirt on him...

...it did the job, and he looked very funny in it!

Behind the Scenes at the Museum...

2011-10-14T19:40:00.000+02:00

Well - in the café to be precise!

I had an appointment which was only a short Tube journey from the V&A, so I went on there afterwards. I had a lovely time - starting AND ending in the café!

First I had lunch in the William Morris room...

...then I spent a few hours wandering round, looking at exhibits, the latest exhibition with the Crafts Council, and the bookshop and general shop, and then I wandered back to the café for tea and cake, this time in another of its rooms - all decorated in blue tiles representing the seasons and months of the year. I had my tea and a piece of cake and sewed up my KNITTED cake...

I did buy a fantastic book in the shop - it's called Stitch London (though it's all knitting).

Obviously, since I only just bought it, I haven't had a chance to try out the patterns, but it looks GREAT!

Cakes for Pink Friday

I've been busy...

...33 cakes so far!

Back in London

2011-10-11T20:18:00.000+02:00

Hello! I've been absent for a few days - staying with my daughter in the south of England. Going places with the grandchildren...

...and generally having a good time.

But now I'm back in London and going to the last (I hope) hospital appointment before getting ready to go back to France. Once there I will sort out my things and try and rent out the properties.

Anyone interested in spending a year renting in France?

This is the house I used to live in...

...this is a second house (but I'd rather sell this one than rent it out)...

...and this is the shop in Le Dorat, with the apartment above...

The two houses are in the country and have gardens, but the shop is in the little town of Le Dorat and has no outside space but is very close to cafes, bars and other stuff.

In this current economic climate I think I might have more chance of renting than selling the properties and I hope I can make enough to cover the rent of a house here in England.

Cakes are Good for You!

2011-10-05T16:55:00.000+02:00

Well, knitting has certainly been therapy for me, and exercised my arm well.

Here are the latest additions...

...I particularly like the 'tart with a swirl'...

...I made an i-cord and sewed it on for the cream! Works well, I think!

More Cakes...

2011-10-02T13:40:00.000+02:00

I have been beavering away over the last week and made the 6 cakes for Gina Ferrari...

...but also TEN more, that I am going to put towards a sale on this blog on 28th October, for Breast Cancer Care funds.

I want to raise enough money to train a volunteer ...

£132 pays to connect someone going through breast cancer with a trained volunteer who has had a similar experience to them. We know how much reassurance and encouragement people can get from talking to someone who has been there, so we take care to find the best match we can for each individual.

‘Breast Cancer Care put me in touch with someone with first hand experience of breast cancer, so I could talk through how I felt after treatment. I was able to ask this person all the questions that had been running through my mind – were my feelings post treatment normal? Did they feel the same way when their treatment finished? It was so reassuring to speak to someone who shared similar fears and feelings of isolation.’
Janet, Leeds

...as this was the only thing that I would have liked, but didn't know about until recently.

If I sell each cake at £2.50, I will need 53 cakes to raise this amount - so I need to work hard on the knitting!

The ten I've made have taken about a week, so I am still hoping to have the whole lot made for the 28th. All I need now are people to buy them! I'll put them up with PayPal buttons and then I'll post them out to the buyers for free.

Cakey!

2011-09-27T14:13:00.000+02:00

The other day I read on Gina Ferrari's blog that she was hosting a 'virtual' Pink Friday party on the 28th October. She is asking for donations of knitted or crocheted cakes which will be made into an enormous wig (yes - WIG) and will give a donation to Breast Cancer Care for every cake she receives. I am aiming to make at least 6 to send to her, and plan to do a little fund-raising of my own by making even more cakes and selling them on my blog on that same day.

So remember the date - Friday 28th October 2011.

Now let me show you the ones I've made so far for Gina...

...3 doughnuts - I particularly like the Fairisle one, which is supposed to represent feather icing...

...and I LOooove the pastry tart - look out for more of these!

Another Tea Cosy

2011-09-25T11:21:00.000+02:00

I DO like tea cosies, and I love this old 60s pattern for the Flower Basket tea cosy - it was in a Patons Bazaar book. This is my latest offering...

Getting Better

2011-09-24T13:29:00.002+02:00

I just had to post this photo Jason took while visiting me in hospital...

New Knitting

Whilst waiting for a sleeve measurement for Molly, I have just started a tank-top for Max...

I'll keep you updated on the progress. The pattern is Pembroke and the yarn is Rowan Felted Tweed

Hello - I'm Back!

2011-09-23T13:40:00.003+02:00

Here I am, back at home. Giles picked me up this morning. Everything went OK and I have a 'tummy tuck' with a scar that goes from one hip to the other... but a flat tummy, which I haven't had for many years! So it's not all bad!
Many thanks to all of you who sent loving and supportive messages - they really did make a difference.

I have to say that hospital food IS all they say it is - Jamie, where are you????...but that the treatment I received couldn't have been bettered. Surgeons, doctors, nurses, tea-trolley ladies, floor swiffer lady - I love you all!

Normal Blogging will be resumed as soon as possible...

Edited to add a couple of photos Jason took from my hospital window...

Off For a Week

2011-09-15T21:23:00.002+02:00

Hello everyone. I am in hospital for the main mastectomy operation tomorrow so probably won't be back here for a week at least. Talk amongst yourselves.

RHS at Wisley Gardens

2011-09-14T16:33:00.000+02:00

My mother was a keen gardener and I suppose I picked up my interest from her. I just wish I could remember the latin names for plants at the times when I need to!

So, yesterday, Giles and I paid a visit to the Royal Horticultural Society's gardens at Wisley, which is not too far from here. The gardens were lovely, the weather not so lovely...

...though the rain held off most of the time (well, once we decided to carry our umbrellas around everywhere, at least!). The sun shone from time to time and there were oceans of beautiful flowers and trees to see. This plant was very fragrant as well as being particularly pretty...

...I think it's called Actea.

The roses, too were in full bloom and are a particular favourite of mine...

We saw probably about half of the garden, so will be going back again another time.

Of course we bought some plants, including some green and white striped tulips, some prepared hyacinths for me and a Cardoon (Cynara) for Fi, who had particularly admired the adult plant on a recent visit to Coolings Garden Centre in Kent.

As I am still in a flowery kind of mood, I am currently making a Flower Basket Tea Cosy, like the ones I made a few months ago...

The pattern is from an old Patons Bazaar book, but I have used DK doubled and size 5.50mm needles as the original is rather thin and flat! You can buy a Tea Cosy collection booklet with the pattern in here, and the picture of the cosy is available as a poster, here!

Tail End of the Hurricane...

2011-09-12T11:32:00.001+02:00

It's very windy here. Apparently we're getting the tail end of the hurricane. I'm so sorry for the people who got its full force, 'cos it's pretty scary here, hearing the force of the wind ...but I think it's easing off a bit, and I can see sunshine over the buildings of central London - which is the view I get from my bedroom window. You can see the Shard - the latest building - going up.

I've been knitting away diligently at the cardigan for Molly. Today the camera won't make it the correct colour and I don't know why. It is actually a dark plum colour, and yesterday I was able to photograph it fairly accurately...

... but today it came out like this...

It's a mystery to me!

Ah, well, off to have some coffee!

Crochet, Carrots and Catnip

2011-09-10T12:44:00.000+02:00

Yesterday I bought a copy of Mollie Makes. This month's issue has crochet carrots and peas on the front and I was very interested because I had thought of making catnip carrots for the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, as the knitting pattern I used for the catnip mice looked very like a carrot before the ears, tail and whiskers were added. I made the carrot from Mollie Makes, and it looks good, and was simple to crochet...

...BUT it was almost impossible to fill. In fact I started the carrot with a 'magic circle' and pulled this up tight a few rows later, without reading the instructions (how typical of me) about stuffing at the end. So I had to pull a few rows back, stuff as much filling and catnip in as I could, and then keep stuffing until the end of the carrot. I overfilled so I could poke a needle through the stitches and persuade some of the stuffing down into the very tip, but it was a bit tricky and the carrot is a little bit bent at the end!

I'm going to make some adjustments to the pattern to make stuffing easier, and I'll let you know how it goes. I'm also going to knit one, which I think will be much easier. I'll use DK as I haven't yet found any 4ply (as in the original mouse pattern) in a carrot colour!

I also wanted to show you the finished draught excluder! Here it is.

I may refine the pattern for the next one and work in a spiral, as I think it is a bit spoiled by the joining of rounds. It is also not symmetrical with regard to the patterns I've incorporated, as I got bored with doing stripes towards the end and made up some more fancy work!

London Tourist Sights

2011-09-09T23:28:00.000+02:00

I had to go for a second pre-assessment today, at St Thomas' Hospital, Westminster. It is opposite the Houses of Parliament, so I got to see some tourist sights I haven't seen since I was a child!

We came out of the Tube right under Big Ben...

...and as we walked across the bridge to the hospital, the London Eye was on the other side...

From the hospital side of the bridge there was a good view of the Houses of Parliament...

Oh - and I've finished that draught excluder, but not taken any pictures yet!

A Walk in the Park

2011-09-07T22:07:00.000+02:00

I had the biopsy yesterday and all went well. I get the results next week. I seemed to recover quickly although I was tired and slept until 9.30 this morning!
As I had those catnip mice to get to the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, Giles and I got on a train this afternoon and delivered them. After that we went for a walk in Battersea park and had a coffee at the La Gondola café there.

Then we walked back, by a circuitous route along the embankment, over Chelsea bridge...

... and through some housing and shopping areas, to Victoria station, where we got the train home. It was rush hour by then and the station was MAD and FULL OF PEOPLE and there was standing only on the train for most of the way (although it was only a few stops). So when we got off the train I had to sit on a bench outside the station and Giles had to get the car and pick me up as I was so tired by then - I felt like AN OLD PERSON, but perhaps I was asking a bit much of myself!

Hopefully I'll complete the draught excluder tonight, or maybe tomorrow. There's not much to go and the draughts are calling!

Things to Stop the Draught

2011-09-05T18:27:00.000+02:00

One - another Holden shawlette. The pictures are not good, I'm afraid - the colour is off, and I was unable to block the shawlette properly - I really need a big board or something, an ironing board is nowhere near big enough. I gave it a bit of a steam, but it is a bit wonky now!

In close-up you can see I couldn't pin out the picots...

I'll have to find a way to do it properly, but this is not the moment - I'm booked in for a biopsy tomorrow and am not sure how long I'll take to recover from that as it involves a general anaesthetic.

Two - to pass the time without too much strain I'm crocheting a draught excluder for Giles...

...it looks a bit strange at present without its stuffing, but I like the colour combination...

...and so does he, fortunately!

Me, Max and Mice (and a Shawlette)

2011-08-24T11:16:00.001+02:00

Hello!!!!!

It's been a while since I posted, as I have been diagnosed with breast cancer. But don't worry - I'm in London now and going to have treatment at King's College Hospital and it does not appear to be life-threatening. Tomorrow's consultation will give me treatment options, but meanwhile life goes on as usual, and I have been knitting!

First I started the Holden Shawlette and as an antidote to that I made catnip mice for the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home. I've done 8 mice so far and just started my second shawlette.

Here's the shawlette:

...and here are the mice!

I did the edge stitches a little too tight on the shawlette and I can't make the top edge stretch out flat, but I'm correcting that on the second one I'm making now.

I made the mice from odds and ends of sock wool and put some catnip in with the stuffing. They are rather cute and I hope the cats like them. I have a crochet pattern on Ravelry that is FREE if you would like to crochet some mice, but I thought I'd give this knitting one a try.

While in Southampton with my daughter and the grandchildren, we visited Hobbycraft. I quite liked a book about Coffee Cosies...

...but Max preferred to browse in the cross stitch material...

...must be in the genes...

Parcel From Oz

2011-08-11T20:34:00.000+02:00

What a lovely surprise! I came home and found this parcel in my letterbox...

...it's from Quilterliz, my partner in the Buttons and Bows swap organised by ElizabethD of French Village Life.

It's come all the way from Australia!

Such pretty things - some wooden buttons of Australian mammals and I particularly love this Koala...

Also some material with similar animals on, that gives me all sorts of ideas.

Liz also sent some beautiful lace butterflies (I foresee one of these on a little bag for my granddaughter) and some giant-size ric-rac, which will be perfect for decorating a cushion!

The lovely length of pale blue lace makes me think of lingerie, but I think it may be perfect for adorning a little doll's dress, maybe in blue watered silk.

Thank you Liz - all the things are lovely!

La Vie en Rose

2011-08-05T10:51:00.000+02:00

It's a very pink day here at Violet White - to compensate for the weather. That is NOT in the pink! The worst August I've had since I came here.

Anyway, the current crochet is rosy at least! A new brooch...

... and a pretty pink string bag with a shell edging...

Hope you're in the pink wherever you are!

Stormy Weather

2011-08-02T19:14:00.001+02:00

Being roughly in the middle of France, we do get a lot of storms out here. The whole kit and caboodle - crashing thunder, scarey fork lightning, pouring rain... This afternoon was oppressively hot, and now it is raining. The rain was so hard, at first I thought it was hail!

Now I'm not normally scared of stormy weather, but when the thunder crashes and the lightning forks from sky to ground quite near, and the lights flicker and the telephone and Internet go off....

It's something I could really do without!

Excuse me, I'm just going to draw my curtains...

Braceleting

2011-07-31T10:43:00.000+02:00

I've been busy and I think I've invented a verb. Braceleting. That's what I've been doing. These are the results...

1. Ocean deep, 2. purple dawn, 3. Rose and multi, 4. copper and old rose, 5. poppy fields, 6. Blues and Twos

They're in my ETSY shop.

Give Away Winner!!!!!

2011-07-29T12:05:00.000+02:00

I have drawn the winner for the String Bag Giveaway! It is

Ronda Volker!

Congratulations Ronda! I have sent you an email so you can choose which bag you want.

Brooches, Bags and BRACELETS!

2011-07-27T22:27:00.000+02:00

Yes, a new obsession - after the brooches and the bags, I am now on to making bracelets. I did some of my own a while ago - pattern here on Ravelry - but these current ones are from a pattern by greeneyed monster. Quick and easy to make and really addictive.

I've already made LOADS...

They are made with embroidery floss and beads - that's all!

Flower Brooches

2011-07-25T12:27:00.000+02:00

It's cold and rainy here, so I'm indoors crocheting and putting my flower brooches on card for display...

...they're in my ETSY shop.

I've also got another string bag to show you - but this one is a commission, for a friend...

...it's a lovely yarn - JAEGER Albany - mercerised cotton, in the form of a fine tape. Easy to crochet with, strong and in a pretty colour...

A Small Commission

2011-07-23T11:21:00.000+02:00

A few weeks ago my son asked me to make a little gift for the newly-arrived baby girl of some friends. He thought bootees or a hat, but I had other ideas... I had been waiting for the chance to make the Baby Belle cardigan from Cosymakes. I liked it because it was different. Giles didn't want me to knit anything pink, as he thought they would have lots of that, so I looked through my stash and found two yarns that I thought would be very effective together.

And here's the finished article!

I wanted the closure to be simple, so I crocheted an edging and made ties with twisted cords.

The bouclé was a bit tricky to knit with, but I like the effect. I doubled the Sirdar denim that I used for the contrast, as it was a bit thin.

It is a little chunky, but OK. I think it looks more like a jacket than a cardigan and I'm sure it will be warm this winter (or now, if the weather doesn't get any warmer!).

Rainy Weather

2011-07-21T12:11:00.000+02:00

Seems like the UK has had this rainy spell too, but that's no consolation. Yes, we needed the rain for the gardens, but it COULD have fallen just at night, or on alternate days with sunshine in between....

My Mum always said that cows lie down when it's going to rain - and look at these...

...they know what's coming! Actually, the last few days they've been pushed to find a time when they can get up!

But it HAS done the garden good. A rose that was practically dead from the drought in May has recovered and is flowering...

... the lavender likewise ...

The weeds in the gravel have also enjoyed this wet weather...

...and I'm afraid I've had to have them sprayed with weedkiller, which is really against my principles, but they were threatening to take over! Now I guess I'll have to pull them up to neaten the place up.

The painting has had to stop - and this old door shutter will have to wait for a day or two...

...I daren't risk taking it off the hinges to paint it indoors - it might just fall to pieces!

My hosta is lapping up all this water...

...I think it's so wet the snails can't climb up the pot!

But still the view is beautiful from the kitchen door...

...can you see the hills reflected in the glass?

STRING BAG GIVEAWAY

I'm a bit disappointed that only one person is interested in my string bag giveaway. (Thank you Angela for being that one person). Perhaps it's Blogger, stopping comments again. If so you can always email me and I'll add your name.

Ready to Go!

2011-07-19T16:20:00.000+02:00

Did I ever show you the photos of the house once it was ready for the estate agent? I don't think so. And as it will never be this tidy again, I thought I'd better show you now! This is the kitchen...

The Kitchen

...the living room...

The Living Room

...and the workroom...

The Workroom

Actually, it all feels a bit bare to me...

String Bags (and a Giveaway)

The weather is bizarre still, with pouring rain and then brilliant, hot sunshine (it poured with rain all through the night too) so I can't do much outside - either painting the door shutters or doing the garden - so I ought to be putting down the tiles in the two shower rooms. However, I only got about 4 hours sleep last night, so I'm feeling a bit tired, and so I'm making more string bags. I do hope I sell some!!!

I finished the blue and gold one...

...and am now back on to the multi-colour ones. At least I'm using up my stash!

The current one is using a Phildar yarn, which is a mixture of 75% cotton and 25% seacell...

I see that my followers are up to 102 today, so I thought I'd do a giveaway when the numbers reach 105. What am I giving away? A string bag of course!

If you're a follower, just leave a comment here and say which bag you'd like (and don't forget your email for me to contact you).

Oh Lucky Day...

2011-07-18T12:25:00.000+02:00

Well, I think it's going to be lucky, therefore it will be! First thing, I dropped my toast on the floor and it DIDN'T land butter side down! Must be a lucky day.

I made a loaf of bread with some flour I haven't used before and it turned out great!

The cost of the flour works out at less than 50 cents a loaf, which is also great!

I have an estate agent coming round this afternoon to take pictures and details of the house, so I've been tidying up. Not that it needed it... ha ha ha... I blacked the wood-burner yesterday and today I hung up an old copper frying pan and put some others on the top of the stove for a 'Country Living' effect. I think it's worked well. I'd buy the place, anyway...

I've had to ~~hide~~ put away all my felting stuff - I just hope I can find it again!

Stocking the ETSY Shop

2011-07-17T19:34:00.000+02:00

Finally - I've got around to putting some stock in my ETSY shop again. All those string bags and some flower brooches with my OWN needle-felted centres! I'm rather proud of those...

Hopefully I'll get some sales!

Bags and Balls

2011-07-17T10:21:00.000+02:00

String and Felt (in case you were wondering)!
I'm still making string bags, a blue and gold one is currently 'on my hook'...

...but I've also got back to the felt urge, and yesterday I made some felt balls. Well, actually I needlefelted some fleece onto a couple of acrylic pompoms...

...to see if it would work. It did work OK, although the resultant balls are quite soft and I'm not exactly sure what I could use them for. I also needle-felted some yarn on top for extra interest. Anyway, this is the result...

I'm wondering if they would look good as a flower brooch centre - perhaps with a few sparkly beads?

Coming up Roses

2011-07-16T18:33:00.000+02:00

I was feeling a bit low today and bemoaning all the things I couldn't do out here in France that were so easy in England. The list started with buying flowers for the house. I always loved having fresh flowers on a table, somewhere in the house but that, seemingly simple thing. is unbelievably difficult here - in this region of France. Florists are few and far between and WICKEDLY expensive, so the only real place to buy flowers is the supermarket. Not cheap, not guaranteed to last a week like Tesco, Sainsbury and M&S, and usually more expensive than their equivalent in the UK. However, I bit the bullet today and bought a bunch of roses (9 in the bunch, oddly enough), just to cheer me up. Here they are on my kitchen table...

I really prefer less formal flowers, like blowsy old-fashioned roses, delphiniums and larkspur and garden pinks and other old favourites with a beautiful scent, but I have to settle for what I can get and. individually, the blooms are rather stunning, though with no scent at all.

The weather, however, IS more like England today, with a mist over the mountains, a gusty wind and light rain...

...but the gardens and countryside need the rain, as regions of the Limousin, particularly the Creuse, are importing hay to counteract the poor harvest caused by the dry Spring. They may just have time to harvest another crop for the winter, if the weather doesn't get too hot.

String Bag Downloads

2011-07-14T10:52:00.000+02:00

Wow! Already 95 downloads for the pattern. I'd love to see some of the finished bags!

This is my current one...

When will I stop wanting to make them?

Crochet String Bag Pattern

2011-07-13T21:07:00.000+02:00

Just a quick note to say that the pattern for my crochet string bag...

is now available, FREE, on my Ravelry page.

Weather you like it or not...

2011-07-13T10:57:00.000+02:00

We'll weather the weather, so the song goes, and we're certainly getting a good selection here! Today it was raining, and this is the weather report from France Meteo for the next couple of days...

Gajoubert is the commune I'm in, though I'm actually a few kilometres from the village (such as it is!) where there are less houses than in my hamlet, but a little church and Mairie.

Normally I get the weather report for Bussiere-Boffy, which is about the same distance to the west, and this is today's report for there...

...it's true that the weather here is very localised, so it looks as if I can pick for today between rain, sun and a mixture of the two! Good job I haven't got anything planned.

Meanwhile...

I can show you the pink string bag, which I finished last night. Here it is!

I really like this one - although I didn't like sewing in all the ends!

I'm going to make another, measuring out and joining different colours, as I love this effect. I'll try and write up the pattern as I go...

Wacky Weather

2011-07-12T11:56:00.000+02:00

It's July, so you don't really expect hailstones, but that's what we got early this morning. The noise of them on the Veluxes woke me up at six-something am. Then it rained, and by 10am there was thunder and lightning and a real storm.

Half an hour later all was bright sunshine, and I was able to put the final coat of gloss on the last window shutter - it's on the worktable in the dépendance, so safe from the weather while it dries.

It's all still a bit mixed, though, so I'm holding off on finishing painting the breeze block of the garden sheds...

I think I will go and do some gardening now, as the soil is damp enough to pull up the weeds.

String Thing

On a crafty note, I am part-way through another string bag, using up some yarn I pulled back from a zigzag doll blanket that was just too tiresome to continue with. I am using it doubled with a ball of cotton dyed by Fibres d'Art in a mix of pinks and yellow, and I love the way it's turning out...

..I made the base a bit more solid this time and am not following a pattern...

...only the second in this line, so I expect there will be more, to use up my cotton stash!

Journee Artisanale in Le Dorat

2011-07-10T19:09:00.000+02:00

Today was the annual Journée Artisanale, so I opened the shop - just for one day...

http://chezpenny.blogspot.com/2011/07/journee-artisanale.html

Baby Belle

2011-07-09T12:40:00.000+02:00

Some friends of my son had a baby girl and he asked me to make something for them. We decided on the Baby Belle from Cosymakes and I have knitted the main part,,,

...just the sleeves to go now!

Felt the Need...

2011-07-08T18:02:00.000+02:00

...to do some felting!

I've never made felt before, but after looking at a few videos on You Tube, I thought I might manage it. I bought some fleece and had more-or-less the necessary equipment, and this is my first attempt!

Not earth-shattering (quite physical work though) but at least it was successful in that I started off with fleece and ended up with felt.

What to make with it now...?

Putting on the Gloss

2011-07-07T13:29:00.000+02:00

It's raining gently now - good for the garden - but I'm glad I managed to get the first coat of gloss on these doors this morning...

Crochet String Bag

I think I forgot to tell you about the string bag I made from this pattern. I used Rowan's Denim, which is pure cotton and I'm rather pleased with the result...

Beautiful AND useful!

Here Endeth...

2011-07-06T18:20:00.001+02:00

...the work for today. I've done loads!!!

The biggest part (all afternoon) was stripping and undercoating these shed doors...

This morning I stripped and undercoated a window shutter, so I'm feeling pretty pleased with myself.

How come I managed to do all this today and not other days? The weather. It was MUCH cooler today (there was even a sprinkling of rain this morning) and that makes all the difference! Perfect weather for DIY.

Oh - and over lunch I played around crocheting a big flower for a brooch (only all my brooch backs are in storage in England!). Still, I like it lots - it's in a Turkish yarn made by ICE yarns, called Felt. (Although it doesn't felt - I tried it).

Picture Pretty

2011-07-05T21:26:00.000+02:00

I've been trying to get the website details ready for selling my houses and that's what all the painting and decorating is about - making it look pretty. I almost wish I was staying! So today I took some pictures of the three rooms downstairs that are practically finished.

The Workroom

The Living Room

The Kitchen

Tomorrow it's back to the painting, as I have one whole window shutter to finish plus the two door shutters. According to the weather forecast it's going to be much cooler tomorrow, with showers. That's OK by me! ...so long as the showers ARE only showers...

I've also been plagued by wasps today, and hopefully there'll be less of them if the weather's cooler! It would be very annoying if they ended up stuck in the paint on the shutters!

I Have Reached One Hundred!

2011-06-28T18:49:00.001+02:00

Followers, that is. Thank you Juillet Valerie for being my 100th follower, but thank you so much to all my followers! You are my friends.

It has been a quiet day here, today. I got up at 7am so I could mow the lawn before it got too hot. I was scarlet-faced by the time I finished it, but it looks good now.

I tried to strim the edges, but the strimmer ran out of blue plastic line - typical!

Since I did the lawn before breakfast or even a shower, I spent the next hour getting clean and cool and eating toast and drinking coffee. By the time I had finished the day was quite warm, though cooler than yesterday. I have done almost nothing for two days, due to the heat, so I am seriously behind with my planned schedule.

I so wanted everything to be ready for the visit of my daughter and grandchildren, who arrive tomorrow. Still, I guess they know I never seem to achieve perfection...

Most of the day was spent hanging pictures...

...although I think Max will be sleeping in here, and I don't suppose he'll care about the pictures, as he's only 11 months old!

This evening it is much cooler and there's a mist over the Monts de Blond that means they are getting some rain there...

Because it looked so much cooler, I put my boots on and went out to level that patch of earth where I plan to put the bench.

I did it, but, actually, it was NOT cool - I think we're heading for a storm.

Lepidoptera ( /ˌlɛpɪˈdɒptərə/ le-pi-dop-tə-rə)

2011-06-28T11:40:00.000+02:00

Or butterfly, as I prefer to call it. In this case, a Comma. Settled on (of course) the only window in the house that I still have not painted...

The Comma butterfly was so named because of the 'characteristic' white mark on the underside of the wing which someone (must have been a man) thought looked like a comma.

Attribution: Jörg Hempel

More like a smiley mouth, I think. Had I discovered this butterfly (which I sort-of did - it was on my window, after all) I would have called it something that more nearly expressed its beauty when the wings are fully extended..

...such as ... "very pretty orangey-brown with rather tatty wing edges butterfly..." Comma, indeed!

Locust (noun) - ləʊ.kəst

2011-06-28T10:47:00.002+02:00

Bigger than a VERY BIG grasshopper but smaller than that thing they found in Quatermass and the Pit (broadcast on radio in the late 50s or early 60s)...
...and sometimes found in your bedroom at 4am! This is a picture I took later...

The pink basket was the only thing I could find in a hurry that would confine him while I got a bit of sleep without killing him, so I put it over him (upside-down) and put a weight on top so he couldn't jump and knock the basket over. It worked - he was silent for the rest of the ~~night~~ morning and right as rain when I released him - as you can see.
Maybe I should have killed him - apparently they're right little pests, and very tasty...

...they love 'em in Beijing...

...but I'm a Pescetarian (apparently that's the correct word for an almost-vegetarian who eats fish) and I don't like killing things that could be my old granny...

...so I took him outside and released him. He sat on the edge of the basket obligingly while I took a photo and then spread his wings and took off like a little helicopter, going far away into the sky.

The Modern Housewife

2011-06-27T16:00:00.000+02:00

OK - I thought it was hot enough yesterday, but today, apparently, it is 38º! I'm working inside again, in the cool.

Apart from sorting out my workroom, I have been bringing in the last few boxes of books that have been stored for the past four years. It is like browsing a bookshop - but better, because all the books are already yours! Discovering old friends - some VERY old, such as this book, which I had a new spine put on to in England, as I thought it was such a great book.

How things have changed! And people too... This advert shows a 'grannie' - who now looks like something out of Dickens!

I am a granny, and (I HOPE) I don't look or dress like that! Even Miss Marple looked more up-to-date than this lady!

The rooms too, look like something so far back in time you would not believe it...

...a description of the bottom picture on the left says...'Every inch of space is made use of in this tiny, modern kitchen...'

There is no publishing date to give a hint to the era of this book, but surely it must have been between the wars? It consists of a collection of 6 of Aunt Kate's books although, for the most part, it is concerned with cookery.

The kitchen shown on this page is quite close to modern IKEA or G-Plan, I think!

Cool Kitchen Shelves

2011-06-26T16:19:00.000+02:00

It is 36º outside... so I am INSIDE, working in the cool! It is 1/4 to 4 in the afternoon, so it should start to cool down in a couple of hours and then I can go back to levelling that patch of earth in the garden.

Meanwhile I am putting up some shelves on this wall in the kitchen:

The shelves have been painted to match the wall, albeit in a slightly 'distressed' fashion...

...and they will hold some decorative plates that I rather like.

They will be rather high up on the wall because that is where the wooden batten is that they have to screw into. I am having one or two problems getting the screws in without drilling a pilot hole...

As you can see, I still have not sorted out those wires from the old light fixing, which is destined to become an extra plug socket, when I have worked out how to do it!

Anyway, here is the first shelf up...

...and yes, I did have to drill that pilot hole!

Here's the finished article...

...I just need to dig out a couple more plates now!

The Last Post

2011-06-24T20:08:00.000+02:00

Not for me - though the effort nearly killed me!

With the help of my neighbour, who is in her 70s, I got the post out. She went and had her pickaxe re-handled (is that a verb?) specially, as I had gone to borrow it this morning and she found it - handle-less in her barn. She came round with it as soon as she heard me hammering the post again - what a sweetie! She had already lent me her sledgehammer, which I couldn't have done without.

The post was buried about 18" deep in the ground, and in a base of very strong concrete and stones. It had a better foundation than my house! (Actually, my house doesn't have ANY foundations...)

Here's what it looked like when I cleared the earth and gave it its own bomb crater...

It took us five hours hard work to get it out. It looked as if it was made from 2 pieces of small-gauge railway line...

...and here's the hole it left...

So - not much done today and nothing to show for all that effort as its all filled with soil again now!

Concrete Evidence

2011-06-24T11:47:00.000+02:00

You know how I said that I thought I would just fork over the ground and plant my flowers? And that didn't exactly work out quite that easily? Well today I hit (and I mean HIT) another snag...

This is the base of an old basket ball post - I remember seeing it when I first bought the house, and I'm not sure how it was disposed of then (probably Giles cut off the metal bit as low as he could) but there is certainly concrete evidence of its existence! Maybe those Knights Templar had a great old time playing this game behind the barn...

There's no doubt it's strongly fixed. I tried to dig around and undercut the concrete, but a lot of earth has been dumped here over the years, and it's taking me a long time. The sun is out today and now it's too hot to continue...

..and anyway I need to borrow a pickaxe!

Digging For Victory

2011-06-22T17:03:00.000+02:00

Today dawned cold and wet. Even before it dawned there was thunder and lightning, but by 8.30 am there was just pouring rain. And cold.

I decided against painting the shutters and went off to the garden centre near L'Isle Jourdain to get some plants to perk up the garden a bit. At least after the rain the soil would be workable.

I bought a car load...

...and they are lovely!

I thought I would put them in the patch that Pete cleared on Monday...

..it gets some shade from the buildings, but also sun. First I watered all the plants thoroughly by plunging them into a bucket of water, and then it was time to fork over the soil. Not such a simple job! Two hours and nearly 3 barrow loads of rubbish later and I am still not half-way across the patch.

This is my third barrowload!

I also uncovered / dug up some big flat stones that were obviously part of a path. I had found others from this path before and I'm pretty sure it led from the end room of the house to the outside toilet, which was the only one available. I like to think of it as the Thunder Path. When I bought the house it had a concrete slope at the back and the little door from the end room opened onto this. I think that you would have gone out of that door, across the concrete under the barbecue shelter and across the little area I am digging, to the loo!

I used the outside loo for a year before I had proper sanitation. Here it is in its cosy little 'shed' (before I moved in to the house)....

Anyway, I digress...

Did I mention it was really cold this morning? Well, of course, as soon as I started digging, the sun came out and it was BAKING HOT! I'm taking a break right now, writing this, and I'm going to go back to the digging this evening when it's a little cooler.

Seeing as how this hamlet was actually the farm barns for the Knights Templar, who had their quarters in a little village called Champeau, just a stone's throw from here, I thought I might uncover at least one interesting artefact. What I did discover is an awful lot of bindweed, mixed in with a considerable amount of nettle roots. It made me think - I've never seen bindweed on the Time Team...

...why is that? It certainly slows things down, trying to pick it all out, and I wouldn't like to think how long it would take with a teeny Time Team trowel...

Lunching Out

2011-06-21T19:05:00.001+02:00

I spent this afternoon at my friend Anne's house. She made me lunch and I was also collecting some baby equipment I had lent her for the visit of her son, his wife and their baby daughter.

It has been a lovely day weather-wise too, and Anne's garden is so pretty - I should have taken some pictures. An absolute contrast to mine, in which everything is practically dead!

On the way home I did a mammoth shop in Carrefour in preparation for Tor and the children coming out next week. I'm really looking forward to it, but I didn't want to leave everything till the last minute.

Last night I finished my socks (not sure what to call the colour) and they fit me well.

Not that I need them at present, it's been a hot day today. According to the weather forecast, it should have been cloudy and rainy today, but instead it was hot and sunny. I don't mind!

A Cosy Nook by a Babbling Brook...

2011-06-20T18:34:00.000+02:00

I wish.... ...no babbling brook here - still pulling up water from the well to stop the garden from becoming a desert!

A professional has painted the top of the stairs today - hooray! So nice to have it all done.

He also cleared a nettle/weed patch in the garden...

I need to make sure the weeds don't grow back again!

While he was doing that, I was (once again) employed on preparing and painting shutters. I prepared and undercoated two big ones (the kitchen window) in situ as they were too heavy too lift off and then took one off the middle room window. These shutters are really bad, with the paint mostly fallen off and the wood not in very good condition. However, they are saveable, I think and will certainly look a lot better painted.

Once I had cleaned up, I moved the sofa into this middle room, as this is where Tor will sleep next week and the fire is being moved in here soon too, so it will be a really cosy room in the winter. Also, the heat from the wood burner will go upstairs and help to heat the bedrooms, so it's a win/win situation!

Maybe I'll get a chance to do a little more on my socks tonight...

...they're nearly finished!

Picture Hanging

2011-06-19T16:35:00.000+02:00

I've been busy today.

I painted a shutter; painted the bit of wall I had plastered; washed the floor; moved in the bookcases (which, of course, had to be emptied first); moved in a chest of drawers and then sorted out and hung pictures. Sounds easy, that last bit, doesn't it? But, believe me - that was one of the hardest parts! One picture can be a pain to hang, but 22? That's how many I hung today!

Here's how the room looks now:

I haven't hung many pictures on the stairs wall because it is being painted (by a professional) tomorrow. It's just too high for me to do with my ladder...

Now I've just got to put one more coat on that shutter...

Good Riddance to the 80s...

2011-06-17T14:11:00.001+02:00

...when you look at patterns like this!

20-odd years later (the book was published in 1987) it is to be hoped this poor man has got over the trauma of being made to wear this! Not to mention those trousers...

The garment (inappropriately called Treasure Trove) is described thus: 'Warm and versatile (versatile?), it looks equally good on a man or a woman.' ...and...'(a garment) that anyone would treasure.' For versatility I'm guessing you seam it along the bottom edge, hold it by the ~~shoulders~~ handles and voila - the perfect shopping bag!

For goodness sake, it doesn't even fit the guy!

(I love these old books!)

Back to the Coal Face...

2011-06-17T12:28:00.000+02:00

...or the painting...

It was nice making hearts, but painting is what really needs doing.

Today I gave the first shutter its final coat...

...it takes about 4 days to do one shutter.

Shutter Lore
First you have to burn off all the old paint (believe me - this is the quickest way) and then sand it down.

Then apply a coat of oil-based undercoat, which takes several hours to dry enough to paint over.

Then a couple of coats of gloss...

...and then you turn it over and do the other side...!!! Hence, 4 days for one shutter. Seems like longer...

Life after shutters

After the last coat on that shutter, I gave the back door its final coat - just the frame to do now.

When I came downstairs this morning I discovered I had left the door ajar all night... I forgot to close it as I was waiting until the paint I put on yesterday was hard enough not to be damaged. Fortunately I live in an isolated area where no-one passes...

Then I gave the middle room window its final coat...

...and partially closed the shutters while the paint dries...

As you can see, those shutters are my next task!

One important thing I have learnt today is that it is very tricky to paint gloss when it is windy. The gloss I am using is very thin and the wind blows it off the brush (and all over the floor or window ledge) before you get to the wood!

Hearts...and...Hearts

2011-06-16T22:00:00.000+02:00

I was going to write Hearts and Flowers, but actually there are no flowers.

I found this pattern on Skip to my Lou and have modified it slightly (as always!) to produce these pretty hearts...

..made in a Colinette yarn called Giotto. I bought it years ago and even then it was pretty pricey, so it's good to use it for something that only requires a little bit! I thought the hearts would make pretty brooches, or a rather luxurious garland.

I also made a few garlands with less pricey yarns. These are in Phildar cotton called Philcrochet...

This one is made from a Spanish multi-coloured yarn (yes, all those colours are in one ball!) by lanasstop called Orleans...

...and this little one is made with an acrylic yarn I bought from a French market...

It's been great fun making these while waiting for paint to dry in various places and, while we're talking about paint and DIY, I have put the final layer on the plaster in the middle room...

...and done a fair bit of window and shutter painting today!

Sorted!

2011-06-14T17:08:00.000+02:00

At last - I got the curtain pole up! Thank you Giles, for explaining how to get through that blasted rail!

Then I hung the curtain on it...

All I need to do now is sort out some sort of tie-back. Probably I'll crochet something in the same cotton I used for the edging. Of course, I've got to drill another hole to put in the little brass thingummybob that the tie-back hooks on to...

Bored with Plasterboard...

2011-06-13T13:33:00.000+02:00

Plasterboard is the invention of a very wicked man...

...if he's not dead already then I think I just might have to go in search of him...

According to About.com:

Drywall (plasterboard) is a miracle material, though most people never give it much thought. Up until the invention of drywall in the early 20th century, plaster and lath was the material of choice for finishing interior walls. But when drywall came along, builders could finish walls very quickly, without waiting for plasterers to do their job, and especially without waiting for the plaster to dry

Well, be that as it may , those builders were not the ones who wanted to hang pictures and put up curtain poles! If they had been they might have thought twice about this form of technology and stuck to their lath and plaster!

You knew where you were with lath and plaster. You never know where you are with plasterboard... although, to be more precise, it's not the board itself that causes me the end user a problem , it's the system of mounting it. Here, in France, the preferred system is called 'RAIL' and consists of lengths of metal screwed into the wall and floor, onto which the board is, itself screwed.

...and it's not only the rail that is screwed (pardon my French)!

Pretty well every time I try to hang a picture, put up a shelf or fix a curtain pole (today's little bête noir) I manage to hit the rail. My drill bit will not go through it, so I can't drill a hole and put in a rawlplug; the kind of fixings that hammer into the wall and you then screw into, just bend and refuse to go in further. I dread putting up anything, which may be why I have lived here for over 3 years and put up hardly any pictures until now! (By the way, don't MOVE any of my pictures, as most of them have several ugly holes behind them where I was searching for a suitable spot without hitting rail...).

Today I had a simple task. To put up a small wooden curtain pole to hold my lightweight cotton curtain. The first hole I drilled seemed OK, although I was a little concerned that it just went straight through the board. However, I banged in the rawlplug and hoped for the best.

The second hole was another matter! The drill bit went through the plaster and hit rail. I tried another drill bit, one I hoped would go through the metal rail... no chance!

...and, of course, the rawlplug needs to go in further than the depth of the plasterboard...

I tried putting the rawlplug in, marking it at wall level,and then trimming off the length but, unfortunately, when I cut it, the little bits that expand when the screw goes in just fell off as the cut was just at the place where they joined the solid part! Typical!

So now I think my only hope is to put up a piece of wood (with 6" nails?) and then mount the pole on that.

So I am in a really bad mood now, and might just spend the rest of the day knitting!

Plastered!

2011-06-13T11:53:00.000+02:00

No, not me, the wall!

Well, I've put one layer on and immediately it looks a whole lot better...

I've used Picnik for the photos, as my software won't do a photomerge or a collage.

While I'm writing this I'm charging up my electric drill, ready to put up the curtain pole. Wish me luck!