Lilys House

just popping in.....

to say a *massive* thankyou for all the lovely comments wishing me well (and regarding Lilys crocheting...she was a bit overwhelmed when she read them!).

It's very kind of you all, seems like having a bad back is something you can all relate to! Sorry I've not responded individually - I do like to but sitting here is not very comfortable.

It's getting better, there is no doubt about it, just keeping up the ibuprofen and getting on with it really...like you do ;) Went in to work last night which wasn't the best idea seeing as most of my work involves bending, lifting or kneeling on the floor! Was told in no uncertain terms to stay off until it's better...we are a very small team and with the current budget and staffing issues there is NO room for sickness...still can't be helped. We all unfortunately feel guilty if we have to take time off.

Anyway - I'll quickly post a few pics from the weekend. Big sister was a very big help, keeping the little one amused. And she went down for a 2.5 hr nap (and we all collapsed in a heap, losing that hour obviously affecting us all ! )

oooooh...my back.....

has totally given out !
I'm standing at the kitchen counter right now...standing still seems to be the least painful but I know I've got to move around to loosen it up a bit. I absolutley can't bend without shrieking, so that's the dishwasher out then - there is a plus side!
The first warning twinge was yesterday whilst in the loft doing some stupid stretch, twist and reach action, searching through bags of Lilys old clothes for summer dresses to fit Maddie (I'm going early....now I've had a glimpse of sun I want more). It passed off and I forgot about it. This morning whilst wiping mud off the dog it went completely, numb leg, feeling sick etc. I was stranded outside of the car, Maddie inside, peeing rain, mobile of course left handily at home. Gawd knows how we got home, mind over matter. But we did. I sort of threw myself backwards into the car half screaming and half holding my breath. I'm laughing as I write, thinking of what the hell I must have looked like, so don't feel too sorry for me ;) Then drove home at 10 mph like some 90 yr old.
A lovely friend will help me out with the pre school run and poor Nick is on his way back from work, luckily he was owed a half day.

I'm more annoyed than anything else as I really wanted to work on some more little outfits for Maddie, bought the material and everything ....had a little photo session yesterday..

and I guess I should show you the dresses from the loft....my Grandmother (Mama I call her)..made these for Lily ...I can't believe Maddie will be in them this summer...

There are many more too and hopefully with the things I make her, she will be able to wear mostly handmade this summer and that really warms my heart, especially as Mamas dresses will be in use again.

Apologies if I haven't responded to any comments left here, ....I'll try and catch up over the weekend. I think blogging is going to have to go on a back burner (pad pun !)..till I get back on my feet so to speak.

Happy weekend !

the new craze..

Lily has been bitten by the crochet bug as I'm sure I've let on before. Thing is, she seems to have started a bit of a crochet frenzy at school. It all started when she made a hat and scarf for an actionman which was part of a display in the classroom. Singlehandedly she managed to teach most of her friends and it became the activity of choice at breaktimes. Soon there was an abundance of friendship bracelets being made. Word got round, the teeny articles were sent up to the heads office for her to see.
Her teacher was so impressed by the interest generated, he asked Lily if she would like to start and run a crochet club. Hooks have been ordered and Lily is gathering ideas for easy starter items for her and her club to make. She mentioned to me that she would need stitch markers and of course wool too, so he will have to add that to his shopping list !! I was so very pleased that her enthusiasm has been noticed and the club opportunity was put her way....her school is such an encouraging and nurturing place, we are very lucky.

I'm so proud of her - go girl !

Bracing

The weekend in pictures ... (despite tummy bugs we did get away)

you may just about be able to see the seals in the bottom right curve of the sand

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Aunty Mary in NZ....if you are reading...belated Happy Birthday from us all..!!! (Dad's now using the blog as an international messaging service ;) xx

Have a lovely break

I'm off to Cornwall on Saturday for Easter. Hopefully this nice weather will hold out but I think I vaguely heard someone mentioning wintery showers over the weekend, so I'll leave you with some particularly sunny and spring like pictures of Tuesday mornings walk just in case.

This little robin was SO close to me, maybe a couple of feet max. We just stood eye to eye for ages and then he sang me a little song....amazing.

out with the old

That's it......I can't stand it any more. It's time to cast off and chalk it up to experience. My pretty, pretty lacy friend. Untouched for the last month, it needs some closure.

Can you see it....the way I've managed to shift everything over a bit on the row ? Those gaping lacy holes in such an obviously wrong place. I counted the stitches - all present. I checked the row below - all yarn overs in the correct place. This was easy...I.was.not.going.to get.this.row.wrong. NO way..not this time..I'd even placed stitch markers so the counting would be less of a pain.
Start knitting confidently, check progress along the way (like every 10 stitches), get to the end but I 've still managed to balls it up. AAAGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
It's not like it's a difficult pattern. The repeats are simple for petes sake. What is it about this bit of knitting that my brain can't process? I do not like to let things beat me. Serious frustration set in as I managed to make some sort of mistake at least every other row. I would undo it, find the mistake, knit it again even more slowly and so on and so on.
Maybe the wool is jinxed...who knows who left it in that charity shop....maybe they cast some sort of weird knitting curse on it and it's future owner, I don't know. Maybe I just can't count.
It's a shame - it's pretty, its fluffy, it could have been sooooo good.

Anyway moving on...Now this is more up my alley

Its the Chevron Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson.
I was inspired to make this after seeing Afternoonmoons beautiful finished article on Ravelry.
I fell in love with the colours she used and went off to see if I had anything similar in my stash. Err, no. Ok scrap that idea then. I don't have a big posh stash of wool, I so wish I did - but the truth is I'm not a good enough knitter to warrant the expense. 'Cause nice wool is expensive, which is completely justifiable if you are going to end up with something you can actally wear, but not so much if it's likely to turn into some freak item a la me. I tend to make do with what I've got (mostly thrifted nice wool) and on the odd occasion I will buy some luxe yarn for a special project.
What I did find though was a couple of balls and a couple of hanks of shetland that had been subjected to one of my dyeing 'experiments' last year. A funny yarn, not quite DK although it was supposed to be.
One thing I'd learnt from researching the Chevron scarf was that two very unlikely colourways could blend like magic and achieve a harmonius result.
I'll leave it up to you to decide whether these two work ! I don't think it's too bad myself.

Lovely to knit, nothing stressful to remember. I'm back in my comfort zone.

blue

I've been noticing a lot of it round here lately......must be going through a blue phase. My absolute favourite colour ever, is the colour of the sky on a summers night a couple of notches off totally dark. That deep but stunning , velvety blue. I can't explain it...I'm sure you know the blue I mean.
I am alone amongst my immediate family with my love of blue. We are a green family, my Mum and Grandmother being earthy types, lovers of all those tones. Me too, but I always come back to blue.

bedside

my favourites

yet another thrifty beadspread :)

in the garden waiting for play...when it stops raining....

a little outfit

Girly Style Wardrobe

I think I'm the last one to the ball in terms of raving over this book. I got it from Ebay and it's my only Japanese book. Oh, I just remembered I do have another with gorgeous embroidery ideas....but as far as sewing goes, this is it. I purchased it solely on strength of the too cute photos, I'm ashamed to admit.......
After doing a lot of reading or rather working out how the things are put together from the diagrams, I decided on this little dress

it may even be a top...it came out pretty short, so I added another few inches on afterwards, cleverly disguised by the braid. ( I may well have traced the wrong bit from the pattern...my eyes were going mighty funny by the time I had finished...millions of lines and Japanese writing, with me desperately searching for the ones that related to 'r', my pattern letter). Still I am truly pleased with the result. It was actually very easy to make. Despite my confusion regarding the tracing and cutting (that's just me, not the books fault), the little diagrams are very straight forward, guiding you through every step. If you've had a little dressmaking experience I'm sure its easy peasy. I'm a newbie in this field and I managed. I think I could have matched up the pattern a little better for the front, now I know how the dress works I may be able to manage that next time. The cross over pieces are cut separately from the bottom half and it didn't even occur to me to check that the pattern vaguely carried over from one to the other. It's not an issue though, just something I'm now aware of.
There is a lovely piece written about using Japanese sewing books over at Thought and Thimble with some great links to suppliers and other useful resources. Amy has also had some fun with this book (told you I was bringing up the rear!) and has some glimpses into other books too.

She likes it ! Any worries I had about it being too boxy were quelled once it was on

I'm definitely going to make more and may even branch out and make one of the other dresses... (steady, girl.....)

As for other news...I'm just getting over the headache from hell that hit me on Friday , the most piercing, stabbing affair where I had to keep my head
c o m p l e t e l y s t i l l , coupled with full body pain. It felt like thousands of tiny needles were being pushed in all over...truly ghastly. No doubt some hideous variation of the flu thats going round. It goes without saying that life continued as normal around me..yelling, screeching, crashing and banging....but I did get lots of kisses for my poorly head from Mads in between bouts of noise ;)
Lils returned from her trip, with dreadlocked hair and fingernails that could have grown potatoes. The hair thanks to jumping in a freezing lake (fully clothed of course)...it was optional...and she chose to do it..I ask you. The nails were the legacy of the caving expedition the previous day (their room had an en suite, was it used much ?...I think not). All in all, the signs of a truly fantastic time, if she'd come home clean there would have been something amiss. Lovely to have her back in the fold.

a few bargains..

enough gorgeously floral and just my kind of blue material for many Maddie summer outfits (that's if they're wearable...I can but try...)

dinner plates 6 for £3...I'm in love......

a beautiful cloth found by my sharp eyed Mum, which totally lifts the gloomy end of my kitchen

wonderfully sized basket...another victim of health and safety laws in my local charity (not allowed to display goods in them now in case someone trips over them). Destined to become Maddies downstairs books and toy container. Didn't come with the cat...he's mine ...conveniently decided to get in for a sniff...perfect photo op :)
In the basket are 3 balls of beautiful pale pink 'Samband Lopi, Icelandic virgin wool' 50p each. Not sure what to make with them but I hear it felts up really well.

Charity shops...don't you just love 'em ?

success !

Yesterday afternoon Lils was given the all clear - hooraay ! After days of nailbiting and tears she was ecstatic. Stupid old skin condition, very glad to see the back of that.
I had to find the place up on the moor, in the rain, wind and failing light.......I actually found it quite easily but that doesn't sound so dramatic ;)

this was interesting...as I hesitated a farm Landy ploughed past me in a huffy, get out of my way you townie, sort of way. OK....we went through without a hitch. The times I've done this in younger years, in tiny, tinny, non diesel cars...clutching the wheel tight and praying I didn't stall - and then did invariably. I can laugh now......

On arrival we were greeted by the sight of her friends trudging back from abseiling, absolutely soaked to the bone but looking very happy and tired. The teacher told me that a lot of 'jumping in a lake fully clothed' had gone on too........ We entered the place via a huge drying room festooned with sopping wet clothes, the floor strewn with a million pairs of wellies, come to think of it, I don't think I saw an actual pair such was the chaos. I hastily beat a retreat and left her in the capable hands of her friends and teacher, who seemed remarkably unphased in the face of all the squealing, excited and hyper girls (and boys, but I didn't see them..probably banished to the furthest reaches of the facility by said girls) brave man.

Back to normal here then today - I have a delightful morning of house blitzing ahead of me whilst the little is at pre school. We've had the alloted half an hour of sun already and it's getting darker and darker as I type. At least I won't feel so hard done by, slaving over the ironing if it's tipping down outside. (Anyone will tell you that I never iron, but some things unfortunately resist the fold it up and hope for the best treatment. Those things are now in a pile up to my waist....time to wade in...)