Just in case...

....you think I'm slacking on the blogging front, I'm not; I'm off to this hotel in Tenerife for a week on a Pensioners' Jolly, subsidised by the Spanish Government to the tune of €17 a day. It is their way of keeping hotel staff employed and off the dole. Most holidays available are in colder areas that would not normally have off season tourists, apart from a few, a very few, that are available in the Canaries. By reading the small print on the .gov website, I discovered that instead of queuing around the block at the designated travel agent's on the designated day, it was possible to book on line from 8am on the said date, and that way I managed to get in where we wanted to go. We then only had to show up at the travel agent at the end of the rush and pay our deposit. When I told Pepa that we wanted to go to Tenerife, she shook her head in dismay, and said that we had no chance so late in the day. When I produced my booking number and said I had already booked online, she was taken aback, as she had no idea that it was possible! No doubt she will tell everyone, and next time we won't get a look-in...

Bossman's idea of a holiday is to get up, breakfast, take a stroll, lunch, sleep, bathe, dinner, nightcap and then bed to read his book. One book will last him the week because he falls asleep half way down the first page. To keep myself out of mischief while he is snoozing, I have three paperbacks and another five books on an mp3 disc, an mp3 music mix, a DS full of puzzles, wool and needles to knit something for a friend's newly expected grandchild, a small crosstitch, and my "ongoing for 5 years holiday embroidery project" of a Willow Patterned tablecloth. Oh, and a sketchbook for ideas...

Photo Phriday

Let them eat cake

Our Craft Club celebrated its 6th birthday yesterday. We are going through a knitting and embroidery phase at the moment, rather than the usual card making and papercraft. A couple of the ladies are continuing with the Blackwork I introduced, and others are knitting scarves from hairy caterpiller yarn bought in the Chinese Bazaar. I think I must be the only person there who hangs about on the street corners of Cyberland, as no one had ever heard the phrase Stitch and Bitch....

An award from a friend

I received this from Paula at the weekend. I don't think there are any conditions attached, so it only remains to say a big thank you, and urge you to go and visit her blogs! If you like Copics, you may like her Copic challenges..

Not Old Mother Hubbard..

...as my cupboard is not bare; I think I have enough marmalade for this year and the chutney choice will be added to when the nisperos are ready in April.

Photo Phriday

Glenda's new stamps..

Go over to Elusive Images Design Team blog to see Glenda's new collage stamps, and visit the individual blogs to see some great inspiration.

ATCs received..

These are for the Postage stamp swap on CSNATCS, made by Barb.

I have not been idle...

....even if I haven't blogged every day. My evenings have been spent knitting socks, and here are the results; the top striped pair were knitted in the traditional method, top down, using Regia sock wool brought over by DD2. I say traditional, but I did use the two-socks-on-one-magic-loop method. The lower pair were knitted in my preferred toe-up way, using the left over self striping wool and some grey marl that matched the grey of the stripes. Instead of the short row heel, though, I tried the round heel method thatI found on socknitters.com. I think I prefer it, as it is much better fitting than the short row method, and not baggy at all. It also allows for Sl.1, K1. for better wear. I have photographed them before I block them because chances are that if I waited, I would forget to do it at all!

Digital ATCs

I don't usually do editions of ATCs; most of mine are one-offs, but I printed two copies of these because I couldn't decide on screen if I needed to add anything to them. I had originally planned to use the layered tissue paper, paint and glue backgrounds in the raw, and add paper layers on top, but when I saw the figures on Kubivet, I decided to go completely digital, and made scans of the backgrounds. The "floor" is just an adjustment layer darkening the background, and I hope the drop shadow stops them looking too flat. One of these days I'll find out how to make the shadow bend where it hits the wall....I'm sure there must be a way.

When they were printed, I decided they didn't need anything adding, and so there is a pair going begging in anyone fancies a trade...

Quilt repairs

This is a quilt I made years ago, and it has been in pretty constant use by DD2 ever since. She brought it out with her for some TLC, as quite a number of squares had disintegrated from repeated washing and wearing. The whole thing was originally made from used clothing from the charity shop , so it is hardly surprising that some parts have worn more than others. The light diagonals were all cut from a tiered cotton skirt patterned with men in Mexican style hats leading donkeys through a tropical landscape, all printed in light blue and brown. This isn't showing any sign of wear, only fading. The darker diagonals were all cut from a variety of Indonesian style cotton batik shirts. In general, the lighter ones are OK, but the darker ones have rotted, so I am guessing the dyes used may have a bearing. Where I haven't been able to find any matching scraps in my bit boxes, I have used the nearest I could find; The dark blue with white and turquoise spots on the left, standing in for the larger spotty pattern on the right,

and the light green with a tiny flower is quite close to the tone of the green and navy print on each side of it.
The top was machine pieced, but I have made the repairs by hand, appliquéing squares that have had their edges pressed over a square of card cut to the approximate size; my skills were not such that every corner met exactly! The top photo was taken outside yesterday, just before it started raining, so the colour is rather dull, but at least the wind had dropped. The only replacements that stick out like sore thumbs are the brighter blue squares, but at closer quarters they don't look so bad, and anyway, it won't be hanging on a gallery wall, but will be draped over cold legs, keeping out the icy blasts of Cumbria! All that remains to be done is to hand quilt the diagonals that have come adrift, and this is quite a pleasant job, as the filling is soft and the backing is an old flannelette sheet. When that is finished, I need to tackle the second quilt, and that is in a worse state...