Happy August Bank Holiday Weekend

All I've heard on the radio this morning is that this is the August bank holiday and asking what people are doing...well I'm working! Darren isn't so he'll have to entertain himself in the studio etc. Hope whatever your plans are - or lack of them - that you have a good time!

Oh and on a happy note I've lost another 2 lbs!! Yippee!!! My weight loss is definately slowing down but at least it is all in the right direction!!

Family day out

On Friday it was my dad's birthday, so to celebrate we had a family get together. My younger brother James, his wife Ahn and son Michael (my scrummy 9mth old nephew) came up from London, my grandparents came down from Darlington, my parents from Harrogate and us from Bradford...all met up in York.

This was only the 2nd time we've seen our nephew - he is so big now!!! I loved holding him and he just kept looking at me and smiling and oh it was lovely!!!!

We all met at Varsity for lunch and to have a good natter - we were there about 2hrs. Then we headed off to Barley Hall, where James and Ahn got married 3yrs ago. We then headed to York Minster where they had more wedding pics taken. As this was the 1st time Michael has been to York, they wanted to take pics of them with him at both places.

I do love it when all my family comes home. We may have our strained moments (as I'm sure most families do) and we are not very emotionaly close but we are there when it counts. I do miss my brother too as he and I were very close growing up, supporting each other through my parents many arguments. But when he left for uni, he never came back home to live.

Anyway here's some lovely pics of us - especially Michael!! Darren is missing on all but a pic outside the minster, as he took them. I'm waiting for my dad and brother to send the ones they took of Darren and Michael.

Me and Michael (my brother is in the blue jumper)

Background pic of James and Ahn

My grandparents and Michael

My dad and Michael

Everyone but me as I took this pic

Then at 3.30 we said our goodbyes and everyone had trains to catch. Darren and I had got into York before everyone and stayed later to do a bit of shopping - but unfortunately we were not allowed to keep Michael...

Want a laugh???

Here's a pic of the scarf as seen in previous post.....


....as modelled by Darren!!!!!!!

Yet more granny striped blanket

So it's getting there... but been dare I say it...I've been a bit bored of working on my blankie for the last week or so. I know I'm as shocked as you are - in fact I am disgusted that such stripey goodness and pleasure can have turned so quickly to boredom.

Perhaps it was doing the same thing all the time and I was missing my knitting (which is after all my main passion - sorry crochet!!!) but then I couldn't focus on knitting either, so I did some looming. The only items I really make with my looms are hats and scarfs but it is something I don't need to think about, so I finished an unknown UFO, a scarf in blue eyelash yarn. Then I made another. Then I got some yarn from my stash and started making more scarfs (make 5 in total) .....then I got bored of looming.

So I made 2 tops for charity. One of which was an adapted pattern from Ravelry to make a preemies Baby Surprise Jacket. http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/baby-surprise-jacket-preemie-sized Many thanks to everyone who helped me find the BSJ pattern!!

It really does look wierd and that it can't possibly be a jacket - all through making it I couldn't figure it out!!!

Then suddenly I could see it!!!!

  Sewn up and with buttons....

The back....

I wasn't really convinced about this when I was laying it out, the sleeves didn't seem to sit right. The front seemed to be bigger than the back. I thought I had maybe done something wrong. But with a bit of slight stretching into place, I think it looks nice and I am rather happy with it!! It was very quick and easy to make and very little to sew up. All the sewing up you have to do it the top of the sleeves/shoulders. Can't wait to do more and make Elizabeth Zimmerman's original BSJ!!! Next time I'd like to make it stripey and see what the effect is....the pics of stripey ones look really nice.

Anyway....The good news, as far as I am concerned is that my blankie is back at my side and I have started enjoying making it again!!! I brought it downstairs after lunch and so far I have completed a lovely deep purple stripe!!!

Just had to blog about it and post my other pics...this way the distractions are behind me for a while so I can re-focus and finish blankie!!

So wanna see what it looked like before my last purple stripe??? Well if you don't close your eyes now!!! Cos here it is!!!

I laid it out on our bed which is a super king size bed....

If you are still reading - thanks alot and well done at looking through so many pics!!!

Our walk along the canal

We decided to have a lovely walk along the canal on Friday, instead of our usual wood walk. The canal is just off the woods and is only a 10 min walk from our house. It is the Leeds/Liverpool canal.

The first thing we noticed before we were on the canal, was this blackberry!! Blackberries in August!!! Now there are LOADS of green ones around here but a ripe one!! It was so bizarre I had to take a picture!!!

Can you make out this bee? They were everywhere!!

This is the path down to the canal. We have to walk down through a field to the bridge then we can walk back along the canal to another bridge and back home.

Lady always has to be first!!

She is so curious!!!

Horses are everywhere round here!!!

These ducks actually came swiming over to see us!! Think they thought we had food - sadly no, just a poo bag!!!

Off again when Lady came to say hi!

Remember that one lonely blackberry we found at the start of our walk??? About half way along the canal there were loads of them!!!!!

I told Darren to give me a clean and empty poo bag and we started to pick blackberries!!! There are loads still to ripen, so we'll be back!!!

I have never known them to be out so early!!!

Plenty to make a crumble!!!!

By the way I made the apple and blackberry crumble yesterday and it was gorgeous!!!!!

Loving Hands Autumn Challenge

The new Loving Hands challenge runs from 25th July to 23rd October 2010. I haven't sent anything in for the last 2 challenges so I have plenty to send for this one...I hope!!

So here is Lou's challenge:

"I have decided that this will be a 3 part challenge this time - hopefully you will all approve of what I have found ;0)


1. The first part of this challenge will be thanks to our dear Dot. A couple of months back I was reading a great book - one of those true story paperbacks that make you cry all the way through. It was called ‘Street Kid’ and was by a lady called Judy Westwater. The morning after I finished reading it I got a parcel from Dot and in it was a note with a newspaper cutting from the Inverness paper. It was an article about an Inverness lady knitting jumpers for children in Africa - these items were being taken to Africa and being distributed by …….. Judy Westwater - the author of the book I had just finished reading. This had to be an omen - Judy has set up a trust for street kids in Africa called the Pegasus Trust - I contacted her and here is her reply …….

Hello Lou,


Thank you so much for contacting me and thank you also for reading my book. (Which I assume was 'Street Kid' my first book?) I am hopeful that by the sale of my books they will bring about a far greater worldwide awareness as to the desperate plight all our street children continue to face on a daily basis.


Thank you for offering to help our children with delightful knitted goodies. Our children are always so delighted to receive knitted goodies and to know that they have been made especially for them, new and warm thrills them no end.


We take care of children from birth onward. We have shelters for kiddies from birth to six years, and then from six to eighteen, and then from eighteen to twenty four years old. So a huge range of sizes. For our under six shelter all goodies that you have mentioned would be amazing as they do love soft toys, blankets or any item you are happy to make everything would be totally embraced by them. They have never had anything new and they cannot believe that someone from so far away would care enough about them to make something especially for them.


Our kids from six years to eighteen would be thrilled with school jerseys and cardigans in school colours. For a child in South Africa they cannot attend school unless they have the full uniform and many times during winter they do not have warm clothing. They would love anything to wear that is knitted, crocheted or sewn. South African kids love knitwear. The older kids would be the same, for them socks would be fabulous as well as jerseys.


Hope I have given you an insight. But believe me it would not matter what you sent for this every item would be so very much appreciated.


Thank you for your very kind offer. Should you wish to see our clips from my latest visit to South Africa please type in Judy Westwater S.T.V.News and see the latest Scottish news broadcast.


I look forward to hearing from you.


Till then do take care


Very best wishes


Judy Westwater

I think you will all agree that this is a very worthwhile charity for us to help and as Judy has said these kids will be happy with anything we make for them - the great thing on our side also is that Judy lives in Inverness now so I will have a great excuse to meet up with Dot and Ron when I go up to deliver our end of challenge items to Judy ;0) For this I think we can make clothing for all ages, toys, blankets, school jumpers and cardies etc. If any of you have good quality school skirts, shirts, trousers or shorts we could put those in too - lots to choose from! Our stitchers can make kids clothing , toys, quilts etc as well to add to the mix.


2. The second part of our challenge is all thanks to our friend Tricia who runs the Teddies for Tragedies site. She has been in touch asking for our help to get 1,200 teddies complete with bags to help out her causes. She needs 1000 for street kids in Cambodia and 200 for Orphans in Uganda. Once again the addresses for us to get them to are in the UK so no overseas postage for us. Knitters and Crocheters can make the bears and the stitchers can make the bags.


3. Part three of the challenge will be for our shoeboxes for Blythswood Care - the usual items and fillings for these. I have been keeping all of the shoeboxes that come in here this year so the attic is stuffed with them ready to be wrapped and filled again for this winter. "

Certainly worth while checking out Judy's site at http://sites.google.com/site/pegasuschildrenstrust/Home. There is a video of her work and an interview as shown on This Morning.

I've got some Teddies waiting to be stuffed already. I'm going to make some school jumpers, blankets and other goodies for the Pegasus Trust. I've probably got quite a few things made already that can be used. I already support the local Samaritan's Purse shoebox appeal so I won't be doing the 3rd challenge.

More Granny Striped Blanket!!!

On Sunday we got a fantastic new camera from Argos..it's an Alba SL1231 reduced from £159.99 to...wait for it....£59.99!!! Unbelievable bargain!!! Absolutely fantastic camera!!!! Our only hesitation with it is that it takes a Li-ion battery and we now want to get a spare as the last thing we want to have happen is be out and have the battery die...which did happen today...I'll post our lovely day out pics later.

But for now check out these lovely scrummy pics of my blankie as taken by our new camera!!! It has really captured the colours...Be warned I did get a bit carried away!!!

...I just love how is looks all crumpled together - so squishy and snuggly...

...to give you an idea of how big it is now...

I love it love it love it!!! But I've got so much more to do. Darren thinks it's nearly done???!!! Is he crazy?? Yes, well no, it's because he feels it's ready in length fo him to snuggle under on the settee (which is my plan for it) but I don't just want a lap blanket...I want to snuggle up from head to toe under it!!!

Oh and to top off what a lovely day we've had (been to Yeadon Tarn for picnic, drive around Yorkshire countryside, visited Studley Royal at Fountains Abbey and then went to Brimham Rocks) I've lost 2 lbs!!!! I've been clinging onto them for the past 2 weeks and finally decided to get rid of them!!! That means folks that I've now lost my first stone!!!! Yippeee!!!! About time as well!