Count Binface for Clacton!

 Well, what a week it has been! Three deaths - the amazing Bonnie Tyler, newsreader Dermot Murnaghan and sadly (though not because I liked the womans politics) Ann Widdicombe. Another heatwave! Trump making himself look a fool over the football. England getting through to the next round!

And the resignation stunt of the ghastly Nigel Farage.  For those who don't know him, he is a friend of Donald Trump, no more need be said. Farage is standing again as MP for Clacton, supposedly to pit himself against the establishment and for the 'good people' of Clacton to back him. Quite sensibly, all the main stream political parties have decided not to stand against him. However Count Binface has come to save the country! And a lot of the country are behind him judging by facebook. So are these Clacton residents if the bin bag flags flying outside their houses are anything to go by.

So, moving on to more sensible things, here is a Stitch Journal update.

And my Chookshed Challenge.

I have been working on the third round of hexies - I have marked the centre hexie, top centre in the picture. But have not done as much as I would like as I am finding it all a bit hot on my lap. So instead, while the football continues, I have made a start on some crochet. I had quite a lot of yarn left over from the Seashore blanket that I made earlier in the year and have started using it to make granny squares for a warm winter jumper. I purchased some fushia yarn from the same range and am using that to edge the squares. These are what I have come up with this week.

Very happy with how these are looking.

Right, I am off to watch some cricket - and possibly make some more granny squares. See you next week - I wonder what it will bring?

Saturday evening edit!

Oh no - just found out that Patricia Greene has died. She was the longest serving actor on The Archers and played Jill Archer for 65 years. 😢❤️

Almost afraid to listen to the news now!!

Barrington Court

 Yes, garden pictures to come but first my stitches for the week.

More buttonhole and I am using a piece of needlelace as my inspiration - it is a strange shape as well as my incompetent drawing! A bit more work is needed to complete the motif.

After another evenings work on my crochet basket I decided that it was not going the way I envisaged so undone it came back to the base. At this point I was free to make a few changes so first of all I made a few decreases on the first round to help the sides stand up better. I had been working one round at a time and my start and finish point was looking very untidy so this time I am spiralling round which is much better. Before I was using a mixture of trebles and dc to work up the side, but I have changed to half trebles which is giving a firmer finish. I could have worked it all in dc which would have been firmer still, but would also have been a lot harder on the hands. So tadah!

The band above the handles is all dc and I need to do a few more rows - that will be my FNSI this evening.

Now, Barrington Court. And I know I have posted about these lovely walled gardens before but every time we go they are different - they change with the seasons and every year so always something different to see.

First up the vegetable garden which has a purple theme at the moment.

As has the border leading to the white garden.

The white garden was looking stunning - especially this beautiful white wisteria.

This allium was over a foot across.

And then the lily pond garden.

This one is for you Chantal - and anyone popping in from The Netherlands.

And another beautiful border.

We were very fortunate with the weather as it has been cold and showery since Monday, unusually cold for the time of year we are told. But heatwave coming at the end of next week!

I am not around next week but hope you all have a happy stitchy one.

April - a new month

 And they are coming around pretty quitckly now. But first, a look at the end of March.

I completed the March section of my Stitch |Journal.

And the bottom quarter of the panel is complete.

So I have moved on to the next section and here are the first four days of April.

We did have a lovely day out on Tuesday visiting Killerton where we met friends who had travelled across Dartmoor to meet us. Fortunately although they left home in thick mist, they arrived to lovely sunshine, which we had had all the way.

A few photographs of the house and lovely gardens.

And just look at these gorgeous Crested Fritillaries!

Killerton houses one of the National Trust's textile conservation studio's so upstairs in the house there is usually some sort of textile exhibition. This year there is a lovely selection of ladies garments from the Victorians up to the 60's which are beautifully displayed and well worth a visit. Hopefully I will get another chance to look around later in the year.

And finally for today - yes, the crochet cardigan is a finish. I am so glad I changed the border and cuffs as it gives the garment a smarter, more of a jacket feel.

I have a feeling that the top corners of the front band may iritate my chin and so I am going to be looking out for a couple of buttons which I can use to just stitch down those points to the front. But otherwise I am really happy with how this has turned out.

No movement yet on this months Challenge - snap bags - but I have got out my Ryegrass socks again and am determined to complete a pattern repeat a day to get them finished this month.

So, a long post from me - if you made it to the end then thank you very much and I will see you next week. Have a very Happy Easter.

 It's a beautiful sunny day here and lovely and warm in the conservatory, but pop outside and you get hit by a chilly wind! We are enjoying watching a pair of blue tits nesting in a box we put up on the fence which has honeysuckle growing over it so they are slightly hidden. We get a perfect view from the conservatory and look forward to welcoming some babies in time.

My weeks progress on my Stitch Journal. At the moment I am working through some feather stitch variations.

My granny squares are now a cardigan but still a way to go on this.

I have had to make some adjustments while putting together as it was going to come out far too wide. I have also ordered some more yarn as I wish to make the cardigan longer than the pattern says and also need extra for the front edging as the pattern was for a jumper. As this will not arrive for a couple of days I shall not get a finish for the end of the month. However, I am looking forward to seeing which number Deana pulls for the April Chookshed Challenge - I am hoping for something simple off my list to allow for finishing my cardigan.

Having had a mostly dry week we have been working in the garden - I have painted the new gate we had put in at the end of last year and oiled up the wooden garden chairs. Next up is to paint the matching table and chairs that sit by the greenhouse. Annoyingly the day we had earmarked for going out turned out to be damp, grey and windy! Hopefully better luck for next week when we are meeting friends at Killerton for the day.

Wishing you all a happy, stitchy week.

FNSI for March

 Friday was a beautiful day - Yes! the sun has been shining this week and we have had lovely temperatures, even warm enough to sit outside. So we have been busy in the garden cutting and tidying. Also we bought some new plants at the beginning of the week and most of them have found their new homes. I will get out and take some photos before my next post. So Friday was either spent in the garden or catching up with some admin.

I did get a little break after lunch to add to my Stitch Journal. Here you can see my week with Friday's addition, the snake like couching on the left.

In the evening I worked on my crochet cardigan. All the squares are now made and I have started putting them together. Two sleeve panels are now complete and look like this.

Here is the last batch of squares just before they came off the blocking board.

As you can see I 'splurged'  (haha) and bought the smallest board I could get away with - my squares are 4". Hopefully I am on track to finish by the end of the month as this is my Chookshed Challenge.

I am off to enjoy some more of the sunshine - have a great week.

The Middle of March Already!

 The year is starting to fly by again. Only a couple of weeks until we change the clocks and it will really start to seem like spring. Well the sun is shing today, in fact it is a beautiful day, if a bit chilly, but I don't mind that. Good to get windows open and watch washing blow in the breeze. Shoots of green are appearing all round the garden and the tulips are showing signs of imminent flowering as the daffodils start to fade. We are being visited by lots of goldfinches this year and they are enjoying the sunflower hearts I put out for them.

There are often three or four on the feeders at once.

My stitch journal continues.

and I have been hooking away at my granny squares at every opportunity. I have now completed seven of the eight sets of eight that I need before I can start to put the cardigan together. So hopefully some joining pictures next week. I bought a blocking board and have been blocking a batch of eight at a time. It does make a huge difference to their appearance.

Have a great week.