January brings the snow

A Song of the Weather

January brings the snow,
Makes your feet and fingers glow.

February's ice and sleet
Freeze the toes right off your feet.

Welcome March with wintry wind
Would thou wert not so unkind!

April brings the sweet spring showers,
On and on for hours and hours.

Farmers fear unkindly May
Frost by night and hail by day.

June just rains and never stops
Thirty days and spoils the crops.

In July the sun is hot.
Is it shining? No, it's not.

August, cold and dank and wet,
Brings more rain than any yet.

Bleak September's mist and mud
Is enough to chill the blood.

Then October adds a gale,
Wind and slush and rain and hail.

Dark November brings the fog
Should not do it to a dog.

Freezing wet December, then
Bloody January again!

January brings the snow ... The great comedians Flanders and Swann version of the children's nursery rhyme.

Not much snow here yet, so here is a picture from last year.

Linking to Francesca's Corner View on fuoriborgo

Hyacinths and haberdashery

Well, today was very successful in many ways. After picking up an off-cut of a gorgeous furnishing fabric from John Lewis, I went to our local fabric shop to search for supplies to turn it into a large cushion. The perfect fabric for backing and piping- in the off-cuts bin for £2!, bargain. Here they are, I can't wait to see it made up. It comforts me to read other's comments on their fabric buying habits and to know I am not the only one who cannot resist these impulse buys. Chocolate leaves me cold, but fabric? Or a new pattern or book. No self control at all!

In other news, I have another project to share at some point, but not yet. Here's just a hint:

And the hyacinths? Beautiful, just such a gorgeous scent to fill the senses when I am anywhere downstairs. Unfortunately I can't share the scent....

Marmalade #2 and a little embroidery

I think if I didn't like marmalade I would still make it. It is so beautiful with the light behind it and the strips of peel suspended in the glowing jelly. But I do like it, so I get the best of both worlds. A feast for the eyes and the palate.

So I made my second batch of the year today, now I have enough for our own consumption as well as enough to give away.

In other news I tried my hand at a little machine embroidery. I have wanted to make an embroidered picture for as long as I can remember, and inspired by many talented blogger, made a little sketch, transferred it to cloth, and just 'had a go' today. Well, for a first try, it's ok.

Corner view- Black and White

It is all there in black and white!
From my teenage daughter's bedroom wall.

Linking up to Corner View on fuoriborgo blog from Francesca.

Tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor..

Rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief!

Do you know this rhyme? It goes on, I don't remember all the words but I do remember the second verse ends in Indian chief!

Anyway, I definitely don't know enough verses for the amount of damson stones I have here.

I found a carrier bag of damsons in the freezer that my sister gave me from her tree a while ago ( it might even have been 2010, oops!). I'm not that fond of damsons so they have languished there ever since. But having been up to see my brother and his family, and having been given a selection of very delicious chutneys with my lunch I decided it was time to make some myself.

And now I remember why I don't like damsons. Too many #€£¥% stones!

In the recipe I used for the chutney, Delia suggested using rubber gloves to separate the stones from the flesh. Works a treat but it doesn't half make a mess!

Oh and I had some damsons over so I made some jam. More stones, more mess.

But it will be nice when it is eaten. The chutney is still cooking by the way, hence no pictures of the finished item in nice clean jars. Phew the house smells of vinegar too.
Now to clean up the kitchen :(

Log cabin stars- quilt top ta da

Well we worked super hard on Saturday and I did a bit more yesterday, and here it is :)

I learned a lot in making this, and it was great to have tips from the lovely Sally in the shop. Threads and Patches in Fenny Stratford, to be precise. Things I would do differently? Yes, plenty. Pressing from the right side, ripping out things that are wrong as soon as it goes wrong (it just makes the whole block out of line and results in some serious fudging on the last round, oops!). and I wouldn't use a checked fabric again for a straight line design, it looks wonky when the squares don't match up with the cutting lines.

But apart from that? I'm delighted. Just need to finish it and THEN...... Decide what to do with it.

Choosing colours - log cabin stars quilt

I've booked myself on a quilt-making course at my local quilting shop. I've always wanted to try log cabin and I decided the course (or courses, they do lots and I've booked ahead for two more) will push me out of my comfort zone, ie squares, and make me start and finish a few quilts. I never showed you the one I made last year for my daughter, I must take some pictures.

Anyhow, the course is on Saturday and today I chose my fabric. Four light colours, four dark colours, red for the stars and a turquoise gingham style for the outer border. I'm going to use some scraps of red left over from the placemats for the centre of the log cabins, as is traditional to represent the hearth. Here's the fabric.

I think for me this is the hardest part of making anything. I can do the sewing, I can put the thing together. My machine quilting needs practice but I don't mind a home made, less than perfect look. The binding doesn't worry me, in fact sometimes I think it is my favourite part, hand stitching it to the back, the final final stage. It's the colours, the values of light and dark, the hues. I think it is a case of too much choice and too much analysing. So hence the course. Push me into doing just that, in the expectation that it will get easier..... maybe?

Busy busy

Making and growing. It was so unseasonably warm today I was actually tempted to the allotment. I confess I am a fair-weather gardener so a mild day in January is a rare chance to get ahead with tasks for spring. Mild weather means more weeds of course, so I spent an hour weeding and mulching fruit bushes then planted some garlic. Ok so that should have been planted ages ago but hey, it has two chances, yes? I was so busy I forgot to take pictures but here are some pics from about this time last year. What a contrast!

And in other news, the other job for January is, of course, marmalade! Nine jars to be precise, just about enought to keep us going till next year. Might make another batch while the oranges are still in the shops, I do like to be able to give some away too. It's been a very self-sufficient sort of day.

Eureka!

My next project, it just came to me. Our bedroom is decorated in a very soft salmon sort of pink. Nicer than that sounds though:). We used to have a blanket at the bottom of the bed which went beautifully, two shades of pink, cream, and a silvery grey. Until we got a puppy which destroyed it one day.

Earlier today I saw this photo

From here

Isn't it beautiful? Well, I have wanted to do a granny blanket, but this is a much more sophisticated look don't you think? All I need to do now is find the exact colours in exactly the right soft wool.

Right, on with the ripple, just a few more rows to do, then a border. I've been practising borders, I will show you tomorrow hopefully.

Goodnight, sweet dreams. I shall be crocheting in mine I am sure!

Happy new year

Such a busy social whirl! So many lovely people to see (so much baking, tidying and entertaining) It is going to be quite strange to go back to our normal, term time routine. Here are some New Year pictures from the past couple of days.