Unbought Delicacies: Hot off the needles!

Sunday, 21 February 2010

Hot off the needles!

Thought you might like to see how I spent my Sunday afternoon; felt a bit out of sorts (think it's the ****** neighbour and his trees..........), so I sat and knitted/sewed up. I got these two finished. The first is the Samhain tee from Yarn Forward magazine, the second a cropped cardigan from another back copy of a knitting magazine I picked up somewhere. The purple is some very beautiful Donegal tweed, all the way from Ireland. MrL raised his eyebrows at the cost but hey ho, it's knitting.........lol. I fared better, cost-wise, with the second one, as the yarn for that (Patons Vintage in "Burnished" came in at only 7.08 - yes, even for my size! I also paid for that oen msyelf.;) lol Both for me, and about time too; very pleased with both.
Back on the socks again now.........

By the way, bullace gin is every bit as good as sloe gin...........

4 comments:

a.rogue (Alice) said...: Well done! It's nice to make something for yourself - isn't it?!
Alice; 22 February 2010 at 01:25
aromatic said...: They are lovely!! I do hope you are feeling less upset by your stupid, thoughtless neighbour.... things like that seem to get under your skin and niggle for days but its better if you can just let it go as in the end there is nothing you can do about it.
Your lovely trees will make up for the loss of next doors and you can be sure you will have much enjoyment from them as the years go by. At least those lovely tops are now ready for you to wear so some good came out of the bad so to speak!!
Hope your day is better today!
Love Jane xxx; 22 February 2010 at 02:09
Kath said...: Oh my! Love the colour of the first one, that is just gorgeous!
I hope that you are feeling happier today? Will we get to see pictures of the new trees that you will squeeze in? I love pictures of trees! :D
Kath xx; 22 February 2010 at 15:53
MrsL said...: LOL will do, Kath :)

MrsL

xx; 22 February 2010 at 19:36

I have found such joy

I have found such joy in simple things;
A plain, clean room, a nut-brown loaf of bread,
A cup of milk, a kettle as it sings,
The shelter of a roof above my head,
And in a leaf-laced square along the floor,
Where yellow sunlight glimmers through the door.
I have found such joy in things that fill
My quiet days: a curtain's blowing grace,
A potted plant upon my window sill,
A rose, fresh-cut and placed within a vase;
A table cleared, a lamp beside a chair,
And books I long have loved beside me there.
Oh, I have found such joys I wish I might
Tell every woman who goes seeking far
For some elusive, feverish delight,
That very close to home the great joys are:
The elemental things- old as the race,
Yet never, through the ages, commonplace.

~ Grace Noll Crowell

Ideas for handmade gifts

Small knitteds - gloves, scarves, hot water bottle covers, hats, tea cosies, phone covers, little toys,,cushion covers, bags. Some of these can be felted/fulled for extra interest.
Edibles - chutneys and jams, pickles, nice teas in a vintage/retro tin, sweeties, toffees, mustard, home made wine and liqueurs, home dried fruits, ketchups.
For the home - trimmed tea towels, handknitted dishcloths, quilted wallhangings, small samplers, restored picture frames, pot pourri, lavender bags, covered coathangers, little scented bags for hanging on handles, framed photos of family,etc you've taken yourself, pincushion,needle book, scissor keeper, book of promises (eg babysitting, 1 hour's housework, the ironing, etc)
Bathtime - homemade soap, bath oils, bath salts, knitted washcloths, herbal bags for the bath, hand sewn toilet bags, trimmed hand towels, homemade lotions and potions packed in pretty jars and bottles.
For the garden - home saved seed in handmade decorated packets; homemade handcream, exfoliating soap, wheat bag for those digger's aches and pains!

Handmade books, personalised printed notepaper and envelopes.
Hamper of bits and bobs from the above lists, packed in a pretty lined basket.

I'll add some more as and when I think of them; These can be used all year round and easily tailored to the recipient - everyone loves a homemade gift. :)

Inspiring thoughts.............

I saw a man, an old Cilician, who occupied an acre or two of land that no one wanted.
A patch not worth the ploughing, unrewarding for flocks, unfit for vineyards;
he, however, by planting here and there among the scrub cabbages or white lilies and verbena and flimsy poppies, fancied himself a king in wealth, and coming home late in the evening, loaded his board with unbought delicacies.
Virgil

I had no theories to prove. I merely wanted to try living by my own hands, independently as far as possible from a system of division of labour in which the participant loses most of the pleasure of making and growing things for himself. I wanted to bring in my own fuel and smell its sweet smell as it burned in the hearth I had made. I wanted to grow my own food, or forage after it. In short I wanted to do as much as I could for myself, because I had already realised from partial experience the inexpressible joy of doing so.

Harlan Hubbard, Shantyboat: A River Way of Life

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Sunday, 21 February 2010

Hot off the needles!

4 comments: