To Fringe or not to fringe, that is indeed the question.

The body of the Poncho is done, all I have to do now is finish it off with some sort of trim/edging. I am going to mull it over and see if I can dredge up an idea that I like.

 

 

 

I love it, it is thick and warm and snuggly and not as heavy as you would think.



 

All the ends have been woven in, and these are the trimmings, very little waste and (I hope) enough left on the skeins to make a hat.

 

 

I am pleased with it and walked round the house wearing it until I was cooking.

 

My next woolly thing will be my Aran cardigan, it can wait until the morrow.

 

There were 2 of us for dinner today, and as I wanted something tasty and easy I pulled a Lidl brisket in smoky barbecue sauce out of the freezer. I served it with jacket potato, buttered savoy cabbage, cauliflower and swede and carrots cooked together, oh and some of my own sauce stirred in with the sachet contents. I cooked lots of veg as I fancy bubble and squeak tomorrow. There is plenty of the beef left so tomorrow is sorted.

 

It was an easy washup as well, so by the time I had cleared the draining board, wiped the tops down and whizzed round the floor I had lots of time to amble round with Ben. The rain has all but stopped and the temperature has risen.

I can happily ignore any amount of crafting mess while I am working on a project but my kitchen has to be "just so" before I sit down for the evening. I can think of little worse than facing dirty dishes first thing in the morning.

 

I have Kirsty recorded to watch, so I am off to make a brew.

 

                  TTFN                                                         Pam

 



The best laid plans of mice and men....and Pam

I have had a nothing sort of day, a load of washing out on the line in bright sunshine, gathered in 20 minutes later in a bitter wind with driving ice.
A wander round the house with cobweb brush in hand and hat on head, just in case.
Walking Ben as usual, no dogs out today to chat with.
Several brews of tea, BTW Lidl has boxes of 240 PG Tips bags at 2 for £6.
Cereal for breakfast and a cucumber sandwich for lunch.
No sewing but I have cleared the decks completely, still have to clean the machine though.
Went to the library, returned books, no fine.
Found 4 novels and a crochet book.
Got the polish out and then put it back, just couldn't.
Took a photo of the Poncho and then decided that it needs another round of colour.
Settled down on the sofa to watch a bit of telly, went to gather crochet and Ben stood on the remote and has wiped the screen. I have no idea what to do so it will have to wait till tomorrow.
I have no energy to attempt anything that requires thinking, and will not sew till the machine is cleaned.
I may just do some more research on Kindles, I asked Maggie and she does not have one. Mind you she has more books than the library so I can understand.
I have a bad case of the "can't be bothered" I would go and bake some cookies but would sit and munch my way through them.
I may have to go off to bed and watch a DVD, something suitably seasonal, or maybe a touch of Mama Mia is called for, I can sing along, I know most of the words.
I am not really whinging, I am warm, not hungry, can make tea as often as I like and eat when and what I like.
I am going to Ammanford tomorrow and will be doing a food bank shop, all things that can be eaten cold and some really treaty things. As many small items as I can manage, then they can be spread further.
I had a Bleh moment today, someone has been lying to my face and it has left a sour taste in my mouth. Oh well, not to worry, write it off and file it under R for rubbish.
In the grand scheme of things I am not doing too badly. I have everything that I need and most of what I want, (there is a long arm machine and a quilting frame out there somewhere with my name on it)
I have a good circle of friends and the unswerving love of Ben, I may have an iffy hip and knee but the rest is in fine fettle.

Perhaps I just need a rub down with the Sporting Life.

On that slightly insalubrious note, I am off to bed with Mama Mia, if you hear an strange noise it is only me singing along, don't worry about the neighbour, he is out.

       TTFN                                                            Pam

The Rain has arrived

This morning dawned damp, grey and misty and went downhill steadily. By 10:30 when I picked Maggie up it was a steady drizzle helped along with a stiff breeze, we only travel a few miles to Pontardawe and it was lashing down there.

In and out of Lidl and a quick trip into Farm Foods for some frozen spinach, by far the cheapest way to buy it, and we headed for home.

Ben had his second walk, we were both wrapped up, and a quick sandwich for lunch.

A friend has some scatter cushions that came with the sofa, you know the sort 14" square with a cover that does not come off for washing, and that shiny fabric that is nasty to touch. She was telling me that the covers were fraying at the seams and her hands are quite arthritic so she can not sew.
I had a quick look through the stash this afternoon and ran a pair of covers up. I wanted a fast easy make so cut a strip 14 1/2" wide by 34" long of outer and liner fabric, turned them R S Together and stitched round, leaving a small gap for turning. I clipped the corners, turned it out and pressed then stitched up the turning gap. Then folded it to make a 14" square and simply sewed down the side seams.

 

Not bad for 15 minutes work, I made the envelope folds a bit too deep, I hope she does not struggle to change it.

 

The envelope at the back, you can see how deep it is.

 

 

The side view showing the layers, I am not too keen on the look of this.

 

I had to change the measurements to get both the look that I wanted and a slightly looser fit, here it is much nicer to my mind.

 

 

 I cut the pieces 2" shorter, to resolve the envelope issue. I also cut the outer piece 2" wider and the liner 1" narrower than the first. That will gave more ease and took away the glimpse of lining from the side view.

 

The second cover on, much better I will check these for fit tomorrow and run 2 more up. This fabric was in a large bag that was given to me this year, I am slowly working through it. Much as I like it, I am happy to make something as a gift with it.

 

I have no idea what dinner will be, I am not really hungry after my sandwich at lunch time, it was granary bread and stuffed with garlic sausage.

Ben was ready for his dinner, mind you he usually is.

 

I have to return my library books tomorrow, I did take them down this morning but the librarians could not get in, the lock was jammed and the hall caretaker was not answering her phone. I hope that I can get in tomorrow and that they do not try to charge me as they were due back today. I did not even read them, I have been too busy doing other stuff and have done very little reading for a month, once I start there will be no stopping me. I am a 3 books a week reader normally.

 

I am still toying with the idea of a Kindle, one day I am convinced that it is for me, the next I am certain that I will hate it.

 Decisions.

 

I think that will do for tonight, tomorrow I want to clean my sewing machine, it has done a great deal of work and only had a quick whizz round. Naughty Pam.

 

                TTFN                                                                Pam

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Sew, Sew, press press sew.

I have had an indulgent day, this morning was very cold but the sun was bright and the sky blue.
Once Ben had been for his first walk I wrapped some gifts to be posted and wrote my cards for airmail. The morning was far too nice to drive so, with Ben in full agreement, got ready to walk to the Post Office. As there was a queue for stamps and so on, and then another when I went to pay for my bread, we were gone well over an hour. I did not see any need to hurry, these bright days may not last long and I aim to enjoy each and every one.
We met one of Bens doggy pals, a Bichon called Dowie, and he made a new friend a Sheltie, also called Dowie. What are the odds of that happening I wonder, even stranger is the fact that they live next door to each other.
After my protein laden meal yesterday I felt that a simple veg rich meal was in order. I cubed up 2 carrots, 1 parsnip, 2 small red onions, 1/4 of a swede and 1/2 a butternut squash. I roughly chopped 3 large cloves of garlic and a few chestnut mushrooms. All of these went into the slow cooker with some tomato sauce, a sprig of rosemary, some fresh sage and 4 bay leaves , a good grind of black pepper and a pinch of salt finished it off. A few hours simmering away, filling the house with a delicious aroma and I cooked some Bulgur wheat. It was from A F ages ago and flavoured with tomato and herbs, the two went well together, even better I have a dish of both in the fridge for another day.
I would have liked some fresh thyme in there but my plant died on me, I must remember to look out for another.

I have made some more cushion covers, still the same pattern. I do want to make the smaller square version, I have the plain fabric picked out but can not make up my mind as to the fronts.
The backs were made from a remnant that has been loitering for a few years.

 

I slipped a cushion pad in this one, just to check the size. The fabric comes from a giveaway that I won a good while ago from Vickie at More Stars in Comanche. I loved it all so much that I have only started to use it this winter.

 

This print was a fat quarter that I have been hoarding as well, I also have the same print on a navy background. 

 

This little flaming print is also one of my favourites, I have it in bright pink as well.

 





 

And last but not least is the backing fabric, I can not for the life of me remember where it came from.

 

I am taking Maggie shopping tomorrow so there will not be a deal of sewing done. I will have to vacuum through and flash the polish about a bit. I did manage to get a load of washing on the whirligig for a while, it did not get dry but will take a little less time in the tumbler. I do not grudge the cost of running it as my ironing has shrunk dramatically.

 

My Poncho is demanding some serious attention now so it is,

 

      TTFN                                                                    Pam

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Slow Slow Sunday

I have had a really lazy day, Ben had his walks, the kitchen and bathroom had their usual whizz round and I cooked brinner. That is breakfast cum dinner, I did not fancy a roast or anything at all really, so I had a rootle through the fridge. Result, 2 sausages, a few rashers of bacon, some chestnut mushrooms and some free range eggs. I opened a tin of baked beans, we are going for a full on truck stop meal here.

I cut a thinnish slice of fruit bread, cut it into 4 and when the bacon was crisp, tossed them in them in the pan of bacon fat. Sounds disgusting bit it was very good, dinner for 2 in 20 minutes and very little cost.
I also found a few Maris Piper potatoes lurking in the cupboard so made a few chips. It was a quick, easy and tasty meal. It does not sound overly healthy but I made a fruit salad which rounded the meal off perfectly. I put a red grapefruit in it and it was lovely and sharp.

I mentioned my cushion and a new book yesterday.

 

This is the book, I had a quick flick through and spotted this.

 

 

 

 

 

A while ago I read about these on a blog and thought that it was a wonderful idea, new that it would be perfect for me as I constantly lose things under bits of fabric. I looked up patterns and then did nothing about it, this book has woken me up. I think it is a must for me.

 

 

 

Now this book has been sitting on the shelf, unopened and ignored for a while. I got it down a few days ago and flicked through it. Found this and fell for it.

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I really like the version with smaller squares but decided to try the simple one first. I dug out some fabric and it has sat on the cutting mat for a couple of days. This afternoon I spent 20 minutes at the machine and made this.

 



 

 

 

 

I had a small cushion form that needed a cover and I am pleased with it. The colour looks good against the ripple. It was a very fast make and I have already pulled the fabrics to make the other version. I do like making cushions and as I have 2 sofas to fill it is a good thing.

 

Now I am going to get on with my crochet, I have done 17 rounds on the poncho now and it is looking good.

 

        TTFN                                                                 Pam

 

 

 





A warm front is approaching.

Not just the front, back and sides will all be toasty soon, very soon. I have made a start on my crochet poncho, all the blame has to go to Lazy Daisy Jones and Lucy Croft from attic24, they put it on their blogs and I was smitten. Who can resist a double whammy, not me, at least not this time.

These are the colours that I selected.

 

The ball on the far right is Raspberry, on the screen it looks good, in the flesh it has an orange tint so I will not use it in the poncho. I will not be wasting it, I will make a hat, 2 of mine are looking a bit tired and I have a pattern.

 



 

This is the cowl and look at that ribbing, who would think it was crochet, I love it. It is soft and bouncy and drapes wonderfully. I am hoping to find a jumper pattern that I can adapt to use this stitch. I followed the link on Lucy's blog and watched the tutorial, easy peasy, squeezy the lemon.

 



 

 

Here is my work so far, I would have a bit more done but I keep putting it on and admiring it in the hall mirror.

 

 

I have the brick quilt to finish up, and apart from the fabric for borders and backing, all my Christmas fabric has been tidied away for another year.

 

I have a new book, I will share later, and have a cushion pattern and fabric on my cutting table. I love it, watch this space.

 

Dinner tonight was Piri Piri chicken from Lidl, less than £1.50 for a half chicken, loads of meat for 2 servings but very bland to me. I did buy 2 more and will be removing the meat and using in my own sauce. Each chicken half will make 3 meals once the meat is stripped from the bones, and they will make a good stock.

 

Ben is enjoying his turkey, I get 3 drumsticks for £5 and of course I pick out the biggest. The same shop also does 3 packs of 2 chicken legs for £5, and they are very big, there are some tucked away in the freezer. Each leg will do 2 generous meals, so 12 dinners for £5, and bones for stock.

 

Francesca has booked her train ticket for 24th, my last bit of shopping arrived today, all is well here.

 

I have not decided what we will have for Christmas dinner yet, not turkey that's for sure. The last few years it has been beef so we may have Lamb or Pork, nothing to worry over, it is just another roast dinner.

 

Pudding will be a crumble ( Fran's favourite hot pudding) with custard and I will make a vanilla cheesecake.

 

I have a tin plastic tub of chocolates, they will probably hang about till Easter, for Fran. One of those silly family traditions, she gets to open the tin and just loves the scent that pours out.

There will be a trifle for boxing day, as usual.  I make lots of pigs in blankets and bacon wrapped stuffing balls, Fran will have one of each for breakfast, another tradition that has just happened. Yes my Christmas is geared towards her, why not, it is only once a year and costs very little as I plan well ahead.

 

Presents are mostly homemade, and have their own traditions. She always has a pair of silly slippers and a chocolate orange with a difference. This year I will dip a peeled clementine in alternate layers of milk and white chocolate, then wrap in foil and then put it in a little orange fabric bag.

 

There  are many more and they are more important than the food really, part of the cement that makes the family unit strong.

 

Now it is time for Ben to have his walk and dinner, he does like his routine.

 

      TTFN                                                         Pam

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Spend a penny, I'll have a £1,s worth.

Ooh what A wet week it has been, all thoughts of blogging went out the window, or rather down the drain. I have had a U. T. I. That's  trouble with the waterworks in plain speak I have drunk gallons of lemon barley water and popped a course of antibiotics.
I have lost enough weight to make my clothes loose and give me cheekbones. I am not sure if it was galloping up the stairs every 10 minutes or that I was so sloshing full of liquid that there was no room for food.

I am so much better tonight that I cooked a really delicious dinner, a lamb shank from Lidl in a red wine sauce. Half price at £1.79, not cheap but enough meat for 2 meals for me and cooked in the ding oven.
.

 

 

 

I have taken a few pics of some of my sewing, some was for gifts and I dare not show them.

 

 

 

A stack of cushions ready to pile on the sofas.

 

I used a few of the fancy stitches for some of the quilting on these 2. They are made with the left over bricks, that quilt is waiting for the inner and main border.

 

 

A small forest of trees, these five have been  decorated now and some more will be winging their way to other homes. So easy and fast to make and the stuffing came from some cheap pillows from Poundstretcher, £4.99 for a pair with pillow protectors. I managed to stuff all these from 1 pair with some left and have worked my way through another pillow.

 

While I was at it with the trees I thought that I would join in with the rest of the village and get The Tree up, Francesca's poor little primary school Angel is looking the worse for wear, I fear that this will be her last outing. It looks as though Eyore agrees with me.

 



 

This is a work in progress, I ran out of steam. I think I will have another play tomorrow.

 

The weather has been brilliant, clear blue shies, dry but quite cold. I have managed to get all my washing line dried. The worse job was getting it on and off the line, it's a long way from whirligig to bathroom.

 

Ben had to make do with the garden, he was fine on the whole. He did enjoy the day that I stayed in bed, it was close to the bathroom and I could not face running up and down the stairs.

 

 

Now I really need to take him out again, we have both had a good dinner and a walk is in order.

 

 

        TTFN                                                    Pam