Harrogate Report part 1

It was great going to Harrogate last week to the Knitting & Stitching show.
Good to have a break away, but great to be home (less traffic for a start!)

There are three sides to the K&S show – seeing friends, shopping and inspiration.  It was wonderful to meet up with Caroline and Fiona.

Todays post is shopping, tomorrows post is inspirational art.

There were some of my favourite shops missing, one being the Bead Merchant, their loss with the Spellbound Bead Shop’s gain.

A few beautiful buttons, the small number reflect the price rather than the choice.

The unequalled Habu yarns and Silk Route fabrics.

Indian trims

More silks from the Silk Route and Mulberry Silks – my colour choices are mellowing.

Most of this lace came from a vintage fair – a few metres from Harrogate.  The buttons are art nouveau in style and really beautiful.

There are plans to combine the lace with the pattern above, lets just says its going to be interesting as the instructions are minimal, as is my dress making experience.  Hopefully I can reveal the results in March at the Fashion & Embroidery Show.

No Snow this Winter

We have a new family addition – we should be able to bring it home next week. 
Name to be decided.

Once we have paid the balance I can almost guarantee there will be
NO SNOW IN NORTHUMBERLAND
this winter.

Well, nothing more than an inch at most.

No, really, there will be nothing much at all…..because…..

 

It needs a new paint job and I want to add a few daisies…..maybe I can get a few on the back door without DH noticing???? 

Anyway I am not driving around Wooler in a camo-designed Land Rover!

But at least if my predictions are wrong
I WILL BE ABLE TO LEAVE THE HOUSE! 
Unlike last year …

Anyway its Spring here in Northumberland, forget winter. 
A windy spring day admittedly.

All the golden leaves have gone from the trees but the flowers are doing well.
Here are photos from this morning.

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Its been a good week - I’ve been away to the Knitting & Stitching Show in Harrogate – will show more next post.

Also we’ve got two nights out to look forward too – to see Dara O’Brien in May and Kevin Bridges in October. 
Maybe now we have the new toy I could book the ballet in February.  I didn’t dare as you know what happened last year when I booked winter evenings out in Newcastle…..

Owl calendar

Image from http://www.myowlbarn.com/p/owl-lover-2012-calendar.html

Didn’t realise I liked owls quite so much!

 “….you can select the images you love the most and create your own 

free calendar or you can simply download the pre-made version….”

Mines just printing now…..

How long?

Gosh, I just checked when I last posted here.  Where did the time go – I seem to be chasing my tail and getting nowhere really fast this month.

Last week I was lecturing and teaching in Castle Douglas for the Embroiderers Guild (Towers in a Day) and teaching in Newcastle for the Quilters Guild (Goddess wall hanging).  

Both great groups – I had a wonderful time and I really hope they did too.  

That's me done with teaching for several months – until the sun and the “warm” weather return.
(Well, we can hope).

I went to a vintage fair on Sunday and came home with some great lace pieces.

Tuesday I had a day out in Rothbury with stitching friends and laughed and laughed.

Today I went to the charity shop in Wooler and came home with the bargain of the week - £3 for a linen/cotton damask tablecloth.

You don’t get bargains like that at Vintage Fairs.

Today I also ventured out with the camera. 

I find it hard to keep the Photo A Day going in the winter, the light is only really good here from 10am-2pm – and that’s on a good day.

Sometimes the light is only good at 11.59am, for 10 seconds……..and I miss it.  Note to self; stop complaining and dig out the studio lights!

Have you ever really looked at fallen leaves?

No I means REALLY looked at them?

No, I mean REALLY, REALLY looked?

Nature presents us with such wonderful patterns.

And the moles present me with such wonderful chaos on the lawn!

Finally for todays post – I’m sharing these flowers with you.

Yes, for you lot.

To cheer you up on these cold and mostly grey November days (unless you are the other side of the world, in which case you are waiting on summer which I hope its a good one for you, please can you remind me what a good summer is?)

I promise to be back soon.

(PS the flowers are on my kitchen table and are cheering me up every time I walk past).

School holidays

Where did the first term go?  Feels as if we have only just started school again after the summer holidays and already the October half term has passed too.

We went for a walk….

Learn a new skill with Grandad…

And I got a beautiful bunch of flowers, home grown by my Dad.

Today I went and had my hair coloured – back to dark reds with a hint of purple. The hairdressers is middle right below.  Do you like the false moon?