I'm still here............

And still keeping myself fairly busy, as evidenced in this first picture, see it's laundry day!!  I wish the sun would shine and I could get it all out on the line though. Looking out through the windows I reckon the sun will be hard pressed to show herself today, so the bumble dryer it is!

 Enough with the domestics and on to the lovely stuff. My Great British Granny crochet throw is almost done. Phew! It really is very warm sitting under that little lot!! 100% pure new wool in Aran weight is not the thing to be under at this time of year, (Even if the sun is not shining). It looks a bit small here on our bed, but that's not it's intended use. This one is for snuggling on the sofa on cold evenings.  I plan just a few rounds of the good old granny around the whole thing, then I'll call it done.

I specifically called it the Great British Granny because all of the yarn used is from rare breeds of British sheep.The brown in the center of this block is Manx Loaghtan. Obviously the local breed here on the island.

 The other two yarns I used are from one breed, the Jacob. I love the cream and sadly no matter what I do, I just can't get a nice photo of the marl, which is in the canter of this panel.

 The sixteen larger Granny squares which make up the main body of the throw are all finished and joined as I went with the cream yarn. They are then surrounded by small alternating cream and marl squares which were joined as I went using the Loaghtan. I have enough of the yarns left to do a round each of marl then cream. 

If I'm really lucky I'll have enough of the three yarns left to whip up a matching cushion cover.

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You know me, well I'm sure we're all the same, a finish means a start, no matter what else is simmering away elsewhere. LOL

I have two other crochet projects planned, neither one of which could be called small! I've also spent a lot of time lurking in some of the embroidery groups on flickr and my clicky finger made me buy a couple of books for embroidery inspiration............

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My newly found social life continues to have me in a whirl. We seem to spend more time out than in at the weekends! Next weekend will be no different. On Sunday the local Royal Naval Association will commemorate The Battle of The Atlantic. There will be a wreath laying ceremony at the local cenotaph. Followed by the usual gathering known locally as rum Sunday!!  I think the sun barely reaches the yardarms before the bottles are opened. There are lots of visitors for the day, British Legion Groups and other Royal Naval groups from around the island, not to mention groups from Chester, Llandudno, and other places which are traditionally linked to the island by the sea.  Of course the visitors don't just come for the day, they are here for the whole weekend. As Tony is the Vice Chairman for the Naval Association, we have to join in with all of the social gatherings. 

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Just thinking about that makes me tired, I think I'll make a cuppa and hook a couple of rounds on my granny.

The Great British Granny......

Well this has doubled in size since last you saw it. I have to say, I'm really enjoying the gentle rhythm of this one, it's very user friendly after the hexies. I took some of the yarn along with me to a Local Ravelry meeting. There were only five of us, but that was plenty. While we chatted I hooked together one and a half squares.

It was nice to meet up with others and see what they were up to. One lady was knitting socks, another was inventing a duck!! A third had brought several items and did a mini show and tell. The last lady is a novice, she didn't bring anything along, but enjoyed seeing what we were doing and had a quick impromptu lesson on Granny Squares! We're going to try to meet regularly. 

The Indian Banquet was very nice. With six different dishes on offer. Ranging from the sweet and tasty to the hot and fiery. We had a lovely evening. 

We also had fun the evening I cooked for friends, the Italian meal I prepared was lovely I was told I could make that again! Especially the cheese cake. LOL

Today I'm meeting up with my Brother and his wife during their lunch hour, my Tony is coming along too, we're off to the Caff for lunch. Later this week We're off out for dinner again, one of Tony's colleagues is paying as a thank you for a few hours of IT know how a couple of weeks ago. Tony never accepts cash payment when he helps out like that. Sometimes he comes home with tins of chocolates or bottles of wine. This is the first time we have been taken out for dinner as a thank you. Very nice.

Sunday will be a busy day, we have the annual Legion boat race. It's a charity event held to raise money for the local branch of the Royal British Legion. This year my Tony will be crew in one of the boats.That should be fun. I may throw a casserole in the slow cooker rather than try to cook a roast that day.

Phew, all the things I missed out on working full time shifts!

Dear son Jiffy has been working hard, while the weather is settled, there is lots of fishing. Problem is that means very little time ashore, he did squeeze in time for a visit last night when he presented me with a bag of laundry, thanks son, I love you too. 

Good thing it's a nice day, I'm off to peg, peg, peg.

Another new start.

Well I was making Hexies, but I got fed up with them and really couldn't settle. I think because each round was a different stitch and I couldn't get into a nice rhythm. There is also my difficulty in deciding which colour to use next and where it will be placed in relation to others....I may come back to it at some point and finish it into a crib size blanket, but for now it's lying neglected......

 Because I have a new start. Back to my limited colour palette, which I'm very much more comfortable with and the gentle rhythm of the good old granny. :-)  I'll plod along with this for a while, I really am enjoying it.

I did come across my cross stitch while hunting for something else to do, and it called to me, but alas essential items like my work stand and my magnifier are buried.  The family are coming next weekend to sort through some of mums belongings and make decisions on their fate, so maybe after that I'll be able to get at my lamp and do a little cross stitch. That may be a relief, it's getting warmer here each week and soon it will be too hot for sitting under this blanket.

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I seem to have a very busy social calender at the moment, who knew that being out of work could be so hectic. I'm double booked this evening, it's a friends birthday and he's hoping we can join him for drinks in town, but I also invited other friends around for dinner! (The dessert I made yesterday, it needed to chill overnight. The chicken is in the slow cooker and a simple salad starter I can throw together as they walk through the door. )  Tomorrow I'm meeting up with the Ravelry and facebook groups Manx Yarnies, there is a get together here in town. That should be fun. We're out for dinner on Sunday night, an Indian buffet with an old colleague. Phew! Next weekend promises to be just as busy. 

Till next time.

Slow progress.

Things are moving along slowly here. I have continued to make little hexagons and have quite a bundle of them now, so I couldn't resist putting a few together to see how they would look. I'm rather pleased with how they are turning out. 

 I couldn't resist getting the camera out the other day when I caught this pair sat on the stair. Jiffy and Ailsa are great friends. She knows that he will always make time to have fun with her and take her for long walks and sometimes even a swim. Sadly she will be going to her new home soon, so we're making the most of the time we have with this wonderful, beautiful little friend. 

Tony and I did consider taking her with us to NZ, but that wasn't what Mum wanted, besides neither of us was happy at the thought of her making the long journey and then having to go into quarantine. :-(  Always do as your Mother tells you right?