Another workout

This time it's making pasta. I really shouldn't watch too many YouTube videos. I've made pasta before but decided it was much too messy. Here's my pasta dough - just 2 mugs of flour and 2 eggs with a little water to make it into a firm dough. I mixed it up in the mixer to start off with but then got busy with my arm muscles.

Pasta machine from the CS at the ready. It would only fit on the table so there was a lot of walking backwards and forwards. I cut the dough into 4 manageable sizes ...

and did an initial roll out on the board.

Into the machine on setting 9, working down to 1, on to the other side of the machine to make spaghetti and fettuchini.

The handrail of the oven came in handy for the draping.

Then came the clear up.

Kitchen floor, back room floor, table and counter tops.

Yep, it's messy.

Here's the video that inspired me - what a lady.

xx

PS Chicken cacciatore next.

Trip out

I had my first experience of a Grey Brigade coach trip yesterday. 

Great fun as we didn't know where we were going. We ended up at Barrowford, a small pretty village in which was the Pendle Heritage Centre.

A small stream meandered though the village and we walked along it through the park gardens,

ending up at a local hostelry for lunch, which was beautifully presented.

Onward we went in the afternoon, up and up, along very narrow roads, extremely narrow roads,

to Clitheroe. The first narrow road the coach went up was the wrong one so we backed up about a quarter of a mile and immediately proceeded to the next frightfully narrow road.

We said hello to the sheep on the hillside.

A tour of the main street of Clitheroe whiled away the afternoon along with an ice-cream and a trip to a CS!

Good company, good food and great scenery. Must do it again some time with the LWJ.

xx

I have started ...

1. to tidy and clear the garden before it gets too cold

2. to knit a mermaid tail blanket with circular needles - I've a long way to go.

3. to get into a normal routine now that the activities of summer are over

(Let me see now - LWL, LWJ, swimming, dancing, gardening, date days with OH - it's a hard life!)

4. buying small presents for C--------

5. thinking I eat to much (only thinking)

6. sorting out my Autumn wardrobe (getting out the long sleeved tops!) I purchased 2 pairs of ankle boots from the CS last week as I'd walked through the soles of my other pair.

7. to conquer travel sickness and go out on a coach trip with a friend tomorrow

xx

PS

LWL = Ladies who lunch

LWJ =  Ladies who jolly

OH = Other half

CS = Charity shop

C = Christmas - yeah!

PPS

He gave me a hug = English

He gev me an 'ug. = English with a Lancashire accent. Hence "a Nug" from yesterday's post. :)

Fourth pop in

Long denim skirt - 99p from a CS,

cut down to a reasonable length using another 99p bargain tunic top,

hemmed by hand (it takes me such a long time to get out the machine and even longer to thread the needle on said machine) and now suitable for - 

sunny weather with a straw hat and flips or ...

cooler times with black tights, long cardigan and boots.

Result!

xx

On my needles and hook

I've started knitting squares from spare yarn. Here's a 20cm square and a 10cm square. The 10cm was way more satisfying to knit. A colleague at the CS wanted to get back into knitting again so we decided to knit squares for Charity projects. This one being for a pets' charity that needs blankets for the animals. We know that our hard work will be going to a good cause and we may recruit more knitters and crocheters along the way. My task was to sort out the pattern - number of stitches and size of needle and then to sew or crochet the squares together. Hope the project blossoms.

This next pic is of my blanket in progress. The ripple blanket is so satisfying to crochet and I'm using up my DK stash. It will take me some time to finish but I'm in no rush.

I've also been crocheting 'scrubbies' which are for washing up. They are crocheted from yarn that is actually strips of netting. The scrubbies don't work as well as ordinary scourers but look quite good around the sink. I'll post pics another time.

I've been thinking of names to call our knit and crochet for animal charities group and have come up with Knitty Nutters and Crochet Hookers. Any other names would be appreciated as we would like to recruit others to help us in our quest.

xx

Thinking out loud

I would definitely have more space in my cupboards if I didn't have multiples of the same thing ...

eg magazines

wool

books

tins

baskets

bowls

vases

types of clothing

material

craft items

shampoo

aftershave

toilet rolls

crocheted blankets

duvets

duvet covers

pillow cases

... to name but a few!

As part of my de-cluttering I am ridding myself of books and some of the first to go are those of Charles Dickens. We saved a full set on one of our forays to the tip (DH knows how to treat a girl!) and they have decorated shelves ever since. I have read a few and intended to read every single one. Now we have decorated it is time to cull and I can read the stories I haven't read yet online - and the print would be a lot larger.

So, off to the CS go the books and I've already made a start reading CD's books in order online. Now there's more space made.

The trouble is - I want to fill it!

Cupboard love

Thank goodness for cupboards that store and hide. What fun pulling out 'stuff', sorting out, deciding what goes and what stays and finding long, lost items.

The cupboard was a large one just off a bedroom and the stuff was mainly - 

music paraphernalia,

suitcases,

coats,

folding tables,

files,

photographs,

hats,

material,

quilting items,

briefcase,

flower press,

bags

and, of course - 

cuddly toys.

It all came out and everything, bar the cuddly toys and 2 bags for the CS, was put back neatly. I even made a list as to what went where. 

That's my job done for the day. More sorting tomorrow.

xx

All wrapped up

I started wrapping presents today. Most of my Christmas wrapping paper has been used and I've not bought any more as I use material bags to 'wrap' the family presents. This bag was made from an old shiny gold top. All I did was sew the bottom up.

Fill with presents then just tie the shoulder straps together. Other bags have been made from clothing or material in shiny, Christmassy colours.

This year I tried something different and wrapped some presents up in a scarf - shiny and Christmassy of course. The recipient has a present on the outside as well as the inside. The scarves are bought very cheaply from the CS.

This scarf wrapped present is adorned with festive tassels and decorations.

Only a few more presents to wrap now and another task is ticked off the list.

xx

I had to rescue this beautiful stitching from the CS today.

It measures 21 inches square and is only partially done. The stitching is extremely neat and a lot of work has gone into it already.

With it came this piece of stitching which measures 32 inches by 24 inches and, again, is partially complete.

There is a variety of stitches - herring bone, chain ...

and a wonderful whip stitch has been started around the edge.

Unfortunately there are no silks with the pieces apart from the ones that were last in use.

Even though I can embroider, I am not as competent at the art as this lady was. I very much doubt that I will finish these - they need someone who is skilled who has a bank of silks that would match the ones already on the cloths. I am willing to post these to anyone who will be kind enough to complete these and give them a new home. (UK only)

If you are the person I'm seeking please leave a comment below. If more than one person wants these I'll put names into a hat. I really hope someone can complete these as so much work has gone into them already.

xx

New Rug from Old

I've had this part worked rug in my cupboard for a couple of years. It was an unwanted item from the CS so I said I'd give it a home.

A further purchase from the CS landed me with these balls of chunky King Cole wool. I can't pass on wool so they came home with me too.

Marry the two purchases together and I hope to end up with a creamy, browny rug for one of the bedrooms. I cut the length of each piece of wool by eye - vaguely all the same length and rug hook them into position.

It's quite relaxing to hook and there's no dead-line for finishing.

xx

Storage

A comment from one post remarked on storage and I thought I'd show one of my prettier storage solutions. This storage box caught my eye in the CS...

and I'm having a great time filling it with various papers and bits and pieces.

My Filofax organisers echo the colours of this box. Two other boxes I bought at the CB for £3 each.

Just the job for organising my card making bits and pieces.

Pusscat is supervising here. She's after the pipe cleaners - not a good idea.

My I-key-ya boxes held an assortment of sewing paraphernalia but it was difficult to remember which box was which so ...

the second CB box came to the rescue to hold press studs (hardly ever use these), hooks and eyes (hardly ever use these), old zips rescued from redundant clothing (They'll come in handy some day - no, they never do!) and bits of velcro (hardly ever use these). I can't throw any of this lot away, though.

And I can't throw away wooden cotton reels so they went in to.

There, storage organised.

Next?

xx

PS Friday the 13th and I've had 13 emails and have sold 13 things on Ebay!

xx