'Ta-Dah' Meadowsweet Granny Stripe

This is my first Attic 24 inspired blanket, I have crocheted plenty of Granny Squares and Granny Stripes in the past but had never seen such lovely colourful blankets as those on Attic 24.  When my work colleague found out she was expecting a baby I was delighted for her and knew I wanted to make something special.  She has had a baby girl, called Imogen, so this is Imogen's blanket.  I am thrilled for my friend but I so miss her at work as it just isn't the same without her!  I have only just completed the 'Blankie' so I have not handed it over yet, I can't wait too.  I don't actually like holding other peoples babies, I like a little look and then I would rather chin wag with the new Mom and see what I can do to help out...washing up, making a cup of tea etc...It will be lovely to catch up and meet Imogen.

I made this with a 'Lucy Pack' of Stylecraft.  I am hopeless at choosing and co-ordinating colours, it was somewhat of a random selection, but I wanted more pinks than any other colour.  I also decided to be a bit experimental and break each row with the Meadow green colour.  I worked it in two rows of Granny stripe, followed by one row of double crochet in Meadow Green.  The three row pattern meant that there was no right or wrong side, and the rows of double crochet appeared in thin and slightly thicker alternate stripes.  I quite like the effect.  I think these blankets are like our children 'We all love our own!'  

I thought long and hard about edging, I wondered about a frilly shell pattern, plain meadow double crochet, I love the Tutorial on 'Crochet with Raymond' for the neat little zig zag edge.

Crochet with Raymond - Tutorial for 'Carnival Edge'

Then I looked at Teresa's edging, I loved the idea of Tulips, grass and sky.  How Arty for a granny stripe.

  

Teresa's 'Tulips, grass and sky' edging   

I chose the carnival edging and my six year old son approved and complemented the work in progress.  I nearly frogged it many times, as I was unsure of the the wonky zig zags, but resolved to keep going and try blocking, I have never blocked anything before. 

I wondered should I have just kept a plain edge or should I have gone for a shell edge...I decided you could ponder it for ever, so stuck with the 'carnival' zig zags.   I bought a packet of 200 pins for the blocking job and ran out!   It has taken all day to dry on top of the washing line in some warm sunshine.  I am now feeling underwhelmed by the finished article, it is a bit of an anti-climax.  I am trying not to be disappointed and I don't have the heart to frog the edge now and try to make myself happier with it.  It is pretty just not quite what I hoped for. 

It may be a while before I Granny stripe again and even longer before I try 'carnival edging'.  I think 'Carnival edging' would be great for smaller projects.  Not quite the Triumphant 'Ta-dah' moment I had anticipated.   :)

Weaving Spinning and Dyeing Guild - Design Workshop

On Saturday 12th March I attended the Monthly meeting of the 'Birmingham and District Guild of Weaving Spinning and Dyeing'.  This month it was a design workshop lead by Stacey Harvey-Brown.

"Stacey Harvey-Brown is an artist weaver, speaker, teacher and author, specialising in creating satellite, aerial and microscopic images in 2 ½ dimensions, sharing her love of weaving through exhibiting, giving talks, seminars and workshops, teaching absolute beginners through to advanced jacquard students, and writing widely on weaving, life and philosophy."

  I had no idea what to expect.  I am not at all 'arty'.  I need not have worried.  Stacey was very reassuring and I just soaked up all sorts of information and ideas not only from Stacey but other guild members and visitors.  It is really refreshing to be a room full of creative people, working on different projects with varying levels of experience.  Our task was to choose a 'design focus', an image or object, to work on to translate into a textile.  Stacey's focus was weaving.  She produces fantastic tapestry weavings and textured weavings.   I couldn't do justice to her work by attempting to explain it, you can link to her website here
The Loomroom
Guild members were not expecting to take a completed project home, we were exploring the process and collation of ideas and the stages involved in working ideas into textiles.  I am a complete novice to these concepts.  We had access to a wide variety of materials and books to explore.  My Mom settled to exploring a 'Sunset' and she was busy painting and finding yarns to match the colours and textures of the photograph, she claimed not to know what she was doing, but it kept her quiet and it looked great to me.  I have made a note to myself I need to invest in a large scrapbook and a pallet of water colour paints for exploring colour.  As is usual with my 'Learning style' I did not settle to my task well,  I started out looking at a photograph of a 'Summer meadow', then changed my mind a worked on a Pheasant tail feather that I have had for about a year.  I spent a long time closely examining the colours, patterns, line and texture on my feather, I tried to sketch it and recreate it in 'alternative' colours.   I get easily distracted nosing at what everyone else is up to.  I do learn a lot that way and I am in total awe of what individuals can and do achieve.  I learnt about 'Weave it' style square looms and had a demo and a play.

Examples of completed 'Weave it' squares

I am on a promise next month to learn how to warp a Rigid Heddle loom.  This may be ambitous though as next month is a 'Spinning Workshop' looking at creating Arty Batts of fibre.  I should stay focussed for that.  One guild member had a large collection of work she had produced for a 'City and Guilds' Textile course a good number of years ago.  She was the only member in the class to achieve a distinction, she showed me her process for getting from ideas to completed designs and it was fascinating.  For one example she used the designs from the outside of Romanian monastries to create woven Romanian style Aprons and recorded the process from start to finish.
 

This is an image from a 'Google' search to show the style of an 'antique' Romanian Apron



I found this image on a 'Google' search just to illustrate the decorative features on the outside of a 'Romanian' Monastry 

In this meeting I also managed to aquire a weaving book, some cones of thread and a fantastic Inkle Loom!  Not only is my impulse buying bad enough but the Inkle Loom was positively thrust in my direction, I did not know I even wanted one!!!  I accused the offending Guild member of being a bad influence but she insisted she was 'encouraging' me...as if I need it!

An Inkle Loom

I always return home exhausted from these meetings as my brain goes into overdrive.  I need a month to recover ready for the next adventure.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day 2011 - Beef Brisket slow cooked in Guinness

I really enjoy cooking using the Slow pot/Crock pot.  I find it very convenient if I have been working for the day to come home to food all ready and waiting to be dished out.  It is an economical way of cooking taking into account ingredients and fuel.  This meal is ideal for a Saint Patricks Day Celebration.  It makes a rich, hearty pot roast, using a relatively cheap cut of meat that is cooked in a way to make it tender and succulent.  It also makes use of healthy pulses, barley and lentils and whatever seasonal root vegetables you have to hand.  The only liquid added to the pot is a large can,or bottle of Guinness.  It is always nice to have some extra Guinness to slurp your merry way along. 

Ingredients

1 joint of Brisket
2 or three large carrots/peeled and chunked
half a swede/peeled and chunked
2 onions or leeks/ washed/ peeled and sliced
1 parsnip/peeled and chunked
1turnip/peeled and chunked
2 sticks of celery/washed and sliced (or any combination of vegetables you like or have to hand)
2 to 3 oz of pearl barley
2 to 3 oz of lentils Green or red
1 large can or bottle of Guinness
Salt/ Pepper and herbs to your taste. 

Method

Place all the ingredients into the slow pot, and cook on high for approximately 5 hours, or on medium for about 7 hours.  I use a gravy thickener just before serving if necessary.  Serve with roast or mashed potatoes or crusty bread.

Top of the Mornin to ye.
I will leave you with a some traditional Irish blessings...

May there always be work for your hands to do.
May your purse always hold a coin or two.
May the sun always shine on your windowpane.
May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain.
May the hand of a friend always be near you.
May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.


Bless those minding cattle,
And those minding sheep,
And those fishing the sea
While the rest of us sleep.


“May you never forget what is worth remembering, nor ever remember what is best forgotten”

    “May the saddest day of your future be no worse than the happiest day of your past”

May your troubles be as few and as far apart
as my Grandmothers teeth.

Phew I think I am back!!!

I have been missing Blogland a great deal, I have had serious withdrawal symptoms.  I have had Laptop troubles as I was not on wireless and I had slight computer damage that meant I could not connect.  You never miss the water until the well runs dry.  I do not know how I have managed to solve my problem it was trial and error tonight, I didn't have a clue what I was doing and then suddenly I had my Internet connection again.  It's like magic!  Good job I prepared my St Paddies day post in advance!   I am glad to be back :)

Pancake Day 2011

It is that time of year again...I have no will power so I have never observed Lent or giving anything up for Lent but I am partial to a Pancake or two.  This year I had two able assistants and they did a good job, both with the making and the eating.



We eat our pancakes with sugar and lemon...Mmmmm

 Pancakes
Basic Batter Recipe - Ingredients for making about 8 pancakes (More if you use a smaller pan)
4oz (100g) plain flour.
Half a Pint (250ml) of milk.
1 Standard Egg. (Size 2)
Pinch of Salt (half teaspoon)

Method
I have got a favourite small pan for pancakes, I use vegetable oil and heat it until it smokes.  Then I drain off the excess oil into a cup and swirl around some pancake mixture into the hot pan.  I cook it until it looks set and little holes appear in the pancake.  I did try tossing, but the dog gets in the way so it was safer to flip!  Both of my sons ate until they lost count!  When they were fit to burst they generously let me have a couple.  They experimented with cream, then butter, but both returned to the traditional sugar and lemon juice.  My youngest said 'Pancake Day was the best day of his life'.  I like kids that are easy to please :)

Thank You for 2000 Pageviews

I am delighted to have reached 2000 Pageviews, on my Birthday too! Thank you for reading  :)
from The Birthday Queen - (well I have a couple more hours until I abdicate!)