Sunday, April 29, 2007

Weaving Workshop



So there it is....the start of a new skill. I should take a picture of the selvedge. I'm so proud of it! I finally can WEAVE! I've wanted to do this all my life. I bought the loom several months ago for really cheap at the guild. It is worth joining a guild for the cheap supplies you can get! Anyway, Mary Keer was kind enough to slip me into her course and I had the best time. Warping was ok, until you started threading the heddle. (I actually know what I'm talking about now!). But the weaving was great and Mary is so good and patient. She has been teaching for many years, and she is still so enthusiastic!

Thanks again Swap Pal!

Sorry, I tried to get this last night and the stupid camera died! Thanks so much for the wonderful gifts!

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Crochet goodness

So this is what I've been up too! I bought these two japanese books from SaucyLouise. I love them! I picked up some tapestry yarn at a textile gallery they have in Llandiloes where my sis-in-law lives. The flowers are So much fun to make! I'm going to make the purse on the front of the book on the left. I can't get over how much I enjoy these Japanese magazines.

Easter

Thought I would post a few of the pictures from the Easter weekend we spent with my sister-in-law. The Welsh countryside is so beautiful that I had to throw in a few of them. (Sorry about the dates being wrong on the pictures, we have to reset it...again!)

In the distance you can almost make out one of many controversial wind farms. I think they are beautiful, and so eco-friendly! But a lot of people thin they are unsightly. The post shows two walks in the area. All walks are well marked and are usually called so and so way. A lot of times they are pilgrimages walks that were used for years for those who were going from church too church until they reached St. Davids in Pembrokeshire (well the ones in Wales do.)


We got very close to these guys. They were in with a ruined abbey that was razed by Henry the VIII. There are a lot of these ruins around, even in Much Wenlock where my hubby is from. This one is far away from Llandiloes where my sister-in-law lives, but they still managed to move the arches from this abbey and put them in the chapel they were building in Llandiloes. We went to church there for Easter Sunday and it was amazing! You could tell how much older the arches were. This church was made 100s of years ago, can't remember exactly when....sorry Dennis (my bro-in-law).
I took this pictures because it shows very well how they "lay" hedges here. In Wales and Shropshire they use laid hedges to keep the sheep in. They let the hedge trees grow up to about 5 feet or so. Then they, and you can tell in the picture, lay the trees on their sides. They weave posts in to keep the trees on their sides. Then the branches shoot up and become impenetrable. They say that you can tell how hold a hedge is by how many different plants are growing in them. A lot of times there are black berries in them, yum!
This is New Quay on the Welsh coast. It was such a nice little village, but packed with people on the day we were there...it was warm enough for the kids to be in the water....which I found so unusual. In fact you can tell in the pictures how clear it is. Wales gets lots of rain usually, but we didn't get a single drop while we were there! I was a bit dissapointed really...it is nice to have a day in by the fire with your crochet hook or book!

I was worried about getting good pictures of the sheep....and then we came across this paddock with the little guys dying to be petted....well they thought we might have food....but aren't they CUTE!!! I have to admit a weakness for the black lambs!

Monday, April 02, 2007

Thanks to my swap pals....

I received these the other day and it really made me happy! The first pictures is some lovely things from my secret pal. I couldn't wait to put my keys on the key change. The pink box has stickers in it and the box with the lamb and rabbit on it is a tin that I can put embroidery stuff in! Yeah!!!










This was a gift from Tora from the tote exhange. It is lovely, and I can't get over how well she did the roses. They are lovely. The bowl has some homemade stitch markers that a friend of hers made. It really is lovely.