What Katie Did

I've been tagged!

Isn't this blogging community wonderful? I love to hop from link to link checking out people's generously shared crafts and lives. And reading the people who have been 'tagged' about some project or other. So I read all about Little Jenny Wrens fridge with interest, thinking what a strange thing to be tagged about - got to the bottom and discovered I had been too - well!

Here goes.

This is my fridge - it's pink and very beautiful and never has anything in it but fresh, properly wrapped, delicious food. No little bowls of unidentifiable mush with blue mould on top, no unwrapped cheese packets with hard inedible cheese fit only for the dog, nothing past its 'sell by date' - heaven forbid! Only one juice box open at a time - for who would open a new one when there is one open already?

Ahhh!
Hands up who believes me?
OK
it's true - I have the 'before' fridge. It was a wedding present from my lovely parents, so I can date it exactly - 21 years old. It has done good service and will continue to do so as long as the price tag on the pink Smeg is as it is.

Hang on - I'll go an photograph it.

This is a very blurry image - but you get the idea. It used to be covered in fridge magnets (or maggots as they are known - fridge maggots - this post isn't getting any better is it?) each one holding down a bit of the kids artwork or a newspaper clipping or whatever. But they all went as the kids grew and now I have a notepad that was a present from Catherine and the latest milk bill.

Am I brave enough to show you inside? No - It is too embarrassing. So before I go off and tidy out the fridge - I'll tag my sister in law Sheila  because she's family - no getting out of this one! and the lovely Wendy because I love reading what she has to say on all things - so I guess she'll make her fridge interesting too. And Islaygirl because she writes with humour even though life is tricky sometimes!
but don't do it girls if you'd rather not - and definitely don't do it if you have a pink Smeg.

Saturday Round Up

I seem to have settled into a once weekly post, and that sometimes means there are lots of things to show you, and sometimes, not very much at all! But I have had a busy time in the shed lately, so here is the result.
It is my little friends Cala's 2nd birthday soon. I'm sure her Mum doesn't check this blog, so here are the birthday girl's new trousers

Mum gave me a whole stack of upholstery weight fabric ages ago and it's been sitting in a heap waiting for me to do something with it. I like how these turned out - -they are lined with an old green silk blouse I picked up in a jumble sale. I made her a little bag too -

and I liked it so much that I made four more! Rosie who is part of this great place, has asked if I would sell some of my things at a Christmas Craft Fair on November 11th, so I'm making more things like these.

And another project for Cala's Mum is a blank book for her to use as a diary, especially for this latest pregnancy! (exciting!)
Here is an amazing book that I rescued from work just before they threw it away. It has such great pages and wonderful marbling on the ends, the idea was to use it as a photograph album, but that never happened. Now I think I'll use the pages to make blank books like the one I started today.

I spent a term doing a book making course every tuesday morning, but we didn't really make books - more pop up cards and boxes and things. It was a bit disappointing as I was really interested to know some book binding techniques, but I got some tips and clues and have invented my own style. Also - I find lots of inspiration on this wonderful webby place.
I am sewing the pages onto stiff paper spines - also from books - like this.....

(don't panic Mum - I will change the needle after this terrible use of my machine!)

Then I've hand stitched them together down the middle - next I'll make the cover - still puzzling that one out - but it's taking shape in my head! I'll let you see how it ends up! And more importantly, whether Lara likes it!

Next - I've liked old Yarnstorms tea cosies for ages now and had to make my own for my Rooibosh tea times. This is rooster wool  but it will never have a companion because I really disliked knitting it, even though I love the result - and had to go and find a teapot to match!

What else? Oh yes - I got some silk yarn from Hip Knits and I love it!

These are very small amounts and will be little flowers for the 'wacky' workshop I'm doing Very Soon!! And this ...

no idea? but I'm sure something will occur.
And that will do - another week flies by, the woods are turning golden and beautiful. Poppy and I love to walk here as often as we can.

Blurbing or Blobing

My Mum and Dad have just left - and here is a bit of the flavour of what they left behind, not the dinner, we ate that, but these. This is John helping himself. he came back on Friday to our great surprise and delight.

These amazing fairy lights are nearly as old as my brother and he's older than me so thats a big number - sorry Alan, but these facts have to be faced.

what do you know, when we plugged them in ..... they didn't work! But Mum had faith and tweaked all the ancient little bulbs and ....

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! I remember these on all the Christmas trees as I was growing up. I know we won't be able to get replacement bulbs for this, so I wonder if I dare use them?

Geoff and Dad went off to the workshop to talk about wood. We really enforced our gender stereotyping here as Mum enjoyed a guided tour of the shed and a look at all the things I have been making lately. But she was scandalised by the state of my machine, so gave it a good old clean and oil and an MOT

Sorry Mum, I'll try and keep it running sweet in future. Mum changes her machine needle after every quilt. Does anyone else do that? it makes sense.

Then she gave me all this shirting!

Mum belongs to a wonderful network of quilters in Lancashire and they are very generous with their swaps and little sales. She bought some of these at a recent sale for next to nothing. Someone remembered that she was interested in them for me, so she was offered a whole lot more for nothing! So now I have no excuse but to get on with the Kaffe Fassett inspired piecing.

Except for lack of time! I have so many projects on the go at the moment. My Knitting Day Course is coming up soon for the Garden Station. If you want to scroll down to November 10th there I am. Not too happy with my title - 'Wacky' is not a word I would have chosen for myself, but there you are! I am getting myself prepared for it largely by encouraging Margrethe who has offered to help me and who seems to be doing all the work!

The local paper  did a piece about the Knitting Group for National Knitting Week. The link is to the text only, but there was a great picture too. Here I am 'the crafty brains behind the knit wits of Hexham'. Really!

We have had a lovely day. Now I am waiting for the 'two rings' on the phone that will tell me they got home safely - even after going 'over the top'. I hope they aren't too tired - it's a long way to do there and back in one day, but my Dad maintains that the Mercedes needs a nice long run out from time to time.

Oh how I love Oxfam!

As I have said before, I work one afternoon a week in the local Oxfam shop. I sort the children's books and restock the shelves. And I buy so much stuff! Yesterday, I deliberately didn't take any of my cloth shopping bags as I was sure I wouldn't bring anything home. But I didn't need them because the huge assortment of old plastic flowers came in their own enormous suitcase.
Just the thing for winter!

As I have also mentioned, Geoff laughs like no-one I have ever known - so completely and sometimes I think - dangerously.

Yes - He is watering the plastic flowers, though the nasturtiums are real.

Here is a jam update - Owen and Geoff made crab apple jelly

Lots of crab apple jelly - it set really well and Owen is so proud of it!
And I made a tea cosy and had a trip into Corbridge to buy a matching tea pot - picture of that to follow because it's dark and I can't get a decent picture.

Looking forward to tomorrow!

National Knitting Week

Tuesday is Knitting Day for me, and in this National Knitting Week I got a double helping. In the morning I was invited to go to the waiting room at the Cancer Outpatients Department in Newcastle. Ali and Rachel work there involving patients who are waiting for treatment in all sorts of craft activities. Ali had written up the weeks events and billed me as 'The Knitting Artist'  which is a very grand title and the nicest thing I have been called in a long time!
I had taken in a variety of yarns, needles, patterns and was wearing most of my favourite knitted clothes! I think I must have looked a bit strange in my collection of Kaffe Fassett carigan, Noro Silk Garden Clapotis, and Opal socks dragging a large wheeled suitcase and wearing my bright pink Crocs.

I had a really interesting time. People were reminiscing about their knitting triumphs, I got a pair of guys winding hanks of wool, we did a couple of squares for Wateraid and another two hats for the Innocent Bottles. And one of the people awaiting treatment was the father-in-law of one of the founders of the great Innocent dirnks people! We had a fine old chat!

it was a really amazing place to be - such a mixture of people with so many stories. I think the 'Room for You'  is a terrific idea.

I drove back along the A69 at a great pace to get to our weekly Knit-in at the cafe - we had such a good turn out and the local paper came for a photo and a story so we'll have a look at that on Friday!

Dorothy has made this for her daughter who teaches primary school.

and Annie made this for her daughter, modeled here by my dear friend Sue - the White Witch Of Haydon Bridge.

She usually looks much prettier than this! But she is completely mad so what can you do?

the total number of hats for Age Concern is now .......

                   twentysix!!!!!

I will send them tomorrow with the best wishes of all the creative knitters who were mad enough to make them!!

And finally - Owen is making crab apple jelly. Here is the start of it.



more on this story as the news breaks.

knitting for charity

Wendy got me started knitting these little hats. They are simple and quick to make and might make a bit of difference to someone this winter. The closing date is 20th October though - so if you feel moved to join in - get a move on!

Here is my favourite one on a bottle of smoothie - I would buy that if I saw it for sale and it would put a smile on my face all day!

And the Hexham Knitting Group sent it's knitted wave to the Water Aid Campaign

I hope they get the million they said they wanted - ours is a little northern ripple! I especially love Sue's daughter Laura's - (second row right) this was her first knitting attempt with fish buttons and beads incorporated along the way. Expertly sewn together by Dorothy.

Have a lovely weekend

What the other half gets up to

Geoff works with wood. This is really the understatement of the year. He lives, eats, sleeps and dreams WOOD. I often think that its amusing that our passions are almost the same word but for the last letter - 'd' for him, 'l' for me.

Anyway - I want to show you round his workshop.

He has lots of wood.

 

 

and lots of tools

and boxes and drawers full of interesting things

And in this big space and with the help of the people who work for him he makes amazing things

The latest 'thing' to be created is a boat - a ship-wrecked, land-locked boat!it is going to be in a children's playground near us. it's hard to photograph in the workshop, I'll get a better picture when it's been 'launched'

and here is a big roof for a studio he's making - I'm a bit worried that this one won't fit out of the doors, but he's assured me that it's all carefully measured!

Sometimes, he makes theatre sets for Dodgy Clutch here are some photos of photos so not excellent quality

 

these are
1. an iceberg on fire in the river! This was a New Year Celebration in Middlesborough
2. the tusks of two elephants - not much wood I know - but still a lovely job and a wonderful show
3. the figures on this bus were made by the threatre company - -Geoff made the bus - the figures are larger than lifesize so that gives you a sense of scale. This was was set alight for another New Year's eve thing in Newcastle
4. this piano player was in the middle of the lake at Wallington Hall for a celebration a while ago - I don't think he was torched if I remember rightly - he had piano music blasting out from under the lid of his piano balancing on one leg in the lake. I can't remember how that did that?

I like the work he does for the Dodgy's it's a bit more wild than the straight lines he's usually preoccupied with.

Anyway, he works very hard and I appreciate him. They do get a cup of tea sometimes, but like everything else, it always has a thin film of sawdust on it

Syrian Goodies

Martha is back from Syria with a certificate to show for all her hard work learning Arabic at the University in Damascus and a bag full of wonderful presents for us all.

fabric and more........

this looks a bit dark here, but in the sun shining through the window today they are much brighter and more lovely than these pictures suggest.

and yards and yards of ribbons and braids

do they measure in yards Martha?

We spent the weekend moving her to a new flat in Bristol with the obligatory trip to Ikea (along with the entire population of Bristol) and another look at that lovely city. She is in her second year now, or as she prefers it - her 'penultimate year'. So with John on his Trip Around The Country Visiting Everyone He Knows, we are back to the rhythm of school, work, dog walking, and the rest with just the three of us. All of you with little children out there - enjoy them now because life certainly gets very interesting when they are at this stage - old teenagers and beyond... still lots of fun, but quite a different type of fun!

Sunny today, but monsoon rain in Bristol at the weekend turned the roads into rivers and the hills into waterfalls. Turn your telly off standby at night and think about the planet.