What Katie Did

Folksy Shop - Official Opening!

Owen helped me. I couldn't have managed it on my own!
For ages now I have been bothered about Etsy - only because it's listed in dollars and I don't understand dollars as much as I do sterling. £££££ instead of $$$$$
So with apologies to everyone who likes buying on Etsy, (you still can if you like - go to the link up there that says 'OPEN'), but now there are Delights from the Shed on Folksy, and more of them.
Have a little look if you like.
Cutting the ribbon now.
Hooray!
Welcome to you all.

Batik Workshop - or - I need a new hobby like a hole in the head

Pete Winstanley makes amazing batiks - there is an exhibition at the Station and today was the workshop to show us how to do this technique. I have never done this one before - a textile art I have not tried! As usual - you give people the instructions and the materials and then be amazed by the variety of what is produced.
Louise is amazingly talented- this is her 'doodle'!!
This is mine ..... hmmmm
The courses at the Station are such good fun - lovely lunch, expert tuition, as much tea and coffee as you can drink and a very good atmosphere - and something to show for it, though in my case - not very expert something. I have plans to make my efforts into a diary cover and you never know - I might actually manage it and post the result here.
Has anyone who reads here tried this?

 
messy, interesting, productive. All good.

ironing the wax out of the horse.

another talented woman who is not me.

Go and play with this!

Flikr
what fun!

The Results!

Thank you to everyone who entered the Fibre Prize Draw for my 2000th Comment. The results have been delayed because of the busy weekend I have had but are available to you now. And I have a problem. Martha very helpfully posted the terms and conditions in the comments

   ' This promotion's participating sponsors, their advertising agencies and members of their immediate families are not eligible to participate and win. The term 'immediate families' include spouses, Grandparents, Parents, Children and Grandchildren whether by marriage, past marriages, remarriage, adoption, co-habitation or other family extension.'

It was helpful of Martha to point this out, however, the 2000th comment was left by my sister-in-law Shelia. Reading the small print though - Martha doesn't mention 'Siblings and their spouses' so maybe it is alright for her to win? But I have decided that I will choose another two at random from the other visitors and send out three packs! so...

congratulations Sheila!

congratulations Rosy (no blog link)

congratulations Molly

All you have to do is check out the colours on this post and select your preference - like 'bluey/greens' or 'pink and lilac' or 'hot reds' or 'christmassy' or whatever - or name a few actual colours and send me an email with your postal address and I will send the stuff! Hooray! (email up there on the right under my 'shed open' sign)
Sorry to everyone else who didn't get picked by the random generator (never used one of them before!) but thank you for calling by.

Here, just for fun are the results of another prize that has been going on in our family this weekend. My Dad sent me this photo and asked each of us to think what might be on the sign that the people in his garden are invited to read.....

I know, I know - you can't see a sign - but it's sideways on the grass. (couldn't work out how to do an arrow)
Here are the suggestions
My Brother Alan - ' please go round the other way'
My 2000th commenter, Sheila 'Please keep off the grass'
Me - 'Please help yourself to sweet peas'
Geoff - 'names of begonias on request'
John - 'No Fishing'
Owen - 'Time machine invented, Nana much younger'
I think we have a clear winner there.
It really says .... do you want to know, or do you want to guess? It really says
'Please Walk on the Grass'
(edited to add - Nana has spoken - the winner is JOHN!)

So to end this post, a little look at two things that made me smile (apart from Owen's suggestion, which made me laugh out loud for ages)
This weekend there was a wedding feast at the Garden Station and this is the cake we made
and yesterday my good friends Maddy, Joe and Ellen came to visit. They are lovely people from the Town and here they were in the Country! (Ellen - 12 - 'eugh... what's that smell?' ... silage)
having to wear my welly socks!

Tag - I'm it and 2000 giveaway

Lindsay has tagged me. I first 'met' Lindsay when she won the 1000 comment giveaway I did ages ago. She was my 1000th comment on this blog and she got a surprise pack of stuff. Well - before I go on to fulfill the condition of the tag, here is the announcement of the 2000th comment!! Any time now it will be here and all you have to do is leave a cheery 'hello' in the comments box to be in with a chance of winning, The pack this time will be felting related - as is everything around here at the moment. I will put together a pack of fibre in the colours of your choice and send it anywhere in the world - along with a few other treats! So go on - leave a comment!
(and if you do - the word 'lurker' is forbidden - I don't have any truck with the term - you are a 'reader who doesn't leave a comment' - that is all  - I am one myself - quite possibly on your blog - ha!)
So - Lindsay wants to know seven random things about me - I have done random before a couple of times - but I continue to be a random person and so here we go again
1. I like rice cakes. They are not like polystyrene ceiling tiles if you put enough peanut butter on them.
2. Pink is not my favourite colour - I know this will come as a shock to many - as I have made a career out of liking pink, but I only like it when it is with other colours - orange for instance or green. Green and pink - the perfect combination.
3. I collect blank books. I always intend to write in them - useful things - important events - musings - ideas - but I never do, because the pages look so nice and clean and I think I will spoil them - so I have a lot of blank books. This is why I visit Hanna so often because she really knows how to fill up those blank books!
4. I am as stubborn as a mule - over very many things - it is a shame.
5. I like the number 4. Always have.
6. I know all the words to 'One Hot Summer in Itching Down' and will recite them at the drop of a hat - to anyone who may or may not want to hear it. This may be annoying. Not sure.
7. I was born by the sea but I don't live near it now and I miss it. I am the Water Carrier (?) and love to look at the sea - swim in it when I am feeling especially bold or reckless, but not sail on it - sea sick. So I live right in the middle of the country and miles away from the sea! This is also a shame. But when I do get there, I have a good time.
none of these people are me - indeed - one of them is a dog - as you will have spotted.

So - The giveaway - works like this - you comment - Typepad tells me who is 2000th and I then pick another one at random so we have two winners! Ya! Lets say till Saturday 15th my time. Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!!

And go ahead and tag yourself if you fancy being random!

Long Range Felting Forecast

You can expect there to be increased activity on the felting front round here. There have been positive sightings of an unprecedented amount of FIBRE in these parts

a great deal of unusual activity has been reported

and an improvement in the condition known as 'Prinkly Finger' is not expected any time soon

Before the arrival of this substantial warm front, only small projects have been able to be completed


But now that the bulk of the warm weather fibre has arrived, please call back here from time to time as I attempt to felt the whole of Hexham ..... nay Northumberland .... or maybe even The World!!
I have plans .... big plans!!

4.01 am the BBC News

0401 Obama is projected to cross the 270 electoral vote threshold to become the 44th president of the United States!

well done America!

 

I can go to bed now - happy!