March Snow

Last week I took out a sweater to wear and wanted a brooch for it. As I couldn’t find one I wanted to wear I went downstairs and made a couple. I’ve been chasing these two kilt pins aoound my desk for years so it was about time they became something.

Also each morning I have been timing myself to stitch on the Bright 9 Patch I made last summer. It’s been sitting in a bag looking lonely so I thought just a half an hour would at least get something done on it. I’m half way now so it must be working! You can just see I’ve taken the shape of one of the birds from the fabric, a heart and a sort of infinity symbol to fill the spaces.

I love my threads in a messy bundle usually but this week I decided I wanted to have a tidy. The Dremmel on a slow setting helps a lot with winding the whole skeins onto milkshake straws. They are 1cm across and a nice sturdy paper cut down to 3inch lengths. I have all the Mulberry Silk threads on the normal paper straws, that’s how they are sold, but I find them a little flimsy for more substantial thicknesses and quantities.

Usually when I start using a skein of thread I cut straight through it as this gives usable lengths. I’ve neatly plaited the finer threads which have already been cut but some of the thicker ones I’ve wound the strands on individually. They’ve been used lots with my Daily Stitches.

Snowy Stack is growing but slowly. I’m being super careful with my neck. Just a lot of the white Polar bear to do. Then the nice bits!

My Stylecraft cardigan 9718 is coming along. I could have finished the right side last night but I was enjoying watching Unforgotten too much. It’s a very easy pick up put down pattern.

Karen at Stitching Life recently posted her totally lovely little painting daily practice and how she had only just discovered using tubes in pans. This is my ancient paintbox with tube colours, something my art teacher at school taught me. They behave so much nicer than pans I think.

However, having said that, I do use a pan box for holidays as I’d hate to damage or lose my little wooden one. This is a set I was given last year so it’s only seen one holiday so far. Someone on Karen’s blog (Rachel at VirtuoSew Adventures) said about some of the colours looking nearly black and hard to see which is which. I put a row of sticky label just in the mixing pan behind the colours and paint them. You can see the colours and hopefully learn them before they become too wet and peel off. The 6 bottom right look very similar in the block but the bit of paper to their right shows the colours better.

The pans are still not as nice as tube paint but pre spraying to wet them helps a lot. This is that set on their first outing last September in Wales when I’d been watching the birds on the foreshore. We have little Egrets in the village but I’d never noticed how yellow the tops and bottoms of their legs were until I decided to paint one!

This is the first outing of my 2023 table! All up to date and filling up nicely already.

Yes, we woke to snow in deepest, darkest Dorsetshire! Then it rained and it’s all gone. I did take Grandpup Remi out all wrapped up in his coat but he wasn’t too impressed. Willy stayed home as I didn’t want to risk her leg now we have it just about working properly again and the puppy is in season so she has to be content with the garden and brain games. I’m managing up to about .75km before I start feeling the twinges a little so then I turn back. Considering I fell heavily on Sunday on the knee which was operated on and it swelled up painfully I’m pleased with 1.5kms at a time at the moment!

I hope you’re keeping warm and dry if you’re having this weather too!!