I made it!!!

Well! the big 40 went by very smoothly - thank you so much for all your positive words, I know I have lots to look forward too now!!!

I was a very lucky girl, Baby Fig bought me a hamper she had created herself with every kind of sweet and drink that VIMTO make, and a dinky Vimto delivery van - anyone would think I like Vimto! 

Hubby bought me an ace mini weaving starter kit, containing a small loom, various wools and some hilarious instructions translated from German by someone who doesn't speak the language me thinks!!!

Mum and Dad bought me an Olympus PEN camera - I had been yearning for one for some time, and my Dad being my Photography guru couldn't help himself and keeps posing every time I see him. 

Of course, as with any new camera, the first photo's are usually of what is right in front of you - here is my little stitch boy keeping his mummy's foot stool warm, with the camera in 'pinhole' mode - ooh, listen to me!!

Life as ever never slows down, I am doing my first real craft fair this weekend in BRIXTON - only a few hundred miles away in a big city.....arghhhh! I am terrified to say the least, but as I was invited, I thought it time I started to take up opportunities when they present themselves - so if you are in the Brixton area, pop along to the Brix  either on Friday evening or Saturday, and tell me to CALM DOWN!!! 

now - where did I leave my sewing room???

...almost there...

One week until the big 40! 

Thank you for all your wonderful comments regarding this milestone - I am almost prepared for the next decade...

What a glum week the weather has made, is the sun ever going to shine again? I have been busy busy busy making things to sell on Folksy - and can't get a decent photo of any of them without the sun! every time it does pop out I am either not at home, or after running to the sewing room it has buggered off again! Also, I think my hibernation instincts may be kicking in, I could sleep for England! (if only there was a job in the civil service with that very title...)

I am fed up with knitting this week - having made 2 stupid mistakes on 2 different socks I threw them into a plastic bag and hid them in the wool cupboard until I have the light and patience to undo them back the mistakes, so instead I became a little obsessed with Heart Making - All that Kirsty Allsop's fault! - and am even considering getting out my 20 odd year old cross stitch equipment, dusting it down, and selling it on e-bay! no, I am kidding, there are certain things a girl can never sell (can I still call myself a 'girl' after 40?)

Here are a few of my favorite hearts made this week...

Now - I need to wean myself off hearts...but what will I replace them with?????

The big count down...

I usually try and avoid anything to do with Christmas until the very last minute, otherwise I am totally Christmassed out before we even get to December - I don't let anyone in the house mention it until after my birthday in November - however...This November it is my 40th birthday, so to take my mind of that I have been busy in the sewing room making Christmas Decorations for my Folksy shop. It has kind of worked - the count down to the big 40 has been forgotten and despite making decorations for Christmas, I still don't feel 'christmassy' RESULT! 

A little selection of my fancy bird and chili inspired decorations! (see, not TOO Christmassy!)

oh - and in a shamelees bit of advertising - I am offering free P&P on all the Christmas decorations in my folksy shop to UK customers!!!!
Just click on my FOlksy link, or any of the photo's in this post!

Right - time too look for egg nogg recipe's!

size doesn't always matter!

Just a quickie today - two more projects I have been working on this week...

First of all this teeny tiny Bunny Nugget - free pattern from Ravelry!! this is so cute and simple to make, so look out for more colours and a bunny nugget invasion!

 

And secondly my GIANT needle rug I am knitting - there is only one place in the house I can sit to use these bad boys - and I am using 6 balls of wool at a time, though I could probably fit another 6 balls to make it thicker - if I could afford to!

Have a great weekend!

It's amazing what you find in Birmingham!

A couple of weeks ago I had made a resolution to myself to blog more, read more, etc etc, this week I am making a resolution to not make any more resolutions!

I am sure when I was a kid that time went a lot slower - holidays lasted for ever, weekends stretched out to infinity on a Friday and Monday was an eternity away, Christmas really was some dream in the far far distance - These days it feels like not only the weeks are shorter, but the months and years too - weeks are flashing before my eyes, and it sometimes feels like we have skipped a month or two all together - and Christmas, well, Slade got there wish!

Last week My Brother and I travelled to Birmingham to help set up the sound for the first 'professional' concert my Auntie Nilam had staged. After My Uncle Died she took up Classical Indian Singing, and for the past few years has been living with her Guru-ji in South India training intensively. She now wants to do more professional performances, as most Classical Indian Music is only played and performed at private house gatherings these days.

We were in for a surprise when we found the Temple complex - I had no idea anything like this existed in the UK - this photo is of a TINY part of it!

 These two ladies were in the entrance to the community centre - I have no idea who she is, but I love the colours!

And this is my Auntie tuning up for the performance.

If you ever get the chance to go to a classic Indian concert - GO TO IT! The Audience were just so enraptured they call out and throw their hands up with passion at a particular note or phrase - and you feel yourself becoming more and more involved - wonderful!

The rest of my week has been taken up with knitting and nattering, sewing and Autumn cleaning!

I have actually completed TWO projects this week for my daughters friend who is expecting her first baby in March next year...

This gorgeous baby grow from a pattern a Friend copied for me took just over a week to complete with a few lessons in sewing up techniques from my Friend Debbie

The wool is a Regia 6 Fadig sock wool bought in Wales about 3 years ago that has been itching to be knitted ever since

And this tiny newborn Eyelet Cardi from a free Ravelry pattern by Linda at Clickertyclick

It is a seamless cardi done on a circular then 4 DPNS 

I always think most baby wools are a bit insipid - so went for something darker that will hopefully suit a boy or girl!

This is knitted in King COles Merino Blend DK with Anti-Tickle (???)

It took me about 6 hours to knit up, it grows incredibly quickly and like magic the cardi appears very quickly - a really quick and very satisfying project!

the bit's that were left over....

 URGHHH! what rotten weather! - mind you, being British means you have to speak about the weather at least 10 times per day or it's off to the tower - and if you need to queue up to talk about the weather, then that's even more British.

I love this country!!!

I have been busy cutting up mount board to make into kits, at the end I was left with a huge pile of cardboard triangles - I hate wasting anything so sat contemplating what the triangles could be transformed into - I made a decoration for the Christmas tree, that seams to have vanished - it must be camera shy! then a friend suggested a pin cushion - so after much 'faffing about' I produced the above item - it doesn't stand up, or close quite like it should, the hinge is a bit wobbly, the corners a bit bulky and the whole thing is well...a bit impractical - so back to the drawing board! by the time I come up with something really cool to make I will have run out of triangles!

Here in the North West we are still (as far as I know) under the hose pipe ban, not that I have had cause to use a hose pipe since the ban was imposed as it hasn't stopped raining for weeks! I know I know, it's to do with drainage, geology, run off and other such technicalities - but come on! the reservoirs and rivers couldn't be much fuller! 

 

I caught my reflection in a puddle - I look like a puddle poodle! 

So - to try and get the better of the weather, today has been a baking day. A gluten, wheat, dairy free apple cake for Mr Juicy, Leak and potato soup and an egg and cheese using up quiche for me and baby fig - and now I am scouting round the kitchen trying to figure out what to use the rest of my short crust pastry on! 

Have a great weekend folks!

A Night Out at the Mechanics

Last night Mr juicy and myself treated ourselves to a very rare night out - all the way to the glamorous Burnley Mechanics to see this guy - Rich Hall. 

I haven't laughed so much for a long time - he is a funny funny guy - especially at the points where he couldn't keep that dead-pan face straight! 

There was only one slightly awkward moment when he asked the audience what Burnley is famous for - some one shouted "football" and someone else shouted "riots" - when probed further as to what the riots were about, the crowd fell silent - so he moved on swiftly!

This evening our little village knit and natter group is meeting at our new venue for the first time - a rather posh cafe that has opened in the village called "Benedict's" - never the less, I shall be there in my usual jeans and wooden clogs! I can't wait to see who turns up - so if you are ever in the area on a Wednesday evening from now on - pop in for a brew and a natter!

Right - I am off to pick up Mum, Dad and Aunt to take them all to Blackburn Market - Their Wednesday morning ritual. I am the temporary driver until my Dad is allowed to drive again in a few weeks. - Thanks to everyone who left a message about him - he is doing great at the moment - stir crazy, but great!

Big Excitement!

I received a message on my folksy shop the other day to tell me that one of my pincushions for sale will be featured in  "Creative Crafting Online Magazine"

I am chuffed to bits as they say in these parts! 

There is a link to the site on the left of my blog - and it should be in there from 1st October! 

so - huge grins abound in the JuicyFig household :~)

I have been neglecting my 'creative space' contributions, so today set out to make a new cushion for my folksy shop

 The pile of cushions is growing and growing, poor baby Fig's bedroom that was commandeered in her absence is now full of not only her stuff, but a mountain of cushions that are for ever being re-stacked to prevent a land slide in the night!

The latest is in Heather Bailey Fabrics - I am terrible for collecting fabric then not wanting to use it because it's just too nice, it has taken a lot of will power to get the rotary cutter to them - I hope that now I have used some I have broken my obsession and can now start to plough through lots of fabric to make room for more of course!

The last days of summer

if there is one constant in life, it is change. On Sunday my Dad phoned me and asked if I would take him to hospital, he has had angina for years but has recently been suffering from chest pains. His doctor had booked him in to see the cardiologist in October - but he had had a few bad nights and had taken some convincing from us all to get it seen too a bit quicker. 

I took him over to Blackburn Royal's A&E - it was heaving, and we thought we would be waiting for hours, but of course as soon as he mentioned chest pain they took him straight to triage, hooked him up to an ECG and before we knew it they had rushed him to the next department, hooked him up to all sorts of monitors, taken blood etc. 

It turns out he had suffered a mild heart attack. 

On Monday he had an angioplast and a stent fitted, and yesterday I brought him home! 

They could not have dealt with him faster or better - and we are all feeling a huge sense of relief he is back home with us with strict instructions to call an ambulance next time and not wait for his daughter to fetch him in!

As I have been too distracted to do much crafting, I thought I would treat you to a few shots of Billington and Whalley - I have lived here all my life, and like they say, no matter where you roam, there really is no place like home...

Even though we live in a small mill terrace, the view at the top is from our front door - the river is about 100 yards away, and this is our view as we walk into the village

then we cross the river and head towards Whalley through the old abbey gatehouse, built about 1500 years ago

Elderberries drape themselves over the garden walls next to the vicarage

and the ivy at this time of years throws out it's strange flower heads...

And outside the local primary school that I attended, as did my daughter, nieces, brother, father, auntie, grandfather and grandmother and their parents too! we found 'penny buns' growing - hubby was dying to pick them to fry up with some butter - but as he is on soya spreads these days I convinced him it wouldn't be worth it - so we left them for the kids to see.

I find a good walk around familiar territory can be good for the soul!

So - summer is giving in, and autumn is truly upon us - lets just hope it stays a little sunny!

The Hungry Caterpillar

Autumn - amazing colours that are gone before you know it - natures last exhibition before she shuts down for the winter! - I know how she feels sometimes...on the sunny autumn days when the air is crisp, the leaves crunch under foot and gather round your wellies, you can see your breath in the air, but the sun can still warm you through given the chance - mmmm lovely.

I have just finished a couple of warming items for folksy - a Noro neck warmer and a patchwork quilt to snuggle under.

After being a dozy so and so the other day and managing to get myself locked out and waiting for hubby and the pooch to return I photographed these guys (is a blogger ever without a camera?) 

They had grow considerably in the couple of days since I first spotted them - I think they are great white - yes yes, I know they look black and yellow...

and look! after scoffing my nasturtiums, he has left a special little 'gift' for me.

We have been inundated with spiders this past couple of weeks as well - this is a particularly angry looking one I think! mind you if they all keep insisting on building there webs across doorways, they should expect to catch humans in their webs!!!