A busy start to the year

Each Christmas we members of Higham Piecemakers are given a Christmas Challenge and so for the start of 2019 my thoughts are on what to make!

Set by our Chairman this is what we received "As you all know I have been a bit Feather-Brained this year and keeping to that theme the 2019 challenge is Feathers.  Use the piece of fabric [a fat quarter] and any other fabrics/materials/wood/tin to make an item that is Feather related to be completed by w.c 25 March"

My first thought was to make a parrot sitting on a perch, but the more I thought about it I wasn't quite sure how to stabilise it and prevent it going head down and holding on by it's feet!!  'Dead parrot jokes' not included here!!  I now have my ideas and have started, but no photos until it is finished.

Last weekend I went to Cambridge to assist younger son with 'Muntjac proofing' our vegetable patch.  We have three raised beds and so with posts and chicken wire we managed to complete one

Complete with gate!

The wire is 1.5 metres high and according to the internet Muntjac can jump 1.2 metres so we should be alright!!  However I have complete faith and have removed the covers from my broad beans!!  Only 2 more beds to net and now we know what we are doing this should be quick.

I have completed the socks that I needed to make for the Secret Santa (see last blog) because I couldn't wait to start my new knitting project.  A friend showed me her coat that she had knitted and I fell in love with it and had to buy the book 'Swing, Swagger, Drape' and at last I have started it.  It is a 'drape' version of the picture on the front cover, which is longer and I am loving making it.  Quite complicated but such fun.

I am having a clear out of my work room as I have taken a table at this -

and I am aghast at the amount of 'stuff' that I have accumulated!  Not just fabric (I can see that in my boxes) but knitting wool of all types, polystyrene balls and egg shapes, ribbon, zips, embroidery threads and general 'must have that as it maybe useful one day' items!!  It has been hard going but I have de-stashed to a certain extent.  The next thing to do is my fabric, but that can be used for Linus quilts that we are due to make in February as well.

My younger son teases me about my sock making and has already said he doesn't want any homemade ones, so for Christmas he walked into a wool shop and asked for the worst colour sock wool she had.  It must have been amusing for the shop keeper but this is what I received -

I was delighted because I usually use WYS wool anyway and also knew how this colour would knit up and though these are not colours I would normally use it is working well.

I am using a free pattern we got at Sock Club to make Christmas socks designed by Winwick Mum.  Notice the pink theme on the cuff and how it links to the socks in the last blog.  That is also WYS wool I bought at my first Sock Club meeting so it must be used up.  I am determined to finish these so No 2 son can see how delighted I am with his 'awful' wool.