Getting off Auto

From the title you may think that this is something to do with cars - well it is not!!

Some weeks ago a friend 'shared' a Facebook item with me that was just up my street; a photography course at Lamport Hall for those who needed to know more about their cameras.  So I signed up and boy, was it worth it.

It was pouring with rain and very cold when I arrived but luckily we were using our cameras indoors to start with as we turned them off the 'auto' setting onto 'A' for aperture; so it started.  I had heard about the 'f' setting and ISO and that little sign '±' in a box but didn't actually know what they did - but I do now and I am feeling rather pleased with myself!!!  AND I have it all written down in words of one syllable that I can understand.

By this time the rain was easing off and we went outside and started taking portraits.

I am not going to tell you all the 'rules' when taking photos of people but I liked this one and was given permission to use it on my blog.  Even the photos of me were quite good -

I didn't manage to take any decent pictures of the exercise on shutter speed but the following ones are all 'Exposure Compensation' which is that elusive '±' in a box.  Not an inspiring view but you can see three different exposures concentrating on the roof and clouds and what we wanted to accentuate - 

Nothing particular enhanced so this was '0'

Good clouds so '-1'

The clouds are over exposed so '+1'

That was an interesting exercise.

Next we were on our own  

Interesting sky

This should draw your eye in ….

and this one ….

Another big sky

Plants 'walking' across the photo

This is identical to the one below but ….

this has too much plain grass in the foreground!

By this time I was so cold my brain and fingers had frozen so back inside for a warm.  We then looked at each others photos and the expert commented (in a kindly way) and made suggestions for improvement.

I still have a lot to learn but I have definitely 'Got off Auto'!!

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.

New Year, new resolutions??

Yes, I am back, though not with a vengeance yet!!  Anyway Happy New Year to everyone and I hope the Christmas and New Year celebrations went well for you all and don't they seem a long time ago.

Christmas for me was spent in Cambridge with a well organised Christmas meal cooked by my son and a small input by me, which was enough for me not to do the washing up afterwards - excellent.  I went to the Crib Service and Christmas morning service at the University Church of Great St Mary's where my daughter in law goes.  I still cannot get used to seeing all the tourists who are around and coming in during the service on Christmas morning!

I went down to Kent for the New Year but travelling by train this time.  I was slightly apprehensive about the journey down as it was Sunday and I thought the dreaded 'PLANNED RAIL MAINTENANCE' might be in effect; but everything went so smoothly it was brilliant and the family picked me up from some small railway station in deepest Kent and bang on time!! Well done National Rail.

As New Year's Day was good weather we went to Camber Sands for our usual walk and it was very busy 

People, dogs and horses exercising on the beach

I went for a walk along the beach and waded through this stream coming across the sand but on the way back the girls and Dad had built a dam so my new walking boots (a Christmas present) didn't get too wet.  

Last year I seemed to spend most of my time being double booked so this was one of my New Year resolutions, which I promptly broke!!  Every year my family give me a family calendar with family photos each month and I really look forward to seeing it.  So I am going to 'sync' my calendar with my diary to make sure that everything is up to date.

I think I have mentioned in previous posts I belong to a monthly sock club (first Saturday of the month) and at our December meeting we did a secret Santa and have to make a pair of socks for a fellow member, ready by the March meeting.  Well mine are finished - no photos yet though - because I have now started a new knitting project from my Swing, Swagger, Drape book.  So exciting and I am loving it.

But here are some socks I made earlier -

BUT only one of each at present, so a long way to go!!

I also crocheted this bobble hat in two evenings

and wore it on the beach at New Year.  I do not like these hats as they usually make my head itch but this seems OK at the moment.

Do you remember back in the summer my younger son (who runs marathons) gave me a bag of his t-shirts and asked me to do something with them!!

Well, I washed them all (as they had been in the attic for years so you can imagine the smell!!), stabilised those I wanted to use with iron-on Vilene, cut the logos out and that was as far as it got in August!

A huge pile!

Well what do you give a son for Christmas?  A finished throw of course, but not without a great deal of blood, sweat, tears AND bad language!!  I decided to do 'quilt as you go' and cut all the logos into 12" squares (30.5 cms) (or made the smaller ones sewn together into 12" squares) and sandwiched them together with wadding, quilted them and laid them out to get the best design.  Doesn't that sound simple - well it wasn't!!  I used my walking foot for the whole project including the binding and got through THREE sewing machine needles because they became blunt.  Most of the logos were plastic which caused skipped stitches whilst quilting and it took a long time for me to find the best method to do this.  Eventually it was finished 

and he likes it!!  All the binding was made from the t-shirts so nothing was wasted.

He has informed me that there are more bags of t-shirts in his attic as he approaches his 100th marathon this year!!!  No NO.

Out and about and something new

During October when we had some glorious weather for half term, I travelled to Kent to see my family there.  We went for a brisk walk on Saturday afternoon and admired the new houses that were being built close to the town and had a 'Kentish' look about them; but we hoped no more would go up.  On Sunday morning it was to be a trip to Camber Sands.  After a quick stop here 

for the most delicious bacon butties and coffee we went on our way.  It was during that hot weekend that we had, so we walked along the beach, made sand pictures and I took photos of seagulls!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

People in the sea being sporty!

 

Careful your wellies don't fill with water!!

Following this we went to church, well to visit this delightful church on Romney Marsh.  We have driven past it before and I have always wanted to go in.  First we collected the key

 

and the door was opened

and we went in to this very unusual church

Box pews - I have never seen anything like this before

and a newspaper cutting showing the church surrounded by water

We went outside and I noticed the mounting block (on the left) for those riding to church.

No village in sight but I remember this from the last filming of Great Expectations in 2012.  Incidentally they also used Holdenby House near where I live, for the exterior shots of Miss Haversham's home.

At Higham Piecemakers in October we made either Alfie the Elf or Evie the Elf.  Once started we couldn't stop and I made four

 

 

with one being given to my granddaughters in Kent, one is in Cambridge, one for Will and one for myself.  Mine is a naughty elf and has muscled in at 'Sock' Club

 

Embroidery Christmas lunch day

 and very upset when there was no cake -

I mentioned 'Sock' Club where I have been going for the last three months at Purlwise.  Such fun and I have completed one pair, but finished some single socks.  I tell this against myself, but I decided to make a pair for one of my sons, who has since said he doesn't want any!!  Anyway I started and finished one and asked him to try it on for size

It was enormous and I gave it to my brother in law as he had just had an ankle operation and it covered the plaster and kept his toes warm!!  Are well you can't win them all.