Heading North

After days and days of sewing and knitting all the presents for our family up North are ready. Tomorrow the tree comes down and we head North, into snow and ice as far as we can tell! So a happy new year to you all and be back soon.

Christmas morning in Cornwall

We've been so busy making, decorating and baking that there's been no time to spend blogging or photographing. But I will blog the making later in the week, these are just a few moments from today

No escaping the 'lynx effect' but he still wanted a home made quilt even now he's 12.

a mouse in a matchbox house, definitely the present that caused the most excitement

We just missed the official start of the Sennen christmas day dip but T was not to be deterred, brave boy!

No one else felt quite so brave. But it was a beautiful day, sunshine, friends, food and warmth. How very lucky we are.

winter light

when the rain stops
and the temperature drops

that's when I wonder

why would anyone visit Cornwall in the summer

I love living here right now

photos by various members of our family!

catching up on sewing

soggy weather!

so I've been restocking folksy, because I have sold some pouches YAY! And I needed to make stock for a local gallery that is having a craft bazaar for a week. It's so exciting to feel that I am very slowly creeping towards being a self employed person!

So I have been sewing rabbits and houses onto zip purses and mobile phone holders for a couple of weeks now. I just don't know when I'm going to make T's quilt, A's dress and the many other presents on my list. But I'm sure the time will appear, I just feel lucky to have the time to do the things I enjoy doing and hopefully begin to be paid for them.

Colder and colder

We bravely faced the cold biting wind at the weekend to go for a walk on Sennen beach. The walk was brisk and the adults spent a lot longer in the cafe drinking hot chocolate with everything (yum) than walking.
This summery blue sign looks as though it was left behind when everyone left in the summer.

The children went back on to the beach, their resilience towards the cold never ceases to amaze me (I should say that the intention of this trip had been for the boys to go surfing but it really was too rough). They did a bit of beach combing and found jellyfish and these strange but beautiful things

I'm sure they know what they are but I don't so I'll have to admire the photo in ignorance for now, but if I find out I will post the answer. All the photos are yet again by T. I can't seem to get the camera off him at the moment so my posts are dictated by what he chooses to photograph.

wintry walking

It's so nice when the rain stops, just for a little while, and we can get out for just a little walk in the wintery woods
It's amazing how easily the children find things to do where there is water, mud and trees - home ed is never so easy as when we're in nature!

Oh and a little christmassy shot from T.

glitter, sparkle and cloves

It's starting to feel christmassy around here, what with the present making and now the start of the christmas showtime for A and her acrobatics group.
The sequinned leggings are on...

The back bends, crabs, handstands and cartwheels are on show, this week it's Truro cathedral, next it's the turning on of the christmas lights.

So tiring, but so worth it.

and the cloves are in the oranges filling the house with that gorgeous citrus, spicy, christmas fragrance... I love christmas!

On knitting gloves

I thought while I had a bit of 'me time' on the sofa with a cold in a silent house I would show you what's on my needles at the moment. I got this fantastic book for christmas last year - Robin Melanson's 'Knitting new mittens and gloves' and I would recommend it to anyone who likes small projects, there's a range from simple to fiddly.
These are on my needles at the moment, they're called Aethelwyne, which apparently means 'friend of the elves' and as I have a lot of little potential elves around I think there may be as many as four pairs of these coming off my needles by christmas. I love the little bobbles around the wrist and the pointy tips

These are some fairisle gloves that I knitted in January from the book, fiddly but fun to do

I have already made a few pairs of these wrist warmers as I love fingerless gloves, there is a crochet loop for the thumb which works wonderfully to keep them in place. I think a few pairs of these are in the christmas gift queue

and these, I just love. I'm not sure if they're practical but I so want to make them, they make me think of wedding gloves for a winter wedding.

So back to my knitting now as I've realised that's quite a long list with only a few weeks to christmas!

the difficulty of the yes, no game

When there are colds in the house A knows how to keep the victim (me, on this occasion) entertained. First you have to make yourself comfortable and A knows how to be comfortable! Three sheepskins and a cushion, that should do it. Now we can begin the yes, no game.
A thinks of an animal and I have to ask questions to which she can only answer yes or no then I have to guess the animal. The problem is sometimes it's just not a yes or a no
'Do I like hot places?'
'well I'm not sure'
Do I like cold places?'
'sometimes you don't mind it a bit hot but sometimes you like it cold'
I don't think we've ever got through this game with only 'yes' or 'no' as an answer, it just shows that life is never black and white.
We can knit while we play so A is plodding on with her monkey that she began a year ago but only picks up when grandma asks how she's getting on with it. She's nearing the end now, she's on the tail.

And I'm starting christmas presents. So A and I can have a little quiet time together, which we both love, and be productive as well.

Nothing but sewing

I have done nothing but sew for the past few days, working hard for a craft fair

but it all came together in the end

and I developed a perfect pattern for a mobile phone holder which I'm quite pleased with. I did have to make it smaller because my phone is about 5 or 6 years old and quite a brick, so the pattern had to be adapted for those with more modern phones!

the fair itself was quiet, it was on a stormy day and I think people didn't really want to venture out but we tried some gorgeous bread from Hope's bakery and met some lovely crafts people so the day was still fun.

fun

fun, originally uploaded by glassmountain.

my rabbit went a little bit lionish but I'm learning to love him!

flower bag

flower bag, originally uploaded by glassmountain.

the light's a bit poor at the moment but this is a drawstring bag, hopefully one of many, for my stall

little bird

little bird, originally uploaded by glassmountain.

This little bird is tiny on a tiny zip purse but I rather like him

feeling christmassy

preparing for a christmas craft stall
and preparing the christmas cake

I love love love this time of year!

Bonfire night

These pictures are for Clare in California who misses bonfire night... there was a break in the torrential rain and the wind even seemed to drop just long enough for the fireworks...

then home for onion soup with bread and cheese and baked potatoes with piles and piles of butter. Oh and apple pie and ice cream. Hmmm I wonder if my clothes will still fit me tomorrow.

underneath my big umbrella

underneath my big umbrella, originally uploaded by glassmountain.

finally finished, not at all like my drawing but I'm pleased with her neat bob and white kinky boots

It's arrived!

T's pyrography kit has arrived

he found a bit of wood and started straight away

afro ninja

a detail of the dress of my slowly progressing umbrella girl

she's looking a lot more sophisticated than my drawing, perhaps a bit sixties. J thinks I should go with white kinky boots.