rubykittyruby

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I didn't even need my coat!

I keep thinking it's Wednesday, but no, it's only Tuesday, and it's also astonishingly mild too. I was out in the garden without a coat on! Makes a change from shivering in layers of thermals and woolies during the recent freezing cold weather. A bit of blue sky and warmish weather really does lift the spirits. I've noticed the days are getting ever-so-slightly longer too. There's the not-too-distant promise of light evenings and spring flowers. Speaking of flowers, the perfume from these blue hyacinths is gorgeous. Nicer than any scented candle. In other 'news', I've been making progress with this scrappy patchwork. It's had its binding attached, and is waiting to be quilted. I know using my sewing machine for those quilt lines would be speedier, but I like the softer look hand stitching gives. The binding's as scrappy as the patchwork squares. I've jumbled up colours and patterns, so there's ever...

I need to stay away from online ordering ...

It's too easy, isn't it? Browsing a website, slinging things into a virtual basket, telling yourself you're not going to make it as far as the checkout. Then, in a moment of weakness you're clicking on the Paypal button and - oops! - you've done it again. Ordering more crafty stuff when you're supposed to be using up what you've got and not buying more. Guilty as charged, m'lud. My excuse is that the yarn was half price, and it was four 100g balls for a tenner. So I bought twelve in these luscious colours. It's from www.woolwarehouse.co.uk and the brand's Yarnsmiths Lagoon DK. (It's 100% acrylic, but you're not getting pure new wool for that price, are you?) I've ordered from this company before, and they send everything out in organza bags, which make very useful storage bags. The thing that looks like a processed cheese slice is actually a piece of felt! I ordered a single square of it as I wanted to check w...

Snow's pretty much disappeared ...

Bye bye snow. It began falling on Saturday evening and lasted till close of play on Sunday. By Monday the pristine snow was slushy and grey, occasionally icy and treacherous underfoot. Today, it's almost a distant memory. Just the odd dusting here and there. I'm in West Yorkshire, but I understand North Yorkshire had it worse. Roads were closed on higher ground, trains cancelled or delayed, people advised to stay at home rather than travel, and farmers having to pull their sheep out of snow drifts. It really doesn't take a lot of 'bad weather' to make this country's infrastructure grind to a near-halt, does it? Of course, some areas of the country are now experiencing the flooding that comes after snow melts and rivers swell. I can't imagine the awful mess, expense and disruption to your life that happens when your home's flooded. It must be heartbreaking. Anyway, let's move on to less upsetting subjects. I'v...

Sneezing my way into 2025

It's the first day of a new year, and I've managed to catch a cold. Which isn't surprising as there are cold and flu bugs everywhere right now. So I've spent the day mainly curled up on the sofa, listening to the radio, re-watching 'Mary Poppins' on TV, eating far too much chocolate and ... knitting. I don't knit very much at all, and my skills are basic, entry level. But for some reason the thought lodged in my head that I wanted to knit a shawl. I watched several YouTube videos and tried a few methods of knitting a triangular shape, and this was by far the easiest. You simply cast on three stitches - double knitting wool, size 4mm needles - and then increase 1 stitch at the beginning of each row. The video I watched showed the shawl being made entirely in garter stitch, but I prefer the look of plain and purl. The yarn used isn't actually sheep's wool, but 100% acrylic. However, it's not scratchy or unpleasant to handle, and...

In praise of wool

Just a quick post today. I'm offering you a short but peaceful break from the overwhelmingness (is that a word?) of Christmas. By now you've probably eaten your bodyweight in sweets//roast potatoes/pigs in blankets/cake/After Eights ... whatever your festive indulgences are. You're under-exericsed, over-stimulated, feeling broke and possibly guilty about an argument with a relative or friend you've never entirely got on with. So, here's something to take your mind off all that. I've two videos to refresh and revive, and they both concern wool. Interesting fact. Well, I found it interesting. About 1% - yup, one per cent - of the world's textiles are made of wool. Out of curiosity, I also googled how much is made of cotton. That's higher, but it's only about 24% and that's heading downward instead of up. Synthetic fibres are the bulk of all textile manufacture. Anyway, back to woolly wonders. My firs...

Labels, Keanu and a bird of peace

Okay, I think all the Christmas presents are bought. Not yet all wrapped, but at least they're heaped on the carpet and not still on a shop's shelf. I dragged the Sissix machine out this morning and used a stack of old Christmas cards to make labels. I don't send or receive a large amount of cards any more. Emails and texts are easier (though not as pretty) and postage stamps are becoming ridiculously expensive if you've dozens of cards to post. Though I remember when I was a kid, parents would get about 60 or 70 cards at least, and they'd be strung up on washing lines of wool or twine all around the sitting room. The traditional greeting cards are gradually dwindling away. But you never know. Maybe they'll stage a revival, and writing & receiving vast heaps of cards will become the hip 'n' trendy thing to do. Stranger things have happened... If you want a break from thinking about all things festive, I've a book rec...