Woolgathering

Defined in the dictionary as indulging in aimless thoughts or daydreams. I've definitely been woolgathering as I've continued with the Loft Sort!

One of my nieces is expecting a baby next year, so I thought I'd do some knitting. The day before going to Manchester, I confidently climbed the loft ladder in search of baby wool. I was sure it was in a wicker hamper. There was a hamper, but only one suitable ball of wool. I found a pair of 4mm needles on the table in the back bedroom. I began knitting a little hat.

I'm embarrassed to admit that on Tuesday as I began to move the stacks of boxes around I unearthed seven hampers of wool, a large plastic box of wool, and a smaller one with assorted needles. One box was full of Sirdar baby yarns. 

I brought the blue box downstairs and spent an hour sorting the needles into pairs, and discarding damaged or odd ones. Then I lined them up in size order from 2mm to 20mm. 

Then I was ruthless removing all my duplicates. There were more than 2 dozen pairs. They will go to the Big C Cancer Charity Craft Emporium at Wymondham. Whenever I visit, someone is sorting through looking for a particular size. I'm sure they will sell.

Here's the little baby hat in a soft lemon shade. Now I've found the hamper with all the baby yarns, I think I'll try a little cardi in another colour.  Is it really November tomorrow?  The year is racing by. Last November I did a knitting challenge for the Bone Cancer Research Trust. I'm too busy for that this year...

So What Are YOU Celebrating Then?

Years ago I was in WHSmith looking through some Easter cards, when the lady next to me complained "This is no good, these are all religious!" I said, rather more loudly than perhaps I should have done "But Easter is all about the resurrection of Jesus from the dead - what are you celebrating then?" She looked very embarrassed and scuttled away. 
I thought about her last week as I was looking through the John Lewis Christmas section whilst Bob was sorting out the replacement microwave.

JL declares there are four themes to their decorations this year, "these are Heirloom Splendour, Enchanting Tales, Worldly Treasures and Ancient Wonders, and each have been thoughtfully curated to add charm to the festive period."
I don't need any more decorations, but it is fun to have a look. Heirloom Splendour seems to baubles and wrapping paper [retro items like telephones and sardine cans], Woodland Tales is animals [felt ones, or decorated baubles, tableware and beauty products] Enchanting Tales seem to be mostly interesting shaped baubles - and Ancient Wonders include a wooly mammoth, a dinosaur. acorns, pine cones and more. But did they have any nativity crib scenes? [Sue in Suffolk is hunting them out for a friend's fundraiser]

Yes they did! starting at around £100, there is this porcelain Alessi model. Personally I think it is odd - particularly the smug baby Jesus standing up with his fingers in his ears. 

There is another more expensive Alessi range, and you can buy the pieces separately, like these musical angels [£34 the pair] and animals for the stable. 

I am not sure they gave much thought to this. Surely a Jewish stable is unlikely to contain a pig! So basically, any representation of the true Christmas story is not in the main Christmas section but round the corner in the kitchen/china area - and rather too expensive for the average family. Why not buy something much cheaper for your tree, like this felt Christmas Toilet Roll?

On our way home from JL, we stopped at Next to have as coffee in Costa, and I browsed their Christmas Shop. They seem to be fixed on Highland Cattle - decorations, tableware, bedlinen. If you have bought the JL loo roll, why not add a Highland Cow in a Santa Hat sitting on the toilet reading her book? 

My Christmas tree is covered in all sorts of eclectic items - a Maine lobster from Steph, a tiny Marmite jar from cousin Gillian, and a little glass sewing machine from Julian, the little mermaid Rosie and Liz brought me from Denmark. Each item has its own story of love behind it - but the majority of my decorations are angels, nativity scenes, or items saying love, joy, peace, hope etc. 

If your entire house is bedecked with highland cattle this Christmas, then I am just wondering, what exactly are you celebrating? 
And yes, there will be a candle on my Christmas Cake - it's Jesus' birthday after all! 

Cash In The Attic?

Definitely Not! But I am starting the process of tidying and ordering the loft, because it has become something of a mess up there. I get down some project [eg Shed Aprons] and all the stuff is in a large plastic box. But when I return it, I realise there is another 'loft thing' - so that goes in that box. Or in a rush to tidy up because guests are coming, I put a suitcase away, without checking it is properly emptied. And then there are the bags labelled with messages like "Old greeting cards, 2022, sort these out ASAP" I wrap up well for this task, and wear sensible footwear [going up and down the loft ladder in slippers or socks is a bad idea] Here is my equipment

• 7A rubbish bag [for rubbish!] 
• a couple of large strong bags, for stuff that needs to come down and be relocated[Charity Shop, other people, the craft cupboard etc]
• A reel of masking tape, sharpies and a pencil - for labelling
• A pair of scissors  - always useful
• My tablet [to listen to the radio**]
• My phone - in case somebody phones me, or in case I need help for some reason [eg lifting down a large item and Bob is out in the workshop] I used the phone for the picture hence its not on the table

I found an angel's tinsel halo, so put it on and felt joyful. Then there was a large freestanding mirror - redundant now we have a mirror on the wardrobe door That's going to Manchester for Steph's new house. Note the rubbish bag hanging down, gradually filling up. That empty cardboard box is for recycling, and is the THIRD one I filled in the first hour. I have decided I do not need every cardboard box which has entered the house [the new kitchen came flatpacked in over 100 boxes] 

They have just announced there will be a village Yard Sale in the Spring, to raise funds for the Parish Church - so one corner of the loft is now 'possible yard sale stuff'. But my task was interrupted by an IKEA delivery lorry. We are changing the two single beds in the back room for one double. It will free up a bit more floor space. But that means as well as sorting the loft, I also have to sort out all my bedding. The singles will go to Manchester, along with their linens, [and that mirror] when we visit at Christmas. 
I'm hoping to have the loft and back bedroom straight by Friday 7th when Julian comes. There is loads going on - especially Bobs 70th birthday on Tuesday.

All four grandchildren appear to be having a great half term, at Forest School and Holiday Club.
** I listened to the final episode of Jane Eyre, a programme about Men's Sheds, and a 'Limelight' thriller on BBCSounds.

Always in my loft I hang the paper heart which turned up in a loft sort about 30 years ago. It has hung in three different lofts, but the message holds true. My loft, and the world in general, may appear to be in a chaotic mess sometimes - but there is One who is watching over us, and his love never fails.

Cut To The C[h]ase

Did you know the phrase "Cut to the chase" is a century old? It comes from the early days of silent cinema, in the USA. Film makers shot lots of film, but it was hard to make dialogue interesting. The rapid chase scenes were exciting however, so superfluous footage was excised- the editors phrase was "Cut to the chase". Now the phrase means "forget the trivia, get to the point"

The point of this post is a case. Specifically, a case to help you cut. I recently purchased some folding scissors, and was intrigued to realise they would fit perfectly into a square case - the same size as our TwoByTwo patches. I decorated two squares of lilac felt. One side with three Boteh motifs, and the other with a letter K [for Kirsten] The crimson K is decorated with running stitch and coloured seed beads - the other side has sparkly sequin embellishments. The squares are attached on three sides, open at the base. I threaded a ribbon through the scissors and then through a hole in the top corner of the case. And attached a pair of buttons at the top.

When folded, the scissors are inside the case. But they can be pulled out, unfolded and used. The little buttons retain the ribbon. 

This should fit tidily in a sewing bag, and when folded, all the sharp points are safely enclosed. 

I included this as Kirsten's "Flat Gift"

I am becoming quite fascinated by the constraint of having to work on these little squares each month! 

Working At Warp Speed?

James Doohan, who played"Scotty" in Star Trek, was the grandson of a Scottish weaver. It is said that he suggested "Warp Speed" for the extremely high speeds reached by the Starship Enterprise, as a reference to the flying shuttles he had watched in his childhood. I was pondering  on my October Two-By-Two patches, and realised I'd done a fair bit of mending and fixing for friends and family recently. So I thought I would decorate this months patches with darns.

I dug out my Speedweve darner. I picked some Autumnal colours, and used some white Aida even weave cloth to keep things neater. Here are my two patches

You start by threading the WARP using the hooks to make a tidy top edge. Then you WEAVE THE WEFT from side to side. It's fiddly but fun. I like the way the colours blend and remind me of the falling leaves.

In the way these things turn out, Kirsten sent me a link [after I had begun working on the idea] to the website of Jessie Mordine Young, who had an exhibition of her 'woven year' based on a collection of daily pieces created on a small loom.

K. had no idea what my October patch would be about - but I am fascinated by the way similar ideas come to us as we are planning...
By the way 'Speedweve' is a bit of misnomer. This one took ages - and these are patches #3 and #4, as the first two just weren't up to snuff!

Putting The Clocks Back

It is odd how we talk about 'gaining an hour' this weekend - when in fact it is just making up for the hour we 'lost' in the Spring. Time rolls on, whatever we do. Joyce Grenfell wrote this great poem, simply called Time...

When I was a girl there was always time,

There was always time to spare.

There was always time to sit in the sun;

And we were never done

With lazing and flirting,

And doing our embroidery,

And keeping up our memory books,

And brushing our hair,

And writing little notes,

And going on picnics,

And dancing, dancing, dancing, dancing--

When I was a girl there was always time to waste.

Thank the Lord.

When I was a young woman there was always time,

There was always time to spare.

There was always time to walk in the sun,

And we were never done

With going to weddings,

Our own and our friends',

And going to parties,

Away at weekends,

And having our children

And bringing them up,

And talking, talking, talking, talking--

When I was a young woman there was always time to enjoy things.

Thank the Lord.

And when I was an elderly woman there was no more time,

There was no more time to spare.

There was no more time to sit in the sun,

For we were never done

With answering the telephone,

And looking at the TV,

And doing baby-sitting,

And talking to our friends,

And shopping, shopping, shopping, shopping,

And washing-up, washing-up, washing-up,

Writing letters, writing letters

Rushing, rushing, rushing,

And we were always hurried,

And we were never bored.

When I was an elderly woman

There was never time to think.

Thank the Lord.

But now I'm an old old woman,

So I want the last word:

There is no such thing as time--

Only this very minute

And I'm in it.

Thank the Lord.

I think I am at verse 3 these days, but at every stage of life, I have learned to thank the Lord for his blessings.

Mysterons, Ergatrons And Magnetrons

This is the voice of the Mysterons, we know you can hear us...
Do you remember Captain Scarlet? Another character from Gerry Anderson's "Supermarionation" - the Mysterons were from Mars and had ' a war of nerves' with the earthmen. It was a follow up to Thunderbirds, but not as good, imho.

This week I came across Ergotrons. Well, almost. I was looking round a hospital with a colleague, and we kept find weird triangular patterns of screw holes in the consulting rooms. "What are these?" she asked, and was told "Oh, that's where the Ergotrons were". The staff member was unable to give any further information. It transpires that they are wall mounted bits of kit involving monitors and keyboards etc. They had been removed, but nobody had got round to filling the holes or making good the walls [we were doing an inspection of the premises] We giggled as we walked back to our meeting room, about The Invasion Of The Ergotrons...

Then I had a a bit of a scary experience. I switched on the microwave [bought just 5 weeks ago] and it started smoking and making odd noises [smoke, crackle! pop!] I switched it off, promptly. Bob said "switch it on again, and take photos this time". So I did, somewhat nervously. Bob said "I think the Magnetron has gone"

Bob contacted John Lewis customer services, who communicate via WhatsApp. They put him through to the technical department. The guy did not seem to know much about microwaves.

Bob sent a picture of the microwave full of smoke. Then said "Would it help if I told you I have an MA in physics, and trained as an electrical engineer, and I believe the magnetron has gone?" The person on the other end accepted this diagnosis - and said if we packed it up, we could take it into JL Norwich and exchange it for a new one. We did that, hoping the mysteron,ergotron,magnetron lasts longer than 5 weeks this time. Or I shan't know what to do-ron -ron-ron

PS IF YOU ARE IN THE UK, DON'T FORGET TO PUT THE CLOCKS BACK TONIGHT!