A little trip (part 2)

Not only did we see lots on our trip, I learnt a new skill.
Well ……. I’m trying!!!
My mother-in-law taught me how to crochet. She made a beautiful blanket for Niblet when he was tiny. It was made on planes to Australia and New Zealand.

Inspired by all the lovely ‘hooking’ Lucy gets up to at Attic 24 (such gorgeous colours and cute projects) and the fact that my Mollie Makes issue 12 came with a crochet cover gift, I thought I’d better get someone to teach me the basics.

Under the watchful eye of my M-I-L, I managed a small piece of double crochet and a small piece of treble crochet (however, I have no idea which piece is which!!)

She looked at the flower pattern in Mollie Makes and said she hadn’t ever done anything like that and that it looked a bit hard. She had a different flower pattern, which we worked through together, and ta daaah…..

I bought a £1 ball of wool to have a go at the flower myself in the car on the way from Surrey to Suffolk (didn’t get any done, too busy entertaining Niblet!!). I tried on the way home from Suffolk, I managed to do my chain and slip stitch it into a circle, then kept going wrong when I tried the double crochet. I undid it and tried again about 6 times, then got fed up!!

I consulted M-I-L on our return and I think I know what went wrong, but haven’t had time to try again since. (Busy making some cards that may, or may not, get put on a stall at a fair on Thursday)

I will let you know if I am ever successful at making a flower again!!

Part 2 of our trip was to Suffolk to visit my brother, sister-in-law and their chickens.
Niblet loves chasing the chickens round their half of the garden and collecting their eggs. He also liked chasing the ones at Jimmy’s Farm, where we went for an afternoon out. He saw lots of animals and loved playing in the dens in the woods.

We stopped off in Bury St. Edmunds on the way back to check out the charity shops, picked up a few books and a cool tea towel (can tea towels be cool?). We were made a delicious butternut squash, mushroom and spinach lasagne for tea.

The next morning we went to a vintage textile fair, not hubbie’s cup of tea, so he stayed in the car. Very hard to have a good look round with an, equally uninterested, 2 year old trying to run round!!

When he had gone outside to play with everyone I had another quick look round and picked up a tie for hubbie, a vintage toy pattern and a pretty hankie.

In the afternoon, while Niblet and hubbie napped, I was given a screen printing session with C (check out her blog here, named after 2 of the 3 chickens). I have done it before and have wanted to do more, but don’t have the equipment. My brother’s house, however, now has all the facilities I needed.

I made a tea towel, with a repeating pattern. It was a bit of a faff, as I had to reposition the screen 8 times to get my finished design. But I’m happy with it, despite it’s little imperfections. It has made me want to do more and I’m hoping to do another fabric screen printing course.

I won an associate membership to West Yorkshire Print Workshop (quite a way away, but I entered in the hope of getting reduced fees on a course!!) and am hoping to do 1 of their courses sometime this year.

If you read this far, thanks, and I’m stopping now. Probably won’t have so much to say for a long time!!