Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Busy Fingers and Meeting the Neighbours

Hi everyone.  How are you doing?  All well I hope.
Re my last post: thank you for your comments, and I'm afraid Alla Turka has been resigned to the UFO pile.  When I got ill I changed the colour of my bedroom from burgandy and gold (too red) to aqua and white (more restful and clean feeling)...so it no longer matches anything.  I haven't given up on it and will finish it when I can think if a home for it ;-)

Well, it is a funny week.  I am posting again earlier than I thought I would because I have a hospital appointment so I am keeping busy, busy, busy to have to avoid thinking about it.  It isn't working much as a distraction but an awful lot of productivity is one positive side to it all I guess.

Now, before I go on, my chemo-brain (frontal lobe damage caused by chemo: hopefully temporary) has changed and for some reason I seem to be typing words in a different order to how I am thinking them.  I will re-read this post but if letters are the wrong way around or words and I have missed them, please be nice and ignore them.  My speech is the same and even though I have not been able to come out with a whole sentence without forgetting a word or saying it wrong, my immediate family feel the need to point it out to me EVERY time.  After a year of it you would think they would give me a break and just let it go.  You lot I know will be nicer and just let it pass.  I'm sure you will now what I mean and if not you are all to polite to mention it aren't you?

I've finished another ornament for my 12 days ornie exchange: this means I just have two left to do.  I did wonder when I took on this exchange (my own idea) what I was doing, but I have loved it.  I think I will be quite sad to finish it actually!

I've also been playing with the sewing machine again: adult play: the sort where you say naughty words when things go wrong!  I never seem to forget them interestingly enough!
Not so many naughty words actually as I am really, really, liking this new sewing machine.  It is a very basic never-heard of model which sounds like a tractor when it runs BUT it does the job and is very easy to use.

I've been going through my Christmas material and trimmings and seeing if I can work out out uses for it.  I 've all sorts of odds and ends from ebay sales as fabric is very expensive here and hard to get hold of so I don't really have huge quantities of any one sort.

This was the first thing I came up with.  A lovely little stocking to hang on the tree.
I just love this old fashioned style Christmas Fabric.  The trim was a remnant, probably from upholstery.  It wasn't the easiest thing to add so if any one has any tips re: adding trim, please feel free to pass them on!



I could have made so many of these but only had enough fabric for this which is a shame.  I will be making more stockings as they were just such fun but different fabric will have to be used.  Of course, I made it completely wrong when you compare what the intructions were saying.  It was meant to be a Tilda Stocking with a cuff showing but of course I couldn't work it out...I wish people would realise complete novices such as myself are trying these things and add more pictures..preferable photos lol.   I got it in the end and will using the correct method for the next ones.  Also, my poor be-fuddled brain got the lining mixed up with bonda web and I forgot to add the seam allowance but it is fine; a smaller one perfect for my tree and I love it.

RE chemo brain, apparently it can take 3-5 years to recover..just in time for the dementia to kick in!

I also fancied some knitting so I finished a hat I started last year BC (before cancer lol)
The photo doesn't do it justice but the only other option was to wear it and put a photo of me up....and that is just not happening folks!

It looks great on, quite trendy but one thing is for sure.  My poor frontal lobe struggles with knitting.  This was a bugger to finish: I couldn't keep count and forgetting where I was even though I marked off the lines.  So, never one to give in just because it is difficult, I am going to compromise.  No more knitted clothes but I do fancy knitting different blocks and making a blanket or an afghan (what is the difference btw?).  I've ordered a book with different blocks in it so I get to try different stitches and hopefully it will be here before I go to Dublin's stitching show next week...My first every stiching show.  I am all excited and prepared: complete with shopping list.  My shopping list goes something like this;

Christmas fabric
Christmas buttons
Christmas ribbons
Anything Christmassy
Wool for blocks for heirloom blanket (or afghan)
Cutting mat for quilting because apparently you don't need to put your full body weight behind a rotary cutter to cut a piece of fabric
Blades for rotary cutter because apparently they don't last very long when you use your full body weight to cut through basic cotton fabric
White Interfacing (because bonda web just isn't the same)
Christmas stuff
Potential charts for my 2012 stitching book
Anything Christmassy
Unusual trims for my Christmas ornies

Yes; I love Christmas.

As part of trying to keep healthy (yeah, right, cus that worked!) I've been walking and being more active.  I've lost nearly a stone and am back in my size 12 jeans and thanks to great weather, I have got to meet a few more of our neighbours.




This little gal was all interested in our walk though not enough to drop the mouthful of grass she was eating.  I think she might have a bit of attitude: there is def. evil in her eyes!






Isn't this a great picture?  It could be a Victorian couple sitting, posing for a photo.  So cute.
(Even though I have a very healthy fear of cows...they are scary up close and can be quite dangerous).


These are my friend's donkeys.  Three always stick together and are real scaredy pants but the other one is lovely and friendly.



Awwwwww...and donkey's have quite a lot to do with Christmas don't they?  I'm sure baby Jesus wouldn't have dared pop out unless his stable had a donkey in it.  Had to have really, didn't it?  Couldn't have been a camel: that would just be silly now!

And on that sensible and serious note (not), I 'm off.  Cross stitching tonight, just have to feed the kids.  Honestly: do they really need to eat three times a day?  Such a waste of potential crafting time!




10 comments:

  1. hello deary, the stocking is so sweet and the scissor fob is so cute too..
    what a sweet walk..
    hugs cucki xxx

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  2. I was wondering how are you at reading patterns then, is your brain managing to process everything correctly; or are you having to double read everything to get it right?

    You have been through the mill, glad you're coming through the other side with a smile on your face.

    Gill

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  3. I have the same problem with words, and don't have your excuse, lol. Enjoy your evening

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  4. Such a cute Christmas stocking! It's wonderful - nice job on that. All best wishes to you, Kate

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  5. Well done on completing the hat, looks comfy.
    Enjoy the show in Dublin, I hope you are able to cross off lots from your list.
    Fab stocking, I'm a traditional girl, the fabric is gorgeous.

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  6. A lovely little stocking ornament to be sure! And what sweet neighbors you have!

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  7. The stocking is lovely. You could try using a very narrow strip of bondaweb to attach the trimming.
    The donkeys are adorable

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  8. Congratulations on the weight loss. The walk looks lovely.
    The stocking and hat finishes look lovely. I think that you are so talented at so many things.
    The Christmas things are really starting to show up at the stores now. I hope that you find some wonderful things.

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  9. Can I just say I'm a little OCD about grammar/spellings and don't follow blogs where it's really bad but your's is absolutely fine!!

    My Nana had a similar problem following radiotherapy for a brain tumour so we got used to guessing what she meant. Her worst area was names - to this day I answer to my name, my sister's name and even the cat's name!

    The again when I was pregnant I forgot the word for the body part that attaches your arm to your hand - you know - your hand ankles!! LOL.

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