Updates: Socks and Myeloma

February socks:

Oh come on! Nobody told me that February was 3 days shorter than January - that's just not fair!

No, I haven't finished my February socks. I am on the heel flap of sock two.

Myeloma:

FL has been telling me that all is going well with the new drug regime. But last night he had to get up 5 or 6 times due to excruciating cramp. He then admitted to feeling generally unwell: his muscles hurt, his bones hurt, he has a sore throat, he is constipated and his eyes are red and dry.

But if you ask him, he will tell you he is "fine". Go figure.

He has a review at the hospital tomorrow, and he is under strict instructions from me to tell the doctor what is going on.

I might have to accompany him.

I need the sock-time.

FO: Land Girl Skirt

One day's sewing and I have a new skirt!

Stats:

Pattern: McCalls 2269 from 1970, view A, waist 27, hip 38

Fabric: 2 metres of German "trousering" from Croft Mill Fabrics @ £5.50 per metre.

I note that there is now a health warning on the website concerning the ideal washing temperature for this fabric. Perhaps because I wrote to complain that it developed pronounced faded creases when I pre-washed it, and sent back a sample to show what had happened. I was promised a refund which never came, but it turns out that all is well: I am happy with the skirt and was able to cut around the bleached-out streaks.

Buttons: Civil Defence buttons from WW2.

I bought two on eeebaaay and a friendly Raveller sent me another five.

(Christian - if you are reading this, there will be a little something in the post to you on Monday ; ))

So... how was it as a sewing experience, Roo?

I'm very glad you asked. This fabric was out to get me from the start!

I stitched the first few seams without incident, but when it came to topstitching the front yoke section in place, all hell broke out.

The needle refused to pierce the multiple layers of cloth, dis-engaging the fly-wheel. So I changed to a heavier needle, and the same thing happened.

It wouldn't even work if I hand-cranked the wheel!

I searched the house for my old 1970's Singer sewing machine... and then remembered I had given it to the charity shop.



So I took the dog for a walk in the woods.

When I came back I tried changing the needle again.

Nope.

And then I hit upon the idea to use a finer needle, instead of a heavier one.

Bingo!

The thinner needle slid easily between the cords of the "chain stitch" cotton, and everything went swimmingly from then on - phew! The zip went in without a hitch.

I decided not to tempt fate with a heavy interfaced facing at the waist, and instead used a length of polka-dot grosgrain ribbon in a colour described unappetisingly as "turf tan" - perfect!

The hem was simply turned over twice and top-stitched.

Verdict?

It turned out exactly as I hoped.

The waist comes up quite high, which is perfect for wearing with any of my vintagey blouses - especially Sencha! And just right with Audrey-in Unst too.

Oddly, there is also a touch of cow-girl style going on, and it is very "country and western" with my cowboy boots!

My daughter thinks I need to buy some new shoes to wear with it, probably in tan.

I know just the pair! ; )

Image: Urban Outfitters

Me-Making-March

All over the blogosphere I can see stitchers getting excited about Me Made March.

I really enjoyed participating in Self Stitched September, but the thought of doing it again in March fills me with dread.

The thing about March is that it is still basically winter here. You can call it "spring" as much as you like, but I won't believe you. I still need to wear layers and layers of thermal vestage and wool over and under my me-mades.

If I took part in MMM, I would have to fake it for the photos, and what's the point of that?

Eva Dress 1940's pattern for trousers or dungarees: for budding land-girls!

So I have decided to use the month for "Me-Making" instead of "Me-Made".

It will be a month of sewing and knitting, but also for a bit of a makeover. I am going to up the ante with my hair and make up and general "image".

Try things out.

Experiment.

It should be fun!

I just checked my diary and March includes: one theatre trip, one training event (with me in front of the "class"!), two project board meetings and an internal audit. OMG - really?!

So, um, yes, it should be "fun"!

I will certainly wear "me-mades" most days, as is my habit now, but I need to keep the flexibility of adding a smart jacket or a warm RTW cardigan, so I'm not signing the pledge!

March Sewing plans:

First up: this little 1940's blouse (top right) in sprigged cotton, to wear with my Land Army skirt and a fair-isle cardigan. Ahem*.

I also want to make a pair of wide-legged trousers.

I will use the Eva Dress 1940's pattern in swishy navy cotton with anchor buttons.

If all goes to plan, I will make a second pair of trousers and maybe another blouse, but I want to keep my goals realistic!

March Knitting plans:

*A cardigan.

Maybe Shalder in the wool I bought on the West Coast...?

Or Betty Jean McNeil (no yarn in stash) ... ? This would be my "fairisle" cardigan. Real fairisle terrifies me.

I am thinking of a brownish neutral oatmeal with a shot of tangerine for the argylliness. I would use Albayarn.

Photo credit: Family Trunk Project

Or I could dig out a vintage pattern from an old Stitchcraft magazine using sloe (dusty purple) Sublime ultra-fine merino from the stash...? This would be the sensible and yet creative option!

I might not knit a pair of socks in March, but devote myself to the cardigan, to see if I can complete it in a month.

That sounds like a plan! Watch this space! ;)

Sewing: a Land Army skirt

My latest sewing project is a mish-mash of vintages.

Calling it my "Land Army" skirt probably has my Aunty Sarah giggling in her grave. She was that kind of a woman - always in fits of laughter about something!

She was an actual "land girl" in the war, you understand. Having decided that working in the munitions factory was not her cup of tea, she took to the fields instead.

As a result, she could identify every wildflower in Scotland and in the summer holidays she used to take me out for walks "down the glen" looking for flowers to name. She also taught me how to fry an egg. But that's not relevant... though I think she was the first person I knew who enthused about keeping hens, full of memories from her land girl days!

So, what's going on here?

It started with a 1970's pattern with front pleats and a buttoned yoke panel (top right). I saw this style and thought it had something 1940's about it.

And I remembered I had some "distressed" cotton canvas in the stash. It is dark brown and sanded on the upper surface, but quite rough and caramel-coloured on the underside.

When pre-washed, the fabric developed some badly-faded creases diagonally across its width, and I almost threw it out. However, I managed to cut the skirt panels around these areas.

The more I thought about it, the more I was reminded of a uniform skirt, and that mucky brown colour made me think of farms and mud ... and one thing led to another and I decided this would be my "Land Army" skirt, in honour of Aunty Sarah. (Who actually wore dungarees on the Home Front, but lets not get picky!)

I wanted to emphasise the uniform aspect with metal buttons, but didn't want to use something overtly military, so I fell upon the idea of "civil defence" buttons. I suppose the Home Guard would have had these on their uniforms...? I have not been very successful in my historical research of this point (google has failed me!) so if you know better, please let me know!

I won two buttons on eeebaaay, and then a wonderful Ravelry reader offered me another five! Her son had bought them as a joke because her initials are "CD", but she felt a bit self-conscious about using them - how lucky am I?!

I think it will be fabulous with a fairisle cardi over a sweet little 40's blouse... you can see where this is heading can't you?

Better finish the skirt first though...

New Glasses

I have new glasses.

I am sorry I was unable to consult my style gurus before their purchase, but this was an emergency situation.

Sometimes I have to be forced into a decision, or it just doesn't happen.

They are a very dark tortoiseshell brown on the outside, and unexpectedly purple on the inside.

They have a bit of a retro look I think.

Of course, they cost more than I wanted to pay. But that appears to be the way of these things. Cheaper than my latte habit, even if they only last a year!

But I sincerely hope they last a lot longer than that.

Oh - and I can see really well through them too!

Bonus!

Paul Smith style 432, if you are interested.

I am such a fashionista! ; )

Rev-ing up on Dexies - a hospital update

Here we go then: rollercoaster ride number three.

FL collected his pills today: a starter of 20mg Omeprazole (anti-acid) per day; followed by the main course of 21 days of Revlimid (lenalidomide), one 25mg pill per day; with a side salad of Dexamethasone: twenty, repeat TWENTY 2mg pills once a week; and an unexpected dessert of Allopurinol (an anti-gout drug), 300mg per day for 28 days.

Are we excited? You betcha, baby!

Want to see the list of possible side-effects?

Oh go on - you know you do!







VERY common










Just "common"











Uncommon













Rare








And that's just the Revlimid.

FO: Cinnamon Slip in Voile

I spent most of the weekend sewing up my Cinnamon slip.

Stats:

Colette Cinnamon slip, made up in size 4 (US)

Silk / cotton voile from Ditto Fabrics - I bought 2 metres.

The pattern is graded "intermediate" and I think that is fair.

Sewing on the bias is quite tricky, especially with a fine fabric like this one.

I found some of the instructions a trifle opaque - in particular the part where you sew the back and the front together, where the descriptions of "upper" and "lower" bodice didn't seem quite right.

But I got through it OK.

I would have liked to have used French seams, but wasn't sure if this would work on the bias, so I ended up stitching everything with a tiny zigzag, and folding under all the raw edges and finishing the folded edges with another row of zig zag.

It felt like making dolls' clothes! So many tiny stitches!

I attempted to finish the hem with a scalloped edge, but the bias was stretching all over the place. I believe I could have avoided this with spray-on starch... but I don't own such a commodity, so I gave up and just turned it under twice and finished with yet another line of zig zags. I used a lot of thread!

Turning the straps the right way out was a breeze compared to the trauma of pressing them flat. I had to separate the layers with a pin and inch my way along... through 4 chapters of my Brighton Rock audio book! Having finally got them smooth and straight I ran a couple of rows of (you guessed it) zig zags down their length to prevent a similar mess every time I wash the slip.

I don't know how I feel about threading the straps through the fronts to gather them above the bust: even in this fine fabric it is more bulky than I would have liked.

Verdict?

Why, yes, it is a very pretty little slippy garment!

But I can't see me wearing it as an everyday underskirt.

It is much more of a summer nightdress, with definite heirloom qualities.

I imagined I was sewing a piece for a trousseau as I worked away on this flimsy piece of nothing-ness.

It seems so fragile - as if it is the zig zagging that is holding it together.

Will I make another? I am not sure. I have the same fabric in a darker shade of peachy pink, and I know that it is far too see-through to use for anything that anyone will ever see! So this pattern is perhaps ideal.

I would never consider making Cinnamon as an actual dress - it is far too revealing.

Or maybe I am just feeling grey today ;)

A Sock, a Hedgehog and an Octopus

On a day when everything outside was

dank and sludge-coloured, The Girl and I settled down to some dangerous sports: my juddering sewing machine on one side of the table, and her acrylic paints on the other.

Both the painting and the silk voile slip survived. We had a lovely afternoon. She even let me borrow her Crazy Band hedgehog. Have you seen these things?

Your challenge is to find the octopus!

The sewing is going well, although I am somewhat in awe of the delicate fabric. I have a feeling this is more of a nightdress than an underskirt, we'll see. Every seam has to be stitched and folded and finished with a tiny zig zag. I feel as if I should be sewing it by hand.

And as promised - the first February sock!

The pattern is Flaming Desire by Anne Hanson (Knitspot). The yarn is Hazel Knit Artisan sock in Hi Octang.

The colour, the stitch pattern, the overall definition of those "flames"? I love it!

If I had no principles...

Aw... thanks to everyone who commiserated with me over yesterday's catalogue of minor disasters! Yes - there was a point (around the end of the farm road, with water dripping down my face) when I wanted to crawl back into bed and give up. But I didn't and I am glad. Hooray!

My eyes have adjusted to my 6-year-old optical prescription, so as long as I avoid mirrors for a week, all will be well! FL said he felt sorry for me until he realised I could see and my problem with the old glasses was vanity. Grrr. But if he was my age, would he want to look like his age? I think not!

Anyway... see those thumbnails? All images from the new Brora catalogue. Hopelessly small pictures, but can I just say: if money was no object and I had no principles, I would dress myself from head to toe in these clothes!

All very "Miss G" from Cracks!

Top left: textured linen dress with a bias cut skirt, pearly button-and-loop fastening v-neck and a tiny cashmere cardi.

Top right: OMG a shetland wool fair-isle cardigan in "nutmeg and sunflower" = gorgeousnessnessness!

Bottom left: printed silk flowy layered dress and a fine-knit cashmere stole (180cm by 70cm!)

Bottom right: silk pin-tucked camisole with matching french knickers and a fan-and-feather striped cashmere cardi. Ooooh!

Out of all these items, the shetland fair-isle cardigan is the one thing I would almost consider paying for. But not £98.

See that little stripe of pattern on the sleeves? Ooh!

It reminded me that I want to knit the Betty Jean McNeil cardigan. Or rather - I want to have it. The actual knitting is another thing altogether.

In oatmeal and tangerine with a pop of turquoise - ooh yeah!

Knitting:

In the world of actual knitting, I should have a sock to show you in the next day or so. It is possibly the loveliest sock I have ever knitted. FL thinks so. I do too.

Sewing:

I cut out my Land Army skirt and have "won" two WW2 "Civil Defence" buttons. I need four more, but I am working on it!

Myeloma:

FL's INR has shot up to 2.6, so we should be all systems go for him to start Revlimid next week.

Another milestone.

The World versus Roo: World 1, Roo 0

Photo: These might be my new glasses

This morning... I overslept.
So a mad rush to get ready for work.
Snapped the leg of my glasses clean off.
Tried to glue it, but no luck.

Found 6-year old glasses and put them on.
I look like my granny, but not in a good way.
I think. Maybe. It's all a bit blurry, to be honest.



Got into car, and was halfway up the hill when the sun-roof seal apparently gave way and I got drenched in accumulated rainwater.


Stopped at end of road to dry off and consider my options.


Drove to opticians.
Sat in car park waiting for the shop to open.


Rang work to explain I had a broken leg and couldn't see properly.
Or words to that effect.



Handed glasses to optician.
"How old are these? 2007? Oh no - they're too old we can't fix them."
Too old at 4????



Saw myself in mirror wearing granny glasses.
Sighed.
Chose new glasses.
They're OK.
They might even be quite nice.
At least they are heading in the right direction and don't make me look 92.



I just have to live with the 6-year olds for a week.
There will be no pictures of me til then.



My car's "toxic fumes" warning light has come on.
Have booked MoT test for 2 weeks' time.
I will try not to breathe til then.



I had to park at the other end of the universe because I didn't get to work til 10am.
It is still raining.



So I am tired-eyed, asphixiated and damp.



It is NOT a good day.

More (orange!) inspirations

Image credit: Wearing History blog

I am itching to get on and sew an actual garment, instead of cute little ditsy homewares.

The first idea buzzing around my head looks like this: wide-legged trousers with a neat shirt. Headscarf bandana thingy optional!

So many sewists have made those Smooth Sailing trousers now... but I have my Eva Dress trousers to try out before I go and buy yet another pattern! I have some gorgeous slinky navy fabric and anchor buttons in the stash for these.

Oh look - two-coloured brogues!

Nice!

As for the shirt... hmmm. I have my bow-tied-neck blouses, my back-buttoned tops and my baggy Rockabilly blouse, but I have yet to find a simple "go to" shirt pattern for everyday, non-fussy wear.

I found this fab 1940's pattern on Etsy and was waiting to hear if the seller would consider shipping to the UK, when I discovered that Susannah was selling the same one, in my size - amazing!

So that was destiny, wasn't it?

I rather fancy that little over-top too - see the shape of the neck?

Or is it just the fact that it is orange?!

I think I have a problem.

The other garment which is whirling around my head is a 1970's skirt from my eebaay pattern deluge.

I really want to make the multi-buttoned / pleated version (top right).

My imagination is shouting at me to buy some satsuma-coloured babycord from Ditto, and finish it with black buttons. (Orange again?!)

My brain is telling me to use that weathered brown herringbone canvas that's in the stash, trimmed with metal buttons... maybe source some WW2 land army buttons?

Though sometimes, I admit, I do take things too far...

And then the Toast catalogue arrived and filled my head with a very particular shade of blue/green and the idea of multiple strings of beads in tangerine or navy or even ivory and ochre.

It's not the clothes themselves that I covet, it's the colour pallette. And apart from navy, I have none of them in my stash.

Maybe the beads are the way forward.

The orange ones!

Images: Toast

Anyway... Me Made March anyone?

Do I need the pressure?

Pass the Cointreau.

Practical Archaeology and a couple of FO's

My weekend is going to plan - amazing!

I loaded my car with bags for the dump and the charity shop - then realised I had a flat tyre so came back indoors and put on the kettle. Shrug.

All the more time to get on with things around the house.

I laid out my slip fabric but it kept slipping, so I cast around for something to weigh the pattern down.. and my eye fell upon FL's hen-feed-scoop full of prehistoric artefacts. Heh heh heh - the perfect use for my darling's ancient petrospheres!

So the first slip has been cut out and is hanging to "drop" the bias. I wasn't sure what size to make so only cut one, for a trial run, in a size 4 (US).

I remembered I had a free (via The Times)audiobook of Brighton Rock to listen to, so switched that on while I pottered about. It took me a while to learn to listen properly, but I was soon engrossed.

Next up: a couple of zippy project bags to hold my sock / shrug knitting-in-progress.

I have made these before but my brain was not fully-engaged, so I made two long and thin pencil-case shaped pouches instead of the shorter fatter versions I planned.

However, my knitting still fits inside and I can slip in an A4 pattern without "quartering" it - double prizes!

The fabric is a set of fat quarters from Fabric Rehab.

I was going to call it a weekend at that point and settle down to knit, but then I remembered the tea-towel trimming plan - why not?

So I used the same fabric, pieced it together in strips, then cut across the strips to make "patchwork", which I then sewed onto three new tea towels, which I had pre-washed.

I used a zig zag to topstitch the edges for added zing.

What a difference! I bought a load of these "professional" tea-towels from eeebaaay a while ago and they were just so ugly. The fabric is like those industrial roller-towels you find in public conveniences, so they are very absorbent and wash well... but ugly!

I was ironing them when FL came into the kitchen. He wore a puzzled expression.

"Where did those come from? They look just like that material that was on the table... you made them?!"

Um... yes! ;)

Hi Octang NRG weekend

I am all fired up - watch out dog-face, I'm sweeping through the house with that vacuum cleaner!

"Off with your heads!"

I have made myself a menu of activities, all fun in their different ways:

Take old bedroom carpet tiles to veg garden and lay down as a weed barrier.

• Take out-of-date pharmaceuticals to chemist.


• Take bags of use-able stuff to charity shop.


• Take bin bags of rubbish to landfill site.

Oh look - the Sofa of Doom!

Note hen feed scoop pan full of Stone Age artefacts. Don't ask. It would take too long.

*** Coffee break at the garden centre? ***

Trim plain tea-towels with fun fabric (not even FL would dare clean his shoes with them then!)

• Make a couple of sock-project-bags


• Cut out Cinnamon slips and leave to hang (they are bias cut, so need to relax)

*** Cook something lovely, walk dog, welcome FL home from golf, drink a glass of wine***

Knit

• Knit


• Knit


• Sleep zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

P.S. Myeloma update: FL's INR is now at 1.8. We need "2" to commence Revlimid, so it looks like he might be on schedule to start treatment at his next hospital visit on 22 February.

Stylish Blogger

Oh lordy, lordy I think I scared you all away with my tales of life with a compulsive hoarder! But I really do think it is a bit of a taboo subject which people need to talk about. I know I am not the only person in the world who fights a daily battle with Other People's Stuff!

Apology: My daughter has asked me to clarify that she doesn't avoid inviting people to the house because of the mess, but because we live in the country ; )

I filled four bin bags last night :D

However, since so many of my readers don't know what to say to me and are hiding behind their hands in horror at the idea of a messy house (I swear it is the "clean" sort of messy: no doggy-do-do-s in the corner, honest!) I will revert to the nice safe topic of SHOES!

Kestrel nominated me for the Stylish Blogger Award (before she read about my house?!). Thank you Kestrel!!

My task is to come up with 7 facts about myself... hmmm... I think you are all done with my personal revelations, so I thought I would focus on something stylish: shoes!

1 I spent most of the 1970's begging my mother to let me wear platform soled shoes. My ideal pair were black with red, orange and yellow stripes and I used to stare at them in the Co-op shop window every time I went past.

Image: These shoes are definitely from that era - if you want some genuine 1970's unworn platform soles, get yourself over to Candy Says!

2 My most memorable childhood shoes were metallic red patent t-bars. I was about 9. They were fabulous! What a shame I don't have a picture!

3 I still love red shoes!

In fact, here are my red shoes: Doc Martens, clogs, flatties, high heels, boots, wellies - woo hoo!

Um - a bit of cleaning required to some of those, Roo!

4 My most-attention-grabbing shoes are these wooden-soled sandals from Shelleys, circa 1998.

The insole has a henna-tattoo print and there is a gold-painted pattern on the side of the wedge.

I was once stopped in the street by a complete stranger who had fallen in love with these shoes and wanted to tell me!

The only problem is that they make a helluva racket, especially on a wooden floor. Never ever to be worn while invigilating an exam!

One sole has a big crack and I am afraid they may fall apart if I wear them again.

Sob!

5 My least-worn shoes are these Pod denim sandals.

They were in a sale for about £15 nine years ago and I fell in love with them.

See that gorgeous "carved" heel?

But I admit they are awfully tarty-looking, especially with that diamante buckle.

And they are really hard to wear.

I have fallen off a London bus wearing these. Nice.

6 My current most-wanted wish-listy shoes are a pair of platform loafers.

I love the "Romy" style by Doc Martens but it is out-of-stock across the planet. If you see a pair in size 4, tell me immediately!

Oh look - they are not that different from these 1970's shoes I just found at Candy Says!

7 My favourite shoes right now are my newest ones: Camper Mambas. A sale bargain! Kind of vintage-y, very comfortable, and great with skirts or trousers. Woo hoo!

Now I am required to nominate 7 other "Stylish Bloggers". The pressure!

Suzy

Debi

Roisin

Sarah

Scruffy

Karen

Ali

Do you know them all? They are well worth a visit! And if you aren't on that list it doesn't mean you aren't one of the most stylish bloggers I know! I was only allowed 7 names!

My Relationship with Stuff

I was catching up on the weekend's papers over breakfast. The Saturday edition of the Guardian had only just surfaced from the cascading pile of newsprint that covers "FL's sofa". I found it while searching for a plate, any plate. (There were several.)
So I am sure you can imagine some of my feelings when I came across a piece about a woman coming to terms with her mother's compulsive hoarding. She has written a book called "Dirty Secret". You can read the article here.
I have written before about the state the farmhouse was in when I moved here. People joke about their homes being "a mess" but most have not experienced the level of accumulated stuff that greeted me as I attempted to push the front door open in 2004. Urban myths have grown up about this kind of thing, but at least in a city there is a chance that someone might notice. Out in the country, not so much. Have you seen Grey Gardens?
Things have improved a lot. Since the initial clear-out, I have tried to keep the place clean and tidy. It is still not the show-home my daughter's classmates expect to see, so she never invites anyone to the house, and I can understand that, though it makes me sad. I organise targetted blitzes of The Sofa, usually on a Friday night, with rubber gloves and a vacuum cleaner to hand. But there are two rooms in my house which are no-go areas: the "study" and the "upstairs study". What a waste of space! I would love to have a dedicated sewing area, and one of these rooms would be ideal, if it wasn't such an overwhelmingly mammoth task to attempt to restore order. But there are some places you just don't go when you move into another person's life and the home where they have lived for 35 years or so.
So I satisfy my desire for cleanliness and order by keeping my own things under control. I can feel that spring-cleaning urge coming upon me as sunlight catches on the cobwebs that seem to appear from nowhere overnight. Remembering how it was in 2004, I am genuinely fearful of the chaos which seem to lurk at the edges of our home, waiting to consume us.
I was telling FL about the Uniform Project. And I was struck by his reaction. He said "That's quite right. That's how it should be. I don't understand why women want so many different clothes - men are happy just with the same things all the time, decade after decade, and that's all that is necessary."
But here's the thing - he wouldn't throw away the decades' worth of tattered duplicates: they would built up like so many layers of sediment until he couldn't open the front door. So instead of building up a minimal, curated collection of clothing, it would require an archaeological dig to find the second non-leaky boot.
Next weekend? Bin-bags at dawn.

P.S. It must be love.

Not the Only Fruit?

I have clearly passed through my Green Period and am now immersed in orange.

Thanks to Teaandcakes, I discovered the shrug pattern "Summer Affair" by Carol Feller and immediately wound my yarn to knit a beautiful lacey shrug.

It is a mystery skein from my bag of Hipknits samples. All I know is that it is "kid mohair and silk" and it is 2-ply. I believe it to be laceweight but it may be nearer fingering weight. The label did not give any details about yardage either, so this is a bit of a risky venture!

First impressions are good: I have learned a new way to do a provisional cast-on using a crochet hook, which looks infinitely more unzippable than the "crochet a chain and pick up the stitches" method which always leaves me in knots with the wrong number of "unzipped" stitches. I have only knitted three rows so nothing to show as yet!

My first February sock is going well. I am finding the stitch pattern somewhat compulsive, and I was reluctant to put it down until I finished the first "repeat".

And in case you were wondering: the fabric in the first photo is the beautiful silk / cotton voile I bought from Ditto to make a couple of Cinnamon slips.

That's my project for next weekend.

Meantime, I am hiding jars of Vegan Vampyre Marmalade in odd cupboards to prevent FL eating it all at once in triple-decker midnight-snack sandwiches: I think he likes it!