In the post ...

I love receiving things in the post and this week has been an excellent one for making me rush to the doormat every time I hear the thump of something falling on to it. Or sometimes, more often in the middle of the day, the doorbell rings and there is a terrified delivery person, shaking at the intense barking that ensues every time it rings, ready to hand over something wonderfully anticipated.

I have Belinda to thank for the introduction of this satchel to my collection of bags. I spent many hours browsing the options in terms of colour, style and size and finally opted for this gorgeous metallic version. I'm not a shoe girl, but am definitely a bag girl (not bag lady!).

Next up were some of Celia's amazing Not just for Valentine's Day cards.  My plan for these is to frame them and hang them somewhere prominent in the house. I absolutely love Celia's work and so, for me, this is a great way to be able to own some.

Just as satisfying as receiving things in the post, is making up little parcels to send out to others.  I have finished my final block in the #twitknit scarf swap I have been taking part in. Not all my blocks needed blocking, but this one most definitely did to show off the pattern.

It seems like a little sprinkle of magic happens when you use some pins, a water sprayer and a smidgeon of patience.

I'm hoping that making trips to the post office to make such deliveries is going to become a regular happening soon as the last package to have fallen on my mat this week is very exciting (at least, to me) and after a bit tweaking here and there over the next day or two I will be unveiling a little project that I have been working on recently. I've been dropping hints over on Twitter so it's not exactly a secret if you follow me there ...

Sorry for terrible grainy phone photo, but I was just a tad excited and had to take an immediate photo!

For the love of moss stitch...

Now that the snow is melting, I finally cast off the scarf I have been making for the last few weeks. It's nothing fancy, just a beautiful, hand-painted yarn that required no amount of fancy stitches to show it off (I chose the Blue Bell colour way). I've always loved Julie's palest blue moss stitch scarf that has graced her neck over many a cup of coffee we've shared and so I have shameless replicated something similar.


I had no pattern (none was needed, it is that simple), I just cast on 22 stitches and used up two skeins of yarn. I didn't even wind the skeins, I just hooked them over the handle of my knitting basket and prayed that they wouldn't tangle up into something horrific while I wasn't looking (they didn't).

I can't quite make up my mind whether or not my photos are actually out of focus slightly or the soft fuzziness of the yarn is just doing its thing.

No matter, I intend to wrap myself up with later when I head out to the post office with another piece of knitted goodness that is another blog post in itself.

Stay warm!

Right now ...

• I am facing the fear and cutting out curves.

• Making little piles as part of a very methodical sewing project.

• Enjoying piles of newly delivered fabric for another project.

• Smiling at my stripy, new ironing board cover.

• Drinking too much coffee.

• Bracing myself for the possibility of more snow.

New year, new project...

Things are on the go-slow here still as No2 is now off on study leave as he has a couple of exams this week and I can never get back to normal until the school year is under way good and proper.

Fed up with nagging him to revise, I have found myself joining in with an informal quilt-a-long over on Instagram that Katy blogged about here and I am blaming that Peppermint Patcher for giving me the final push! I've been long collecting ideas on Pinterest for making a scrappy quilt and this one fits the bill perfectly.

My worktable had accumulated a sprawling pile of fabrics that were the leftovers from the last few projects I've been working on so I made a start by cutting a 2½" strip from each of them before I put them away.

I have to confess, it's addictive. My only rule is that I try not to duplicate a fabric for each strip, so that's 216 different fabrics required. Blushing, I am going to confess that my fabric stash will allow me to achieve this! A lot of it is scrap though ; )

I'd forgotten how satisfying the image above is to me. A pile of potential fabric goodness.

Six blocks done, a sixth of the way through, and a snapshot of my fabric collection. It feels oddly liberating to be making something with no agenda and just being able to trust my instinct.