Scout camp

I'm off to Scout camp tomorrow, to the National Sea Scout Jamboree, for a week. I'm hoping to do some more bell boating (as in the photo above).

This camp is to celebrate 100 years of Sea Scouting. It should be really good fun. I am going mainly to do the cooking. On a lot of camps the Scouts do their own cooking but on an activitiy camp like this it is easy and quicker to have an adult doing the cooking.

I am hoping to get quite a bit of knitting, hand sewing and reading in between cooking meals. I don't have to wash up, that's what the Scouts are for -lol.

I'm past the armholes on the back of 'Killybegs' and I'll be taking it with me, I still haven't decided what hand sewing to take.

See you in a week!

Christmas is coming!

I've been to a workshop today at Cheshire Needlecraft. I haven't done a workshop since last summer so I had really looked forward to it and I did enjoy it!

This is what we were doing - a Christmas tree with robins on it. Christmas comes early!

I'm going to blanket stitch around it all, in gold thread and then add some charms so it looks like the tree has got Christmas decorations on it. It will have borders on it and it will be a wallhanging - not that I know where I'll put it!

Look what came in the post today. I've been wanting to knit 'Killybegs' from Debbie Bliss Donagal Tweed book but I've found the cost of the yarn too expensive. Yesterday I went on 'Stash' of Chester's website and found that there was a sale on. This colourway in this yarn is being discontinued so they were selling it at £2.75 instead of £3.95. I was so pleased, especially as this is my favorite colour!

I am so excited I've cast on for this evening.

I also bought this Rowan Cashsoft 4ply at £2.99 instead of £4.45. I love this yarn as it is so soft! hopefully I've got enough for a cardigan or jumper.

I'm worried!!

I've finished this and it is in the post - hurray!!!!

But I've had a look on the blog of the lady that's going to receive this. She has a photo of the one she has sent to her swap partner and it's beautiful! including the back. The back of mine is not good. I made the mistake of quilting in the gutter round the inner boarder before I did the hand quilting so it has puckered, also the backing moved at some point so it isn't square now. I hope this lady will forgive me. I have learnt a lot from doing this.

I have been to pick up a needle as it has cooled down - hurray!!!!

I've done a bit more to the Spring Blooms mini quilt. I hope the lady that receives this doesn't look too closely at it. The back is totally out and the hand quilting could be better. I've learnt a lot by doing this so that is a positive. It is this week's challenge to get this done and into the post to the US.

This is the pin cushion, now finished, for my 200th post giveaway (I'm on post 210 now but don't let's count!) I can now announce a winner!!!!!

It is - Sara - My Sewing Room !!!!!!!

Sara, e-mail me your snail mail address and I'll get my little parcel in the post ASAP.

I am so pleased to get that wound up!

On Saturday I went up to Lady Hayes craft centre. There is a car hand wash place there and I wanted to get my car washed. Whilst it was being washed I had a look round some of the units I don't normally look round. There are 3 big units selling bric a brac and antiques. On my nosey round I found this - a linen tablecloth with a transfer design of pansies. It is a cut work design so the embroidary is done in buttonhole stitch and then certain bits of the linen are cut away. I know how to do this type of work but have never done it and I decided, for a fiver, I could have a go. The outer edge is complete but the inner ring needs to be done. I bought the threads from the LQS that is also on this site. I just had to have a little go on it on Saturday night but I can't pick it up again until the Spring Blooms quilt is completed.

Beavers boating!

This is me in a boat.

The weekend before last I was at a camp for Cubs and Scouts. The Beavers visited on the Saturday. They did lots of activities and one of them was Bell boating.

This is a bell boat. It's looks like 2 long canoes bolted together. It's very stable so is safe for the young Beavers who are 6-8. Everyone wears bouyancy aids, they are compulsory for any water activitiy in the Scout Association.

It's great fun, I love it and a I get to have another go next weekend as the Beavers have a fun day where bell boating is on the menu again.

I've not finished this yet as it has been too hot to do any hand sewing. I'm not working tomorrow but I don't know hot it's going to be. If it is hot I won't be able to do any hand sewing as my hand get too sweaty.

We are not used to hot weather in the UK, it's been 27-29c this week which I know isn't hot in other parts of the world but we tend not to deal with it well and we don't have air conditioning.