Sewing

The Delphine skirt I completed a couple of weeks ago. I really love it. Tilly's instructions are so clear and well laid out, the skirt came together quickly and easily. I didn't have much of a choice of colours in the Edinburgh fabric shop I went to, so I thought I would choose this beigey-yellow for work as I have a cardigan in a similar colour. 

I've been obsessed by sewing for weeks now, and trawl the internet for sewing patterns and examples of items made by other sewers. Every time I came across the Anna Dress by By Hand London, it really struck me, so I finally put it in my online basket (that dangerous invention) and it arrived last week. I plan to make the boat neck, knee-length version first of all, though I think I'll attempt the long dress at some point.

I went to John Lewis last week, intending to buy sale material to make the Anna dress (as it requires 2 1/2 metres), but didn't particularly like the material that was left. So I decided I'll use the flamingo material as I was just planning to make a short-sleeved top with it otherwise. I just need to buy another metre and will have enough. 

I also bought the last of the synchronised swimmers material from the fabric shop. In white this time, rather than blue. I will make pyjama bottoms from it.

And finally an example of our eggs these days. This is a good selection. The dark brown is from Georgie, a Welsummer. Bottom right is a pale blue, from one of our Legbars. Top right is from Squeaky Cheese, our Ancona. And bottom, second from the right is from our little bantam chicken, Tiger! She has started laying. I knew she was about to start laying, and now she is laying every day. She is the sweetest little hen, and I get a cuddle at her every day. When she sees me she runs and flies towards me, and follows me around if we're both near the hen house. She chatters away, and we both sit and wait while everyone else goes in to bed. Being bottom of the pecking order means she has to wait till last. I usually pop her in beside her mum, though she has started running back out towards me and I have to close the door quickly. I had two Tiger eggs for lunch yesterday. She is so special. 

I'm still reading The Goldfinch. I think I have 200 pages still to read. I have gone through phases of enjoying it and not enjoying it. I will be pleased when I'm finished. 

A change of plan

So today we were supposed to go and visit my folks in Dumfries to celebrate my mum's birthday, but Hagos has been ill since 2am with a sickness bug. Not much fun.

Consequently I didn't sleep very well either, so I've been in a semi-zombie state for most of the day. It helps that I'm good at entertaining myself, hence: I finished the second blue hat. I had almost settled on keeping it for myself and was thinking of making matching mittens, when my Godson JJ asked if I would knit him the exact same hat as I'd knitted for his mum. And as I was almost finished it anyway I felt I had to say yes. He boosted his cause by earlier berating his mother for not wearing her hat when we met them yesterday, something that struck me as well when she turned up wearing a shop-bought red hat (roll eyes). I've threaded some yellow wool through the back seam in his hat so they can tell them apart (no woman would want to share clothes with a child: they're continuously covered in crumbs and general detritus and always manage to smell).

I also painted my nails, a shimmering light blue.

And decided to resurrect this knitting project that I lost interest in ages ago. The colours as balls of wool (orange and blue) look great together but somehow, when knitted, the sock is unexciting.

I also came across this single sock at the back of the shelf. I love this design, however those reindeer (there's one on the other side too) take a lot of concentrating to knit, PLUS I carried the white wool across the back when I was knitting the reindeer and as a result that part of it is tight. I'll try to knit the second sock with more give!

And that's been my day. I've really missed Hagos today. We get into a routine of doing stuff separately then coming together at various points in the day. I hope he feels better tomorrow, for his sake.