Monday 3 December 2007

The Hostess with the Mostess!



Mostess aprons are simply fabulous and a lovely website to boot. I would just love to be wearing a dotty Marilyn whilst dishing up a splendid Christmas dinner. Too lovely.

Well done Mostess girls!

Sunday 2 December 2007

pompom beret

matilda s pompom beret is the first proper knitting project i have finished since she arrived. although it doesn t quite fit yet (a touch on the generous side). matilda and her hat still attract lots of lovely comments. particularly from matilda s beautiful cousin martha who exclaimed
i want one!
made from gorgeous duck egg blue and yummy chocolate cashmerino it is super snuggly. perfect for these alpinish days. i so enjoyed the knit and looking forward to finishing some of my other projects. oh so many to complete for christmas.


(horrible photo of me but think m more than makes up for it.)



matching mittens too

have to just apologise for my photos...they always look so much better in my mind s eye...

Thursday 22 November 2007

thank you amanda

wow! my lovely coffeeswap pal amanda spoiled me rotten. what a wonderful introduction to the world of swapping.




i thought i did very well. it was looking like a very average day and after a pretty horrid month and a particularly horrid few days my parcel arrived with perfect timing and i managed to resist the temptation to open it until matilda had gone to bed. all the tea things were tidied away and i could enjoy each beautifully wrapped package individually. and oh there were some beauties!

the very pretty stitch markers were the first i opened. i have to confess that these are the first proper set of markers to ever find their way into my work bag and i love them! cannot wait to use. and i know just the pattern to try them out. as you can see from the photo the coffee quickly found its way into kitchen and is still being enjoyed - fudge brownie!?! thank you. i am eating the 'candies' as i type and they are yummy! yarn...well what can i say...i love love love it! i am just so not sure what to make with it...either mittens or a beret or much more likely something for matilda. but i know that i will love it for a little longer before 'cracking' in there. amanda thank you ever so much.

the last present i opened was the gorgeous ballband dish cloth. but frankly i think dish cloth is too lowly a term for such a delightful piece of knitting. i heart it! especially since i know amanda was working on it during the swap. presently i am using the 'dish cloth' as a runner on my red vinyl 50s drop leaf table (my favourite piece of furniture in the house...apart from miss tilly s cot.)

a truly wonderful parcel of loot. i feel charmed to have been partnered with the lovely amanda and i hope you like your spoils too...when they arrive...soon i hope.

hugs xx

Saturday 13 October 2007

my answers to the coffeeswap questions

1. Whole bean or ground? whole would be lovely so much nicer when freshly ground but we don t have a grinder so ground please.

2. Fully-loaded or decaf? fully loaded! the more the better! (i have a 6 month old baby girl who doesn t sleep much...zzzzzz)

3. Regular or flavored? mmm...either is yummy.

4. How do you drink your coffee? i like a mug too. normally one that my husband has made. (he is a potter of thoughtfully made tableware.) although i love a proper china or porcelain cup and saucer but more often for tea.

5. Favorite coffee ever? my 11am cup. normally a latte...sometimes with a dash of vanilla or hazelnut syrup...or sometimes a mocha. again one that joe has made (he is also a barista) sitting on the sofa in our village coffee shop with my knitting and matilda sleeping peacefully in her buggy...i wish! brand? i m not fussy.

6. Are you fussy about your coffee or will any old bean do? oh! think have just answered that sorry. well maybe i am? hmmm...not too strong. had a very nice cup of brew at a friends the other day who told me it had been through the digestive track of a cat! seriously! apparently it takes away the bitterness. seemed to work but don t fancy being the chap who has to harvest those beans. anyway am digressing. my pet hate is when the milk is burnt but that has nothing to do with beans.

7. Favorite treats to have with your coffee? actually anything! i like muffins a lot. fresh and cosy from the oven in the morning. maybe a scone or custard cream or carrot cake in the afternoon. and definately very dark chocolate in the evening with an espresso.

8. Anything else about your coffee preferences? i think i ve said enough.

9. Yarn/fiber you love? i love love love cashmere. of any kind! so delicious and decadent. also silk and alpaca are yummy too.

10. Yarn/fiber you hate? acrylic!

11. What's on your needles? a cashmere pompom beret in duck egg blue and chocolate for matilda. a skinny but long moss stitch scarf in a lovely new debbie bliss alpaca silk for me. and a breton stripe jumper for my tiniest nephew. none are near completion.

12. Favorite colors? red. of any shade is normally what i go for. but loving soft greys mustards and neutrals also. and likewise enjoying greeny blues and browns. oh! and also granny smith apple/cerlery green.

13. Allergies? nothing i can think of.

14. Anything you really love, really don't like, or just need to get off your chest? oh gosh...on the spot and mind has gone blank. there is nothing i can think of that i really really don t like. and so many things that i love. especially surprises!

i should be doing other things

oh my goodness! with the very exciting event of the coffeeswap three i have been nibbled by the blog bug and given in. whilst matilda (and joe and moose) snooze i have grabbed the odd minute to look at so many lovely pretty blogs and find it all so inspiring that i thought i would just jolly well join in! i am hoping this will be the incentive i need to get back to work and make gorgeous things to post on my blog. so here i am! my mind has gone blank!