Trip to Somerset

One afternoon this week David and I decided to take a drive out to Bruton, Somerset, about an hour's drive from home.  We'd found in the RHS magazine from last month there was a garden to visit, but it turns out it's an art gallery with a garden attached, which is on a farm.

The gallery owners, Hauser and Wirth, also have galleries in the US, Hong Kong, Switzerland as well as London.  We weren't sure whether to take photos or not so didn't take any in the gallery but waited until we were in the gardens.  The exhibition of work by artist Alexander Calder, an American artist who lived  between 1898 and 1976 and was best known for his kinetic art work and it was fascinating to see how the mobiles that were hung balanced perfectly.  There is more information here on the Tate website and I found more information here which has an interview with his grandson.

There were a couple of his sculptures in the garden

I took the bottom one at a quirky angle as you can see.

The gardens were really colourful in spite of the recent hot dry weather, but there were quite a lot of prairie grass plants so they probably survived the best.

The space age looking white building at the end of the gardens is for events and is reached by a ramp and curls around so there is a space in the middle. The black part of the building is gives a view taking in a section of the garden and the fields beyond.

The gardens were full of colour and interest that also had a pond with some water-loving plants and waterlilies

A longish way to go to view art and gardens and made a change to go somewhere different.

Time for a Bit of This and That

Its been a couple of weeks since I last posted and things have been a bit fraught on the family front, circumstances which I can't go into but I have been trying to craft a bit in between.

One thing I am pleased about is that at my local Slimming World group I have now reached the dizzy depths of having lost a total of 2 stone!!  Thats since May last year when I just wanted to lose a few pounds to look good in my outfit for Sarah's wedding in September last year.  Although I got to a plateau earlier this year I decided I would things a bit of a push.  I hope to lose another 5.5lbs to get to target.

So one thing I have started (and finished!) is a project in A Little Box of Crochet, which I've just started to subscribe to.  I've been contemplating taking up a subscription for this as monthly subs I've previously belonged to have built up to a point where they don't get used.  But this was a perfect little project with everything, and I mean everything, supplied to make a small clutch bag. You do not have to find a crochet hook or stitch marker, it is all there in the box.

 And a couple of evenings this was finished!

I found a crochet flower pattern and added this to the bag, now I can't think where I got it from! So my apologies to the designer and I will correct as soon as I can. I may add a fabric lining, possibly in soft pink to complement the bag.

I've made a couple of things for my newest granddaughter, Florence, who is now 7.5 weeks old.  How the time passes!!  She is getting more curious and wants to see what is going on around her and was finding going out in the pram a bit boring and grizzles when out in it so I made a rag book to tie to the sides of the pram. I chose a colourful assortment of squares to make double sided pages so the picture can be changed and added ribbon across the top. I think she likes it, hard to tell with a young baby.

I've also knitted a cardigan  for her though she won't fit into it just yet as I made slightly larger size. I started it before she was born and left because I wasn't too happy about the finish of the button band.  This cardigan is a bit different in construction as its knitted from the top, neckband, down in one piece, with the stitches for the sleeves held on waste yarn while the rest of the cardigan is knitted to the bottom.  The sleeve stitches are picked up later and knitted straight down to the cuffs.  Then the button/buttonhole bands are from stitches which are picked up from the fronts.  No seaming involved!  The pattern I used is from Ravelry, and called the Fuss Free Baby Cardigan by Louise Tilbrook.  I think this would make a good charity make as the small amount of time it takes to do, though I made it challenging for myself with using self striping yarn with matching in the yarn when picking up the sleeve stitches!

And ANOTHER FINISH!! The Woodland Blanket (which is listed in my Solo Finish Along list) is at last done and even the border is finished.  You know when you get to the point where you just want a project finished and the only way is to just push ahead and in spite of the heatwave.  I have enjoyed this to pick up and put down easily though.

I completed 96 colour changes from 15 different shades, less one as I found the grey was temporarily used for something else but I found that again! So 95 x 2 rows each colour = 190 rows.  The border took 4 colours. It now measures 65" x 43" and weighs quite a bit!  I've got to wash and block but will leave that to next week to do that.  But pleased its finished, nonetheless

 Looking towards the end on Sunday morning.

Here it is, laid out on the landing.

The Woodland Blanket CAL (Crochet A Long) came from the Attic 24 blog and I used the random stripes.  The Stylecraft Yarn came from Wool Warehouse who send this in a net bag, so no hunting around for a large bag to put the yarn in!  I will use this ripple pattern and the remaining yarn to make a matching cushion for C*******s (planning ahead is the plan!!).

Looking through my recent photos I also made another zippy pouch.

I also went to a local Project Linus day and although I didn't do any sewing for then I did take home a pack of prepared fabrics, which has turned into this

I've got matching binding, just got to figure what fabric I use on the back.

Last but not least I've got a growing collection of Kingfisher Quilt blocks, now numbering 13, coming along nicely.

I think that's it.  I've been busier than I thought.

Any comments, any thoughts, do let me know. I welcome your comments and do come back again soon!