Rattling On...

Cake swap

I signed up to do Emily's 3rd Blog Birthday Swap and sent off my envelopes a while ago. One of my swap partners is Julie (no blog) and I already knew she had a lot of commitments in October so hers may have to be a little late. Not so, it arrived last week.

She'd included a recipe card for this lovely lemon cake (which is after Jane Brocket from the Gentle Art of Domesticity) which I had to make almost at once. It tastes lovely, I know this as I had to have a slice almost at once as well. This was a logistical move as the loaf-shaped cake wouldn't go in the tin without removing one end.

She's also includud a sewing pattern which I will try very hard to make up soon. Thankfully it's not too difficult as my sewing skills aren't legendary. I also sent her a recipe and a crochet pattern and we both had to include a picture of something we loved or found beautiful, mine was of birds which ticked both those boxes. Thanks, Julie for three great things in your swap.

In other news: Last night No2 and I went to see Skyfall. There isn't a cinema here so we went to Macclesfield and arrived quite early. Which turned out to be fortunate as there was a queue out onto the pavement and then another with clever people who'd pre-booked (note to self...).

For some reason known best to themselves a lot of people had taken very small children with them. A two and a half hour, noisy and violent film maybe isn't the best place? Just mentioning, especially to the woman who took the small girl to the toilet three bloody times.

Nonetheless, it was really good. It has humour, or at least I found bits funny- but you never know, it has a sort of 60s vibe and it is Union Jacktastic. New characters, including Q, a mere child who, as it happens, went to school with the woman sitting next to me. She told me so, and what's more I have no reason to disbelieve her.

And Daniel Craggy of course. Boff boff.

Bartering...

Bloggers are always banging on about how marvellous the Blogging Community is, usually with added darlings, lovelies, gushing and cooing.

I'm not the luvvie type, but I can agree with them on all the rest.

Take the above basket, for example. When I wrote that I'd bought a bike and needed (well, wanted) something for the front, Toffeeapple commented that she had a basket that I could have. Tell me what's not wonderful about that?

We decided a swap would be a much fairer deal, and accordingly a teacup candle set was dispatched. In return I am now the proud owner of a super wicker basket that will hopefully keep all eyes off the crappy bike while being useful and attractive! Two adjectives often applied to me, if only in my imagination.

No sooner was it out of the box than Frank was giving it the once-over, deciding it was the perfect size for a naughty cat.

So, from me and Frank a big Thank You to T-A!

And remember, as my Mother always says: A fair exchange is no robbery. Think on that...

 

Swap?

Do you have a shameful secret, something kept behind closed doors? Something that has a habit of popping up all over the house, in unexpected and long forgotten places?

You know what I'm talking about... a stash.

If your stash is getting out of control, or lying idle and unloved then Emily would like you to join her in doing something about it. I think it can be any sort of stash, woolly or fabric or whatever.

Teddy is modelling my contribution- a bit of swapping...

Two skeins of Mulberry Dyer's 2ply laceweight alpaca silk yarn. It's hand dyed and spun and has roughly 600m or so per skein (50g each- an inexact science when hand spinning). I have realised that laceweight really isn't my thing and this gorgeous yarn is languishing in The Stash.

If you can re-home it then suggest a swap. Something in at least 4ply if it's yarn. Or come up with an offer...

If you have something you'd like to bust then do go over to Emily's and register in the comments so potential de-stashers can have a gander. 

Return of the Swapping...

My swap parcel from Heike arrived yesterday but I was at work so they took it back to the depot and I had to collect it this morning. Most annoying, knowing it was sitting up there and I couldn't have it...

Harry decided I needed help with arranging the photo shoot, he loves paper and anything crinkly. First up are the beautiful, soft wristwarmers made by Heike, with some handcream to make my hands more yarn-friendly. She must have seen my hands! Especially after the scalpel experience.

A pattern she designed herself and the yarn to make it with

Crafting accessories, the scissors are in the lovely handmade case

And somewhere to jot my ideas... with a little extra to make the thinking all the more pleasant!

Despite it throwing it down outside and being very gloomy I got better light today, by using some reflectors and putting everything on a blank painting canvas by the window. Desperate measures, which can't be used on bigger things but worked today... so you can actually see what I received. (Heike has good pictures of both sides of the swap over at hers, along with loads of interesting posts about the things she makes)

A big Thank You to Heike for a great swap!!

Let the swapping commence...

What festive swap is complete without a scarf? Not this one in any case. This is the first thing for my swap-partner Heike in Tracey and Emma's Snail Mail Holiday Swap. The essence of it is to do a handmade holiday parcel and mine went into the post last night after work.

Everything is packed inside this stocking (details of the projects will be on Ravelry in a few days) for that authentic Christmas feel. The girls saw me knitting this and have both requested one, these are now underway.

And this is why I wanted to perfect Kirstie's papercut bauble technique! These two are cut from duck egg blue card (Heike said she liked that colour) and dare I say I'm very pleased with them. I think if I'd started with manageable card in the first place I wouldn't have mashed my fingers.

A bit of fairisle is also festive. The pictures do no justice to what I made, but it's dark all day and I am not good at photos in artificial light. You'll have to take it from me that this hanger is actually quite bright!

I sneaked in a couple of other things as well, not handmade but for Heike to use in her crafting. She is the most amazing knitter. 

It feels so good to post off things, it has an authentic feel to it. Does that make sense? You know, the making, the wrapping and queuing to send it off in style in brown paper and with string tied round. Not for practicality (they invented sticky tape for that) but for a bit of retro appeal! I read somewhere that the greeting card market has shrunk as 'Everyone' is texting or e-mailing their felicitations these days. Not in this house. You can't beat a hand written card, even if the post is a bit hit and miss with its timings. I absolutely love getting Real Letters through the letterbox, not that it happens a lot these days, but it's a thrill when it does. And getting a parcel, well, that's just fantastic...

Sign here, please...

My swap parcel from Tracey arrived on Tuesday while I was at work. Annoyingly I had to wait until yesterday to collect it, they won't let you go on the same day. I collected it on the way to work and waited all day to open it.

Everything in it is absolutely beautiful. The hand knitted mitts and cowl are exactly the colours I love, and look at the lavender bag (made by Tracey's friend, Helen) which is lime green on the back. Perfect.

Gorgeous yarn and, peeping out there, a sugar mouse. Which is funny because I also sent Tracey sugar mice in reference to swap host Emily's blog name! Great minds thinking alike...

A badge confirming what really is a fact.

I will be trying out the pompom maker soon, I have a project in mind for it, and the magazine also has loads of inspiration and patterns. Maybe I'll browse through it while drinking some of the tea also included in the parcel.

Thank you, Tracey for getting together such a well thought-out selection of goodies. I feel really lucky to have had you in the swap!

Oh, and before I forget, Tracey is also hosting a swap over on her blog, with a Holiday theme in time for Christmas. I've signed up for that as well... I'm sure there's room for more if you want to join in as well. You don't have to have a blog to be a part of it (and I am always willing to post pictures on anyone else's behalf here on my blog) and it's always the more the merrier with these things.

Sunday Swapping Scrapbook

My swap partner, Tracey, has promised not to look at the blog for a few days or until her parcel arrives. So, I can show you what went in mine to her. I remembered to take photos this time...

Each little package, the whole lot had to fit in an A4 envelope, was wrapped and had a label saying what it was to celebrate (as celebrations is the theme of the swap). So I'll label each picture as the package was labelled.

...the change in seasons

...Christmas

 
...New Year

...Spring

...Friendship

...Making and baking 

...Mice

The scarf I showed you the other day and most of the other celebrations are pretty obvious. Making and baking is the name of Tracey's blog and I included a homemade apron, and the swap hostess, Emily, well her blog name will explain the mice! I was tempted to send some of my own sugar mice but they take a while to dry out, so I cheated.

I'm looking forward to seeing how everyone else has interpreted the theme (and, selfishly, to getting a parcel) and hoping I wasn't way off the mark...

Sunday Swapping Scrapbook

My swap parcel from Vicki arrived at 8am yesterday morning. The postman apologised for the time but at least it was better than the 7am delivery two weeks ago. A big Thank You to her for the autumn goodies, handmade things are always extra special.

Due to time constraints I didn't take any pictures of what I sent to her (I forgot), but you saw the knitted things on Friday. I also sent her a retro mug as she loves Ladybird, a cinnamon candle, autumny teabags and chocolate. If she blogs about them I'll let you know.

Blueberry Heart, the hostess, has featured her swap on her blog, lovely...

I'm in...

I just signed up for this swap, at the very last minute. The closing date is today, but if you also fancy a bit of swapping then get over there pronto!

Thank you to andamento for the link.

Swapsies.

It seems like ages ago that I joined in with Emily's Snail Mail Swap, and I've been looking forward to it for all of that time! She has entailed to do one swap each month for twelve months, previous swaps are detailed on her blog. I chose September and we agreed on a 'lap quilt' as our subject matter.

The colours on the front are beautifully subtle, with a mixture of textures, and Em has added some of her trademark doilies with lovely embroidered flowers.

The reverse is a deep russet brushed fabric, very snuggly. The binding around the edges pulls all the colours together and really finishes it off.

I got to know Emily via our blogs, but we have met up in real life. Why do we use that phrase anyway? It was coined before anyone had even heard of virtual lives. She's a very talented and creative woman which you'll see from her blog.

And did I mention that it's personalised just for me...    

(Tomorrow I'll be showing what I made for the swap.)

What a week!

 

A little while ago I won the giveaway over on Liz's blog. It was for a copy of The Otherwise Girl by Keith Claire. So when I got a text from the girls saying there was 'a parcel' for me I was surprised.

As you can see it wasn't just a book in the parcel. Inside the brown paper clad box there were lots of beautifully wrapped surprises and a card made by Liz.

It was more like receiving a luxury hamper, and look- the chocolates made it as far as the photo, I'm so lucky. Thank you, Liz!!

As if that weren't enough, I also received a parcel from Sarah which wasn't really to do with her blog except in a roundabout way. While she was out and about she spotted something and thought of me...

A butterdish in Hornsea Heirloom pattern. Perfect. The collection is growing and I am in sore need of more shelves. I've been planting the idea in my Dad's head for a while and I think he's up for making some.  

It's very flattering to know that someone has thought of me while they were browsing around, though I'll admit I often see things that remind me of the blogs I read. Thank you, Sarah!!

And as if all that weren't enough...there's more. I put my name down for a swap over at periwinkle in June and my swap partner turned out to be Tess at Driftwood. There wasn't a theme to the swap as such, it just had to be something to make the swappee happy. I have sent off my parcel but forgot to take any pictures...maybe Tess will show them on hers.

Tess' parcel included some handmade items (as did mine) and I'm impressed by the felt brooch. She also made the bag and the keyrings.

The delphinium seeds were a lovely idea and I'll be planting them at the appropriate time. Thank you, Tess!!

I'm currently involved in one more swap with Emily, it's her Snail Mail swap where she's swapping once a month for a whole year- there's a button on her blog for up to date news. The swap items were agreed broadly between her and the other swappers. My item is a lap quilt and Em has a rough idea what she's getting. My month was September and the 'quilt' (you'll see why it's in inverted commas when we show and tell later on) is well on the way to completion. 

When I first started blogging I saw all the swaps going on and wondered how to become involved. Then I saw a post for a new one...and just put my name down. I have an idea to host one here a bit later in the year and I hope lots of people will want to join in.

Today's post has been jam packed with the kindness of others and it was needed this week. I cut my hand very badly at the beginning of the week and it has been a pain both literally and figuratively. Crafting has been slowed down because of it and I was feeling a bit sorry for myself. Prezzies don't half cheer you up, though...

Back to being ordinary.

Well, my 7 Days of Specialness are up and I have opened all the parcels sent to me by Diane of Woollie Wanderings. This is what they looked like when they arrived.

And this is what they looked like in a picture designed to look similar, but with the parcels open..you see where I was going with the idea?

But, for those of you with a keen eye, there's a challenge. What is missing from the ensemble?

Here's a clue... it was day 2 and...it's edible. Say no more. If you want to see more detailed pictures then drop in on the Flickr group, where I posted a daily  picture of the swaps.

There's quite a bit coming up on the blog, well a couple of things. It'll be my Blogiversary on the 11th and there'll be a little giveaway, as is customary I believe. Then on the 15th Emily and I have something up our sleeves to share with you. 

Meanwhile, I'm hoping that the sun will put in an appearance soon. I'm sick of the gloom and not being able to take decent photos. Arianwen asked for a piccy of the vintage patterns I bought. If I can manage to see them through the dinge I'll show you them tomorrow, maybe with some others from my collection.

Off now to polish up my newest fashion accessory, though it's more of a necessessity at the moment...

7 Days of Specialness Swap.

 

 

  I've mentioned the 7 Days of Specialness swap organised by Ali over at Domesticali in a couple of posts. If you click on the link it will take you to a list of everyone taking part and the Flickr page, which has lots of lovely reveals on it. And photostreams from some very creative and inspirational bloggers.

I was paired with Diane at Woollie Wanderings and the photos above are of the 7 Days' worth of specialness I posted off to her on Saturday before the Coffee/Cake morning (which raised an amazing £3000 for the Haiti appeal).

I've only opened three days from the parcel I received, I'll post pictures on all of them at the end of the seven days, but they're on the Flickr group daily. (Do join-it's so easy and there's so much to look at.)

I've never done a swap before, but I really enjoyed putting it together, even taking into account the nervousness at sending off a parcel to a complete stranger and wondering at the reception it will receive.

The patterns for the Ripple scarf (top picture) and the face cloth are both in the Free Patterns category in the sidebar. Notice I've added a new category...Swaps.