teeweewonders

Long time no see!

2009-10-11T22:32:00.001+01:00

I haven’t blogged for such a long time, and in fact the needles have been reasonably quiet for a while also. I never get much knitting done over the summer but now that the evenings are dark again I am back with a vengeance!

I walked past this rail of handknit childrens clothes the other day and had to smile. There is no colour combination that doesn’t look cute on a baby. They can get away with murder. can you imagine an adult trooping up in this jersey?

I’m on the crochet trail at the moment. I have just taught myself to crochet granny squares – just in time for the arrival of my first grandchild and I am well and truly hooked (pardon the pun!). I am trying to create a baby blanket. I don’t yet know how I will connect the squares or finish it off, but I’ll plough on with the squares for now and then the rest will work itself out – I think…

Technorati Tags: twishart,granny squares,crochet

Wordless Wednesday

2009-07-15T23:57:00.001+01:00

Today I went to Postman’s Park for a bit of quiet contemplation.

The addition of Leigh Pitt’s memorial tile left me wordless. What an utterly selfless and brave man he must have been!

To learn more about Wordless Wednesday, click HERE.

Technorati Tags: teeweewonders,wordless wednesday,leigh pitt

Photohunt - garbage

2009-07-12T22:55:00.001+01:00

This week’s Photohunt challenge is “garbage” – or, as we would call it here in the UK: “rubbish”. Rubbish is a massive problem in a big city like London. We simply have far too much of the stuff and nowhere to put it! I took this picture when I sent away for the latest free rubbish collection box from the council to be added to our existing suite of boxes!

We live in a very green borough, which is a good thing, but I think they have taken it a wee bit far as far as the amount of different rubbish bins you have to have is concerned. We have no less than SIX:

one for paper;
one for glass;
one for plastic;
one for tins;
one for food items; and
one for anything that doesnt fit the categories 1-5!

We are lucky enough to have a big house with a utility room, which can house all the bins, but I really wonder what people who live in smaller houses do!

Boris Johnson, the mayor for Greater London, has launched the "Recycle More" campaign to get people to do just that. The campaign is a great initiative, which is much needed and I look forward to seeing how they will extend the project into blocks of flats and commercial property. Anyhow, that’s enough talk for one picture – did you play along in the Photohunt today? If not – click HERE to find out how to partake.

Happy snapping.

Technorati Tags: teeweewonders,photohunt,tnchick,recycling,london,boris johnson

Looking at the sky on a Friday

2009-07-04T01:26:00.001+01:00

Today’s Friday sky pictures are from last Friday, when I was lucky enough to get home from work early enough to go on a wee photosafari in the garden.

The sky was a funny mixture of scattered clouds and blue sky. I always think the sky is more interesting with clouds on it, although I prefer the weather that comes with a pure blue sky…

Are you playing along in today’s “Looking at the sky on Friday” meme? If not, learn more about it here and under all circumstances, check out the links to all the other participants. Have a great weekend all.

Technorati Tags: twishart,looking at the sky on friday

Knitfree zone…

2009-06-30T23:06:00.001+01:00

The June of month has been filled with beautiful weather, too beautiful to sit indoors and even too hot to knit! I know, it sound unbelievable, but it really is true.

Instead of knitting I give you flowers. Roses from my own garden – and I love them!

Technorati Tags: teeweewonders,roses,flowers

Looking at the sky on Friday

2009-05-30T00:01:00.001+01:00

It has been a while since I’ve partaken in the “Looking at the sky on Friday” meme, but I’m back with loads of sky pictures today, when the sky was particularly tall and blue – just how I like it.

As I walked to the station this evening and I stopped and looked for a minute, as I was passing the Royal Exchange. The evening sun had caught the eastern clock tower beautifully and as it happened, I had my camera with me – and I never was able to resist a photo opportunity!

The sun was reflecting on the white of the tower, giving the effect of water reflection on the bottom of a ship. The contrast of the white against the blue of the sky was close to making me late for my train!

Before I had to dash off to the station, I managed one last snap – of the huge gilded Gresham grasshopper at the top of the tower.

I caught the train and made my way from the station to home. The weather has suddenly turned, summer is here and I love it. I stopped for a second and looked up a the plane that was making its way across the sky. I can’t see a plane or a jetstream on the sky without dreaming of my next holiday.

This evening I looked up at the sky and what I saw really made me chuckle. The only cloud on the sky looked like a witch travelling on her broomstick across the sky, with an airplane in hot pursuit.

That’s a wee selection of what I saw, when I looked at the sky today. What did you see? Find more information about how to play along, by visiting Tisha’s blog.

Technorati Tags: teeweewonders,looking at the sky on friday,royal exchange,london,city of london

Wordless Wednesday

2009-05-27T15:09:00.003+01:00

Summer's here...

Are you playing Wordless Wednesday today?

Wordless Wednesday

2009-05-19T23:29:00.001+01:00

Are you playing “Wordless Wednesday” this week? If not, check out the Wordless Wednesday blog and play along.

Technorati Tags: teeweewonders,wordless wednesday,street furniture

February Lady Sweater

2009-05-10T19:05:00.001+01:00

At long last I’m back to my knitting. Well, strictly speaking I was never far away from it, but I really haven’t had much knitting time in the last couple of months.
I was in Denmark a few weeks ago and went with my mum to her local yarn store and fell into temptation – again! I loved the colours, when I looked at this yarn, but convinced myself to leave it where it was, until I made the mistake of touching it. YUMMY – it’s as gorgeous as it looks! “Lucca – super soft merino wool” says the label, “practically edible” says I! The wool is labelled with the name of the shop, but makes no reference to the maker. Oh well, I’ll have to get mum on the hunt, when I find out how much I’m short of…

I have Pamela Wynne’s excellent February Lady Sweater, the pattern of which is available for free on Ravelry, on the needles and can’t wait to complete it. I still have 101 other UFOs lying about but this one is a clear favourite before I’ve even completed it!

Technorati Tags: teeweewonders,february lady sweater,pamela wynne,elizabeth zimmermann,ez,elizabeth,zimmermann,ravelry,duddine,lucca,wool,knitting

Wordless Wednesday

2009-05-06T09:37:00.002+01:00

I haven't blogged for ages and thought today may be a good day to restart my activity with a Wordless Wednesday picture. Are you playing along?

Sunshine in Finsbury Circus. :)

A woman after my own heart!

2009-04-08T22:40:00.001+01:00

I just found this article on the Mail Online, which is also where I borrowed the picture, and I am so impressed!

Guess what this wee 98-year-old lady was doing whilst trapped under rubble in the aftermath of the horrendous earthquake in L’Aquila in Italy? Of course, she was CROCHETING! I love her, what a woman – and what a happy tale of survival!

Save the Children (I know, not the most apt charity considering the above) is collecting money for the survivors. Give them a click. :)

Technorati Tags: teeweewonders,l'aquila,earthquake,charity,save the children

This is fun!

2009-04-05T18:34:00.001+01:00

I’m practising my crocheting and using up odds and ends of yarn at the same time. I made this pot holder in an attempt to get my increases to lie nicely in line and I’m loving the result. I only had yarn for one, but that won’t put me off as you can never have to many machine washable pot holders!

Technorati Tags: teeweewonders,crochet,pot holder

Looking at the sky on a Friday

2009-04-03T23:09:00.002+01:00

When I walk home from work, I have to cross London Bridge. Just north of London Bridge I pass the Monument, which sits at the bottom of Fish Street Hill. The Monument commemorates the Great Fire of London in 1666. If you lay the Monument down on its side, it will reach the 220 feet to the site of the bakery in Pudding Lane, where the fire is said to have started. I do, however, think there is more chance of you spiking yourself on the “flame” that there is of any burning.

The monument has just been cleaned, re-gilded and restored to its original beauty. I am sure Sir Christopher Wren would be proud to see that one of his many building works still stands. I am sure he would be stunned if he saw the rest of the City of London as it is today. Many of his building works remain and many other beautiful buildings have sprung up around them.

Did you look at the sky today, and if so, what did you see? If you want to learn more about this meme, please pay Tisha’s Crazy Working Mum blog a visit.

Wordless Wednesday - on a Thursday...

2009-04-02T14:04:00.002+01:00

G20 protests in London on April Fool's day.
Click here for more details on how to play "Wordless Wednesday".

I’m learning Japanese…

2009-03-29T16:44:00.001+01:00

I came across the wonderful blog Harugurumi, by Haruki, who crochets the most wonderful wee creatures using the Japanese style of crocheting known as amigurumi (the knitting or crocheting of stuffed dolls). I found Haruki’s details on Ravelry, where I saw the cutest wee Easter Chick ever. I’m still trying to get to grips with reading crocheting patterns and decided to order the pattern to see whether this very small project may be able to help me in this regard.

My first attempt of following the pattern didn’t really go according to plan, but helped me get to grips with increasing and decreasing, so I decided to create a similar chicken, freestyle, whilst I tried to work out the pattern, which I now realise is incredibly well written and very easy to follow. I have plenty of cotton odds and ends, but it really would be helpful if they were all the same weight! I’ll have to make a trip to the yarnshop to get some lighter white and orange yarn. (Heck, there’s an excuse, if ever I heard one!)

For now I leave you with this wee chick, which will remain by my side to remind me of my attempt at learning Japanese! The next one will be rather more like the pattern describes. :)

こんなに長く (ahemmm… I hope that says “so long” – and not something rude!) :)

Technorati Tags: teeweewonders,crochet,spring chicken,chicken,cotton,amigurumi,harugurumi

Looking at the sky on Friday

2009-03-27T22:32:00.001Z

I left the office a wee bit later than planned this evening, but I was still out early enough to see the beautiful palette of colours across the sky, as I looked westwards down the Thames.

On Monday, when I cross the river, the sky should be one hour lighter, as it is this weekend we spring the clock forward by one hour and cross over to British Summertime. I love this marked change from dark to light in spring and vice versa in the autumn. British Summertime – here we come!

Did you look at the sky this Friday? If you haven’t played along already, pop on over to visit Crazy Working Mum’s blog to learn more about this picture meme.

Technorati Tags: teeweewonders,looking at the sky on friday,sky,london bridge,thames,river,river thames,sunset

Photohunt - yellow

2009-03-21T14:10:00.000Z

Today’s Photohunt theme is yellow – and what an apt word for this time of the year, when all the natural yellow colours are making the world a brighter place. :)

At the back of our garden we have laid out a wee alley of spring bulbs, which vary in colour and size, and span a good few weeks of blooming time. As you can see, we have had more luck with the left hand side of the alley, but I’m hopeful we will catch up with the right hand side also. We’ll just have to get a few more bulbs.

There are so many different types of daffodils and I like them all. This one seems to be a favourite with the bees and I have to admit I’d be drawn to its gorgeous colour too, if I were a bee. :)

Every year I buy a few tete-a-tete dafs for the window sill. Once they finish blooming, I put them out in the garden, where they bring joy year after year. The previous owners of our house seem to have had a love for bulbs as well, as I keep on getting nice surprises in the borders, like the pink hyacinth above.

We have a couple of forsythias in the garden and every year they reward us firstly with their exaggerated show of yellow flowers and as soon as the flowers begin to fall, the crispiest of fresh green leaves. I think that’s enough yellow for today.

Are you partaking in the PhotoHunt this week? I can’t wait to see what you’ve come up with.

Technorati Tags: teeweewonders,photohunt,tnchick,yellow

Lionbrand crochet along – Moderne Jacket

2009-03-15T09:34:00.001Z

Now I really am getting brave. I’m so thrilled with my new found skill, that I’ve decided to join the Lionbrand crochet along of the Moderne Jacket. I just love the idea that I will learn to shape something crocheted into a wearable garment.

The Moderne Jacket pattern is available to download for free until 23 March 2009 on the Lionbrand website. The Crochet along has only just started with choosing your yarn and making a swatch, so there’s time to join in yet.

I’m off to find some yarn!

Technorati Tags: teeweewonders,crochet,crochet along,cal,moderne jacket,lionbrand

One finished object off the needle…

2009-03-07T21:53:00.001Z

LOL – normally it would be “off the needles” with a plural “s”, but on this occasion, the singular form is intentional, as I have indeed managed to finish a (for me) large crocheted item. Now that I’ve gotten the hang of crocheting, I am determined to get a few things under my belt, in order that I don’t forget. I must admit I didn’t use a pattern for this item, as I decided to crochet a baby blanket for a new wee family member.

I started with a multicoloured cotton, which is part of a batch I bought in Lidl a couple of years ago. The yarn is Zettl Colorado and is gorgeously soft. From previous experience it also washes really well and stays soft when dried in the tumble drier. I crocheted the six skeins of Zettl in double crochet.

I wanted the blanket a wee bit larger than what the 300g of Zettl would allow me and went off to John Lewis in Oxford Street one day at lunch time, to see whether I could find an equally as nice cotton in a suitable colour to complement the multicoloured yarn.

I was in luck – I didn’t just find one, I found two beautiful colours in the Rowan Handknit Cotton range. The yellow is colour number 325 and the pink, number 310. The colours remind me of candyfloss and all things sweet, so perfectly suited to a blanket for a new wee baby girl.

The final outcome produced a blanket measuring around 100cm x 85cm. I considered continuing to make 100cm x 100 cm, but what with it being made from cotton, it was becoming a tad heavy, so I called it a day and finished off the broad stripes with a few rounds of double crochet in the three different colours.

All in all, I’m really pleased with the outcome and am looking forward to shipping the blanket off to China, where my cousin and his fiancée just had their first born baby girl.

Technorati Tags: teeweewonders,crochet,zettle colorado,rowan handknit cotton,cotton,pink,yellow,multicoloured,white,baby blanket,baby,blanket

Looking at the sky on Friday

2009-03-06T23:50:00.001Z

I think I’m on a winning streak with my Friday sky pictures, as again today a perfect photo opportunity presented itself to me – namely, an open Tower Bridge!

I had a wee look at the bridge opening times list and learnt that the bridge was opened for the benefit of SB Will, a traditional Thames sailing barge – perfect! Just a shame that I only had my mobile phone camera to capture the moment. Oh well, you can’t have it all. :)

When I got home, I had the chance to get my proper camera. The sun was setting behind my neighbours huge ash tree, which was pruned last weekend. The tree is not very well, but hopefully the pruning will keep it standing for a wee while longer.

That’s my sky pictures for this week. Are you playing? If not, join in and let us see what the sky looks like for you today.

Visit Crazy Working Mum’s blog to learn more about this picture meme.

Have a great weekend – I know I will.

Technorati Tags: teeweewonders,watching the sky on friday,sky,friday,tower bridge

Sunday scenery

2009-03-01T10:12:00.001Z

This week’s Sunday scenery pictures were taken yesterday, when I went to Audley End House with my beloved, my dad and my nephew. The place is absolutely magical and well worth a visit,

One of my favourite things about the place is the hedges. They call them cloud hedges, as they are shaped like massive green clouds. I felt like a 9 year old, when I looked up and saw the roofs with their gilded weather vanes above the hedge. I wanted to be “Sleeping beauty” and be woken by a gorgeous prince. I looked to my left and saw my beloved. He didn’t protest when I gave him a wee peck on the beak. :)

The gardens around Audley End House have an amazing amount of snowdrops. We walked for miles in the grounds and were absolutely shattered, when we eventually got home.

Are you playing along in the Sunday Scenery Photo meme this week? If you want to learn more about it, then take a look at this website

Technorati Tags: teeweewonders,sunday scenery,photo meme,audley end house and gardens

Looking at the sky on Friday

2009-02-27T21:58:00.001Z

When I got off the train this evening, coming home from work, I looked up at the sky and saw Venus and the Moon very clear and almost perfectly aligned in the sky. I snapped a picture on my mobile phone camera and hurried home to try to take a proper picture with my normal camera.

When I opened my email, I found an email from http://spaceweather.com, with the following wording:

PRETTY SKY ALERT: When the sun goes down tonight (Friday, Feb. 27th) step outside and look west. Venus and the crescent Moon are having a beautiful close encounter in the sunset sky. If you point a small telescope at the pair, you will see that Venus, like the Moon, is a crescent. The phases of the two are almost the same, adding an extra dimension of beauty to an already lovely show. Don't miss it!

I didn’t miss it. :)

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve partaken in the “Looking at the sky on Friday, but this week I just couldn’t miss and I’m glad to be back.

Did you look at the sky this Friday? I’m off on a tour of the blogs to see what you came up with.

Please visit Crazy Working Mum’s blog to learn more about this picture meme.

Have a great weekend.

Photohunt - warm

2009-02-21T13:57:00.004Z

Guess what makes me go all warm and fuzzy around the edges? Yup - the spring flowers making an appearance in my garden. The weather is lovely and the warm yellow colours of spring are appearing everywhere. I made this wee collage after having been for a wonder in the garden this morning.

Whilst I was out in the garden I thought I'd take the opportunity of taking a few other pictures of something warm that is hot off the needles (pardon the pun...) in the crafting department.

I've been practising my crocheting (more about that in a seperate post) and have completed another project, which is definitely warm, as it is made of good sturdy old fashioned WOOL. I love it!

Are you Photohunting? I wonder what made you feel warm today?

Photohunt - nautical

2009-02-14T21:51:00.003Z

This week's theme for TNCHICK's PhotoHunt is Nautical. I have loads of nautical pictures, but picked this one, which is one of my many favourites.

The photo is taken on board a Thames Barge, named Lady Daphne. In July of 2007, my sister-in-law came over from Texas. She hadn't visited for a very long time and was only able to stay for a few days.

It so happened that we had an invitation to go sailing on Lady Daphne during her time here. The trip set out from London Bridge and the owner had arranged for Tower Bridge to be opened for us, as we set sail for the Docklands. What an evening. I do see the bridge open every now and again, but I'd never sailed through it when opened before. :)

Are you Photohunting this week? I look forward to seeing your nautical pictures.

Sunday Scenery

2009-02-08T23:39:00.003Z

Last Sunday I was in Ireland, which is a land FULL of beautiful scenery whatever the day of the week. It was rather overcast, but still I managed to capture the beautiful Wicklow Mountains. Having grown up in a country with just one "mountain" I am always taken with the beauty and the drama of mountains.

The "Sky Mountain" in my native Denmark is all of 147 meters tall... :)

Have you posted your Sunday Scenery photo? If not, play along and post a link to your photo right here.