Easter 2009 retrospective catching up

It's been a while and a lot has been happening but I wanted to just catch up with all the textile-y things that happened over Easter as well as all the puppy- stuff!

I thought I'd start with a picture- I made this a while ago now admittedly -which is nicely floral and of a tiger lily which I would have had for my birthday ..... It's to tally free machined no computers or embroidery machined involved whatsoever- simply DRAWING with my sewing machine needle.....

Also I absolutely LOVED my anemones as above: aren't those colours just scrummy?!!!

My hyacinths were out very early and very blue but not as much scent as expected this year or maybe I just had too much blockage due to the early start of the hayfever season???

There were narcissi too and they lookes so good in my jolly blue jug!!!

OH NO! You'll be disgusted at my scrumped up cottons- well they were just washed but I was NOT going to iron them just for the photo as I DYED them over the EASTER weekend.

I decided it was a weekend all about death and dying and resurrection: AND VOILA! I joined in by dye-ing some new pyamas and thus resurrecting them for lots of loving wear later on.....

These are the only affordable pure cotton pyamas I could find and they were cheap but UGLY so I washed them and then dyed them in the washing machine. I have to have pure cotton woven pyamas as it alleviates my eczema.....Knitted cotton just isn't the same as it never gets to feel as ''cool or cold'' as the finely WOVEN fabric.


So beware the ugliness, here are the ''before'' pictures: owls and stripes...

Just before Easter I also quickly crocheted a pair of baby bootees for the sister of a colleague who's having her first baby: a girl!
Easter and SPRING are all around us and it made us VERY EXCITED to find that a collared dove chose to set up her nest on our fence in a bush just outside the kitchen door.....

She let us walk past and even ignored a barking Pippa but when direct eye contact was made she flew off for a few minutes... Can you see her? I didn't want to disturb her- or is it he? There were two distinct doves taking turns on this nest.

And here are more nests: this time less functional more decorative, celabratory and fun! Bunnies and chicks galore as we decorate the house to celebrate Easter.....
Remember my carrot tops? Here they are in mid April growing and cheering us all along in their feathery greenery.

There was more dye-ing done than the pyama variety too!!! I had acquired on impulse- happens a bit too often according to some who must not be mentioned- some 20 balls of cashmerino wool- OOOOH SOOOOOOOO SOFT ABSOLUTE HEAVENLY SOFTNESS- but they were not really ''my'' kind of colour and they were bought for a blanket or a jumper but then I could not get to grips with it as : well....COLOUR means such a lot to me. Now this blue ain't bad as blues go but it's very very PALE and I don't do very pale very well......

There's a lilac too and that was worse: a greyed apology of a colour,'' hint of depressed lilac ''I'd say.

So I decided to try to dye it: I left a few messages on Ravelry and got advice on using KOOL- AID but I have not had much luck in the blues/pink spectrum with this although I did get a few nice greens and a red/orange mix with a started kool-aid pack last year......

I had a very old packet of FUSCHIA Dylon Cold dye in a tiny circular tin and used this. It dyes 500g so I used half the tin and dyed 2 skeins. Tap hot water into a plastic bucket, add washed wet wool in skeins, add vinegar and stir continuously for 10 minutes then sporadically for another 45 minutes, drain rinse till the water runs clear and then wash it in Stergene.

I turned the balls into skeins for dye-ing with my skein winder- set up in the garden above. And below as it happens....

The pale bue one I dyed with the new Dylon packets : it was a plastic packet called Ocean blue ( hand dye)and I used 10 g of the dye powder in 100 ml of very hot water, then added this to a bucket of 1.2 litres of hot water and added 50 g of salt. Stir as before, add wet washed wool in a skein.

The wool in this case was Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK. JUST 1 BALL: ie 50 g.

Here's the before- lilac and AFTER: PINK OR MAGENTA!!!

And here's the blues before and after!!!

Alltogether now: balls and dyed skeins- I think they look together now? What do you think?

Here's the machine dye for the PJ's.

This is what you do: dye into drum and cover with LOTS of SALT.

VOILA!!Resurrected bright jolly pink pyamas!!! The only things that refused to dye were the buttons- duh- and the piping.....

And the owls have all turned pink also: all in the same lot!Ironed this time and ready to wear!!!

HOW'S THAT for a resurrection?!!! That was some of the time at EASTER in 2009......

( the rest was fully occupied with the puppies!!!!)

8 weeks old today a page devoted to ''Jack jnr'' or JJ

Here we are 56 days later at 8 weeks old and having had his first vaccination at 7 weeks this puppy is ready to leave home. He's for sale at £600 with an excellent pedigree: both parents and all forbears for 4 further generations are Kennel Club registered.

Pedigree standard wirehaired dachshund puppy with a lovely placid character who is very easy going , loves human company and lying on his back to have his tummy and chest tickled....

And here below he's the one on the right resting on my husband's neck.

Quick photo as he runs through the grass : JJ from above.

Lovely sweet puppy : very interested in all that goes on around him.

Yummy a nice chewy bone toy!!!

What are you looking at? Can't I chew on this?

Who's got the ball over there then?

No honest I'm not chewing this, just resting my head on it.

Oh YES please: more tummy tickling/rubbing please!!!!

Shall I jump out and chase that ball or just stay here and rest a bit?

Look!!! I can shake my head and flap my ears!!! If I do it fast enough can I fly? Oh I guess not then. Are you SURE dachshunds can't fly? Oooh but don't I look BEAUTIFUL?

Glorious Pippa Celebration : such a great MUM!!!

This diary page is entirely devoted to my dearest Pippa : the mother of the 3 puppies and my own very first puppy dachshund who we collected at 8 weeks and brought home in September 2006.

Starting with her in her shaggy coat left long and unstripped during the pregnancy and beyond.

She deserves a pampering treat.....

So off she went on Thursday April 23- one day after my birthday- for a shampoo and handstripping afternoon at the dog-grooming parlour. And she came home: GORGEOUS!!!!

Silky smooth wiry coat, trim and slim legs, wagging tail, silky chest and a schnauzer trim on the face!!! Finally she can see out of her eyes and the tan eyebrows are perfectly placed once again...

Isn't she looking fine and dandy? Lovely lines I fell head over heels in love with her looks all over again! Of course never stopped adoring her fabulous character but she was looking so very shaggy lately....

She smells divinely too although I'm sure that as a dog who loves to stink she doesn't agree with me on that one!

Lively too, here she is dashing about the garden : terrorising the pigeons and blackbirds. Her figure is nicely trim too and she is still feeding the pups a few times a day: mostly first thing in the morning and last thing before bedtime....

What a profile: she's aristocratic !

Did you say: chocolate cake???? Left-over from your birthday???WOOOF I want some!!!

What a lovely sunny afternoon in the garden.

She's watching over her 2 puppies: Jack and Lucy who -having had their first vaccination on Tuesday-are now playing on the grass.

Oooooh she's a calendar girl! I'll have to make one for 2010 with puppy and Pippa photos for every month- or maybe every week as I have sooooo many!

Every inch the pedigree dachshund: LOVELY!

Sorry this next bit is just indulgence: a collection of pictures all taken today. Just for my memories really. My birthday treat by blog....

Mum : can you stop now? Here she is talking to me with those expressive eyes and marked intelligence.

Got to tell this story before I forget it.

This week she slipped her lead in the field where there are rabbits next to a fence and a busy road at the far end- she still loves to dash in front of cars barking- she was on the lead well before we came close to the road and was protesting then all of a sudden the collar was off and I was left with empty collar and lead....HELP!!! No kids and no treats in pocket, she dashed off at first- towards the rabbits thank goodness- and NOT the road BUT as I exclaimed :'' OH NO!!! and instinctively sank onto the grass for a minute: she turned right around and dashed back to me !!!

She sat down next to me and rolled on her back to have her collar put back on. I was AMAZED.

I hugged her in relief and she licked my face as if to say: don't worry mum I'm not as silly as I once was. We have become a lot closer since her pregnancy and birth when I spent so many nights with her.MY FABULOUS PIPPA. HIP HIP HOORAY !!!!!