Split Ply Braiding - having a play

Last Sunday my friend Cath and I went to a workshop on Split Ply Braiding. I didn't know what to expect but had an enjoyable day sat around a table of like minded ladies, having a play with threads, learning how to make cord (lots of winding a contraption - aptly called a 'Cord Winder'!) and coming home with some samples of braiding, which I will make into key fobs.

Very basically it is a braiding technique using plied cords (often 4-ply) which actually go through each other. It is a traditional method for making camel girths, harnesses and similar items in India, but it has evolved into a craft technique that can also be used to create three- dimensional structures like hats, and belts and jewelery. A small tool, not unlike a latch hook for rugmaking, called a Grip Fid, is used to push through the threads in a way that braids a pattern.

The samples on the left are mine, and the other picture shows Caths. I was quite pleased but it won't be a craft that I will pursue, Cath on the other hand was much taken with it and bought supplies to continue at home. The expert was a very nice lady called Julie Hedges.
http://www.juliehedges.co.uk/pages/workshops.html

We all brought something for lunch so that was nice as well, my contribution was Lemon Cheesecake. Isn't it good to spend some time fiddling, experimenting with colour, learning something new and satisfying that need to 'play'? Even if it means that the ironing didn't get done at the weekend!!

I decided to have a blogging break and it lasted a little longer than I had anticipated.



Life carried on, children to see to ~(even though teenagers now they still need parents in so many ways) GCSEs and broken hearts. 86 year old mum to ferry to and from hospital and do things for. Paid work to endure (!) and the endless tasks that go with trying to live a simple life.



Such as:-



Growing flowers - beautiful and productive










Knitting - several things, including trying out the extreme variety

Home entertainment - my beloved Jericho, bought for me by my daughter, using money I had given her to go shopping to treat herself.

More photos of bales!!! Taken by husband just over the road from our house. Spending time in our local environment more as petrol costs rise.

Looking after the tomatoes in the greenhouse, polytunnel, veg patch and dotted in and amongst the flower beds. I have never seen so many flowers on my tomato plants before. I am feeding them with Black Jack which is a labour of love as the smell is foul!

Picking fruit, fruit and more fruit. I labelled my jam this morning and have so far made 28lbs this year. It is stored away in a spare coolbox at the back of the pantry, for judicious use over the coming year.

Strawberry jam - my favourite.

Learning to make sausages, this being our first attempt. Plain pork are these but the next will be spiced. This was soooo much fun too, a very good, fun and cheap evening entertainment.

Getting my Warrens, they were bought 4 weeks ago as POLs and this morning one of them laid an egg! They are much smaller than my Marans were and are VERY tame. They have the run of the garden some of each day but spend most of that time trying to get into the house whenever the door is left open.

I have also spent alot of time researching on the internet and reading of text books. I do not like the way that the economic situation is playing out one little bit. I know there have always been economic downturns and cycles but this time it feels different. I read somewhere that this is not the end of the world, but the end of a world. This feels true to me so I am endeavouring to learn and hone my skills so as to be prepared for what life throws our way.

I bought a little frame from the local charity shop, when I took it apart this little watercolour posy came out from the back, I don't think it is that well done but someone took some time over it and I cannot bring myself to get rid of it so there it sits, on a shelf.

No craft work done this past fortnight, instead some minor alterations and some decorating, I always feel like a change at this time of year as I am sure lots of us do. Anyway my lovely fireplace has gone from this:-

To this:-

We have oil fired central heating and the oil is getting far too expensive now. So we decided to have a log burner to help conserve our oil. We can keep it in all day and night, I like the fact that I can go to work and leave the fire in! In case anyone is wondering it is a Clearview Stove - Pioneer 400. Manufactured in Shropshire - yay!! We have decorated the bedroom, but that is for another post!

An exciting (for me!) thing to happen this past week was to 'win' an old kenwood Chef off Freecycle. I had tried twice before so it was third time lucky for me. It came with lots of attachments and is in good working order. I want to make sausages and mill grain as well and I have found a chap who can supply these attachments too. I have passed several things on through Freecycle but this is the first time I have got something for myself.

My good friend Cath has a B&B in a lovely old farmhouse, she does wonderful cooking with her own hens, eggs, pigs etc , sometimes she shares one of her pigs with me, hence the need for a sausage maker and mincer. I have just thought that maybe I will take my camera next time and show you around her place. There are so many things at the moment that I think would make a good post.

Bread

We went to Worcester yesterday and I found these wonderful scales. I have wanted a new set for ages and these were in Cookmate - £25 reduced to £15. I like the big stainless steel bowl and the face is big enough to read really easily - I was one happy girl today when using them for the first time.

I make our bread on a weekly basis. I use 1/2 wholemeal 1/2 strong white and although I have a bread maker I always hand make. Bread is getting more expensive as I am sure alot of you will have noticed. Our local bread shop is on the market, the business has been there since the 1800's, I wonder if customers are going to the supermarkets instead. I get my flour from a local bakery, it comes in small paper sacks (about 15lbs) and the last lot cost me 33p 1lb. I keep my flour stockpile in a second fridge in the utility, wrapped in plastic bags it keeps for ages.



After I have kneaded it, it goes back in the bowl to rise. At this point I put a cereal box 'inner' bag over it. When a cereal box is emptied I take out the inner, pull it apart at the seams and wash it. Then it gets used for breadmaking (below), for wrapping things in the fridge, lining cake tins and wrapping our sandwiches for packed lunches. It can be used over and over again






As well as the weeks bread I also made a traybake, waiting to be iced, for packed lunches this week, and a Weetabix Cake to make the most of the electricity used to heat the oven. Weetabox Cake is really easy - and very very tasty. The receipe is below if you want to try it.





WEETABIX CAKE

2 weetabix

1 cup raisins or sultanas - whichever you have

1 cup sugar

2 cups self raising flour

1 cup milk



Mix all ingredients together, put in a loaf tin and cook! I told you it was easy!!

(Notice no fat or eggs in this one).



Well I am off to watch Top Gear with Ian - and wrap the last 1/2 dozen Christmas boxes. I told my friend that they were last, but she gave me a wicked grin and said - 'yeah - until next year!!'

O Dear, back to work today after a wonderful week off. We didn't go away, just days out, but what beautiful days they were. After Aberdovey we went to the Stiperstones to pick Whinberries.



Now you may have gathered that I do not like my photo being taken, but Ian managed to catch me with my bottom in the air! Click on the photo for a lovely view = ha! ha!



Whinberries (Bilberries) quite simply make the most delicious pie. They are small, fiddly and take an age to pick, but in this sort of surrounding that is ok.





Back home I sorted out all the little bits of twig and dried leaf, and found I had enough for 2 pies and one crumble. As a kiddie I loved to stick my tongue out after eating pie as it turns purple for a while!





I am soooo pleased to have been given this award by Gill at Lucy Locket.

Started by Bella-Enchanted, the award is to be "awarded to those that are just nice people , good blog friends and those that inspire good feelings and inspiration! Those that care about others that are there to lend support or those that are just a positive influence in our blogging world". Thank you so much Gill for thinking of me, and I agree with you in that I am also in awe of many blogs I have found in recent months, there really are some inspirational, kind and lovely ladies out there.

The following 7 blogs are being awarded the 'Nice Matters Award' by me. I only wish I could choose more!

Deb

Rhonda

Kelly

Ruth

Rowan

Rosevintage

and Rubyred

These ladies all have lovely blogs for different reasons, be they gardening, craft, thrift or interesting hobbies, but as well as this they are all nice people, I visit frequently!