#HandmadeMonday - Yes, I Can Actually Complete Knitting Projects

 

Oh, my goodness - I'm glad this bauble is done! It was *way* harder than I expected: it's on 4 DPNs for a start - which somehow seems a lot of fuss for a little bauble - and it is basically all casting on and off . . .  and has a *chart*! Fouf. Still, it looks cute now, though I wasn't feeling quite so fond of it last night, as I struggled to knit around the polystyrene ball (yes, the top segment is knitted once the polystyrene ball is in) while trying to keep track of Hunted...  The ball was harder to find than I expected, too - but they had loads in Something Special  in Feathers Yard, Holt (where they also sell some nice James Brett yarn and great dress-making fabrics). I was going to buy about 12 balls and make a garland - I'm so glad common sense kicked in and I thought I'd just try the one...

 

 

A bigger achievement, now: my GF's jumper is done - woo hooo!  This has been on the go for a while. I wish I could say it's been a pleasure. Actually the yarn itself has been: I didn't use the Sirdar Chunky that the pattern was written for, but some gorgeous Sublime Merino Chunky which is pure wool. It feels just luscious. However, the making of the jumper was a drama! Firstly, my GF is a size 14, but I had to undo part of the back and reknit it as a 16. Then I nearly ran out of wool, even though I'd bought TWO extra balls, and the requirements were the same for the 16 as the 14 . . . I think this is a feature of Sirdar patterns as I also ran out of wool when I made my own top similar to this one: I used the proper wool, too, for that one and the lovely @SmilesALot very kindly sent me a rescue ball from her stash to complete it.

*Anyway*, also, on the jumper above: I knitted what I thought was the front, all the cables etc, only to find that it was only the back! I obviously hadn't looked carefully enough at the pattern, but I could already see that the wool situation was going to be tight ... so I had to unpick the top and shape the neck to turn the cabled back into the front, and then knit a plain stocking stitch back to save wool. It seems to have worked, although I didn't plan for the fact that cables pull the knitted fabric in rather, so the SS back is a little wider than the front - but actually, although I worried about it while stitching it up, you can't tell.  I was asked, plaintively, a fair few times by my GF whether she would be able to wear it at Christmas and now - hurrah - she can. So, overall, I'm quite pleased - but I am also relieved it's worked out so well! Christmas can go ahead, after all!

 

 

 

Yep, All I Do Is Drink Coffee & Knit.

 

We started Christmas shopping sensibly early this year, as we send a package to Australia. The Craft Fairs run by the March Hare Collective have really nice things - and lots of lightweight things suitable for posting! Jane Crick prints badges, journals and papers and we bought some jewellery from another stall too. Since I've started selling my knitting (in a very small way!) I've become much more appreciative of the time and effort it costs people to make such good quality things themselves, so I was glad we supported this. It was really busy and had a lovely, jolly atmosphere so I hope they all did well.

 

I feel I've spent most of my time recently squirrelling away Christmas presents and having coffee in various places, like our local Costa:

 

 

But also the lovely Coffee House where they had some fab KeepCup decorations:

 

 

I've managed a trip to Lavenham, too, to Cafe Knit, where Victoria had a gorgeous, Christmassy window display:

 

 

Crochet snowflakes on the left, knitted trees on the right . . .  beautiful! Victoria had some new Artesano yarn, made from British wool - it looked gorgeous and the colours were really luscious, dark, rich shades. A nice pattern book, too. It's a bit too late for my Christmas list, sadly, but if I get a voucher, I may be heading back for that lovely wool.

 

I always pop into Lavenham's St Peter & St Paul's church, too, and this week they have a really lovely but slightly sad memory tree in the churchyard:

 

 

In the wooden box are gift tags and a pen, so that you can write the names of people you remember and tie them to the tree. Lots of people had done this, and I wrote one, too. A really nice experience, and a poignant one, too, among all the excitement and bustle of shopping.

 

I feel I should mention the Works I Currently Have In Progress - but it's clear from this post that, er, I've been out and about rather than getting on with my Christmas knitting! I have finished a couple of things, so will write another post soon with some pictures!

 

 

Other People's Photos Have a Restorative Effect

For some reason, all my crafting and knitting this week has seemed like *hard work.* In fact, there's a pretty obvious reason: I've had to undo a lot of the jumper for my girlfriend as she wanted the next size up. Although the pattern lists the same amount of yarn for the original size and the new, bigger, size, it really isn't looking good on the yarn front - and I've got a whole polo neck to come...! So, I was particularly pleased to get this photo:

 

This lovely baby is my friend's daughter, wearing the cardigan I made for her! I really appreciate my friend taking this photo (in fact, four such photos!) and sending it on - it's lovely to see it looking so nice on her little girl (see my earlier post on Ungrateful Recipients!). The pattern is from the fabulous More Last Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson. I have blogged about this pattern before - it's great, all knitted in the round, in speedy Aran. My only emendation was to add buttonholes. Hooray! Looking at this successful #FO heartens me as I contemplate more unravelling of the chunky tanktop....

 

Also: over on Ravelry, at http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/crochet-christmas-snowflake/people , I have been so flattered to see that two people have made my Christmas Crochet Snowflake and posted up pictures! So, many thanks to EyesOnSaturday and MinnehahaSybyl for posting their pictures and showing that the pattern really worked, rather than being just an idiosyncratic jotting of my own....

 

OK, now I've boosted my knitting confidence - better get unravelling....

In Which I Mostly Drink Coffee & Buy Wool...

This was *just* what I needed: a huge cheese scone (missed photo opportunity there because I just had to scoff it) and a lovely, dark strong coffee at Back to the Garden in Letheringsett, near Holt, Norfolk.  Here is the interior of the cafe:

 

It is in a gorgeous restored old barn, full of light and beautiful beams. *And* they have a knitting group on a Tuesday morning - I'm a bit envious of people knitting and drinking coffee in this gorgeous location. They have a farm shop, too:

 

 

Luscious. Here is their website:  http://www.back-to-the-garden.co.uk/

 

Then, on to Holt, and to its lovely wool shop, Les Tricoteuses. Managed to buy more Debbie Bliss Blue-faced Leicester Aran there, to make another Louisa Harding hat. It's lovely yarn, not too silky and quite plump (not the technical term, I'm sure, buy hey) and feels like it'd make a nice hat. The shop is jam-packed with wool - you need to leave time to have a rummage! So, all in all, a successful day!

#HandmadeMonday - at last, I've finished knitting something!

 

Now, I have turned into my Grandma. No bad thing, really: but, I did feel rather *old* as  I realised I was working out how to make a teddy bear's jumper on a Saturday afternoon ... clearly, I need to get out more.  Still, my nephew wanted "a little black bear" for his birthday. We managed to find the bear above during a day's shopping in Norwich, but he was a wearing a torn red hoodie and, well, that just wouldn't do! I can't claim this pattern for my own: it's adapted in minor ways from Tracy Chapman's book, Toys to Knit.

 

 

The jumper she designed was a little smaller, so I just used some bits of DK I had in my knitting bag (plus a teeny bit extra from Jarrolds haberdashery - can't resist!) and followed the tension on the wool band. It all worked out well; I didn't do separate sleeves but just slip-stitched the neck seams together a little, then picked up stitches for little cuff sleeves. This book had some beautiful patterns - most of all, a great knitted doll which I rather sadly want for myself. Still, I was pleased with the jumper and so was my nephew - it was his birthday this weekend. Now, back to the rather more time-consuming work of an adult-sized jumper!

Busy, Busy: A Trip to Norwich's Newest Place to Buy Wool, Crafty Ewe

 

A trip to Norwich began with a peppermint tea in Biddy's tearoom, in the Norwich Lanes: http://www.biddystearoom.com/

 

This tea room is vintage heaven: tea sets, tea pots and cosy old furniture. Even though this was a busy, busy shopping day, the tea room was warm and quiet, and I had a great catch-up with a lovely friend there. I noticed that, had I been there on a Tuesday, I could have knitted, too! Mind you, my Inner Pedant was really tempted to add the other 't' in 'Stitch' with my lippy...but I managed to restrain myself!

 

Then, an exploratory trip to Norwich's new, independent wool shop, Crafty Ewe, which opened this summer:

 

 

Norwich is quite well served for wool already, with selections in Jarrolds and John Lewis, but despite this, Crafty Ewe really does seem to offer something different. The sales assistant told me they'd decided not to stock Debbie Bliss or Rowan, because these are well stocked elsewhere. Instead, they wanted to offer something 'a bit different.' I wondered what else there could be - but then I started rootling around the shop. For a start, they had a range of wools I'd never seen before, by Australian designer Jo Sharp: http://www.josharp.com/ These wools were lovely and luxurious - a bit like Rowan, in fact - and in gorgeous, autumnal shades. Some good patterns, too. However, I am trying to buy British wool - and when I mentioned this, the assistant showed me some *lovely* yarns by John Arbon Textiles, based in Devon: http://www.jarbon.com/ Yippee: these were *gorgeous*. Beautiful colours and a rich, true-wool texture. The shop had a very good range of tempting colours (though my photo didn't do them justice at all - so haven't included it!) and they can order in more shades. If I needed more (more!?) wool, this is exactly what I'd buy. John Arbon are responsible for the Excelana range of yarns as well as Knit By Numbers. Crafty Ewe told me that the Knit By Numbers yarns come in a skein bcause it's cheaper for the customer this way - it's cheaper not to have the yarn balled. Brilliant: making a ball from a skein takes me back to sitting with my Grandma (a great knitter) with my arms out, holding a skein of wool she had steamed loose after unpicking it from something else ... A pleasure.

 

 

Looking at this picture, there is definitely a 2012 LYS look - the white shelves, the flat patties of expensive yarn ... but, hey, it works! I really need a new project so that I can go back here and buy some lovely British wool. Now, I'm sure I've got time for a quick Ravelry pattern-search before Skyfall....

 

A British Wool Week Trip to Cafe Knit, Lavenham. Oh, and a Chunky Snood #FO!

 

Lovely jaunt through the Suffolk countryside today, along beautiful autumnal country roads to Cafe Knit. Somehow, courtesy of HeartFM, this journey was set to an 80s/90s sound track of the Pet Shop Boys, Simply Red and Tina Turner: not my usual choice, but I was singing at the top of my voice as I hurtled along.

Cafe Knit never disappoints: a lovely cappuccino with good conversation from a friend and the other customers. We had a good rummage around the Debbie Bliss yarns and looked at Louisa Harding's hat patterns - I really want to make one these, and what a good cause:

http://www.louisaharding.co.uk/macmillan/

Indecision prevented me from buying wool today, but I will be making the pompom hat soon . . . or the green heart cable one . ... or the beret-style green one . . .

I did buy a great shawl pin for my Sarah Hatton jacket: picture of this to follow. This means the jacket is finally wearable - a genuine FO!

Oh, and Louvera The Sheep is outside the cafe to celebrate British Wool Week!

 

In other FO news, I made this snood for my sister's birthday last week:

 

 

It is a version of the hugely-popular Gap-Tastic Cowl by Jen Geighley over at Ravelry. It's a lovely dark teal colour - not as navy as it looks here. She was very pleased with it (or very polite!) so I hope she enjoys wearing it!  Still, what with that and the crochet snowflakes for the Workwise shop, I'm rather behind on my Lady Friend's jumper... better get to it!

 

Handmade Monday: Crochet Christmas Snowflake Pattern - Surely It's Not Too Early?

 

So, as promised on my earlier post: here is how to make a crochet snowflake, like the one shown above.

 

Crochet snowflake pattern

Easy-peasy .... really!

 

I used DMC Natura Just Cotton, in Colour Ibiza and a 2.5 mm crochet hook.

 

 

Base chain: 6 chain, join with a slip stitch.

Round  1: 1 chain  [1 double crochet into ring, 3 chain]12 times. Slip stitch to join end to first double crochet (dc) stitch. You are making a row of DC plus 3 chain. This will be quite a tight fit. See picture below.

 

 

 

Round 2: Slip stitch into top of the two chain from previous round, then 1 ch, 1 dc into 3 chain arch from previous row [3 ch, 1 dc into next 3 chain arch] 11 times, then 1 ch then 1 half treble into top of first double crochet. In this row, you are making arches all the way round the star. See the picture below.

 

 

Row 3: [6 chain, 1 dc into next 3 chain arch, 3 chain, 1 dc into next 3 chain arch] 4 times, then 6 chain and 1 dc into next 3 chain arch. 1 chain, I treble into half treble from previous round to close. Essentially, you alternate making arches of 6 chain and 3 chain round the star, into the 3 chain arches you made in row 2. Picture below of star with rows 1-3 complete.

 

 

Row 4: 1 half treble, 4 trebles, 2 chain, 4 trebles, 1 half treble into 6 chain arch, 1 dc into 3 chain arch. Repeat around the star and close row with a slip stitch. The groups of trebles and half trebles fill out the points of the star, while the double crochets anchor the points. See the picture of this last row in progress below.

 

 

Ta-dah! Now hand it proudly on your tree - or make lots, and tie them into bunting. Please don't make commerically - please don't sell the pattern or the snowflakes.

 

More Vintage Pattern Goodness!

 

Another quick installment as I have another charity shop success story! Now, I'm probably *not* going to make the 'sweaters' on the cover - but some of the ones inside are good, and could be tweaked a little to resemble some in shops at the moment. I want to develop a crochet jumper pattern so I'm hoping this book will help me out. I should be delivering snowflakes... but am just too tired! Somehow this week has been exhausting. Still, am making a stiff cup of coffee and preparing to continue knitting my sister's birthday present!

Hooray For Vintage Knitting Patterns - Yes, I *Am* Seriously Considering Knitting These...

Cue the Loose Knits captions....

 

 

I'm always so envious of other people's casually picked up charity shop finds - so I am rather pleased with these two patterns that, with a bit of 21st century tweaking, I could actually use. This cardigan pattern is from 1983 and is knitted in Patons Brushed Chunky. Apparently, even the pattern is printed in the UK. Not sure that they do that now!  OK, so the green cardigan looks a touch severe, but I think the yellow one could be a nice beach-walking jacket - if it was in a heathery, tweedy chunky yarn ..... Clearly, I need more wool! I'm sure Princess Diana had one of each...

 

 

Ah - whatever happened to Patons Kismet? In fact, whatever was it?! It sounds a bizarre name for a wool which, somehow, has not stood the test of time - ironically, as Google tells me kismet is Turkish for Destiny or Fate....However, this tank top might be just the thing. I need to find out, though, what weight the Kismet was. According to the pattern (from 1975! I had only just been born!) it "gives a soft feminine look" (I could really do with that :)) and the range "includes random shades" - how did that happen?!

 

All this vintage knitting-based excitement for 30p!

 

Nothing like #FO Friday - A few crochet snowflakes...

 

So, this is what I've been doing recently - making Christmas decorations. The pattern will follow - now I've done six of them, I think I've got it sorted out! I'm sure it counts as a #FO, even if only one is technically finished (all those ends....!).

 

These are made with more DMC Natura cotton - I love this stuff. It's the same as the cotton I used for the crochet collars in my earlier posts. It's not too shiny, and isn't so fine that it's fiddly. These work up quite quickly; I think I made three during Downton Abbey ;)

 

Oh - and a couple of pictures from the fantastic 1940s weekend in Sheringham, North Norfolk, earlier this month. Creative Crafts, Sheringham's wool shop, had a fabulous themed window, in which my mother recognised various styles of outfits she had worn as a child! Sadly no knitted swimsuits (yes, she wore one of those) were on display, but there were plenty of 1940s patterns to see:

 

 

She pointed out that she still has the Crochet Stitches booklet you can just see in the bottom right hand corner here  - though sadly no patterns like these, for Fair Isle berets. Mum remembers having one my Grandma had knitted her, but sadly the patterns are long gone. We both loved the vintage-style jumper you can just see in this shot:

 

 

Now, I'm aiming for ten snowflakes, so must get back to it  . . . .

 

 

 

 

Handmade Monday's "Barton" Pencil Case Knitting Pattern - I Want One!

I mentioned my latest knitting venture in an earlier post: knitting a pencil case for my Nephew for the new term. Here's the pattern - just right for Handmade Monday. It looks quite wordy, but there are pictures too, and I have tried to give really clear instructions - so don't be put off by the amount of text!

“Barton” Knitted Pencil Case Pattern

                                                                                                

Final measurements: width = 24.5 cm (hence 23 cm zip) and height = 17 cm.

You will need:  less than 100g of DK in two colours, pair of 3.25 mm knitting needles; sewing needle, tacking and sewing thread, pins, zip of about 23 cm - BUT, if possible, buy the zip once you have knitted the case. This will make it much easier to fit the zip if your tension differs from mine. A piece of material for lining, measuring at least 27 cm wide and 34 cm long.

To make:

First, you will knit a long, stripy oblong.

Take one of your colours (Colour A) and cast on 48 stitches. Work in stocking stitch for 6 rows, beginning with a K row. Don’t cut Colour A! Just leave it hanging by work.

Row 7: Join in Colour B by simply using it to knit the first stitch. Use Colour B to do this Knit row, and the following 5 rows.

Leaving Colour B attached to work, work six rows in Colour A. Twist the two colours together once or twice at the side of the work to keep them neat.

Work in this way until the piece measures 36 cm. In the last band of colour, work 5 rows in stocking stitch and then, for row 6, cast off.

(I had, at 36 cm, 8 grey stripes and 8 blue stripes.)

Now, you will work on the seams and the lining:

Putting right sides of the knitted panel together, tack the pencil case into shape. As in the picture below, make an envelope shape by folding over about 1”, or one stripe, at the top, then bringing the bottom edge up to meet it. Tack into place.

Then, measure your pencil case. Cut the lining fabric to size by measuring the width of your pencil case. That is how wide your fabric will need to be, with a small seam allowance. Then, measure the height of the pencil case and times it by two (to allow for front and back). Then add 2 cm for seam allowance. So, for mine: width of knitted panel = 25 cm + 2 for seams = 27; height of case when tacked into shape = 16 cm. 16 cm x 2 = 32, plus 2 cm seam allowance = 34 cm.

Now fold the lining into the same shape and tack it into shape along the two ends.  I ironed mine, too, to keep it in shape. Turn the tacked knitted panel the right way out and tuck the lining into the case, making sure that the wrong side is against the knitting.

Now: measure the gap where the zip will go  - & get your zip. NB: It is far easier to sew a little of the gap together if your zip is a little short, that it is to fit a zip that is too long.

Open your zip and pin it between the edge of the knitted panel and the lining: the zip should be in a fabric sandwich. Tack it in place. This is your last chance to make adjustments...

Sew it all into place. I sewed the knitted panel into shape using wool, and the lining & zip using sewing thread. Use a little scrap of each colour wool to make a tassel in the zip fastener.

 

 

Ta-Dah! Cram with your pens and go back to school with pride.

A Lovely Cromer Cafe, a Bit of Knitting, and a Great Use for a Jam Jar

 

Ah - the end of the summer over the North Norfolk coast. As the sun went down, my fab Lady Friend pulled two lovely, icy G & Ts from her bag - making use of the jam jars from our delicious Staverton ewe jam. This is made in Suffolk - hurrah! - and we buy it in the lovely Coffee House near us. I was quite impressed with her upcycling ;)  Needless to say, like all food outside, they tasted just delicious.

This was our view:

The weather then turned a little bit chilly, so we went to Norwich and Cromer, rather than trying to sit on the beach. I managed, as always, to buy some lovely Sirdar Click DK wool for a Bronwyn Lowenthal jumper I will start soon in Jarrolds - where this sweet sign demonstrates their knitting skills:

 

More to come on the new DK jumper soon - my mum is making one first! Spotted this great piece of graffiti near St Peter Mancroft church, near the market:

 

 

We also discovered a *fantastic* cafe in Cromer, called Huckleberries. Here is my mughugger paying a visit:

 

 

This is one of my better BlackBerry photos: we're outside, here, having just eaten a scrumptious piece of caramel shortcake (in fact, only my mum's is better). The coffee was really good (by which I mean a two shot cappucino and nice and strong) and the tea cosies, for tea-drinkers, were knitted! Love it.

 

So, er, not so much knitting in this post.I have finished my Sarah Hatton jacket... but just as I'd officially finished it, I realised it is so bulky that I have to sew the cuffs in their turned-back position and buy a button or pin to keep it closed. I tried to show it off at Stitch n Bitch, but it was rather unwieldy and, I fear, it looked as though I'd wrapped myself in the dog's blanket ... but cuffs, and a pin, will sort this out, I'm sure! Wish me luck ;)

 

 

 

One Normal Knitted Pencil Case and An Exhibition

My 7 year-old nephew has grown up being showered with knitting by many of his relatives... so when he was asked what kind of pencil case he wanted for the new term, he said, "Just a normal, knitted one."!! So it fell to me to produce the pencil case. As always, this was more difficult than it sounded, as it needed a zip (tricky, fiddly) and a lining (tricky, fiddly) but I am really pleased with the results:

 

It's made of very cheap, squeaky DK so the wool panel wasn't terribly enjoyable to knit. But it didn't take long to make - though fitting the zip and lining seemed to take a whole day! Perhaps I've misremembered that, but they certainly took a *very* long time - endless tacking, and retacking... I don't think I'm a natural seamstress. But now I don't really want to give it away .... Pattern to follow!

 

I went to see the Transformations exhibition at Smiths Row last week. Many of the exhibits make use of textiles, sewing and stitching; my eyes lit up as I saw some knitting across the room. This piece is by Freddie Robins:

 

I must say, I felt a bit more ambivalent when I saw the noose-style hanging of the piece and the stab-style knitting needles. You can see from this close-up that the bodysuit reads Craft Kills:

 

Why Craft Kills? A problematic slogan, in my opinion (though it's available on badges in the gift shop!). If Robins believes in the power of craft (as the blurb suggested), then it's a shame if she automatically conflates power with killing. However, I'm sure craft has its darker side, as anything one 'makes' or crafts could be dangerous or harmful - people don't just craft doilies and baby clothes - but I am nevertheless uncomfortable about this piece. Hm.

 

Still, I uncomplicatedly like this piece by Susan Collis:

 

 

This isn't a terribly good photo because it doesn't show the detail of the marks on the boiler suit - which are machine-embroidered onto the cloth. I really like this because it reminds the audience that 'mistakes', blotches, splashes, are part of making things. Also, in a way, perhaps that art leaves its mark on the artist? Perhaps I'd better take off my Art Critic Hat there! It's a thought-provoking and beautifully laid out exhibition in the lovely setting of Smiths Row - well worth a look.

 

Now, to write up the pencil case knitting pattern....

 

 

 

 

I have another #FO! Enter: One crochet collar ...

Hurrah! I have finished this collar. The pattern is from a beautiful crafty blog by Emma in Wiltshire; I have a link to it below on an earlier crochet-themed post. This has worked out exactly as the pattern said, and it's really quick and easy. I found a lovely glass button in a charity shop; here it's at the back, but it would actually be nicer as the front, I think - you can see it, and the colour, better below (why does my BlackBerry not give good colour reproduction?!). A quick post, as I'm off out tonight, just to wear it! Woo hoo!

In Which I Venture to Les Tricoteuses & find yarnbombing in Sheringham...

A lovely sunny day in Holt last week - and a browse in a lovely wool shop:

I was really keen to check out this shop properly - I love the name (with its connotations of gallows knitting) and Chapel Yard, its location, has great little shops and galleries. The huge window shows the lovely yarns inside.

This is a pretty good generic picture, actually, of all the Places To Buy Yarn that I like - the gorgeous coloured patty-shaped balls of pure wool. This shop has an excellent range of luxurious wools - everywhere I looked there was more! It was great to meet Mary Pembleton, the owner; she turned down her German rock music to talk about the shop, our dislike of acrylic, "squeaky" wool,  and showed me her newest arrival - *British*, no less - Debbie Bliss Blue Faced Leicester Aran yarn, in gorgeous autumnal shades -

I want to go back and buy the mustardy colour to make some gloves I've found a pattern for in Bronwyn Lowenthal's Love to Knit  - Mary has knitted the swatch here in red and it feels dense and lovely and woolly! She has the Debbie Bliss accompanying pattern book, too. Bravo, Les Tricoteuses! www.lestricoteuses.co.uk

The knitting theme dominated our trip to Sheringham, too; luckily, my Lady Friend is a patient partner. First I had to snap this part of the sea front mural:

But then - huge excitement - we saw more Sheringham *yarnbombing*: fantastic knitted fish and starfish on the seafront -

Aren't these great? I wonder if it's those @NorfolkNinjaKnitters again ;)

On a rainy day, we went to Norwich. While the Lady Friend had  a tour of the Cathedral, I paid a visit to Jarrolds, a great independent with lots of lovely Sirdar wool and good haberdashery bits too. Had a crochet conversation with the sales assistant who was wearing a black crochet collar that she'd made herself. Then, a trip to the Cathedral refectory:

And a scrumptious cheese scone:

I love Emma Bridgewater's crockery - though the use of this Biblical quotation is rather surprising, as the second part of the verse from the Song of Songs reads, "For I am sick of love." I suppose that's why only the first part is on the plate!  I know there's no mention of a Wednesday #WIP - but that[s because my Sarah Hatton jacket is still .... still .... still on the go!