Wednesday, February 6, 2013

A quilt in a cage and other ramblings


So far 2013 is looking mighty fine and has started with a hiss and a roar. A hastily organised trip to New Zealand meant that the blog has suffered again and I'm sorry I didn't get the time to reply to comments. Thank you all who visited, as always I really appreciated it. Hopefully I won't be so remiss from this point on.
This is my daughter's quilt in a cage, not the best way to display it but there is a story.
We headed off  to the very small local agricultural show where she had entered a hank of carded and spun wool. Only her second go at it and she won a third prize. Not only that, this quilt she made was a last minute entry for the fun of it and it won in it's division. I'm so proud of her participation and her skills.
The kids had a great time seeing the animals and farm equipment. I think next year the family plan to put in some entries in the craft and baking. The womens' institute is dying out in Middle Earth and needs more members.
The main reason for the trip of course was to catch up with family and celebrate my mother's 80th birthday. There were only three family members missing. All the kids are my grandchildren, there are a couple of gorgeous nieces in the photo and my three sisters. My son and nephew were unable to make it as they are overseas.
Me and my Mum.
 
I love, love this photo of my Sophie and her Dah, ( my David))  there's just so much love in their faces.
Staying with my daughter the last two trips has got me knitting and at long last I learn't how to knit a basic sock thanks to her expert help. I've been wanting to do that for ages. Now I know how to use circular needles and the magic loop method knitting from the toe up. It's a start.
The kids beaded up the sets of stitch holders for me, what treasures and they had so much fun choosing the beads.
I made the two on the bottom left as gifts and used earing hardware so they could be opened.
 
I have a busy time ahead, I have enrolled in a couple of classes and might have bitten off more than I can chew but I'm up for the challenge. I'm starting a new quilt in one, I'll let you know what it is after Friday.
 
Until next time, Janet

36 comments:

Darlene said...

Happy Birthday to your Mum! Nice to 'see' you, Janet. You have a beautiful family.

Nedra said...

Congratulations to your daughter, and love all of the family photos. And your new header is pretty terrific, too!

Dixie Howard said...

So glad you are back, Janet! Your family photos are treasures, and I know you must be the proudest mama in the world of your daughter's accomplishments! Can't wait to see the projects you unveil soon!

Alison said...

Did you get to Waitarere beach on your trip home? It has been particularly lovely this year. Nice to see you back in action.

Donna~~ said...

Nice to see you back, Janet. Your family photos are wonderful--you and your mom and Sophie and her Dah. Very special--lucky to have captured those!

Quiltefia said...

Hi!! Nice new header!! Are those blocks from a quilt to be?? Lovely family time!! Anne, Oslo Norway:-)

Quiltefia said...

Hi!! Nice new header!! Are those blocks from a quilt to be?? Lovely family time!! Anne, Oslo Norway:-)

Miriam said...

Great to see you back Janet!:)
Congratulations to your DD! Quilt making skills obviously run in the family! :)
Happy Birthday to your Mum! Wonderful to see a photo of you with her.
Learning sock knitting is on my agenda this year too. Just waiting for some cooler weather here!
Have fun in your classes. Looking forward to hearing about the new quilt!

Shirley said...

Lovely to meet your family and what a handsome and talented lot you are. Well done to your daughter on her prizes. Have missed you and glad to have you back. Wondering what you have been up to.

Janet said...

Hi Alison,
I did get to Waiterere beach, my sister lives there and we spent a lot of holidays there as kids so it was lovely to be back on familiar ground.

Kaaren said...

Happy 80th to your Mom, Janet. That is definitely a milestone to hope for.

And it looks like the apple didn't fall too far from the tree with respect to your daughter's crafting skills. Good for her.

Thanks for sharing your wonderful family pictures. What a handsome family...including your David! *wink*

gracie said...

Great pictures... thank you for sharing with us.

antique quilter said...

great pictures I love the one of David and Sophie adorable!!!! Glad you had a great time and a GREAT start to 2013 YEAH!!!! I am so happy for you.
socks look great, you will be making lots and lots of them now !
Kathie

Terry said...

My goodness you've been busy! I love the socks, and it's nice to have a face to put with your name now! :0)

Ruth said...

What a lovely family! Isn't it fun to see your son all grown up as a Daddy? I have 3 grown sons and it's wonderful to see them interact with their kids.

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

I wish I had someone with patience to teach me to knit socks! Lovely family

Thimbleanna said...

Yay! You're back! It looks like you've had a wonderful trip. Congratulations to your daughter on her winnings. And what a brilliant idea to use earrings as the base for those stitch markers -- thanks for a great idea!

Abby and Stephanie said...

Always wonderful to see a post from you. Looks like talent runs deep in your family. I can't imagine anything cozier than knit socks, well except for a snuggily handmade quilt.

Lori said...

Always good to hear from you. Love the photo of you and your mum!

Janet said...

I'm glad you're back and had a good trip. Such lovely family pictures! Congratulations to your daughter! How fun to have some classes to look forward to. I can't wait to see what your new project is! :0)

Sujata Shah said...

Janet,

Having visited my entire family in India recently I can relate to how precious this time for you must have been!
Your picture with your mom is priceless. I agree with you on the picture of your husband with your grand daughter. Beautiful!

Taryn said...

Thanks for sharing your family time with us. I loved all your pictures and it sounds like a wonderful time!

Julia said...

Happy Birthday to your Mum.
Gorgeous photos Janet, lovey to see the family.
Congrats to your daughter...creative talent runs in the family.
Julia ♥

Cheri said...

Lovely family pictures, glad you had such a good trip.

Karen said...

What a beautiful family - so glad you got to spend time with them. Learning to knit socks is also on my someday list :).

Shari said...

Lovely to hear about you and your family - such happy times. Have fun with knitting socks - they look great.

Oops-Lah said...

Great to hear that you had a lovely holiday and Happy Birthday to your lovely mum. Your socks look fantastic. I've never tried to knit socks the way you did. Mind you, I have only knitted one pair of socks in my entire life and one sock ended up much bigger than the other ;). Can't wait to see what you are going to work on next!

Nic said...

Looks like you had a wonderful trip back to NZ.
The socks are great. Your daughters quilt is beautiful.

Mary said...

What a precious family! And Congrats to your daughter!!!! The apple doesn't fall far from the tree....both of you are so talented! I can't wait to see what you will be starting in your class :)

Cathy @ CabbageQuilts said...

I always love to see what you are doing Janet you live an interesting life! So lovely to see your beautiful family glad your Mum had a lovely time with most of her family around her!! xo

Cathy @ CabbageQuilts said...

I always love to see what you are doing Janet you live an interesting life! So lovely to see your beautiful family glad your Mum had a lovely time with most of her family around her!! xo

Sally Anne said...

What a beautiful post Janet..I too loved the photo of Sophie with her Da.
My granddaughter's have a Pa, and they too have the same adoration towards him..it's so special.

Dar said...

What a lovely family gathering. Congrats on learning to knit socks. That is on my list too.

Doris said...

Beautiful family pics, Janet! I agree that one of Sophie and David is priceless... And congrats to your daughter, what fun!

Pat said...

You must have had such a wonderful family time - it shows in your happy photos!

Looking forward to seeingwhat you are up to soon! New project....

The blocks in your header are incredible!!

Carrie P. said...

how nice to be with family. I think that photo of Sophie and David is really cute.