Tuesday

Good morning.  It's another pleasant, rather chilly but looking good morning here.

Do you ever get dates in a muddle?  Sometimes I do - it's right in the diary but in my head it isn't.  Yesterday was one of those days.

I had it in my head that today is when I was going on a coach trip but it isn't, it's another day this week.  I had also got it into my head that I was having a Thermo demo this week.

My friend emailed me and mentioned the day we really are going on the trip.  In my head, it then clashed with the demo.  Instant panic.  So I fired off a few emails before realising that the demo is not this week, it is next week.  So I had to fire off some more emails cancelling the first ones.

You will be glad to hear that the day got a lot better after that.

I watched a lot of Olympics as it's all getting quite exciting.  Right at the end of the tennis my friend arrived for coffee and a chat and I had to be quite rude and leave the telly on to watch the match point.  Not that she minded!  Well done Murray!!!

I had a lovely chat with N, who had also come to collect the owl I made for her a few weeks ago.  Then the day just glided along peacefully and happily.  It was lazy.  Armchair Olympics and knitting.  I finished the knitting for one wise man and started the next.  Now I have two and a half more figures  and three sheep to knit and then everything will be ready to stitch up and construct.  That will be very fiddly but I have plenty of time so will take it carefully.  There's no imminent deadline for a Nativity set, after all.

I said I would mention the weaving course.  It was at a very simple level (thank goodness) and accessible for absolute beginners.  Some of us, me included, were at that point as I don't count the day I did as in any way moving me off the bottom rung while some of us had done a bit more and wanted to move on.

There were eight of us in total, enough to be companionable but not too many so help was available very quickly if we needed it (and we did!)

The format was the same as the Cressing Temple course really - explanations first with H&S and talking about the tools, etc.  Then Jo modelled the first bit (making the base) and we had a go.  She encouraged us to make two so we could then choose the best one to continue.  We learned two different ways of weaving and how to do a finishing off row at the top.  Finally she modelled how to make the handle.  I was awkward and decided I wanted two smaller handles opposite each other.  There was a good reason for this - I had decided I wanted to use my basket for whatever my current knitting project is and a handle that goes over the top would get in the way.

The whole thing was jolly hard work and we all ended up with wonky baskets and aching hands.  Mine is very wonky but I don't care, I love it!  I now want to have another go so I can correct all the mistakes I made.  I came home with some willow but not enough to make another basket.  It's dried out now so I have time to think.  And I am booking to go on the woven reindeer course at Cressing Temple in November.  I guess I could keep the willow until then and use it to make some more for our Christmas stall, maybe.

Here's a few photos:  you can see the wonkiness and my handles don't match because the basket sides aren't going up at the same angle.

The base wasn't properly circular for a start.

This was where I should have made sure that the 'ribs' were going in the direction I wanted.  It's a lot harder than it looks though!

I thought it was going to end up coal scuttle shaped!

Getting bigger!

It looks better very close up.  I love the detail on each willow branch.

And here we are, back at home.  One wonky basket, now filled with knitting!
Really not wonderful at all but I can live with that!

To finish off, here's today's food:
B:  granola, yogurt and pineapple, melon
L:  tuna pate and salad wrap, orange
D:  pork and veg curry with runner beans, apple