Congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge!

That all sounds terribly grand, most people will still refer to them as Will and Kate.  

The dress was amazing, very much Princess Grace, the style suited her perfectly, and the train being a part of the dress worked very well.
The viewing coverage on the CBC was excellent, but unfortunately the main commentator, along with others at various locations were not a well informed. There were many annoying errors, which stood out with being British and all.  I am in the process of downloading the BBC UK coverage which has a Welsh presenter of good standing,  having had years as a news reader, and hoping that will make the reviewing more pleasurable. It was frustrating to have the presenter fluff badly over quite important royals titles, and while watching famous people entering Westminster Abbey, some were totally missed, obviously not famous in Canada, and not worth a mention. For such a big event, I think more effort could have been put into researching the guests so that they could be mentioned.

While all this went on, I made a piece of french knitting for the commission I have had for the Celtic Knotwork necklace, and a very nice bracelet with a nice cable.  I have a busy weekend ahead, which may mean no pictures will be added until next week.

Good and Bad News!

Spring poked its nose out for a few days, but last night we had freezing rain, and snow flurries, but fotunately the snow did not stay, however there is still a lot of ice around this morning. 

I have been distracting myself since my CT Scan last Thursday, and was expecting a call from my Doctor with the result, but this time he wanted to see me, having not seen me in over a year.  A nervous breakdown was developing, but rescue remedy calmed the situation down again.  It seems that there is possibly something at the inferior side of the Right Liver, which was not there on previous scans. The technician may just be covering themselves, as it may be an artefact, which it is to do with the equipment and not physical. I am not due to see my consultant for a few weeks, and he may recommend an MRI to clear up what this may be.  I think until we know more I have to stay positive, because I feel very well, which must count for something. Other things that had been picked up on previous scans show no change, which is all positive news.

Having had my work permit through having waited almost six months, I have been told that I will now start receiving unemployment. So the winter of discontent is almost over, I can't begin to say how tough it has been, never experienced such a difficult time, but things can only improve now.

I wanted to show a bracelet I made recently using the spool knitter, and then knotted into a celtic heart, along with some friendship bands I made.

Click here to see how to tie the knot.

Voila! The Celtic Knotwork Necklace!!

Yesterday afternoon, I sat down to put the necklace together, the pattern included the diagram for the design, so should have been straightforward. Being Welsh and think of my self as a true Celt - even my wedding ring is a Celtic Silver Celtic Knotwork style.. so I am very aware of the over and under of the design.. what could possibly go wrong?   I printed out a separate sheet of the design, found a round cork table mat so that the pins would hold it as I put it together.. and got working.. the cord was a few inches too long, and I was about to start undoing it from one end to get it to finish at the right point.  I unpinned it, measured it again, and it was spot on, at 48 inches.. I went back to the pattern.. and there it was, 'print out the pattern, and ensure that it is at least 5 inches high' and mine was not. So I spent an hour playing around with the size, and eventually after about ten printouts, I had my pattern at the correct size.. and so to take two of the pattern.  It was quite tricky, as I  had used yarn that was hand spun, and 100% wool by Briggs & Little in Plum (which looks Purple to me), almost too thick for this job.. but here is the finished product:

I am very happy with this necklace, and can't wait to have the occasion to wear it.

Last evening I made a cord to make another necklace, this time using two strands of Red Heart Luster Sheen® fine yarn.. in a gorgeous 'Cherry Red'. So that is my challenge today, is to put it together, and hope to add the photo later on.

And here is the Red Celtic Knotwork Necklace:

I think it is far more striking than the original one I made.

All this was completed while watching the movie Shirley Valentine from the late 80's.. why do you ask was I watching this movie.. well my sister told me last evening that she is going to Trinidad and Tobago for Easter, and I did not respond well to her news. So Shirley Valentine was my escape while putting this necklace together, so I could pretend in my head that I was in the sun, looking at sea and sand. And reminiscning for my summer working in Corfu: I too was young once!

The New Additions!

As suspected it took two hours each way to collect the new chicks. About seven are three weeks old, and three are three days old, and the rest are a week old.. but they all look so tiny and fragile.  The are now ensconsed in the brooder in the study, having had their beaks dipped in water, so lots of cheeping going on up there. It is the room above our lounge, which has a vent up to that room, so we can hear them from downstairs.. which is lovely to my ears, makes me smile.

So what did I take to do on the journey.. I completed another wine bottle carrier before leaving home, made a few friendship bands..  and started french knitting a piece to make a celtic knotwork necklace.. but then the scenery brought that all to a stop.. so you will have to wait for a photo of that necklace. Here are photos of the preassembled knecklace and the frenchship bands:

This is not a how to type blog, but here is a photo of a french knitting piece on two pegs in progress:

And click here to a link on how to use a spool knitter, and click here on how to use the spool knitter using only two pegs.


We headed off the main highway, I was in unknown territory, I simply devoured the scenery, the lovely little villages.. A place called Westville had so many interesting properties.. so nice to go somewhere new... as we drove on we actually passed a huge property that was painted black.. really caught your eye, but I don't think I will be painting our property black anytime soon. I didn't take my camera with us, so can't show you that.

And a Happy Mother's day to my Mum in Wales, who will be 87 this coming May.