Chair rugs...using up small balls of yarn.....

On the coach trip to Warwick and Chatsworth I took some small balls of yarn and a hook to keep me occupied on the coach....so I began the squares...got them all to the same size at home...when I can get at the balls of grey and black I will "frame" them firstly with the pale grey, then the mid grey if I still have it and not given it away...then the black....I think I can see in minds eye what it will look like....

 all the small ends of yarn were crocheted into chair rugs....

 they add to the hooked chair rugs

road closed for Vista festival

Princes Avenue is closed to traffic once a year for the Vista Festival organised by the local traders. There were tents and gazebos with singers, comedians, magicians and story tellers in. Lots of food stalls outside their own restaurants. Beauticians and hair stylists demonstrating outside of their shops. Scrap store was there and the resident arts worker Liz showed her "gowns"...many people had their photos taken with their heads popping out of the neckline..a bit like the seaside comedy bathers where you can pop your head through the hole and have your photo taken....the black and white one is made of aerosol lids and the blue and white angel  outfit is made of latex gloves....

found Waynes tent where some of his youth club were helping him with his elephant camera

I have removed the  original picture as I didn't ask the young lads permission....so took a photo of my screen... you can see the reflection of my top......I don't know how to edit.......crop...whatever...

Its a homemade old fashioned type of box camera....I dare say it has a type name.....it has a cloth hood at the rear where they make sure that you are in the frame....the book raises and lowers the box for focus.......on the left side is a leg off a pair of jeans.... this is to block the light whilst inserting the arm in it to manipulate the prepared photo paper into the right position ready for the front cap to come off and count one elephant two elephants three elephants ......up to thirty elephants....the equivalent of 30 seconds...

this produces the equivalent of a negative which is dunked in a developing solution and then into a stop bath. the results are then photographed and changed to a print and printed off...

There were lots of artists stalls with paintings and photographs and a tent where you could pose as a model or try your hand at drawing....

A super patchwork stall....and many more ......all of which I forgot to photograph..........

there was quite a lot of people around but because of the threat of rain...forecast for the whole afternoon the bands were moved into the church halls etc....so the sounds were missing and empty spaces where they should have been....There was an area roped off for dancing and a older generation couple lindy hopping in 1930/40s style clothing were giving a great show. At Artlink there was an opportunity for the children to  decorate a white baseball cap.....and inside a vintage fair..      Lots of charity stalls too. The shop that belonged to Ronald Gifts mother was open too. The pub car park had a BBQ and a band in a lockup at the back....so there was plenty going on but with the threat of rain and the sensible moving of the bands inside ....the atmosphere had changed

I met lots of people I hadn't seen in a long time and got plenty of hugs.......

Warwick and Chatsworth House weekend

I got a last minute ticket to join Lyn on the coach trip to Warwick Castle and Chatsworth House. My mobile phone died late afternoon the day before we went...I use it to take photos with.... I had the phone looked at...no good...didn't want to get another phone yet...waiting for new i phone coming out in September.....So last minute dash to buy a cover for my ipad so I could take that with me to take photos on.....With it being school holidays both venues were packed with people. Warwick Castle was over run with families.....the children enjoying Horrible Histories in the grounds of the castle....and there was even a medieval style tent to housed the baby buggies whilst the families went on the castle tour. On the whole the children were very well behaved in the castle.....no fraught parents constantly telling their children off... which was refreshing.
I think the first fortified dwelling on the site was 840 ish and by 1066 it was a wooden Mott and Bailey structure. To be able to gently touch something that was touched by human beings hundreds of years ago....and look out of the windows on the same (ish) views.....always gets to me. I didn't attempt to take any photos as my ipad was too big in the cramped conditions...Lyn had to wait for a gap to get hers !!! So to see some of the things we saw....go to Liniecat@Large or liniecat.blogspot.co.uk.
I want to go back to both venues to take photos....At Chatsworth inspiration for patchwork and applique was everywhere.
The hotel.....I won't name it....staff were lovely, food was lovely, rooms were lovely.....but....you knew there would be a BUT didn't you...lol....yet another trip where the hotel has a wedding party booked in the function rooms.......not just a wedding party but...............................................................................another
Indian wedding party with the throbbing music blasting out....bass on full.....everything vibrating and pulsating....the drivers room was directly above the function room and had to be moved.....we were told  the music would be turned down at 8pm............11pm...
fortunately I was in the roof and with my hearing aid out....bliss.....
apparently it was a proper wedding...complete with a big noisy argument at 2am !!!or so I was told.
I really must record.....the size of the sheets of toilet paper.....9cm square !!!....I brought one home to put in my diary ! Go on get the ruler out....!

car boot, garden centre and Veterans Day in East Park

what a day yesterday....everything aches today....
In the morning Lyn took me to Skirlington Market near Hornsea....neither of us have been for years....it's a mix of market and carboot sales. I had to smile as the last time I was there one could buy hot dogs, burgers, fish and chips and bacon butties....now....moving with the times I spotted at least two Chinese take-aways...a trailer with a super duper coffee making machine....thats all it sold....wonder how long they have been trading.... The latest craze at the moment is the little elastic loops that kids are looping on a loom to make bracelets.....and there were stalls selling nothing but them at a £1 a small package... stalls piled high with the things and people buying 10 and 20 packets at a time....... Even in the carboot there were stalls cashing in on the loopy craze...
At the carboot I practised real restraint.....I could have had some 25g balls of yarn in delightful colours that had been given away with the Joy of Crochet part series.....20p a ball......I have some I bought from a charity shop....previously .... and have not used them......so I walked away.....but they kept tugging me back.....Lyn bought some when we got separated for a while...and again I was tempted.....but I resisted.....

lol.....it was hard....it was h-a-r-d...lol
what I actually bought....a whole £2 worth....

silk and chiffon head squares 50p, 3bottles 50p dress £1...love the fabric so retro....
The book, Great Garter Stitch, (Jean Leinhouser and Rita Weiss £3.99) was from the garden centre where we stopped for lunch on the way back.... I loved the vest of many colours on the front and it would be a great stash buster. When the weather cools down I'll make a start on it.... There are at least 5 more patterns in the book I may attempt too...bargain !
At the garden centre the tempting array of cakes on show made it hard to choose....Lyn had a white chocolate and raspberry roularde and I had an orange pannacotta slab......which were delicious......
After Lyn dropped me back home I rested up for a while before deciding I would like to go to the  Veterans Day in East Park....my legs and back were not happy at all....and the heat....I was hurting and melting....
I have never seen the park so full of people, it was teeming.....
Plenty to see and to do and to top it off the Battle of Britain flypast did three passes over the park. The Spitfire and Hurricane looked so tiny either side of the Lancaster....they almost looked like toys... and on the ground there was a copy of the Spitfire and a Messerschmidt and they looked so tiny and flimsy...how did the flyers manage?
I wanted to take photos but the crowds of people made it almost impossible. I hung around to get a clear shot of these from WW1.

 the wounded at the front line would be transported on one these  or in the horse drawn ambulance.

I have to say that these photos don't really convey the basic-ness  of the transport. The ambulance is so basic inside yet outside it is varnished wood with etched windows....
I tried to get photos of the women dresses as WW1 nurses....but by now the numbers of people seemed to have swelled waiting for the Red Arrows flypast.

The Women's Land Army stand had three remarkable women with a vast array of artifacts.....and a willingness to talk.....so many stories of privations, the spartan life and the rats endured for their country and the enduring friendships formed.
I am proud to present Muriel Berzins who was one of the 60 girls billited at Howden Hostel for 7years,  sleeping on doublebed bunks....up at 6.15 in all weathers.

                                                                                                                                         

Iris Newbould

 Dorothy Taylor whom the other two described as the Lynch pin and organiser of the artifacts on the stand.

The missing one of their quartet is Elsie Sills who can be seen here with the others at "The Women's Land Army Memorial" Clochan, Morayshire.
Sculptor, (a local man, a few miles away in Beverley,) Peter Wallwork Naylor (his photo/ postcard) the same artist who did the 158 Squadron on Liniecat@Large blogspot.
Hats off to the sculptor.... brilliant concept that captures the young spirit inside these lovely ladies.

All around the park were people who collect memorabilia be it British forces, German, Russian, uniform and kit artifacts to huge lorries and tanks.  This year I saw American west represented....complete with a dentist tent ! Tucked away was a stand with some ancient army represented....I was interested but my legs were not willing and in fact I wondered if I had the stamina to get home. Ideally I wanted a taxi but I think even an ambulance or fire engine if needed would have found it difficult to get near...cars were everywhere....the surrounding streets were lined as afar away as my house, both sides of the road was chock a block. Even the playing field car park was used.
I'm guessing .......a successful year....lol

more rust play

its addictive....
found a bungle of cotton covered wire.....been in the garage for well over 20yrs....originally I think it was a nice neat hank. I think it was used to bind bungles of cables together in a telephone exchange or local box......
I thought...its been here all this time...lets spend a few minutes seeing if the cotton string....in orange and cream will come off easily.......
no it didn't... the wire inside was brittle and kept breaking......I noticed little bits of rust staining.....I had out a big roll of embroidery stabiliser / or rip off....or what ever its called...so I rolled the wire in some of that and added water and left it over night......LOVED the result... so did again and again and again... morning...afternoon...evening...next day....lol...the serendipity of the marks... had me hooked...
The first one is on the right...and then they got longer and longer... the two on the left have a bit of a blank space...thats where I folded it to get more marks in one go.....getting carried away now...the last one on the left is four metres long...I folded it into four, put the wire on top of two sections folded the other two sections over the top before rolling up and soaking......

all from this little strawberry punnet....
now what do I with them ?????????????
I certainly feel justified in hoarding the little tangle of wire and string now !!

more wool coats for rugging

from my favourite charity shop these wool coats were £1.50 each

these wool coats were £1 each....(.the colours should  be bright apple and leaf green)....£5 the lot....look at the amount of fabric !! and with the violet and purple skirts I already have....what a colour palette....I just have to design it now...wool applique or hooked?

another 50p spent at the charity shop...

 paid 50p for this wooden block door stop....the covering was hanging off or removed...I was thinking I could just glue some more fabric on it....The same day I had got a wallpaper sample from the decorating isle....when I got it home and held it to the wall I realised it was too much for me....but for the door stop.......finished off with the washi tape I just had to buy in the sale at Beverley the other week....

functional and decorative...what more can a girl ask for...?