A Duck Says Quack

Hard to believe its January 9th already, still no snow although the temperature is dropping. We are always getting birds of prey in the garden but this one was so involved with the animal he had caught, he did not notice us. Unfortunately I only had my camera phone with me !

Went to see "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" great movie but not for the impatient. It was slow to get started and was very understated, exactly as it should be. Great performance by Gary Oldman. We would give it 9/10 but only if you like that sort of thing.

We have also been enjoying some free downloads from Amazon.com. I have been watching seasons 9 and 10 of "Midsommer Murders". It is a British TV cop drama but most of the photography is from Bucks in the UK  all around a  lot of the places where we used to hike. Its more a trip down memeory lane that anything else.

I have been running a few times and one of my longest was 6 miles so I am pleased with the progress I am making. I ordered some new shoes for running on the trails, I got Asics again as I really like them, they have a thicker sole with more traction and they are waterproof.

Last Wednesday I went to an embroidery guild in Hyde Park NY, they are a great bunch of ladies very friendly and I had a really nice time. They are into all things needle based, so there were knitters, rug hookers and doll makers there as well. There was also a presentation by a Diane Johnston, Diane makes collectible teddy bears. They were adorable but some were so small it must have been a nightmare to stitch.

On the way back I called in to White Barn Farm  to buy some wool. A lot of people have been sporting these twirly scarfs and the yarn comes in a ball but is a piece of already knitted fabric about 2 1/2 inches wide. you then knit along one edge of the yarn turning every 5 stitches. very different but it knits up quickly.

I have been working on my 12 days of Christmas and I have completed the top. I just need to quilt and bind it. It was a lot of fun ans good practice on getting accurate cuts and stitches.

I helped out in the quilt shop on Saturday  (Quilters Attic). We were so busy, I was cutting fabric constantly. Biggest problem with this being I get to see all the fabric up close which makes me want to buy most of them.

I have started on a new quilt, that will hopefully be a class and then I will send the finished result to the UK. It is a Smith Street design called "The Duck says Quack" . the center is a collection of machine appliqued blocks and then the border will include 12inch square pieced blocks. I managed to complete these blacks on Sunday, they are so darn cute!

DH created a top to go on top of my ironing board so that I have more room to iron fabric yardage. Its really great and he used velcro straps to hold it on so that I can use the normal board when I need to.

I have also been tyding up my fabic stash, once it's completed I will share some pictures although even I am surprised how much fabric I have!