Monday 7 June 2010

Stoles

My dear friend Fiona is being made a deacon in the Church of England this summer, and I wanted to make her a stole to celebrate this. I decided to make a green one, as that's the colour for the church's Ordinary Time, which takes up most of the calendar - I figured she'd get most use out of it.

Stole 2

Fiona's Stole

I made her two different stoles, with different patterns, widths and lengths, so she could choose which she liked best - she chose the one with just the waves. I used a linen/cotton mix, with cotton batik fabric for the waves, and I attached them with bondaweb and then densely stitching the edges with a zig-zag stitch using metallic thread.

And she loved it! Hoorah!

Tommy and Tess

We can haz new cat-beasts! Well, old cat-beasts, and because I'm a lazy blogger, they've been here for a while now.

Tess and Tommy

Tommy is the black and white cow-cat, and Tess is the naughty tortie. He's 10, and she's 9, and they've big! Tommy is twice the size of Bryher - Tess isn't as long, but she's fat. And heavy. So she's on a diet.


They are ridiculously wonderful. Tess is as friendly as could be - she loves her chin being tickled, and she'll twst her head round like an owl to maximise the tickling. But she's a naughty tortie - so the affection can go to neurotic hissing if you annoy her. She's so cheeky, and bullies Tommy, but it's impossible not to love her. Tommy is quieter - I've never known a more talkative cat than Tess - and he'll take a while to check you out before he says hello. But he's... deeper, somehow. His love and affection comes from the depths of his furry heart, and he loves completely. He plonks himself down on your lap, covering it completely, hangs his chin over your knees, and quietly purrs the evening away. And he's mad for chasing things - and I think he'd eat my wool if I let him. He gets very engaged with what you're doing, and will watch me washing up, or sewing, very closely.

We got them from the RSPCA shelter, where I'm now an offical cat socialiser. They're owner was an old lady who'd died, and her sister or friend couldn't keep the cats and handed them in. We wanted to take older cats, they young ones get snapped up so quickly, but people don't take the older ones as promptly.

Here's a better pic of Tommy -
Tommy

This is an old pic - they've been with us since May now, and Tommy has a nasty mark on his nose. Took him to the vet about it, and the words "pre-cancerous" were used. Do not like.