Tuesday 29 November 2011

Harrogate, Stash and lots of goodies to boot :)

Hi every one :) ... better warn you in advance this post could be a wee long heheheh ... so grab that cuppa and keep the pot hot, methinks you are going to need it hahahahah .....
In case you didn't know I and a few friends from my group .. along with thousands of other folks descended on the knitting and stitching show at Harrogate this last weekend :)
The preparation for this event started a good few days before making my list for stash I would require to do my crazy list as per last post ..... well I duly wrote this list out three times !!!!! on the final one I wrote on two sides of A4 paper with all the flosses in alphabetical order or number order and the count of the fabric I required or needed ;) on the other and popped it into a plastic wallet and into my travelling stitcher bag :)
The sunshine was duly ordered as last year we had terrible snow storms we were praying that it didn't happen this year and thankfully it didn't :) ... any way Friday dawned beautifully early .. I asked Shelley to text me when she set off from her house to mine so that by the time she had made it to the mouse house I would be up and a wee bit with it ..lol ..... I had the  kettle on for a reviving cuppa for when she got here ... showed her the tidy mouse house craft room  and the list  before setting off to Harrogate .... I was that excited I couldn't remember whether I had put the list in my bag and all the way there I was fretting I had left it at home and how could I get it to me for the show eeeekkkkk ....
We pulled up at the hotel around 11.00 am and I breathed a sigh of relief when I found that blooming list ..lol ... Val and Shelia were already there and Sandra was on route and before we knew it, Karen and Gillie along with a wee Scottish Lady (Ally) that had been whisked down specially for the weekend as a surprise to the others turned up not long after .
We all went down to the show once we had got organised and met up with Frances from our group who we had not "seen " before .... she fits in very well ;) and it was lovely to meet her face to face *waving paw hellooooo again ....
I zoomed round the show as fast as my little legs would let me and found the Sparklies stand and promptly got out my stitching to show Kate what I had done on her fabric ...... Gillie turned round to Shelley and said "shall we go and have a three course lunch and a coffee afterwards and come back to get her in a couple of hours " ... oooo the cheek ..lol 
I managed to get nearly  all on  my list after cutting it up and leaving bits at at Trudy Ann Designs before going to West End Embroidery for the other threads I needed :)
Gillie and I returned late in the afternoon with arms laden with my goodies as she very kindly brought my new lamp back with her ... its hard only having one arm free ..lol
We came down to dinner for 7.00pm and was still there yacking and laughing well passed 10.00pm and carried on till quite late in mine and Shelley's room as ours was the biggest this year ... Ally and Gillie  were stitching on the biscornu I had designed for the bran tub while we were all in  there ... Gillie stayed up till 2.30 am and finished it :) ... considering I gave them the chart well in advance of the weekend you would have thought it would have been done before ..lol 
ok I've had to put the kettle on now ..lol .....
On Saturday we met up with some more friends from the group who had come down for the day along with Fiona  at the Trudy Anne stall and photos were taken by Michelle sooo if you want to have a peek at them go there :)
stash wise I got some backing fabric and buttons and charms and Ally's belated birthday prezzie a lovely piece of fabric from Sparklies ... Kate kindly said she would come to the hotel that night to talk to us all :)
we went back at dinner time for a well deserved cuppa and for the girls to have the hardanger class with Val back at the hotel in her posh sitting room :).... not much was got done, I hasten to add as there was too much hilarity and Karen got a stitch from laughing !!! Although I did take a photo to prove that Ally actually stitches hahahaha .... 
Kate from Sparklies  came back to the hotel before we had dinner and gave us a lovely talk on how she learnt to dye and how she works to get those lovely colours of her fabrics ... she fitted in really well as we were all in fits of laughter after her talk .... we learnt quite a lot and are really grateful she took the time out to meet us and offered to come and do a "class dyeing " session once we could work out the where .... looking forward to it very much :)
we carried on with more chatting and laughing over dinner ... the chuckle muscles certainly got a good work out .....laughing at Karen and Shelley forgetfulness as to what they went looking round the show for that afternoon ..lol... they finally did get what they went for ... good job I did a list is all I can say ..lol..... must mention that Val had stitched us all a lovely biscornu bud for each of us as well as a wee Christmas prezzie that had to go under our tree when we got back home :)
On Sunday we all swapped the Biscornu's before we all split up to go back to normality or at least some of them did .. Shelley and I gluttons for punishment pootled back down to the show to get the bits in we had missed ....  we discovered the "Battle of Prestonpans Tapestry 1745" which took the whole of the underneath corridor up on both sides ... 105 panels of work which took over 18 months from start to finish with bits stitched on by folks who had never picked up a needle before ..... the end result is very impressive and I hope my photos do it justice ....
we also went round the guild stalls downstairs and had a good look at the work the students had put in  and also of the stunning work of the exhibitors upstairs in Hall M ... unfortunately we weren't allowed to take photos there .... but some of the work was exquisite  to say the least :)
Shelley and I decided to take a pit stop and got a drink and a sticky bun to revive us and had a right giggle when a lady stopped us to say to go and prop ourselves up in the corner of the cafe area ...  I said I am already propped up ..lol with my crutch ... she said we looked like we needed to lean against something  .... I looked at Shelley and said do we look that bad hahahahah .....
We finally emerged from the show at 4.30pm !! and made our way home to to the mouse house  and a restorative cuppa or two before Shelley went on her way to her house.......


so there you are.... the tales of the Harrogate weekend ... the stash will be shown in a wee while .... I just have to tell you of the kindness of a fellow blogger Karen  who sent me the box for "Casting a Spell" as we over here cannot get it ((((HUGE HUGS)))) to her and many thanks ... I shall have a lovely display for Halloween next year :) 
I also received a lovely parcel from my secret pen pal which arrived over the weekend with an adorable mouse , some mouse backing fabric, a wee mouse button and a beautifully stitched mouse and tape measure scissor fob with matching scissors (pattern is from the brooke books alphabet freebies)  and some lovely autumn fall sweeties ... which taste just like our fudge over here yummmmmmmm ......Thank you soooooo much, they are  all gorgeous *VBG can't wait to know who you are so I can thank you by name ..lol :)
And today Teejay popped over to the mouse house with my calender girl goodies .. she got the thread as they reminded her of me .. Jolly Joker and steaming needles are amongst the names heheheh 
so endeth this huge blog update ..... three cuppas later I get to the end heheheh .... I must admit I am still recovering from it as I didn't realise but I have an upper respiratory infection so it was no wonder I sounded like my bellows had bust when I laughed hahahah.....



ok folks I will love you and leave you to drool over the photos of the weekend and my stash and goodies  ...




Calender Stash from Teejay :)

My pudding had same both nights it was soo yummy ..lol

Hardanger class in Val's suite 

My Biscornu design stitched by the girls to swop


the length of the tapestry  !!!



my biscornu bud stitched by Val :)


Royal Hall Harrogate


gorgeous goodies from my pen pal ... my mouse is adorable

the box from Karen with my chart :)

Jane Greenoffs stall at Harrogate 

My small stash haul 

my backing fabric haul
so there you go hope you have all enjoyed the write up and I shall leave you in peace for a wee while ...lol .. take care and happy stitching one and all :)
love mouse xxxxxx

53 comments:

Teresa said...

Wow, sounds like a fun time and lots and lots of goodies.
Teresa's Heartfelt Stitches

Fiona said...

was lovely to meet you Mouse! I've check my email and my junk filter file in case it went there and I never received it!! LOL oh well, glad you had a fab weekend, can't wait till next year now!!! xxx

Rhona said...

Sounds like you had a fantastic time! Love all your goodies. And a big wow at the size of that tapestry!

pam said...

I'm sure you will be giddy for days from all the stash and prezzies. Glad you had a wonderful trip!

Barbara said...

Sounds like a good time was had by all!!! And what alot of goodies you have. Yummy threads!!
Blessings

Tricia T said...

Poor sick Mousie!! I hope all your cuppas help you recover! I can't wait to see who your mouse is from. It is adorable! And what a fun stash haul! Look at all those scrummy colors of thread and fabric. I can't wait to see what you'll be working on this coming year!

Laurie in Iowa said...

I enjoyed reading your adventures at the show. I'm happy for you that you enjoyed your time with friends and shopping!

Catherine said...

Oh wow! What a fabulous time! Great friends and goodies too!! Can't wait to see all the pretty things you'll make!

Cross Stitch Queen said...

Mouse, sounds like you had a great time. The length of the tapestry is mind blowing. Let's say it's a good thing it was not me creating it, or else very few inches would exist.

Hope you feel better soon! Lots of tea there. LOL. I am a coffee and hot chocolate drinker. I must say that the whipped iced-coffees with cream are good too, but I digress....

Your haul is impressive! Great items!! Enjoy your haul while sipping cuppas.

CSQ
betweenthestitches.blogspot.com

Stitching Noni said...

Wow sounds like little ol' Mouse was in heaven!! You seriously are so lucky to have a stitching show like that to attend - we don't have that size stitching show here in Aust. There is one that comes to Perth but it is craft show and doesn't have a lot of cross stitch - but is still fun to go to and Hubby and I still managed to part with our hard earned cash!

That tapestry is amazing... I would have needed a cuppa just to walk the length of it!

Love your new stash :o) Enjoy!

http://firefliescatsinthegarden.blogspot.com/

Margaret said...

Oh gosh, it all sounds so terrific! I'm so envious! That tapestry is amazing -- I'd heard of it before, and it's just so cool. Love all the stash too. And it sure sounds like you all had a ball. So great! Thanks for sharing with us -- I really enjoyed reading about all your adventures at Harrogate!

Lorna @scrapsnscribbles/letssewit said...

WOW sounds like you all had a great time, and with lots of lovely stash too x

Unknown said...

Sounds like you all had the most wonderful time and I love the samll amount of haul, looks like your list is kitted up for Jan 1st. Love your biscornu design.

Lesleyanne said...

Sounds like you had a wonderful time and got some great new stash.

Midge said...

I went to Harrogate too - we probably passed each other in one of the halls.
Did you ever get the e-mail I sent you about the snapper year? If not let me know and I will re-send it.
Maybe next year we can meet up.

cucki said...

wow sound like a wonderful time..and great beautiful stash..i love it so much..and so many lovely biscornu :)
love cucki xx

Christine said...

That looks like a fabulous weekend!
I was so sure you were going to say you'd left your list at home (that is the kind of thing I'd do) that I was holding my breath till you wrote that you'd fond it :D

Thoeria said...

Wow Mouse! I had to wipe the drool from my screen - a combination of all that goodies and that absolutely delicious looking dessert!
You have no idea how lucky you are to have such a stitching show! We have nothing like it here in South Africa, and the 2 craft shows that are held focus almost exclusively on scrap booking and beading. Reading your exploits and seeing all that yummy stash makes me even more determined to head out to your side of the world next year .... after the olympics though :-)

Susan Elliott said...

That tapestry is sooooooo long!!! Congratulations for tackling the show with a plan...your haul looks great..i esp like that Joy chart...and it sounds like you were with a great group of ladies! I get together with my stitching friends this Saturday. Enjoy your goodies!

Sarah said...

Sounds like a fabulous time!! Great stash! I hope I get to go to the knitting and stitching show one day, I think it would be heaven (expensive heaven, but heaven!)

DJ said...

Goodness, what a haul!! No surprise you needed help carrying things, you should have taken a rolling backpack! I truly am envious meeting all those lovely ladies and laughing so hard, I'll bet that was tons of fun! Someday...maybe I'll be able to come too, someone please twist hubby's arm!! Hope you feel better soon! *Hugs*

Julie said...

Phew, I was holding my breath about the list till I got to the bit where you found it, hat would have been me.

Sounds like the best weekend ever.

Susan said...

Sounds like an amazingly fun time. Wonderful stash and very thoughtful gifts.

stitchesnscraps said...

Looks like a wonderful time was had by all! That show looked like so much fun! I'll bet all you ladies were a force to be reckoned with! lol! Can't wait to see all your finishes with all that lovely stash! Hope you feel better soon, Miss Mouse!

Melissa

SheilasEmbroidery said...

What you forgot to say was that most of the items on your list were bought on the first day. Wasn't the Preston Pans tapestry fantastic? Sorry I missed the talk with the dyer.

Ali said...

Fan blooming tastic!!! Lovely stash I adore your little pin cushion with the tapemeasure spelling M!!! Well I never got there boo - going to start saving up and will def. get there next year!!!

Michelle said...

It was wonderful wasn't it and thanks again for being on standby for me when I had to pop back to change my lamp! I will pop a little something in the mail to you to say thanks.
Love your new stash! x

Niina said...

Oh my...I'm drooling over here! It sounds and seems that you had really good time!

Lois said...

Sounds like a wonderful time and great pics of everything!

Carin said...

What a great time you had en I love your stash !!!

Patty C. said...

Sounds like fun ;)

Carol said...

What a great weekend, Mouse--and that tapestry! Just incredible--I can't even imagine how impressive it must be to see it in person...

That little mouse from your secret pen pal is adorable as is the little ornament with the measuring tape and wee mouse. Oh, and I see the mouse fabric as well--lucky you :)

mdgtjulie said...

Amazing Mouse!! You get the Queen Shopper Award for sure. (I don't know if there is one as I made it up. But if there is one, you deserve it!!) You've got so much stuff there! I'm so glad you all had a good time. That's wonderful!

Sally said...

Sounds like you had a fantastic time Mouse. Lots of lovely stuff!

Anne said...

Oooooh!! What a wonderful trip to Harrogate!! I love that looooong tapestry! Wow! Loads of great goodies and beautiful biscornus!! As for the hardanger class, I think that's the only way to learn it, with others around! For me anyways. I would be too afraid to snip the wrong thread! That stall at Harrogate is drool worthy!! Adorable mouse pillow and little mouse with cheese!!

HUGS!

Meari said...

Oh MY goodness! What a fun time. We don't have anything like that where I live. I am so jealous!!

Nice stash haul, and gifties too.

Solstitches said...

Reading this made me feel quite homesick as I used to love to attend the Harrogate show each year.
What a wonderful time you had and what lovely stash you came home with :)

Margaret

Elisa said...

Looks like you had a great weekend...I was so disappointed that I couldn;t make it!

EvalinaMaria said...

I wish I was there... Thank you for sharing pictures and stories.

The Outgoing Introvert said...

What a wonderful time and thank you for sharing all the wonderful pics!!

Kaisievic said...

Great post - thanks for sharing. Love the biscornus.

Hugs, Kaye

Charlene ♥ NC said...

What a delightful GTG. That long display of tapestry must have been awesome indeed. Looks like a fine place to gather some great stash - good job! Thanks for sharing!

Dani - tkdchick said...

Wow what a prolific post! It sounds like you girls had an amazing weekend and you got a lot of fantastic stash and gifts!

Jo who can't think of a clever nickname said...

What a great weekend! Can I book a space with you when my boys are older? It sounds like so much fun.
I love the huge tapestry too.

Hely said...

Sounds you really had fun time there :) I wish we would have a huge stitching show here in Finland too.. but maybe I just need go to England one day, to see all that on my own eyes! You made me drool here, loved the cake (lol) and all the things you bought.. Lucky you! :)

Siobhán said...

It looks like it must have been an amazing time! Lovely stash haul! :) I loved seeing the pictures of the tapestry--amazing!

Brigitte said...

Wow, this must have been a wonderful fun weekend. I miss such a great show here.

Sari (saristitching) said...

Lovely biscornus and nice goodies for your pen pal :)

Marie said...

Sounds like something that I would love to attend! What an adventure.
I enjoyed the pictures!

Joysze said...

Wowzas! Man I'd have loved to go to that!!! Thanks for all the awesome pics. :D Hubba hubba!

Mindi said...

Sounds like you had a fantastic time, and I'm not sure what I should drool over more, the picture of the desert, or all the lovely stitchy stash and gifts.

Veronica said...

Sounds like you had a ton of fun. I envy you. So wish I was there. Wonderful stash haul you brought back ^.^

Hugs,
Veronica.

Jenny said...

What a super-cute mouse - and I love the Brooke's Books mouse pin-cushion.
That tapestry is something else - wish that I could see that in person - wow!!!