Not on the list

Brrr, still cold here with temperatures hovering a couple of degrees above freezing during the day; no snow here, although when I drove to my voluntary job Friday morning I was really surprised to find a dusting of snow just a few miles away.  We're trying to get out if we can, even if it's just a walk into town and back.

I'm making great efforts to tackle this pile of projects in the sewing room but I seem to be adding more than making any inroads.  So yesterday I made a cover for my newly-acquired hot water bottle (since the electric blanket gave up on us we have been sharing a bottle - very cosy but not so practical!).  Road-tested last night and deemed a resounding success.  But not on the list.

Also not on the list was N's thermal gloves.  He's had them a few years and they are just so warm (having borrowed them, I can testify to this).  However, the glove cuffs are worse for wear and tear - the velcro fastening has caught and pulled the fabric badly and they really did look a mess.  I had a look at them and decided that if the damaged cuffs were removed, I could make some replacement cuffs in ribbed knitting.  So N sat and unpicked the old cuffs and I sat beside him knitting some new ones - how's that for teamwork?!  I sewed them on this morning and we're both very pleased with the finished result.  If I hadn't been able to do that, those gloves would have been thrown away; as it is, there is plenty of wear left in them so a few pounds saved with little effort.  

More meals from the freezer today - a portion of veg stew, one pot of beef rogan josh (both home-made) and some spare rice; at least it hasn't gone to waste.  To eke out the remaining frozen vegetables, N decided to investigate the carrots that he sowed back in the autumn. We didn't bother thinning them out and to be honest we had almost forgotten them. However, all is not lost - N came back with more than enough carrots for dinner tomorrow. A little pale but the taste is fantastic.  Nothing to beat home-grown veg.

I managed to catch up with the Sewing Bee this evening, and as usual I'm itching to do some dressmaking.  And I will do, just not quite yet.  The 'project pile' is still too big, but I am working on it ;))