Julia's Knitting Versus My Knitting

 The front page of today's Sydney paper! Our not very popular republican  Prime Minister would have us believe -in the middle of trying to cling to her position- she is knitting a kangaroo for the royal baby!! Here's the deal Julia, I leave for London on 12th July for the royal birth. That gives you 2 weeks to finish the kangaroo and send it to me by courier. I will be at Buckingham Palace for an event on Sunday 14th so I will deliver it for you. Normally on my blog I would keep well away from politics but today was a stitch too far.

 Thinking that any knitting the P.M can do I can do better I rushed to my book shelves and there it was, just as I thought it should be. A knitted kangaroo pattern. In my wool stash I found blue wool and needles. Remember that crown tea cosy I knitted? so really a kangaroo can't be that hard.
No, I can't take special orders for your grandchildren, this is a challenge strictly between me and the P.M.

 Janice in New York alerted me to these mini cross stitch cushions and they arrived today. The only chart I have ever seen of Philip and I love the design. They are a Sheena Rogers design and here is her web add.
www.sheenarogersdesigns.co.uk  Thanks Janice I rely on my watchers around the world to tell me about royal designs I might otherwise miss.

Having stitched enough Diamond Jubilee samplers for a while I started again on this UFO of the royal wedding. It will be an impressive sampler if it ever gets finished, for some reason I find it hard going.

A very impressive Diamond Jubilee wool tapestry I bought already completed from eBay. It measures 16"x20" and the LX is not my initials but roman numerals for 60. This is a Dorcas Willow design.

Charlotte wants to show her new winter bed. She sleeps a lot these days and divides her time between my bed and her new bed.

Gina's Lace and My Cross Stitch

 Gina in Melbourne sent me the pretty crocheted lace you can see on the above shelves. Gina was going to put it on her kitchen shelves but thought better of it and sent it to me. I threaded the red ribbon through the lace and fixed it to the shelves with double sided tape. Thank you Gina, I think you must admit the lace belongs here and I don't know how I managed to live with bare shelves for so long.

My Bothy Threads Kings and Queens is finished and framed, I love the frame but it is slightly too small so I am still looking for a more suitable frame. Note that I managed to stitch the whole sampler with NO french knots. If you enlarge the pics you will see that all the i are dotted and all the figures have eyes. I just put in a few over stitches and the world didn't end because I can't do french knots.

My latest eBay amazing find. A top made with Coronation fabric from 1953. This top looks home made, has a few tiny holes but I think I might wear it sometimes. Wish I could find more of this fabric.

 Here is a close up, all the Royal Regalia is there including (gold coach alert) the gold coach, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace and the floral emblems.

 There are 5 buttons on the top, 3 down the front and 1 on each cuff. I've had these buttons in my collection for a while and will replace all the buttons with these. The coronation button will go at the top, the other buttons are from George VI coronation.

This is a Twilley's Diamond Jubilee sampler I've had in my stash for a while. For some reason I thought it a bit tricky to stitch. I only started 2 weeks ago and finished already. I think it's very pretty and so easy to stitch.

This is the doll house I thought I'd give back to the op shop but now it is fully furnished and looking so pretty I want to keep it. Well for a while anyway as I have found a place for it in my house. If I do eventually pass it on it will go unfurnished. I still have to make towels and a bath mat for the bathroom.. A bit hard to see I know but the pictures on the wall in the bedroom are of Kate and William and the wall on the left downstairs  show the Queen and Princess Diana. The frame at the back shows a very nice cat.

Goodbye Sydney Monorail

 Sydney Monorail is closing at the end of this month and will be pulled down and lost forever. I have always loved riding the Monorail and when my oldest grandson was very young I would take him for Monorail rides. We would buy a day ticket and go round and round in a circle till we'd had enough.

Grandson T is now 21 and felt it was his duty to take me for a farewell ride with his brother A soon to be 16. Yes, that's me in the middle ready for my big day out. Obviously I forgot to take my box to stand on when out with my tall grandsons. I am just over 5ft tall and they are 6ft tall. Don't know how it happened but I think my short genes have gone forever.

 Most of the photos have been taken through a not very clean window but these are some of the views. On the left is an old ferry now turned restaurant.

 The Maritime Museum.

 The boys again. The rail for the monorail is behind and above them.

 Daughter S and mother of the boys was there too and admiring the view as we go around.....and around again as the rail is one huge circle with stations at various tourist stops.

Looking out the back window there is a great view of the car park, below that there is a tram or light rail as it's called. Also a fun ride.

 The rail goes very close to some buildings and it's possible to look in windows or on top of some buildings. The top of this building looks like it has a tin shack on top made out of bits of rubbish.

And last is the view from the train window as I went home, a bit different from all the city views.
Goodbye Monorail I'll miss you.

Coronation Anniversary 60 Years

 60 years ago today the Queen rode in her (gold coach alert) Gold Coach to be crowned in Westminster Abbey. I wish I'd been there (my mother made me go to school) on that long ago day. I would have cheered and waved with the rest of the crowd. Some lucky people could watch the big day on small black and white TV's as it happened but there was no TV in Australia then. We had to wait a few more years for TV. A film of the Coronation did arrive by air (it took a week to get here) and we could watch it at the pictures (movies) and what a thrill it was.  Congratulations on your BIG day   Queen Elizabeth II.

 Magazines were flooded with patterns for samplers and women became busy with needle and thread. The sampler above was in Stitchcraft magazine May 1953. The transfer for the embroidery had to be sent for and cost 8d.

 I have never found where the pattern or transfer came from for this unusual sampler. It combines aspects of Elizabeth 1st with the present Queen.

Tablecloths were popular to stitch and I have many examples but I know there are lots more out there still to be discovered.

This is my favourite and I have yet to take a good photo to display it properly.

 Times have changed for some of these countries since the coronation, Australia still has kangaroos so all is well here.

 Books and puzzles for children were popular and here you could cut out and make your own procession.

So many small items were made for the coronation. To name and show a few, there were belts, bracelets, broochs, pens, pencils, hair pins. fruit knife and a pen knife. A butter dish at the back and a card with a hanky insert to send to a friend. Buttons, embroidered needle book, matches and match box holder. I have more but there is so much more out there I will never be able to see and collect it all. Sigh!!!!