First you paint and then......

Two years ago this month we had our heating system totally redone and then the house was rewired folowed in January 2105 by a new kitchen. Since then we have been working on the house which is a 1880 London terrace. Following the rewire there was a lot of plasterwork to make good, the stairs needed work done on them and various other things to long to list. Since August we have been decorating the whole house. The only room any fancy wallpaper is being used is in our bedroom. Elsewhere I have used lining paper to prepare the walls prior to painting. The painting in the kitchen was completed in 2015 but between then and now work has been frantic so the decorating has taken a back seat. John has now reduced his work hours to two days a week and as a result the painting in the dining room is now finished and the main living room is well underway. We've actually reached the point where it's time to order the flooring. We still have paper to be put up in the hallway and lots of painting. We like to use gloss for the woodwork rather than the newer paints that allow you to wash your brushes in water. The gloss gives a tougher finish and looks fabulous but it does take longer as it needs two coats and you have to allow time for it to dry between coats. Any spare time during the day is spent doing some decorating which leaves evenings for stitching.

My slow stitching this week is continuing to work on my knitting. There is no point in posting a picture as I have only finished the ribbing on the front and from here up to the neck is stocking stitch so it would just look like the back. I realsied during the week that I had lost interest in knitting over the last couple of years. This was when I found a bag stuffed at the back of a cupboard that had this piece of knitting in it.

This is a cardigan I started for myself and I remember putting it away when we had the house rewired. I managed to forget all about it since then and it's only because I'm going through all the cupboards and repurposing or recycling items no longer needed that I found it. Although it has a pattern it is easy to do. I need to get John's jumpers knitted so I can work on this.

Kathy asked us what we use for light when we are slow stitching. For knitting the main room light is sufficient unless I'm doing a complicated pattern with very fine yarn. For embroidery of any sort I need a good light. I bought a new magnifing light at the stitching and knitting exhibition last month and this is so useful. 

Do you like the floor board? They will soon be gone with our new floor covering, which will also stop the draughts.

The light can also be used as a table top light or it has a big bulldog clip you can use to clip it to a worktop etc. I can now see my cross stitch perfectly even without the light switched on .....the only problem(s) are Scamp and Picasso. If either of them sit on my lap the stitching has to stop. 

Scamp wriggles around a lot to let you know he's not happy with the stitching arrangements but if I carry on he'll go and lie in his basket. Picasso is a differnt issue as he will grab the thread and try to chew it. The light is really useful for seeing the size of the machine needle when I have a multi size pack or other extremely small writing. Why do some manufacturers use such a small font?

I'm linking this post with Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching I'm hoping next week the painting will be finished and I can sit in my armchair to do some cross stitch.

Lyndsey