A bridesmaid dress and shrug

The last handmade items to show you from the wedding are Carys' dress and shrug.
First, the dress - good enough to eat ice cream in

Co-ordinating with the other bridesmaids

The shrug - just enough to keep warm

From the back

Even good enough for playing in the trees in.

Both a great success

The Wedding Shawl

I thought it was about time I shared some more wedding photos with you all. Here are the ones that show off the shawl to the best effect.

Once upon a time in Penn

Once upon a time in Penn…

A short story by Tony Huskisson

Once upon a time, in a village far, far away, (just the other side of Springhill Bus Terminus), there could be found a dense, scary jungle. Hidden in the jungle was a little tumbledown house where there lived a lonely tiger. Although his house was tumbledown, he loved it dearly, and over the years he fixed the leaking roof, mended the draughty windows and replaced the rotten floorboards. And fitted an infra-red remote control lighting system.

One day, a pretty little pixie came to the jungle and saw the lonely tiger. What a tall, handsome tiger thought the little pixie. How useful he would be for reaching high things. And what a nice job he has done of repairing this little house. Although I think he has gone a bit over the top with all the electronic gadgets.

What a pretty little pixie thought the lonely tiger. I like her sparkly eyes and her cheeky smile. Perhaps she would like to come and live with me in my little house, then I would not be so lonely. Plus there is a mountain of washing up in the kitchen which needs doing.

And so the pretty little pixie came to live with the tiger and he was not so lonely. Together they cleared the jungle around the little house so they could grow their own food to eat. The little pixie sprinkled her magic pixie dust over the ground and soon things began to grow. First some courgette plants appeared. Then some squash plants. Which looked rather a lot like the courgette plants. Soon the entire garden was filled with courgettes which made the little pixie very happy. I don’t really like courgettes thought the tiger. But never mind, perhaps next year she will grow a real-ale tree. Or a bush that produces bombay mix.

And so the couple lived happily together. The tiger reached high things and the pretty little pixie left them lying about the place. The little pixie washed the tiger’s underpants and the tiger put them in a pile ready for ironing. Life for the two became a team effort.

The tiger soon realised that they made such a good team, he thought they should stay together for ever. So he bought a big shiny ring, put on his best tiger suit and asked the little pixie to marry him. And the little pixie agreed.

They were soon married, and threw a big party at a fairytale castle for their friends and family, who travelled from miles around. There was a banquet of food and wine and ale, and everyone had a fabulous time dancing into the night. And everyone agreed that the twenty-one-tier courgette cake was the best they had ever tasted!

The end.

Wedding Shawl Swatches

A quick reminder of the detailing on my dress

















Now for the swatches -
Top Right - Zephyr Laceweight in White on 3.5mm needles
Top Left - Posh Yarn Charlotte, undyed on 3.5mm needles
Bottom Left - Zephyr Laceweight in White on 3.25mm needles
Bottom Right - Posh Yarn Charlotte, undyed on 3.75mm needles


A close up of the Zephyr on 3.5mm -

The Zephyr on 3.25mm

Posh Charlotte on 3.75mm

Posh Charlotte on 3.75mm

Close up of the beads - top are purl like, bottom are clear

Close up of a mixture of the beads


Decisions decision. The posh yarn has more definition but is probably too cream. The Zephyr seems to be a much better colour match, although I haven't held it next to the dress yet. The Zephyr on smaller needles seems to define the pattern more
The beads on the dress are clear, so I think I am going to go for the clear beads on the shawl. These seem to sparkle a bit more too. So Zephyr on 3.25mm with clear beads seems to be the way forward. What do you think? Should I go down to 3mm in the Zephyr and see what happens?

Wedding plans

Tony and I finally have written permission from Severn Trent to have our wedding reception here:

It is The Bratch Pumping Station, in Wombourne near Wolverhampton.
A bit of History....
Following the mid nineteenth century cholera outbreaks in Bilston (1832, 1849 and 1857), the provision of pure drinking water became a legal requirement (Public Health Act 1848). After an unsuccessful start by using water pumped from mines, Bilston allowed neighbouring Wolverhampton to supply its water, both domestically and to industry. However, following a legal dispute with Wolverhampton Corporation over the costs of water supply, the Bratch Pumping Station was built in 1895 by Bilston Urban District Council to ensure an independent supply. The best site for water extraction was recommended to be from the underlying Bunter sand beds in the Bratch area, near Wombourne, some 6 or 7 miles from Bilston.

The water pumping station was formally opened in 1897, using two steam engines, called Alexandra and Victoria.
For some 60 years, from 1897 to 1960, steam engines pumped water through brick-lined wells from the Bunter sandstone about 160 feet below ground. It was then pumped to a purpose built reservoir some 3 ¾ miles away and 345 feet higher on the Wolverhampton/Bilston border whence it was distributed by gravity to Bilston. Steam pumping ceased in 1960, as electric pumps, backed up by emergency diesel engines, were introduced to continue the work.

"Victoria" has been restored to full working condition by the "Friends of the Bratch." The engine is "steamed" twice a year by The Friends, of which Tony is a member.
Here is the top of Victoria inside the pumping station (and a very excited Groom-to-be).



The building on the left below will house the wedding breakfast and the dancing later, we are hoping to set up outdoor furniture on the hardstanding outside in the hope that it will sunny enough on the 11th July to spend most of the day outside!

If anyone knows any good Indian caterers, Hog Roast people, furniture hire people, florists or wedding photographers in the West Midlands area please let me know - there is a lot of planning to do!

I'd better get on with my wedding shawl!
Here is a sneaky peak of the detailing on my dress. <

I can't decide if I want a triangular shawl, a rectangle, something that would sit better on my shoulders or possibly even a shrug. Endless hours of searching Ravelry haven't come up with anything I absolutely *must* make. I did see this picture on a fellow knitters blog and thought the shape of her shrug was perfect. In my head I wasnt something lightweight and lacy that covers just the tops of my arms and not too much of my back (as there is detailing on the back of my dress too) I am wondering if a top down raglan would work with a simple lace design - what do you think? Any thoughts/helpful hints greatfully received!

A happy story

Once upon a time, (well a couple of weeks ago actually) Ruth and Tony went on holiday to Scotland.
Tony had promised to cook Ruth an anniversary dinner. They both got dressed up, Ruth even wore a dress!

Tony opened a bottle of champagne

Cooked some delicious squid for starters

Mouthwatering Thai Green Curry with prawns for main course

For pudding, Tony handed Ruth a very heavy box...
Inside were lots of sweets, but on the top were some very special sweets...

Tony got down on one knee, asked Ruth to marry him, and gave her a beautiful diamond ring. After Ruth realised Tony was waiting for an answer, she accepted.

They were both very happy and are now planning a wedding!