The Egyptian Sampler - Teresa Wentzler cross stitch Ta Dah moment

Teresa Wentzler describes her Egyptian Sampler released in March 2001, as an unusual and eye-catching sampler featuring recognisable motifs from ancient Egyptian art and history.  I would say it has all that and more.  Some people will spend a life time researching ancient Egyptian symbology and never get to grips with the full extent of its complicated history.  

The main elements of Egyptian Sampler are symbols of major gods and goddesses of ancient Egypt. The scarab beetle represents Kephri, the god of the morning sun: the representation of "life born anew" after the long night. The gold lines radiating from the scarab denote Ra, the sun god, worshipped throughout ancient Egyptian civilization. The eyes of Ra, symbolic of healing or making whole, are shown beneath lily and papyrus panels. The falcons, shown with wings outstretched in a protective stance, are the bird-shape of the god Horus. Horus, also shown with a falcon head, is known as the falcon god, god of the sky, and protector of the kings and their power. Osirus, shown in mummy wrappings, is the lord of the underworld, god of death, ressurection and fertility. Isis, the goddess of healing, is the sister and wife of Osirus, and the mother of Horus.

The other elements of the design include heirogylphs, sacred writing of the Egyptians. Shown in the central panel are selected representations of the names of Horus, Osirus and Isis. The Pharoah and Queen are shown in traditional headdresses featuring the cobra goddess Wadjyt, symbolic of the Lower Kingdom and the king's power to "lash out" at Egypt's enemies, and the vulture goddess, Nekhbet, symbolic of the Upper Kingdom. Shown together, they signify the unification of Egypt. The bottom central panel is another depiction of the vulture goddess, shown with the disc of the sun god Ra, and the shepherds' crook and flail, which represent the pharoah's power as protector and disciplinarian respectively.

As recommended I stitched the sampler on 28ct evenweave but not on the antique white as suggested. I've already got a couple of Egyptian cross stitched  pieces and wanted to get an evenweave that would blend in with them once on the wall.  I have recently discovered Willow Fabrics based down in Devon.  They have a good range of colours and counts of evenweave and linen and, I think their prices are reasonable too starting at around £8 for a fat quarter up to around £30 for a full meter. 

The colour I have used is called Flax and it seems to show off the working colours beautifully.  For those who have stitched TW designs before will know she is renowned for her use of blended colours which usually makes for a large shopping list. Some stitchers' will take a year to buy all the relevant skeins of thread colours and make the most of using this as an opportunity of a new project start on the 1st January. Some of her projects can be quite large. this sampler is one of her smaller projects with a stitch  count of 198H x 160W with a finished size of 14.25" x 11.5". It contains 59 colours with addition of krenik and Mill Hill beads. 

There are a number of speciality stitches some of which I had not come across before, so it just goes to prove you can teach an old dog new tricks. TW classes this as a moderately difficult piece due to it containing a lot of fractional stitches and some beading. It also calls for petite stitching on the Pharaoh and Queen's faces, so instead of stitching two threads over two threads of the evenweave you use one thread over one thread.  The speciality stitches include: couching, lazy daisy, diamond eyelet, diagonal satin stitch, woven (plaited) cross stitch, Montenegrin cross stitch. 

This piece should have been completed by the 14th April for the bearded ones 50th birthday but I didn't quite meet my target, then the sun came out and I have been busy working on the garden and busy in the day job so I've had to fit stitching in as and when time allowed.  It is at last completed just a little behind schedule, OK quite a few weeks behind schedule, and I am really pleased with it. It has taken many hours, far too many to count, but I can tell you that there are some 30,000 stitches + speciality stitches and 235 minute beads that take great pleasure in pinging this way and that until you find the best way to get them on your needle.  It is off to the framers and himself will be accompanying me to help pick out a frame to show it off at it's best.  Will show you again once its back from the framers to see what you think.

                                                                         Mx

Spicy Potatoes

At this time of the year when the weather decides to play nice and the sun gets their hat on we all don on our shorts and flip flops and get out into the great outdoors. All around us the barbecue's are dusted off and fired up for the summer especially the schools are about to finish for their summer break. .   Funnily enough a barbecue is the one thing we have never owned but whenever I visit my son and his little family he will fire up the barbecue finds his inner chef and cooks the most delicious food, obviously I taught him all he knows.    I would be totally useless and wouldn't know where to start when it comes to a barbecue so I leave that to him but I do like to feel I can do something to help pull the meal together, as all us mum's do. Now with an hour and half drive to their house there is not a lot I can prepare and take with me in this heat but one thing I can make is my spicy potatoes as they are a great side dish and there's very little they don't go with and I usually make a big enough batch that they can then freeze some for another time or if they have friends over.  

It is our little grandson's first birthday in a couple of weeks and they are having a bit of a get together with family one of those where everyone will bring a dish and this is what has been requested for me to take, which will be great for me as I can either make it the night before or first thing in the morning before we leave as they are lovely both hot and cold.  Like all these occasions you inevitably end up with far too much food so whatever is left over they can freeze for another time.  

If you would like to have a go you will need to add the following to your shopping list if you don't already have it in your store cupboard. 

3 tbsp vegetable oil

½  tsp white cumin seeds

3 curry leaves

1  tsp crushed dried red chillies

½ tsp fennel seeds

½ tsp mixed onion seeds, mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds

3 garlic cloves roughly chopped

½ tsp grated fresh root ginger

2 onions sliced

6 new potatoes cut into ¼ inch slices.

1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander

1 fresh red chilli, seeded and sliced

1 fresh green chilli, seeded and sliced.

This amount of potatoes will normally feed 3-4 people I have been known to double up on the potatoes without having to increase on the amount of onions and other spices but if you were going to make a large batch to freeze then you would have to increase the amount of onions and spices by as much again and this would easily cover two reasonable size bags of new potatoes. 

    All you need to do now is to  heat the oil in a wok, karahi or large pan. Lower the heat slightly and add the cumin seeds, curry leaves, dried chillies, mixed onion, mustard and fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds, chopped garlic and grated ginger.

      Fry for about 1 minute, then add the sliced onions and fry gently for a further 5 minutes or until the onions are just turning translucent. Add the sliced potatoes, fresh coriander and red and green chillies and mix together well. Cover the pan tightly with a lid or foil making sure the foil does not touch the food. Cook over a very low heat until the potatoes are tender and there you are they really are that simple. 

I've no idea where I discovered this recipe from or who came up with it but I have been using it for years especially throughout the summer. They are  a great side dish with any sort of spicey dish but equally they are easily transportable if you are a family who like to have a picnic and they are great with salads, quiche, chicken and fish and make a great alternative to plain new potatoes or potato salad.   As the weather is due to hot, hot, hot again this week I  may even make some for the weekend.

Whatever you're doing this weekend have a good one and don't forget the sun cream and plenty of fluids to keep you hydrated. 

Mx

The Tattooist of Auschwitz - Heather Morris

I tattooed a number on her arm.

She tattooed her name on my heart

In 1942, Lale Sokolov arrived in Auschwitz-Birkenau. He was given the job of tattooing the prisoners marked for survival - scratching numbers into his fellow victims' arms in indelible ink to create what would become one of the most potent symbols of the Holocaust.

Waiting in line to be tatttooed, terrified and shaking, was a young girl. For Lale - a dandy, a jack the lad, a bit of a chancer - it was love at first sight. And he was determined not only to survive himself, but to ensure this women, Gita, did too. 

So begins one of the most life-affirming, courageous, unforgettable and human stories of the Holocaust: the love story of the Tattooist of Auschwitz. 

As you can see this little book is a bit dog eared because so many of us around the office have wanted to read it.   Having bought my son a copy for Christmas he said I had to read it and I am so glad I did. 

Lale was  born Ludvig Eisenberg in October 1916 in Krompachy, Slovakia. He was transported to Auschwitz on 23rd April 1942 and tattooed with the number 32407. Gita was born Gisela Fuhrmannova (Furman) in March 1925 in Vranov nad Topl'ou, Slovakia. She was transported to Auschwitz on 13th April 1942 and tattooed with the number 34902 and was re-tattooed by Lale when she transferred from Auschwitz to Birkenhau in July 1942. 

It  is unimaginable what happened to Lale & Gita over the next three years but throughout their time in the camp they stayed strong for each other.  Lale made a promise to himself the day he arrived that he would survive this place and after falling in love with Gita he promised he would make sure she would survive the camp too so that she could become his wife. 

I know reading stories from the Holocaust would put people off but the way in which Heather Morris re tells Lale Sokolov's account is more about their love story and when faced with adversity how they stayed strong for each other. 

It is still incomprehensible to me that anyone could treat a fellow human being in such a way as the SS did in the camps.   I wish I could say this was a brilliantly written book of fiction but sadly it is a true story as told by Lale himself. with Heather Morris as his facilitator to get their love story told and I would definitely recommend it.

Mx

After the end - Claire Macintosh

Max & Pip are the strongest couple you know. Only now they're facing the most important decision of their lives - and they don't agree.

As the consequences of an impossible choice threaten to devastate them both, nothing will ever be the same again. 

But anything can happen

AFTER THE END....

Max & Pip Adams are one of the strongest couples they know, that is until their son Dylan is diagnosed with a life limiting illness.   He has spent months in PICU after surgery and treatment for a brain tumour.  He has seizures and is unlikely to ever walk and has considerable brain damage and no other treatments available to him.   Doctors have advised Max & Pip that Dylan should be given best supportive care and allowed to die and whilst Pip believes that her son has been through enough and agrees with the hospital, Max does not and wishes his son to travel to the States for Proton Beam Therapy.  Proton Beam Therapy is not the usual treatment for this type of brain tumour and whilst may prolong his life ultimately there is no cure. With the parents unable to agree the hospital goes to court for a definitive decision.   There will be no winner in this case and its whether the decision will bring them closer together or tear them apart. 


I have read all of Claire Macintosh's novels and loved them all.  Her latest novel is split into three sections. The first section begins with Max & Pip attending court whilst taking you through their journey to this point, about their lives prior to Dylan becoming ill. Allowing you to think about how you would make a decision like this about a child you love.

Section two was after the court case and at first I found it a  little confusing at first as I couldn't quite understand the direction it was taking.   I then realised that you were being given two scenario's the first should the decision be made to allow Dylan to die and how this would impact on Max & Pips relationship. The second being how their lives would unfold if Dylan were to receive Proton Beam Therapy and the impact of having a disabled child and the care he would need knowing that ultimately you would still loose him at some point in the future.

The third section takes you back to learning the decision of the court and how this will change the lives of Max & Pip forever and ultimately what happens to them both after loosing their son.

Like all Clare Macintosh novels it is very well written and each chapter is told from the perspective of one of the main characters of which there are three  over a period of 8 years. |Its no only thought provoking but also takes you on a very emotional journey and may have you reaching for the tissues. If my last book took me six weeks to complete this one took me six days and I would highly recommend it.

Mx

A Whiter Shade of Pale - Mirror Image Throw

Let me introduce you to my Whiter Shade of Pale Throw. Its for a friends birthday next week and she has no idea that I have made it.   Its what I call a mirror image throw as once you have completed the first 102 rows you will then begin to repeat the rows but in reverse order so that the blanket when folded in half is the same at both ends.  Clever eh. Well I thought so but then it doesn't take a lot to please me these days.  Its made using 10 balls of Stylecraft Special DK

1 grey (1099),
2 silver (1023),
2 parchment (1218)
5 white (1001)

and will cost approximately £20 or $25 to make.

I've not made a straight granny stripe blanket before.  I usually make squares as they are so much more portable and easy to take with you where ever you go but I have seen so many beautiful striped blankets that I thought no this time I will go for it and I'm so glad I did as it's turned out just perfect.

Using a size 4mm hook and silver (1023)  I made 152 chain this is enough to make a 42" wide blanket, which is big enough to fit across a single bed.

The following is in UK terms.

Starting with  the foundation row double crochet into the 2nd chain from the hook and continue to double crochet in each chain to the end.

Row 1: Chain 3 (counts as your turning stitch, this also forms your first treble of your next row) and continuing with silver make 1 treble in the same space miss the next two double crochet and make 3 treble into the next double crochet .  Continue along the foundation row by missing the next two double crochet  and working 3 treble in the next double crochet until you get to the last three double crochet miss two double crochet 2 treble into the last double crochet and turn.

Row 2: Chain 3, 3 treble into the next space between treble groups until you get to the 3 chain you made at the beginning of the previous row and treble into the 3rd of the 3 chain and turn.

Row 3: Chain 3, 1 treble in the same place, 3 treble into the next space between treble groups until you get the the end and 2 treble into 3rd of 3 chain, turn.

Row 4: Chain 3 into the next space between treble groups until you get to the 3 chain at the end of the row and 1 treble into 3rd of 3 chain, turn and break off the silver yarn.

Starting at row 5 repeat rows 3 & 4  changing colour as indicated in the chart below until you have worked all 180 rows. 

Rows	No of rows	Colour	Rows	No of rows	Colour
1-4	4	Silver	103-104	2	Parchment
5-6	2	Grey	105-106	2	Silver
7-10	4	Parchment	107-108	2	Grey
11-14	4	Silver	109-110	2	Parchment
15-16	2	Grey	111-116	6	White
17-20	4	Parchment	117-118	2	Grey
21-22	2	Silver	119-120	2	Parchment
23-28	6	White	121-122	2	Silver
29-32	4	Silver	123-126	4	Parchment
33-36	4	Parchment	127-128	2	White
37-46	10	White	129-130	2	Parchment
47-48	2	Silver	131-132	2	White
49-50	2	White	133-134	2	Silver
51-52	2	Parchment	135-144	10	White
53-54	2	White	145-148	4	Parchment
55-58	4	Parchment	149-152	4	Silver
59-60	2	Silver	153-158	6	White
61-62	2	Parchment	159-160	2	Silver
63-64	2	Grey	161-164	4	Parchment
65-70	6	White	165-166	2	Grey
71-72	2	Parchment	167-170	4	Silver
73-74	2	Grey	171-174	4	Parchment
75-76	2	Silver	175-176	2	Grey
77-78	2	Parchment	177-180	4	Silver
79-102	24	White

Row 181:  Continuing with the silver yarn, Chain 1, 1 double crochet into each treble of the previous row.

I have chosen to finish off with a simple border so that the blanket is the star attraction rather than the border but I think that is personal choice and there are lots of lovely borders out there to choose from.   

Having sewn in all the ends, of which there were many, using silver I double crocheted along each of the two sides so that it looks like the silver edges the whole throw. Once I have done this I broke off the silver yarn.

Join the grey yarn and work 2 rounds of double crochet. When it comes to the corners in the first round I  worked 2 double crochet, 2 chain and 2 double crochet. In the second round I worked three double crochet in the chain space between the 2 double crochets and this gives you a nice rounded corner. The finished throw measures approximately 42" x 74" and is big enough to cover a single bed.

Did you guess where the name of this throw came from?

For those of you of a certain age you may well remember the group Procol Harum and this was their debut single that got to number one in the UK charts in April 1967 and came from the album of the same name. 

Mx