Birthday Blues

So, today, this beautiful little lady of mine is celebrating her birthday.

My little lady when she was 2.

However, instead of enjoying the vintage tea party we had planned for her (a celebration entirely of her choosing) she has succumbed to the flu and is sleeping soundly on the couch.  

She hasn’t been able to get excited about anything; not the snow flakes which have been falling on and off throughout the day (yes, it’s been snowing AGAIN!) and not the toadstool house cake I made for her which she had planned months ago.

I’ve reassured her that it’ll be waiting for her when she’s better but it’s not the birthday she had planned which is such a disappointment for her because birthday’s are so important when you’re 7! :o)

The flu she is suffering with is the same one that saw me out of action for a few days, hence my Internet absence.  Mr Y and my youngest also have it and all three are now sleeping soundly.  The house is eerily silent, apart from my fingers clicking on the keys.

Being ill and then running round after three bug ridden people, I haven’t really achieved much in terms of making and I haven’t done anything interesting; things have been pretty boring! :o)

However, although I don’t have anything completed to share with you, I do have a number of “works in progress” shots, “sneak peeks” if you like!

First up is a really pretty jumper from a 1940’s Bestway pattern. 

It’s been knitted in Stylecraft 4ply in a shade called butterscotch.  It’s a relatively new shade in the 4 ply range and I’m really impressed with it.  It’s so pretty and suits the 1940’s palette perfectly.  All the pieces have been knitted; I just need to sew them all together.

Next up is a waffle jumper, a design that I’ve used many times before, from a 1943 pattern.  Again I’ve used Stylecraft 4 ply, this time opting for aster, midnight and cream.  Aster is quite a bright shade and although I’m not a “blue” person, if you get what I mean, it’s actually turned out prettier than I expected.  Perfect with a little navy skirt or slacks perhaps? ;o)  All the pieces for this one are also finished so it’s just the sewing up that needs to be done.

Last up, yet another waffle (I will never tire of this simple yet effective pattern).  Again, a Stylecraft 4 ply number, this time in black and cardinal.  One for Dennis the Menace perhaps??  This one was finished and I was about to sew it up when I noticed a mistake more than half way down the back!!  I’ve ripped it back and corrected the mistake but it's been put back in my work basket until I can face knitting it again.

Half term will soon be over and normal routine will return on Monday so I hope to have the jumpers finished soon so I can share them with you properly

P.S.  I want to post some free knitting patterns on the blog but I can’t work out how.  If any of your clever people know a way, please email me on style1940s@yahoo.co.uk – I simply can’t work out how and it’s frustrating!

Run, Rabbit, - Run! - 1940's sheet music.

At the weekend, we went to Cambridgeshire to visit family and were treated to a rather delightful afternoon tea in a vintage themed tea shop called Sophie T's Tea Room.  It's in Yaxley, on the main street and if you're in the area, I cannot recommend it highly enough.  The service was wonderful, the cakes absolutely delicious and the setting was right up my alley!  If you are planning to visit, I would recommend that you book in advance because they were jam packed on Saturday.

Anyway, while we were there, I got talking to the owner's husband who said that the shop had once been an antique shop and that there were still some "bits and pieces" for sale upstairs.  I was actually very pleasantly surprised with what was on offer and came away with 2 pairs of shoes, a hat, 3 dresses and an amazing swing coat, all of which will be heading with me to the Little Vintage Lover Festive Fair in Blakeney this weekend. 

Beside the clothes rail, in a heap on the floor, was a large pile of vintage sheet music which was free and the owner of the shop kindly gave me the entire bundle which totalled over 200 pieces.  Now we're home, I've had a proper sort through what I brought home and am very happy as there were some real gems.  I can read music and play the piano, just, but that's not what they will be used for and it's not why I love them and I thought you might like to see a few of them too :o)

Many of the cover designs are absolutely beautiful. 

Each one a little piece of artwork in it's own right.  Some cheeky or quirky, others sorrowful or sentimental. 

They come from a time when music was so important to keep up morale.  Songs that would have been sung both on the home front and overseas. 

A little piece of history on each and every page. 

They have been well loved, each piece inscribed with the owners name, a treasured possession of a very accomplished pianist with the entire collection spanning 3 decades, from classic waltzes through to The Rolling Stones.  I can't help wondering who she played to. 

Come the new year, I'm hoping to frame some of them as they are simply far too lovely to leave hidden in a drawer, but for now I'll leave you with a little clip, courtesy of Youtube, of one of my favourite wartime tunes, Comin' in on a Wing and a Prayer. 

Am linking this post to Lakota's Ta-Dah Tuesday.  Why not pop over to her blog and have a look at what other people have been up to.  She's also running a festive giveaway - after all, Christmas is rapidly approaching!!