Knitting with a View

UK Knit Camp

2010-08-15T16:17:00.014+01:00

This time last week I was wondering if it was going to be worth travelling to Stirling or whether I'd get there only to find the whole thing cancelled. A whole load of stuff had gone on that I and many others really weren't interested in but the lack of communication was a very real problem.

However decided that best course of action was to set off and make the best of it and had a wonderful time because:-

The location - who could not enjoy staying here
The masses of rabbits and squirrels that were found hopping around these perfectly manicured lawns and generally unphased by the proximity of people (if only my lawns looked like this).

Of the brilliant classes I attended:-

Becs who opened my eyes to the possibilities of knitting and crocheting with wire and taught me basic wire work- I need some more Habu steel and silk yarn and have a clear idea of how to now use this.

Di Gilpin who had the uneviable task of trying to squeeze a 2 day class into a morning - didn't quite complete making a personalised pattern but the class was so inspirational and got lots of tips and ideas of simple things that can make a difference. Also gave me some personal advice on how to use the wonderful silk Aran singles that I bought from her some years ago.

Lucy Neatby - a truly professional teacher. Her classes were intense but learnt the most incredibly useful things and it was worth travelling to Stirling to have learned how to do the Garter Stitch Short Row Heel. Also determined to sort out making scallops.

Should have taken a class with Lorilee but was really disappointed that this got cancelled however was lucky enough to be in self-catering accommodation with 4 continental knitters who made it their mission to teach me how to knit in that style. Now all I have to do is practice!

My flatmates at Alexander Court - Katrin, Kristen, Stephanie, Malin and Sarah Jane (I'm on the end with the red Clapotis). Their company was great and hopefully we'll all meet again at Knit Nation. From reading other people's comments on Ravely meeting other knitters from other countries was a highlight of the event and this common aim of just getting on and enjoying ourselves (along with the classes and the wonderful setting) is what has ultimately made the event a success.

It was so nice having the choice of yarn and effort that had gone into knitting this Clapotis recognised by other knitters.

New Lanark - what a place and it was incredibly frustrating not to be able to spend more time exploring.

However really look forward to returning with Mark and exploring at length.

One of the unexpected effects of the week is not being able to get the sound of bagpipes out of my brain. When they all got together and actually played a tune through these guys were incredibly competent but when they were practising alone or in small groups and at 7.00 am wasn't feeling quite so charitable.
Picking out a ring from The Fotheringham Gallery - it's taken me a long time to find something that is totally different and what I really want but at last!

It was a good break away but it was also good to return home to Mark and the animals.

To the Lighthouse

2010-06-13T17:10:00.003+01:00

Had the best holiday for many years and not been so relaxed for a long time. After lots of faffing around because my car had a gearbox problem and getting extra insurance to cover taking out the garage courtesy car so far and for a week eventually got away. Were due to go to Scotland on the Whitsun Bank Holiday Saturday but due to the car problems and fact it was lashing with rain decided to leave on the Sunday.

It was a really good decision because we had a lovely relaxed drive up to Scotland with little traffic on the road. The 10 roundabouts with lots on the Dumfries by-pass made us thankful that we weren't driving our own car. Eventually got what was to be home for the next week.

Our cottage was the building on the left and is Kittiwake Cottage and was one of the Lighthousekeeper's Cottages at the Mull of Galloway Lighthouse. Our front door opened opposite the lighthouse door. Went up the lighthouse and could see over to the Isle of Man but unfortunately it wasn't clear enough to see out to Ireland. Although there was a small museum and RSPB visitor centre they were closed up at 4.00pm and we then had the whole place to ourselves. There was also a cafe within a stonesthrow which did good All Day Breakfasts.

Part of the reason it was so relaxing was that we were able to do good walks directly from the cottage. It was great being able to walk along the cliffs and watch birds and saw a small number of Puffin and Black Guillemot which were a new sighting for me.

Also had some good days out including Logan Botanic Gardens who provided good deep shaded parking, so could leave the dog in the car whilst we went around the garden. Due to the Gulfstream got loads of exotic plants, especially trees and shrubs and an especially good range of Eucalyptus
This is the Chilean Flame Tree - aptly named

It's amazing how these Himalayan Poppies start out this purple colour and then develop into

this bright blue colour - you can just see the first bits of blue on the above pic

This azalea was such a bright orange colour that it was almost painful but contrasted brilliantly with the bronze foliage
We have avenues of trees leading up to houses in this country but this avenue of palms was something else

Because of the Gulf Stream get lots of warm moist air so get loads of lichen developing on the trees and just loved the way this had developed on this branch

Loved these gardens and would certainly visit them again and the inclusion of a really good tea room where we had an excellent crab salad made the visit complete

A Brand New Year & New Start

2010-01-31T17:17:00.007Z

Ok so it's a month in but despite a mediocre Xmas due to a stonking cold the New Year did get off to a good start. Sat up to watch in the New Year then went to put the dog and out and it was the most amazing night - snowy, clear skies and bright, bright moon. So dashed in, put on boots, duvet jackets, woolly hats and went for a walk down the towpath in bright moonlight - magic!!

Had some of the coldest weather and most snow for approx 20 years - even recorded -13.5 degrees at 9,30am on Fri 8th. Went for a walk and got these pics which are self explanatory.

The canal was frozen over for weeks and there was a deep layer of snow over it and even saw sheep walking across.

This and the cow parsley shot shows how low the temp dropped and the formation of snow crystals on this fence post.
Due to the eye operations which have led to such a dramatic change in my eyesight read very few books last year but determined to get back to regularly reading this year. Already got off to a good start. Marianne loaned me The Road Home by Rose Tremain which is the best thing I've read for a long time. I've read her historically set books Restoration and Music and Silence which I enjoyed but this is the best yet and offers an interesting view of contemporary London.

Currently reading Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky which I've picked up several times but for some reason had never bought. Don't know why because really enjoying it and the fact that some of the chapters are really short which means I get to read most nights before going to sleep.

Wild and Windy

2009-11-01T12:57:00.014Z

After weeks and weeks of dry weather at last we have some typical autumnal weather ie it's wet and windy so a good time to catch up. Think 2009 is going to stick in my mind as the year of decorating and moving - not for us but helping out my mum and sister. Were incredily lucky to get my mum into sheltered accommodation back at the end of June. However the lady who had lived there previously had been a chain smoker so the whole place was smoke stained therefore needed to decorate the whole flat. Fortunately the weather was dry and hot so ideal for painting. Was also good in that it meant I got to spend some quality time with my niece who's a really great kid. Of course the day we had to move my mum was one of the hottest of the summer but she's settled and much happier now. Seems mad that when surveys are showing that so many old folk are really lonely and we have an ageing population this kind of accommodation is becoming increasingly scarce.

Then spent yesterday decorating at my sister's house. However it didn't go so well but got there in the end and DN has extremely good taste and her room looks good now and hopefully she can start making it her own.

The foul weather outside also gives me the perfect excuse to catch up on some knitting. Have done loads of spinning this year but enthusiasm for knitting seems to have waned a bit. Took part in Tour de Fleece - the discipline of having to spin practically every day was really good for me. Spun up loads of my stashed fibre and although there was the odd day when it felt a bit of a chore don't know that I'd have had the patience to spin up enough for a sweater otherwise.

This is what I started with approx 600g Turquoise Ashland Merino/Silk mix, 200g Lime Green Jelly merino/cashmere/silk mix fibre, another 100g Blue, Green, Purple mix Ashland Merino/Silk and some turquoise, green and purple Wensleydale locks.
I didn't quite finish it all but got pretty close. Got a bit fed up of spinning so much blue fibre so did this as a quick spin

This is Spindlefrog Falkland which I picked up at Wonderwool - and spun up into

300 m of 2 plyed yarn which I've called Sunny Delight and 20m N ply.

DH really wanted some bright and blowsy Dahlias and was so pleased with these - unfortunately they didn't flower until last week. Loved the way the colours match the colours of the yarn above.

Besides decorating, moving and clearing and sorting my mum's house and all the spinning also did lots of sewing and gardening over the summer. It was so good to be off work and felt that I achieved something every day which is something I rarely achieve at work these days. Also felt a lot fitter and certainly eat much better.

My Pioneer then had a catastophic failure and had to have the crank replaced and on receipt of my Southern Cross Fibre club September bump decided it was so nice had to spin it up quickly. It was a lovely mix of Polworth and Silk and super soft and shiny.

The fibre photographed on the beautifully sunny evening it arrived.

Plaited up which shows the colours more clearly.

Singles again photographed and spun during a lovely sunny evening

The end result 545m of the loveliest sqooshy singles which I then knitted into

an Ishbel shawl
Although I spun loads during the late Spring and Summer have knitted very little however really enjoyed knitting this and got it done in a fortnight. It was so good to knit something out of my handspun and it's certainly got me back into knitting again. Got a pair of socks on the needles but really keen to knit another shawl and more things out of my handspun.

Offa's Dyke Walk

2009-05-31T17:06:00.007+01:00

We're lucky that this long distance footpath goes through the village and if you take the canal variation right past the back gate. It's one of the national long distance footpaths and runs all the way from Chepstow on the Severn Estuary and follows Offa's dyke an ancient border earthwork. It roughly demarcates the Welsh uplands to the West and lower ground of the English Plains to the East. I walked it from Chepstow to Montgomery several years ago but had to pull out of completing it due to strained ligaments. It's always been my aim to walk more of the northern sections if not the whole lot.

Fortunately Mark was able to drop me off at the County Boundary Bridge just outside Montgomery and started off from there. The path sets out along 2 fields where the battle of Montgomery was fought and I should have had wonderful views back to the town and castle which stands prominently above it. However could hardly see to the end of the field for mist. Path soon runs past Rownal Covert which is supposed to mark where all the dead were buried after the battle. Mark was under the impression this had been cleared but this was not the case and there was a really good mix of shrubs, mature and young trees so it is being well managed. Going past Rownal was sad to pass 2 unused old cottages either of which would have made a lovely house if restored. Ok they were a bit out in the sticks and didn't have a road to them but should have been easy to put in a track.

Along from here and for bits along the back of Forden follow the Dyke plus stretches of lovely old 'green lane'. Finding and walking along these always feels special since they're usually lined with hedges and/or really old trees, can be edged by high banks and it just feels as if you've following the footsteps of others and over several centuries. These stretches were the highlight of the day along with the section through Leighton Park. It was certainly a relief to be in woodland at times because when the mist did burn off it was extremely hot. Leighton Estate is the most amazing place dating form the time of John Naylor a Liverpool banker who took posession of the estate in 1849. He built a Gothic mansion but what is more interesting is the fact he made farm improvements so it's a 'model' farm. Looking at it in today's terms it was so far ahead of it's time and if running today could be considered totally sustainable. It had it's own gas works, a complex engineered water system and even a funicular railway. Walk past the remains of one of the pools and can see the enormous wall that held water back however it's now empty. From the estate there's bit of a hike up to Beacon Ring hill fort. Now from here one is supposed to be able to have wonderful views of the Severn Valley and the mass of the Breidden Hills. However in reality it seemed even murkier than these photos suggest

By the time I'd walked around the hill fort and out of the Cwmdingle Plantation I was desperate for lunch. However it had suddenly got a lot chillier, windier and I wsa convinced there was a storm brewing up so bolted my lunch down and thought I'd better get moving quickly as there was still a long way to go. It's an easy but very steep descent back down into the Severn Valley and Buttington followed by a short boring bit that follows argaes along the River Severn.

By the time I'd got back down into the valley a lot of the cloud had burnt off and it was blazing. Walking along argaes is incredibly boring and I would have roasted so followed the canal which is much more interesting and there was hope of cover along some stretches. There are some lovely stretches and some that are wider more open and a bit boring. I'd promised myself that if I got to Pool Quay by 2.00pm I'd dive down into the pub and treat myself to a pint of fruit juice and lemonade. Never has a drink been so well appreciated. Also had an interesting chat with the landlord and another old guy who had walked from Welshpool along the towpath and had stopped for lunch at the pub.

Then it was the long walk home - some bits I enjoyed especially those in the shade or when the sun went behind the clouds and others not so much. Had hoped Mark would pick me up at Burgedin Lock but he hadn't got home and since it was only 2.45 pm thought I might as well complete the whole walk. However didn't appreciate what a nightmare it would be crossing the main A483 and what a slog the bit from Arddleen to Penthryn Fawr would be. Got to the stretch that leads up to home and it was so hot covered myself up put my head down and just got on with it and never even noticed Mark and dog coming to meet me. I've never been so glad to have someone take my rucksack and to get home. However after lots of tea and a long cool shower was pleasantly physically tired but really happy.

From the guidebook worked it out as 17.5 miles - not bad for a day and haven't walked that kind of distance for years.

Life of an escapee

2009-05-30T18:21:00.006+01:00

Not having been in work for 2 weeks and still having another 8 weeks off really does make me feel like an escapee. What is a little worrying is how quicly the time is going. The weather was horrible, really wet and cold the first week so hunkered down and got lots of things done. Also had a day out driving around North Wales with Mark whilst he was doing site visits.

There are some days that are spent at home but I seem to pack so much in to them in comparison to being at work or over weekends. Like Thursday, cleaned the whole house top to bottom and it's amazing how nice it is to have a clean, tidy house, went shopping including getting non-household things, did a couple of loads of washing, ironing, cooking and got the loft ready for use as a work room during the summer and even managed to pack a load of spinning in during the afternoon!!
I never ever would have thought about spinning or even knitting anything orange until relatively recently. However having knit orange Pomatomus socks for the October sock challenge I'm hooked on orange things. Interestingly it was also the colour that I got for my first Colour Swap partner. S0 I couldn't resist this Merino/Tencel mix fibre from All Spun Up - unfortunately I couldnt' get a decent pic of the fibre. Here it is all spun up - approx 600m 2 ply which has the most wonderful sheen and drape.

And here's some more orange yarn - 377m of 2ply New Day spun from Corriedale which was the March shipment of fibre from Spunky Eclectic.
Knitting has been severely limited this winter and early spring due to eye problems however it has meant that I have spent my spare time spinning.

Yesterday did an approx 15-18mile walk from Montgomery all the way home following the Offa's dyke path and then the canal from Pool Quay. All I can say is thank goodness I did it yesterday and not today - it is so hot here. After 2 horribly wet and cold summers we're just not used to the heat!

Happy Holiday

2009-05-27T19:42:00.008+01:00

Well I'm now into the middle of the second week of ten weeks of extended leave from work. this is leave that I've built up over the last six years and just not had the time to take. I haven't got the spare cash to go on a big life changing trip and don't know that I'd necessarily want to. So going to be based at home most of the time and enjoy sorting and tidying the garden, walking and doing lots of sewing, knitting and spinning.

Since my last entry featured the purchase and first spun yarn thought it might be worthwhile showing some of the things I've spun since then:- This is the yarn I spun up from the singles shown in the previous post. I N-plyed it and then knitted this

Robin's Egg Blue Hat by Rachel Iufer - I love this and wore it lots over the winter. Although it's quite thick wool it's little on the big side and therefore for some reason doesn't seem to get too hot.

This was some BFL I got from Spindlefrog Cherry Blossom colourway.

Again I N-plyed it to give

3 skeins of lovely soft yarn which ranges from an orangey pink through to pinkey pink and then through to purpley pink but don't know how many yards I have. This has been sitting in my wooden bowl for ages and not sure what to do with it but at last have an idea.

I then had an eye operation mid Nov which severely limited what I was able to do craft wise.

Will post up pics and details of the other yarns I've spun since Xmas over the next few entries.

Last week was my first week off and spent much of it spinning and finishing off stuff for a Colour Swap. I sent a package of yellow goodies out to Anna in the Netherlands. Hopefully I'll manage to work out how to post a pic of it.

Spin easy

2008-11-08T17:23:00.014Z

After a long time of prevaricating I finally got myself a spinning wheel. I used to spin many moons ago and on an Ashford Scholar - I produced yarn but it was rather bulky and from Herdwick, Swaledale and Jacob's sheep. Things have changed a lot since then and even in the past 3 years since I've been considering this.

I prefer modern design wheels and we have an open plan living space which is limited in size therefore needed something small I could tuck in the corner. I also needed something portable since I need to be able to spin in the garden and in the conservatory. DH's attitude was that I should get what I really really want so that meant the Lendrum was a strong contender. And then a new generation of smaller more portable wheels have become available. I'd have liked the Schacht Ladybug but resent that anyone wanting to purchase one in the UK has to pay such a premium.

Trawling around Ravlery noticed that Majacraft were introducing a new entry level wheel and the early reviews were very good. Then found that there are few stockists in the UK but Hedgehog Equipment is relatively close to me so, arranged to go for a test spin. This was a wise move since looking at various articles on the internet had given me a complete crisis of confidence so I wanted to be sure that I could still spin before buying.

Well what can I say - arrived and Sarah had already put it together, sat down and away I went - the treadling action is wonderful and I can spin fine yarn.

As can be seen she's a plain minimal looking wheel with double treadle wheel and scotch tension. She's made from solid pine, plywood and MDF with a cream wash finish but only weighs 11 lbs which makes is so easy to carry up and down stairs.

Like other Majacraft wheels it has a delta flyer which was new to me but I like it lots and find it so much easier to use.

This fibre was good for getting used to the wheel and tension adjustment which is so sensitive but amazingly straightforward when you get used to it. It was then onto the fun stuff.

This is some shetland humbug tops from Shunklies Etsy shop. It's a completely new experience to be able to get the fibre this well prepared and a godsend for someone like myself who works and really does not have the time or space to wash and prepare fleece.

This was the beginning of the bobbin and

This is what I was spinning at the end and works out at 21 wpi although it has yet to be plied. The size of these bobbins and what you can get on them is astounding - this has taken yarn spun out of 130gms of tops and I wasted very little. I was extremely lucky in that under the introductory offer I got 5 bobbins included.

I am so happy with this wheel, ok she's a plain jane but I now hugely appreciate her minimal understated looks. Her portability and versatility provides me with everything I need and honestly cannot see that I'll need another wheel. The other huge bonus is that for the price of the nearest contender, the Susie I've been able to buy the Pioneer and get other accessories (all of which will fit this wheels) such as a plying set and Lazy Kate.

The comments and reviews by members of the Majacraft group on Ravelry were invaluable and I loved the way Lisa Souza who has lots more experience of spinning and wheels put it like this

"You buy the Pioneer for what she DOES as opposed to how fancy she LOOKS."

Nosey mog

2008-10-08T18:04:00.005+01:00

Whereas I've featured lots of pics of Tess our border collie I realise that I haven't included anything about our other rescue pet. So meet Pepe who came to us in a fairly traumatised state and it took months for him to settle in all of 8 years ago but as you can see he's incredibly laid back now.

He has a huge personality and is extremely communicative and delights in yowling the house down when he comes in early in the morning just to let us know that he's home safely. He loves boxes and we have lots of pics of him in boxes but they're on the other computer. He's also incredibly nosey, has to thoroughly inspect whatever I'm knitting and when I got home from work today found this This is some wonderful merino fiber that I got from Spindlefrog yesterday - it's come with it's own little sachet of lavender so don't know if he was attracted to the lavender or just being nosey but had obviously just had to get in and have a look.

Long time no blog

2008-10-05T12:28:00.017+01:00

It's a bit of a shock to discover that I haven't made an entry since early April. Perhaps it's symptomatic of the horribly dull wet summer we've had. Took time off end of April/start of May and had a wonderful break. Spent it at home but had a really good mix of doing things in the house and garden during the mornings, then having long leisurely lunches and relaxing reading, knitting etc in the afternoon. The weather was glorious and the time can be summed up by this pic The knitting is the Swallowtail shawl knit up in Posh Yarn Eva 2ply yarn in Apple. This is a pattern I was keen to try and needed to use up theis yarn so a KAL held by the Posh Yarn group acted as an incentive. Once I got started it was in fact a very quick knit and completed it in under 2 weeks.

The early warmth and rain meant that initially the garden was looking glorious and some flowers were their best ever. This Aquilega was bought from the nursery at Botanical Garden Wales many years ago. Although a single plant it has spread and provides a wonderful show. When we visited Derwen nursery early summer saw a lovely range of Aquilega and bought several to provide future colour and cover for the back border.
Did have the odd nice evening

Not the most flattering of pics but at least I'm looking happy because we'd just seen these
First sighting of cygnets for this year.

A largely non eventful summer but extremely busy at work therefore really good to have a break this last couple of weeks. Again spent some time at home gardening/doing home stuff/ haircut/ hospital appointments etc then went down to Cornwall for a week.

Fortunately the weather was wonderful and I'm always gobsmacked by the colour of the sea.

Returning from a rather long and hot walk and yes the dog was this muddy.

Unfortunately poor old Tess has really aged a bit lately but to be fair she has had to undergo a hystrectomy and removal of a cyst. She's a bit arthritic and had managed to strain her leg just before we went on holiday so was a bit limited in terms of what she and therefore us could do.

Have found that spend far more time on Ravelry than I'd anticipated and have joined a couple of groups including Sock Knitters Anonymous and took part in Sockdown September. Knit Pomatomus in Pagewood Farm Alyeska sock yarn colour Orange Spice.
There's no way I would have ever knit orange socks apart from the fact that this was one of the month's challenges. another was to knit a Cookie A pattern. I had knit Pomatomus previously but made a mistake and just ended up frogging them so this was another challenge. However got to grips with the pattern and really enjoyed knitting them and loved the orange yarn but for me they will be known as my Goldfish Socks. However do have a huge problem in that I've run out of wool 14 rows from the end of the second sock!!
Just hoping that I'm going to be able to find someone who has a small amount left.

Surprise!!

2008-04-06T09:59:00.013+01:00

Woke up this morning to this

The only snow we've had this year and in April
Can't function until I have cup of tea in the morning so by the time I'd had my morning tea and read of the Guardian review it had stopped snowing and
Everything looks so pretty in the snow
This is a view across the canal - there's this little shed set out on it's own in the corner of a field

It intrigues me and if there was a readily accessible way to it I'd go over just to have a look

I love the way the sky was such a deep blue and everything looked so clear and bright against it

Looking over on Ravelry yesterday came across an interesting group Mindful Knitters and one of the threads really struck a cord. Members post up their intentions for the month and someone had posted up the following: - "it's not personal" that is, when someone else's behaviour strikes at me, somehow I need to remember that it's a combination of their karma and my karma. A couple of other members also posted up that it was their intention to "let others actions wash over me". Given what's gone on at work this last year and how it's affected me, this is perfect and hopefully will help me cope with future conflict.

Although it was sunny this morning I was surprised how cold it was and really should have put these on

These are knit with Bowmont wool which are sheep which are a breed which have been bred here in Wales. I knit these back in November and have worn them throughout this winter. My hands get cold very quickly but I hate driving with glove on so these are a perfect solution. They

were a quick and easy knit (knit up in a day and a bit) and I'll definitely knit another pair but will knit the cuffs on needles a couple of sizes smaller. Can recommend the Bowmont wool - it's a brilliant combination of being hardwearing but also soft.

Easter - been and gone

2008-03-24T16:08:00.004Z

So the Easter break is almost over. Been rather dull and uninspiring this year. They had loads of snow elsewhere in the country, particularly in the North and over in the East but of course it missed us. However shouldn't complain because it has been sunny but just sooooooo cold.

Spent most of the weekend knitting - Wicked jumper designed by Zephyr in Mirasol Miski. I love the pattern and am enjoying knitting a sweater from the neck down. The yarn is also a gorgeous teal shade and so soft but am a bit nervous that it almost might be a bit too hot. We'll see.

Popped into Waitrose last week and had bunches of spring flowers on offer and just couldn't resist these anemones and ranunculus which almost glowed in the sunlight.

I'd wanted a bouquet of anemones when I got married but unfortunately the weather was so awful there weren't any available so I occassionally treat myself to them.

There's wonderful picture of these socks in Jane Brocker's Art of Domesticity. When I saw the photo I knew I had to have a pair. Fortunately she's generous enough to specify what yarn she uses in many of the photographed items. I love them!

My shoulders are aching from knitting so catching up on blogging and might even complete a couple of Ravelry entries.

Happy Days

2008-02-10T15:36:00.000Z

I haven't blogged much lately but have been busy. I was lucky enough to get 2 metres of Cath Kidston look alike material at a knock down price and even better it's linen. I was lucky enough to acquire a new sewing machine last Xmas and have since been feeling guilty over the fact that it wasn't covered up and it didn't come with a case. Looking around the only cases available resembled computer carry cases and for something so domestic I wanted something pretty so voila!

I'm really please with it especially since I managed to find a matching pale pink cotton for the lining

I used wadding to provide protection but if I was starting again I'd also include a heavy interfacing to make it a bit stiffer. The important thing is that it works - my machine is protected and it looks good!

Thursday was my birthday and I've just had such a good few days. Worked last Sun and Tues evening so that I'd finished a big piece of work by Wed lunchtime. So have been on leave since. Did some shopping on Thurs morning and by the time I'd got home M had cleaned the house. Had a late breakfast and opened my presents which included this

It's a Creative Stone Plus MP3 player and really tiny but so easy to use. M has the Creative Zen but I don't find it too easy to use and just wanted something for playing podcasts and storing a limited amount of music. The headphones are Ok but M has some Sennheiser which I'm always borrowing so I've now got a pair of my own plus a tiny case which holds my Stone and can be clipped to jeans loop, bag or whatever. The headphones are the most wonderful piece of design in that they fold in on themselves and completely back into a small case

I'm lucky in that M shares my love of books so I always get a little stash of books for Xmas and birthdays. This year got http://www.amazon.co.uk/Notes-Exhibition-Patrick-Gale and http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rose-Sebastopol-Katharine-McMahon both of which should be good reads. Already started Notes from an Exhibition and it's already got me gripped but that's not surprising given that it's based in Penzance and features a painter.

My present to myself was The Art of Domesticity by Jane Brocket. I hadn't heard of her previously or her blog Yarnstorm. M's reaction was what! and he thought like I did when I first saw it that it was all about housework etc. Now way and it's quickly become one of my favourite books celebrating baking, knitting, gardening etc It chimes with the way I feel about things at the moment and is also inspirational.

Talking of baking I also baked a fruit cake as my birthday cake and it turned out perfectly. We then had a chinese meal and good bottle of wine to round off one of the best birthdays I've had for a couple of years.

On the other days we've been out on our favourite walks and then come back to much deserved tea and birthday cake and then spent the late afternoons reading. We've has some much needed sun yesterday and today so also spent time tatting in the garden tidying up, pruning back clematis etc. We're lucky that we get so much pleasure out of being at home and the simple pleasures in life.

2008 here I come!

2008-01-27T16:21:00.000Z

It was quite a shock to look back and realise I hadn't blogged since Sept. Didn't have the best of autumns or Xmas but so what - others are much worse off. Reading messages on the Knittyboard from American folk who've been experiencing really low temps and snowstorms, just wish a bit of the cold frosty weather would come this way. It was wet before Xmas, wet over Xmas and been dreadful this past month with yet more floods. However we've actually had a bright sunny day today and it was even warm enough to sit in the conservatory and knit.

Although I haven't blogged I haven't been totally inactive. One of the things I'd flagged up during the Rut-busting swap was that I aimed to knit toe up socks. And at last I can report that I've actually done it - with the help of Knitherapy who sent me Simple Socks and a skein of wonderful purple yarn. I found the toe very easy to do and when it came to it, with a combination of the instructions given in Priscilla Gibson Roberts and Interweaves mag the heel was far simpler than I'd anticipated. I guess it was just one of those things that's OK if you just sit down, take your time and read the instructions properly.
This is one side of the heel and this the other. I'm surprised at how neat it's turned out - Ok there is a tiny hole at the top of the short row turns but I know what I did wrong and avoided it on the other sock.

These photos don't really show quite how bright purple this yarn is. It's Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Amethyst. As it happened I had a skein of Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Tropical Storm which has short runs of the purple in it so I used this for the cuff to break it up. Because they're purple I refer to these as my Regal socks and love them. I like both methods of working socks ie toe up and top down and it's nice to have the option of using either method.

Have also knit a couple of pairs of other socks as follows:-

These are Monkey socks knit in Knittery merino/cashmere mix - colourway Cherry. These were knit for M's mum for Xmas

These are Monkey but this time knit in Ruby Sapphire Lustre sock which is a merino tencel mix. This has a lovely sheen and feel and is lovely to work with. These were for Bloodquaffer as part of a Knitty sock swap.

These are Embossed Leaves knit for my mum for Xmas. These were also knit in Knittery merino/cashmere mix - colourway Forest Moss. I know these may look small but my mum does have very small feet. I loved this yarn and can't recommend the Knittery yarn highly enough.

After knitting these, and another couple of pairs of socks was desperate to knit some lace after Xmas but just not got very far. Started one or two patterns but failed miserably so got some Debbie Bliss baby cashmerino and am really enjoying knitting some baby items for a work colleague.

Not given up on lace and do have couple of things in mind and am also determined to knit some fun bright colourwork items this year.

Ravelry invite

2007-09-23T19:50:00.000+01:00

I received my Ravelry invite a couple of weeks ago but it's only this week that I've had a chance to explore the site.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!! Not to sure how I feel about it all at the mo.

Can definitely see the advantages of the site and the site really does offer lots of useful features but think what's putting me off at the moment is the thought of all the time required to take pics of stash yarn, make the requisite entries etc. I already get cross with myself for spending loads of time on the internet rather than actual knitting.

The more I think about it the more I think I'll probably use it selectively ie there's no way I'll use the friends section (I'm one of those few people who cannot for the life of me see what the point of Facebook, MySpace etc is) or the forum (I'm too committed to Knitty) but will use it for reporting on yarns and projects. On reflection think what it's going to offer me is it's facility as a reference source.

Also by creating my entries in small bites, perhaps while listening to one of my facourite radio programmes or Cast On podcasts it will be manageable.

DIY

2007-08-12T17:27:00.000+01:00

I'm currently taking part in the Knitty Rut Busting Sock Swap in which we're committed to helping each other venture wider into the realms of sock knitting. My personal rut is using multi coloured yarns and MUST attempt a short row heel which apparently is also something my upstream SP is struggling with whereas my downstream SP is locked into a colour rut.

DH was working at home on Thurs and rang me up to let me know a package had arrived - 'it contains knitting things and a book'. Couldn't wait to get home but Thurs night is Knit & Knatter night. It's run by Gill who worked with us for a while and who we all miss and a couple of work colleagues attend and are getting very excited about getting back into knitting and the prospect of felting. It's run in the Old Market Hall https://oldmarkethall.co.uk/index_OMH.htm which shows the best films and has a cafe bar which has a lovely atmosphere. Several of the staff are getting interested and eagerly picked up the needles. Last week met Sarah has also got back into knitting after a long break and similarly inspired by the yarns and patterns now available. Usually set out to just go along for a coffee and intend to stay a short while but seem to spend a good two hours there.

Did get home and rip open my box but it was too late to photograph the packages and couldn't open them when they were so imaginatively wrapped.

What isn't shown is the fact that paper used to bulk the package out was bright turquoisey blue so it really was a rainbow package.

For someone living in Wales where there are as many sheep as people this ribbon couldn't have been more appropriate and just love the way it matches the paper.

This card explains the theme of the package - DIY and in this case Dye Your Own. Inside there was:-
2 large skeins of 100% Merino wool,

20 sachets, yes 20 sachets of Kool Aid

A Knitty notebook for making notes on my dyeing attempts

Simple Socks by Priscilla Gibson-Roberts which she has been recommended as the book to use to get to grips with short row heels - now apparently my SP also has a similar thing about short row heels so hopefully we'll conquer them together (as she also has a copy of the book) and last and not least this wonderful skein of Cherry Tree Hills yarn which is the most wonderful vibrant purple which the following photo doesn't really do justice.

SP what have you done?????????

I was up at the crack of dawn last Sat morning playing around with dyes and Kool Aid

This is some yarn I'd bought some time ago - a Louet/Koigu type merino spun sock yarn. I'd started knitting Monkey socks with it but the colour was so wishy washy that ripped it out after knitting the cuff. Anyway 2 packets of Black Cherry and 1 packet of Grape Kool Aid later - VOILA I heat the yarn up in a saucepan on our camping stove which worked well for this and it really is a lovely jammy/cherry colour. What does become apparent quickly is that to get intense colours you do need lots of Kool Aid. I also attempted to overdye some green yarn that was a bit too yellowy green for my taste but although it came out a much brighter green, alas it also felted quite a bit.

Had such fun though that M bought me microwave - cheap off eBay and some supplies so I can play some more. Watch this space!!

The sun has got his hat on, Hip, Hip, Hip, Hooray!

2007-08-05T14:48:00.000+01:00

At last we're enjoying a bright hot sunny summer day. My last entry was compiled on a sunny day back at the beginning of June and since then it's been grey and done nothing but rain. Shouldn't complain too much though as we've been very lucky and only experienced limited inconvenience due to localised flooding.

Work hasn't been much fun over the past months but one of the most interesting things I'm involved in is working with Freshwater Mussels. They're rare and declining fast, so left with no option other than taking small numbers and keeping them in hatcheries. The mussels are kept in the square tank at the top of the steps and because they need juvenile salmon as part of their life cycle these are kept in the circular tanks. This is a shot of a mussel taken looking directly down at it in the tank. Working up at the hatchery where it's so peaceful and doing something practical has been a prefect antidote to all the other stuff going on.
This sunset was incredible especially since it was the evening before the heavy rain and flooding.

On the knitting front completed these in the Posh Yarn 4ply Cashmere - Turtle that I pictured in an earlier entry. These are for my father-in-law. It's a pleasure to knit them for him since they provide some comfort when his feet are swollen and he's not feeling too well. Knit the leg, heel flap and gusset on a pair of Potamus only to find I'd made a bad mistake so frogged them right back. Couldn't face them immdediately so am busy knitting another pair for Bloodquaffer as part of Sock Swap 2 so can't post a pic just yet.

Because it's been so wet and cold, making jam felt just right. This is a mix of strawberries, raspberries, loganberries and cherries and looked so inviting and smelt wonderful. Got half a dozen jars of what I've called Summer Fruit jam and since M doesn't eat much fruit at least know he will enjoy this.

Old favourites

2007-06-17T12:41:00.000+01:00

For a change thought I'd better post an entry devoted to knitting. Been on leave this last week and was largely confined to the house. Got sunburnt last Sun, it was overcast with low cloud cover so along with thousands of others at an airshow didn't realise we were getting sunburnt. On Wed got stung on my top lip and within a short time my whole upper lip part of my lower lip was swollen and blistered. Antihistamines don't seem to have helped enormously so just been patient, stayed in out of the sun and carried on knitting.

Promised Natalie, a work colleague a pair of socks - she wants them to be a total surprise so in the stash had this bright pink Jitterbug and since she's been having a bit of a tough time thought it would be suitable. I mean who can be fed up wearing socks this bright!! Knit sock 1 of Jaywalkers but wasn't totally happy with the result.The yarn seemed to fight me every inch of the way whilst knitting this - knitting Jitterbug on 2.25m needles produces a very tight fabric but at the expense of it's softness. When I tried it on the heel area was baggy. As I needed to get this pair of socks off the needles quickly thought I'd go back to a pattern that's a favourite Broadripple. Couldn't believe the difference - the resulting sock flew off the needles and was a pleasure to knit rather than a chore. So sock 1 got frogged and here we have the results.

This is much closer to the colour - they really are incredibly bright!!

M loves handknit socks so much he claimed the bright blue Jitterbug I had and requested another pair of Thuja. Voila! These are also incredibly bright blue but with subtle patches of forest green and purple woven through.

Dee of Posh Yarns issued a challenge whereby if you wore something made of her Posh Yarn to her stall you'd get 10% of any purchases. I had some lovely Sophia 2ply cashmere in the stash and decided to knit Sivia Harding's Diamond Fantasy Shawl. As I posted earlier, when I ttok the skeins out of the stash wasn't too sure about the colour combi but when wound up and knitted it really is very pretty, especially in the sun. Unfortunately Dee wasn't able to make the show but I did complete the shawl a week later. Knitting with this yarn was pure pleasure, the pattern is so well written although I did go wrong. >As soon as I worked this out it is an interesting easy knit. The I-cord edging was new to me, took ages but does give a lovely, even strong edging will I'll use again. BEWARE there is a mistake on some copies of the pattern as Rows 42 and 43 are repeated. Was lucky enough to get 2 skeins of Dee's Sophia 4ply at sale price a fortnight ago. This is colourway Turtle and destined for a pair of socks.

One of my weaknesses is for fresh flowers in the house and a fortnight ago bought this bunch of purpley astromerias.
They were more purpley in reality and as the evening sunlight came in through the patio windows they glowed in the sun.

And then there were four

2007-06-03T16:12:00.000+01:00

We're extremely luck living next to a canal where I step straight out of my garden gate onto the tow path. Having a dog means that I also get to walk along the canal daily. One of the best things about this is that we really get to know the stretch of canal and local wildlife extremely well.

We're lucky in that this section of canal supports a pair of resident swans and each year anxiously watch where they nest and where, how many eggs hatch and how many cygnets make it to adulthood. Last year they built three nests, laid three lots of eggs but only hatched four eggs and only one cygnet survived.

This year they built one nest - right in the middle of the towpath but fortunately anyone walking the towpath was able to divert around it without disturbing the female too much. She sat on the nest for weeks and weeks and weeks and we thought that perhaps she was sitting on eggs that weren't going to hatch. However she did know best and low and behold hatched all 8 eggs
These were taken the day after they'd hatched and they're just so cute. Alas the next day we saw there were only 7 cygnets and could see some fluff in the reeds at the side of the canal and it looked as if something had dragged it out off the bank. Within the next 24 hours another three disappeared and there was no sign of them at all. However we're now down to four

They're now growing quickly but early in the morning when they're just waking up it makes me realise that they're still quite vulnerable from attack by mink or particularly foxes, quite often hear a vixen screeching at night. Do enjoy watching them grow and way they seem to mimic the parents preening their feathers and dunking themselves under the water.

Wonderwool 2007

2007-05-28T10:47:00.001+01:00

Visited Wonderwool Wales again but without M this time as he thought I might enjoy meeting up with Charlotte and Claire from the Knitty forum better without him hanging around. Also suspect that it might have had something to do with him just wanting to have a day on his own for a change.

Despite having the new camera to take with me (supposedly to get lots of pics) actually took very few as I was too busy enjoying what was on display, fondling yarn, chatting to Charlotte etc. Couldn't resist these - they're two of the alpacas owned by Chrissie at http://www.chrysalis-alpacas.co.uk/. She keeps 17 alpacas and sells the fleece, wool and weaves beautiful items. She lives relatively close so must make the effort to visit the farm on one of my Friday's off.

This one just looked so cheeky whilst it's companion looks a bit more refined
Could have spent a fortune but due to a limited budget was very restrained - these are the goodies that did come home with me
A skein of silk/cotton that has a slightly boucle finish from http://hipknits.co.uk/. In reality this is less bright red and more a cranberry colour and destined for the Tank Top from Oneskein or the garter stitch shawl from Victorian Lace Today. Kerrie also had a couple of skeins of Schaeffer Anne yarn on sale. I've read a lot of favourable comments on this and Dianne up at Colinette rated it, so was pleased to see it for real. Not surprisingly just had to get a skein but what has surprised me is how fine the yarn is and seems far too nice for socks!! The yardage to get for your money also makes it very good value and suspect this will become a favourite.

And last but not least

This is a skein of hand dyed silk from Di Gilpin's stand http://www.handknitwear.com/about-di.html- it's possibly slightly thicker than aran and amazing.
I would never normally go for yarn in these colours but it's incredible - I guess the closest I can describe it is, metal in a yarn, really bronze and steeley blue.

Other things that impressed me were the Fyberspates yarn http://www.fyberspates.co.uk/ - the website does not do this justice, especially the Scrumptious BFL/silk mix yarn which I've earmarked for future purchase. Knitwitch yarns http://www.knitwitchesyarns.co.uk/also had some lovely hand dyed silk which I'll keep in mind for future projects. The Woolclip stand was disappointing this year but guess it's because Woolfest is their main event. DT Craft & Design http://www.dtcrafts.co.uk/about.html was where I'd wished M was with me because he keeps going on about why don't we get some yarn and dye it. He'd have loved this stand and probably would have come home with every kind of dye and yarn imagineable (once he gets an interest in something I immerses himself in it and never does anything by halves). This will be a definite must for next year - if we can wait that long. The Mulbery Dyer http://www.mulberrydyer.co.uk/had some lovely embroidery and crewel yarn but wasn't sure which I need so that will wait for a while. Almost succumbed and bought an Ashford Knitter's Loom but on reflection decided that I really need to use up some of my stash and will get one for autumn/winter. Also if I had have bought one I would then have needed to have got relevant yarn for warping/weaving etc etc.

I was annoyed that I meant to go back and get:-

a skein of the lovely natural dyed yarn from the new breed of sheep that GLASU were promoting, forgotten the details but not the yarn which would have been perfect for a pair of Fetching -http://knitty.com/ISSUEsummer06/PATTfetching.html. I'll contact them to chase this up.

some of the trimmings offered by http://www.bedecked.co.uk/ - these will transform simple items into something quite extraordinary

but forgot!

This can be explained by the fact that by late lunchtime my back was beginning to ache again so decided to be sensible, call it a day and go home. Wonderwool was great and hope it continues to grow and the whole event is getting better and better. Meeting Claire and Charlotte albeit for a relatively short time was great and although you know you'll have Knitty in common it's surprising how many other things you can also have in common.

Woolly winding

2007-05-26T16:28:00.000+01:00

There was a thread on http://knittyboard.com/ earlier this week in which winding lace yarn is discussed. It's interesting how some folk hate it, others enjoy it or enrol members of the family to help. I fall into the enjoy it camp and just love the transformation. As an example I bought the above skein of 2ply cashmere before Xmas, was really pleased with the colour at the time but when I took it out of my stash a couple of weeks ago wasn't too sure. In fact it is a bit paler than the pics. However when I wound it to produce:-

I'm really happy again.

Spooky!!

2007-05-11T12:44:00.000+01:00

During the Easter Hols went walking up through Dolgarrog Woods and to avoid the hordes of tourists took a higher level track and my attention was taken by this old gnarled holly tree. Took this photo of it. Later in the week played around with Photoshop and used the charcoal drawing tool and this is the result.

Can you see the face in it - the more I looked at this the more the face drew my attention. Spooky or what??

Waaaahhhhhhhhhh

2007-04-06T16:21:00.000+01:00

Apologies for the quality but it's quite difficult trying to photograph your own thumb with one hand!!

Typical that after weeks of being so busy/too tired to do anything other than trying to finish two major assessments for the end of the financial/reporting year I do this!!

It was so stupid - got a new carving set which was sealed in hard plastic and the only tiny gap was immediately around the knife so carefully cut around it. Then tried to prise it apart but in doing so caught by humb on the edge of the knife. Can certainly vouch for the fact it's sharp.

So I'm now on leave, finally caught up on my sleep and am keen to garden, knit etc etc but am a bit limited for the moment.

What a difference a week makes

2007-03-04T15:04:00.000Z

Unfortunately the snow didn't last beyond the weekend and the next weekend was glorious. Dry and sunny although the sun was a bit cold. Drove over to the Mawddach estuary and walked down the old railway line which has been restored as a walk and cycleway. The path runs from Dolgellau all the way down the estuary, round the wooded penisula that can be seen at the end and it's possible to cross the estuary to Barmouth via the railway bridge which crosses at the very bottom.
This is a view across the estuary down from Bontddu.

Walking along this section of the track was taken by the way this rock stuck up and the colour of the marsh grass mirrored the lichen.

Saw this bird in the distance - it obviously wasn't a heron but we'd stupidly left the binoculars at home. I was lucky to receive some money for my birthday and as much as I love my little Canon Powershot A80 camera, my eyesight is so bad need to be able to use a viewfinder to get decent shots. As I couldn't afford a proper SLR got the Canon PowerShot S3 which seems to work pretty well. This walk was a useful opportunity to try it out. As it's got a 10X Zoom was able to just point and shoot depsite the fact the bird was so far away. When I got home and I was able to zoom the pic up was absolutely delighted to find that this is actually a Little Egret. A relatively common sighting in areas such as South Wales but not so common locally and certainly a first for us.
Last February took part in the Knitting Olympics and knit this Clapotis in Noro Silk Garden. I was really pleased with it but M hates it and teases me that it will take on a life of it's own as in one films of the M R James ghost stories. I was surprised what an easy but boring knit it was but would like to knit another but with a yarn that has some silk in it to give it some drape and sheen.

This February I commited myself to the Knitty Sock Swap. It didn't go as straightforwardly as the Olympic knit. I couldn't get the yarn I wanted and when I did find suitable yarn and pattern it kept going wrong. So picked something else from my stash and managed to knit up a pair of socks just in time. Due to the fact I needed to get the package in the post so quickly didn't get an opportunity to photograph them before they went. They've made their way to the wonderful Vknits and hopefully will be OK. Just a little worried that I really should have done an extra 2 repeats to give them some additional length.

Had a rather nasty shock on Fri - at work we're being re-organised within our region. Perhaps I was rather naive in believing I'd be slotted across into the new team. However it now appears like others I'm having to have my competencies assessed and scored and my post is no longer save. A formal letter announcing that my job is at risk arrived yesterday but the blow was considerably softened by the arrival of a package from Vknits.
This was a pretty pick box and as you see the goodies are beautifully tissue wrapped and just love the little snowflake sprinkles.

These are socks V knit for me and they couldn't be more perfect. One of the things that I love about Knitty swaps is the opportunity to obtain yarn or in this case socks made from yarn that I wouldn't normally have access to. In this case these are knit from Dream in Colour which is washable 100% merino. V picked up on the fact that it's a real treat to change into my hand knit socks when I get home from work and this yarn is relatively thick but also very soft.
This photo more accurately captures the colour. They truly are what M and I call St Ives blue ie the colour of the sea when it's sunny at St Ives in Cornwall. It's a rather special place for us and we got married nearby so these socks are just the most perfect colour for me. I'm also incredibly impressed by the pattern!! This is a skein of yarn that V has dyed herself - it's a bit more lilac in colour than is shown here but again an inspired choice as it's earmarked for a pair of socks which will have a fair isle border which will incorporate a small amount of purple yarn that I need to use up.

Many thanks V and bless you for well and truly cheering up my weekend.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

2007-02-18T12:13:00.000Z

OK it's gone now but last week we had snow!! and lots of snow!! Started on Thurs pm but most of it arrived on Fri. Not such a notable event for lots of folk but for us it was the only substantial dump of the white stuff we've had for many a long year.

Tess doing one of her usual dashes up the path

Snow dog looking jolly at the start of the walk

A bit cold and fed up of me taking pics

The flakes really were this big!

Unfortunately it had all gone by late Sat but it was fun whilst it lasted.

Aspirations 2007

2007-01-21T16:03:00.000Z

The year has got off to a fairly productive start

I was lucky enough to get this for an amazing price via the internet and a contribution towards it was my big Xmas present from M this year. I had a rather odd reaction to it when it arrived in that I was a bit disconcerted by how light it is and things seem a little flimsy in comparison to the sewing machines I used to use 20 years ago. However it offers lots of features, is incredibly easy to operate and does sew extremely well. Now I've got used to it, love it, and after reading the Crafter's Companion (anoather Xmas gift) am inspired to make all manner of things. I've made a couple of things but not got around to photographing them yet.

Had a stash of material stored in a plastic tub in the garage but in the awful wet and windy weather we've had, water got in through the roof and into several tubs, so ended up having to wash the whole stash. Was just lucky to be looking for something else so found that there was damage and managed to retrieve and save things although there has been some damage.

Due to the fact that we couldn't get out walking felt I needed something bright to cheer me up over the holidays so voila

modelled by a Clanger!
Yarn: Posh Yarns Alice 100% cashmere colourway Fiesta which is accurately captured above

Pattern : Interweaves Ruffle Crochet Scarf - I only had one hank of yarn so adapted the pattern accordingly

This was really fun, made in an afternoon and part of the early evening and do feel cheered up as soon as I put it on.
My contribution to Red Scarf Day:-

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Merino Chunky

Pattern: Men's Cashmere Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts

This was an easy and fast knit and love the textured effect and will probably knit this again but will add a garter stitch border as it does have a tendency to curl despite blocking.

So 2007 aspirations:-

Knitting

to make a considerable dent in my stash
to finish the WIPs and asap
knit a pair of socks every six weeks
knit a pair of toddler cardis for a colleagues' twins
knit up a jumper in the turquoise yarn I have
knit a Swallowtail shawl
knit a shawl for Pat (know what yarn is to be used but still to decide on the pattern)
knit a pair of Knucks
knit a pair of lacy fingerless gloves

Other

to loose a stone in weight
to get fitter
to get out and visit places at weekends, hopefully getting in some walking as well
to go camping for at least one weekend
to go back and re-visit Botanic Garden Wales and Aberglasney
to get some of the house and building repairs needed done

Some things to aim for but not too ambitious!

Belated New Year Greetings

2007-01-16T20:31:00.000Z

Belated New Year greetings and hope 2007 is a happy and healthy year for one and all.

This was taken on the morning of 30th November and since then seem to have spent much of the time surrounded by floods and gales. Have never known a winter where we've had so many gales. Hopefully we may have some clearer colder weather next week.

Really enjoyed the three weeks we had off over Xmas. This year it's been very much a time for quiet reflection and counting our blessings in that we've kept ourselves very much to ourselves apart from having the in-laws over on Xmas Day which was thoroughly enjoyable and went all too quickly.

Landed up doing a Yarn Harlot on Xmas morning by being up at 7.00 am and Kitchener Stitching the toes on 2 pairs of socks but realised after I'd given them away as presents that I'd forgotten to take photos of them. When I reviewed what I'd actually knit over the past year it didn't amount to as much as I thought but do have several things on the needles. I seem to have knit a few pairs of socks though

Yarn: Regia Stretch Sock Yarn colourway Fantasie

Pattern : Broadripple but with a 2x2 ribbed cuff

Yarn: Hip Knits Cashmere Sock Yarn colourway Jade

Pattern: Broadripple but with no variation.

I loved Kerrie's yarn so much that got some more in colourway Summer Pudding to knit

Pattern: Rib & Cable Socks by Nancy Bush - Interweave Knits Fall 2005

I was making these for M so scaled up the pattern to fit a man but because I hadn't made notes on what I'd done, knit the second sock on smaller needles so if you look closely at the above, you can see the uppermost sock is smaller. So actually ended up knitting a pair for M and myself. There was even enough yarn left over to knit my FIL a standard plain pair but with a twisted ribbed cuff. You can bet that if I make any changes to a pattern now, I make full notes either on the pattern or in the Stitch and Bitch journal M gave me last Xmas.

The combination of rib and cable gives a nice effect and lovely snug fit but after finishing the fourth sock I was just a bit fed up of cables!!

When I was doing the lace knitting course at Colinette back in Oct/Nov they were busy unpacking after having been to Ally Pally and we were lucky enough to get our mitts on their Jitterbug sock yarn before it became generally available. So here we have

Yarn: Colinette Jitterug sock yarn colourway Olive (though it's actually much more of a spruce green colour)

Pattern: Thuja

I really enjoyed knitting with this sock yarn and because it's slightly thicker than what I'm used to, couldn't believe the fact that I finished these in just over a week. I know that there has been some criticism over the amount of yarn in a skein and I did have to get a second skein but if I had made them slightly shorter in the leg I'd have had enough. Skeins are now being supplied with additional yardage. Although my needles are now slightly green I would thoroughly recommend this as a sock yarn especially if you like eye poppingly bright colours. I also rather liked the fact that this pattern is named Thuja which is also one of the latin names for a family of evergreen conifers (including some of the cedars) so it was apt that the yarn is this lovely dark green which does remind me of coniferous trees.

Here they are modelled by M - the problem I now have is that since he's has started wearing these and the Rib & Cable socks is definitely aquiring a taste for nice comfy hand knitted socks. It's become something of a ritual that as soon as we get in, we rush to get changed into slops and hand knitted socks. There's something very comforting about thick, soft perfectly fitting socks.

I would like to knit a pair of socks a month this year and I certainly have enough yarn to achieve that goal. I've joined the Knitty Sock Exchange and it's already kick started me into action. I'm going to be exchanging socks with Vknits who is a most prolific sock knitter and the fun has started as I've ordered the yarn and just downloaded the pattern. Fortunately we both like surprises and trust the other to choose something appropriate.

Ooopps!!

2006-11-30T18:26:00.000Z

Apologies to Susan Pierce Lawrence - in my last entry I stated the Forest Canopy Shawl pattern was free. It's not but worth every penny of the $6.50. I'd genuinely forgotten that I'd downloaded it and then printed it out. Thanks to Rachel for pointing it out.

First shawl

2006-11-26T17:02:00.000Z

Really enjoyed knitting Branching Out in different shades of Rowan Kidsilk Haze as Xmas presents last year and one of my ambitions for this year has been to knit more lace and more specifically a shawl. Encouraged by a lace knitting day at Colinette back in October this is the Forest Canopy shawl that I've just finished.

I'd recommend it for anyone wanting to take up lace knitting and the pattern is free http://ma2ut.blogspot.com/2006/09/forest-canopy-shoulder-shawl.html
it's very well written, easy to follow, can be used for a wide range of yarns and grows quickly.

It's knit up in A L de Sauveterre's Whisper which is 100% Peruvian alpaca and this colourway is Summer Berries. In a perfect world I should have perhaps tried an extra repeat but was nervous that I'd run out of yarn to complete the edging. This yarn is lovely to work with and although I was apprehensive about the whole blocking procedure it was straightforward and the shawl is even softer now.

Knitting this has boosted my confidence enormously BUT think there's potential to develop a serious lace addiction. I'm busy knitting socks (Xmas pressies) but finding it a tad tedious so have to allow myself a lace knitting fix. Have started Kiri - hate the colour of the yarn I'm using Rowan Kidsilk Haze Meadow but loving the pattern so will probably do a small version, then repeat with yarn I like better.

Also on the needles are a pair of Broadripple socks being knit in Posh Yarns Sophia 4ply sock yarn colour Sweet Pea - this is remarkably thick for sock yarn (well thicker than I'm normally used to knitting with) but so soft and joy to knit with.

My body seems to be developing allergies and intolerance to anything and everything at the moment. I've been really unwell this weekend and it seems to be related to red wine and it seems that even a glass is enough to trigger a headache, high temperature and upset stomach. Hoping that it's just related to a mix of Shiraz Cabernet grapes not all red wine!!!

Into the mountains cont....

2006-11-13T16:44:00.000Z

Well somehow or other blogger or me managed to loose the majority of the Into the mountains entry .......................

What I had wittered about was spending an interesting day at an Antiques and Collectables show. Hadn't known what to expect but it was an interesting mix of some very dodgy looking dudes who you woudn't trust with your granny, some people selling tat and you wondered how on earth they were making a living and some folk selling some beautiful and quality stuff. If you had the right house and were looking for the appropriate furniture there were beautiful pieces but the only things I really would have liked to have brought home were a needlework box at £300 and the most amazing sapphire and diamond ring £2,2000. What I looked at and should have bought was some bed linen. We need some new pillowcases and they had some really pretty embroidered ones and was going to go back for them but got diverted and didn't which was a shame because new shop bought cotton ones are nowhere near in terms of quality of the thickness and softness of the cotton.

Had a good day at the beach made all the better by the lowest and highest tides for many years. Tess had a good time as usual and we totally cracked up when she was busy guarding her stick whilst a young Borzoi had great fun circling her at a furious and frantic pace. It was exactly like a clockwork toy.

Highlight of the week was getting up into Snowdonia

This is taken just off the Watkin path that goes up from Nant Gwynant. The water in the pools is the most amazing shade of blue, possibly due to the metals in the water, possibly copper. There was a lot of mining at various sites around the foot of the mountain including at a site above this. We crossed the stream and then cut up across to some old mine workings which are off the shoulder of Lliwedd.
It was a remarkably hot day and you can see both the dog and I are looking hot and bothered.

I'm looking a bit happier here because the summit of Lliwedd is the high point closest to me, Snowdon itself is the peak in the middle of the picture. Tess hadn't been up on the tops with us before but she's a born mountain dog and loved every minute as long as we gave her regular drinks of water. I'd forgotten how horrible the descent was steep, loose, scree mixed with scrambling down over rocks.

I don't look too happy in the 2nd pic because found myself incredibly breathless. Yes I know I hadn't been in the hills for a while but this was worse than normal. It also happened on other walks that weren't so steep and got so bad that I lagged badly behind M and found it difficult to keep up a conversation on even ground. Both of us got quite worried about it and I knew it wasn't being caused by being unfit. Anyhow after a visit to the doctor and some tests it seems I've developed asthma which is a huge relief because can actually deal with it. A single puff from my inhaler means breathlessness, streaming nose, sneezing and coughing is all dealt with almost instantaneously and it also enables me to walk in the hills again. OK I still get puffed on really steep bits and will continue to do so until our level of fitness returns but at least it's now at a level that is normal for me.

The weather this autumn has been amazing - really warm the first bit of Sept and recently some incredibly sharp frosts. However it has meant some plants have flowered until very late on

This is a flower on our Nelly Moser clematis and this was taken on 31st October.

These are some fungi we found whilst we were walking off Craig Rhiwiarth down past Cwm yr ogof mine workings. Apparently they're one of the waxcap family. They really were this bright and stood out in the surrounding grass. Can see how folk get into foraging for fungi.

The cool clear weather meant that we had wonderful sunsets and stood watching this one - it was so spectacular. It's at times like this that I miss being by the sea, we get the spectacular skies but unfortunately there's always trees or something in the way!!

Into the Mountains

2006-10-08T18:07:00.000+01:00

We were on leave a couple of weeks ago and incredibly lucky that the weather was good. Had intended to go away and use the new tent - bargain buy at Cotswold Outdoors up at Bettws y coed. We have a really good Vau De Hogan tent (bought with wedding present money) which I love but it's a bit small for the two of us plus dog so been lucky enough to get a Division 2 tent again by Vau De. It's got a compartment for us and one for dog plus large area for sitting/eating etc. I love camping and the simpler the better but the only way I'll get M to go along is if we go camping in comfort so need airbed and a couple of bits and pieces.

So as an interim stayed at home and had good days out from home and some lazy pottering days at home. A perfect mix.

Heat, headaches and hedges

2006-08-26T19:12:00.000+01:00

Can't believe I haven't managed to blog since the middle of June but then the whole of this summer seems to have disappeared in a blur of heat, headaches and hedges.

Firstly the heat, oh boy! has it been a hot summer and being inland for most of the time haven't had the benefit of any cooling breezes so been recording temperatures into the mid 30s C a lot of the time. Thankfully it's now much cooler and almost seems to have gone straight into autumn - it's really chilly in the morning and evening and there are loads of blackberries around, the rowans are amazing and loads of bird activity. I love it and have recovered some energy at last.

I just don't seem to cope with heat very well and spent most of June and July with constant headaches and even migraine. Used to have migraines regularly whilst in a really stressful work situation but most of the time can control them. Aspartame, getting dehydrated and low sun glare seem to be the major triggers so guess the combination of constant glare and probably not drinking enough were the cause. Of course the worse attack coincided with Woolfest and from reading the rest of the Knitty folks blogs missed a really good time. Has made me more determined to get there next year and it's even worth going on a yarn diet so can make the most of it.

Hedges - the hawthorn hedge which borders onto the canal towpath had got the stage where it was unmanageable so took it down by a good metre and a half. That was quite manageable and achieved it in a morning but it then took us weeks to chop up all the bits and dispose of them down to our local waste disposal site for composting. One of my work colleagues was surprised that we just didn't compost it ourselves. In theory that sounds fine but there was so much of it - when bagged up covered the whole of the carport and hawthorn doesn't compost down that well, the damn thorns tend to stay around for a rather long time.

Fortunately packages from my Knitty SP7 Westozcaat brightened up my summer. I had pics already to post but when my computer died it lost my pics. I will get around to photographing all my goodies again.

Again due to the heat it's been too hot to knit too much over the past months. Signed up for the Mystery Shawl KAL and the wonderful Sue a.ka Sadie was kind enough to send me some Knitpicks Alpaca Cloud. It's a lovely yarn and just wish we had access to it here in the UK. However started the shawl and got just over half way through the first clue and kept going wrong. Then when folk started posting up their pics realised it just wasn't for me. It was eventually named Scherezade which was suitable for it since it was somewhat oriental in influence but just a bit old fashioned for my taste. Felt really bad about owning up to the fact that I'd given up on it but through the Knitty boards found out I wasn't the only one including Sadie. Have started kniting the shawl featured in Sarah Dallas's book but progress is slow.

So what have I been knitting?? - needed to do something quickly to get me back on course so Voila!! I bought this Opal Acapulco yarn earlier in the year when I was down in Cornwall. A nice quick knit and certainly can't miss my feet in them.

Signed up for the Petals collection yarn from Sundara some time ago and was delighted when my package eventually arrived (a whole load of parcels got lost so she had to completley re-dye, re-package and post out a duplicate set of parcels). Can thoroughly recommend this - beautiful yarn that comes beautifully packaged in matching tissue paper with pattern (inlcuding photo) in it's own matching envelope. Started knitting this pair of socks for a work colleague as a leaving present The yarn is named Calla Lily and the colours are pretty spot on. The pattern itself is fairly plain allowing the colours of the yarn to shine through but it does have discrete lace pattern on the back of the sock which makes them that little bit different. Knitting with this yarn was interesting - as you can see in the photo the yarn looks a mix of greens and pinks but when you look at it more closely the greens really zing out at you

The heel is based on the 'Welsh Heel' that apparently Nancy Bush describes in 'Knitting Vintage Socks' and although new to me and it did take a bit of concentration to work it out it seems to really cup the heel well and one that I'll use again.

Have to excuse the quality of the pics. My computer kept crashing and after M fiddling around and trying various things decided that the best option was to replace the hard drive before I lost everything. So my computer has been almost totally rebuilt however M has installed Adobe photoshop rather than Canon Browser. Now I rather liked Canon Browser and knew how to get the best out of it and until I get to grips with Adobe got rather sub-standard pics.

Garden delights

2006-06-15T21:20:00.000+01:00

The combination of lots of rain followed by a spell of hot weather has led to the back garden being the best it's ever been.

This is the back border - lots of Welsh poppies, they're the yellow ones, but also got orange ones and yellowy orange ones that have resulted from a combination of both colourways. Lots of hardy geraniums, the pale blue ones break up all the pink. The silvery green plants are Lychnis coronaria and will be out shortly - again we have bright pink ones, white ones and white ones with a blush centre (the result of hybridisation between the two). Normally had problems with this border as it's so dry and shaded for much of the day.

This is the rose Tess D'urbeville which my MIL kindly bought for us two years ago. It's so lush, a deep red and is just getting better year by year which is surprising given the rather hit and miss way in which I prune it.

And this is a Cornus which I bought for M for his birthday, the first year we were in the house. It's amazing how the back garden looks now in comparison to when we first moved in. Note to self to dig out pics and post on site.

On the knitting front am getting on with a scarf using some Hip Knits silk Kerrie kindly sent me with an order back in Feb but coming around to concluding that it's a fraction to wide so might have to frog. Also aquired these the other week .

The smaller skein is a skein of Artyarns Regal Silk in colourway 111 - destined for another modular knit. The dark blue skein is Cherry Tree Hill Supersock in Tropical Storm colourway which I was lucky to get at sale price. I was interested in trying this yarn and it's much nicer than expected and another tick off my list of yarns to try. Be interested to get some Koigu PMM and compare them.

It's now Sunday and raining and for once am really pleased. It's just been too hot to do anything so as it's much cooler actually have some energy today so had better get going and do some tidying and ironing especially since the in-laws are due next weekend.

Knitting news

2006-06-04T17:48:00.000+01:00

Somehow due to much apathy haven't got around to knitting much since being back from hols. When I was in Cornwall did knit this

it's my Cornish Nautie. I used the A L de Sauveterre Whisper colourway Cornish Pixie - well what else could I use. I was extremely lucky to find some Rowan 4 ply Soft which matched perfectly and these eyes which roll when he's moved. He's a great reminder of a great holiday and now sits proudly on top of M's in-tray in the study.

When we were in Penzance with helpful directions from a very helpful lady in the bookshop found Knit Wits. If you're in the area it's worth calling in - good selection for a small shop including some Sari Silk and Hip Knits silk (unfortunately they only had a couple of skeins and in colours I wouldn't use).

However was tempted by this - although it's Opal I just love the colour combi

and this

which is alpaca yarn produced from alpacas on a farm in Devon - with such a cute picture of an alpaca on the label who can resist. It's lovely and soft and such a lovely shade of turquoise - they also do a yummy olivey/mossy green and rose pink as well as the natural shades.

About this time last year I treated myself to a skein of Hip Knits silk in a colourway which was called Oscar. The silk is a lovely quality and the colourway felt very springlike, bright yellow running into green and pale turquoisey blue. I didn't get around to using it and got to this spring feeling positively guilty about not having used it. I love Branching Out and having knit a few for other people haven't one of my own so started it in the silk

As you can see there's some pooling

As you can see the silk and the colourway is fine BUT.............................

I put it to one side and knit Nautie instead. When we got home found out there was a Modular knitting course locally but as it was my first week back at work couldn't really take 2 days out to go knitting. So bought the book by Iris Schreier instead. Most of the reviews on Amazon were good but there was one complaining about the lack of instructions on the actual technique. In some ways I can see how the reviewer came by this view but you have to be prepared to spend a little time practicing the techniques and also have a certain level of trust that it will actually work out because initially you wonder how.

As you can see I practiced my swatches but it also demonstrates how well the technique works for hand painted yarns. So after some practice VOILA

Started last weekend and finished today and I'm so much happier with the result. It's the Zigzag scarf and won't be the only thing I make from the book which is actually quite inspirational. The other advantage is that when you get into the rhythym of the pattern it's incredibly easy to do whilst watching TV, travelling etc

Apathy Rules OK!! Well Not any More

2006-05-21T14:46:00.000+01:00

Since getting back off hols been a bit apathetic. Combination of post hols blues, re-organisation at work (yet again!) and the weather this last week and this weekend has been apalling. Rain, rain and more rain and gales but guess we shouldn't be complaining given the potential for drought down in the south and at least we haven't had floods.

This is part of the short border that runs along the back of our back garden. Struggled with this for ages, the hedge at the back of the pic is approx 9' high therefore it's very dry and shaded for the best part of the day. However it does look at it's best this time of the year and I love the contrast of the acid yellow of the Euphorbia, purple of the Geranium, bluebells and orange of the poppies.
This was taken just over a week ago and the whole border has been awash with these but they're now looking a bit bedraggled due to the wind and rain. We lost several of our longstanding plants this winter, probably due to a combination of dryness and frost but picked up some replacement plants from a small local nursery a fortnight ago. Due to the combination of lots and lots of rain and warmth they're all doing really well and this border is looking positively lush.

It was the Welsh Smallholder and Garden Festival and Builth Wells this weekend and not normally the kind of thing we'd go to but found out that they were having a Wonderwool Wales and Greener Homes and Building section which did appeal. Given the appalling forecast for the weekend almost didn't go but decided early yesterday morning what the hell, but do feel really sorry for the exhibitors and participants who are there today - it can't be much fun at all.

The Greener Homes and Buildings was a dissappointment - not in terms of the exhibits. It was exciting, enlightening and inspiring but it's so sad that most of the ideas are only really practical if you're building a new house or extension etc. Given the fact that water is in short supply in the south, we are having to seriously consider the nuclear option for providing power and more homes need to be built, I don't understand why via the new building regs it isn't compulsory for every new building to have the full range of measure installed and substantial grants made available for every existing home to upgrade by using them. Guess since the utitility companies were privatised there's no incentive as it would mean less demand therefore profits would be produced. Enough of my views for today.

I've been buzzing since coming back as it really was inspiring and especially the Woolly Wales bit. We spent ages just pottering around looking at the animals. Yes I grew up in the country and spent huge chunks of my childhood on local farms but never realised there were so many breeds of sheep out there, how different they look and the colour and quality of the wool they produce is staggering. M spent his late teens in Scotland and they kept goats and he thoroughly enjoyed looking after them and was saddened when they had to be sold off. So seeing all the different goats was a bittersweet memory for him. This one was such a character and obviously wanted to know and be fully involved in what was going on all around.
This one was just incredibly friendly and made sure it was petted by all who passed. I was very taken by the pygmy goats to the extent that I forgot to take any pics.
These were my other favourites - the angora goats and who can resist. I've never been that keen on goats but M has always tried to persuade me otherwise and I now realise why. They do have such individual character but seem happier in flocks. Also got to see llamas and alpacas and given a chance would have come home with some alpacas. Due to their size and impressive looking teeth, llamas intimidate me but was very impressed by the alpacas. Unfortunately they were crammed into a small pavilion and the organisers had totally underestimated how popular they were so hopefully they'll have more space next year and more families will be able to see them.
The main purpose of the day was to go to Wonderwool Wales but wasn't quite sure what to expect but had such a good time, lots of spinning/weaving demos and excellent stalls. Found lots of the things on display such an inspiration and wish I could afford to give up work now so that I'd have time to spin, dye, weave as well as knit. Could have spent a fortune and was very restrained - will post up a photo or two in the next couple of days. Have decided that I'm going to do a three day course in Sept that will give me a chance to do some dyeing, spinning, weaving and felting. Also met a lovely lady who lives relatively close and has alpacas as well as weaving the most amazing scarves and intend to get along to her studio on one of my Fridays off. M was blown away by the felting and in particular we loved some landscapes, the most amazing clothing including an amazing diaphonous dress and evening type jacket, and cushions, little baby jacket etc made from felted silk that was then machine embroidered.
This is a pic of prize winning hat that I think may have been made by one of the Knitty community - if so Congrats. A minor gripe - there were some really good talks and demonstrations being held but no details posted up on the webpage beforehand and no details given as you entered the pavilion so it was pure chance that you got to find out about them.

Other highlight of the day was finding a spinner who had a Lendrum wheel - seriously considering buying a spinning wheel for the winter. Due to lack of space need something small and portable and had more or less decided on a Baynes. Then saw a pic of a new Lendrum on a blog and was struck by the quality and this is what screamed out at me when I saw one for real. It's so perfectly balanced and easy to use too. Another lady was using an Ashford Joy and whilst even more portable than the Lendrum, is a bit too small for me and anticipate that I'd get a bad back. I'll just have to start saving my pennies now. Lots of the folk I met were all incredibly enthusiastic and looking forward to Woolfest and I'm so pleased I've decided to go and already booked my camping spot. Roll on end of June.

Debating whether to bid on a loom on e-bay it's amazing and only £25 but rather large!! Other news of note is that the amazing SP gourdesses got our SP7 matches out early and it should be a very interesting round.

SP6 goodness

2006-05-08T20:29:00.000+01:00

Received a message from my SP saying a package was on its way and there it was sitting on the back doorstep when I arrived home today.

As you can see the packaging was co-ordinated to go with the tin and lemony yellow package. Then to the fun of investigating things further:-

The tin is an attractive object in its own right but when I opened it, was assailed by the most wonderful smell - apparently it's a Raspberry Black mix. I drink tea until it's virtually coming out of my ears but now the summer prefer fruity mixes so this couldn't have come at a better time and will also look forward to trying it iced.

She'd promised me a "special little scented surprise something that I can only get at my not so local LYS" and this is Lemongrass Simpatico Soap. I love fresh natural smells and this couldn't have been a better choice - keep picking it up to smell!!!!

And then there was the yarn............. well what can I say! The bluey yarn at the back is hand spun and kettle dyed Rio De La Plata in colourway Faded Lyons Blue - very different to anything I've ever used before. Hoping there'll be enough to do a shortened version of a My So Called Scarf or if not I'll use the stitch pattern in combination with something else.

There is also Mountain Colours Mountain Goat in Juniper - this has been a revelation. I didn't realise you could get mohair that was this soft. Already got plans for this too. The card was a perfect choice for a self confessed lover of plants and flowers a revealed that my SP has been Silver Nerd. After the disappointment of the Holiday SP round thanks for restoring my faith in SP rounds.

Jolly Hols! 2

2006-05-05T20:20:00.000+01:00

Besides the walking also got to visit various places. Revisited the well and the ancient chapel at Madron.

This well and the chapel which also contains an early holy well have a very ancient and special atmosphere about them. We first visited about 9 years ago and around Xmas time and the trees were festooned with ribbons, decorations, tinsel, all sorts much of which was recent and probably related to the winter solstice. It was interesting visiting again to find that the trees are still adorned with ribbons, messages, all sorts of bits and pieces. I'd been suffering from a virus which really affected my balance badly when we first visited, looked up and next thing I knew was flat on my back. It's really, really weird but on this visit, again experienced problems with balance - for the first time for years. Thankfully didn't find myself flat on my back though.

It's not particularly clear but there's a bunch of wild flowers carefully placed on the altar. When we'd visited previously there'd been a bunch of ivy, holly, etc as it was the middle of winter. It's nice to know that there are some places which are recognised as being special in some way or other for such a long time and people still visit and care about them.

When I'm on holiday like to read novels that are set in the area where I'm staying. I must add that when on hols it's not unknown for me to get through a novel a day. This time read

A modern Miss Marple ie amateur sleuth is an accurate description and really enjoyed the way she develops Rose Trevelyan's character over the course of the novels. Most enjoyable holiday reading and would thoroughly recommend it for anyone holidaying down in the far SW of Cornwall. This is very different - totally gripping but quite dark and very gritty and although the ending is not unexpected is still shocking. Despite being dark there are also touches of humour and amazing self awareness by the characters. If this is anything to go by can now fully understand why Joolz Denby was shortlisted for the Orange Prize and it's certainly made me want to go and buy her other books. Bought these at Books Plus in Penzance - it's a small independent bookseller and like everyone else I tend to buy lots of books from Amazon but also try to support the independents. This little book shop was great, packed from floor to ceiling and the owners extremely helpful. Asked for books set in the area and provided me with a good selection. They were also helpful in being able to tell me exactly where Knit Wits was - more to follow in next entry.

And finally Portherras Cove which was so close we could visit most evenings. This was the highlight of the dog's holiday as she loves the sea and beaches and for us since we usually had it to ourselves. .

Jolly Hols!

2006-05-01T15:21:00.000+01:00

Back from Cornwall and a jolly good time was had by all - M, me and dog. We're both a lot fitter and look fairly tanned though from the wind rather than the sun. Had a good mix of walking, relaxing, reading, knitting, more walking, sampling the local pasties etc.

Stayed down on the Pendeen headland which because of the number of shipwrecks had a lighthouse built on it in 1900. Until then, there was just a watchtower and a row of coastguard cottages further up the cliff top. Before the lighthouse was built not quite sure what happened when a ship was in difficulties and whether they lit a beacon or shone a light which wasn't always visible. Anyway the row of old coastguard cottages was bought from Trinity House (who run the coastguard system) by the manager of Geevor mine and gradually seem to have been sold off over the years. This is the row of old coastguard cottages and where we stayed - the lighthouse is just down the road from the cottages. It was interesting that there are loads of original features in the cottages such as fireplaces with the Trinity House anchor emblem, floor to ceiling pine dressers which were built into the living room, boot scrapers built into the outside wall. We meant to get photos and annoyed that we forgot. This is taken from the South West coastal footpath.

One of the joys of the holiday was that we were able to do really good long walks from the house and didn't have to drive or use the car. On the Sat we walked from the cottage down to Cape Cornwall taking in the old Levant workings which are large scale for this country with a wealth of features such as buddles, settlement pits, wooden sluices etc. We've been so near these workings in the past but never actually got to explore them.

Just up and over the brow of the hill is the Levant engine house which is one of the very few remaining steam powered pumping engines left in the country. As its owned by the National Trust they still operate it over Bank Holiday and summer weekends - we have yet to see it in action!
These are the engine houses at Botallack, they're perched right on the edge of the cliffs and with a bit of care and effort can get down to them. Unfortunately Tess (our border collie) has no sense of spatial awareness whatsoever so on this visit decided to give them a miss.

Then along over Roscommon and down into the Kenidjack valley where we explored yet more industrial remains before making our selves comfy on the cliffs and just basking in the sun and watching the waves.

Don't know that I've seen M look so happy and perfectly relaxed for a while but he's had loads of remains to explore and just enjoyed hot apple juice and some yummy cakes from the local bakery.

On the Mon did a 30km circular walk whereby we went up through the village of Pendeen, along much of what used to be part of the Tinners Way. Apparently this is a route based on ancient pathways which was originally used for transporting tin and copper from some of the mines down ships waiting at St Ives

Took in some of the Scheduled Ancient Monuments such as Men-an-tol (shown below), the Nine Maidens stone circle and Men Scryfa Inscribed Stone.

Cut down past Carn Galver which is a rocky outcrop that isn't particularly mountainous but impressive in it's setting and probably where much of the stone for these monuments, boundaries etc came from. Much of this walk was pleasantly familiar but there's been lots of scrub clearance around the monuments which means they're a lot more visible but in some ways don't know that something hasn't been lost. Perhaps it's that they stand out in the landscape rather than were fully intergrated into it previously. Lots of the landscape on this walk does have a very ancient feel about it and especially in the field patterns down near the coast. It's always fun reading the map for this area as well when you have wonderful place names such as Woon Gumpas Common and Eureka Farm - it conjures up all kinds of images. Eventually past Rosemergy cut down to the coastal path and back to the cottage.

On Wed drove down to Cape Cornwall and walked from there down to Lands End and back again - a 20km walk. When the sun was out it was hot and thankfully there was a good stiff breeze or it would have been quite hard going. Thankfully managed to miss the theme park at Lands End though did have to call into the gift shop on the headland and treat ourselves to Roskilly icecream. M had mint choc chip and I had wild cherry which was the best I've had for a long time. Reminded me of Italian ice cream which is hardly surprising since apparently they use the best Italian equipment and cream from their own Jersey cows. Walking back through Sennen fortunately found a hotel which was just about still serving up food and managed to get crab sandwiches. There's nothing to beat sandwiches made with locally caught crab and eaten outdoors at the seaside!!

Spring has Sprung

2006-04-20T23:11:00.000+01:00

At last it feels as if Spring has actually come. We were actually able to sit out in the garden Tues afternoon for a cup of tea although the wind was still a bit cold. However the cold wind has disappeared at last and hurrah! it's actually been warm at times today although showery.

I love this time of year and there's just a day or two when all the willow catkins are out so that the trees look positively golden. I was out the other morning and the swans who live on our stretch of the canal were performing their elaborate courtship ritual but typically I didn't have the camera and of course by the time I'd dashed in the house and got it they'd decided they'd had enough and were getting off the water and settling themselves on the bank.

One of the advantages of taking leave and being at home is that I actually get to enjoy the house, garden and having time to do things like bake. We're going off to Cornwall for a week tomorrow and a holdiay tradition we have is that I bake a cake to take along. When you're doing a decent walk there's nothing like a hot drink and piece of cake to give you that extra bit of energy when you're flagging. I tried a new recipe for an apple cake today and was so pleased with the result.

I just hope it tastes as good as it looks. I'm sure the cat already knows we're going away and he's going to be abandoned for the week - well not really. A work colleague is coming in to feed him, for some reason he really likes her and the feeling is mutual so he'll get lots of fuss.

I was hoping to have heard from my SP before I left and am getting a little worried since I haven't heard anything since early/mid March when my 2nd package arrived. From reading other blogs a couple of the participants are going through rough patches so there's always the possibility that my upstream SP could be one of those. On the other hand having been let down in the Holiday SP round it almost feels as if history is repeating itself. However I've been very lucky in having fantastic downstream SPs and the two packages I have received have been great. I'll just wait until I'm back.

I'd better get to bed, been really busy today, cleaning, cooking, packing etc etc and I'm like a kid when I'm going away - I'll be up and around at some ridiculous time in the morning.

Spring showers

2006-04-11T17:31:00.000+01:00

Been up to North Wales for work today and driving through the mountains it lashed down with rain and was blowing a hoolley. But as usual there were a small number of hardy souls, fully decked from head to toe in waterproofs venturing out but looked pretty damn miserable and just had to ask yourself why? Would be much pleasanter and sensible to be esconced in Pete's Eats in Llanberis eating, drinking tea or coffee and reading newspapers or mags. Some years ago this would have been me but graduated into the fair weather camp of walkers. There were already some tents up at the best known camping sites down the Ogwen valley and pools of water standing on the fields. Ughhh!! not my idea of camping. However two and a half hours later driving back - bright sunshine although the tops were still swathed in cloud and could just still see a sprinkling of snow peaking down beneath the clouds.

Another package that arrived through the post the other day was a good ebay buy. Have hand wound some skeins of wool not knowing until recently that there were things like wool winders and swifts available. The majority of these seem to be available in the States and quite expensive so decided to have a look on ebay and found this

It's a "Hubby" wool holder = swift and wool winder. They were a bit grubby and unloved but with a good clean and polish Voila!! The wool holder is just so neat it slots together and is fully adjustable but dismantles to take up very limited space. Don't know why but the umbrella designed swifts just do not appeal, may be something to do with too many brollies having either collapsed or blown inside out on me!! This suits my aesthetic taste perfectly and the winder is pleasingly simple but so well designed with the bulbous little handle just sitting perfectly in the hand. It's also nice to know that something that was designed and made quite some time ago - perhaps during the 50's, but still works well. Who'd have thought I'd have been waxing lyrical about an old gadget but beware! I do have views and love well designed things that work well. Unfortunatley can't find anything out about Mr "Hubby".

Well here I go!!!

2006-04-09T19:52:00.000+01:00

Didn't think that April 1st was too good a day to start a blog so have left it a week and caught up on other things. It's been a somewhat cold wet Spring here and frost is promised yet again this evening. Got really fed up of not being able to get out in the garden and various plants, particularly the Clematis of which we have a few, really did need pruning. So a brief spell of slightly warmer weather last weekend meant we dashed out into the garden, tidied things up, pruned plants and painted lots of trellis fence and dug out a flower bed but I felt so much better for it.

It also meant I got time to enjoy my latest purchases. A short time ago Kristina posted up a swap on the Knittyboard asking whether anyone was able to get some Colinette yarn and in return she'd supply yarn not readily available in the UK. Well as the Colinette workshop is only 20mins up the road it was too good an oppurtunity to miss, especially as I needed a couple of things myself. Luckily what Kristina wanted was in stock so she was well pleased when she received my package. After prevaricating for a week or two, decided to go for some A.L de Sauveterre since I've lusted after it for so long. I've been particularly impressed by the colourways shown on her site and was interested to see quite how spot on they are. The morning this arrived was almost like Xmas, inside the cardboard box was the yarn all wrapped up in pinky purpley tissue and tied in its own ribbon and then insided was this

This is Whisper 100% Peruvian Alpaca with 200 yards per hank and is colourway Cornish Pixie. To me this does personify Cornwall which is quite special to M and me as we had a memorable holiday there before a particularly tough summer and returned 18 months later to get married there on Xmas Eve. We're returning for a week's holiday at the end of the month so I'm going to have to take some of this with me as my holiday knitting. And there was also this

Summer Berries - doesn't it just remind you of strawberries, raspeberries, cherries, blackcurrants etc. It's soooooo soft and couldn't stop wandering around with huge grin on my face.

Also delivered was a package from Amazon which contained a copy of OneSkein by Leigh Radford. This is every bit as good as the reviews I've seen and am impressed that the one skein covers small to large skeins of diffferent types of yarn. Will make several of the items especially the baby bits and things as pressies. It's also an inspirational read and makes you realise quite how much you can achieve with a single skein. The other book was Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch. My lovely SP sent me Socks, Socks, Socks but still needed a basic sock reference book and this is it. Both books will get lots of use as I love knitting socks and have a pair on the go at all times.

And package three contained goodies some of which have just been posted off to my SP.