Catching up (yet again)

Again I have been neglecting the blog! Where have I been? What have I done? Struggled to tame the garden which is a mass of geraniums and alchemelia. The roses have done extra well this year, they are flowering their socks off. The vegetable beds (new this year) look as though they are doing something but the proof will be in the pulling.
I have had a lovely pair of packages from my Secret Pal. They both arrived on the same day so here is a combination picture..



The book Knitted Gifts came directly from Amazon. What a lovely treat. It is full of great little projects. It the big parcel was Juvel yarn, Viking brand Dpn's, handcream, a sweet little heart decoration, a notebook, ceramic buttons and see those great sock yarn slippers! Some paper napkins and a needle guage.There is also chocolate but that is hiding in the fridge!

It's Isabel's birthday tomorrow. Her main present was chicken wire! This has been used to build an enlarged rabbit home for the outdoor ones.It seemed a bit of a poor pressie, although it was received happily, so I added The Rabbit Problem An awsome book which is like a vintage calendar taking us through a year in a rabbit's field, starting with a lonely rabbit looking for a friend and ending with a rabbit explosion in December. I think it is February when it is the cold rabbit problem month with a little pattern to knit arabbit suit complete with ear covers. It is a delightful book. She also got a Sambucus Nigra which we both fell in love with when we visited the open garden trail in Ladybay last weekend. I bought myself one too and it smells amazing. I knitted her a Windmill Bag from various organic cotton leftovers.



We had a lovely aternoon with her and James yesterday. The menfolk were watching the England/Germany match while the rest of us enjoyed the sunshine.



It's been so hot again today. Millie had an inset day off school so Rosemary and I took her on a trip to Bakewell. We had a lovely day, the market is still thriving, unlike a lot of them. I bought myself a hat, mainly for gardening, although I wore it all day. No pictures!

What have I been knitting? I don't know. There must have been something. I do have a Ravenscar knitted in the Freedom Organic cotton I bought on holiday.



I have also just finished a shawl knitted in some sock yarn from Skeins but I am a bit worried that when it is worn it will leave a turquoise tidemark. My bamboo needles had a tinge as I was knitting and I had a line across my tensioning finger. I have washed it well but it still seems to be bleeding colour. I'll have another go at rinsing it sometime but I'm not very impressed.