Snow joke

Where's Lily?

Projects since June

Spring Thaw in Ranco Aurocania




Martha Rowan Scottish Tweed 4 ply


Saroyan in Alpaca

Annis in grey silk laceweight which was rather too thin.

Coquille in Noro sock yarn

28th June??

I knew it had been a long time since my last post but couldn't believe it when I came back and saw the date of my last post was June 28th! I seem to have missed the whole summer.
Of course I had lots of trips out with Millie during the school holidays. We went to Conkkers with Auntie Isabel, Drayton Manor with Mummy, Bluebell's Maize Maze, Make It! in Mansfield, Manor Farm Donkey Sanctuary, Rufford Country Park, Shipley Country Park and I'm sure there were others I have forgotten



Ah yes, a check in the photos reminded me of Cadbury World. Here is Millie, enjoying the playground.


We took Grandad to the Heights of Abraham in Matlock. This is reached by a cablecar and this is Millie in the exhibition of how it works.


It was the summer of the crystals when Millie started a collection so we took her to the National Stone Centre where she had a lovely if damp time panning for gems. It was terribly stressful though as she was traumatised at the thought of loosing any of the chips over the side of her pan!

Conkers

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.

Late Birthday Present

I was in the Ravelry birthday swap and largely because of the volcanic ash cloud which grounded so many planes, my package from mullub in Ontario only arrived today. It was worth the wait - there is Koigu in there and Sublime.



Also 2 of my favourite indulgences, a new magazine and some of those fancy extortionately priced tissues. Missing from the picture, I'm not sure why it got away, is a shiny green tape measure. Do you remember the cbbc programme where the characters were rewarded for correct answers with a 'shiny'?

Millie's new cardi

When Millie was 3 I knitted her a little lacey cardi in lilac Sirocco. I hated knitting it. The yarn feels quite harsh. But Millie loved it and has been struggling into it until a couple of weeks age. I remembered I had bought some pale green to knit myself a top but had been put off by the feel of it. I have knitted the same cardigan 3 sizes larger but I'm not sure the colour will be as popular. We'll find out tomorrow.

Bank Holiday

I've had a lovely time over the weekend. On Friday I had a day out with janiannie We had been invited to a sale at Heath's Country Store and it would have been rude not to go, or not to take advantage of the discount Offered. I didn't spend so much but we carried on to Thorsby for lunch in The Bay Tree and a quick browse around the lovely shops and the especially good plant shop ...that was where the money went but I did get lots for it!
Saturday was work so we will gloss over that and go straight to Sunday which I spent trying to take in as many venues as possible in the Derbyshire Open Arts event. We started at Skeins in Glossop and that was far too tempting! Grey silk laceweight, Fabulous sock yarn, Noro sock yarn half price. Oh dear! We went to several other places too, ending up at Cromford Mill for coffee and scones. I was so tired I accidentaly ordered cream with mine but I'm sure I'd used the equivalent calories going up and down steps.....