Not Knitting but........

The rain has kept on and on all day and so I spent the day 'crafting'. Not much knitting progress, just a few rounds on Mieke's gloves and socks but I have been crocheting. I can crochet basic stuff where tension is not an issue and I enjoy making Christmas decorations.

This is a mat which hopefully by 'The Day' will be a set of placemats. Very easy hexagon with a cluster edging. Crocheted with 'peaches and creme' cotton from the USA.

Another hexagon pattern which will become a table decoration and perhaps an afghan if I get hooked and make too many hexagons. I easily become addicted to modular projects and always want to make just one more corner or fill in one more line.

Finally I have been working on the writing of the pattern for this 'chinese lantern' pen or needle holder. Or in fact holder for anything - one year I made loads and put plants in them and gave them as presents.

I was supposed to be working tomorrow but I have been stood down so we are going to friends in Wales and on Tuesday we are going to visit a sort of stately home - will write about it after the visit.

Crafts but not Knitting

When I was young and living at home, my father found a lump of stone with some sort of inscription on it. We could work out some of the words but not many and in those days there was no such thing as 'Google'. I don't remember whether it took months or years but eventually we worked out that it was the above poem. I found this X stitch kit and so have made it for my Mother. It was supposed to be her Birthday present but I did not finish it so it is now for her Christmas present. I finished the Xstitch ages ago but hate the back stitch bit so it got left in a bag. Last night I decided I would not go to bed till it was finished and here it is.

This weekend was also an outing for my spinning wheel. I bought this fibre in New Zealand when I went there last spring. It is Ashford's merino/silk blend and is wonderful to spin. I spun 100 gms and got 266 metres from it which is my best effort yet. I think it is destined to become a triangular scarf.

Sunday !

After a difficult week at work where one of my patients was tasared in the back of the ambulance, frightening me as much as the patient, I am having a 'me' day. The weather is awful, wet and windy so I am having a day pottering around, watching cricket,knitting and spinning.



This is the view from my craft room. The tree opposite is a copper beech and at this time of year it catches the smallest amount of sunlight and shines beautifully. I love all the trees that surround us but at this time of year they become a nuisance as the fallen leaves keep blocking the road drain outside our house and the water runs down the drive and floods our back yard. I spent a whole morning clearing up and a couple of hours later it was just as bad again.

On the knitting front I have -as usual- several projects on the go at once. I am unable to sit and knit at one thing, I have them all surrounding me and I pick up and put down at random intervals. This is a second attempt at a glove - the first was far too small and the stitch pattern does not allow for any 'give'. I am loving knitting it although the fingers are very fiddly.


These are a 'finished' project - quite a rare thing in this house. I started them way back in the summer but they were knitting up too loosely so I frogged and started again. A very simple toe up, gusset heel pattern which knitted up very quickly and could be picked up and put down without losing my place.

This is a project started a couple of years ago !!! It started life as a poncho with sleeves but is now going to be a jumper. I love modular knitting and this has an i cord celtic knot on the plain triangle but I did not like the idea of a poncho. Not sure why I started it really but I think it will work as a jumper - well I hope so - if not it will become and afghan! Watch this space !!

Off to knit and spin and see if England can bat well.

Walk and Knit

This is just experimenting to see if I can do photos any quicker and get them in the right place.

This was the continuation of my walk this morning, and as you can see, I was obsessed by the blue sky.I was trying to show here the beautiful tree colours against the sky.

This is the start of yet another knitting project. The blue, plain merino wool was bought for me 26 years ago by Roger. He was working in Denmark and thought it would be a lovely present for me. I loved it but did not know what to knit. I kept getting it out, admiring it but then would put

it away again. I didn't want to make socks but couldn't imagine me in a jumper in it. Finally today I saw a pattern I liked and cast on. The other yarn that goes with it is Drops Fabel and as you can see it is multi coloured.

Local Walk

I have decided that the reason that I use this blog less than I should is because I like blogs with photos in and I take so long to put photos here from my camera. Today though was such a beautiful day and I have been stuck inside because of horrible weather and a bad cold/cough thing that I went for a walk along the canal with my camera.

This is the picture as I set off from home and it shows how

close the river is. My house is next to this one.

I couldn't believe how blue the sky was after yesterday.

This is looking towards Bath and is a hill called Brassknocker.

And this is the local railway station- no longer a station but is lived in. You would not normally see the river in this view as it should be much lower but it is in flood at the moment.

This was on the way back to home and it is too small to see the village in the distance but it does show how blue the sky was for the whole walk.

I also did some knitting this afternoon but Photos will have to wait as it has taken me ages just to get this few in place!