Close-ups

My parents visited at the weekend, so on Saturday we drove up to Alnwick to visit the gardens there. I'd never been in Summer and was looking forward to seeing everything in bloom. Unfortunately the weather stuck to form and was drizzly in time for the weekend but we managed to get a couple of hours of dry weather to look around.

I recently discovered how to take close up photos with my camera without upsetting the focus so I tried it out on some of the flowers. I'm particularly proud of this one.

I love the colours of these flowers and of the lupins.

In the grease...

I've been pretty rubbish about posting on my blog recently (well so my mother keeps telling me), but it's more to do with wanting to be doing things other than sitting at the computer than not having anything to write.

A few weeks ago a kind colleague of my mum's gave me the fleeces from her 8 jacobs sheep, which she usually burns. They're now sitting in my garage in sacks. Noone else seems to want to take any off my hands and I was at a bit of a loss as to how to tackle this huge pile. I don't mind washing the fleeces but I hate carding fleece and so hardly ever make time to do it. On a rainy weekend two weeks ago I decided to have a go at spinning it in the grease.

I wanted to see how the yarn would come out and be able to knit a tension square and see how it washed. So I span two singles, plied them and washed the resulting skein a couple of times in washing up liquid and hung it on the line. I started off knitting a large tension square which was potentially to become a bag. Because the wool is jacobs it is relatively corse, but I was surprised that it didn't itch me that much. The square got a bit out of hand and I started to take a fancy to the colouring so the strip turned into a sleeve.

Now I have two sleeves and the bottom half of the back. I'm spinning as I knit which gives me a nice combination of activities and there's something pleasing about taking handspun and knitting with it straight away. Unfortunately this is barely making a dent on my pile of fleece but it's a start. I'm thinking I might try some 4 ply next and crochet something householdy. Maybe some table matts.

Weddings and Wool

I've had a very busy weekend, managing to fit in both a wedding and some spinnging and wooly goodness.

Fiona's wedding was lovely and she looked stunning. Here she is looking like a model from a wedding magazine.

It was wierd going on my own. At one point, when the drinks were coming round, I even looked round to see where G was. Too much champagne.

I also made it to a bit of Woolfest. 2 hours of running round stalls. I didn't buy much but it was really good to see other people's ideas. I ended up talking to a wood turner and his wife who are restoring a wheel just like mine. It turns out to be a Finnish wheel. Mine has been stripped back but the spokes and mother of all would have originally been green and the edges of the wheel and board would have been white with patterns combed into them. It was made pre-1950 from pine (it is Finnish). They're going to send me a photo when they've finished restoring it. So the wheel is no longer a mystery. It's really hard to see the colours on this one, but you get the idea. It's like the big sister of mine which is a small and fast lace wheel.

Construction

I know I'm not on my own in saying that I seem to have lost my knitting mojo at the moment. I don't feel motivated by any of the projects I have on the needles. I tried casting on some new things but progress is incredibly slow. I don't know if this is due to a general inability to sit down and properly relax while G is away, or because while the weather is sunny and beautiful I always feel like I should be doing something else.

At the weekend I took some kids from school to take part in the Creative Construction Competition at Newcastle University. As well as the kids taking part the teachers had to form groups and build a structure for a temporary disaster shelter. Here's my group's being tested.

Shortly after this, when the final weight was put on making 15 kg, the string broke. Meaning our structure is stronger than a piece of string. We beat the kids anyway, which is the important thing.

Afterward Lucy and I pooled our resources and had a barbecue. Better than my last attempt, which left us trying to toast marshmallows on one glowing ember. This time the fire was so hot I managed to change most of the spare ribs into charcoal, but we did some first class marshmallow toasting.

Wallpaper

Over the past few weeks I have been decorating our spare room and finally finished yesterday by putting up wallpaper on one of the walls. I've never done it before and all turned out well so I am feeling very proud of myself. It hasn't fallen off during the night or anything. Today I will be making a forray into the more familiar world of flat-pack furniature.

One of the things I didn't mention about my trip to Sheffield was going to see the Mikado on Tuesday Night at the Lyceum by the Carl Rosa opera company. The performance was excellent and was topped off with the entrance of Sylvester McCoy as the Mikado. I couldn't help giggling to myself and thinking 'it's Dr Who'. I don't get out much.

Mini Holiday

I decided to enjoy my half term holiday by spending a few days with my parent's in Sheffield. It's been really nice to relax. I got chance to see a few old friends. We drove up to Wentworth and visited Wingham Wool Work and Elsecar Heritage Centre, where we got to see this train.

We got chatting to one of the railway volunteers and got a private tour of the warehouse. I got to climb into the cabin of one of the trains, a Sentinel, which had a vertical boiler. This is quite unusual apparently, but it didn't look very efficient to me. Each shovel of coal had to be lifted and dropped into the stoke hole.

I tried not to buy too much at Wingham because I wanted to save myself till WoolFest, but it's nice to have something to spin before then. I did get this very soft 100% wool sock yarn, which I am knitting using the Hedera pattern from Knitty.

I managed to finish the RPM socks, which I am wearing as I write. The pattern wasn't too challenging, although I did make a minor alteration, originally by mistake. I decreased 1 stitch at the end of the 1st round and this means you can knit continuously k6 p3, without having to worry about what to do when you reach the end of a row. A pinkphish pointed out you could have pleasingly symmetrical socks if you increased one stitch on the second sock, forcing the spirals to go round the other way.

I know this seems bonkers bearing in mind the 2 unfinished jumpers I already have on the needles but I cast on a jumper using two strands of the 4 ply crepe I inherited from Graeme's Aunt. I needed something easy to knit and I really do need more jumpers. I'm using the Flower Power pattern from Stitch 'n' Bitch Nation, without the flower. I might change the neck or do some short row bust shaping on the front. I haven't quite decided yet.

I also managed to write 120 reports while at my parents. I now only have 75 more to write in the next 2 weeks. Today it's off home to the decorating. I'll leave you with a picture of my parent's pond in the bank holiday sunshine.

Lots of gardening but no knitting.

Despite it being relatively cold yesterday (13°C) it was lovely and sunny so I decided to devote some time to the garden. Rather than looking like a shallow grave (Graeme really has gone on a work trip) it now looks green and promising. You'll notice in the photo below that I'm not being organic about it. I don't feel like I have time at the moment to hand pick slugs from my plants.

On Saturday, motivated by the special offers, I made a trip to Woolaballoo in Crawcrook. I really like the shop, although they are still building up their stock so it doesn't have everything but the range of sock yarn is quite good and I'm happy to support any small independent yarn shop since we have so few.

I also made an attempt to recreate a delicacy I know from my native Sheffield, Derbyshire oatcakes. They came out a bit thick. I've been trying to do this on and off for years and this is the closest I've got so far. I think I need to try and find some fine oatmeal. I good sustitute for the mean time anyway.

Hiatus

Sorry for the long gap between blog posts. Graeme left for a long work trip and I didn't feel much like writting anything at first. I'm used to being on my own now, although I still find it hard to find the time and motivation to do all the cleaning, washing up, mowing the lawn etc.

There has been some knitting progress. I finished my Pomatomus socks
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I also finished the Monkey Socks I was knitting. Since the only person who thought the colourway looked halfway decent was Pinkphish she is now their proud owner. Lucy knits so many items for gifts and for charity that there is noone more deserving of some handknit socks.

Lucy and Glenda both came over on the weekend Graeme left to cheer me up, eat a roast dinner and knit. We made a pathetic attempt to watch the film Ratouie but we kept knitting and talking so the film passed us by.

Encouraged by Lucy and Glenda I started a pair of plain sock in the Regia Silk Colour bought for me by Jen for my birthday. I love the colourway and it does look great in stockinette. I knit the first very quickly but saved the second to knit on the bus on our school trip last weekend. I love them so much I feel like I should keep them to look at.

Last night I cast on some RPM socks in Wildfoote sock yarn from the Brown Sheep Company.

I spent last weekend on a school trip to Derwent Hill, which is the residential centre on Derwent Water in the Lakes, run by Sunderland Council. We took 50 teenagers with us. We got to take part in the activities with groups so I spent Saturday morning kayaking and the afternoon on high ropes from trees. I went down the zip line but skipped on the Tripple Death Swing. I didn't fancy loosing my lunch from a great height with 20 teenagers watching me. The best activity was the gorge walking on Sunday afternoon. We were kitted out in wet suits and waterproofs and went sliding down the waterfalls and rocks in a river bed flowing down the side of one of the hills. A thunderstorm was brewing but it was warm. Very atmospheric. I didn't take my camera with me and for obvious reasons I won't be posting any pictures that include children from school but I'll hopefully be able to get some photos of the scenery from one of the other teachers. I pinched these off another website.

Despite all my expectations I really enjoyed the weekend and we didn't really have any problems with any of the young people with us. This week feels like a real struggle as I was already exhausted on Monday morning. Fortunately today I have a conference to attend in Newcastle, starting at 10am. I'll try not to leave my posts so long next time.

Photoless

I'm finding it very hard to motivate myself to blog when I can't put photos on my posts. My camera is still on the blink. When I press the button it just turns itself off with the lens open. This is exactly the same thing that happened with my previous camera. I'm going to try to take it back with my extended warantee and see what happens. If I don't get a replacement no more Fujis for me.

On Saturday we went for a 6.5 mile walk from Bolam Lake, up to Shaftoe Crags. G had bought a pack of Shepherd's Walks which, despite the dubious maps that G doesn't like, are all fairly local and quite interesting. The weather was so good I had my jacket off at one point. This photo is from the Shepherd Walks website.

I finished the first of my ugly Monkey socks and have been trying to find motivation for my larger long-term projects but the urge to cast on something else is overpowering.

I gave my seedlings some attention at the weekend and was planning to do some weeding etc in the garden but Sunday ended up being a wash-out. True to form it is bright sunshine this morning. Time to go to school.

Mitford Castle

Yesterday we decided to make the most of a rain-free day by going for a walk. We drove a couple of miles north to the village of Mitford where there is an old ruined castle. Apparently it is the only 5-sided castle in the country, though this wasn't easy to tell. Unlike other castle I have visited there was no English Heritage or National Trust and no fee to pay. The castle is in a field full of sheep and has a couple of public rights of way running next to it. It is free of signs and barriers and unbothered by the restrictions of modern health and safety. Definitely worth a visit for the nosey.

The surrounding footpaths aren't that well marked and are easily confused with sheep trails. We ended up having more of a meander than a walk but it was nice to get out into the sunshine.

The bag felting was successful but it is still very wet, despite 48 hours on a radiator. I also finished my Pomatomus socks. There are no photos as my camera seems to be going bonkers at the moment and just turns off when I press the button (no low battery sign).

Last night I started a pair of monkey socks for myself, in the seemingly harmless looking sock yarn below. The socks look absolutely foul (again no photo due to camera issues). I like the feeling of the fabric but I was tempted just to frog them because of the colourway. The only reason I haven't is because I feel sort of sorry for the yarn and it is knitting up quickly. We'll see.

Project Audit

I thought I'd review what I've got on and recently off the needles.I've been making an effort to finish two long term projects that I have neglected.

Linda Cardigan
One is this hemp cardigan from the House of Hemp Linda pattern. I started it in September last year. I've now finished the back and both fronts but still have to do the sleeves.

Glade Jumper
The other is the Glade Jumper from Rowan Knitting Magazine, Issue 40. I started this Jumper in December 2006, thinking it would make an interesting project to knit over the Christmas period, but then found it incredibly inpractical as it requires 6 different balls of yarn knitted in a lace pattern. Not only did I find myself a bit too distracted to concentrate but I also had trouble distinguishing one shade of kidsilk haze from another in the dim winter light. I finished the back and did an inch of the front and it's been in hibernation for about a year. I've just about finished the front now and need to start the sleeves.

Handspun Scarf and Gloves
I decided that if I was going to spin I was going to have to try and use up my handspun so that I didn't end up totally snowed under. So I knitted this scarf in feather and fan with the merino I spun at the knitting retreat. I also started a pair of mittens but have just about run out of yarn at the fingers. So these are now in hibernation until I figure out what to do with them.

Plain Kidsilk Scarf
In search of something plane to knit one evening I picked up a ball of kidsilk night and knitted this scarf in garter stitch with one 12mm needle and one 6mm needle. It doesn't look that great right now though. It needs a good blocking.

Pomatomus Socks
I wanted something small to take to St. Petersberg so I started these Pomatomussocks in the natural dye studio sock yarn that Pinkphish bought me for my birthday. Despite the fact that a lot of blue has come off the yarn onto my hands and needles I really like the feel of the yarn and the way the socks look. I'm just about at the toe of both socks so I just need to make a small effort this weekend to finish them off.

Driving Socks
When we go on long jounerys I like to have something to knit that doesn't require too much attention. If I don't look forward for the majority of the time I start to feel ill. So I started these plain socks in Regia Uno Black, with an afterthought heel and toe in my handyed, BFL sock yarn. I can pretty much knit them without looking and did the heal when I got home.

Messenger Bag
And last but not least, because when most of your projects are lace you yearn for something chunky to knit and in celebration of getting my SnB books back after lending the to someone for the better part of a year, I started and have nearly finished the Candy Stripers Messenger Bag from Stitch 'n' Bitch Nation. I'm using some chunky merino that I bought from Wingham Wool Work when I was there in January. True to form I didn't have quite enough so I'm knitting the top in Rowan Big Wool I bought yesterday from Ring-a-Rosie at Monkseaton. I will finish the top later and have a go at felting. Most things I've felted before have turned out to be over felted so I'm going to have a go at controlling the process a little more, though this is always difficult in a British front-loading washing machine.

Alan Titchmarsh eat your heart out

One of the best things about spring is seeing the garden come back to life again. All those bulbs I planted with my mum on my birthday are now showing their faces. The trees are starting to get leaves.

The living room window is full of seedlings and germinating seeds of vegetables and bedding plants.

I also planted some seeds outside (carrots, parsnips, lettuce, spinach and rocket), possibly a little close together but I don't have that much space and begars can't be choosers. The plant at the end of the bed is rhubarb, which my mother-in-law unexpectedly posted to me in a padded envelope. It is thriving, despite our initial scepticism.

Travels

Apologies for the blog silence. Having arrived at the end of term with very much relief and very few blog posts, I headed straight out the next morning for 5 days in St Petersberg, followed by 3 days visiting family around the country.

St. Petersberg was warm for this time of year (about 10 degrees). Graeme was attending an Archeology conference for work, which was taking place in the Hermitage (museum, formally the Tsar's winter palace) so I went with him and managed to have a good look around. The place if a maze with room after room of artefacts and artworks stretching right back from Neolithic times to the modern day. I can't claim to know much about art but I did enjoy seeing the impressionist paintings and the building in general.

I also managed to get to the fortress and to a couple of cathedrals.

There was a conference trip to Novgorod. It was an archeology meeting so the trip included a tour of the archeology museum and an excavation site. It all meant very little to me but the others seemed to enjoy it ("Oh look, more pottery"). Our guide seemed to be fixated on showing us churches. Some of them were interesting but at the end of the day when you don't know much Russian history it's all a bit out of context.

The thing I found most interesting was seeing the river where sheets of ice were flowing, next to a sandy beach complete with umbrellas.

Graeme and I were adventurous and made our own way, by metro and dodgy private minibus to one to the summer palaces, the Katherine Palace. The palace is nausiatingly opulent, with gilt everywhere and a room decorated entirely in amber (no photos allowed), that it begins to be less and less surprising that the royal family's days were numbered. Especially when compared with the houses of people in rural villages.

After reterning to Heathrow we visited Graeme's brothers and their families and had a fab day out at Marwell Zoo. It's been a few years since I was last at a zoo. We even managed to have a picnic outside when the sun came out for half an hour.

I have some knitting and gardening news to add but I'll save that for tomorrow. Watch this space.

Snow Rabbits

My mum and I went to Church on Easter Sunday morning leaving Graeme and my Dad at home. When we came back we found invaders in the garden.

Elephants and Yarn

Last weekend Isabella turned 1 and in celebration of this I knitted her an elephant from Ysolda Teage's Elijah pattern. I used Rowan Cashsoft DK. I really enjoyed knitting it and unlike most knitted toys there was very little seaming to be done. The stiches for the arms and legs were picked up from the body so there's no chance of them falling off from too much love. I think I might knit another.

While in Beadnell I started spinning some merino which I bought from Scottish Fibres. It is a blend of colours, the colourway is called Spring and it does remind me very much of some of the spring flowers that are around at the moment. I feel like there should be a green and yellow colourway to go with it. The first 2 skeins ended up a heavy DK weight, but the third skein which a finished at the weekend ended up much lighter. I'm not too worried by it. I think the first two will become a scarf and the last one a pair of gloves which actually works out quite well.

I am finding that as term goes on I am getting more and more tired and less able to concentrate on making things. I feel much less creative as I result. Yesterday I decided to bring out the long neglected boring marathon projects I've been hiding from. Maybe I can finish my hemp cardigan before it gets warm enough to wear it. Wish me luck.