Walking the Cumbria Way

We had such a lovely week, I can't tell you how much I enjoyed the simplicity of it all. The weather was unbelievably kind, we only had an hours light rain the whole time, and this is the Lake District we are talking about!

Our days fell into a pattern of getting up, eating breakfast, then donning rucksacks and walking out of the door, stopping to eat/drink/admire the view when we felt like it until we reached our destination where we located the village shop to stock up on supplies for the next day, found our B&B, ate our evening meal and fell into bed tired but happy, ready to get up the next morning and start all over again - no distractions, just wonderful scenery and peacefulness, no internet and no mobile signal (I even used one of the old fashioned red phone boxes to call DD one evening).It was just so lovely to get away from it all I haven't wanted to go on the computer since I came back, trying to preserve the feeling.

We have a heap of photo's but blogger would throw a fit if I put in as many as I would like to so here are a couple of my favourites

Langdale Valley

Looking across Elterwater to the Langdales

Eagle Crag

We stayed in a diverse range of accomodation from the old to the new, in proper hotels and peoples spare rooms, but my favourite was Robinson's Place Farm

It is a traditional Lakeland working sheep farm built in the 17th century and is owned by the National Trust. Vicky could not have made us more welcome, the room was large, comfortable and spotless, and I immediately felt very much at home.
It was lovely to chat with her and I would have liked to stay longer, but with a LONG days walking ahead we had to leave. Interestingly though, we talked about shearing and I was suprised to hear that a fleece only fetches 2p per kilo for dark colours and 4p per kilo for light, and they only get a kilo from each sheep (if they are lucky), then the carrier charges 7p per fleece to 'load them on the wagon'. Vicky's husband does his own shearing but if a contract shearer is used, they charge £1 per sheep (plus food)- so whichever way you look at it, the farmers are working at a loss. As a knitter, looking at the price of British yarn, this seems incredibly unfair.
It wasn't suprising then to see this in the corner of the lounge
all manner of wooly jumpers handknit from Herdwick fleece ready for sale.

To be honest I was suprised at just how much I enjoyed the week and we both came home physically tired but emotionally rested and when I start to feel a little stressed at work I shall just look at my screen saver and imagine I am here again, sitting on the side of Derwent with just DH, the map and my flask......

Scarf, gloves and sun tan lotion

Guess where I will be holidaying?



That’s right, England, and due to the vagaries of the good old English weather I am having to act like a boy scout and ‘be prepared’.

I expect it has been the same for many of you, but round here last week the temperature was in the high 20s - flip flops, shorts and strappy tops were the order of the day, and many a lobster pink body could be seen. This week we’ve been lucky if it reaches double figures on the thermometer and the winter woollies are back out.

I’m off to walk the Cumbrian way, and who knows what the skies will throw at us, but never fear, I have it all, well as much as I can fit in the holdall – it’s OK, I won’t be carrying it myself, one of the conditions of saying yes to this adventure was that we used a baggage transfer service. The down side though is that I have no option but to walk if I want to be with my luggage at the end of the day as it will be moving on to the next B&B regardless of what I do. Just to be certain that I have the essentials though I will have one lot of knitting in my holdall, and a little project in my rucksack – well you never know do you?

Little things

I'm in that awkward place at the moment. I have my next project all lined up and ready to go, but I don't want to start it 'til I go away shortly.
With my existing yarny stuff, I'm suffering from SMS (well if you can have Second Sock Syndrome why not Second Mitten Syndrome) and as for the Mystery Crochet Blanket - if I do another crochet mitred square I think I might scream! If I had known what I was taking on I never would have started it, much less bought yarn - yes, I know, me buying yarn from LYS, and at full price even !!! I can't not finish it now, but I hate these squares and there are 16 of them - I'm sure the designer was deranged, or masochistic or just plain misguided if she though 16 of the same, awful, square was a good idea. It should have been finished in time for Christmas, but it's not even going to be done for Easter - oh well.

Anyway, the point of this ramble was to explain why I have been avoiding what I already have on the needles filling my time usefully with small items.

First I made some Flower coasters to catch the drips at work - I still can't find a mug exactly the right size to use with the drinks machine, so when I have to whip it out just before the end I invariably get drips. I made two (in reverse colours) so I can throw one in the wash and still have one to use. After all it's no good using my own mug to save plastic cups and the environment only to work my way through a tree wiping my desk.

And then there is Little Bear, he's been quite unhappy ever since I had him, you see he is definitely a he - you can see it in his face, but he had a very feminine pink and lilac sweatshirt on, and he really didn't like it, so I finally gave in to him and knitted a custom made jumper in blue sock yarn, just to make him happy.

The non-technical approach

I decided to take the non-technical approach to select the winner for my blogiversary draw, and as DD is looking after the nieces during the school holidays I thought I would enlist their help.

Littlest niece wrote the names on some paper and then of course I had to find a hat - because when you are 7, if you are told we are going to pull the winning name out of a hat, then a hat, and only a hat will do!


Now I don't do hats except for the knitted variety, so we settled on this one, (Coronet from Knitty in case you are interested) - I think it looks quite good upside down as a bowl!

And biggest niece had the very important task of picking a name from the hat.... and so the winner is.........



Congratulations Auntie Noo, if you could let me have your address I will send the project bag to you.

Follow the yellow brick road

Well the footpath across the field anyway.


DH and I are getting some miles behind us in readiness for our walking holiday (holiday being used in the loosest sense of the word!). In a few weeks time he and I will be walking the Cumbrian Way - 72 miles from Ulverston to Carlisle over 6 walking days. I'm sure I will enjoy it, but there are times when I am not sure how the word 'yes' came out when he suggested it - usually about 10 miles into the practice walks! Joking aside, I've always been a walker, walking at least 2 miles a day, plus 4 miles with friends every friday evening and DH and I often do a longer walk at the weekend, just to get away from it all and have uninterupted time together, but this will be my first long distance walk whilst DH has done several.

At the weekend we did 12 miles locally, and for some reason I was really taken with the view along the road under the bridge that used to carry the long disused Hawkhurst branch line



And further on I saw what has to be the absolute typical Kentish scene



It was a lovely walk, with perfect weather, sunny with a nice gentle breeze and we covered the 12 miles in a very respectable 4 hours including a few stops for snacks and a cuppa (there is no way I am walking long distances without my flask!).

My legs were naturally tired, so when we got back I put my feet up and was listening to the Simon and Garfunkel CD I recently treated myself to (to relive the past I think) and DD came in just as it was playing Scarborough Fair
(Are you going to Scarborough fair?/parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme/remember me to one who lives there/ she once was a true love of mine)
DD stood considering for a few moments, then said "It's odd isn't it? I mean, who on earth would suddenly say ' you know, I think I'll sing about some herbs today'?"
Actually, perhaps she has a point!


PS: There are still a few days left to enter my blogiversary draw - it closes on Saturday 16th April

Blogiversary giveaway

It's my 5th blogiversary! I find it hard to believe but it is. So as is traditional I thought I would have a giveway. But what to give? - well since none of us can have too many project bags (well I certainly can't and I'm sure I'm not alone), I searched my books and patterns until I found just the thing, then dusted off my sewing machine, raided my stash and here it is.



Just right for a small project, or socks of course, the base measures approx 8" across and 2" deep, it is self lined and lightly padded.

So if you fancy winning yourself a new project bag comment on my blog, between now and Saturday 16th April, and I will randomly select a winner to send it to.

Good luck.

Why the weather is better

Here in the South East we have had a spell of lovely weather - warm enough to go out and about without a coat - and I even sat in the park with my crochet one lunch time. It has been wonderful spirit lifting weather after the horrible winter. So why has it brightened up - well because I have finished my Frame your face cowl of course.



and modelled....



Made from some Schoppel Wolle sock yarn that I bought from Knit'n'caboodle, as they were closing down, on 3.75mm circs, I knit the main part plain stocking stitch rather than the knit/purl pattern suggested just because I preferred it, and having had to frog the body once (because I cleverly managed to pick up the stitches on the pointy side of the lace strip, not the straight side - and no I still don't know how I managed it either) it gave me chance to simplify the design.

It may be lovely weather now, but I'm sure I will get chance to wear it soon enough.

Signs of spring

To me there are a few things which definitely signal the coming of spring....


Cheerful crocus

(Not quite) a host of golden daffodils

and Dudley enjoying the spring sunshine from his vantage point on top of the car.

And today I mowed the lawn - oh joy, spring is definitely on the way.

Can I finish....

Here in the Model household someone always wants something when I am drinking a cup of tea. Now I don't think I have a demanding family, so maybe I drink a lot of tea, or take a long time drinking it, but there is one phrase that I seem to be forever saying. It has got to such an extent that DD has had a mug made especially for me.

So now, rather than asking that same old question yet again I will just raise my mug to them instead.....

Blankets,blankets,blankets

Over in the P/hop group on Ravelry we are making blankets....blankets of all sorts so that everyone can join in. The idea being that we can contribute squares (or strips) to whichever blanket-along we like (or more than one if we wish) and four generous souls have volunteered to co-ordinate a style of blanket, receive the pieces and assemble them.
I decided to contribute to two, the DK log cabin blanket
and the aran weight strip blanket
(and there is also a crocheted square blanket and a barnraising blanket both in sock yarn)

But there is someone far more generous, Christi1 has knitted and donated the most gorgeous blanket all by herself to be auctioned on eBay (do take a look, it's here ) A Missoni inspired merino and cashmere blanket in the loveliest of colours of hand dyed mini skeins from the Art of Zen from a pattern donated by Debbie Orr - and ALL the profit will go to Medecin sans Frontieres. It's just wonderful and I do hope she raises a large amount, she certainly deserves to - if anyone reading this could raise the awareness of the auction in any way I know Christi1 and P/hop would really appreciated it. The bigger audience it reaches the better.

Lucky number seven

I'm not usually a lucky person - well not in the sense of winning things - I'm very lucky in that I have my health, my family, my friends, a nice house and car, and whilst I'm not rich I do ok but I don't, as a rule, win anything. If I buy a raffle ticket then I think of it as a donation, not a chance of winning something, so when I put a comment on Silvia's blog it was because I often do as I have enjoyed reading Blogging in the slow Lane for a long time not because of her giveaway. Imagine my suprise when the random generator picked out my comment (comment number seven) as the winner! And this lovely parcel arrived in the post.



With a flower tucky, lavender bombs and some cute little stamped tags. I've often admired Silvia's work, and now I am the proud owner - and the bombs smell divine too.
Thank you Silvia.

"It's like a drug"

I really enjoy knitting for charity, it gives me chance to make some things I might not otherwise make, I can try out new stitches and techniques, if it's to be worn it doesn't have to fit a specific person it will always fit someone, it eats into my stash and lets me do what I like doing best.

I knit for various causes, if I see an Appeal that, er, appeals then I will join in, but there is one consistent cause I knit for and that is Knit-a-square. I feel it would be comforting, if I had nothing, to be able to wrap myself in a handmade blanket. I think it would give me physical and emotional warmth, and that's what I hope my squares will do for someone else.
I also knit hats and the occasional toy for them, and just because a blog post wouldn't be right without a photo, here is what I made in January....



So what's the connection with the heading? I hear you ask. Well, I was reading All for Orphans (the blog where you can follow the issues of the aids orphans and abandoned children that we are knitting for) and the latest post was about the article in the South African on line paper, City Press, in which they quoted Lindie Ngwenya – one of the leaders of the knitting movement in Soweto and part of Knit-a-square as saying

“Its like a drug,” Ngwenya explains, “When you are making a blanket, you think about the child who will receive it and that makes you happy.”

and that just about sums it up for me.

(You can read the whole post here and if you want to find out more there is information on the All for Orphans blog, on the main Knit-a-square website, or there is a friendly group on Ravelry.)

Where does the time go?

A couple of months ago DH and I celebrated our Silver Wedding - yes 25 years! and I've no idea where it went. It's been a wonderful 25 years, naturally there have been some good and bad, happy and sad, there is bound to be during that length of time. I've been so lucky, we met when we were 18 and have grown up together, and I want to be with him as much today as I did then (ahhh, sorry slushy stuff out of the way now!)

But what does one give to the man who has everything - well, as his life revolves around aircraft (model ones) both work and play, as soon as I saw this lace pattern I had the answer



It took months of secret bobbin twiddling and luckily 4 friends and I meet once a week at the house of our friend and lace teacher, to put the world to rights, drink tea, oh and do a bit of lace :) so I had the opportunity. Though there was one scary moment when DH insisted I show BIL my lacemaking as he was showing a keen interest! Fortunately, I suddenly remembered I had a small UFO on another pillow (see UFOs do have their uses) and all was well.
I'm pleased to say that DH was very happy with his pressie and it now has pride of place on the wall.

He makes me smile

I saw him through the crowd and it was love at first sight. There was something in his expression that made me feel all warm inside.

I tried to resist but it was useless, he kept catching my eye. It was then that I realised we were meant for each other. I made my way to where he was sitting and gathered him up in my arms. I took him ................

to the till and paid!



Now he sits on my kitchen window sill and grins at me every time I pass, and I just can't help smiling back!

Doing my bit

I always try to do my bit for the environment, you know, recycle what I can, turn off lights, walk not drive etc etc, but the one thing that has always got to me is those washing up sponges, you know the things, they are great at what they do, but they fall apart so quickly and all you can do is throw them out to be added to the landfill. I don't like using a cloth to wash up (though my hand made ones are always around for wiping the worktop etc) and I just hadn't found a suitable alternative until I came across Gherkin's Bucket and her Crochet Dish Sponge
I can whip them up quite quickly, and just used whatever I had in stash, doubling up the thinner yarns as necessary. I throw them in the washing machine, or dishwasher to clean them and when they finally die they can be recycled/composted. So now I can wash up with a clear conscience.

My first ever design

THE MOCK CABLE HAT


Well 'design' is a bit too grand a term but My first working out with a stitch dictionary, maths, experience and trial and error just doesn't have the same ring to it!

It's quick and easy - (I made it during the course of a film - a longish film admittedly but for me that's still quick) and has some interest with the mock cables to stop it from being boring, but it's simple enough that I could still follow the plot.

Feel free to use the pattern as much as you like (for non-profit purposes) but if you enjoy it, then please consider making one for charity, or popping a few pennies in a collecting box next time you pass one. Thank you.


Mock Cable Hat
To fit from large child to small adult
(this hat is quite stretchy)

Using 2 strands DK held together
5mm circular needle 16”
DPNS or long circ to magic loop

Gauge
Approx 18sts to 4” over pattern (but as it is a very forgiving pattern a slight variation in gauge will not affect the finished hat too much)


Pattern notes
Mock Cable (worked in the round over multiple of 4 sts)
Rounds 1-3: [K2,P2] to end
Round 4: [K2tog but do not drop sts from left needle, k into first of these sts again,
drop both sts from left needle, P2] to end.

Directions
Cast on 64 sts, place marker and join to begin working in the round, being careful not to twist.

Work rounds 1-4 of mock cable 8 times

Decrease for top, changing to DPNS/ magic loop when necessary
R 1: [K2, P2] to end
R 2: [K2, P2tog] to end (48sts)
R 3: [K2, P1] to end
R 4: [K2tog, P1] to end (32sts)
R 5: [K1, P1] to end
R 6: [K2tog] to end (16sts)
R 7: [K2tog] to end (8sts)
R 8: [K2tog] to end (4sts)

Draw yarn through remaining sts, pull up tight and fasten off.
Either leave as it is or add a pompon or tassle and give to your favourite charity




Mine will be heading off to Knit-a-Square where, despite the name, they welcome hats and sweaters as well as 8" squares to be made into blankets for the Aids orphans and abandoned children of South Africa.

(With thanks to my lovely DD who willingly volunteered to model her mum's latest creation)

A KAL and a CAL

Well the KAS Cuddle is growing nicely, with chunky and DK held together on 8mm needles it kind of has to ;0)
I've even started knitting in my lunch break in the office - I've always been a bit funny about that, happy to knit in public I don't know, in the park, on the train etc but felt uncomfortable in the middle of those I do. Perhaps it's because in my new department we are all that little bit older, perhaps it's because I have discovered some of them are closet knitters too, perhaps it's this particular project but the other day when rain was forecast I thought 'what the heck', put my knitting in my bag, took a deep breath and pulled it out at my desk at lunch time (no rest room to escape to) and do you know what - no one batted an eyelid!

Not content with just doing a KAL (something I rarely do) I've decided to do a CAL as well, fortunately I could raid stash for most of it, and only bought the 4 balls on the top.

This is for the Bernat Mystery Afghan so look away now if you are doing it and don't want to know what Clue 1 looks like...mind you, it wasn't too hard to guess just from reading the pattern.

A Cuddle of many colours

I'm a bit late to the party (so nothing new there then!) but I have just cast on for the KASCuddle KAL and we are making these...

Sleep sacks for aids orphans and and abandoned babies of Africa.

My tardiness is not entirely my fault - the KAL called for 21oz of worsted weight in 100% wool, which is used double. Well at a quick reckoning that would be well out of my budget - but then I discovered (thanks to the Ravelry forum) that, as long as it's composition is labelled any other fibres are acceptable too. So I dived into my stash, and with a bit of (hopefully) clever yarn combining, I think I have come up with equivalent thickness in a reasonably high wool content, which should be nice and warm - it's just going to be rather multi-coloured, but I don't suppose the bubbies will mind.

Happy to help

As you have probably gathered by now I get a lot of pleasure from knitting for others, especially charity, and I don't believe I have shown my finished SANDS blanket, so here it is.


It may be a sad cause, but I loved every minute of the knitting, especially the knitted on border and will definitely be using this pattern again, maybe in other colours for baby shower gifts.

Now, I have finally got around to making something, small, quick and brightly coloured, which you may recall was my intention before I started the SANDS blanket!
I work for a very large company who are celebrating 70 years of being by having a Fete in aid of Kent Air Ambulance (our chosen charity for 2010), so when they asked for donations for the 'Made by Hand' stall I couldn't resist. I started by making some phone socks


Three at a time on two circs, using oddments of sock yarn - that certainly caused a few raised eyebrows when I got out my knitting at the Lacemakers group, but to be honest it was a lot easier than two-at-a-time socks - at least the yarns were different colours so there was less danger of carrying on without changing. I did get in a bit of a tangle though, until I mastered the art of turning in opposite directions at the end of each row!

Then it suddenly occured to me - they didn't have mobile phones in the 1940's (doh) still the lady organising the stall said she still wanted them as they were knitted and that was an old-fashioned skill (not sure if I should be pleased or offended!.
However I went on to crochet some Bookworms


Which only took a few minutes each, and came out rather cute, even if I do say so myself, though I will put that down to Michelle's lovely pattern rather than anything I did.

The Eternal Optimist

Or at what point do you frog?




I’ve been knitting this Moebius Scarf, from Simply Knitting, forever – or so it seems, and I am not enjoying it one little bit, in fact I am having one of those ‘whatever possessed me’ moments.

I really don’t like Rowan Milk Cotton – it makes my fingers feel dirty, it’s not soft and it smells funny. I hate doing moss stitch and the rows are endless. I’m not happy with the colour changes either, I like a nice clean change, not the loops from the stitch below interfering with the new row, and as for carrying the yarn you aren’t using up the side, well there isn’t a side so it looks horrible, added to which I can’t even imagine myself wearing this thing!



And yet I’m still plodding on in the vain hope that it will get better, that I will like it, that I will start to enjoy moss stitch (though heavens knows why I am even considering the possibility – I’ve hated it for the last 30 odd years, so what’s going to change now?) you see, I’m the eternal optimist (or downright stupid, perhaps) and so I knit on



And



On



And



On



until


Ah, that’s better :0)

Walking our socks off

DH and I enjoy walking and more often than not we do a few miles on a Sunday morning, but DH is in 'training' for The West Highland Way (95 miles from Glasgow to Fort William) so we thought we'd up the mileage a bit for this walk. Just for a change we hopped on the train and I knitted my way up to London. We made our way to Paddington Basin (no sign of the bear as we passed through the station, much to my disappointment) and, after a quick coffee and Muffin to fortify us, we set off along the canal.


The Weather was very pleasant, which unfortunately made the tow path rather busy. I'm not quite sure how we walked all that way without seeing one of the multitude of cyclists ending up in the water! They were swerving and speeding and infuriatingly dinging their bells even when we walkers had already flattened ourselves against the sides despite the fact that pedestrians have right of way over bikes on a towpath - in fact, one or two were pretty lucky I hadn't thought to take my walking pole with me!!! and I'm certainly not usually given to violence or even unkind thought but really!! (Grumpy old woman gripe over!)



We passed by Camden Market and I resisted the temptation to turn in - but oh my, did that food smell good.



And carried on with a backward glance at Camden Lock, and on we walked keeping a nice steady rhythm and eating up the miles til at last



The end was in site, with Canary Wharf in view we knew we were nearly there and made our way via the Underground to the train and home again, tired but happy after a lovely day out.

In all, from door to door we did just over 13 miles, and much to my amazement my legs weren't the least bit stiff the next day - DH was moaning though, despite being much fitter and more used to walking than me. Perhaps I should take his place on the WHW next month instead ;0)

Workshops are like buses!

It has been ages since I've seen any workshops that appeal, and then two came along in a week.

I went to Knit Nation on Saturday and took the Spinning for Knitting class with Merike Saarnit, it was brilliant. I had dabbled rather unsucessfully before, but it just wasn't the same trying to teach myself and, I discovered, having the right tools for the job makes such a difference - previously I had tried to spin with a bottom whorl spindle, but now I realise a top whorl is the way to go for me.
Merike is a wonderful teacher, patient but not patronising, kind but firm - she had us spinning in no time at all, and we tried all manner of fibres, and had a little of each left to bring home and practice with too. Sadly there were no spindles to buy in the Marketplace (missed business opportunity there, methinks!) and it has taken me a while to decide exactly what to buy online, but I am now waiting anxiously for postie so I can have another play.


Before and After

And because I am ridiculously pleased with my efforts, here's a close up...

My first Handspun

Then, on Thursday, I went down to Kangaroo near Lewes, East Sussex for a Tunisian Crochet workshop run by the lovely ladies from Denise Interchangeable Needles. Barbara taught us in the morning, again she was an excellent teacher, with a pleasant laid back style (and a lovely american accent), and we picked it up very quickly. Using an 8mm hook and Rowan Cocoon (oh so soft and gorgeous - I think I'm in love with a yarn!!!) our little bags grew rapidly, and after a hasty break for lunch there was no structured teaching so I spent a most enjoyable afternoon finishing my bag whilst chatting with the other students and to Linda (who owns Denise needles) about anything and everything, UK and USA. It was such a good day I was not a happy bunny on Friday when I had to go back to work and couldn't chat and play with yarn and hooks all day!


Bonne Bouche Bag in Tunisian Crochet
designed by Barbara Kreuter

Ten thousand gallons of 4* please!

Well despite the weather - rain, mist, drizzle, fog, downpours, more mist, oh and did I mention rain? - we had a lovely time. On board ship was, of course, superb, gorgeous food, lovely staff and no housework!! but even through the bad weather you could still see and enjoy the beauty of Norway and the Fjords, and we have a very good excuse to go back again.
As you can imagine we took tons of photo's but here are just a small selection.

Couldn't resist this shot of the Ventura berthed at Olden.




Bergen was a lovely town, the old wharf, Bryggen is so attractive even in the rain, I bet it looks wonderful in the sunshine - these old timber warehouses are included in UNESCO's World Heritage list, most are now used as artists studios or restaurants



The narrow little streets and alley ways behind really fascinated me - wouldn't fancy have to traipse all the way up these steps with heavy shopping when they are icy in the winter!


In Flaam we took the scenic railway up the mountain, with sheer drops and a very windy track it made for an interesting ride, there was even a 5 minute stop for photo's at one point, and this is a scheduled train not specifically for tourists - can't imagine BR doing that!


Leaving Olden, I just love the way the mist hangs in the valleys.


A day at sea with little to do, DH decided to be an arty photographer!


And no set of pictures from Norway would be complete without a troll - I thought this was the sweetest we saw (yes saccharine sweet I know) especially as she was wearing a traditional Norwegian cardigan