CREATURE COMFORTS......

Well, it's 4.25p.m. on a rather warm, but gloomy, Sunday afternoon and it's almost...... dare I say it.....DARK! I know I'm indoors looking out, but even so, I'm not liking this shift at all! There aren't enough hours in the day at the best of times nd now it feels like the day is almost over before it's fully begun. I know, it's called AUTUMN. The plus side is the glorious abundance of colour around just now. This is definitely a bumper year for spectacular leaf colouration. We watched the colours change as the week progressed! Have a look for yourself at the wonders that are Nature.......

Whilst at the cottage, we had visits from our son and his wife, with little Sophie and Scott the dog. They stayed over for two nights with us. Our elder daughter and her fiance also paid us a call! All in all we had a very realxing and thoriyghly enjoyable time. I did manage some knitting, although most was done during the five hour road trip there and back.

I finished Aria Delicato before we went away, but only managed to block this weekend. It's a really pretty scarf and one that I know will get plenty of wear.

 

 

The stunning autumnal Yorkshire skies managed to ensure that Snoops was fully occupied with sight-seeing, rather than knitting......

I did manage to finish a pair of socks, that are a Christmas gift for a friend. I rather like the pattern, but have to confess to no longer liking to knit with the Trekking XXL yarn. I've been seduced by the luxurious hand-dyed offerings to be had. However, that does leave a pretty large stash of once loved sock yarn! Never mind, out of sight, out of mind ;-).

I've started one of the October, 'Fall in Full Color' projects. The pattern gives options for a scrf, a hat amd a pair of fingerless mitts. The giant 500yd skein is sufficient for two of the options. I've begun with the scarf and will probably go for the hat as well.

Please excuse the scary orange 'being' who crept in on the act. He's not destined to become a lantern, merely soup. Mr Snoops enjoys soup-making and Snoops enjoys soup slurping! However he got a little carried away in the garden today and so no pumpkin and sweetcorn soup for me tonight!!!!! I've been far too busy knitting and blogging to find time to make soup!

I must show you a selection of other shots from our week up in the Dalby Forest. Hope you don't mind!

Well it's all finished now. Back to school tomorrow, but with lots of lovely memories to keep me going until Christmas. Let me leave you with my favourite captures from our time away.

Oscar with ball held at a rather jaunty angle, just to allow optimum air flow!

Three's company - Oscar, Scott and little Sophie.

I WANT PIE AND I WANT IT NOW!!!!!!!!!

Have a good week everyone.

WEDDINGS AND PLANS.....

Hello there! Happy Sunday! Just a quick post today, as we are away with our family for the holiday weekend. I thought I just call in to 'catch up'. As you can see from the photo above, I have started another new project! In fact I have two new ones on the go, but the other is not quite so colourful, so it can wait until completion. I just happened to be flicking through my baby pattern books last Sunday afternoon, when I came across a really pretty little jumper that would use up some of my stash yarn, the 'Margot' jumper. As you can see from the label on the green yarn, these balls (and quite a few more!) were purchased for a mere £1.20 a ball in a John Lewis sale last summer. I love knitting with Rowan 'milk cotton'. It's really soft and gives great stitch definition. I think it must have taken me about forty minutes to make my final colour selection!!!!! This is how it's looking so far.....

There is a little crocheting detail to add across the front, back and arms. I haven't really touched any of this kind of colour work for a while, because I just hate sewing in all the ends, but just once in a while is bearable.


The last week has been a strange one with weddings and plans to be made. As I sat knitting last Sunday afternoon, I took an exciting phone call from my eldest daughter, who was holidaying with her boyfriend on a small island off the coast of Ireland. They have just announced their engagement! HOORAY! We are so happy for them both. They met at university and have been together for eight years now. It's another lovely, family event to look forward too, as plans are put into motion for a late Spring or early Summer wedding, next year.

The very short, three-day school week, ended with an exciting day of pre Royal Wedding preparations and celebrations. The children had a special Royal Wedding 'street party' school lunch, followed by an afternoon of 'making'. We made flags and commemorative plates to take home. Everyone had great fun!

Sorry, but I'm being called to go. Sophie has just woken up from her nap and we are off out for a spot of lunch, followed by a stroll around Chorlton water park with the dogs. Here they are chilling in the sun..... twenty minutes ago.

 The parks around here are ablaze with rhodedendrons in bloom. They are just beautiful!

Enjoy the rest of the weekend and the sunshine!

NOT MORE SOCKS...... are those for me?

 Well here we are again. Another Sunday evening comes around and another week has flown by. Half-term has passed by in a flash. I spent last weekend catching up on housey jobs, before setting off on the five and a half hour drive up to Manchester, to see baby Sophie. I came home late on Thursday, drove a one hour forty minute round trip on Friday, for Oscar's second hydrotherapy swim..... all of four minutes, and then seem to have spent most of this weekend shifting role between plumber and plumber's mate! Nothing ever happens simply in our house! Our kitchen was remodelled about seventeen years ago and all of the appliances were new at the same time. The washing machine and tumble drier have since been replaced. Neeedless to say, the rest are all arriving at the end of their useful lives at exactly the same time. This weekend , it was the turn of the fridge-freezer to be replaced (no probs there) and the dishwasher. I won't bore you with the details, save to say, that our kitchen has looked like a bomb site for most of the weekend and that we do now have a newly installed, not leaking, functioning correctly dishwasher. HOORAY! It's the turn of the cooker next! I don't want to think about it, so I won't.

So, apart from the plumbing fiasco, a very pleasant week has been spent by old Snoops. The photo above is of Chorlton Park in Manchester. My son and his family live five minutes away, so it is ideal for dog walking. Scott loves finding the muddiest puddles on the planet! Sorry about the poor quality photo. It was a mobile upload.

Sophie is changing so quickly, it's hard to keep up. She's now five months old and has just begun to sit up on her own and take great notice of Scott. I must show you two or three of pics  that I took of them this week.

I knew not too much knitting would get done, whilst there was a scrumptious little granddaughter to cuddle, but I did make some progress with the 'Raspberry Coulis' mystery socks. The last part of the pattern (the toe) was released on Friday and I have managed to finish the first sock off this afternoon.

The pattern is really effective, with a wide rib continuing from the 'little trowels' pattern , down the heel flap and also down into the toe. A very well thought out design. I just have to knit the other one now!

I've also started a simple ribbed pair for my son (Sophie's dad). He always jokes that I seem to do nothing else but knit socks, but they are never for him. He chose the yarn himself from what little sock yarn there is to choose from in John Lewis. I don't think he appreciate the hand-dyed or hand-spun variety!!! I've used the Basic Ribbed Sock by Kate Atherley. It's a free Ravelry download, which can be made in three sizes. With any luck, he may find them in his Christmas stocking!

I picked up three balls of this Aran weight yarn from the 'Sew-In' shop in Disdsbury. It's 'creative poems' aran, by Rico. It's a yarn that I hadn't seen before this summer and I was very taken with the really pretty colour combination. It's 100% wool and make a warm little cardi for Sophie.

I received a lovely little surprise this morning, just as the end of the plumbing trauma was in sight; two jars of delicious-looking homemade preserves from our kind neighbour, a jar of quince jelly and a jar of crabapple and chilli relish. I had to show you because I was very taken with the lovely lids and labels..... oh yes, and those gorgeously shaped 'Bonne Maman' jam jars. I'm easily pleased!

Just time to leave you with a photo of the Ladybower Reservoir, taken from the Snake Pass as I came home on Thursday. I know the sky wasn't blue and the sun wasn't shining, but oh, I do so love the drive across the Penines, whatever the weather.

Ahh! A great half-term and some cherished memories to see me through the week back at school. Have a good one!

NORWICH.......A FINE CITY!

 Hello there! This has been THE week of NO knitting or woolly creativity. So........ as a last resort, I thought I'd show you around our fine city!

1067-1075Norwich Castle is one of the finest surviving secular Norman buildings in Europe. The Castle mound is the largest in the country. From the 14th to the 19th century the keep was used as a county gaol. The Castle was converted to a museum in 1894. It's a great place to visit!

1096-1145
Most of Norwich Cathedral's Norman architecture is still intact and it forms one of the finest examples of the Romanesque style in Europe. Norwich Cathedral has the highest Norman tower (40 meters) and largest monastic cloisters in England, as well as a unique and world-renowned collection of medieval roof carvings.

1407 - 1424
The elaborate design and size of the Guildhall reflect Norwich's status as one of he wealthiest provincial cities in England in medieval times. The building represents the growing ecomomic and political power of the new ruling elite that was emerging - wealthy freemen who were merchants and traders. Norwich was given more self-governing powers in 1404 and the Guildhall was built to house the various civic assemblies, councils and courts that regulated its citizens' lives.

 This is the Royal Arcade, right in the heart of the shopping centre.

Elm Hill is an historic cobbled lane with many buildings dating back to the Tudor Period.

Well, don't you think I'd make a fine tourist guide for our fine city?

This week, we've had little Sophie ansd Scott staying with their mum and this weekend our eldest daughter and her boyfriend have joined us. We've had lots of fun and baby cuddles and the dogs have had 'bonding time'.

Oscar thinks he's boss, but Scott knows better!

Here's Sophie wearing the little summer cardi I made for her.

She's just seen another little baby, who looks just like her!

Hope you have a good week everyone.

DISTRACTIONS, DISTRACTIONS.......

How many distractions is it possible to find, in order to avoid the inevitable.......... finishing my reports? Quite a few actually! They have sat in the same nearly, but not quite, finished state for over two weeks now and time is running out. Oh no! I have been away for most of the half-term holiday and now it's back down to reality.
So, let me show you a few of the distractions that have been oh so much more appealing, over the last week or so........... not in any particular order.

First up are the woolly distractions....

Hooray! Another finished pair of socks. Not that I don't have more than enough already, but you never know when you may need an extra pair. The photo above shows my finished 'Rainbow' socks, knitted using the remaining yarn from the little Rainbow Jacket that I made for Sophie. I love the colours!

I've made a bit more progress on my 'Sock Yarn Blankie'. I had loads of ends to sew in which took forever and I then intended to sew in as I went along, but as you can see, that doesn't seeem to have happened! I have accumulated enough scrumptious sock yarn to continue 'making' for many, many years to come :)

I've got a little further with the cotton cushion cover.....

................ and started another pair of socks.

I am using a plain 3 x 1 rib pattern from Ravelry, called 'Wise Hilda's Basic Ribbed Sock' and using some Regia 'Design Line' that I bought very, very cheaply from Kemps a few months ago. They are for my eldest daughter.

Then the shopping distraction....

I found this pretty needle case in John Lewis, a week or so ago. The needles are not too great, but will do as spares, but the case is really lovely. Even better, was the price. They had been reduced from £20 to £6!!!! I just had to buy!

Doggy distractions.... you can see a Flickr video here ( sorry it's sideways on and I can't seem to rotate it).

Lovely walks.....

....... and, of course, the biggest distraction of all this week................... baby Sophie Rose. Here she is with her Grandma, Snoopydog! Isn't she just adorable! SUCH a distraction!

I came home to some wonderful colour in the garden.Yet another distraction...

Time has now run out and distractions have to end......... report writing here I come.  Actually, I just need to print some photos and cook dinner first. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm!

Hope you have a good week with plenty of pleasant distractions. They are definitely good for you!

VISITING SOPHIE......

Hello there! Just a short post tonight, as we are away from home and not a great deal of knitting has happened this week, due to the exciting events of Monday, 24th May! I have brought my Sock Yarn Blankie out of hibernation though, and the plan this week is to get a few more squares completed. I've got a sock to complete as well, to make this one a happy pair.... I've just turned the heel on the second sock, so will finish it on the journey home tomorrow, hopefully.

We've had a really lovely weeekend and I've had lots of 'holds' and cuddles. It's always lovely to have all the family together and even more special now that we are welcoming a new little person. We've had some lovely walks with Scott and Oscar. In fact Oscar has now learnt to swim. Thanks Scott! You're a hero!

After a walk around the Water Park, we stopped off for coffee this morning, at a rather delightful little cupcake shop! Perfectly delicious!

We are off home tomorrow and then I am returning by myself for a more few days, later in the week.

Here she is, little Sophie Rose...

Such a sweet little girl!

Hope you've had a lovely weekend doing whatever you have been doing!