SHADES OF AUTUMN.....

My sock mojo is running wild at present, which is pretty handy as there are lots of Christmas gifts in the queue awaiting my attention. I'm loving the gorgeous colour ways and stripes of these West Yorkshire Spinners yarns. They are not the softest of sock yarns and I've yet to see how well they wash and wear, but for sheer eye candy they are definitely a hit!

This pair will be a Christmas gift for the younger Miss Snoops, to keep her toes cosy and toasty in her little Victorian London flat.

My knitting mojo has centred itself firmly around the production of small items that won't stay on the needles for too long. Hats for the grandchildren fit the bill perfectly! I searched Ravelry for quite some time before finding just the hat shape that 'floated my boat' to keep little Evie's head warm. I had bought the Wendy merino DK yarn to knit Mr Snoops a new hat for his Oscar-walking, but realised there was not enough for a large man-head. 

The pattern is 'DROPS extra 0-906' by Drops Design. It's made in the round and took very little time. I love the gorgeous shape created by the crown shaping!

This photo is from earlier today, as we walked through the park on our way to find coffee. Oscar just loves the Autumn when the leaves have fallen and and are wet from recent rain. He keeps his nose firmly on the job of sourcing the best smells around and taking Mr Snoops with him!

SHOW DAY......

Well, we've just returned from a really lovely couple of weeks up in North Yorkshire, with lots of family time and fun with the grandchildren. There really wasn't that much knitting time to be had, but I did spend a frantic couple of days finishing off an entry for one of the local country shows. 

We've had a great day out at the Thornton-le-Dale Show for the last two years and I've loved seeing all the entries in the craft tent, so this year it was time to support the cause with Bunny Girl (Knitted Toy),   Little Flower Coat (Knitted Matinee Jacket)  and Rainbow Marley Hat (Any Other Baby Item).

 As you can see from the photo below, the Marley Hat looked just a little out of place amongst the other traditional baby items :-) :-)! Needless to say, it wasn't placed, but baby Isaac has been a very grateful recipient of it.

 My Matinee Jacket was not placed either, although I thought it looked pretty good amongst the entries. It was a fun knit though and will make a useful gift for someone's newborn at some point, although I have to say, I'd not knitted a matinee jacket since my own three were babies. In fact, the pattern I used was the first one I completed when expecting my son ( my first born).

 Then, of course, there was Bunny Girl! I LOVE her! She looked a little lost and alone as I left her sitting on the white tablecloth, beside the many much grander and larger toys.

On our return during the afternoon, I have to admit to being very excited to see that Bunny Girl was proudly sitting on a blue Second Place card! WooHoo! All credit must be given to the winner, which was the lovely large brown bear sitting next but one to her in the photo above.

Yes, I'll take that! Well done Bunny Girl!

I'm off to Provence next weekend, so may or may not see you for a week or two, although I still haven't shown you my small, carefully chosen, purchases from Fibre, so I'll try to pop in again before I go.

THE TIME HAS COME....

It's heavenly to be able to cast on and knit without a head full of things that I feel I really should be doing instead. To just sit, knit and complete a soft, squishy bundle of yarn goodness. It's been a long time coming, but now the time has come I'm determined to make the most of it!

We have come up to North Yorkshire for a week and after a very, very cold day at the coast before we came away, I decided the time had come to make a warm, woolly hat for my very own head. I have to say, that this was quite a momentous moment, as I have never, ever worn a hat; not a wedding hat, a sun hat, or any other kind of hat come to that. There is just one exception...... a dark green school beret! Needless to say, the offending item didn't appear on my head as often as it should, which led to 'penalty points' and detentions during my grammar school years. Since then, I've managed to escape the need of any form of head attire, very nicely.

The pattern and scrummy yarn that have helped to bring about this turnaround have produced this little beauty! It's Anne Hanson's 'Squish Me Cap' (a very addictive little number!) and the yarn is John Arbon's 'Knit by Numbers' KBN04. I've not used this lovely 100%merino yarn before and I have to say I have been unexpectedly surprised by it's amazing softness. It feels as though there must be a whole cuddly alpaca hidden inside, but no it's purely 100% merino. A delightful find. It does specify hand wash, so I hope the washing of it will not disappoint. The finished hat is fab. I love it!

I can't seem to be without a pair or two of socks on the go at the moment, so this pair of Rachel Coopey's 'Dave Socks' had to make their appearance on the evening before we made our long journey northwards. I always like to cast on and get the ribbing done, before they become my travelling companion.

As you can see, it was quite a long journey ( and I drove for almost half the way)! After this afternoon's coastal trip I've now almost reached the toe. Smiles! The yarn is from my stash (even bigger smile!) and is a Regia Color yarn in colour way 03726. I'm just loving these bright and happy stripes. 

I've also begun the first of some baby knits for Evie's little brother or sister due to be born in May. He or she will be our fourth grandchild. I don't have pics yet, but a a little 'Anderson' cardi by Lisa Richardson is under way. I'll post a few pics next time, although I have to confess that the happy sock stripes keep calling out for my attention!!!! 

Needless to say, Oscar has been loving his Yorkshire break and making the most of any beach time.

The time had also come for some family catch-up time. It's always tricky to co-ordinate when they live a distance away and we are all so busy with careers etc. School holidays are the only suitable windows of time. Our eldest daughter and her gorgeous family visited for the weekend and our son and his lovely family are taking a day trip to see us on Tuesday. Easter weekend was happily spent with our younger daughter and her partner, so we will have managed a catch-up with them all. Hooray!

RYEDALE FOLK MUSEUM

We have been spending a very lovely week in Pickering with various of our children and grandchildren. The weather has been pretty good and we we have managed to be out and about every day. Today, we said goodbye to the last of of our visitors and set off for the stunningly pretty village of Hutton le Hole, about six miles from Pickering.

Once parked, we ambled down to the Ryedale Folk Museum. I fully expected to be done and dusted within half an hour, but I'm happy to say we emerged more than an hour and a half later. It is an absolute delight, created to celebrate the rich heritage of North Yorkshire, with medieval garths, cottage gardens, a farming area complete with animals and a traditional orchard with over 30 fruit trees. 'There are over twenty historic buildings on the 6 acre site. Many were rescued from around the area and with their contents they bring the lives of ordinary people from pre-historic times to the present day'. There is an Iron Age round house, various period cottages and a 1950's store and post office. An absolute delight!

As you can see, I took a few photos! In fact I took dozens! Well worth £7 per person.

Oh! Here's Evie wearing her new hat!

We're off to Manchester tomorrow for a few more days of fun with the grandchildren, before heading home for a well-earned few days rest before term starts!