What a delightful way to end the day

Today was a strange day. With a delightful twist at the end.

It was with dread I went to work but it is now done and I have a weight lifted off me. I can smile, really smile, not just pretend.

When I got home, the postie had left a parcel at my back door and just looky looky what gorgeous goodies had arrived......

I'd entered a give-away generously sponsored by Penelope from L is for Love

for  some 'skinny yarn' she had fallen out of love with.

I was really chuffed when she said that my name had been selected.

So when a parcel arrived today.....

I was quite surprised at the shape of it!

The yarn was there - in the most hearty-love paper bag

But - be still my happy heart - look what else was hiding inside....

I certainly didn't expect all the lovely extras she'd thoughtfully wrapped and added to the yarn.

Cheerful yellow vintage knitting pins

ooh yum yum

And a wrapped parcel within a parcel -

even more intriguing..... 

Oh ho ho! How wonderful!

I am going to have such fun !

Oh oh oh!

And, all the while, some one small and furry was showing interest 

at all the excitement 

A little face kept peaking over the corner of the table

while I was taking photos of the yarn

A  happy smiley face!

Thank you Penelope - as I said in my email - your timing was perfect

thank you thank you thank you!

Be still my beating heart

Oh shawlette, dear dear shawlette - how I love thee.

We had a tumultuous relationship but now, oh now I forgive you all your tantrums (and mine).

You lead me on, you teased me and then you almost broke my heart. Then you changed.

We changed. Changed for the better.

From here, I can see you out on your blocking towel looking sharp and seductive in your yarnful manner. How my heart swoons as I yearn to wear you.

I had,briefly, before blocking, wrapped you around my neck and it was love love love.

Sigh.



I love you so much - I have picked up my needles and started another! Oh fickle me. hehehehe


And in case you ask -
Yarn - no idea, gifted from a friend, has a mixture of fibres in it and works up beautifully
Pattern - stockinette stitch with 4 increases on every knit row with a cobbled up lace pattern that relies on lots of k2tog and ssk and even more YO!
Love value? - oh yes definately!
Do again - see above.


The most true to the original colour is the third photograph down - it is difficult to get a good colour on such a drab wet day - oh what an excuse to wear my new shawlette!!

The bare bones of it all.....

Once upon a time I had this really really good mad idea that I would knit something special for my mom's 70th birthday - it would be magnificent, it would be wonderful and it would be made by me!!

I did loads of research on the tinter, planning and calculating - checking out places like Ravelry and actually doing a grown up thing called -a swatch...yes, a swatch, I did one of those things and finally I decided on a very pretty (but VASTLY too complicated for me) shawl - oh I did fall for this one, I could just see me knitting up this gorgeous little number and  seeing I had three and a half weeks up to her birthday - I was sorted!

Did my head swell at the thought of the cleverness of it all!! *oh yes*

Any hoo, I started. I unwound the hank carefully and re-wound it (with a few inevitable knots and the equally inevitable cuss words) I cast on the required 4 stitches, did three rows of garter, then turned it one quarter and knit on the other side, then reading the pattern turned it one quarter again and did the same.... and ended up with a sort of square lump - hmm..... so I frogged it, started again and did three rows of garter, then turned it one quarter and knit on the other side and found I was soon heading for that same mashup I had had at my previous attempt. Hum. So I frogged it and put it away coz I still had three weeks to go and I was still buoyed by the audacity of it all.

That weekend, I started again, I cast on, I carefully read the instructions several times, wondering whether to contacted my beloved knit-perfect sister-in-law for help when suddenly it dawned on me and I understood the gobbledygook written on the paper. I started again, and despite a wonky start, I was getting some way and I actually felt that yes, I would get this done in the remaining two and half weeks.

The first half of the shawl grew off my circular needles as I got closer to the impending lacy pattern. I managed to only frog the odd bit as I launched myself into........ the lace.

I could actual feel my heart beating as I tried to translate the pattern. You could have heard a pin drop - I sat with my mouth open and my brain empty...huh? I have to do what?  I read it again. And again and still you could hear the tumbleweed rolling through my head as I tried to comprehend the pattern instructions. I put it aside - I needed to think about this part....never mind I still had two weeks to go.

A few days later I sat myself down and had a serious heart to knitting needle discussion with my shawl and managed to finally (after a practise run and frogging session) understand the pattern - but wow was it mind blowingly hard to concentrate - I marked, in pencil, each stitch I did as I went along. I would get so far and would reach for the pencil eraser and frog my knitting and frog my pencil marks....for several days. I put it aside - Himself could see I was struggling and made typical husbandy type soothing sounds of - 'just go and buy her something' and 'just unpick the ****** thing and give the wool and the pattern'. I hid it from him (and me) and went away for the weekend....never mind I still had about 10 days and I was over half way.

Back from our weekend I felt refreshed and ready to tackle the lace pattern again, I knew I could do it, it was just I was incredibly painstakingly slow. Then. Then I noticed the pattern was not working... I frogged it back, re-knitted and it was the same. I looked at the pattern and looked at my knitting and the lacy pattern was not lining up. I tried again.

And re-frogged.

I had a sinking feeling as I knew I would have to frog back about 10 rows of lace to start again when I spotted where the error was.... I carefully threaded another needle through and frogged back down to it. I also decided that now was the time to change from a circular needle to needles as I was struggling to see what I was doing.
Despair.

Right. Fed up to the back teeth I put it aside and composed myself by having a small controlled temper tantrum in the kitchen which entailed gorging myself on everything and anything fattening I could lay my hands on and washing it down with copious amounts of tea. Grrrrr.

Then feeling fortified (read that as feeling really sick) I tried again, and by the evening I had managed to get myself almost back up to where I was before when........ sitting on the settee next to Himself, there was an almighty thud upstairs which made me jump out of my skin...... and pulled out the knitting needle - scattering nearly all my stitches at high speed.  Himself sat there and looked at me. I shut my eyes momentarily, then frogged back the entire shawl. I put it in a bag. I put it away.

I went back on to the tinter to a pattern I had looked at initially but had been enticed away by the gloriousness of my now poor choice. My inexperience was an excellent lesson of over achievement. I cast on for the Boneyard Shawl by Stephen West. I had found it on his blog and followed it over to Ravelry to get the pattern. I had only about 5 days left.


Humbled I knit a simple stockinette stitch and purl 'bones' with a garter stitch border and it slowly grew. At every opportunity I knitted. As it got larger I only managed a row or two after work as I was just too tired to do any more without making mistakes.

My mom's birthday came and went.

 The rest of May came and went -I knitted.  June came, my birthday - I knitted. Every time I was a passenger in the car - I knitted. We went on holiday. I knitted. I sat on the beach and I knitted, I was eaten alive my midges and still I knitted. Then on our return home, I knit the whole way home. And we got back - all I had left to do was the border.

Two weeks of double shifts at work certainly didn't help but finally finally last night I gave my mom her birthday shawl - a mere five weeks late for her birthday but I got there in the end :)

I was given a lot of support by my dear knit and natter friends as well as bloggy friends  -  Jane (hook and yarn) - who also made a boneyard shawl - thank you too for your encouragement.


PS - because someone will ask - Pattern - Stephen West's  Boneyard Shawl. The yarn is The Natural Dye Studio - Nymph 4ply in Wisteria, I used two x 100gm skeins (800 metres)  and had a small amount left over.

Easter Break review in photos

Visiting......

...A vintage vehicle rally in Kirby Stephen.

Knitting.......

...my sky scarf and my first mitten on dpn needles

Walking................

....on high wild hills, over farm land, through isolated villages.

We celebrated Easter.....

.....with cheese rolling down a wet and windy hill...

                                   ....eating chocolate for breakfast!

I took inspiration from......

.....lichens on stone walls, carvings from ruined buildings, fungus on rotten trunks, flowers, stones and sky.

We had a lovely time, may be a little wet and a little cold at times, but these small discomforts were far outweighed by the beauty of the wilderness we camped in.

******************************

Again I have to say thank you for all your wonderful thoughts and kind words. We are really touched by the response - thank you very much xx

Wool delivery

After the excitement of Yarnival, life has more or less returned to my sort of normal.

On Saturday just before we went for our most delicious walk (yes I know a mixture of terms here - delicious and walk - for those purists out there, I concede that delicious is usually associated with something in the food line, but in my head 'delicious' is the perfect word to describe how wonderful it is to get out and walk again - so there!) Now where was I - oh yes, before we went for our DELICIOUS walk, the postie landed with a parcel for my wool shop.

Now, even though I know what is in the parcel (coz I ordered them) I still get excited!

I could barely contain myself as I pulled open the paper and breathed in the scent of lanolin - gorgeous!

I sold out all but three balls of my Isle of Auskerry and have orders for more - and here they are for you to feast your eyes on!

Do you know what I love about yarns and wool?

They are non-fattening and you can fondle them with out being seen as too peculiar!  

Any way, this evening I will be listing these as back in the hawthorn tree, now just to wait for the rest of my yarn orders to land - getting excited again!

Oh well, time to stop playing and go to work. Doing double shifts this week, so better get going!
Have a lovely sunny day where ever you are!

 hawthorn xxxxxx

Hearts♥ at home and my sky scarf begins!!

Saturday brought more grey skies and biting cold air. I kept busy and warm in the house. Usually I sit at my desk surrounded by my 'katunda'(stuff) in the rumpus room, but at the moment I am around the corner in the sitting room, nearer the fire and on a lower more comfortable seat.

Away from my usual sanctuary made me notice it more. (please excuse the mess - I had just been turning the place upside down looking for my skyscarf note book - more on that later)

Jumbled together in a chaotic collection I have pens and pencils, hooks and knitting needles (more of them later!) I have samples of work, test pattens and swatches. I have drawings from the boys as well as cards from friends. I use them as inspiration. There are postcards from friends, from wool shops and from wonderful bloggers who have sent squares and blankets for Kyōyū kyōyū - share. I have photos of the boys and of holidays.

And as ever, hearts♥ linger between the pictures or soar like thoughts above my head.

*I really must tidy up....* 

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Now, my sky scarf. I was inspired to learn to knit (or rather re-learn) when I read about a sky scarf. So, inspired but unable to start, I collected the yarns and wools - all recycled, reclaimed, gifted or rescued in the shades of the sky and began to keep a daily colour chart and brief description of the weather.

This evening (with the 'help' of Lily) I laid out my stash. Then I went to find my little note book.....and I looked and looked (with the help of the boys) and I looked. But could I find it?? I began to despair, when I had a moment of inspiration. I last saw my notebook when Holly had been mountaineering across my yarns - I had shrieked a suitable response and my notebook must have kicked aside by a furry foot as she escaped from the slippery slopes of wool.

So, with a mixture of trepidation and excitement I have started my scarf - at the moment it is only 4 rows but it is a start. Once it is larger I will share my wobbly stitches and first baby steps in knitting.

The originator of the idea is Lea from Leafcutter Designs  and I am not the only one doing the sky scarf - Tizduster has already all of January knitted as has Super Gran  who has also knitted a month's worth of weather and Lupin over at Bugs and Fishes is doing a sky blanket .
Are you knitting one too? If so let me know, I would really love to see it!

Right - nuff waffle, I can hear my knitting needles calling to me - byeeeeeeee!

Ps - enjoy the rest of your weekend xx

Pps - how many hearts did you spot?

CAN YOU COUNT ON THE PIRATES? 21 ♥

A couple of holidays ago, we were doing some geo-caching which needed us to follow various clues into an ancient church yard where we had to find gravestones with numbers and names. With these details we were then able to complete the clue. I find old graveyards very interesting, brimming with history and personal lives and in particular there is something intriguing about gravestone inscriptions.


This one, in a few words, raises so many questions.


So, due to some pirate-type-action - today's number 21♥ is now presented to you -

It is a soggy Sunday, but we don't mind. We've got homework to do, chrimbly pressies to wrap and cards to write. 

We have finally put up the tree (with a fair bit of help from both the boys and the kittens...) 

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday - looks like it has finally stopped raining :)

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

ps - I can't share ANY crochet updates - which I am finding frustrating coz various recipients read this blog!!

COUNTING AGAIN! 28 ♥

A wet weekend, a slow (but almost over) wet weekend. 

Youngest was over in Skipton for a birthday party, and we, rather than driving home and returning to collect him later, decided to wander around town. I had an inkling that there was a new (to me) knitting and wool shop and thought a little woolly experience would certainly lift the washed out weekend mood I was in. 

Did it?

Oh boy did it!

Did I buy anything?
Don't be silly - of course I did!

I will take photos tomorrow in - hopefully - better light.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

But today,  a bit late I know, is brought to you by the number  

28♥

Spotted today while out and about in Skipton by Eldest.

I am baking mince-pies. For many many years Himself has had a mince-pie eating competition for the whole of December. I mentioned it in 2009 but was too flu-bound to say anything in 2010. This year, the annual mince-pie fest has begun and ALL three of mine are happily scoffing... oh well... back to the kitchen.

Back tomorrow with more stuff and nonsense and pictures of scrummy yummy wool and yarns hmmmmmm 

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

**THIS TIME LAST YEAR**  pop over and see what we got up to this time last year

***edited to add - IT'S SNOWING! Just been out and taken a photo from the end of our lane........... brrrrrrrr

Friday

.....this morning has been a time for.............

crafting...............

thinking........ (thanks Lovely Lady)

calculating and measuring......................

wondering and planning.....................

knuckling down to stringing along yule pressies.............

drinking tea and thinking................

illustrating and..............

.....playing with colours

And you? What's been keeping you busy today?

I've got such big thoughts and ideas frantically whizzing around my head that I am sure they will spill out soon and get lost or confused. Fortunately I have some wonderful friends and family who are there to support my off the wall plans. I will keep you posted and who knows, some of you might get involved! 

But - as ever - work stops play - whatever you get up to this❤weekend❤ - enjoy!

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ hawthorn xx