Seasonal Knitting

A little knitting, among the cooking and other preparations for the Festivities.


These are for my Sister-In-Law, Deb. She had been getting cold hands while working on her latest thesis. These should help ward off the stiffness in her fingers.
The yarn is Excelana 4ply, Nile Green, from John Arbon. Needles 3.5mm. Pattern -improvised.

Hearts seem to be this year's theme for decorations, so I made some for various friends. Mainly mohair, all scraps from other projects. Needles-3.25mm

All the ribbons and buttons are reclaimed, vintage. (Mainly from my own clothes, 1970's).

I also made a sweater for Best Beloved, which was finished on the 21st, ready for our Anniversary, on the 22nd. ( The Solstice, as it was on the day we got married, although the Solstice more commonly falls on the 21st ). No photos, yet. That will be next time.

Catching up

So many things have happened in the last seven months, or so. The biggest change/shock was Poppy developing an agressive mammary tumour. In a matter of two or three weeks, it went from a barely-there, pea sized lump, to a huge, sore lump that rubbed as she walked. At her age (thirteen years) and with a heart murmer, I could not put her through surgery. Nor could I let her suffer, which she would, if left any longer. The responsible thing, and the hardest, was to send her to the next world . With my love, but no pain.
Hence my silence. I still weep for Poppy, when thinking about her. As now.

Best Beloved retired at the end of July. Although planned, it came as a shock to routine. Mine. We are still trying to work out a new daily routine. It is complicated by B.B. starting a consultancy, which is already busy. Some days are laid back, others are......not.


There is always knitting! I have completed quite a number of things.....
Above is a 'Litttle Shells Shawl'. Made in a lovely Angora yarn, from Snowdon Angoras. The pattern is by Holly Griffin-Weidner.

I made this for my sister Nicky (modeling hat). A 'Little Shells' beanie. Same yarn as above, but my own pattern.
This is a panel, which will become a cushion front. The yarn is bits of left-over D.K, from my stash. The pattern is Ffafnir, the Dragon, from Elsebeth Lavold's 'Viking patterns for knitting'. I substituted colour for the plain, on the cable. I love Ms Lavold's designs.
This last is 'Caireen' from the internet magazine 'Knitty'. Designed by Susanna IC.
The yarn is discontinued. I had nearly thirty balls of Kaffe Fassett's Kid Silk Mohair (25gm) in my stash. It had been there for at least twelve years. This took eight balls. It is really wonderful yarn, soft, luxurious. But, goodness me, it splits!! I am pleased with the final result, though.

More pics soon....I have to sort them out first.

OOPS!

Six months?? Surely not!!


Doesn't time fly...........

Waste not, want not

Best beloved was on leave last week. During that time, he finished the larder, which has been in progress for about three years. (Hurray!!) That meant that I had to empty the space, then decorate when he had finished ( I'm not complaining...I enjoy that part). The interesting bit was sorting through all the foodstuffs, before putting it back. Not too much throwing out, but I did come across a tub of dried fruit. The dried pears were very close to their use-by date. So, I gave them a short soak in hot water, before cooking them for a short while. Topped them with a crumble mixture, and some chopped almonds. The pudding cooked while we had our main course.

Our honey is being sold in a local Farm Shop. To make it stand out, I have had new labels made. At the same time, I started a blog about our beekeeping. It will mean that I won't mention the bees as much as I used to. If you are interested, you can find it by clicking on Baghaybees on the side bar.

Show a little Love

A barley loaf, made to go with local cheddar, and home made damson chutney.

Cream of tomato soup, with herb croutons.

Sticky toffee pudding, just add pouring cream.
All made for someone very special!

Imbolc

Imbolc.... The first day of Spring......


This year, there are snowdrops in bloom in my garden. Last year, we had snow, and I could only find a very few snowdrops, and they were merely spears. The year before that, the snowdrops were almost over.
The birds have already paired up. They are flirting and collecting nesting material. The Bluetits are seriously engaged in courting activity. At the same date last year, they were all busy trying to stay alive.
Each year different.....a Blessing, surely!

Growing...

The pups are eight months old today.They are now much bigger than Poppy. Quince is also rather taller than Barley. They all still cuddle up and sleep together, though.
We had a bit of a time of it with them, in the run up to Christmas. Quince had to have some work done on her eyelids. The edges were turning in, and causing the lashes to rub on the eyeballs. The Vet was brilliant - very neat. The work is not visible any more. A couple of weeks later, we had them both speyed. I don't want to breed from them, so it will spare them all the discomfort, and help deter mammary tumours.
The first day I could walk them off-lead after all the above, I was doing a one- on- the-lead,-one-off walk, so that they didn't go mad. Put Quince back on the lead, let Barley off. She shot through the hedge after a pheasant. Came back, and just sat down. Odd. She had ripped around the top of her leg (on barbed wire). Straight to the Vet. Ten stitches! We are getting to know the staff at the Vets well.


My sister in law, Deb, gave ma a lovely book for Christmas. The Handmade Loaf, by Dan Leppard. It was recommended by Nigel Slater. I had a lovely time making the sourdough starter, and then baking a loaf.


It has really reminded me how I enjoy yeast/bread baking. This was the first loaf.....there have been a number since.
Deb also gave me a set of V.H.S. tapes. 'Gone to Seed'. Not available at present on DVD. Why did I want it ? It contains a young Rufus Sewell.

Knitting

A few sunny days, although cold, make such a difference to ones' outlook. A little sun also makes a difference in the garden. Suddenly the daffodil spears are showing several inches of growth. The snowdrops are beginning to show their flower buds. And this witchhazel, covered in flowers that look like an accident in a tissue box, but are a spicy, fragrant delight. It is in the front garden, which is enclosed by high Yew hedges, so the perfume is held, not dissipated by the breeze.
There was a lot of knitting done for the Festive season. These pale lavender fingerless gloves were for my Mother. Made in pure merino, they were trimmed in the same lace weight yarn that I made her scarf from. The surlpus, in fact.
The next pair was made for (sister) Nicky.They were also made from surplus yarn. This time from the waistcoat that I made for her some time ago. The contrast was from scraps.

And finally... This lovely cap is called Seamans' Cap, by Brenda Zuk (Needlebeetle). This was in an Aran weight pure wool from Coldharbour mill. A very easy pattern which knitted up quickly over a few evenings. Russell, Nicky's husband, was the recipient. My own Best Beloved then demanded I make him one, too!
My next project is already in hand....a hat for myself, with a braided brim. The pattern is in the current issue of The Knitter.

I would like to show some pictures of the pups, but at the moment the computer is saying that I 'don't have authority for the action' , so I'll try again tomorrow.