Samhain

The last day of the Pagan year, Samhain is traditionally a time of reflection. A  time to remember those who have left us for the Summerlands. Those who have done us good turns, helped in some way. It is a time when ''the veil is thin''. In other words, we can see things that we would not normally see. Maybe be aware of the presence of those we would not normally 'feel'.
 Sanhain is the basis of many of the modern New Year traditions, as early peoples felt that the Earth ( and Mother Nature ) had gone into a hibernation, and could not be sure of her return to life, unless certain rituals were observed. There will be a long period of waiting. All through the winter, in fact, until Spring arrives as a Maiden, at the begining of February.
So, carve your pumpkins, to frighten away the demons that will prevent life returning. Light your fires, to keep the earth warm.
And send love to those who have gone before.

Crafty days

 Earlier this spring, Best Beloved sowed the seeds of various vegetables and fruit. He always starts off some tomatoes, courgettes, peppers and aubergines. The courgettes did not produce anything, this year. The pepers were rather small, but the tomatoes were plentiful, plump and sweet. The aubergines were..........

unusual. There were plenty of them, and I have used them in the same way as usual. Once the colour started to fade, they had developed seeds, and became bitter, but used small, they were fine. There are still some seeds left in the packet, which were supposedly of the usual, plump pear-shaped type. We are looking forward to seeing what next year brings.

Bunting is not something I have felt the need for, until last week. Then I decided to run a stall at a Handmade and Vintage Fair. One of the rules, was to have a nicely decorated stall. So, a cheerful couple of hours was spent cutting triangles from various scraps of cotton fabric, some of which were old shirts, pillowcases beyond mending, and ancient tea-towels. The sewing part was much quicker. It was such fun, and so easy, that I may make some very seasonal red-and white bunting for Christmas. Not yet though!  

A great deal of my knitting time, since finishing my string of shawls, has been spent swatching designs for a fair isle sweater. Usually, I just make it up as I go along, but I want something more considered, rather more elegant, for an adult sweater. I think I may be getting close, since I discovered how pleasing a section of lice-pattern can be, along the top of a busier section.

The spinning group at Coldharbour Mill continues to draw me. Not just to learn spinning, but also because they are such a lovely group of women.

I was admiring a niddy noddy in Susan's workbasket, and remarked on its beauty, adding that I had not seen such decorative ones for sale. ( The one in question was an antique). M.said 'Oh, my husband can copy one of those for you, if Susan doesn't mind'.  Well, Susan didn't, M's husband copied it, and I now have a gorgeous small niddy noddy, for mini skeins. Perfect for trial size skeins for dying with natural fibres.

Just Knitting!

 The summer has been such a wash-out, that very little has been achieved in the garden. So, the dry weather, over the last two weeks or so, has seen Best Beloved and myself working in the garden until quite late, most days. Just before the rain set in again, I had a huge, furiously fast bonfire.   

 During the wet weather, I continued to knit.

I finished the waistcoat( above) knitted in the hand-spun I made from the John Arbon Exmoor Blueface. It is really soft, and despite being a rather uneven yarn, I am pleased with it. Pattern by Kristen TenDyke.

This cardigan is for the new grand-daughter of my lovely hairdresser, Jane. The yarns are Wendy and Lana Grossa DKs. I designed it as I went along, and have to admit to getting rather carried away. It ended up measuring to a size 9months.  As it happened, Baby was quite big at birth, and growing rapidly. Phew!

I did remember to make a chart, and take notes , as I went along this time. So I could write the pattern, should the need arise.

The yarn for this shawl was a Coldharbour Mill special. It is alpaca/shetland mix. No idea of the percentages. It was not the nicest of yarns to knit with, but I washed it just before blocking. Once it was dry, it became a different thing altogether. As soft as any regular alpaca yarn, with all the 'bounce' of shetland. A simple shawl pattern, I added two rows of lace before casting off. As I was finishing it, I heard from a friend, R., who was having a hard time, and lives in the USA. So I sent it to her. It is called 'Hug-sub Shawl'.

The next two shawls are both 'Annis' by Susannah Ic.

The one above is knitted in an Alpaca and Silk laceweight by The Mulberry Dyer, and Rowan Kidsilk Haze. The colour match is extremely good, considering they were bought months and miles apart. The textures, though, could not be more different. This was sent to Mel, Nick's twin. She has been extremely unwell of late. Another substitute hug...we live in rural Somerset, she lives near Perth, Australia!

And finally......

'Annis' in a gorgeous Alpaca and Silk laceweight, from Fleecewitch. I know Jean ( Fleecewitch), having bought yarn from her at a number of Fairs/shows. I was delighted to find that she belongs to the Devon Guild, which I am joining. So much the easier to buy her yarns! They truly are a joy and delight to knit with.

I made this for J., Best Beloved's cousin. She has had several nasty health scares this summer, and is another member of the family living on another continent. Canada is a bit too far for a week-end jaunt, so this was the third substitute hug of the year.

Lughnasa

So we have arrived at the beginning of Autumn. This is when we celebrate the first harvests. It is also when we begin to feel the first cool pinches of the year drawing on, in the early morning.
 The birds are well into their late summer moults, and starting to feed up for winter. Squirrels are raiding the walnut tree, and the young badger cubs can be seen exploring around their sets before dusk.
It won't be long before we see the adult badgers noisily eating  the windfall apples from under the trees.

Tour de France

Shawls.....

 Fibrefest, last year, was a tremendous temptation. I was tempted . Knitwitches Seriously Gorgeous Swiss Silk/Baby Camel (2-ply)in soft sage was just one of the things to accompany me home.

This yarn is very soft, smooth, silky. It is light, and a delight on the skin. Wonderful for a summer weight shawl. The pattern is Summer Blooms, from Interweave Knits summer 2012, by Susanna Ic.

It was my first beading project. The first row was not quite what I expected, but the instructions are clear, and it soon became easy. 

I managed to complete the shawl, then do the  'finishing'  in time to wear it for my Mothers' 80th birthday party.                                                          

Another Susanna Ic shawl, in another skein from Fibrefest 2011.This is from The Mulberry Dyer. 25 g of 80% Alpaca, 20% silk. It is Cochineal and Indigo. The subtle marbling does not show up in the photo.The pattern is Annis, from Knitty S/S 2010 (online magazine).  I am making it for Mel, my (joint) youngest sister. Nicky's twin.

Sweet things

 The Jubilee of H.M. The Queen was a good excuse for making fancy biscuits. They are not something I generally make, mainly because I love biscuits. When I do make them, they tend to be made to a rich recipe. These (above ) were the basics. Almost equal amounts of butter, sugar and flour, bound with an egg yolk. The cutters came from good old Lakeland. ( A very reliable chain of  British shops, specialising in cookware. )

 These are slightly modified. Small shapes cut out, then filled with chunks of boiled sweets.

The basic biscuits, covered with Glace icing, and then decorated.

Again, the basic biscuit, but with Royal icing, then decorated. The monogrammed one is for a friend, with whom I share an interest in a certain historical figure. ( Hi, HJ.)

These biscuits were delicious, but...they became crumbly very quickly. Luckily, they did not last long.