Wonderwool Wales

Everything packed. Cake made for Best Beloved. House clean (ish). Right, I'm off....to WonderWool Wales. I will try to take photos, but can't promise. I may get overwhelmed by yarn fumes. Wales, here I come!

Sunny Days and Cream Teas.

Thursday was such a beautiful day, that Best Beloved gave himself the afternoon off. We put the dogs in the car, and drove over to East Quantoxhead. There is a car-park near the Church, so we parked there, and walked the Coastal Path to Kilve. The path runs along the Severn Estuary. At this point, it is up on the cliffs, and with the strong wind, was quite bracing! Barley and Quince thought it was great.
At Kilve, we had our first Cream Tea of the year, at The Chantry. The scones were really fresh....delicious! Barley and Quince were made much of by some of the other people having Tea in the garden - particularly one little girl, who wanted to take them home. Her Mum looked worried about the ''can we have one, Mum'', until I layed on the hard work required with a trowel.We left The Chantry, rather more than replete, and turned right. We were making for the other path back to East Quantoxhead, which crosses the fields, a few hundred yards further inland. As we walked, we noticed a building, obviously a Church, which we have never seen before. Now, we have done this walk on a regular basis since...well, since the early 'eighties. It transpires that a lot of work has been done, cutting down trees, cutting back shrubs, mending the walls, and re-painting the outside.Sadly, we could not stop to explore it, as we could see and hear a storm approching across the channel. The car was about a mile and a half away.

We will have a look next time we are there. Looking back from the other side of the field, doesn't it look idyllic?

The drive home was ''the pretty way'', over the Quantock Hills. Lots of Ewes, with lambs, ambling about, or lying in the road. The rain did not catch up with us, until we got home.

Temptation......

This month's knit night fell on Good Friday, so the cake had to have a Spring-like look ....sugar flowers were just right. There was a good turn out. I think the extra time makes it easier for busy women to fit in a bit of fun.

I finished the Royal Male Handlers....which have nothing to do with real Royals, and a great deal to do with Rufus Sewell as King Charles ll. Sadly, the gloves won't be going anywhere near him, either.
The gloves are knitted in Jamisons Spindrift, and are a simple fingerless glove pattern, but with a small medallion knitted on the back of each. The glove part was simplicity itself. The medallions caused tears of blood.
Then, a new project had to be chosen, yarn found, and so on.

I learnt to spin last Autumn, and have been practising regularly.Recently, I have been producing a yarn which is reasonable enough to want to knit with. This ( above ) is Exmoor Blueface sliver from John Arbon, of Lynton. The fleece is produced on the hills above the shop, and is spun by John at Coldharbour Mill, which is where I attend Spinning Group. It produces a wonderfully soft yarn. The pattern is Tryst cropped Vest, by Kristen TenDyke, for Classic Elite. I shall make it an inch or so longer than the pattern. So far, I am pleased with how it is knitting up.

At this point, I have to make a confession. I have mentioned Spinning, and Coldharbour Mill. It is great fun, and very instructive going to the group. My wheel, an Ashford Traditional, is lovely, but it is heavy and awkward to get out of the house, into my ( small ) car, out, into the hall at Spinning, then repeat in reverse. I have been idly looking at smaller wheels, and asking other members about theirs. Then I discovered that another member had an Ashford Traveller for sale. I tried it. I fell in love.

Reader, I bought it!