I'm Confused!

Just for a change!!

Is it me or was it autumn last week and now.....it's summer! It doesn't take much to confuse me, so deciding what to wear is a nightmare. I either seem to wear too much and feel hot and chewed, or I wear too little and end up wet and wind blasted! Oh I suppose it's the joy of living in England!!

The knitting is still plodding along, I'm desperate to finish the hat but due to the headaches, it's very slow progress. My GP thinks its migraines, but to be on the safe side, I've got to have a MRI scan. I think I'm working my way through having every bit of my body scanned!! They'll be giving me my own chair in the waiting room if I go much more!

End of moan!

I went to the spinning group and had a lovely time. It was brill to meet up with old friends and get cracking with the wheel. At Woolfest, I bought some merino/silk tops, so I took this to have a go with. After a dodgy start and some timely tuition from Veronica, I was away. It is beautiful to spin and I'm pleased with the colour, especially as I tried to choose a different colour to what I normally choose! I fancy knitting a shawl cum scarf with it, but I haven't decided on a pattern yet.

I also intend to get cracking with Christmas card production, but my intentions don't always develop as I'd like!
Many thanks for all your comments too, they are much appreciated.

Us Ladies Wot Lunch!

I had the most brilliant day on Friday, when I went to the Wensleydale Longwool shop, near Leyburn, with Carrie and Hazel. We were met there by Becky and Bev , and last but not least,Silvia, who had a fab pressie for Carrie!

In the shop ,we drooled over the gorgeous yarns and accessories and formed a long queue to pay for our purchases, I've never seen the little place so full! I was very good and only bought some aran to knit a beret pattern I've had for ages.

We then moved into the carpark, where we caused major congestion looking at Carries pressie from Silvia, a gorgeous spinning wheel!! I think we were as excited as Carrie! Unfortunately Silvia had to go to work, so we waved her off, then went into Leyburn, to a lovely little tearoom above Serendipity.

Carrie and Bev


Once again we caused chaos, as the tables sat four and we were a five! So after some minor furniture rearrangement, we eventually got settled and became ladies wot lunched!

Becky and Hazel

After lunch we sauntered around Leyburn and Becky took us on a mystery diversion to The Shawl. This turned out to be a beautiful hidden gem, the site of the original settlement of Leyburn, with stunning views and, as an extra bonus, sheep!

And en route toThe Shawl, I spotted this....

The photo isn't very good as I used my phone, but it was a trompe l'oeil painting of a cat on a coal hole door and in the very top left corner, a little bird! I loved it!!

Thanks to all the girlies for a fab day out, with special thanks to Carrie for taking me and putting up with my blethering all the way thee and back!

On the knitting front, Ian's hat is coming along nicely, it's a quick knit,but I've been having blinding headaches, which have slowed down my progress, but I'm plodding along!!

When I downloaded the photos from my phone, I found a couple of pictures of some canvases I painted a few months ago, mainly to fill a space on our bedroom wall!

I really enjoyed doing them and would love to do some mixed media canvases, all I need is another 24 hours in a day!!

The Dirty 'Diet' Word!

This is a low fat post!
I only do low fat at the moment, well since I joined my local Slimming World group a couple of weeks ago actually! And so far, I've been so good you can see the shine from my halo at fifty paces! At last my weight is going in the right direction, DOWN!!

I had a fab time at the Graphicus open day on Friday, bought a plate of gorgeous Christmas stamps called Snow Is Falling, amongst other things! The stamps are beautiful and so I had to have a play with them on Saturday afternoon!

I've started Ian's hat too. I'm knitting They call em Pirates pattern using Dalegarn halk, which is water resistant. I think it may be useful when dog walking coincides with horizontal rain and Force 9 gales, which seems to have happened quite often this summer, never mind the winter!

I'm really looking forward to Friday too, when in the company of and courtesy of the wonderful Carrie , we and hopefully a few friends, will be visiting the Wensleydale Longwool shop and possibly having lunch in Leyburn. I never thought I'd be a lady wot lunched!!

Excuses, Excuses!

There's no excuse really for not keeping up this blog, other than gallivanting around the countryside in our dear old caravan!

I have so much to write about......lovely holidays, fabulous Woolfest and feeling so much better than I've felt for a long time, that I think it's put me off starting. But NO MORE EXCUSES!!


We have actually spent this weekend at home, we needed to cos both the front and back garden was knee high in weeds, and the veggie garden..........well... the least said the better! Despite its sorry, neglected state, we have had a good year for veg, especially courgettes. In fact we have eaten courgettes with almost every meal. We have frozen them, made soup with them, eaten them in stir frys, curries and salads, given them away to family, friends and workmates and they still keep on coming!! It's great!!!!


I have also discovered a previously hidden obsession too! Photographing mushrooms!!!
They look so cute I just can't resist taking a pic! Here's a couple of my 'babies'!!


I love this one!





This one has a friend!

And this ones having a party!!

Simple things please simple minds eh!!

Woolfest!

Its been a long time since I visited my blog but I'm still a fibre fiend and currently looking forward to Woolfest! Becky, Bev and I are staying at Graysonside in a caravan. I'm going to put a Ravelry sign in the window, so if anyone wants a cuppa and a chat, come on down!!

Back To The Blog!

Its been too long since I last blogged, but I'm hoping to get back in the swing! I think I put off blogging because of the time it takes, I'm so slow at typing. So I'm going to try to do shorter posts, but saying that, this ones probably going to be quite big because of all the pics!

I've really lost my knitting mojo at the moment, well ALL my mojos seem a dim and distant memory at present. Hopefully the lighter, longer days will lift the gloom and I'll feel more up to doing things. I have done one quick knit. I realised a few days before we went to Prague that I didn't have a hat, so a quick dash to my LYS ensued! Using Woolly Wormheads Rolling beret pattern, I quickly dashed off this natty little hat in Sirdar Peru. When I say quickly, I MEAN quickly! It materialised before my eyes. And it kept me nice and snug on our weekend away.

We went to Prague with my brother and his wife. Flying from Newcastle, the flight was only an hour and a half so we were there in no time. We stayed in a gorgeous pension not far from the Old Town square. The beautiful old buildings were everywhere, a real mix of Gothic, Baroque and Art Nouveau, I think I wandered around open mouthed at the sheer size and number of them.


The old town square was breathtakingly beautiful and the cafes in the square breathtakingly expensive, but we did go into one just to experience the atmosphere.

While we were drinking our coffee, a guy with a pair of scissors, cut our silhouettes! Mine was very flattering so I bought it!

Ian's didn't look like him at all, it looked more like Benny Hill, so we had to get that one too!

It was chilly at times and Carol bought a hat to keep her ears warm!


This is a view of Prague castle from the Charles bridge.

The Charles bridge which we crossed en route to Prague Castle, was gorgeous with religious statues along the parapets and arts and craft stalls dotted along its length.

Every view was spectacular and I took hundreds of photos, most of which I won't inflict on you but a couple of favourites, first the astronomical clock which was stunning

but Tyn church in the square was my favourite of all, not just during the day when it looked so imposing and majestic, even when I got all arty and took black and white pics

But also at night, when all the turrets were lit from inside, it looked like a fairy tale castle. The photos aren't very good but to give an idea I'll post just one


I would definitely recommend Prague, but make sure you wear comfy shoes, there's a lot of walking!

'

Snow Business!

The first snow of the year has fallen, making it feel well and truly like winter, at last! I used to love the snow when I was younger and I still like the beauty of new fallen snow, but with age has come anxiety, and now I just worry about Kate and Ian having to drive in it and my heart goes out to old folk that I see shuffling through it all. But I can't resist taking photos when it snows.

This is a view of the bottom of the garden, taken when the snow was coming down thick and fast, with those huge flakes I love to watch.
The snow has also brought a flurry of knitting with it. Well when I say flurry, more like a couple of flakes! When I cleared out one of my knitting bags, I found a lonely Fetching wristwarmer hidden in the depths, so I decided to knit it a friend! So I now have a pair of Red Fetchings!

I've also started a pair of socks for Ian, just plain old, don't have to think socks, using the blue Trekking frogged from the disasterous Potty Thomas socks. I started them yesterday, on the journey to and from Ayr, taking Tom back to college after the Christmas break. He's requested another beanie, so that will probably be next on the knitty list.

A couple of days before Christmas, we went to watch the Newcastle Falcons play and I couldn't resist taking this pic of Jonny Wilkinson.

This stance looks much better with the ball! Happy New Year!