Good food, locally produced

I wanted to share what I had for lunch today. I was particularly pleased with it because the majority was home-grown. The very fresh eggs, poached, are from our own hens - laid this morning. The Cucumber, mizuna and mixed salad leaves are all from our own polytunnel. Chives are also from the garden. I finished it off with teriyaki dressing , red pepper from the fridge (our own are not nearly ready yet) and a sprinkling of mixed seeds. I must make the effort to do this more often. It such a good feeling to enjoy really fresh, healthy food and know that most of it was produced right here in my own garden.

Chickens

I've had a lovely, busy weekend this week. On Saturday I visited a friend who used to live very close to me but is now about 40 miles away. Our children had a lovely time playing together, and we all had a very tasty, healthy lunch too. The sun even shone on us for a little while when we took the children to the local play park.

One interesting part of our visit though was rather impromptu. When I arrived at my friend's house, one of the first things I saw was her new hen house in the garden - complete with two, brand new chickens. I've been thinking for a while now that we need some new hens in our flock, so when I discovered that the farm she'd bought them from was only a few miles away, I decided I just had to take a detour on the way home!

After a good wander round and looking at all the different colours of hens available, we decided to buy four, one for each member of our family. DS1 chose a dominant black hybrid with lovely brown markings on her neck feathers. The black feathers have an amazing greenish sheen when viewed up close in the sunlight. The white with black neck markings was the perfect partner for this one.

To complement the black and white, I chose this very pretty Dominant Blue (grey to anyone who is not a chicken breeder). She's particularly camera shy, all the shots I have are of her rear end....

And finally, DS2 chose the lovely Pheasant-coloured girl, who is the only white egg layer of the group - this means that when he collects the eggs, he will know which one came from "his" hen. This one is a bit flighty at the moment - she escaped yesterday and was loose for several hours before DH finally managed to chase her through a neighbouring field and into the open door of our neighbour's shed. He followed her in and shut the door behind them, giving her no chance to escape again! This is also the first hen who has laid us an egg, much to the delight of my younger son (who will be having it soft-boiled with toast soldiers for lunch).

All the pics are taken through mesh, this is because the birds are still very nervous and I'd like to give them a couple of days to settle in before I do the necessary (and painless for the hen) task of clipping the flight feathers. Our fence is not high enough to keep in flighty birds, and the road right outside our garden is too dangerous to let them wander out there. Also my neighbours would be not best pleased if my hens were out scratching in their carefully-tended gardens! My plan is to raise the height of a section of fence which encloses our little orchard, so they can safely free range in there. It will also keep them out of our vegetables, which is essential - last year I let the our hens have total free range but protected certain crops with cloches. I lost an entire bed of rocket one morning when the cloche blew off during the night, leaving the tasty greens exposed for a hen feast! So rather than ring-fence the veggies I think it's safer to fence in the chickens. The small run will have to be their home in the meantime.

Finally, here's a snap of our rather disgruntled "mother hen" who is used to just having one rather submissive little friend. She is quite put out by these interlopers and has taken to perching on the drinker to show her superiority. At least it's an improvement over the constant clucking/crowing she was doing yesterday at 5am....

Catching up!

I've never been one to keep a journal on a regular basis, and I'm not what i'd describe as a creature of habit. So blogging does not come easily to me. Please excuse my lack of posts, and this attempt to bring things a bit more up-to-date!

The finished Layering Shrug, blocking.

Since my last post, I have finished (and worn) the Layering Shrug, cleared out most of my WIP's/UFO's, and started a few more. I'm knitting busily on various projects for THAT event at the end of next month.... gloves for my Gran (finished), hot water bottle covers for extra gifts (done), socks for FIL(finished), and a Gryffindor scarf for my nephew (just started). In between I try to have some fun projects, and I have promised to do a test knit for a sock pattern for p/hop, on top of all the usual stuff.

Lyle Socks, designed by Susan Bromiley

I also got my first pattern published! Lyle is a sock pattern for men, plain and simple but not too tedious to knit. It was made available as a printout on the p/hop stand at the Glasgow School of Yarn last month, and the pdf will be going live on the website as soon as the lovely P/Hop Clare gets back from her holidays! Check out the p-hop website for more information.

Me (on left) with Amy Singer at The Yarn Cake in Glasgow 

And guess who I met at the Glasgow School of Yarn! Amy Singer, editor of Knitty.com! I took two classes with her - socks from the toe-up (vegan-friendly) AND spindle spinning silk. All in all it was a fab weekend, I was glad to be able to get there and join in the fun.

Making Mondays

A few weeks ago, Natalie at TheYarnYard started to log what she has been making each week on a Monday. I thought it was a great idea at the time, but it has taken me this long to get round to posting about it!

So in celebration of Making Mondays, I have resurrected this blog, renamed it, and revamped it.


Here's my Making Mondays project for this week.

These cute car trousers are my first attempt at sewing clothes, and I am very pleased with them! They were made using a kit which is available here. There are some lovely designs for boys, and even more for little girls. I have also treated myself to a skirt kit that I will get around to making up one of these days!
The lovely thing about these kits is that the pattern is printed onto the fabric itself, and everything that you need to make them up is included - instructions, matching thread, button, zips, and even a sew-in label.

My only suggestion to anyone making one one of these is to measure the wearer carefully before cutting out the pattern pieces. My 4 year old son is slim around the hips, and I had to make the age 1-2 size to fit him! I left the legs the maximum length (the biggest size is age 6) and just trimmed and hemmed them last. I left a good 2" turn-up so that I can let them down later when he has a growth spurt.

One pair down, one to go. Because what one son has, the other wants......

Misty Morning & Busy Spiders

Having to go out early to catch the school bus has its advantages sometimes.... this morning our garden was festooned with webs and I managed to get out while the dew was still on the grass and the mist was still in the sir. Even in the time it took to run inside, grab my camera and dash back out again, the mist was already starting to lose its ethereal gleam. I did manage to snap a couple of images though.

Harvest Display

A couple of days ago I had the pleasure of spending the evening in the company of friends, making corn dollies to celebrate the harvest. Afterwards one of those friends came to visit me and brought this lovely bouquet of flowers from the garden, which I decided to display on the table with one of the corn dollies I have made. This one is a Harvest Angel, and I made her some time ago, but with careful storage I hope she will last a few more harvest seasons.

Ouch!

This is what I found in my hens' nest box today - three normal sized eggs and one mutant double-yoker.

Does anyone know if you can buy special cushions for hens with sore bottoms? 'Cos that's gotta hurt!

Yes I'm still alive....

... and this is what I've been doing. Both making baskets (although not this one - that's last year's effort!) and Digital Scrapbooking about it. What do you think? I'm getting used to the process of scrapping digitally, my design skills could do with some improvement though.

Created with PSE6 using several products from DesignerDigitals.com. (I'd give the details, but no-one actually READS this blog anyway. If you really want details, leave a comment and I'll get back to you!)

Holiday Knitting

I'm just back from 10 days visiting family in the Algarve region of Portugal. Here's what I've been knitting while I was away....

I started Luna Moth shawl, got a couple of repeats in and decided I didn't like how it looked, so I frogged it and started a crochet shawl. I didn't like that either so I frogged that too and started on this: 

That was going fine until I got to the part where I had planned to put in repeats of a different lace pattern to spice it up a bit. However that turned out to be too complex for holiday knitting, so I decided it was time to set it aside for a while.

Fortunately I had come prepared, and I had yarn and needles with me for a Revontuli (Northern Lights) Shawl. Seven days later, and here is the result:

Pretty, isn't it? This was a single ball (150g) of Kauni Effect Yarn and the finished shawl blocks out to 160cmwide by 80cm long - a nice, medium-sized shawl. The fingering-weight wool is cozy too, and it's a fairly solid knitted piece so it is lovely and warm. I'm wearing it tonight as it's very cold outside again and it gets cool in the house late at night.

And on that note, I think I'll go to bed now. I have a busy weekend ahead.

Knitting progress

A few pics of my Topsecret sweater. I used a provisional cast on for the sleeves and only knit the top 5cm before joining - I will pick up and knit downwards later.

I have decided not to add the roll 

neck, I think I will just add the purl border now and cast off at the neck.

Just the sleeves to go then!

UFO resolutions

I made a resolution at the start of the year to clear up all the UFO's (UnFinished Objects for you non-knitters!) that are cluttering up my home. I have also added a few that are unstarted but I want to do this year! I am sure my family and other animals will add a few more as the year goes on (like my son who needs a new winter hat).  Here's my progress so far.

1. Tudora 2 now finished 
   
2. Just Enough Ruffles scarf now finished 
   
3. Flora Crochet Mobius cowl now finished 
   
4. Baby Surprise Jacket now finished
   
5. Felted Snuglets finished
   
6. NDS socks (“pot-pourri socks”) finished
   
7. Topsecret sweater about 35-40% done
8. Fishing Mittens (my husband wants me to make a pair - I have finished one.)
9. Buzzbee
   
10. “Leftovers” Tank 
    
11. Shilasdair sweater (to frog and start over as CPH or Rogue?)
12. Wool Peddler’s Shawl (USO)
13. Lake of the Woods wrap (in Manos Silk Blend) (USO) 
    
14. Wicked (in Debbie Bliss Maya) (USO)
15. Gytha in Angora 50%

UK Swap Catchup - Warming your knees.

What has been your favourite finished blanket/lapghan?

I have never knitted one! Oh wait, I did a modular one in mitred squares for my son in 100% acrylic (well babies puke a lot!), it's not on my Ravelry page though. I tend to put on a jumper if it's cool, and if it's chilly in the evenings I snuggle under a HUGE (big enough to cover a king sized bed) fleece blanket on the sofa.

Do you have a favourite pattern that you'd like to make in the future?

I love the Natural Dye Studio's Bessie's Blankets - both knitted and crocheted. I love them all, but my favourites are the triangles, comfort blanket, and watercolour blanket. The colour variations in them are just stunning.

Do you have a favourite type of yarn for making blankets/lapghans

Not yet - I haven't made any apart from the acrylic one mentioned above (and there's enough of that in my stash already, thank you very much!)

UK Swap Catchup - Warming your feet.

What is your favourite way of keeping your feet warm?
Handknitted socks of course!

Do you have a favourite pair of socks you reach for to keep your toes toasty?

Whichever handknit pair are a. near to hand and b. relatively clean...

No seriously, I like all my handknits, a couple of favourites are Firestarter and a Knit-to-fit toe-up pair. I also made myself a pair of grown-up booties, but unfortunately my husband threw them in the wash and they are now tiny felted booties....

Is there a pair of socks/slippers you have been wanting to make for ages but haven't got around to?

I love the Knotty or Knice socks, they remind me of Celtic knotwork patterns (as do these Viking Socks), and there are several patterns in Knitting on the Road that I've been meaning to get round to. I also intend to do Master Coriolis at some point as I have heard good things about Cat Cordhi's patterns but have never tried one. I bought myself the Snuggs pattern too as I thought they look really cozy , but I haven't done those yet either....

What is your favourite finished object that warms your feet?

Socks. I only once got round to making myself a pair of slippers (see above)

What is your favourite yarn to use for socks/slippers?

The Yarn Yard Hug for really soft squishy cozy ones, but I tend to collect lots of different artisan-dyed sock yarn pets, so I always have something new to try. A look at my stash on Ravelry can be pretty revealing....

UK Swap Catchup - Warming your neck.

What is your favourite neck warming pattern?
I don't have one favourite, I have lots... the one I have knitted recently was the Tudora from Knitty.com.  I might make another but to a looser gauge than stated as it was a bit too small for my (freakishly long) neck. Others I like include the Crofter's Cowl, Dragon Scarf, the yummy Confection and the versatile Wisp from Knitty.com.

Do you have a favourite FO?

I often wear my Prismatic scarf, knitted with the lovely skein of Manos Silk blend I received in the last swap, but my current favourite is the crochet cowl I just finished - I have taken to wearing it around the house in the evenings. Amanda has designed a similar cowl called Cassia, which I would like to try too...

Is there a style of neck warmer you particularly like?

 I like the cowls for wearing with a jumper or under a jacket, although if it's really cold I might wrap a big scarf or even a shawl around my upper body under my coat to keep me cozy.

UK Swap Catchup - Warming your head.

What is your favourite style of hat?

I like all sorts of hats - I often wear a red cord cap that matches my red cord coat, but I also wear a fleece hat or a handknitted hat when the weather is cold... I like to change styles to suit my mood! For a slightly smarter option the slouchy berets are a good choice at the moment, but you can't beat a great beanie for cosiness. The Koolhaas is a favourite in that category, interesting and unusual without being outlandish,and I suspect the texture makes it really cozy. I must be one of the few Ravelers who haven't yet knit that one... 

Do you have a favourite yarn for making hats with?

Mostly the same yarns I use for other things - natural fibres, one-off, hand-dyed skeins, it has to be soft or I get an itchy forehead...

What hat patterns are in your queue at the moment? (pops off to check!)

Um, I have twenty-seven hat patterns in my Ravelry queue at the moment, of which only five are for my sons.... as I was saying, I have rather eclectic tastes in hats!

A few of my favourites are the Meret, (and in fact most of Wooly Wormhead's berets!), the Fern Glade, and Porom. For more funky colours, I like this ribbed one, and the Selbu Modern looks like fun to knit too - maybe in slightly less "loud" colours than the sample photo though!

I have also been meaning to knit myself a Fountain Hat for some time now, I just have never got around to it. 

Do you have a favourite handmade hat that you (or someone else) has made?

My Urchin (with a naff photo-sorry!), which I knitted from the leftover skein of yarn from my poncho knitted by my husband - so I can go out all "matchy-matchy"!

Warming Your Hands

I'm posting this late, but better than never....

So, what is your favourite winter warmer for your hands?

I don't have any handknitted gloves or mittens! I have knitted a few pairs of wristwarmers and ended up giving them away as gifts. Mittens are warmer, but of course you have to take them off to open a zip, turn a key, etc. Usually in Scotland it's not so cold that it's a problem for a few seconds though!

I love the stranded mitten patterns - Hippocampus  springs to mind, especially with the lovely variegated colours in it. The Sea Mineral mittens by SpillyJane are beautiful too, I love those colours... I have also bought myself a couple of patterns I haven't knit yet - Very Terhi by Yarnissima, which I have totally gone off after knitting a single "La Digitessa" Sock and deciding the result really wasn't worth the effort... and a favourite one I just bought the other day actually, Fiddlehead Mittens by Adrian Bizilla. I don't have stash yarn for that yet though. There are some really nice colour combos on the Ravelry pages for that pattern.

Are there any patterns out there you would love to own?

I have been trying to get a copy of the Selbuvotter book for ages, it doesn't seem to be available in the UK though. As far as individual patterns go, I love the Lotus Leaf Mittens By Elli Stubenrauch and of course the Fiddlehead mittens, which I already have...  

Or do you already have a winter warmer and you would like some mittens/gloves/handwarmers to match?

Actually I would like to knit a pair to match my Urchin hat, but as the Rowan Chunky Print is now discontinued I think I'm out of luck there. I did finish a scarf in Manos Silk Blend, maybe I could knit a hat or gloves to go with that.

Post about "Warming your hands" on your blog and then link to it in the comments so we can all see what you like!  

Consider it done!

A Finished Object!

I have knitting news! I have been knitting like a crazy woman, and I got it finished in time!

Want a look?

This is the Cheshire Cat Stole I made for my mum for her birthday which is in a couple of days. I finished and blocked it last night and it is ready. It is 170x55cm (blocked) and it took one 55g skein of The Yarn Yard's handdyed "Mist" yarn. I am so pleased with my first "proper" lace project.

Now, Sssshh! No telling my Mum, okay? It's a surprise!

UK swap Questionnaire - Round 3

What kind of kit are you interested in receiving?
Knitting / crochet kit for slippers, mittens, hat, blanket or shawl. Go on, surprise me!

Are you interested in any particular techniques?
Crochet granny squares appeal to me although I don't much care for the "traditional" lurid acrylic granny square blankets (ever noticed the ones in the Dingle household on Emmerdale? Those are totally not me! The Bessies blankets from NaturalDyeStudio though, are a different creature altogether). I also like the idea of combining the knitting and crochet in one project.  I have done a little lace knitting (see below) and a fair number of cabled items. I have never tried two-colour / fairisle, so if you want to include this please keep it simple!

Do you knit, crochet, or both?

Both, although I mainly knit recently. I would not be averse to a nice crochet kit.

What is your favourite colour?

Red, purple, royal blue.

What is your least favourite colour? 

Puce, beige, black.

What’s your style? (elegant, traditional, glamourous, girly, natural, sporty, outgoing, etc.)Hmm this is a tricky one. My style is quite variable! What I like to wear and what I end up wearing are two different things... I like skirts, tights, nice boots or shoes with a bit of a heel, dressy tops; I wear jeans and t-shirts a lot! What can I say, I have two toddlers in the house.  I like timeless classics, the kind of thing that has been tried and tested, maybe with a quirky twist to update it. I'm not averse to things that are a little unusual.

Do you have a favourite type of fiber or brand of yarn?  Anything natural and soft, I adore the Natural Dye Studio and am gradually amassing a collection of "pet" skeins.

Do you have a least favourite type of yarn? Scratchy yarn next to the skin, and anything made from petroleum...
Do you do any other crafts? Yup. Spinning, weaving, dyeing, scrapbooking, feltmaking, soapmaking, papermaking, basketweaving, pottery...  more to the point, what haven't I tried? (answer: Nalbinding and Lucet cord-making)

Are there any knitting accessories you are interested in receiving? 

A £50 Namaste knitting bag? (only half joking!) Actually I have been looking for some kind of tube type thing to store my "sock-in-progress" in, if such a thing exists?

What do you like to eat?

All sorts. My weakness is savoury things - peanuts, salted popcorn, crisps... but I also regularly scoff a Flake if available (or half a tub of Ben&Jerry's!)

Any allergies/preferences (fiber-wise or treat-wise)?

No allergies, although I try to avoid wheat as it doesn't agree with me (and I hate to be disagreeable).  I am working hard to lose weight though so please don't tempt me with a pile of high-calorie snacks!

Anything we missed that you’d like your partner to know?

My home has wooden floors so slippers with wool or felted soles would be, well, slippery!

And I am a "tea jenny" (is that just a Scottish phrase or is it used in the rest of the UK?). By which I mean that I constantly drink tea of many kinds - green, oolong, white tea, herb tisanes (fennel or peppermint). Teabags always go down well! But I don't drink coffee.

Also I imagine myself as a mini-eco-warrior (my family would say hippie) insofaras I am concerned for the environment and have an interest in recycling, composting, conservation, growing vegetables etc. I keep hens in the garden and prefer to avoid non-organic meat where possible.

My family will also tell you I talk a lot. I'll shut up now.

S

x x x 

Knitting Progress

A little about my current projects.

1.Binsenkorbcher socks by Stephanie Van Der Linden.
These are for the October challenge of the Sock Knitters Anonymous Ravelry group.



2. Cheshire Cat Stole
Intended as a gift for my mum, this is progressing far too slowly for my liking




3. Mystic Ice - This Mystery Shawl Knitalong begins on the 17th November. I have set aside a beautiful skein of Angel Laceweight yarn from The Natural Dye Studio in the Aegean colourway.

A Surprise Invitation

It all started a couple of weeks ago with an innocent little envelope, dropped through the letter box. Addressed to me and my father-in-law - although apparently it was intended for my husband and I. My friend (who sent it) was being assisted by her sister, who confused us with another couple. The wife has the same first name as me, and the husband - the same first name as my father-in-law! However, she did manage to get the surname right...

Anyway, I digress. I opened the envelope and found a small card inside - an invitation. Nothing unusual about that - we're always getting invited to little Johnny's Birthday or wee Sarah's Halloween party. But this was no children's party invitation. Oh no, this is an invite to a proper "do". A "Dinner Dance". A Ball.

Of course, I have not been to a ball, in ah, let's see now number of years. Well before I became pregnant with my eldest son (now almost four). The last dress I wore was as my sister's bridesmaid - in 2002! An that was given away a while ago (now several sizes too large). So the only things I have in my wardrobe are jeans, t-shirts, one white shirt, and one smart trousers / jacket outfit. That's about it.

Time for some serious shopping!

I had no Idea where to start, so I booked an appointment with the Debenhams Personal Shoppers, on a morning when my children were at the childminder's. Those ladies are fantastic! They made me a cuppa, sat me down, asked what I wanted and what my preferences were for length / colour cut (not a clue!) what size I wear (and I'm not telling!) and any accessories I might need (magic undies, shoes, jewellery, clutch bag, shrug...)

Then I sat and drank my Earl Grey while they shopped for me! All I had to do was try on dresses and choose what I liked best. Then they brought shoes, bags, undies, a shrug, even jewellery to match. It was the best shopping trip ever. Normally I hate shopping but having someone choose things that a. fit b. suit me and c. are fashionable was brilliant! I spent more than I had hoped (mainly on the shoes) but I am now the proud owner of a beautiful deep red taffeta dress.

I shall go to the ball!