A word of thanks.

It was the village show this weekend - Heckington, in Lincolnshire. It is reputed to be the biggest village show in the country, and I have certainly seen smaller full-grown agricultural shows. 

I like to do my bit by entering the handicraft classes, and thanks to a super design, my work won the first prize in the 4ply or finer knitting class. So thanks are due to Kate Davies Needled  for Caller Herrin'. A project that was a pleasure to knit, and an even greater pleasure to see adorned with a red card

A few little wonders

 I do appreciate being able to press the macro button on my camera. There is so much to be seen with it. I have only realised in the last couple of years how complex and delightful cornflowers are, with their little wheel of trumpets for petals.

This year's nigellas are all fairly pale in colour, and showing the veins on the backs of the petals as they come out.

                                                      So delicate.

Dining on aphids. A couple of Ladybirds being really useful.

 I said to him " You really didn't have to use the sewing machine to join up the split in that tomato!"  Quite a few of that variety , Black Russian, have been splitting on the vine, but that particular one must have thought better of it and refrained (but only just).

Finally, in keeping with our not-so-good-thus-far summer, our first dwarf sunflower is dark brown. Or shall I call it chocolate, since that sounds more cheering!

And again

Second attempt- there were issues of gauge! Going nicely now, and I think I struck lucky with the colours.

I have also been photographing my entries for Heckington Show, which is next weekend, but I had better keep them under my hat in case I put myself out of the running for a prize by showing too soon. Wish me luck!

Going Baltic

It has been a long time in the gestation, but I am finally up and running on a cardigan in Kauni wool.


Of course, nothing is simple. When I go to choose the yarn, Scandinavian Knitting Design don't have a very large stock, so instead of using one yarn with big contrasts in the colour changes, I have decided to use two colours - one blue/grey and not very variable, and one mainly red/orange with added lime and purple. So it will not end up looking like the one in the pattern but I hope it will be good in a different way. There is so much variation in the colours that it is impossible to predict what I am going to get. This is the main attraction!


I am using the squares pattern by Ruth Sorensen. There are some delightful, more complex ones about, but this is not about the pattern really, it is about the yarn. The pattern needs to be simple. This will be my first attempt at steeks. Or should I call them Eeks! I don't anticipate any problems - the yarn holds fast to itself; I can almost hear it peeling off as I pull it from the ball. One thing I don't recall seeing mentioned anywhere: it is quite smelly! Definitely a reek of the rural when I opened the bag. Also I can feel the lanolin on my hands after a spell of knitting. This means it should bloom when it gets it's first wash.


Of course the little bit of corrugated rib you see above is the second start. Guess who twisted the cast on, first go!


 

A welcome guest.

Sitting on the gatepost, a Privet Hawk Moth (Sphinx Ligustri) our largest moth, resting for the day. I was able to use a grass blade to lift it's wing without disturbing it, and so show the girl next door the pink and black stripes on it's body.

Yes, we do have a privet hedge.

My muddle (and I like it)

Sunday morning and we have been to a car boot sale. Starting at the front - 

Some pretty tins, for keeping sewing bits in.

Some books - The Family Knitting Book, by James Norbury: dates from the 1960's:

Collins Field Guide to the Seashore: both 50p.

If you look at the front left hand side of the dresser, there is a flying shuttle. On the table is the one I found for sale - a baby brother. The large one was made in Bradford, so I assume it was for wool. The new smaller one is from Lancashire, and is labelled for silk - it even has a bobbin with some silk still wound on it.

Not part of the morning's purchases - the flowers were picked to support the couple of sprays of Sweet Peas, which he brought in, and which are scenting the house with very high class air freshener. Beside them, a couple of blouse patterns that have been used so heavily that they need re-tracing before I attempt to cut them out again. The Sweet Williams have been wonderful this year, even though they were not planted last year - they are hangers-on from the year before.

And finally, I have finished my "Torshavn" Faeroese shawl and it is blocking.