Yarny, baby obsession!

Hello!

I wrote last time about some of my friends becoming grandparents, and how I was making some baby cardigans and things.  Well, it has become a bit of an obsession!  There's something so satisfying about creating clothes in miniature and the speed at which they make up is really amazing!  So far I have been crocheting them, but I am planning to knit some too.

Last time I had just finished this one...

...and was halfway through making this one!

The first one is from Hayfield pattern 4410 and is so quick and easy to make.  The back and fronts are made in one piece up to the armhole, and that minimises the fiddly sewing up!  Here's the pattern leaflet:

It would make a smart cardigan for an older child too, as it goes up to age 7.

The pink one above is from the fabulous book by Jenny Watson Designs.  A beautifully photographed book, packed full of lovely cardigans, sweaters, hats etc.  I bought it at Yarndale and it's proving to be a very good purchase!

I also made this newborn sized one from the same book  It just needs buttons and then it's done.

It used a really unusual stitch, which I think is called 'twisted trebles' but I'm not sure.  You miss a stitch, work one treble (UK) into the following stitch, then go back and work a treble in the missed stitch.  It makes a really pretty pattern.  

This morning the postman delivered a pattern which I had bought on eBay, King Cole 3479.  I really like the sweater with buttons on the shoulder (makes it easier to dress a wriggling baby) and the jacket with collar.  I think I'm going to make the sweater first!

I can't remember if I showed you the baby blanket that started all this new obsession.  I used my friend Lucy, Attic24's, fabulous Trellis Stripe Pattern, in a single colour of DK mercerised cotton.  I'm so pleased with it and it was a lovely, rhythmic pattern to make.  I added my own scallop edging. 

I now have a baby yarn storage box in my sewing room and I think I am well and truly hooked on making baby things!

Donna x 

September Days

Hello!

I seem to be running a bit late with everything at the moment, only just sorting photos and reminiscing on the wonderful month of September!  

I love September, with its often sunny days, rustling leaves, and that special golden light this time of year gives us.  The misty mornings have their own special attraction, especially now I am retired and can return to bed with a cup of tea and watch the sun rise over the hills, burning off the mist.

We had a lovely September holiday in Snowdonia and the weather was particularly good to us.  We stayed in a beautiful cottage with fabulous views.

We were treated to some marvellous sunsets too!

Snowdonia is amazing, with some of the most spectacular scenery...

A short drive away is the island of Anglesey, where I indulged in my last paddle of the year!

The coast is so pretty and we had a lovely lunch at this picturesque spot, in the historic inn by sea.

Penrhyn Castle, also near the coast, was a fabulous day out! 

Just before we set off for our holiday I had completed a picnic blanket to use.  I used my friend Lucy, at Attic24's, fabulous Sweet Pea pattern, in a lap blanket size, but used up some dreadfully boring brown cotton DK yarn, practical, but oh so dull!  I took it to show Lucy and she was very kind about her lovely pattern being used with such yawningly boring yarn!  It does look better in real life than in a photo, as it proved so difficult to photograph!  The cotton actually has quite a nice sheen, which doesn't show up at all!  I'll let you have a peek anyway, but it looks really patchy here, which it isn't at all in real life :)

Our new picnic blanket came in so useful on holiday and we used it virtually every day!

Returning home we encountered some very wet days but that meant I could turn my back on autumn jobs in the garden, and turn instead to my sewing room. I made a dress, using one of my favourite Tilly and the Buttons patterns, which is the Agnes top.  On Tilly's website there is a tutorial for making the top into a dress, so I did!  It's a fabulously comfortable dress, but maybe not the most flattering on me.  I am still getting loads of wear out of it though, but I am not sure if I would make another one.

Some of my friends are now becoming grandparents, and I have thrown myself with gusto into crocheting and knitting baby clothes!  Who knew they could be so much fun to make, and so quick too!  This crochet cardigan was delivered to a new baby girl yesterday.

I have a lacy little cardigan on the go now, for the same baby girl.  I have become a little addicted to these teeny tiny garments, and have already bought yarn for three more for another baby, not due for a while yet though.

That yarn was purchased at one of the highlights of the autumn, Yarndale!!  This woolly delight is held at the auction mart in Skipton over a weekend, and I am one of the volunteers there, which I very much enjoy.  Yarndale is such a heady mix of fabulous yarns, real sheep and alpacas and some of the friendliest people around!  One of the most popular spots is the knit and natter lounge, where Lucy, Attic24, has her blankets on display, and Christine, Winwick Mum, has her amazing sock line!  

The donated bears for Mercy Ships had flown in from all corners of the world, and what a jolly sight they made.

September really was a happy, golden time, a month to truly remember with fondness.

Donna x 

Postcards From the Summer

Hello!

We were away all of last week, in Snowdonia, and what was planned as our early autumn holiday ended up feeling more like a proper summer holiday as the weather grew warmer and warmer as the week progressed.  I will tell you all about our happy wanderings in Snowdonia in my next post, as I am a bit behind telling you about our summer wanderings!  The leaves are fluttering onto the lawn as I write and the evenings are drawing in, so I will delay no longer telling you about our 'holiday at home' this summer...

Since I retired from school life last year we don't tend to go away in the school holidays, preferring to go before and/or afterwards, when it's quieter, and cheaper!  I still tend to call these six weeks in July and August 'summer holidays' though.  I suppose old habits die hard!

We had some lovely days out this 'summer' and visited some beautiful places, most of which are pretty much on our doorstep.

Sizergh Castle in the Lake District is always worth a visit.  Home to the Strickland family for over 700 years (they still live there today) it is well worth a visit.  The castle is so interesting and the gardens are beautiful for a wander around, a picnic, or to while away some time daydreaming. 

We spotted these sunflowers in the garden.  The flower heads were the size of dinner plates, but the stems were surprisingly short!

Another 'local' treasure is Rufford Old Hall, which has one of the finest surviving Tudor Great Halls.  

It also houses a spectacular 'movable screen', which isn't actually movable at all.  Made from bog oak, it has been in position since the 1500s.  This is reputed to be the finest example of a Tudor screen in the country. 

Rumour has it that Shakespeare visited here in his teens!  

Another place very close to home, and somewhere I had never actually been inside, was Lancaster Castle.  We had a fascinating guided tour, and learned such a lot about the castle's history as a fortress, prison, courtroom (still in use today), and also possibly one of the most infamous trials in British history - the Pendle Witch Trials of 1612.  A dark period in our history, that's for sure.  

As the castle is still a working court (part time) visitors are unable to take photos inside, so I can only show you the rather imposing main gateway!

Another nearby place we had never explored was Clitheroe Castle.  When we visited Lancaster I bought an annual pass for the bargain price of £20, which gives four people unlimited entrance to a number of Lancashire museums and historic sites, one of which was the castle at Clitheroe. So, off we went to have a look around!

Dominating the skyline of Clitheroe and the surrounding Ribble Valley for over 800 years, the castle now houses a really interesting museum, as well as the castle keep, from which there is a wonderful view of the town and countryside.

This summer also saw us celebrating our first wedding anniversary!  I can't believe a whole year has flown by since that happy day.  Where else to celebrate but Betty's???  This time we chose Harrogate and enjoyed a leisurely lunch and a wander around one of our favourite towns.

We also had a lovely weekend in London, meeting my sister and her family for a family celebration.  Arriving a little bit early gave us the opportunity to sit in one of London's green oases, Soho Square Gardens.  There are literally dozens of these garden squares dotted around London, most of which were originally formal private gardens for the residents of the smart townhouses which surrounded each one.  Nowadays the majority are available for the public to sit in to chat, soak up the sun, or eat their workday packed lunch or weekend picnic.  Such lovely places to sit and watch the world go by. 

Mostly the surrounding buildings have now been converted into offices, or sometimes apartments, but I like to try and imagine what they would have looked like as wealthy family homes, with the family upstairs and the servants using the steps down into the basements.  I wonder what they would think if they could see how much these former kitchens and servants halls sell for today?  

We had had time in the morning for a little potter around, including a trip to Fortnum and Mason for some of their wonderful tea and coffee.  I really love the facade of F&M, sitting so regally on Piccadilly.

It really was a summer holiday of variety, and we enjoyed visiting places we had been before, as well as some new ones.  Sometimes we get so caught up travelling far and wide we forget to explore the treasures that are on our doorstep.  I'm glad we found time to do that this year. 

Mango, our cat, found plenty of time to enjoy her surroundings too, including our garden bench.  I assume she was comfortable in this uncomfortable looking position?

Donna x