Life

Life goes on.  It's hard to know what to say following the results of the American election.  But the only thing to say is be kind to one another.  Think before you speak, make sure the words you say are kind words.  I was going to post yesterday but couldn't think what to say.  I read several craft blogs and other blogs and each one I read yesterday talked about loving each other despite what the world throws at us.  Wise words, so I think I shall leave it at that.

(I need to post an update on knitting progress soon - or I will finish my projects, if only.  Knitting with tiny needles and thin yarn is slow but there has been progress.)

Beauty in Autumn

I'll let the pictures do the talking.  The last couple of morning walks have been misty and foggy.  It is very beautiful and atmospheric.  The weather is set to get colder so who knows what we will be greeted with first thing in the morning when we open the curtains.

Autumn

 I love autumn.  It means I can get out the Woolly jumpers and feel warm and cosy.  I like the changes in the trees.  Autumn colours are great.  On our dog walk in the mornings I find it is a great time to really think before the hectic rushing around for the rest of the day.  I find it is my calming time, my me time to think or not think (sometimes) to just be me.

On the needles at the moment is a test knit for Sabine - @frisabiknits (on instagram).  They have been a really quick knit and fun to make.  I have knitted them in Rowan felted tweed dk as that was all the dk yarn I had in my stash.  (I try not to stash too much yarn).  I'm not sure what to knit next but I know I do have a sock on the needles that I need to frog because I think it is too small and I had almost finished the first sock as well - I knew I should have tried it on before now.  Shall I re-knit the same socks or do a different pair or even make a shawl out of the yarn.  It is very pretty yarn from Hedgehog fibres.   Choices, choices.

Early mornings

 I love our early morning walks at the moment.  The skies have been great and I have taken so many pictures it is hard to decide which to keep and which to not.  We are so lucky to live where we do.  We have the countryside on our doorstep but also towns and cities nearby.

In resurrecting my blog I am thinking of a name change and maybe having a play as my blog no longer just reflects what I make/knit.  I shall still include the things I do make, such as these socks that I have recently finished.

( Delbert by Rachel Coopey and are knitted in Opal Yarn that I bought when visiting my mother in law and almost ran out of knitting!)

So long

 Didn't mean to leave it so long between posts.  Summer has gone and Autumn has definitely started.  I love it though, the changing of the seasons.  The leaves changing colour.  The amazing skies first thing in the morning and last thing at night. It is also the time to start getting the woollies out and also my needles get a bit busier in the run up to Christmas but I love the feeling being creative gives me.

At the moment I have a Brake cowl on the needles which is designed by Donna Smith and in some lovely yarn (Town End yarns Alpaca with Merino)  I picked up from Wild and Woolly on a trip to London with some knitty friends.  It is very soft and silky.   The yarn is not really the pinky colour in this picture, it is more of a red/pink but it seems to be a difficult colour to picture.  

Cotton Wool head

Terrible photo. it is a picture of some doodling I have done recently.  I seem to have lost my creative spark at the moment.  I guess sometimes it goes like this.  There are good and bad days but I just feel that recently I haven't really been very creative.  Yes I have had knitting on the go but I am following a pattern and not diverting.  I feel I am not using my creative side as I would like.  Problem is I can't see a way forward at the moment.  My head feels as though it is full of cotton wool.  Have you every felt this way?  And what did you do about it?

So Long

It is so long since I have put anything on here, it is not for having nothing to put but just that I couldn't think how to put it.  Does that make sense?                                            

During the Easter holidays we went as a family to Rome and had a brilliant time.  We packed so much into the small amount of time we had there.  We stayed in a airbnb apartment 10 minutes walk from the Colosseum and was perfect for our stay.  It had everything we needed and the owner met us there and gave us a few pointers to make our stay the best. 

On our first day, we had a guided walking tour of the Colosseum and the Forum.  This tour was 3 hours and a little bit long for J.  But after some much needed sustenance we felt much better and also went and looked at the Pantheon.  We also managed to squeeze in a little bit of traditional food while there - pizza and pasta.

Day 2 saw us visiting St Peter's Basilica and the Vatican City.  We spent a lot of time looking up at ceilings or looking at mosaic floors.

We seemed  to walk for miles but we did also use the metro as well which J enjoyed.  After spending most of our second day at the Vatican city we were all starting to flag and headed back to the apartment to make yet more pasta .

Evenings were spent either sitting on the balcony drinking wine, beer or juice, running along the balcony (J - five floors up was a little worrying) .  One last visit we did was to see the Colesseum lit up in the dark.  J was very happy to be allowed to stay up late but was a little grumpy and tired the next day as we had to be up very early to catch our flight back to the UK.

What a memorable trip.  There is so much to see and take in that maybe another trip in the future is required. 

(This is only a small amount of the photographs that were taken, I think in the end I took nearly 200 and A took nearly 1000! So may memories made that we still talk about it now.  For ease and to try and avoid too many queues we booked tours and tickets before we left the UK)

Still Here

It is so long since I last wrote on here, it is not that I have not had anything to put on here but that I just haven't.

Life has just been plodding along.  Josh has started at a small village school about 5 miles from home with only 65 pupils in the whole school.  At the moment he is in a class of reception, year 1 and year 2 but there are less than 30 pupils.  Next year he will go into a class of year 3 and 4 and there will be 20 at the most.  He seems to be settling in very well with only 1 or 2 wobbles so far.  So that is good and he is generally happy to go to school each morning which is such a relief.

Craftwise again life is ticking over with both sample and test knitting happening.  But also leaving me enough time to knit myself things.  Hopefully I might get around to posting some pictures soon.