Autumn Glory

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.”
Albert Camus

We’ve had another warm and mellow autumn weekend, so D and I packed up a picnic and paid a visit to Stourhead to admire the beautiful autumn colours. It was the busiest that we’ve ever seen it, but that did nothing to diminish the beauty of the place. I feel really lucky that we have such a wonderful National Trust property within such a short drive. And I’m glad that we really do get to make the most of it.

On the needles, I am back on track with my lacy tea top. It’s still not quite perfect on one row, but it is close enough (and I don’t think that I could bear to undo it yet again)! Luckily, the mistake is on the back of the top, near the bottom, so I’m hoping that no one will notice, and I shall try very hard not to point it out!

My sister’s Toasties are also coming along nicely, and should be finished by the next time I post. This is fortunate as A and I have decided on Mum’s Christmas present this year and it is to be the lovely Shalom cardigan by Meghan, published on her lovely blog Involving the Senses. I’ve chosen some wool from Pavi Yarns. It’s a Louet Riverstone Chunky in the fabulously named Foxy Fucshia. I shall be casting on just as soon as the wool gets through the postal strike. Grrr!

Knitting-a-go-go!

Since my last post I have been to not one, not two, but three knitting groups. Firstly, there's the regular Wednesday knitting club at work (aka the Walker Books Knitting Club) and then we had an extraordinary session at Bou Tea, which was basically the Walker Knitters, plus Gemma who defected to a printers last month. Third, and by no means last, on the list is The Poultry Cross Knitters who meet up on the first Sunday of the month (whether there's a Gradnd Prix or not) at the Poultry Cross in the centre of Salisbury.

Now, you would think that having been to three knitting groups in the last two weeks would have led to an enormous volume of knitting taking place, wouldn't you? Well, yes, you would, but it turns out that the lovely lace pattern I'm working on right now is just that little bit too complicated for me to manage whilst talking at the same time. This means that I have knit and unknit, knit and unknit the same piece twice, and I am still not back to where I was a fortnigth ago. Bleurgh!

On the up side, I have now finished the lovely Milo, as you can see from the picture! He's absolutely gorgeous and a really fun project to have worked on. I'm only sorry that I shan't be able to keep him. (Although I know he'll be very happy with Corinne.) I sent a couple of photos of Milo to Jan Fearnley (his creator, as author, illustrator and pattern designer, and a very talented lady to boot) and she was delighted with him. She kindly gave her permission for me to list the pattern on Ravlery, so check him out here to make your very own Milo to love, cuddle and enjoy.

I've also cast on a pair of wristwarmers for my sister in the Maya that I bought at Jolie. I was going to make another pair of Fetchings, but I have rather fallen for a beautiful Toast-inspired pattern by Leslie Friend. Her blog a friend to knit with is delightful, and I suspect that this is another project I'm going to end up wanting to keep...


Away from the needles, I am still enjoying the great autumnal weather. Last weekend, I took a stroll up to Clarendon Palace (the medieval hunting lodge of the kings of England), where I met this rather cheeky fellow and five of his pals! And this weekend I've been following Salisbury Art Trail, which is held annually. There are five homes and venues within a stone's throw of my house and it's wonderful that people open their doors to make art available to all. I have also been enjoying listening to The Resistance by Muse and reading The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters, both of which I can't recommend highly enough.

A Lovely Weekend

This weekend started on a great note with a delicious dinner at The Beckford Arms in Fonthill Gifford, near Tisbury. It's only a 25 minute drive from Salisbury, and well worth it. A glass of Garnacha, a goat's cheese and spinach souffle followed by another glass and a wonderful plate of cheese and biscuits. Yum yum! The pub itself is gorgeous and has a really nice atmosphere. It has quite recently changed hands and I was a teeny bit worried that it might not have been quite as good as it has been on previous visits. I am hugely relieved to say that this is not the case and I'm really looking forward to our next visit.

Saturday started early with a short drive out to Nomansland in the New Forest to drop the Volvo off for a quick service. D and I took the opportunity to take a delightful walk in the early morning sunshine through the trees and commons, coming across ponies, cows and these two rather lovely horses. (D took the photo on his iPhone as I didn't have my camera with me.) The early morning sunlight breaking through the clouds was so beautiful I wish I could be sharing it with you, but I don't think my photography skills are quite up to the level that would do justice to such an amazing sight.

After a relatively painless service we poppped down to Southampton for a spot of shopping (thanks ever so much Mum!) and a trip to Goldsmiths to get the mechanisms and bracelets of two members of the watch collection swapped over. Both watches have benefitted hugely and D is simply delighted! The afternoon was spent watching the Grand Prix qualifying from Singapore, snoozing and reading, then out for a run before gorging on D's macaroni cheese. Double yum again! Sunday, so far, has included a lie-in with my book, a bike ride and a spot of knitting whilst watching Formula One. Some weekends are just full of goodness, and this is one of them!

I've cast on a new project this week, with some beautiful Rowan Kidsilk Haze. It's the Lace Top by Erika Knight from Glamour Knits that was also published in the first episode of The Knitter magazine. It's fairly strightforward, but the lace pattern makes it a bit more challenging that just a standard knit. I had to do a little bit of unravelling as I managed to get the lace wrong on the first attempt, but I'm back on track now. It might take a while, but it's a great yarn and a great pattern, and I think it'll make a beautiful top that I will wear very happily! I've also picked up my blanket again, which seems entirely appropriate as we move further into autumn. Nothing is as snug as sitting on the sofa curled up in front of the autumn scheduling knitting a big warm blanket!

A Couple of FOs and a Comment on the Season

Sorry it's been a while since my last post. I've been a bit busy and have been out and about enjoying the last of the summer sunshine. I do love autumn and winter, but I shall miss the luxury of all those hours of daylight. It's now dark when my alarm sounds in the morning and by the end of this week I suspect it'll be dark by the time I get home from work. Oh well, I suppose I shall just have to adjust and get used to it. I think that this is the time of year that we all need to take a little extra care of ourselves and not get run down. (Something which I failed to do miserably this week and ended up with two days spent in bed.)

However, all gloominess aside, I have managed to get a fair bit of knitting done over the last three weeks. I've finished Milo the Armadillo, all bar some squiggly black lines on his back. My Fetchings are looking, well, fetching! And I've blocked my great big grey Flicca and it's drying out on the floor of my study waiting to be finished with some beautiful pink and silver velvet ribbon that I bought from Jolie, the LYS in my sister's village, last weekend. I also got a skein of pale blue Debbie Bliss Maya in the sale, which might just turn into another pair of fetchings for Amanda...

I had a lovely weekend with my sister, her husband and their three adorable dogs. We did a bit of window shopping, had a lovely lunch at the village tea-shop and took the dogs out for some nice long walks before we were joined by D and our parents for a lovely boozy dinner!

I know it's not knitting, but I'm incredibly proud that I have finally finished the Clothkits traffic skirt that my wonderful sister gave me for Christmas. I've worn it to work and I can't tell you how much I enjoyed it when people asked where I got it from and I could reply "I made it myself!" Here are couple of pictures so that you can enjoy it yourselves!

Nothing But Blue Skies

Just back from a really lovely afternoon spent at our local National Trust property, Stourhead. D and I started off with a super picnic in our own private part of the garden in the sunshine right by the side of the big house. We followed this with a long leisurely stroll around the lake and grounds, taking in the grotto and the temple, admiring the ducks and watching the fish basking in the sun. Some of the volunteers on the estate were doing some clearance work and had a little fire going - there really is nothing to beat the smell of woodsmoke. Gorgeous! We rounded it all off with a trip to The Spreadeagle for a nice quiet pint in beautiful surroundings. I've included a selection of pictures here from the afternoon, so you can see just how lovely it all was!


On the needles, I have cast on another new project since my last post. Now, I know that this is ever so slightly against my one in - one out policy but Dad's Danica is so nearly finished that I just thought it wouldn't hurt (just this once). It is completely worth it as I'm making a fabulous pair of Fetchings by Cheryl Niamath in Sublime Angora Merino. It is just so soft and fluffy. Delightful! The only problem is that the dpns I'm using are super-shiny and incredibly slippery! Add in the fact that there are four of them, and an additional cable needle to boot, and you can soon see how I managed to let not one, but two needles drop under my seat on the train journey home last night! In spite of this, I'm really rather proud of my first attempt at cabling and I can't wait to wear them!

Some Enchanted Evening

If you only go and see one movie this summer, then it must be Coco Avant Chanel. It is an incredible and inspiring film. Okay, so it helps that it's a biography of one of the Twentieth Century's most amazing women - Coco Chanel was brave, bold and at least fifty years ahead of her time. But the film is so much more than just a celebration of her early life, it is beautiful. The actresses and actors were wonderful, the scenery stunning and the costumes just gorgeous. The scenes with Boy where they watch the fishermen bringing in their catch in Deauville made me wish more than ever that I lived by the sea. To have a glimpse of the things that inspired the designs of such a visionary creative, is enough to make you look at the world around you differently - and to look much harder for your own inspiration. I simply can't recommend it highly enough. It is perfection in a film!


In record time I have completed my latest project, which is just as well as its intended recipient is due to arrive this Wednesday. Good luck to Piney and Jez - I can't wait to meet the new addition to your family. I have now started on a Milo Armadillo, as created by the lovely Jan Fearnley, for my friend Corinne. It's quite an easy pattern, and it's really good fun, so hopefully this'll be another quickie. Especially as I bought some lovely dusky brown angora in the sale yesterday, which is just begging to be made into a pair of Fetchings. My plan of having a one in one out policy when it comes to knitting is working out suprisingly well. It seems to make me knit more quickly and appreciate my projects just that little bit more. Hoorah!

Messing About By the River

Today, I have a lovely change of scenery. I am sitting in very comfy armchair in the Garden Common Room of Henley Business School. As I type, I can look out of the (very impressive) bay window and gaze out over lawns to the Thames. There are swans on the water and the odd rower strokes past. A beautiful wooden motor cruiser with a red ensign has just purred along, while I’ve been describing the scene. Beautiful! I’m here for the day, while D gets a good amount of work done on his dissertation and I’ve got all of the comforts I could possibly need to while away a few hours.

I’ve got a couple of books; Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer and the third part in the Luxe series by Anna Godberson Envy. I’ve got tea and shortbread biscuits whenever I fancy and I’ve brought my knitting with me for a spot of gentle crafting. Dad’s Danica is all done bar the finishing and blocking and a little baby jumper for Piney and Jez’s imminent arrival just needs one more stripey sleeve before I sew it all together. I even have a DVD to watch later on my Mac in case I get bored of the good life! And yesterday’s crossword too! Really, what more could a girl want?

I’m going to pop into Henley itself in a while to get the makings of a picnic and grab a paper. Hopefully the sun will be out in a bit and I can spread a blanket out on the lawn for a spot of lazing in the sun.

A little bit later…
Well my wish came true and the sun has come out. I am now stretched out on a blanket as happy as a cat in the sunshine! We've had a lovely picnic lunch of bread and cheese, with cherry tomatoes and a crisp green apple. A steamboat has just gone past with a brass band playing Dixieland jazz! And I’ve taken the opportunity of taking a couple of photographs of my current projects out in the fresh air. Hope you like them!