Autumn Colours

Yesterday Mr A and I visited Westonbirt Arboretum in Gloucestershire, and what a wonderful day for driving through the Cotswolds it was. We did suffer the ignomany of being charged OAP rates to go in - but hey that saved £2:00 which went towards a slice of carrot cake in the restaurant there, so every cloud as they say!

Not a lot to write in this post, the photos will tell their own story I hope. I can thoroughly recommend a visit to Westonbirt at this time of the year although this year the colours are particularly beautiful.

Do I look sixty?

And finally - I slipped earlier this week as I didn't post a photo of a FCS! I really am going to have to find something else to knit all my sock yarn with, but right now I LOVE this pattern, and it's a nice gift for a friend or thank you to someone, so I expect I shall continue with them for a while. It's stashbusting really!

Forest Canopy Shoulder Shawl

Yarn: May Sock Club from the Yarn Yard

Needles: Size 7 Aeros

This was made as a gift for someone special - I do hope they like it!

Ula

I am off to Knit and Natter with my friend Hils tonight, and thought I'd pop in here with Ula before I go. Ula is from the new Iona book from Colinette, and I am very pleased with the end result. Iona yarn knits very quickly, and is a dream to knit with, and VERY warm - just what I'll need for cold night shifts in the coming months.

Here she is - Ula!

Pattern: Ula from Colinette Iona

Yarn: Colinette Iona in Velvet Plum

Needles: 4mm and 4.5mm Aero needles

She took 6 skeins to make, one less than recommended, and was a very quick knit - 10 days from start to finish. I'd like to thank Linda for her sizing advice - I was all for making the 40" but Linda said no Joy, the 38" will be right - and it was!

A Change is as Good as a Rest!

What a wonderful three days I have just had! I'm shattered mind, but it's been well worth every single minute.


I took the 7:19 to London on Wednesday morning. I made straight for John Lewis, where I managed to buy some black aran for a scarf for DD - her request - and a copy of Rowan Studio 5 which I have wanted for ages.


I then made my way to the Embankment where I spent a lovely hour in the Embankment gardens with the sleeve of Ula it was a pleasant but overcast day and nice enough to sit out.



I was on my way to the South bank - The National Theatre to be precise - for a performance of Rafta Rafta which was a wonderful observation of life withtin the extended family, both happy and poignant, and the best £10:00 I've spent in ages!


Getting from the Embankment to the South Bank meant crossing the river by bridge on foot. Those of you who met me at Get Knitted earlier this year know that I don't do bridges and I don't do heights!

But cross it I did - I even stopped for photos half way across, but it was such an overcast day they aren't brilliant.

Have you ever been on the Eye - having just said I don't like heights, paradoxically the Eye doesn't bother me in the slightest, and I can recommend it.

This is one of those living works of art on the South bank.

And here is the new statue of Lord Olivier.

I then spent a very pleasant evening in the company of my son, then having spent the night at his flat was up and off and out by 8:00 to travel to Clapham Junction to meet Noo , Noo's mum Jessica and Franney and we all made our way to Ally Pally!

We had a wonderful time, later meeting up with blogless Jobo, and my resolve to spend cash instead of using my card leated all of five minutes! Here is a Sunflower Swift in action on the Get Knitted stall.

It's impossible to show everything at Ally pally but it's just great there. It was so nice to met Colinette again ( I can't believe she remembered me from the recent Workshop! ) It was also lovely to say hello to Gill from the Woolly Workshop and Bruce from SKD

I made one or two *ahem* modest purchases - there were 11 balls of Sirdar Peru in Pacaya for that lovely jacket, and 14 balls of Schoeller and Stahl Big Print for the Wrap Cardigan from Web of Wool , which I had tried to buy at Woolfest but they hadn't enough yarn left to make the correct pack for my size. I'm intrigued by the construction of the cardigan.

Now then this Smooshy yarn is from Socktopus who I cannot recommend highly enough. There are 450 yrds of handpainted Australian Superwash 100% superfine Merino on those skeins for £12:00, my colours are Dusky Aurora and Wisterious.

Did I mention the Knitpicks Options from GK? I also did some secret Santa shopping there!

And a group shot, including Yarn Forward Magazine which I collected there to save Kerrie posting. It's a great issue this time.

And finally, if all that wasn't enough, yesterday I went to visit my friend Blossom, and met her little boy and new baby which was such a treat. This is the cardigan I took, based on Devan which is knitted in January Sock Club yarn from the Yarnyard and I just had enough yarn for the 6-12 month size. Blossom can hopefully incorporate the leftover yarn into her mitred blanket, which is just stunning.

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I won this yarn in one of Piglottie's auctions - it seemed somehow fitting that yarn purchased to help someone celebrate the life of a friend should be used to make something to mark a new life coming into the world.

And here they both are - with mummy's permission - my two new favourite boys! Aren't they just gorgeous!