do you mind if i knit

Is Spring is on its way.........?

Do you feel Spring is on its way..................? I like the winter landscape, the bare branches of the trees against the monochrome landcape........... I find it peaceful, and restful........... Today I got a sudden shock when I looked out of my studio window, and noticed bright green shoots have started to appear on the bare branches of the Wisteria. The colour was so bright after all the 'subtle' landscape colours of the last few months. I love Spring, but I was surprised to see signs of it. .........Winter is clinging on............. I'm slowly starting to leave winter behind.

The necklaces I bought from Gooseflesh

This was the first necklace I bought from Gooseflesh. I love Helle's work, and her blog, she is extraordinarily creative, and generously shares all she's doing on her blog. I know she's very busy, so I was nervously hopeful when I asked if I might commission a piece from her. She said she would be delighted to do something for me. And this is her fabulous creation. She even did a post on her blog about it. Helle crochets these forms, and then fulls them. I like the attention to detail of the tiny flowers on the ends of the cord, and that they can just dangle down your back if you choose............. If you haven't stopped by Helle's blog, I thoroughly recommend it, it's not just her jewellery that is inspiring....... at the moment she is creating an amazing piece from plastic bags. One more thing, I have to INSIST that you meet the star of this post on Helle's blog, Harry.

The Snowdrop Walk.

On Sunday afternoon, Hugo and I took the doggies on a Snowdrop walk, at Mellerstain. We were allowed to let the dogs off the leash, and they strutted around the grounds as though they owned the place............ It was a fine day, not too cold. The Snowdrop walk is at the beginning of its inception, so while there were lots of Snowdrops to see, in time it will be glorious. The man taking the Snowdrop walk, seemed to be very much the driving force behind the whole concept, it's his 'baby'. On our way round the grounds we were approached by an older gentleman. The guide greeted him with, "hello, Mi Lord". Lord Haddington then joined us on the walk, and was very friendly and chatty .............. which was nice! Towards the end of the walk, people started to make conversation, and at one point I talked to someone called Lachlan. He and his partner have a company called ROAM, making luxury blankets for the home, and children. I love learning about new things like this. At the end of the walk, we had a cup of tea, and a slice of cake, and I bought a clump of Snowdrop bulbs, from those displayed in huge crates. My own Mellerstain Snowdrops to plant, and watch spreading round our garden. And with regards to the Mellerstain Snowdrop walk, even though it's going to take a few years for the Snowdrops to get established, and create a carpet of flowers, there were enough that had established themselves, to create a magical effect. Hopefully we'll go back again next year, and each following year if we can....... what a great way to mark the passage of time.

My Kim Hargreaves knit is finished.

In this this post, I talked about starting a new project. well, now it's finished, and I have been wearing it. These photos were taken before this accident! I was a little worried It would be too long for me, but I love the length. Infact, I love everything about this piece. It is comfortable, warm, and soft, and the colour is versatile. The necklace I'm wearing I didn't make, I bought from VV Rouleaux a couple of years ago. I ended up enjoying the knitting of this, I know I found it complicated at the beginning, but the pattern repeats eventually sunk in. The one great thing about knitting a tank top, is the speed with which it is finished, because of not having to knit sleeves. The element that transformed this from a nice tank top, into a great design, was the cap sleeves that are done last thing. The cap sleeves give the top a bit of flare. I knitted it in the recommended yarn, (that came with the kit), 'Kid Classic', shade 852. This is lovely yarn to knit with, very soft, I'd knit with it again. The pattern is 'Victoria', by Kim Hargreaves. It is a kit from the 'Touching Elegance Collection'. This was a gift from my sister and her husband, and what a lovely thing to give to a knitter............ the perfect gift.

My new handbag.

Hugo knows my tastes.............. ............ Not just in handbags, but also in Valentine's bouquets. These Parrot Tulips are set against Farrow and Ball's 'Chartwell Green'. Farrow and Ball seem to have discontinued this colour, but looking at their colour card, I think 'Teresa's Green' is a close match. I just love this colour combination........ that soft green is a good contast for many colours, everything seems to look good against it. A handbag, and flowers ............... Could you have a sweeter gift...................

Frozen cobwebs.

Just when it feels like Spring is approaching, we get sharply reminded it's still winter, with a cold snap. It is beautiful though........... That makes up for the bitter cold. It brings to mind exquisite lace.......... .......... or a cobweb shawl. Is this cobweb strong, or is it delicate? Can it be both..............? All I know is that I felt fortunate to see these frozen cobwebs before they thawed, and just became ......well, ordinary cobwebs ......... again.

A true story.

The following is the true story of my Saturday evening........... This is how it goes..........Hugo decides he is going to sell a piece of antique furniture on e-bay. Photos are taken of the large eight foot high, Victorian glass-fronted cabinet, and posted on e-bay. Quite a few people are interested in said piece, so decide to empty it of all its books, and move it to the hallway. All books are removed, and re-located............ so far, so good. "I'm just going to take some more photos of it", says Hugo. I'm bending down, picking up things strewn on the floor, so don't see Hugo open heavy glass door on cabinet.................. I don't notice Hugo step back from cabinet which has heavy glass doors, and no books in it to weigh it down. I don't see it, but I sense something is toppling over, towards me.......... My reaction is to put my arm up to protect myself............. ............To protect myself from the glass fronted cabinet that is crashing towards me. The next moment I hear Hugo shouting, and look up to see him trying to hold up the cabinet. I look down and notice that there is blood spilling out of a huge gash in my hand. (I think someone in the special effects department of a movie set might have been impressed with their own handiwork,had the gash been their creation, but then the director would have come along and said something like, "nah...... too over the top, too much like a piece of steak you're cutting up for your dinner........ make it more believable, less steak-like".) .............This sort of incident does not happen to me........... I mean, really, it was like some slow-motion out of body experience, but the body wasn't mine. Hugo was frantically telling me to sit down, but I decided that some sort of cloth was needed. Otherwise there was going to be an expensive dry-cleaning bill for the rug. So off we went to casualty. After five sewn stitches, and strips of tape in between, all beautifully carried out by the nurse, Rosetta, (who also happened to be a lovely, lovely person), and having had a good laugh at the blood spattered all over the floor from when the plastic bag and tea-towel had been removed fom my hand, and an extraordinary fountain of the red stuff spurted all over the place.................. .............. we returned home, dazed and confused. Luckily there had been no nerve damage, which was very fortunate, as it is my right hand, the one I use to draw and paint with, and which is also indispensible for the knitting process. I now have a slightly puffy and bruised hand, decorated with stitches and tape, and bandages, and an infection that is being nipped in the bud with anti-biotics. Oh, and a hand that is not at full performance, but which will be. In the mean time, I would like to make the best of a bad hand............and........... .......... Distract myself with a bit of bling.

My favourite room in the house.

st To follow on from this post....... I now present to you, a finished room....... ......Painted and decorated. Furniture moved back in. Cath Kidston rug, from The Rug Company, displayed, after many years of hibernation. Paint brushes washed. Tins with dregs of paint left in them, stored away safely. It was only after we started to put things back in the room, that I realised the red contrasting with the 'Berrington Blue' from Farrow and Ball, livened up the blue we had painted on the walls......... This is elegant, and restful, and very pleasant.......... But this is....... BAM............ Alive!

It must be love.........

It must be ......... love........ ..........Love........ ..........Love....... It must be love. Either love......... .........Or Douglas is whispering about this post to Ellie.......... I shall let you decide, this Valentine's day.

Elephant's breath.

I really, really wanted to paint the bedroom walls with 'Elephant's Breath' by Farrow and Ball. Who wouldn't want elephant's breath on their walls....... what a lovely name for a paint colour. I imagined saying to people........"I've got elephant's breath on my spare bedroom walls". 'Lichen'..........'powder blue'.........'pigeon'.......'sugar bag light'...........'mouse's back'...............'green smoke'........'smoked trout'..........'tallow'..........'skylight'...........'blazer'.........'borrowed light'...........'slipper satin'........ more wonderful names for paints, but 'elephant's breath' is still my favourite. ..............elephant's breath................. sigh............ You'd be mistaken if you thought we are professional painter and decorators, after seeing this collection of brushes, pots, rollers, dust sheets............. You would also be mistaken if you thought, well, with all that equipment, they must do lots of painting, so they must at the very least, enjoy decorating............ Nope, not at all...........but when I have to do it, I will get stuck in. I do the 'cutting in', Hugo does the large expanses with a roller, and this seems to be the most efficient system. The choice of colour for the spare room is 'Berrington Blue'. 'Elephant's breath' wasn't the right colour for the room. We procrastinated for four years. We lived with the previous owner's choice of mustard yellow walls and salmon pink carpet for four years. It was the last room in the house to be decorated, and we had to put our own stamp on it. We didn't want to......... but we had to. To be continued.......................