do you mind if i knit

calm

The title of this post is meant to be ironic, because, well, if I was a duck I'd look like I was floating calmly on the water, but hidden underneath, I'd be paddling like mad, trying to keep myself steady against the current.

It's just that sort of time at the moment, LOTS of work to do, not enough time to do it in, same old story as millions of other folks on the planet. And I'm not moaning about it, not at all, I'm very happy to be busy, I suppose it's really just an explanation for my lack of blogging last Friday, and a post today which is a bit thin on the ground in terms of content.

I have so many things to photograph and tell you about, all waiting to be shown. Like the giveaway gifts from Stephanie at blog Millefeuille, which arrived yesterday, and which have, have, have to be shown to you.

There's my lace dress I'm knitting, the finished Coraline cardigan, my crochet scarf, and the pattern for the crochet scarf (yet to write up).

And there's something else, which I'm quite excited about, but can't be put on my blog because I haven't yet photographed them.

Cards. Yes, my new cards arrived from the printers, it's very exciting. They're bigger and better than the last set of cards I sold, and I'm hoping you'll like them.

Last Saturday I managed to fit in a walk with Hugo and the doggies. It's in countryside I enjoy, but requires a short drive in the car to reach, so we don't often do this walk by the river.

When we arrived, and got out of the car, it was silent. Complete calm soaked the atmosphere. The river was glassy smooth. Such a contrast to the busy town we live in, and so soothing.

We didn't encounter anyone else on our amble, we had the stretch of riverbank to ourselves. If I'd been on my own I would have been a little nervous in the eerie silence, but as Hugo and the children (I mean the doggies), were there, the quiet felt very companionable and serene.

Just what the doctor would have ordered.

I'll be back on Friday with cards to show you, among other things.

Cheerio!

Vanessa xxx

JAM PACKED journey.

Hello! Would you like to go on a little journey with me? I'll try to make it as interesting as possible, if you do fancy sauntering along by my side.

I've been away on a wonderful holiday, back last Wednesday evening but unable to do last Friday's post because of a deadline for work.

It's only when I saw that I had 266 photos to download from my camera a couple of days ago, that I did a quiet gulp and thought, oh dear, I really did take lots of pictures, oh dear. And I really have been through each one and selected and cropped and cleaned them out so they download to your screen more quickly.

Don't holidays seem like a surreal dream when they've gone? Our holiday could have been a puff of smoke vanished into thin air, so it's nice to have photographs to prove the lovely time we had, was a solid reality, not just a nice dream.

Our holiday started with flying to Toulouse in France, where we were met by my parents, who had driven up from their home in Spain. This three day trip in France was a gift from my parents, a holiday within a holiday so-to-speak. Very generous of them to invite us along with them don't you think?

Toulouse is known as the Rose City, isn't that beautiful? The brick that many of the buildings are made of have a rose hue to them.

We only had a few hours in Toulouse before we set off on our journey to the Cathar region, but we did manage to have a walkabout, and being a Sunday, came across a market. It was somewhere between a car boot sale and a clothes market.

I found these treasures above, and at 2 euros a pair, one pair came home with me.

After a couple of hours we sped off towards Carcassonne.

Having a couple of small encounters on the way.

Miniature Wire Haired Dachshunds, also known by as Teckels!

As we own two of this adorable breed, coming across this little family of seven Teckels made my day.

And then later, after lunch, we encountered animals that spend a lot of time in the water.

In France they are called Ragondin, and that translates into the English Coypu.

No they're not giant sewer rats, which was our first thought! They're more like Ratty from The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame. (Ratty lives on a river bank).

We threw the remains of the bread from our lunch to them, and watched as they slowly swam about, clasping the bread in their paws and nibbling at it daintily.

We were fascinated by their whiskery faces and their perfect little hand-like paws. We tried to ignore their tails.

Our first day of the holiday and we'd encountered a Sunday Market, a pack of Mini Wire-haired Dachsies, had a lazy lunch of bread, cheese and tomatoes whilst sitting on the bank of a canal, and also encountered Ratty..............................

And then we were off to see this!

Carcassonne!

Doesn't it look like something out of a movie!

I liked Carcassonne, it's beautiful, and the streets are very clean, you don't have to watch what you tread on in Carcassonne. It almost stood out for its clean streets alone. But of course there's a lot more to it than that.

There is Carcassonne Cathedral, with its magnificent stained glass windows.

And there is Carcassonne's Castle, with its interesting history of being restored.

On the way in to the walled town, the first thing to catch our eye were these horses wearing their ear protectors, lovingly crocheted, pristine white.

I have to say at this point, that it was HOT. We experienced temperatures of up to 35 c on our holiday, and when your home weather is habitually cold, these temperatures can make you feel very .......... lazy! I was more like August temperatures, not September weather. Still, it was lovely to be able to wear summer dresses without having long-sleeved t-shirts underneath, and cardigans on top, and boots, and socks, which is my usual way of dressing.

I thought the castle was fascinating, and there were good explanations about the building and its restoration. It was special to be able to walk the ramparts, which had been reconstructed. It was hot, so I don't know how much historical information my fried brain actually absorbed. Enough to enjoy myself, and find the film at the start of the tour very interesting. I find it's the same with most historic bulidings that are either ruins, or have been partially restored, and don't have the paraphernalia of every day life like furniture and cooking implements of the period in place, it requires imagination to try and picture what it might have been like when first built. I always try to make it come alive by thinking about the people living in a place at the time. Often there isn't much to help with forming these pictures, just empty buildings. This is where the film at the beginning of this particular tour was of great help.

After the castle, there was the wandering about Carcassonne. With a bit of window shopping, which was a little taxing for my Dad and Hugo.

I love to have a wander, an explore, and it's always a rewarding thing to do in France. Things are done beautifully, the light is soft and works so well with the milky colours so beloved by the French.

My Mum and Dad like to explore too, stop here, stop there, buy bread, find a shop that sells cheese, locate a nice spot with a view, (in the shade), for a picnic lunch. Lovely. So we all got along very well, had a very jolly time.

But next! Next was walking up to ruined Cathar castles. If you'd like to know more about these castles there's a good short explanation of their history here.

I thought you might like to see our starting point before walking up to Queribus castle.

I tlooks very forbidding don't you think? And very high up too?

The walk wasn't as bad as we initially thought it was going to be.

Lovely views!

And as you do, on we went to the next castle, Peyrepertuse Castle, much more forbidding looking.

We walked up the side of the castle that was in shadow, thank fully.

And again, the walk was surprisingly not too bad.

My Mum is almost 69 years old, and my Dad is soon to be 70 years old, so I think I'd be forgiven for being proud of how well they look in the photo above, especially after having climbed quite a difficult slippy path to the very top point of the castle.

The view was magnificent from the top!

But I tell you, once we walked back down, and found a cafe where we sat outside in the shade, we all sat in silence drinking our ice cold drinks.

We felt tired.

And the next day we drove the nine hour journey back over into Spain and my parents house.

But before I leave France, here are a few pictures for you, we have to have a few more wandering about photos.

A wonderful, wonderful holiday!

On returning to my parents house, we flaked out. We did very little. Mostly eating good food, drinking good wine, sat on their top terrace relaxing.

Whilst sitting on that top terrace, I worked on the Sarah London Scarf I'm going to be doing the pattern for soon. I've made one version, and I'm now crocheting it again in a wider version, to see which I think works better as a scarf, before I write the pattern down. When I've finished the second version, and decided which width I prefer I'll crochet it again to ascertain yarn amounts and write the pattern down.

Before I go, here are some photos from the Spanish town my Mum and Dad live in.

That's Hugo kayaking in the photos above.

And the crochet scarf in the first picture, at the beginning of this post?

That's the first version of the Sarah London Scarf I'm working on. My projects go everywhere with me!

It was strange returning home, it felt like we'd been away for a long time, and things seemed familiar yet unfamiliar.

I had a very, very nice surprise waiting for me in an email message. Whilst we were on holiday, I won Stephanie's fabulous giveaway! What a wonderful thing to return to, don't you think? Stephanie has sent me the pattern I said I liked, and a parcel is on its way, so I shall tell you all about that in another post. There's nice special yarn involved too.

I am now ready for a beer, and I'm sure you are too! See you on Friday!

Vanessa xxx

 

 

Two weeks!

Hello! What a week!

And now I'm going to take two weeks away from my blog......................

I hope to be back on 22nd September.

Cheerio!

Vanessa xxx

Not many words, just lots of colour.

Hello!

I've got my back to the sound of the gale I can hear blowing outside, and my face to the screen of the computer, where I am now going to create a big fat dollopy colourful blog post for you.

I'm going to be relatively word free today because I've got a headache that I woke up with and can't shake off, and that always makes me a bit brain-tied, and also tongue-tied. Brains that have aches don't work properly. Every time. Frown lines form during these periods too.

So flowers and colour, from the couple of country shows we've been to over the last month..................

I've just had a flash-back to my dream last night. I was having tea with Royalty, and I felt very uncomfortable. Hugo says I was shouting in my sleep last night.

............As I was saying, colour. For you, because you might be having the same lousy weather we're having, and it could help to cheer you up.

Was that good? Did you feel the love of the people exhibiting their precious blooms? Imagine the hours of patience and care that went into the cultivation of these "Nature's Works of Art". The thought is quite soothing.

Just before I go,

I've finished my Coraline Cardigan! But I need to wait for a good opportunity to get Hugo to photograph me wearing it. Plus, I do have to admit something, I fancy making a Starboard Skirt to go with the cardigan, because I've got just the right fabric for it. It will be a Double Reveal, how about that!

Vanessa xxx

 

This little boy doggy.

This is a small, perfectly formed Miniature Wire haired Dachshund.

Douglas, to be precise.

One whole quarter of our family.

Ellie is his sister but doesn't feature today, because she didn't get wet, and I'm only going on about WET Daschunds today. Ellie is another quarter of our family, Hugo the third quarter, and I'm the last quarter. Four quarters. One whole family.

Feel free to examine Douglas' front paws, in the photo above.

Where have his little legs gone? Have they retracted into his body?

Douglas has been swimming in a more and more confident way recently.

We encourage it, (under very close supervision), because we quite like the idea of owning a Teeny Tiny Water Dog.

I imagine that his large front paws, (demonstrated in the first photo), make doggy paddle that little bit easier for the courageous chap.

Douglas is also the master of  "The Languishing Gorgeous Dog Who Must Be Kissed Despite Having Wet Ears".

Mr Boogles, I mean Douglas, you are rather adorable, soaking wet or dry and fluffy.

 Just before I return to my unravelling a couple of rows of the lace I'm knitting (grrrr), and then do some sculpture work, I do have to alert you to a very elegant and alluring giveaway on Stephanie's beautifully written blog. Stephanie's blog always has a little twist of something special, whether it be an arresting literary quote (that makes you want to go and buy the book the quote comes from), or a picture of a beautiful pile of yarn nestled in a great big cabbage in a field of great big cabbages. Stephanie's blog is called Millefeuille, and the giveaway can be found in this post. It's a lovely diversion if you fancy popping on over, and the giveaway is a really good one.

Cheerio! Vanessa xxx

A reveal you weren't expecting!

Hello!

I only realised today that I'm a day out, that it's Wednesday and not Tuesday, and that I forgot to post a blog entry last night. The Monday's Bank Holiday has got me totally discombobulated, I'm all over the place. Do three-day weekends do that to you too?

It all started with running out of steam last Friday, and having absolutely not the teeeeniest tiniest tinsiest bit of energy to do a blog post, even though I've got plenty to show you, almost too much. I always miss it when I don't do a blog post, it's like something is missing, I'm incomplete, so it takes quite a lot to stop me from doing a blog post. But there we go, no energy, not a milligram, and no blogola post.

But I'm back again with renewed vigour, even if I am a day late.

The surprise reveal is this cardigan I made recently, which was finished so quickly, I didn't manage to write about starting it.

It's my own pattern, very loosely based on the Annabel Cardigan I knitted which I blogged about in this post.

That's a picture of the Annabel cardigan above.

My pattern is sooo loosely  based on the Annabel cardigan, that if I wrote it up and published it, it would be very hard to accuse me of plagiarism.

I was thinking of writing up the pattern, but when am I going to find the time? My brain is feeling scrambled enough as it is. maybe one day, when things are calmer.

I haven't even got a name for my cardigan yet, I just think of it as my Herdwick Sheep Cardigan.

I bought the yarn back in April this year, with some Birthday money I received, when we went to the Lake District for a week.

The yarn is an Aran weight, using the fleece of the Herdwick Sheep, and produced by Crookabeck Farm in Cumbria.

The whole experience of buying the yarn was a bit of an adventure. The farm was a bit off the beaten track, down a very long a rustic winding lane. We were lucky that the lady owner of the farm was around to open up her shop, as she could have well been tending her flock of Herdwicks, which are a very pretty looking sheep.

You may have noticed lots of little wiry hairs sticking out of the balls of yarn in the mosaic above. Very prickly wiry hairs they are too. I don't want to criticise this yarn at all, because I love the colour and the way it knits up, and the fact that the yarn is from a breed that Beatrix Potter bred and loved, but I'm afraid I would be lying if I said it was soft and easy to wear once knitted up. (There's also a good blog entry about Beatrix Potter and the Herdwick Sheep here, it's very readable and informative). This yarn also sheds the white hairs whilst being knitted up, so that I was surrounded by a halo of white on the floor wherever I was knitting. I picked out a lot of the hairs by hand when I'd finished the cardigan, but there are still more to be removed. It's a cardigan that has to be worn over several t-shirts, or a garment that is so tightly woven, no hairs can get through and make you go "oww!"

If it wasn't for those bloomin prickly white hairs, this yarn would be very good, because the colour is so gorgeous, and it's a very hard wearing yarn, which doesn't pill, as far as I can tell.

Every time I wear this cardigan, which I have to work myself up to mentally, and make sure I'm wearing enough layers not to be tortured, I do some plucking out of the nasty white hairs.

One day, I will have a very nice and comfortable cardigan!

Shall we look at a few more pictures of a body in the cardigan?

I do have some beautifully soft Aran yarn in my stash which I was thinking of using to knit this cardigan again, and refine it, and then be comfortable wearing it. The yarn is lurking in a bag where I can see it, but that's not aloways a guarantee it will be used imminently.

I have almost finished the Coraline Cardigan I've been working on recently, I just have to graft the underarms, sew on buttons and sew in ends, and then its done! It feels like that's worked up very quickly.

Infact, I've already started a new project, another dress, using a lace pattern................. but that's another story.

I'll see you on Friday, I'm off to my knitting group, haven't been in a while............. cheerio! Vanessa xxx

 

 

A Sculpture of Garfie.

Hello! It's a puuuuurrrrr-fect day here today!

The cat's miaow of a day infact.

I haven't touched on the subject of my sculptures recently have I?

I am still working away on them, it's just that for various reasons, I haven't been able to show you anything I've finished.

But I think that I can show you this sculpture, commissioned by Sharon, to commemorate her beloved cat Garfie, who tragically met his end in a road accident at the tender age of two. Garfie was a special cat, and Sharon still misses him and his wonderful personality, so it was a privilege to make this piece for her.

When I do a commission that depicts a subject like this, I like to glean as much information about the subject as possible, not solely look at photographs. Sharon wrote me a long letter telling me all about Garfie's personality. He had different sides to his character. He was very, very loving, and knew just when to be affectionate. He was also a bit of an adventurer and a highly accomplished acrobat.

I wanted to express his personality in the sculpture, so the cloud of butterflies represent Garfie's sensitive side, whilst the trainers and binoculars represent his more adventurous leanings. His pockets are stuffed with bits of ribbon and fabric, because Garfie was partial to playing with those things.

Garfie may not have been my cat, but I became very attached to him in the process of making the sculpture. I really have to get personally involved with each piece I make, otherwise the work is not the best it can be, and this inevitably means it's hard to part with each piece I finish. But coming from the background I do, the world of illustration, I am very used to accepting that when a work is finished it has to be handed over and I have to move on, plus, I have to make a living from my work, so it really wouldn't be helpful to hoard all the work I make.

I think of it this way, each piece I finish is going to a loving home, and what more can I ask for than that.

So Garfie is now going to be wrapped in copious amounts of tissue paper and bubble wrap, laid carefully in a sturdy box, and be sent off by secure special delivery to his new home. I know that his rightful family are waiting eagerly for him to join them.

Bon voyage Garfie!

Vanessa xxx

A tent FULL of Sweet Peas!

Last Saturday we went to a Sweet Pea Festival at a place called Sprouston, a tiny village with a beautifully kept church, but no pub, a village green, pretty yellow stone houses huddled round the green, and a smart new village hall (lovely and insulated, but lacking the character of the old crumbling village halls you still see standing occassionally).

To say I was excited when I heard about the Sweet Pea festival is an understatement, I was very very very very very excited, though I didn't shout about it.

I felt a bit on edge as we walked from the car to the marquee housing the precious Sweet Pea displays, I was that excited I felt TENSE.

You know that excited tension you get, when you're about to visit a shop selling a particularly nice yarn or fabric or whatever it is you love, and you're getting closer and closer to it, and then you're opening the door of the shop, and then you're there standing infront of the shops displays? That sort of tension.

The Sweet Pea Festival was celebrating the Centenary of the Reverand Denholm Fraser winning first prize in a national competition for the best bunch of Sweet Peas grown by an amateur gardener, back in 1911. The Daily Mail newspaper organised the competition, and was offering a huge money reward to the winner.

The Reverand sent two bunches of Sweet Peas off to Crystal Palace in London IN THE POST (!!!!!). They travelled all the way from the Scottish Borders to London in the post, amazing. One of the bunches was in the Reverend's wife's name, the other was in the Reverand's name.

The Sweet Peas were grown from seed in the Reverand's garden. The bunches he sent to London won third and first prize! And the total prize money came to £1050, that's the equivalent to about £400,000 in todays money!

The history surrounding the show is wonderful isn't it?

The walled garden where the Reverand grew his prize winning Sweet Peas was open to the public, but wasn't as glorious as I imagine it once was, though there are some Sweet Peas being grown as specimens by a volunteer from the village.

For me, the tent with the Sweet Peas in their jam jars was the exciting bit. I did like that they were displayed in jam jars, there was something very charming about that. Some people even left the labels on their jam jars, which gave their displays a quirky touch.

You would have thought the tent would have been overpowered by the scent from the Sweet Peas, but it wasn't, though if you smelt the flowers close up, you did catch their heady scent. I find that if you leave Sweet Peas in their vase on a window sill in the sun, it brings out the perfume, the smell can be quite powerful.

There might not have been a strong scent in the room, but the jewel colours were enough to make me dizzy with delight. It was pure visual gluttony.

It felt very old fashioned and loveable. People showing their prize Sweet Peas in humble jam jars is very wholesome and endearing. Both Hugo and I left feeling we'd attended a special event, it was tremendously satisfying, especially as there was tea and cake to be had too.

A tent full of Sweet Peas in jam jars, plus tea and cake, it doesn't get much better than that.

I'm off to do a bit of knitting now, my Coraline Cardigan is increasing in leaps and bounds, I'll have to show you in my next Tuesday blog post. Have a good weekend. Vanessa xxx

Debbie Bliss Dress Revealed!

Of all the coincidences, this was a good one. 

We went to the beach to take photos of the Debbie bliss dress I'd finished knitting, and washed up on the sand was a fishing creel that matched the turquoise colour of my dress!

I LOVE coincidences like that!

So here it is, my finished knitted dress, made following a Debbie Bliss pattern, (details at the end of this post).

I mentioned in a previous post that I was worried about this dress being too small, especially on the band just under the bust, I was convinced I wasn't going to be able to get it over my chest.

But it's turned out to be a perfect fit, and there's noone more surprised than me.

The band under the bust stretches a little as the dress is worn, so it went from being a little tight, to just right.

And I'm very glad I started the neck shaping later than stated in the pattern, it would have been much too low cut if I'd followed the pattern.

I have to say, I'm thrilled with the results of this knitting, I love this dress. It's very, very comfortable, and a flattering shape too.

As there is very little sleeve to knit, this project didn't take too long to make, two months.

Knitting with Debbie Bliss baby casmerino yarn was a real treat. It's so soft, but also gives good stitch definition, almost like a cotton yarn, though it's actually made using Merino, a bit of Cashmere, and a bit of manmade fibre, so there isn't the heaviness you get with cotton yarns. It's lovely and warm too. This yarn washes beautifully. I washed my dress in the washing machine on the handwash cycle, and gave it an extra spin in the washing machine, and the dress has come out of that well. The range of colours is mouth watering too, I'm a big fan of Debbie Bliss yarn colours, she does beautiful brights to elegant subdueds, something for everyone.
In the above photo, my favourite turquoise trainers, and my favourite turqouise Falke cotton rich tights (please may they never ladder or get holes in them, please may they stay forever perfect).

But turquoise trainers and lady-like knitted dress, do not the perfect fit make.

High heels are the order of the day for this dress, or little slip-on pumps perhaps.

Even though I'd only increased my height to about 5 foot 4 wearing the heels, I felt like an Amazonian woman tottering about in these shoes all day. I very rarely wear heels, so it always feels a bit strange. I feel empowered because of the immense height I suddenly see the world from (!) but at the same time I feel quite vulnerable, like my feet are not firmly planted on the ground. Do you get that too?!

And now for the knitty-gritty details. The pattern is from Debbie Bliss knitting magazine Spring/Summer 2011. It's pattern no.15 (page 90).

The pattern calls for Debbie Bliss Eco Baby yarn to be used, but this can be substituted with Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino, which is what I did. The colour I used was 340031 (turquoise/acqua blue), eleven balls of it. My knitting tension is loose, so I had to go down from the 3.25 mm needles in the pattern, to 2.75 mm needles. The resulting fabric is quite firm, but I think that helps to keep the shape of the dress.

I started knitting this dress on 4th June, according to an old blog post, and finished the dress on 5th August. So let's say it took two months to complete.

As knitting patterns go, it was easy to follow, though I wouldn't give this pattern to a beginner, maybe intermediate, as you need to know what you're doing around the neck area, in terms of where to do the decreases, it's not explained very well.

I didn't knit the picot edge on the sleeves or hem, because they curl, and actually I prefer the simpler garter stitch edge.

If there weren't so many wonderful dress patterns I want to knit on my list, I would make this dress again in a different colour, I like it so much.

So there we go, another dress finished, done and dusted!

Now I'm completely engrossed in knitting the Coraline Cardigan by Ysolda. And I've started sewing another Miz Mozelle Dress, doing a seam here and there. It all adds up, knitting a few rows and sewing a few seams here and there, before you know it, you've got a finished piece. In the fable of the Tortoise and the Hare, I'd probably be the Tortoise.

If you'd like to see other people's version of this dress on Ravelry, the link to the relevant page is here.

I hope you enjoyed the show today! Vanessa xxx

 

Cornishware and Custard Coraline Cardigan.

Hello! If you're popping by today hoping to see the reveal of my Debbie Bliss dress, I'm really very sorry, but there are still no photos of it.

I'm hoping Hugo can photograph me this weekend wearing the dress, so there is a reveal for next Tuesday's post. It's on a hanger, hanging in a prominent position rearing to be worn.

But I am busy knitting my Coraline Cardigan.

Every time I look at the blue and off-white stripes I'm knitting, and glance at the balls of yellowy alpaca yarn (to be used for the top smocked section of the cardigan), I can't help thinking of Cornishware china and custard.

It's led to me thinking about other things I'm nostalgic about.

Custard creams. Biscuits from my childhood. I remember breaking open the 'sandwich' of the buiscuit, and eating the filling first, followed by the two biscuits that encased the custardy filling. Now I eat them whole, I prefer them that way.

And Iced Gems. When we visited my Mum's parents, our Granny and Grandad, I remember the drawer in the cupboard in the kitchen, that housed the packet of Iced Gems. I thought of them as little magic biscuits. I still think of them as little magic biscuits that occupy a world where fairies exist.

Sherbert Dips, fake cigarette sweets, humbugs, Digestive biscuits (plain, not covered in chocolate). Some of the distinctive things from my childhood that my knitting makes me think of.

Nowadays, in my adulthood, the things that bring me a feeling of contentedness are the Roses in the garden, especially the yellow Roses. Cutting them and bringing them into the house always feels like a special treat.

Opening a new bar of soap. A new bar of soap unwrapped is a lovely thing. It's so pure, fresh scented, soft, clean and crisp-edged. Especially a gift soap which comes in lovely paper.

Getting into a bed made with fresh sheets. Putting on clean pyjamas. Sinking a spoon into a newly opened yoghurt. The startling smell of newly cut grass. The soft fur on Douglas' (boy dog) tummy, kissing the doggies ears. Watching the twitches of doggy dreams. Sunny days with no wind. Yarn and fabric shops and all the excitement of choosing wool or fabric to make a garment. Hearing Hugo's voice when he returns from work. Being in the involved moment of work. Sitting in the garden drinking a glass of cold white wine.

I could go on and on.

(It's reassuring that there are many things I love and appreciate in my life).

I musn't forget Sweet Peas. The bunches of Sweet Peas I am given by my parents-in-law from their garden. They bring happiness that lasts till the final flower is standing.

Annie at wonderful blog Knitsofacto, has a link to a place you can buy plug plants of Sweet Peas to grow in hanging baskets, in this blog post.

I never knew you could grow Sweet Peas in hanging baskets, I thought they had to be planted so they could be trained up stakes, tall and gangly. Hanging basket Sweet peas are a great idea if outdoor space is limited, and you long to grow Sweet Peas.

My knitting is making me feel pleasantly nostalgic. When I reach the section where I start the smocking, using the custard coloured yarn, I might feel overwhelmingly nostalgic, who knows.

You might want to know what the yarn I'm using is...........

The blue and white are Alpaca Baby DK, by UK Alpaca, colours Duck Egg and Natural Buttermilk (great names for the colours don't you think).

The custard colour is 100% Alpaca from Alpaca Select, colour 0102.

They're all from my stash, so not bought recently. I found the Alpaca Select website, and yarn that may be a newly packaged version of the Alpaca yarn I have. I can't guarantee that the colour Lemon I found on this page of their website is the exact same shade of yellow I am using.

The UK Alpaca website has the yarn I'm using on this page. But they don't seem to make the colourways I'm using any more, and their available range of colours is limited.

That's the thing about using yarn from your stash, yarn colours, and even yarns themselves go out of fashion and become unavailable.

Well I think I might potter off and make myself a nostalgic but very real cup of Earl Grey tea. I suppose if I was to be properly nostalgic, I would make it with loose tea leaves, in a teapot, kept warm by a tea cosy. Once brewed it would then be poured into a china tea cup sitting on a matching saucer, and the milk (which would be decanted into a little jug), and stirred in with a tea spoon. Lovely, but too much washing up afterwards. I'm not a die hard nostalgic really, am I.

Have a good weekend, and for those of us experiencing the very British never-ending rain, let's hope the weather suddenly becomes very un-British, that is, very sunny and warm.

Vanessa xxx