Shivery!

Well, after wondering if we were going to get away without really having a winter, the weather starting to deteriorate a bit over the past week.
J and I got up early one morning to visit the RSPB Saltholme reserve in the hope of seeing short eared owls or marsh harriers. We didn't find them, but watched a flock of Barnacale Geese land on one of the lakes. It is very beautiful at this time of year.

 

In knitting news:

I finished a pair of socks for my brother, P, while on the train to and from the BETT show in Olympia. I enjoyed the show and it was a good day out with a colleague, but I know I couldn't do a really long commute like that every day (or even every week)! I did enjoy explaining how I got the socks to (more or less match) to the chap sitting opposite us on the return trip.

Then I finally finished my Hitchhiker scarf, in Sanguine Gryphon Bugga. This is gorgeous yarn. I was aiming for 42 points, but managed 36 - not quite the ultimate answer.

Next, I knitted up another hat - need to keep the wind off my ears these days. This one is in my hand-dyed, handspun yarn (merino, alpaca and silk). If I look wrinkly and knackered, it's because I am wrinkly and knackered all the time these days.

Stormy

J has gone off to repair a friend's fence, which blew down yesterday. Good to see he is getting such early use out of his new Christmas drill/driver!

Yesterday was so stormy. There was a brief lull in the wind and rain in the early afternoon. We headed out to the beach - I was feeling a bit stir crazy. It was deserted except for us and the sea birds. We watched a little colony of turnstones fighting to stay upright in the wind.

 

Happy New Year!

Belated, again.


I ended last year determined to reduce the number of knitting projects I have on the go. I was trying to get my Fiddlehead Mittens finished, but didn't manage to get them completed, lined, trimmed and blocked until yesterday. Surely these will keep even my frozen fingers warm.

They are made in Rowan Rowanspun 4 ply and Mini Mochi. The Rowanspun was a delight to work with, but the Mini Mochi was horrible. It split, caught on the tips of the bamboo dpns I used to make these and was very 'thick and thin' in places. I love the colours, but won't be using this again. I've come to the conclusion that I don't really like singles.


J and I went to Whitby yesterday morning. The White Horse and Gryphon is for sale. Were we tempted? Only briefly. We've seen too many episodes of Three In a Bed and The Hotel Inspector!

We walked for a bit and then drove up the coast to Sandsend and had a lovely latte in the Wits End Cafe. Great little place. This is the view back across to Whitby.

So, with only one work in progress on the needles, I felt the need to cast on something else:

Socks for P.

Mug is full of  Mocha Matarri from Pumphreys. I love the smell when I open a new bag.

Merry Christmas!

Yet another belated Merry Christmas!

December is always busy for me at work. Then, when I finally get to the holidays I'm too tired to even get a post together, but - finally - here I am.

We had a lovely Christmas. I thought all the gifts went down well, and I got some lovely things.

I've been catching up with some knitting:

A Gaptastic cowl for me in Twilley's Freedom Wool.

And one for J's girlfriend, J, in Merino, Alpaca and silk.

 Here I am wearing mine. It's very warm.

 I finally found a sweater that was a good match for the King Cole baby alpaca I bought on impulse in the summer. I have started three different sweaters/cardigans with this and not felt the love. This is Margot, and I really like it. I wondered if it might be a little short, but it's intended for wearing with skirts and to come just below the waist. So it works well.

I started a scarf for me. It's Hitchhiker and I'm making it in Sanguine Gryphon Bugga. The colour is a lovely mix of coppers, blues, greys and greens. It feels wonderful.

I have also picked up work on my long-languishing Fiddlehead Mittens. More of them to come later.

Oh me, of little faith!

Oh boy - I was a bit nervous about this yarn! I had three smallish pieces of roving with some blueish tones and some orangish tones in each. Not enough to do anything by themselves, really. I like to knit larger projects best of all.

So, I fractal spun them together onto two jumbo bobbins and then plied the bobbins together.

The result:

To be honest, I didn't think it would work, but I like these rather a lot! I'm going to call this North Gare.

Aftermath

We had quite a storm last night. The wind came from the west and was so strong, gusting onto the back of the house, that we wre very glad we'd taken down the eucalyptus tree in the garden this summer.

Our morning walk took us along the beach at Seaton Carew, this morning. The wind was still quite wild, blowing onto the sea.

The sand war eroded so far back by the storm that this section of rocks was exposed. We don't see these wooden piers very often.

These mature and barnacle-encrusted mussels were ripped from their mussel beds and devoured by herring gulls.


On the way home we stopped off at North Gare. It's a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Today it was festooned with plastic that escaped from the nearby landfill site.

This is where it came from:

It doesn't normally feature in my pictures of the area, but today it does in an attempt to shame the owners/authorities.

Bizarrely, we were reminded of the prayer flags and rubbish that are on Everest.

Reconnaissance

J and I went on a recce to Gibside, where I am planning a residential visit, this morning. The fog was thick and really unpleasant on the A1. It's unnerving how many idiots continue to drive around with no lights on. It's always idiots in silver/grey cars too. Impossible to see until you are almost on top of them.

Anyway. We got there safely and emerged from the gloom into a crisp, bright November morning, to be shown around by Melanie, who could not have been more helpful.

After we'd sussed everything out, we went for a wander. The grounds are lovely.

Back home again, this afternoon, I took the opportunity to do a bit of spinning. What with one thing and another, I haven't done any for ages.

I'm spinning three lots of top together to add to my collection of blue/brown/ginger yarns. Eventually I will have enough for the project I have in mind.