19 November: Wednesday Walk 5

Earlier in the year I demonstrated spinning at an event at Durham Wildlife Trust's Rainton Meadows. Busy all day, I didn't have a chance then to explore the place; so a return visit was well overdue.

This sculpture has some connection with the Great North Forest, and seems to have been designed by William Pym. It is in danger of being totally engulfed by the surrounding willow growth, which is flourishing in the marshy ground.


Beyond the sculpture, at the end of that path is a lake, complete with swan.


Much of the area is still getting established, with newish tree planting. There are several ponds or lakes, but there seems to be no public access to most of them. One bird-watching hide is unfinished, another appears to have been vandalised already - the seats are missing. Signs mark some of the surfaced paths as part of the Coalfield Way.

A large number of geese were circling overhead, honking loudly; one group detached itself and flew off northwards. There was a group of a dozen or so lapwings on one pond - the most I've seen together in one place for a while.

The area round Joe's Pond seems much more established, with older trees and scrub surrounding it and providing shelter. It seems popular with ducks and swans, who leave their feathers all over the place -


And they must be fed by some of the visitors, as a number of them rushed across and started squabbling.


No crumbs today, perhaps next time.

12 November: Wednesday Walk 4

An appointment with the dental hygienist took me into Durham. I used the Park and Ride, but walked back to the car. On the way, I explored some of the vennels, paths, and covered ways in the city. One vennel and one path I had never been along before.


The river was swirling around the piers of Elvet Bridge.


These steps invited exploration; further up I had to clamber over drifts of pizza and lager rubbish.


At Palace Green, the cathedral was dramatic.


A bike had been left in just the right place to enliven this view.

This vennel may be covered and have doors, but the wind still whips through it.

Finally this recently discovered path offered an alternative route up the hill.

9 November: Latest handspun yarn

Here's the skein of yarn spun on Friday. It's so big it took till this morning to dry properly. It's about 16 w.p.i., and weighs 124 gms.

Perhaps the colour's too subtle for my photographic "skills".

7 November: The knitting (and spinning) goes on

The cold snap sent me looking for my hot water bottle. It came with a very thick fleece cover, which actually prevented any of the heat escaping from the hottie and warming my toes.

So I knitted a new one -


A good project - I learned to knit backwards in order to make the short-row bumps.

And at last I succeeded in making a felted hat. Two earlier attempts resulted in items that would fit a grapefruit rather than a human head.

Before felting, it was large and floppy -


And after a 60 degree cotton programme wash in the machine it was thick, fuzzy and warm -


Sadly, after all that, it doesn't suit me.

Today I began to spin some fibre I bought at the Woolfest back in the summer (sorry, "summer"). It was labelled 'Carded Batt, wool/silk, 800 gms', and was such an interesting colour that I seized it at once. Mostly grey, there were flashes of blue, green and red in it.

This morning I took the batt out of its bag and spread it out. There seemed to be a mountain of fibre. The colour streaks went lengthways, and if I divided it lengthways, the different colours might be separated into different skeins, and I thought it better to divide it so that they would be more evenly distributed among the eventual skeins of yarn.

I started to spin the first bundle. Full of nepps, the silk rather unevenly distibuted, and not at all like the usual smooth roving or tops that I usually spin. But it was easy enough to feed into a twist, and the little lumps and bumps and colour changes make it look very tweedy. This evening I have 2 bobbins full, ready to ply. In fact, I need to see how it turns out, so I'll go and ply it.

Perhaps a picture tomorrow.

5 November: Wednesday Walk 3

There are many tracks and paths in Hamsterley Forest, some more frequently walked than others. It's always fascinating to venture down one that's been seen before, but not followed.

This one led to a lovely spot by a stream junction, with a bench -


which gives this view of the stream, with photogenic overhanging beech -


Beech trees are spectacular just now (as indeed they always are); this wonderful one was near the main track at the top of a bank -


Further on, the view opened out to the moorland beyond the forest, and there was even a touch of blue in the sky -


It was quiet, even on the major tracks. A handful of runners and rather more mountain bikers, but very few other walkers. Just as well, or they'd have heard an animated discussion on whether there was anything after Number One - The Larch.

30 October: First frost

The garden was white with frost as I looked out over the breakfast washing up.

But alive with birds. Several coal tits were busy on the feeders, 2 or 3 blackbirds were getting aggressive round the frozen birdbaths, the usual dunnock (actually 2 of them this morning) in the border and on the path under the feeders, a couple of collared doves patrolling the paths, TWO robins (local robins are very shy, and normally on their own), a stray sparrow visiting the feeder, and most charming of all, a small flock of goldfinches!

They were first on the ground under the birch tree, then in the tree itself, all pecking busily at the bare twigs (what are they finding? the tits do the same), and one tried the apple tree, but soon returned to the birch. One came to the feeder, but didn't stay there.

So many little creatures, all simply going about their business - wonderful!

And still on the topic of the cold weather, I realised the other day that DH's normal hat is an old black acrylic watch cap he bought years ago from the Scout and Guide Shop. He has a nice thick Shetland hat (hand spun, dyed, and knitted) in a blue and grey fractal design, but says it is too warm for ordinary use.

A challenge - no self-respecting spinner/knitter can have their spouse favouring something not hand-spun and hand-knitted, so a replacement has been made.

The old hat is a double cap - an old design, popular in Scandinavia, where one layer folds inside the other to give a double thickness.

This is a simple but effective design, and not wishing to make it too warm, I decided to use fine yarn. And there is plenty of black Wensleydale (dark brown in reality), which will make a nice sober cap. But what about the other half, should that be terribly sober too? How about some colour? There are several balls of variegated BFL in different colours - how about combining them in one-row stripes like the recent odd socks?

So, here it is -


The more sober side -



And the more colourful side -


And of course either side can have the bottom edge turned up to provide a contrasting brim. "To suit your mood", as they used to say.

29 October: Wednesday Walk 2

Happy Birthday DGS 1!

This week's walk was another favourite, on the Northumberland coast, from Craster to Low Newton, pub lunch, and back. It was a beautiful clear sunny day, though those woolly hats were needed again.

The sea sparkled correctly, the waves had nice white tops, and the sand was wide and emptier the further we walked from the pub.


In places various types of seaweed had been cast up by the tide; this colourful tangle of weed lay on an interesting sand pattern -

Dunstanburgh Castle was a popular place for many people to visit on a sunny autumn afternoon. There were lots of people enjoying the fresh sea air, and many photographs taken -

We returned to tea and our first slice of Christmas cake this season.

22 October: Wednesday Walk 1

An overcast day. The clouds were clinging to the Pennines, and the wind was coming from the South West. (It normally comes from the West, but this year has not been normal - the wind has blown from the East for days at a time, and from the North too.)

Chilly in the wind, where we were glad of our woolly hats, but warmer in the shelter of the trees further on.

This field was harvested only last week. The wheat didn't look too good to the non-farming eye, but the grain-dryers are going full blast in the local farmyards, so the crop must be worth at least the cost of the diesel for the machines.

After the agricultural section of the walk is the "industrial heritage" part.

Dr. Beeching and his pruning of the railway network have been topical recently; as there were hundreds of mines in County Durham, there were hundreds of railways and little wagon ways to move the coal on its journey to the fires and furnaces of homes and industry. As a result, we are now blessed with lots of "dismtd rly" on our local maps. Even when the tracks are no longer marked as old railway lines, the cuttings and embankments tell their tale.

There is a chance of fruit on this walk, as there are sloe and hazel trees along the lane, and brambles galore in the hedges. At one particularly good spot by the old railway track, within 10 yards you can pick as many blackberries as you can carry home. In a good year - which this wasn't.

A variety of trees are maturing on each side of the track. The ash tree has already shed nearly all its leaves -


while the oak is only just beginning to change colour. Next year's buds are ready and waiting -

And then we come to the birches - beautiful at any time of the year -

That walk is a regular favourite. Where will next week's walk go?

20 October: Low boredom threshold

It must be the time of year; getting restless, and wanting to find a new project.

There's plenty of knitting to explore, and that's ongoing, and there's Ravelry to amuse, and now Flickr as well, but I'm thinking about starting on something else.

12 October: Stressful week, and another string bag

DH's cat had an operation on Tuesday, to remove a greatly enlarged thyroid gland. In the event, both thyroids were removed.

So I've spent a lot of time this week rounding him up, transporting him to the vets' different offices several times, cooking fish (ugh!) for him, and generally fussing him. More to come next week, when he has the stitches out.

And as soon as DH comes home, the cat totally ignores me, and attaches himself to his preferred human.

But there's been time for knitting. The little peacock coloured scarf is finished, and is drying after being spread out.

The green and black key pattern waistcoat is finally finished. It stretched a lot when wet, so it now fits -


I've cast on a Danish shawl, to use these yarns -


And this morning, finding my odds and ends pouch was a bit overcrowded, I crocheted a mini string bag -


which will be a home for the little tins of stitch markers, and such of my 3 row counter clickers as are not in use at any time.

It's about 4 inches high and the same across, made from some yarn I made from a 2-ply handspun bamboo yarn, cabled together with a cotton yarn I bought ages ago from Texere, at one of the stitching shows in Harrogate. Part of that hybrid yarn went into a face-cloth, which is used all the time, and now there's only a little left.

6 October: Insulation

Here's the small scarf-shawl I cast on a few days ago -

The yarn is about 18 w.p.i., spun from some BFL I dyed last November. I like the way the stripes blur as the rows get longer.

This is intended as a scarf more than a shawl, though I'm using a standard shawl shape. As the yarn is quite attention-grabbing by itself, I thought I'd use a fairly simple stitch pattern, so chose Garter Lace. But it's still fairly difficult to keep the right number of stitches on the needle - I keep forgetting the odd "yarn over". So not exactly TV knitting, as it needs a little concentration.

It promises to be a soft and cosy way to keep my neck warm now the chilly winds are coming in off the North Sea. This year we've had more east winds than in any of the past 6 years - is this the way climate change is working?

5 October: Shawl

The shawl was washed and spread out to dry, not stretched and pinned. That seemed cruel to nice soft wool.

Here it is on a hanger -


And on a very un-Twiggy-like model -


It's interesting, but I'm not likely to wear it. And it didn't reduce the yarn stash much, either, as it weighs just under 10 ounces.

I'm trying out a different shape, a triangle starting in the middle of the long side, to make a more scarf-like item, working in the Garter Lace stitch pattern from Martha Waterman's excellent "Traditional knitted lace shawls". I'm using some BFL that I dyed last November - pieces of fibre dyed in charcoal, violet, jade, hyacinth and turquoise, then the colours spun in sequence. For some reason it's not easy to keep the number of stitches right, and it certainly needs concentration. There might be a photo soon.

29 September: Shawl and socks

The knitting has progressed; the two major projects near completion. Here's a photo of the shawl, knitting finished, tidying up to do, then blocking -

Shawl blocking or dressing seems to be quite complicated, from my reading on Ravelry - involving wires, lots and lots of pins, and a large area to spread it out. My effort will certainly need to be stretched out, as it is too small at the moment. I used a pattern (shock! horror!) for this, as I wanted to understand the shape, and I am not experienced at lace knitting. I am now planning a smaller project to my own design.

The waistcoat has been considered, and a decision made about the edge treatment; a start has been made on the front band, with about 350 stitches on the needle (small beer when compared with the 890 or so rows in the shawl border).

Having done these 2 larger projects, both of which needed full attention all the time to avoid mistakes (and I didn't!), I wanted to have something no-brain on the needles. So, yet another pair of socks, this time very plain, for DH, so a matching pair, using some Trekking sock yarn I dyed recently -

The green touches looked a bit odd in the skein, but they make the dull brown a little more interesting in the fabric. And the pale grey should match his new beard nicely....

21 September: More autumn

Definite signs of autumn in Hamsterley Forest;
puffballs -

Fungi on dead wood -

and among the fallen leaves -

and on rocks by the track, lichen like Australian art -

or cup and ring markings -


Elsewhere, my green and black waistcoat progresses slowly. The right front is done, and here is a photo of the stitches ready to start the left front.

Then there's only the armhole bands and the front band to do. It would have been done more quickly if I hadn't decided to start a lace shawl as well.....

15 September: Some autumn colour

This morning was a bit misty, and a hint of a chill in the air.

The leaves are turning -

The apples are ripening -

While some flowers are not yet fully open -

and others look very much the same when the flowers are over -

some are definitely fading -

and gently decaying -


As much as spring, autumn is a time for starting.

13 September: Little blue jobs

Perhaps it's all the rain we've had lately that is creating so many home-maintenance issues.

No sooner were we home from holiday than our next-door neighbour came to tell us that our water overflow pipe had been dripping all week. The ball valve on the inlet from the rising main to the large cold water tank in the loft was not working properly to cut off the incoming water.

DH hesitated to try a DIY repair, lacking the right tools and the confidence to tackle a task that might so easily go horribly, dramatically, and expensively wrong. So we got a plumber to do it - 15 minutes including making out the invoice, and it's all OK again.

Then the little light in the cooker hood blew when I switched it on. The fuse must have blown, as the fan was also out of action. But for several days we couldn't find the d*mned fuse. Not in the fuse-box, not with the cooker fuse, not in the cupboards next to the cooker (though we did find the switch for the hob pilot lights).

Then it came to light, in a manner of speaking. Above the cupboards is a trim which conceals some extra lights, several large spiders, and a huge amount of dust. Over the cooker hood , behind the plastic pipe that takes the extracted air to the outside, is a fluorescent tube. Behind this, and not visible at all, only located by touch, is the socket and switch for the cooker hood, with a fused plug! Once DH found it (and I never noticed it when I painted that bit of wall recently), it only took a few moments to change the fuse. (Spare fuses live with the spare light bulbs in the Jolly Useful Box - every home should have one.)

And now the kitchen roller blind has begun to fall down, about every third time we try to raise the blind. It is of course necessary to climb into the sink to reach the kitchen window, and simultaneously locating both ends of the 6 foot blind in the plastic supports is not easy, especially when the first attempt usually results in the winding mechanism being upside down, requiring a second attempt; by then the arms are failing, and the knees and back are protesting at the crouched and twisted position in the sink/on the worktop/on the windowsill. And all this in the pyjamas - the neighbours in the kitchen opposite have probably videoed the performance for UTube.

The house is 6 years old. I'm certain I've lived for many more years in previous houses without the fixtures and fittings needing so many repairs and replacements. Is it a case of "Fings Ain't Wot They Used To Be", or just chance?