The Wool Palace

Jump around

It's half term already, which seems to have come round very fast.  Last week was a whirl of days out, meals, rather a lot of wine and general family stuff.  Sam came home from camp on Friday with sunburnt cheeks and full of stories of walks in streams, collecting fossils and singing songs round the campfire.  He devoured two plates of spaghetti bolognese, went to bed and slept for about two hours longer than normal the next morning.

I've given the sock knitting a rest for a bit and have reaccquainted myself with the Rib and Cable jacket.  However, it looks just the same as the previous photos, just a bit longer, which doesn't make for a very interesting photo.  I've also started another garment, which is currently a big blob of black stocking stitch that I'm sure you can do without photos of at this stage.

The weather was glorious last week but less so this week.  Rainy days and children home from school result in rather too much jumping and crashing in the house for my taste, so I dragged them out on a long walk yesterday in an attempt to get rid of some of the energy.

We walked a different way to our usual walk and passed this church, in a village a couple of miles from us.

I hadn't been inside before and was delighted to find this beautiful memorial to ancestors of the local gentry.

According to the information provided, it dates from circa 1380.  I love finding things like this in unexpected places. 

This one was a bit more recent, 1647 I think.

While the walk depleted energy levels yesterday, sadly it's raining again today and banging and crashing levels are reaching my breaking point.  Thankfully the children are being taken to see the new Pirates of the Caribbean in about 20 minutes.  I think I should be able to hang on until then.

Something to tide you over until I can do a proper post

Iris tagged me for the 7 random things meme that's going around.  So, what the heck.

1.   I hate drinking milk.  Always have.  My poor mother used to spend a lot of my childhood trying to flavour or disguise milk in the hopes that I would be tricked.  Milk with ribena and jelly made with milk are the two that spring to mind.  I'm not that keen on yoghurt either.  Maybe I should start taking calcium supplements.

2.   If I spill salt I always throw a pinch over my left shoulder.

3.   I may have told you this one already, but I can't be bothered to trawl through the archives and check.  I grew up near the sea and have always been confident in the water, happily splashing and diving around in deep water, but I can't swim a length in front crawl for love nor money.  In fact I didn't learn to swim 'properly' until I was 27 and pregnant with Sam.

4.   I was the worst pupil in my sewing class at school, never graduating from the wrap-around skirt.  When I turned 16 I asked for a sewing machine for my birthday and spent the next 5 years quite happily designing and making my own clothes.

5.   I am not a morning person at all.  I really dislike having conversations before about 10am.  I have to try and overcome this when we have house guests.  It doesn't make me happy.

6.   I've never had a manicure or a pedicure.  I had a facial once. 

7.   I love shellfish, except for oysters, which make me nauseous.

I'm not tagging anyone, but if you want to have a go, go right ahead.

We're in the middle of a family centric week.  My parents are making their annual visit from the States and my sister and her boyfriend are in attendance also.

Sam has gone off on his first ever school camp - 4 nights away from home.  I waved him off this morning, looking (to me) terribly small under the weight of his rucksack and sleeping bag.  My mind keeps skipping off to thoughts of what he is doing right now.

Tomorrow we are meeting with more family to scatter my grandparents' ashes on Dartmoor.  My grandfather died 3 years ago and my grandmother 8 years before him.  It's taken a while to iron out all the details.

Everyone decamps by Friday.  I'll take the weekend to regain equilibrium and will be back next week.

Roots and shoots

Bit of a ho-hum week for knitting so far.  I was determined not to let the Broken Cable Rib socks beat me, so I cast on again on Saturday night.  After messing up the pattern twice, I declared defeat on Sunday and ripped it out.  No matter really, August is a a long time away and there's plenty of time to decide on something.

I had a blitz of the WIPs as well and have ripped out the cabled slipover as no work has been done on that for months.  There were signs of suspicious insect activity near the bag, so everything has gone to live in the freezer for a couple of days.  I ripped back the little baby cardigan I was doing as well, as the little baby is now almost one and will not fit in the size I was knitting.

In the absence of knitting, how about some gardening progress?  The rainy weather is doing the veg no end of good.

Various types of lettuce, with more seedlings coming up next to them.

The spinach is doing very well.  I'm sure the children will be overjoyed at an endless supply of spinach, especially when we're already getting it in our weekly veg box from the farm down the road as well.

The rocket needs weeding.  The wet weather is good for the weeds as well, unfortunately and I haven't been able to get out and attack them for a few days.

Broad beans on the left, peas on the right.  I had to net them as the pheasants seemed to think I was running a salad bar.  I lost quite a few of the first pea plants, but the second sowing is coming up well.

Kate asked what the green coil in the last post was.  I'm sure many of you recognised them as Clover needle holders - one of my favourite knitting gadgets.  I'm glad she asked, as it reminded you of something I wanted to share.  Never, ever, ever put one of those needle coils in your mouth, or even on your lips.  The taste is truly awful.  Trust me, even those of you who are now curious - don't do it, you will regret it.  And just to show how far I will go for the blog, I did check that it wasn't just the large ones, the small ones taste just as bad.  You have been warned...

Fits and starts

It's another rainy day here at The Wool Palace.  I was working until gone 11.30 last night so I figured I could take it easy today and do a bit of knitting.

Now, you all know that I would never do anything as foolhardy as cast on another pair of socks when I already have two pairs on the go, don't you?  The following was done for research purposes only, I swear.

I decided on the pink/lilac Koigu for my Sockapalooza socks, wound up one skein and got researching.

First up, Spey Valley.  Now, it's all very nice, with its Vikkel braids and everything, but when you come down to it, it's basically a ribbed sock with a little bit of fancy stuff happening on the cuff.  I felt that I wanted to do something a bit more special for my pal, so it was back to the pattern books.

I found this lurking in my computer and decided to give it a go.  I've got it saved as a PDf but I think it was in one of the old IK magazines as well.

At first I was excited, but then I was doubtful.  Then I started comparing it to the photo and thinking they didn't look very alike.  Then I stopped and actually read the instructions for the cable all the way through and realised I had messed it up.  I think the clue is in the name - Broken Cable Rib Socks.  If it's called broken cable, chances are it won't just be a normal, unbroken cable, like the one I had done.

Next up :

Yes.  Research over for today.  See, I told you I wouldn't start another pair of socks.

The north wind does blow

We had the first of our May bank holidays this week.  The weather forecast was a mixed bag but we decided to throw caution to the winds and go on our first camping trip of the year.  We kept fairly close to home and visited a part of North Devon that we didn't know particularly well.

It wasn't swimming weather, or indeed swimming terrain, but the coastline is well worth a visit.

Close up, it's even more spectacular

and rather imposing.

 

When we'd had our fill of clambering over rocks, we walked through woods covered in bluebells

and detoured back to the coast to look at shipwrecks.

We had two days of reasonable weather, but by Sunday night it was blowing up a gale.  We retreated to the pub for dinner, then hunkered down in the tent for the night.  Packing up in the wind and mist on Monday wasn't much fun but we all agreed we'll be back, hopefully in better weather next time.

Forgot to say - yarns in the previous post:  Fleece Artist shade is Hercules, the blue/green Koigu is shade P124.

Fancy feet

Yes, it's Sockapalooza time again.  I got my pal's details at the weekend and preparations are being made.

I'm thinking texture this time round, but have to settle on the yarn as well.  I'm on a bit of an economy drive at the moment due to my London job finishing - which wasn't unexpected, but as yet I haven't been able to get anything locally to replace it.  Isn't writing job applications boring?  Especially when you don't get the job. 

Anyway, one of the benefits of a healthy stash is that one doesn't always have to spend to find something good.  I've had a little excavation this morning and pulled out a few contenders.

I think either of these would look good in the Gentleman's Sock with Lozenge Pattern from Knitting Vintage Socks.

Going down the variegated route.  I think the Fleece Artist would suit the Friday Harbour pattern from Knitting on the Road.  The Koigu, I'm not sure, maybe one of Anna's patterns?

More Koigu, this one is subtle shades of pink and lilac.  Spey Valley appeals, as does Small Capitals from Sensational Knitted Socks.  Small Capitals has the benefit of being knitted toe up, which would be good given the relatively short yardage of KPM.  On a different note, have you seen there is a sequel to Sensational Knitted Socks, appropriately titled, 'More Sensational Knitted Socks'.  Anyone seen a copy?

Of course, before I can start, I need to clear those sock needles.  Pomatomus is proving to be a reasonably quick knit (but pretty hard to photograph well).

One down, one to go...