Say hello to Henry!

A very good day dear ladies! The sun is shining on my patch of Yorkshire and it feels like spring is finally here!

It has been a while since I posted but I'm here today to share with you a fantastic visit I made to Yorkshire Sculpture Park a couple of weeks ago.

Although it is always a great place to visit I wanted to go for a very specific reason - to see an exhibition of Donna Wilson's woolly creatures! And I wasn't disappointed! Donna makes the most incredibly off beat knitted creatures, but also a wonderful range of Nordic inspired blankets and cushions.

I really love her work and especially as she uses British yarns and recruits the awesome talents of knitters from the Scottish Islands and Highlands - traditional craft areas that struggle with unemployment.

I fell in love with a little chap named Henry. He has been hand knitted in pure wool in the Shetlands and takes his character from traditional Icelandic patterns. And now he is mine!!!

Say hello to Henry!

It is rare for me to splash out like this but Henry is useful, hand crafted using pure wool, has provided employment for traditional craftspeople and is beautiful!!!!!

I was inspired to make a complimentary cushion using Fair Isle patterns and have done about half so far. ...

I'm really enjoying this 'free form' style of knitting. I am not following one pattern....I am following a variety of patterns and mixing and matching as I go along. There is no planning so I hope it all comes together ok! I will let you know. The yarn I am using is a favourite of mine from an historic mill in Lanarkshire, Southern Scotland. It is beautifully rustic, pure new wool with a great range of natural looking colours. Perfect for this sort of project.

For those who haven't been to http://www.ysp.co.uk/, do try to visit if you can. It really is a marvellous day out - lots to see, child friendly, great for picnics and beautiful strolls. You may also meet some interesting characters!

Enjoy your weekend! xxxxxx