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

Half term...and a birthday

Hello ladies!

Little S and I are back from my few days at my sister's home by the sea. Unfortunately, the weather was so awful that we barely ventured out!  Sleet, rain, biting cold....horrid. However, we were very brave and managed to struggle to our favourite local yarn shop....Ring A Rosie in Whitley Bay, where Sis bought me some lovely fabric to add to my stash. It was a lovely few days, playing with the puppy and chatting with Sis about quilting, crochet, knitting etc.

There has been another new arrival in the family........and she kept everyone busy....

She is 6 weeks old and her name is Dolly. I am told she is a Bichon Frise/ Shih Tzu cross and that means she is a tiny little thing! She has woolly hair like a lamb and a very cheeky personality. Dolly and Little S managed to entertain one another! I am not really a dog sort of person but this puppy is just soooo cute! She is like a little teddy bear and I just wanted to bring her home.

As she is so black, it is very tricky to get a photo of her...they nearly all end up showing a black ball of wool! So here are some images I uploaded from the web, including a non-black one so you can see what Dolly looks like under all the wool!

All together now....AWWWWWWWWWWWW

It was my birthday on Wednesday - a BIG one; a SCARY one; a birthday I really would rather have forgotten. Fifty. However, loved ones made it a lovely day.

Litle S is mad about trains and Harry Potter so we went to the Railway Museum in York to see the Hogwarts Express. Not just see it, but ride on it (well on a carriage pulled by it!).

It was so busy - hoards of would-be wizards clamouring to see the engine.

If you haven't been before, and you are in the area, I would really recommend a visit to the Railway Museum. It is full of amazing engines from all ages and parts of the world, as well as lovely old carriages. You don't have to be a train spotter! The museum itself  is free, which makes it a good inexpensive day out, but there is a charge for special events - such as the Hogwarts Express. Thomas the Tank Engine is also a regular!

Sadly, the weather was awful in York too and didn't make for good photos, which is a shame because it is such an amazing place. Everywhere you look there is some incredible old (often seriously old) building with a really interesting history. Perhaps the next time I go I can bring you some good photos. This is a lovely old building that can be seen from one of the bridges. I've got a thing about rooftops!

And then it was home to a little party tea for the three of us and, of course, my cake! Yum!

Enjoy your weekend...and thank you so much for the encouraging comments on my crochet hook roll.....I really appreciate them so much xxx