The Rain in Spain Pt 1*

(Warning: Photo heavy post)
We just spent one glorious week in Spain, firstly in Granada, then in a town called Zuheros in the Subbetica, then in Madrid. It was hot. Very very very hot. But you could still do things between dawn and midday, and then a little few things from about 9pm to bed time. But the afternoon is for sleeping, my friends. Anyway, Pt 1 is Granada.
Granada is fantastic. Wicked. Ace. All those things. Also, they have the Alhambra, which is unbelievable. I loved Granada & I loved the Alhambra. Go see them.

It is over-the-top embellishment that doesn't feel crazy. The Vatican feels crazy. Parts of the Louvre feel crazy. They have that awful, gauche, excess about them. The Alhambra is extraordinary, tranquil, calming, awe inspiring. You really need the opportunity to just sit quietly in some of the spaces, especially the Nasrid Palaces, but it is hot, there's lots to see & there are lots and lots of people.

The tiling is spectacular, but somehow difficult to photograph. Mine are mostly not quite in focus - I guess as they are inside the lighting is tough and they are so intricate. I want to make Alhambra-inspired quilts thanks to the tiles & the colours!

Granada itself is quite lovely, although be prepared for hills. The people are nice and the food is good.

If you actually do go to the Alhambra, get there early. We got there about 8am and had a great time. Later, there are too many people, it is too hot & you have to stand in line in the sun.

*PS I don't believe there ever is any. Rain in Spain, that is.

Productivity

Lots of it! Somehow have overcome the lack of knitting mojo, and am now on max power. Behold.

Bibs, courtesy of Chickpea Designs. Not as cute as hers, but towelling backed, so hopefully useful. They look a bit small, but take about 10 minutes to make, so I might make some bigger ones. Just need to get some press-studs for closures. A book bag for my poor deprived nephew, who didn't receive his original birthday present, and has been waiting on slack auntie to make another one. Which I finally have! (Gotta love Olivia!)
Christmas knitting #1: Quickie Cowl, in Colinette Burnt Umber. Not very Burnt Umber in my opinion, more turquoise & pink. I don't really like this colourway, but the cowl itself is very cute. There is a lace pattern in there (somewhere).
Christmas Knitting#2 (still in progress): Branching Out, looking quite nice in Drops Alpaca. No work done on this since the baby stopped my interest in knitting, but dug it out to take pics, and am surprised at how good it looks!
My new favourite piece of knitting, the Baby Surprise Jacket (Ravelry link here), in Gedifra Fashion Colour. Love this pattern - what fun to knit! I promise more pics to follow of the craziness of this pattern. Love the yarn a lot - is less washed out than in this picture, richer browns & blues, with a subtle self-stripe. Very very nice, but definately not newborn size! I am guessing this is going to be a 1yr old size by the time I finish!
I also did a bit of investment in the stash - some lovely yarn on sale (I needed to top up the Gedifra for the BSJ, so a few more balls didn't hurt!) and a few choices pieces from Colinette (luckily, only the Burnt Umber disappointed on colourway not looking like the internet description).
Also, the Elderflower Cordial went wonderfully, and tastes superb! Cheers.

Good English Fun

Now, it wasn't quite Midsummer Day, but we went picking elderflowers at midday anyway (only a few days off, so that will have to do). We went out to a nearby village and walked along a gorgeous bridleway in the howling wind, stopping every now and then to plunder the flowers.

We returned home with a great haul, which is being turned into various drinks as we speak. Also, finished knitting (!!) - this is the First Coat from Debbie Bliss' Essential Baby, knit in gorgeous Blue Sky Alpaca Skinny Dyed Cotton. It used about 2.5 skeins, and I think it looks quite handsome! It looks much better in person than in the picture, and needs a block, but I'm pretty happy with it, all in all.

And gratuitous garden shot - I've been waiting for these little sweeties for ages!

Summer - apparently

I think it happened. Summer, that is. We had three days of lovely, sunny, hot weather (the car said 31! The weather guy said 27) which was delightful. But its gone, as quick as it came - back to 18. Which, to be honest, is easier as everything I own that I can still wear is warmish, the heat makes me tired & I have to remember to water the garden (this happens so infrequently I kind of forget until things appear to be dying).

My lovely friend Ky and her boyfriend came to visit a little while ago, and she bought me a copy of Debbie Bliss' Essential Baby. Which I just happened to have got out of the library and was knitting from, which was great because I could return the book, without having finished my knitting and without paying a late fine! And I can now make the very cute Duffle Coat that is in there too....

I am knitting the first coat, and it is going swimmingly (a small counting error, apparently the result of baby brain - thats my claim anyway), and I bought cute little toggle buttons to go with it. I also bought black pretend leather buttons but they are too big, so toggles it is. Very hard to find those lovely woven leather buttons, especially small ones. Anyway, only two tiny sleeves to go. And then I think I need to buy some new yarn...well, I really don't, there is some in the stash, but I might anyway.

Anyway, I am bravely attaching a pic of me, bump and all. Bravely, as it was taken one evening after a day of work & heat, and I look a bit....ordinary. But at least you get the idea!

I promise...again

Right. Another fresh start...well, at least I am knitting again! I started a few things, but without much enthusiasm. But now I have started baby knitting, and the motivation has returned! And its soooo quick! I am knitting with the lovely BSA Skinny Dyed Cotton that Ali sent me from her contest. Its been a bit of adjustment to get used to the cotton business, but suddenly I have a million plans! A million! Lucky this baby will be born at the start of winter, and will actually need all this wool & knitted loveliness.

Anyway, last weekend we attempted to camp in the Forest of Dean. It is spectacular up there - proper big trees and all. However, it rained. A lot. So we came home a night early, but it was still great. See for yourself:

Oh, the last picture isn't of camping - its my lovely friend Ky, who came to visit with her partner & her friend. And to prove that there is the odd glimmer of sunshine in this here country!

Slacker

Yep, big fat blog slacker. Not only have I lost my knitting mojo, but I seem to have slipped badly in the blogging stakes! Maybe it is related - no knitting, no blog...but this seems silly, so I am at least going to try to blog a bit more. Maybe I just needed a little rest. Anyway, back into things!

We had snow:

And we had sunshine:

And as you can see, my lovely tulips survived admirably! They are new this year, and I really like them - they are a bit of fun. There are black ones about to come out in the next few weeks, to balance it all out with a bit of elegance.

A while ago, I won a blog comp run by the lovely Skeins Her Way, and in my lovely parcel I found (along with the most delicious chocolate ever, yummy tea, a pattern and a cute tape measure) was this fantastic yarn! I can't wait to use it....

I really struggled to get this colour somewhere like true, but trust me, it is a gorgeous deep, touchable red.
And finally - my latest project (yep, its not knitting. There is knitting on my table, but it just isn't being knitted). This is for my newest nephew (well, as good as a nephew). I started out with a knitted baby blanket, which turned into an enormous horrible mess. Enough to turn me off knitting for a bit (!). So I turned to an older hobby, which I knew I could get finished in time. In the picture, it isn't quilted or finished, but it has taken me so long to blog that I have now finished it! So I might have been very quiet, but I haven't been completely unproductive!

Seasonal Perspective

One year, one tree.

Yarn Colour Zeitgeist?

I thought this was weird enough to blog:

On the left - yarn received from my lovely UK Swap pal (Sock yarn and Drops Alpaca). On the right, yarn I sent to my lovely UK Swap pal (well, some of, including Artesano Alpaca, and Rowan Calmer knit into Fetchings). Notice anything similar?!

I think this is hilarious! Either my pal got me down to a T on colours, or there is some weird spring greens/dark blues thing going in the yarn business at the moment! (sorry about the dismal photo - I left it too late to catch the sunshine on the weekend).

Parcels ahoy...and away

As promised, pics of my UK Swap parcel from Monica (yes, swap host Monica!):

Yummy green regia silk sock yarn, and lovely blue (blue-er than in the pic) Drops alpaca. Mmmm.

I left it a bit late in the day for taking pics in the sun, so this one isn't great, but there are coffee-flavoured chocolate 'beans', lovely 'afternoon' tea from Whittards, Divine dark chocolate (which someone seems to have eaten some of), body wash, a gardening mug, and stitch markers (my very first!)
and a fold of knitting patterns, with lots of patterns from my Ravelry queue printed out ready to go! And a lovely notebook.

What a cool parcel - thanks Monica!

Also, this weekend I finally made my nephews birthday present (only about 3 weeks too late - and it still has to get to Australia, but you know, good intentions etc etc). Janelle, look away now if you want a surprise!

A book bag, complete with books! I am really quite proud of this - I made it up in my head, and it came out pretty good. The handles aren't attached very neatly (don't look too hard) - they should have been sewn in between the outside & the lining, but my brain switched off, so I sewed them on later (I figure a three year old won't notice too much!). And I love this fabric (its from Moda, an Ebay purchase) - it used all of a fat quarter.

And as a reminder to myself, there are some unfinished objects to blog about next time!

UK Swap Weekly Questions 6

Q: Have you done a swap before (doesn't have to be a knitting swap)? What do you like best about swapping? Are there any personal "requirements" that a swap has to have before you will join?
I have done two swaps before - Secret Pal 10 (I think?) and Sound Swap (small music/knitting swap). Both times I have had fantastic parcels from fantastic people, enjoyed sending to very interesting folk, and have made new friends. During the swap I enjoy getting the parcel together most, but in retrospect, I most enjoy meeting new people.

What winter holiday?

So we headed off to Argentiere last Thursday (despite BA's best attempts to thwart our travel plans). Argentiere is part of Chamonix, near Mont Blanc in France. It is spectacular. I decided that given we were only skiing/boarding for a few days this winter, we would go somewhere that we probably couldn't afford to go for a week or two. You know what? It wasn't that expensive (for skiing). And it was just gorgeous. And sunny. Which was not so great for the snow, but fine for us - having to stop skiing due to the slush around 3pm just turns into a great excuse for early apres ski!

Anyway, some pics, just to make you jealous:

Forest snow in Argentiere; S drinking beer on our hotel balcony (you can just see the lower piste that takes you home behind him - love walking to tows from your hotel!); Argentiere glacier (from our balcony)- cool, but rapidly receding, unfortunately (again, you can see this behind S in the previous pic).

There are some actual skiing pics but they are on my phone and I can't seem to find the cable right now (there is too much washing in the house!)Anyway, not sure how I managed to get more sun skiing for three days in February than I did for most of our 'summer' holidays, but sure glad I did! Also, this was our first visit to France, and I love it. Great people, great food culture, lovely scenery. I ate and ate - onion soup, creme brulee, creme caramel, nicoise, truit muniere, too much liquid cheese (fondue, tartiflette, raclette) - mmmmm. Although now I need to eat alot of fruit to feel normal.

Also, today I got my UK Swap parcel! Thanks Monica!! It is sooooo cool, but you will have to wait until the weekend for pictures.

UK Swap Question for this week, I can't remember which number we are up to...

What kind of Spoilee are you? Are you paranoid that it's not being sent, or lost in the post? Do you want it to arrive quickly? OR Do you enjoy the anticipation? Sitting and pondering when it will arrive... and anxiously waiting for it, close to the deadline?

I am a planner. I make many, many plans. Mostly while trying to go to sleep. Or listening to boring people (oops!). I change these plans alot. This is my favourite bit. Then, when I put it in the post, I start to worry. Maybe I should have gone with plan a (ii) rather than plan c (iv). Or maybe my anti-new-wrapping paper stance will be misunderstood as miserly. So I guess I am the anxious type (probably in more than just this area of life!). I think.

Weekend o' yarn

I had a fantastic, yarn-filled weekend, starting with the very exciting news that I won the UFO contest that Ali, over at Skeins Her Way was running in January! So as well as getting a bit of a push to finish my anemois (and just in time for very very chilly times), I also got a surprise! Go check out her site and see what I won - I would be jealous if I were not me.

Then I moseyed into London to catch up with Esmerelda, who took me on a fantastic tour of some of London's knitting delights - IKnit London, All the Fun of the Fair and Liberty. We were both extremely restrained (I know, hard to believe), although I picked up a few nice odds and ends. I didn't need to buy much yarn because the gorgeous Esmerelda gave me a stunning late birthday present - from my new found favourite yarn makers! Can't wait to get this on the needles. Its Natural Dye Studio Dazzle Blue Faced Leicester Sock Yarn, in (I think) midnight blue - the pics are a bit washed out, it is a much stronger colourway. It is divine and cuddly. And I like the sheep picture.

Also, pics of the now-on-hold Hederas - terrible pics, sorry! Again, the colour looks quite washed out compared to 'real life':

UK Swap Topic 4

Inspired title. Goes with the inspired blog layout - its horrible, I know, but I just can't seem to find time to get the whole thing organised and looking a bit nicer. Also, I always have trouble putting nice pics in the title bit. Anyway, no promises, but hopefully it will look prettier soon. Back to UK Swap Topic 4: I know this isn't knitting related, but I thought I'd ask you to share your favourite Valentine's Day memory, or your current plans for this year. Just to share some love. :)
I am not a bit Valentines person, and neither has any boyfriend I have ever had. I think I have got a few cards, and maybe even some flowers or chocolate at some time. S & I are big nonbelievers, so we are highly unlikely to do anything! But my brother and sister-in-law got married on Valentines day a few years ago, which is my favourite memory of the day. It was a gorgeous, chilled out beach wedding, and was lots of fun and very romantic.
Anyway, there is sunshine outside my window again today - its almost too good to be true!

mmmm....NDS yarn

A completely dull and useless post to say how much I LOVE my new socks. I think they are possibly the prettiest socks in the entire history of the world (its hyperbole Tuesday, if you haven't noticed). They are Hedera, in Natural Dyes Studio Mirage yarn, and they are delicious. However, I am nervous they are a little big...I am down to 2mm needles, and they still look a bit loose on the calf, so its possible they might be gifted. Or ripped. Or tolerated despite baginess. But I still love them.
Photos to come (as soon as there is sunshine. And I am home in the day time).

Mittenlove

Finished! Anemois are go...

Subtle, woodsmokey kinda colours. I don't think I have ever worn mittens before, but they are toasty warm. And will be perfect for our ski trip in a few weeks. They haven't been blocked, so still a bit lumpy, but I don't mind and they will wear in.

I cast on for some socks for me - three times now! First time wrong pattern, then wrong size, so fingers crossed. But the yarn is beautiful, so doesn't really matter. S asked me the other night why I took yarns that were works of art, and turned them into things that weren't works of art (ie socks). I protested, but in some way he is right - sometimes the yarn looks so beautiful on the skein it seems a shame to knit it into some prosaic item like a sock. But only sometimes. So anyway, currently knitting Hedera with Natural Dye Studio Mirage yarn. Stay tuned.

It has been a bit more chilly here over the past few days, but the plants are still responding to the very mild weather through January, and all sorts of things are going on in the garden! We are planning allotment business again - bought three types of seed potatoes yesterday! Can't wait for new potatoes. We are planning to use much more of our allotment this year - only got around to planting about half of the ground last year. Anyway, I am resigned to a winter without snow here.

Its cold enough to want to have the oven on so we have a hectic schedule of brewing, baking and roasting this afternoon, which should heat things up a bit (and feed and refresh us!). The ginger beer is ready to go - if you are interested in making some yourself (is super easy and you don't need to know how to brew or have much equipment) check out this BBC site.

In the back of my mind, I have decided to rip back the top of the Jo Sharp jacket I have knitted and turn it into a cardigan. It is lovely, but the length is not pleasant on someone of my curves. But am yet to muster the energy. Work has become manic (all my own fault - months of putting my hand up for things has finally caught up with me!), and I am more interested in making things than unmaking them by the time I get some time on the couch. Maybe after the socks. And the baby blanket (said baby is here and happy and gorgeous! Time to get knitting!). And making plans for my nephews birthday present (which should already be in the post! Oops).

Despite how long this post already is, I had started with the intention of answering this weeks UK Swap weekly question, so here 'tis: Q: What is your process when planning a project? Do you shop for yarn and then find a suitable pattern? Do you find your pattern and then go out to buy the yarn? Or are you stash-busting? If your stash is out of control, how did it get that way?

As my stash is pretty modest, and most things that I have that I bought for myself have a probable designated purpose, I often don't have suitable yarn if I see a pattern I like. So if I come across a pattern I love, then I often have to purchase the yarn for it. More often of late, I have found patterns that have suited yarn that I have acquired. I am gradually learning when a yarn is going to suit a certain pattern. Really, my stash is only big enough to keep me going with small projects between bigger, more planned ones. I only really have a stash at all thanks to swaps!