Loving the land I live in

Yesterday I climbed to the top of our local hill - Bennachie (pronounced Ben-a-hee!)

This is not remarkable in itself but the land and the landscape are.  Though here in my home county of Aberdeenshire, we talk of climbing Bennachie, this is not one but a range of hills with several peaks.

Most prominent and rugged is Mither Tap with its iron age fort but Oxen Craig is higher.  Craigshannoch is the third peak with Millstone Hill an outlying spur.

Though not particularly high at 528m - Ben Nevis, Scotland's highest mountain is 1346m - the mountain is very prominent  and dominates the skyline.  The range of hills is isolated from other high ground and the surrounding land is relatively flat so Bennachie tends to dominate the skyline.

Here's how it looks from the village of Oldmeldrum.  Bennachie features on lots of local logos.

Climbing Bennachie is a favourite family outing - this was taken on Boxing Day 2006 when 9 relatives made it to the top with four of our neighbours. 

I created my own embroidered landscape from this photograph.  This became a present for my sister-in-law, Fiona, who grew up seeing Bennachie everyday but no longer lives nearby.

So it was a joy to climb to the top yesterday in the company of my daughter, Eilidh, who remarked what beautiful countryside we live in.  I couldn't agree more!

Giving Crosses a Big Tick

Late May and June were a bit quiet on the blog whilst I undertook my annual stint of full time work as an exam invigilator.  In fact, for the past six years I have been in charge of invigilation for the national exams at my local secondary school here in Aberdeenshire which means I work long days and put in many extra hours over the six weeks duration.

I deliberately planned a crochet project over the exam period which I could pick up easily every evening when I put my feet up.  I spend a lot of time at work on my feet!

So this is the thousand kisses shawl by Sam of the blog Betsy Makes.  Sam also records a video podcast which is one of many I enjoy whilst I'm busy making things.

The yarn I chose is Baby Alpaca Silk by Garnstudio Drops in the colours Pistachio, Wheat, Heather and Green. The cream yarn is pure alpaca from my friend's herd Mainsforth Alpacas.

The pattern is called The Thousand Kisses Shawl because the stitches cross over each other creating rows of 'x's.  As I was in exam mode, I was thinking more in terms of crosses then kisses (though I'm glad to say I don't so any marking!)

On a few occasions after school it was nice enough to sit outside and crochet.

 This must've been a Friday evening as I spy a G&T!

So happy with the result!

Bye Baby - Bunting

It's my daughter's 18th birthday today.

I made her a card to celebrate all her birthdays as she is due to leave home soon to go to university.

The tags for each year can be detached from the accordion style card and are strung together so they form bunting. Added decorative loveliness!

Now, this is not my idea.  I saw a lovely card on the blog Jennifer Grace Creates which Jennifer designed for her sister's 21st birthday.  I thought it was a brilliant idea and was inspired to try to make my own.  Here's what I did.

First I assembled all the materials I needed: photos, blank cards, pre-cut tags, coloured card, string, glue, scissors double sided tape and my trusty guillotine.  For decoration I used a star punch, printed numbers and strips cut from wrapping paper.  I selected photos at home, saved them to a memory stick and printed them at as 2" x 3" mini-prints at the kiosk at my local Tesco supermarket.

 I glued the photos onto the tags.  I then glued the blank cards together, back to back, so there was a page for each year.  This also helped to strengthen the card booklet.

When I decided to add her age to each tag, I looked to the internet for some free printables.  These numbers were created for a design project to make your own advent calendar and come from the lifestyle blog by queen of organisation, Abby Lawson, called Justagirlandherblog.  I printed the numbers onto A5 paper so they were the right size for me.  Thanks, Abby, for sharing this really useful resource!

I then made a pocket for each page so the tags would fit into the card.  I cut these out of different coloured card (as the red, white and green was making it look a bit too Christmassy!).

The pockets are fixed to the card using double sided tape on three sides.  I found that the backing is sometimes hard to remove from the tape but tweezers helped!

Once the pockets were all fixed in, I decorated each one with a strip cut from wrapping paper and placed stars punched from the off-cut coloured card around the tags.

So far, so good but I realised that the card looked rather bare once the bunting is removed.  I typed up a few memories about each birthday, printed these onto paper and attached them behind the tags so they're only visible when the bunting is up.

I added my most recent photo to the front cover and attached a piece of string under it so the card can be closed.

The button on the back allows the string to fasten around the card.  I got my husband to write the personal message as he's good with words.

It only remained to string the tags together to make the bunting.

There you have it - a birthday card, party decoration and memory book all in one and I got to relive all these happy annual milestones whilst I was making it - and smile!

Happy Feet, I've Got Those Happy Feet

The weather in Aberdeenshire during April was, quite frankly, more like winter than spring.

So instead of thinking about lightweight pastel coloured knits for the warmer months, I found myself focusing on one of the projects I bought part of at Edinburgh Yarn Festival -  soles for cosy knitted slippers.

Here I am with Amanda of Joes Toes at the EYF marketplace.  The company sells slipper kits and also the felt soles and other constituents parts needed to make your own.  Amanda was lovely and took time to help me try on some of the sample slippers to ensure I was buying the correct size of sole.  I came away with turquoise outer soles (which have a latex grip) and fuchsia inners, really thinking this would be a perfect project for autumn.

When the days took a seriously cooler turn, I went to my local yarn shop, The Colour Corner in Inverurie, and bought some New Lanark chunky wool in the colourway Gritstone.  It's 100% wool and I thought it would be hard wearing but soft enough for my slippers.  Amanda of Joes Toes provided me with a comprehensive instruction sheet when I bought my soles.  Essentially, the knitted part of the slipper consists of a strip of garter stitch.  Its length is determined by the number of pre-punched holes in the felt soles.  The long side of the strip is then stitched onto the sole and the pre-punched holes make the sewing up really easy and straightforward as well as ensuring a neat job. 

So, a couple of evenings in front of the telly and my slippers were finished - the perfect companion to a pair of hand knit socks!  I'm really pleased with them and they're comfy and warm...

...but - come on May - could we please have some better weather so my next project isn't a fur coat?!

Kindness

Last autumn I discovered knitting podcasts.  I like to listen as I make things and I got fed up with my regular radio shows and wanted something more than music or TV.  Crafting along to a podcast is like having a friend with me who is as enthusiastic about creating and fibre as I am!  I am now an avid listener and subscriber to several channels and have quite a few favourite podcasters.  I get so excited when I learn they have uploaded a new episode!  I love that I can listen when I have time to knit or crochet or felt or embroider....

At the beginning of 2016, instead of making resolutions, there seemed to be more of a trend amongst the creative podcast community to chose a word for the year.  Helen at Curious Handmade, Louise at KnitBritish and Jo at Shinybees are some of the folks who chose inspirational words for 2016.  I liked the idea of a special word as we all know how easy it is to break a resolution by January 3rd! The word I chose was 'kindness'.

My neighbour gave me this pretty wee handmade picture as a thank you gift a couple of weeks ago. She said when she saw it that she knew she was going to buy it for me.  I was so touched.  I was also delighted to see the word 'kindness' appearing in this unexpected way.

Last year I took part in my first crochet along (CAL) and made the Spice of Life Blanket by Sandra of the blog Cherryheart.  It was a lovely experience and I learned a lot of new stitches as well as having the discipline of the weekly CAL updates to keep me on track.  I always intended to give this blanket away and I sent it to the charity Woolly Hugs for its Christmas Charity auction.  

I loved the blanket but donated it as I already have a crochet blanket which spends most of its time folded over the chair in the bedroom!

Look!  There it is in the background.

So, in the spirit of my word for this year, I decided that I would use my crafting skills to make something each month and give it away.  A random act of kindness - but made of wool!

In January I started crocheting a shawl for a very lovely lady called Phyllis.  Each day when I am working she brings me a cup of tea.  She never asks - it just appears.  I am due to finish this job in June after 6 years so I am giving Phyllis this shawl as a thank you after she admired a similar one I was wearing.  Here it hers as a work in progress.

Through Instagram in February I learned about the 1000 Kind Minds Campaign which is raising money for Mind, the mental health charity.  A lovely lady called Sarah Louise Roberts is creating a crocheted blanket from donated squares which is then being auctioned.  I decided to make a couple of squares, in blue as she asked, and donate them to her project.  Tickets can be purchased here on Sarah Louise's Just Giving page.  They cost £2 each and she hopes to raise £10,000!  Here are my squares.

In March at Edinburgh Yarn Festival I handed over the premature baby hats which were requested by Louise of the Caithness Craft Collective Podcast and which she is donating to Raigmore Hospital Special Care Baby Unit in Inverness.  Here's the wee hats I made.

So now it's April and I have to decide what to make to give away this month.  As I've been using yarn I already have for all these projects so far, I think I'll go and take a look at what I've got in my wool stash.  This list  by the UK Hand Knitting Association is inspirational too.  I'll let you know what I decide!

A wee cough...

It's a week since I returned from Edinburgh and I expected to be telling you all about my trip as soon as I got home.  Then I got flu.  Not a cold, not just a fever but aching limbs, lack of appetite, bone crushing weariness and zero desire to look at any electronic device.  I haven't even felt like knitting.  I must have been really ill!  One week on I still have a cough but at least feel able to share with you the most amazing colourful fibre experience that was Edinburgh Yarn Festival 2016

Just look at this selection from the many stalls in the market place : hand dyed yarn from The Little Grey Sheep, felted slippers by Edinburgh based Felting Studio, more skeins of hand dyed from Tall Yarns and fabulous  merino braids from the Porpoise Fur stand where I chatted to the charming Rachel Brown.

Each afternoon I was also helping on the stand belonging to Lindsay Roberts The Border Tart.  Lindsay, pictured left, dyes yarns and fibres with natural indigo as well as spinning beautiful fibres into yarn.  We met on a knitting retreat in 2014 and Fiona, standing beside me was on the same holiday.  Dorothy was interloping from the Ripples Crafts stand!  It was fun selling Lindsay's yarn, buttons, sari silk etc and meeting her customers.

Especially when Renee Callahan of East London Knit and Karie Westermann stopped by.  I also got the chance to meet and chat with other stall holders and admire the many goodies for sale.

From top left, going in a circle, here's Helen from The Wool Kitchen, me and the irrepressible Jess from Edinburgh's favourite wool shop Ginger Twist Studio, Lucy Hague and her beautiful Celtic inspired shawls, in the presence of royalty with Zoe Queen of Purls, me and my pal Helen of Ripples Crafts and Louise who is Spin City and whose Instagram I love!

No one minded being approached by complete strangers admiring their knitwear.  I accosted Nathan the Sockmatician to have a wee chat about his Sanquhar scarf and he explained the double knitting technique he'd used to create this very inspiring masterpiece.

Finally, the festival had visitors from all over.  These ladies are from Norway and came to find me after my husband told me his colleague's twin sister was at the festival - that's Turid Bo on the right.  Geoff has worked with Laila for years but I bet they never talked about knitting as much as when they found out this coincidence!

I had such a good time meeting people, helping out, shopping...  I haven't even mentioned any of the gorgeous purchases I made.  A future blog post for certain!

The eve of something special

It feels like the night before Christmas.  Tomorrow I am going to Edinburgh.  I'm attending the Edinburgh Yarn Festival, the UK's premier urban knitting event (according to the website), for the first time and I couldn't be more excited.

I'll be wearing this cardigan I made.  Knowing I wanted to wear it to Edinburgh really made me focus on getting it finished.  The pattern is Leaving by Anne Hanson. I'll also be wearing this wee crocheted shawl which is Fortunes Shawlette by Tamara Kelly

Both garments have been made using yarn hand dyed in Scotland - I knitted the cardy in merino dyed by Helen at Ripplescrafts and I crocheted the shawl in yarn dyed by Lindsay aka The Border Tart. Helen and Lindsay are exhibiting at the festival and I'm delighted to be helping Lindsay at her stall for part of both days.  I still have time to attend a class and enjoy the market place in the company of my knitting pal and travelling companion, Alison, as well as the hospitality of my sister who conveniently lives in Edinburgh.

But this festival is about more than just shopping.  It's bringing together like minded crafts people from all over the world.  It's a chance to meet people known only on-line thanks to the fibre community's virtual glue that is Ravelry and to renew friendships made in yarn stores and on retreats. It's an opportunity to meet the podcasters many enjoy whose episodes frequently accompany my crafting and who make me feel like I have an enthusiastic friend in my kitchen telling me all about her latest projects.  It's saying knitting, crochet and fibre crafts are really popular, hand made is truly valued and wool is cool!

The knitting community is generous with its time and materials.  Louise Hunt of Caithness Craft Collective podcast appealed for knitted baby hats to be donated to one of the special care baby units. I've managed to make two wee hats for early arrivals in the past couple of days. They really didn't take long to make and only use scraps of leftover yarn.

In the months prior to the festival, I've listened to Louise Scollay of the KnitBritish podcast get increasingly excited about the event as she revealed details of the knit night meet-up, podcast lounge, ceilidh and exclusive magazine.  I followed Helen's advice on her Curious Handmade podcast by looking sensibly at my yarn collection and all my works in progress, some of which I've realised I'm never going to finish.  Here's a case in point which I started in 1986!!

And finally, I've read some great tips for maximising enjoyment at knitting festivals by Victoria at Eden Cottage and Karie Westermann on their respective blogs .  In that spirit I've documented what I'd like to make in the future and what I'd like to buy in the lovely notebook my daughter gave me.

I know I'll be like a child in a sweet shop so I hope to be making careful, considered purchases.  We'll soon see if that happens!