Wild and Woolly

Double V Cardigan

Just a short post to show off the pictures of my Double V Cardigan from the Spring 2010 edition of Interweave Knits magazine. Despite the hot sunny weather of late, today I had to wait for a break in the rain clouds to take the photos in the garden. The yarn is Rowan Calmer (cotton with a bit of polyester). The buttons are the ones I picked up at the vintage fair last year. I think they suit the slightly retro style of the cardigan. No apologies for featuring the poppies again - they are so short-lived and they are absolutely stunning amongst the greenery.

  

Things past

In the heat of yesterday, our poppies began to open. I love their intense colour, their bendy stems and the 'blousiness' of their petals.It seemed appropriate, too, given their association with remembrance, that yesterday was the anniversary of 'Uncle Charles's' death. Uncle Charles was my mother-in-law's younger brother. During the Second World War, while doing air reconnaissance in the days leading up to D Day, he was shot down and killed in northern France, on 3rd June 1944. We have been several times to visit his grave in the churchyard at Poix-de-Picardie, where he and his crew were buried by local French people. Now the graves are looked after by the War Graves Commission. He was 21 when he died.

 

Today is equally hot and sultry, so, having done a few essential tasks in town, I took refuge among the cool book-lined shelves of Inprint the wonderful secondhand bookshop at the top of the high street. I had anticipated a gentle browse but came away with a fantastic stash of vintage knitting magazines and patterns. They range from pattern books from the pre-war 1930s, to individual wartime 'Bestway' patterns for lacey cardigans and twin sets, to Stitchcraft and Vogue Knitting Books from the 'new look' fifties and swinging sixties. Nor did I forget my 'other half'. Leach's Pullovers and Woollies for Men from 1934 ('knitted wear keeps pace with tailored fashions') should provide for all his knitted needs! The 'Golfjac' for hiking or golf is the star of this booklet. It is the stitch patterns as much as the design of the actual garments that interests me - if I ever get around to designing for myself, they could be a really useful emporium of ideas.

 This Stitchcraft magazine is full of amazing 1930s designs
  

Be daring!

What a difference the sun makes! I feel like I have re-discovered the garden. Sitting outside for an 'elevenses' cup of coffee and the new edition of Marie Claire Idées, for example. Bliss.

 

The cover headline tells me that it is time to 'dare to do anything'. 'Be an artist' ('Soyez artiste!') it says and decorate your house in the style of, for example, Paul Klee or Jackson Pollock (!). I like the Paul Klee makeup bag for which they give instructions; I might give that a try. Looking round my house, I think we are already living in the style of an artist: Francis Bacon - apparently he never cleaned...

 'Go to London' is the next instruction. Well, we are going up next weekend. Did I mention I am running the London Marathon on Sunday, 25th April? It will be my 5th London and 7th full marathon.  As my husband says, 'It's a mental thing' and I don't think he's talking about sports psychology. We are all going up after school on Friday and making a bit of a weekend of it. I shall not, however, be doing what the French journalist in Marie Claire is doing and traipsing round the markets of Brick Lane, Islington etc. looking very chipie in a tartan skirt.

'Dînez au jardin'. Does the barbecue we are having tonight count? It's a rather more haphazard affair than the one in the magazine. But an English garden on a warm spring evening is pretty perfect all by itself.

 

Damson blossom in the back garden - bee heaven.

 

 

The colours of spring

 

Snowdrops and frogspawn in the Elan Valley, Wales.

October Offering

  This time last year I made a beautiful golden jar full of what I thought was Quince Brandy.  The fruits which I preserved in the brandy were these ones pictured above.  They looked beautiful sitting on the shelf and I could hardly wait till Christmas eve to try a tipple.  It was horrible!  Because, of course, these aren't quinces or not the right sort, at any rate.  They are the fruits of my japonica bush and I believe they are called Japanese quinces.  They're probably not even edible!  They are pretty though and they smell lovely in a bowl on the windowsill.

I haven't written my blog for so long - blame school and everything else in between!  Now it's half term and I hope to get back in the swing of writing and of knitting, too.  The February Lady Sweater is taking a long time to knit - as you can see from this picture I haven't made a great deal of progress.

My mother is coming to stay over half term, so hopefully there will be time to sit and chat and knit.  We may need to make a little knitting-related excursion together, so that she can have a project to work on too.

'Mellow Fruitfulness'

 

Pattern Spirited by JustJussi

Yarn Dale Baby Ull (0020)

I finished the little wrap over baby jacket for my friend's baby.  I'm very pleased with it - well worth the effort with the design.  It has a lovely squooshy feel because of the raised patterning and I think it will be very comfy and cosy for the baby now that autumn has arrived.

I felt ready for a new project and am really enjoying getting under way with my February Lady Sweater.  I love knitting on a circular needle (like I did with Spirited, in fact).  The raglan increases and one row buttonholes add interest to the otherwise straightforward garter stitching.

 

We have had some unexpected sun!  The perfect day to pick the apples and make some chutney.  I wasn't feeling very agile, so I sent Hatty up the tree to reach the big ones right at the top!

 

I made about 14lbs of 'Great Aunt Tottie's Apple Chutney' (a recipe from Chris's family).  For non-English readers, chutney is a legacy of Britain's contact with India.  It is, in this case, apples, raisins, onions, sugar cooked in vinegar and spices until thick.  It is bottled and stored for about three months to mature and then eaten with cooked meat, cheese or anything you like.  Some nice homemade chutneys, fresh bread and good Cheddar make a simple but delicious meal.

   

Changing seasons

With the school summer holidays nearly over, it feels like autumn is on the way.

 

Our apples and pears are ready to be picked and I need to psyche myself up into making chutney and jam and anything else that I can make apples and pears into!  I think I said before, that I am doing another swap on (yes, you've guessed) Ravelry.  We have to link our items with a theme and I've decided on 'Autumn Berries'.  I'm putting into my parcel: a hat (this was the compulsory item) which I think looks rather like an autumn berry (purple and blackberry-like stitch), some Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in 'Blackberry', a box of blueberry and apple tea, a box of mixed berry biscuits and a pair of Hiya Hiya needles (requested by my swap partner).

  

Talking of changing seasons, Chris bought me a lovely little book for our wedding anniversary the other day.  It's a French children's book called Hiver and contains delightful little poems about activities in the home and outside associated with wintertime.  The illustrations are by Rie Cramer, a Dutch artist working at the beginning of the 20th century.  The book looks like it was produced in the 1920s or maybe earlier, judging from the clothes the children in the pictures are wearing.  I love it.