Wild and Woolly

Been there. Done that.

My finishers medal and tee-shirt from the London Marathon, Sunday 25th April

I did it! My fifth London Marathon in the year I turned 50. It took me four and a half hours, so not a PB, but it was like running through a carnival - there seemed to be more music, more crowds, more colour than ever before. My support team were waiting, as usual, near mile 18 at Crossharbour/Mudchute, which is where I often need a bit of a boost.  The kids had got themselves up on a high wall and were screaming at me and George had got hold of a hooter which made an amazing racket! They had been there since early morning, so had seen the élite men race past, and stayed to see the slower fancy dress costumes and celebrities. So they had a lot of fun, too.

It was a perfect sunny weekend in London and the good weather remained for most of last week. By the Bank Holiday weekend, however, there was a definite chill in the air again and even the threat of frost. Lucky for me, I finished the Tea Leaves Cardigan I have been working on (see Ravelry and earlier posts for details). I  have been wearing it for the last few days and I can see it is going to be real favourite. It's perfect for this time of year with its unpredictable temperatures. Cosy enough to keep you snug over a tee-shirt, but the low neck and open front mean you won't overheat!

Now I have started on something a bit summery and a bit lacy - the Double V Cardigan by Melissa Wehrle from Interweave Knits (Spring 2010). More details next time!

Ici, on fait l'échange. Le correspondant de George (Jean-Baptiste) arrive ce soir d'Ancennis. Alors, il faut que je passe l'aspiratuer ...
 
 

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.

Benbecula and other challenges

I have spent the weekend in the beautiful Elan Valley in mid-Wales. The main purpose of this weekend away was to run the 20-mile Round the Lakes Mountain Road Race (which I did on Saturday and got a very satisfying 'personal best'). The weather, which had been wet all Friday, cleared in time for the run, which meant that the 800 feet climb up to the 6 mile mark was rewarded with stunning views. The race follows part of the old Aberystwyth Mountain road, and the medieval 'monks trod', before undulating along the edge of the reservoirs built in Victorian times to provide the growing population of Birmingham with water.

I also took advantage of the beautiful surroundings to get some photos of my latest FO. You may remember that this is 'Benbecula' designed by Marie Wallin (pattern in Rowan Knitting and Crochet Magazine, number 46). It has taken me nearly a month to complete but the effort was well worth it. I love the finished item and it was the perfect thing to wrap up in for the weekend. The extensive cabling combined with the Rowan Felted Tweed Aran yarn mean that the fabric is dense and warm. The fact that it is sleeveless and wraparound extends its usefulness and wear-ability.

 
  
  

Happiness is...a Hap Blanket

I finished my Hap Blanket last night and took the photos of it this morning in beautiful warm sunshine in the summerhouse in the garden.  As I've mentioned in previous posts the design is by Edinburgh-based Ysolda Teague. 'Haps', or shawls made from thick wool, originate in the Shetland Islands, where working women wore them round their shoulders, crossed over at the front and with the ends tied behind their waists. The lace patterns and shape of the haps are similar to the finer Shetland lace shawls. 

  

 

 

 

The central square is simply garter stitch, which makes for a comforting, springy, mould-able fabric.  The edging is the traditional famous Shetland 'old shell' lace.  I used Rowan Scottish Tweed Aran in an oatmeal/natural colour and Mission Falls 1824 for the red accents.  The yarns have produced the perfect combination of textures and colours which beautifully compliment the stitches.

It is the most perfect day today, spring is definitely in the air (although, this being England, rain is forecast for tomorrow).  I must stop writing now and head out for a 'long run', probably along the canal path and hopefully with Chris on the bike for company.  I'm running the Neolithic Marathon on the 3rd May (multi-terrain 26.2 miles) and am aware that I haven't done enough miles this year in training!

Mothers Day

We spent last weekend in the Elan Valley in mid-Wales.  I was running in the Rhayader 20 mile Round the Lakes mountain road race on the Saturday and it was Mothers Day on Sunday, so we decided to make a weekend of it and stayed in a cottage from Friday evening until Sunday.  It was a perfect weekend and the cottage was remote and peaceful, a short walk from where the photograph below was taken.  Last year, when I ran the same race, it poured with rain and at the highest point (1600 feet) you could see nothing but mist and moorland.  This year, I had to buy a pair of sun specs before the start and the view from the top and around the lakes was spectacular.  Not a PB for me but the sunshine and the rest of the weekend made up for that.

 

 Garreg Ddu

On Sunday, Hatty and George had made me cards (Hannah didn't come with us):

  

We went for walks, sat in the sun, watched red kites circling overhead, rediscovered board games (Othello, Scrabble, the Game of Life), warmed ourselves by the wood burner stove.  I didn't do any knitting, although I had intended to start on a Thermis. 

Back home, my Trillium is going well now, although I did go wrong and had to frog quite a few rows.

 

The cotton, colour and nubby texture really appeal to me and I think it is going to be lovely and airy to wear in the summer.

And I've got to showcase Hatty's textiles project which she has just finished for her Textiles GCSE (exam). She's fifteen and designed and made this prom style dress (modeled by her big sister).  She screen printed stars on to the fabric, sewed on sequined stars, layered striped and net petticoats underneath, put in boning in the bodice, made cut-away shapes so that the under skirts would show through. Isn't it great?

 

Stopping by the Woods on a Frosty Morning

  

   

I seem to have had a bit of a holiday from blogging but I'm back now ready to report on the new year.  We started 2009 with a magical walk in Standish woods.  Although it was frosty at our house, the transformation when we climbed up to the woods was breathtaking.  Everything was white with a coating of hoar frost.  Isn't it beautiful how the leaves have an icy edging to them? 

We started the Christmas holidays with a wedding in the Lake District (my nephew's), had a lovely Christmas at home and then went to my brother-in-law and his family in Kent for a weekend.  It has been nice having time to cook, read (I've been hooked by the Stephanie Meyer books, following in the footsteps of my daughters) and knit (finished Jared Flood's Turn a Square hat, still working on two Kim Hargreaves projects 'Boris' and the shrug from the Heartfelt Collection - pictures later) and sit by the fire.  School goes back on Monday so this weekend will mean having a look at my timetable and getting everyone ready to slip back into the usual routine. And I have a ten-mile race on Sunday morning which I'm sure will reflect all those mince pies and other festive fare I've enjoyed over the last two weeks!

   Hat Pattern: Jared Flood Turn a Square

www.brooklyntweed.net

 

 

 

 

 

 

Going for gold

It was fantastic to watch the mens coxless fours winning gold in the Olympics this morning.  We were all screaming at the telly (as instructed by the BBC commentator!) and it seemed to do the trick.  The question now is whether to stay up late tonight to watch Paula Radcliffe in the marathon.  I don't think it starts until after midnight and I have a race myself tomorrow - not quite in the same league but still quite a tough one.     

'Super Saturday' in the Olympics was the perfect excuse to lounge around and catch up on some knitting.  Frustratingly, I ran out of the pale blue yarn I needed to finish the sleeves on the baby fair isle, so I went all out on the Retro Rib Socks instead, finishing one and making a good start on the other.  Hannah made some enormous peanut butter chippers from the Totally Cookies Cookbook.

  

Absolutely scrumptious but twice the size they were meant to be!  No one was complaining though...and they were the perfect accompaniment to watching people being very energetic on the telly!

Later, our friend Anne brought three of her four little boys round to see the chickens; and Chris and George got busy making a movable fence that can be used to make a big run for the chickens in different parts of the garden.

I, too, got busy in the kitchen and made this for supper: Beetroot, Potato and Goat's Cheese Gratin from Bill Sewell's excellent vegetarian cookbook Feasts from the Place Below.  Before you cook the dish it is this rather violent pink colour but it is a very good recipe for fresh beetroot (which we had from our organic veg box this week).

 

Once it is baked, the grated cheese and breadcrumbs on top give texture and subdue the colour!

 

I also heard via Ravelry that my downstream partner in the Caffeine Swap had received her parcel from me.  She was really pleased with it and I'm really glad that she liked the things I had put in.  I seem to have made a new convert to Green and Black's Maya Gold chocolate!