Family

I have been challenged to try and keep up with this blog for all my non Facebook using friends and family!
The summer came and went, Lydia was at home working hard trying to earn enough to support herself through her master's degree, a big challenge, she is now settled in Lancaster waiting for her course to start. Julia spent some time travelling around Italy with Angus- they had a great time but are a lot poorer financially! She has begun an Art Foundation course at Totnes so is living at home for another year.

2014!!

Here we are into 2014 and January is nearly over! I am currently knitting Hela in a very pale grey Lopi with a very much darker for the yoke pattern, similar to this! The pattern is written for a zip closure but I will opt for buttons instead. It also requires steeking!!! I'll report back on how I got on!

For my birthday Hannah and co bought me a copy of this book

I'm looking forward to more Icelandic knitting, also in my Amazon wish list is a walking book for Iceland- who knows maybe we'll have a trip there sometime in the future!?

Yarn Along

I am joining with Ginny to share a current knitting project and book!

I am reading 'The Cloister Walk' by Kathleen Norris and enjoying it very much- funny, insightful and challenging. I am knitting Pioneer, I am using some very old wool-Wendy Shetland DK in a heathery purple shade. I started using it for a cardigan for Sophia then decided that it might not be soft enough for a small person's skin!I am onto the knitting in the round part, not very exciting but will do the trick for car knitting when we travel to Durham to visit Phil's Mum!

Days out with Phil

In the midst of busy lives Phil and I try and put aside one day a week to go out together. Sometimes it is a walk, sometimes shopping, a visit to the grand-kids or a National Trust property- or any combination of these!

This is a picture from our visit to A La Ronde, near Exmouth. It is a house I have always wanted to visit and it did not disappoint! A fascinating 16 sided house built by two sisters and full of their collections. The views over the Exe estuary are stunning. Best of all it is just up the road from Topsham! A lovely place to visit,tea and cake with Phil, and hugs from Sophia and Isaac- whats not to like!!

Monday.

As well as knitting and sewing I've been having a go at spinning- using a top whorl spindle. The picture shows two of my most recent efforts drying. The one on the right is still rather thick and a bit uneven! The left one is a bit thinner and I think(?!) a bit more even. When they are dry I'll wind them into balls and try and estimate the yardage.

This is my spindle and two batts from Sara of Sara's Texture Crafts, the batts came from her monthly batt choice club. Just waiting to pluck up courage to make a start with them!! She has some lovely fibre on her website- not a good place to browse if you are trying not to spend!!

Yarn Along

Joining with Ginny to show what I'm reading and knitting!

I am reading two books at the moment : Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson( spotted on someone else's blog!) and By His Wounds You Are Healed (a study of Ephesians) by Wendy Horger Alsup. I am knitting a zip front jacket for Sophia (my grand-daughter) using a pattern that I made a jacket from for Julia! The yarn is a discontinued Wendy Shetland DK in a tweedy purple colour- I hope she likes it!

I have also just finished a Magic Troll Vest for Isaac with left-over Baby Ull, and a Chinook scarf for me in some navy blue Garnstudio Drops Cotton Viscose- go me!!!

New Blog!

The time has come to move on from dear old Pumpkin and start blogging under a different title. It is surprisingly hard to come up with a new blog title and after much hilarity while Phil perused the dictionary I settled on a title which pays homage to the county of my birth!

According to tradition,the first Men of Kent were  who settled in the east of the county some 1500 years ago,whilst Kentish Men were of Saxon origin and settled in the west of the county.In 1066 the Men of Kent showed their spirit by resisting William the Conqueror  and obtained an honourable peace settlement which gave them certain rights, whilst the Kentish Men surrendered. 

I was born in Margate so that makes me a Maid of Kent!