My Design in a Magazine

My Hand Knitted Winter Slouch socks.

This design is now available to knit yourself !

Time to keep your toes warm!

These slouch socks are very soft,stretchy and easy to wear with a touch of luxury mohair on the cuffs.Great for just padding around in comfort.

My design and the knitting instructions are published in Making Gifts Magazine in the November issue 2010

click on the link and get clicking with your knitting needles in time for Christmas.

http://www.makinggiftsmagazine.com/

Just wanted to tell you about my next event;

Christmas Crafts at Quarr Abbey
18th- 23rd Nov open 10.30- 4.30 daily.

And please pop over to my sister's blog, where you can read all about our new range of Mugs and Warmers at Osmosis

http://www.potsandpaint.blogspot.com/

When you click on the photo (on my blog) of our lovely mug in pink, it will take you to our Osmosis shop.

End of Season, Solent Sailing

When it gets into October every day on our boats is a bonus.

It's "woolly hat" sailing at it's best!

Having a quiet Solent to yourselves, sun shimmering on the water, a gentle breeze to fill the sails and a cup of coffee in your hand, what a perfect way to spend an October afternoon!

This month we have been fortunate to have some good weather for a couple of trips out in the Solent.

A photo of our little navigation table in use as we sail along.

We keep a log of our position and check the tides. When taking a trip in the Solent we always plan to use the tides to best effect with our little yacht. Sailing back to the Medina river with the incoming tide makes for a safer and easier passage home.

A photo of Gurnard buoy -a North Cardinal just off Egypt point.

When it has been too windy or the tides have not been favourable, we have gone out to the boat anyway for a spot of fishing, reading or knitting on board and river watching...

At this time of the year the visitors pontoons are empty making the river feel bigger and the colours of Autumn shine out on a sunny day.

How quickly this sailing season seems to have gone, our yacht gets "lifted out" to overwinter ashore next month, so any winter sailing will have to be in our dinghies! brrrrrrr

Handspun and Handknitted Hat

This week has been National Wool Week here in the UK.

I decided to get knitting with my lovely skeins of Jacob wool which I prepared and spun on my wheel earlier in the year (see older postings).

Rare Breed, British wool, Locally sourced on the Island; prepared and worked in the traditional ways all by hand.

I designed a Winter Warm Hat using the two colourways of the natural fleece.

It is such a joy to produce an item from the raw fleece to a functional garment to wear, knowing and experiencing each stage of the process gives you an appreciation and pleasure that is very special.

To find out more about British wool go to;

http://www.campaignforwool.org/

Back on Course, Part Two; Cast On

With Autumn upon us, I'm now very busy with my planning and making of stock for my Christmas craft events. I have been spinning,weaving and knitting and enjoying using a different colour palette that the Autumn/Winter season brings.

I'm working with the natural tones of the hand spun yarn for my knitting and have had great fun this week weaving some pure wool rugs on my loom.

Red and green woven with grey and camel coloured yarn offers a rich textile to compliment any setting, adding warmth to a room and even a festive feel.

New Designs
Casting on a new project is always exciting, I tend to have quite a few on the go at any one time!

My spinning wheel is loaded with a bobbin of Wensleydale yarn.

My loom is working it's way through some wonderful skeins of wool sourced on my travels to Devon this summer.

My knitting needles are busy clicking away as I knit socks and hand warmers.

I also have a basket where I put in my " to be sewn up and labelled"- this task is my least favourite so I have to write a morning in my diary each week to commit time to do this.

Actually once I get stuck in it is very satisfying to complete a project and the best bit is sewing in one of my little labels, then I truly feel content and happy with a new item ready for sale.

Back on Course, Part One; Cast Off

Motoring up river

September is here and finally we have been able to enjoy some sailing.

The dinghy racing took place last Wednesday for the first time in a fortnight and although we didn't do very well! it was a great evening on the river.

Saturday weather conditions; misty/murky/ cool with a Force 4 South Easterly breeze. so we decided to potter about the River Medina on our little yacht.

So we motored up river and were able to sail down river under jib only; making 3 knots of speed easily, rising to 4 knots here and there.

Sailing under jib down river

The sun peeped out now and again, nice easy sailing with a cup of coffee and a few "ship's biscuits" to hand as we go.

View of Whippingham church

The river Medina is a lovely place to sail. As it is tidal, it is forever providing different views and moods. As you approach Cowes it becomes more of a working river with the Gas and gravel works. Then further down towards the mouth there are the Marinas and boatyards.



Gas Works.

A ship is loading

Old Saltings

Back up river where we have our swing mooring, the Medina is much more rural. At Low water the wooden ruins from the old Saltings are exposed. This is the time the wading birds flock in to feed.

Sometimes the river dances in the sun, other times it is sleepy and calm letting the fish make rings and circles in it's waters.

It can be choppy, lumpy, full and thick; making it hard going for little dinghies wanting to race.

At other times it is clear and bright; ideal for messing about in boats.

Whether the tide is on the rise or fall, the Medina offers us many, many happy hours of enjoyment.

Sunshine and Sailing?

Well there has been a lack of both sunshine and sailing for Skipper and me lately which we plan to put right from now on.


We started the month of August thoroughly enjoying the spectacle of Cowes Week, spending our time down on the seafront from the Parade to Gurnard watching the yachts enjoy the racing in the breezy conditions.
As our little yacht is not a "racer" we keep out of the Solent that week!

However it is still Dinghy racing evening every Wednesday in the River Medina, so we get our thrills and spills racing our Mirror against a competitive little group of Mirror dinghies.


Like all mirror dinghies of a certain age they all have their characters and plenty of leaks and creaks. These little old boats don't like to go out in more than a F4 or they will remind you of all their leaks and creaks in a very unnerving way!

But when there is Silverware to win, it is worth trying to get a few more points on the board and attempt the conditions.

Let's just say there has been a well earned drink or two in the pub afterwards with salty tales of bruised and broken bits on boats and crew and one particular evening some very muddy feet!!

Skipper and I are currently in 3rd position due to the fact that we missed two weeks racing while on holiday sailing the Greek Isles (well that what we say in the pub at the end of the evening, having a cider and banter with our fellow competitors!)

But the last two weeks racing has been cancelled due to awful weather conditions, so we haven't got many more races to try and make up the points.

That same weather has meant we haven't even been out on our little yacht for a while so we are hoping September will be a month of sunshine, sailing and silverware.






Photo of Skipper
sailing our Mirror Dinghy.

Natural Dyes

Recently a group of us got together for a wonderful day dyeing our handspun yarns with natural dyes. It was my first attempt at this process and I'm really pleased with the colours we achieved.

I always believe the best way to learn any craft is to have a go; be "hands on"and with the skills, experience and knowledge generously shared by the dyers in the group, I learnt so much.

I used some sample skeins of my own handspun Jacob fleece along with some grey fleece I spun earlier in the year and some Angora kid yarn.



The whole process was done outside on a charcoal and wood fire.



The natural material was various plant materials of bark, leaves eg. rosemary (which smelt wonderful while boiling!)


Mordants and assistants were used.



The colours are so lovely and as they are all natural they always sit well together - just as in nature, I can't wait to get my knitting needles clicking up a new design.