Weather Vain

Weather- because I've just finished knitting my weather scarf. Vain - because I keep strolling past the new wardrobe mirror door and saying "I like this, I am really pleased with myself for knitting this..."  Below are all the technical details- if that's boring, you can just skip to the end with the pictures!

I began last April with nine balls of Millarorchy Tweed yarn from the wonderful Kate Davies Designs. 

I used a free online weather programme to note the maximum temperature each day in Ferndown. The idea was that my birthday was April 10th, 2020 and we were leaving Ferndown on April 12th 2021. This scarf would chart one year of my life, the last one spent living in Dorset. 

I'd looked at records of previous years and worked out a temperature scale - nine shades seemed adequate - and I was prepared to buy an extra ball or two of the 'mid-range' temperature shades. The scarf would be 33sts wide, and two rows for each day, in simple k1p1 rib. [which is the same back and front] The records I used for daily temperatures were on this site

The site showed that in the previous 5 years, temperatures were between 5° and 27° Celsius. I worked out a chart allocating the shades to temperature bands of around 3° Last April was surprisingly warm - and that continued- I ended up buying an extra ball for the times the daily maximum was 27° or above. Similarly in the winter [" oh, it never gets really cold here, snow is most unusual!" people had been telling me] it went down to  freezing. Another shade was purchased.

Maximum temperature was on August 8th 32°, minimum on January 7th at minus 1°. I logged the readings in a notebook, writing the shade colour alongside, and every Friday or Saturday evening I'd knit up a dozen rows or so. [easier than knitting two rows every day] I made a decision that I would carry yarn up the side of my work for one day [two rows] at most - I had a lot of ends to darn in, and I did that as I went along. At the end of the year [I did 365 days - April 10th 2020 to April 9th 2021] I finished it.

The scarf is 200cm long, and 12½ cm wide. I made one twist and joined with a three-needle-bind-off [here] to make a Möbius strip 'infinity scarf' 

So that means I can wind the scarf round my neck three times- and arrange it to show all the colours [useful at the neck of a jacket when it is very chilly] 

Or slightly looser in two loops so it hangs lower. And careful arrangement of those two loops can keep it to the blue wintry tones, or the more colourful spring/summer/autumnal hues. In the collage below the triangle arrangement starts with April top left, go clockwise round the Year. 

The ridged join means I can quickly locate April - we had a lovely warm spell and you can see the hot orange shade at the top right of the triangle[Beginning of August] Down the right hand side, Autumn was cooler. Lots of icy blue greys at the end of December, start of January [bottom of triangle] and the early months of 2021 were cold [left hand side] 

The yarn was great to work with, and the scarf is very comfortable to wear. Thank you Kate Davies Designs for the lovely yarn and excellent choice of shades. Thank you Liz and Steph who paid for the yarn as my 2020 birthday present.

The picture top right is all the leftover yarns. I am thinking about making a hat or beret and possibly some striped fingerless gloves. But not just yet!

top tip  - knit a tension square, first, to work out how many stitches you need for your desired width, and how long it will be if you do 1, 2 or 3 rows per day. Otherwise you may end up with a choker that is too short - or a really long scarf

Weather Or Not...

I am considering knitting a weather scarf [or blanket] AKA known as a Temperature Scarf. Mags and friends over in NI  were engaged in this project back in 2018.
The idea is that you measure the temperature every day for a whole year at a given time [8am, midday] in a given place. 
And you prepare a chart assigning a different colour of wool to each band of temperatures.
Some people choose a rainbow palette, others go for shades of their favourite colours [blues, autumnal, green etc]
And you knit a row or two of the relevant shade so that your resulting scarf shows the changes in temperature through the seasons.
[Some blanket makers produce a square per day]
The results are quite lovely. 
But the more I read about these projects, the more I realise how important it is to plan and prepare thoroughly first.
For instance, a number of people haven't considered that there will be at least 365 rows in your finished piece - so do a tension square to get an idea of the finished length.
Other people [mostly in the warmer states of America] have moaned that their scarves have only included a small number of colour changes. They had forgotten that where they live, the annual temperature is fairly constant so they need narrower temperature-bands to guarantee a good range of colours. 
At least Britain is seasonal, with warm summers, cold winters and spring and autumn both being mild. 
I'm still working on what sort of colour mix, and should it be scarf or blanket? 
I know I will need a logbook - simply because some days I won't get round to knitting my row, and I must make a note of which colour I should have used on Wednesday and Thursday.
But the thing I have yet to source satisfactorily is a temperature measuring system. There are various apps out there, where you can select location and daily time, and the temperature will be regularly sent to your phone. But which one is the best for this? 

If you have knitted a weather piece, would you let me know how you measured the daily temperatures, please?
The final thing after all this planning will be to buy the wool. And I'd said this year I was not going to spend any money on craft materials.

But I've sneakily got round this one, by asking family members to contribute to a Wool Fund as my Birthday Gift. Liz, wise as ever, said only if I promised to get decent wool, not cheap acrylic stuff. If this is to be a lasting project, it needs to be something worth keeping. She is absolutely right - quality matters.


I'll update you on my progress!

A Still LIfe

Liz gave me this book for my birthday "I think you might like it, Mum" she said "She knitted a weather scarf" Josie, like my girls, is in her thirties, also a young Mum. I read the book, cover to cover, and found it thought provoking, interesting, and amazingly positive in the face of so much that was negative. Here's the blurb - which sums up things beautifully. 

"Josie George lives in a tiny terraced house in the urban West Midlands with her son. Since her early childhood, she has lived with the challenge of disabling chronic illness. Her days are watchful and solitary, lived out in the same hundred or so metres around her home.

But Josie’s world is surprising, intricate, dynamic. She has learned what to look for: the patterns of ice on a frozen puddle; the routines of friends at the community centre; the neighbourhood birds; the slow changes in the morning light, in her small garden, in her growing son, in herself.

In January 2018, Josie sets out to tell the story of her still life, over the course of a year. As the seasons shift, and the tides of her body draw in and out, Josie begins to unfurl her history: her childhood bright with promise but shadowed by confinement; her painful adolescence and her hopeful coming of age; the struggle of her marriage, and the triumph of motherhood. And then a most unexpected thing happens in Josie’s quiet present: she falls in love.

A Still Life is a story of illness and pain that rarely sees the light: illness and pain with no end or resolution; illness and pain that we must meet with courage, joy, ingenuity and hope. Against a world which values ‘feel good’ progress and productivity above all else, Josie sets out a quietly radical alternative: to value and treasure life for life itself, with all its defeats and victories, with all its great and small miracles."

She has faced so much adversity, and I really admire her for the way she has come through. Because her illness didn't fit into a neatly defined diagnosis, and has good spells, and bad spells, she was unable to take on regular employment. So she determined to be self-employed and provide for herself and her son in the best ways she could - using writing and photography.

People who complain about their relatively trivial deprivations of lockdown should consider there are others who've been 'locked down' for much longer, and in much worse situations.

You can read her blog on her website [here] and follow her wonderful photography on Instagram [here] at 'Porridge Brain' . Last month she became one of the regular contributors to the Guardian Country Diary feature.  She is so gifted with book the pen and the camera. Check her out

By the way, she never mentions the weather scarf in the book [you can see it on Instagram though]

 I haven't mentioned my scarf for ages. It is finished now, and I just found the box I packed it in. I'll post about that soon. I rate this book ***** - thank you Liz!

Things Are Hotting Up

 

Here's my weather scarf - I've used a couple of evenings since I got to Cornerstones to get it up to date, both in terms of rows and ends darned in. 

Three months completed, so 25% of the way there. I wanted a scarf somewhere around 6 feet long, and I'm on track for that. 

I had nine shades of Millarorchy yarn - and have so far used 8 of them - all but the coolest temperature colour. 

I'm very disciplined,and check off the rows in my notebook as i complete them.

I'm doing a simple k1p1 moss stitich, so the pattern it the same on both sides.The yarn is lovely to knit with, and I have to say that the people at the KDD shop are efficient, and friendly in their communications.

You can see how the weather in Ferndown has varied in the past 12 weeks - between 11° and 31° Celsius. [I get the daily data from this site] But there were more cooler days at the start of April, and it's warming up now. This is a Lockdown Project I am really enjoying - but I do hope Lockdown finishes completely before I get to the end of the scarf.

We Are Not Made Of Sugar, Grandma!

Said Rosie, when I muttered about the heavy rain on a trip to the coast last year. Her Mum helpfully gave me the Dutch version "Jij bent niet van suiker gemaakt" - and I try to remind myself of this when it starts to rain, and I'm tempted to get in the car instead of on my bicycle for a quick trip to the Village Shop. Then of course the Norwegians say this little rhyming couplet

there's no

dårlig vær, 

[bad weather] 

just 

dårlig klær! 

[bad clothes]

I have been thinking about this a lot recently.

I did my seasonal wardrobe sort - and then October brought us some very unseasonal weather. Bob has been outside in his shorts, and I've been cycling wearing a teeshirt and no jacket or jumper. I did get caught out one day wearing sandals and came home with rain-sodden cold feet. I am very fond of dressing in layers, so I can add one or peel one off, depending on the temperature 

Then I found another Norwegian word-  friluftsliv - this means "free-air life" and the term was coined by playwright Henrik Ibsen in 1859, to convey a spiritual connection with nature. This 'getting outside in the fresh air is good for your soul' concept is huge in Norway - check out the  Visit Norway website which lists loads of activities, and shares fascinating facts

• 90% of Norwegians say that friluftsliv is important to them - 
• Friluftsliv has its own law, Friluftsloven, which includes the right to roam
• Norway has several outdoor kindergartens [friluftsbarnehager], where the children spend 80 per cent of the time outdoors. [we are getting more 'forest nursery schools' in the UK now]
• Many Norwegians look for an active partner, and it’s not unusual to go hiking or cycling on the first date.
• In Norway, there are government-sponsored “libraries” where you can borrow outdoor gear.
• In Norway, you can take a bachelor’s degree in friluftsliv.

I had friends in Dorset who were into the Japanese idea of shinrin yoku - forest bathing - an ancient practice of being calm and relaxing among the trees. But this is much more than that. 

I am trying to get outside in the fresh air every day if I can. Maybe just a walk to the medical centre to collect our pills [oh, the joys of old age!] or a cycle ride to the village post office. But some days maybe just a walk around the garden, pulling out the odd weeds, saying encouraging words to the walking onions or perhaps having breakfast or a midmorning cuppa sitting outside [if it is not too wet or windy] It ups my body's supply of Vitamin D, and lifts my spirits. Scientists have shown that exposure to morning sunlight helps reset our circadian rhythms and benefits our night time sleep patterns. 

So I WILL wrap my weather scarf round my neck, put on a warm coat and good footwear, and sally forth into the fresh air for a brief while, EVERY day. Even if what I really want is to do my knitting in front of the TV, with a mug of tea beside me.

I'm not sure what the weather was like outside Tate Britain on Saturday - but one member of my family was certainly making sure she had the right clothes for the occasion. [Maybe she wants to audition for Cabaret, or Wicked!]

Are you a fresh air fanatic, or do you prefer warm and cosy?

Weather You Like It Or Not

I thought it was about time I shared the progress of my weather scarf. I note the peak temperature in Ferndown every day, and have allocated specific shades to the different temperatures.** I am about 7/12 of the way through. I began it on my birthday{April 10th] and here is the knitting up until Bob's birthday [4th November] I am happy to report that things are going to plan - at 42", it is on track to be the 72" length I had decided was most versatile.

You can see that April and May had sunny, warm days [yellow and red] interspersed with cooler patches [greens and blues] The photo seems to show the first few inches of the scarf as narrower. I don't know why - they aren't.

During my exile in Norfolk, Ferndown enjoyed lots of sun and heat - the temperature got well into the 30s and I had to buy another shade of yarn - a flame like orange called Asphodel. But as I returned to Dorset at the end of August, the weather started to turn.

The last few weeks have been much cooler, and since 22nd September the daily peak temperature has never reached 20° and the shades have all been blues and greens. I've one more shade of yarn, an icy blue, yet to use. 

This is proving a fascinating project. I usually knit a week's worth at a time. Two rows per day - and with colour changes, I will only carry a yarn up the side over two rows- usually I cut off and join in a new strand. This has meant a lot of ends to darn in. 

I had no idea when I began planning this "record of a year in Ferndown" that it was going to be quite such a significant and strange twelvemonth. It may yet end up being renamed

"The Pandemic Scarf"

**FYI I'm using Kate Davies' Millarorchy Tweed in ten shades- so 2 or 3 degrees to each colour. 33 stitches on #12/2.75mm needles, in a reversible k1p1 moss stitch. This site is where I get my data. 

What A Wet Week !

The weather has really changed this week. Yesterday there were hailstones in Norfolk, Liz said. It has certainly been colder and damper here. I am logging the highest temperature each day, for my weather scarf - I now have 21 days noted since my birthday. I really must get around to ordering the wool and start knitting it! 

I made chicken stew with dumplings one day, it felt so wintry. Bob cooked a huge batch of ragu on Tuesday, to go in the freezer. The kitchen was warm and cosy even if outside was wet and miserable.
I am afraid that my 'daily cycle ride' hasn't happened for the last couple of days - although I did go outside to deliver bears, and to post a letter, and to clap for the NHS with the neighbours.
But what about those people who are being 'shielded'? - the ones who had official letters telling them to stay inside for 12 weeks. How frustrating for them. I moaned about my difficulties in Waitrose - but these people don't even have the opportunity to go into a shop, to walk to the post box, or collect their own prescriptions. 
We have a number of 12-weekers in our church family [should that be 12-weakers?] 


We didn't want them to feel neglected. They have phone buddies and get regular chats, but that's not like seeing a friendly face. On Wednesday morning, in the pouring rain, Bob drove round to each one and delivered a gift from the church to show they weren't forgotten. Baskets of hyacinths and tins of biscuits. He put the gift by the door, rang the bell, then stepped back 2 metres. I sat in the car, with the list [working out the most efficient route] and watched him, standing on sodden front paths, rain dripping from the brim of his hat, as he chatted to our friends. They were all so appreciative.

People tell me that the rain is good for the gardens, and others point out that it deters the idiots who want to congregate on beaches and hillsides, but I hope we get more sunshine soon. Not least because I like to peg my washing outside to dry on my whirligig dryer. But my whirligig story will have to wait for another day.
Perhaps the wet weather has driven more people to shelter in Blogland - welcome to the considerable number of new readers who have dropped by in recent days!

Lost And Found

Yesterday we went down to Essex. Julian's birthday was Christmas week, and we hadn't seen him since August. So we took him out for a belated festive/ celebration lunch. It was good to be together. I wore my Weather Scarf, its yellow stripes match my new coat. And my silver earrings, which were Gillian's, but Julian gave them to me when she died.

As we arrived at J's house, I realised one was missing. I tried not to be upset. It didn't seem to be in the car, or hooked on my clothing. I took the other out and put it away safely. I whispered to Bob that I'd lost it, but not to say anything. I felt very sad. 

The later I went out to fetch something from the car - and my earring was there, hooked on the side of the door pocket. I was so thrilled! 

We went out for our meal [J had chosen the Harvester in Idea Park] Then back to his place. When we came to leave I realised I did not have my scarf [the one that took a year to knit!] Bob diverted our route home and we called in at the restaurant. Yes, they had it, safe in the lost property box. I was very grateful. 

Neither the earrings, nor the scarf are particularly valuable in monetary terms, and I told myself not to get over upset. But one represented someone very dear to me, who I miss so much - the other was a reminder of our final year in Ferndown... our friends, our church and the covid-craziness which meant I was at Cornerstones all summer, teaching Rosie. Two items with a lot of memories, which made them very precious. I thought I'd lost them, but they were soon found again, and I was incredibly, over-the-moon pleased. 

As we drove home along the M11, I found myself thinking about those three stories in Luke chapter 15 - the lost coin, the lost sheep and the lost son. And thinking about God's amazing grace. 

One Finger, One Thumb, Keep Moving

When I finished my weather scarf back in May, I mentioned what I might do with the leftover yarn. I mentioned making some gloves. 

I had made Steph a pair of 'texting gloves' for her birthday ages ago, using self striping sock yarn. I checked back on the blog*, and found the post - but unfortunately there was no note as to where I'd got the pattern. 

Then, quite unexpectedly a coupl e of weeks ago, I found a folded piece of paper inside a craft book- and it was the very pattern I had used back in 2009. I had modified a free pattern I'd found on the net- but [foolishly] not noted the original source.  I rolled my remaining oddments into 2 gram balls [a little smaller than a ping-pong ball] and dropped them into the sections of an eggbox to keep them separate and manageable. I didn't count the rows of each colour, so the two gloves aren't quite perfectly symmetrical [but almost] The pattern has a single seam up the side, and a short seam on the thumb- but it's a simple 2-needle job [no dpns if I can avoid them!] These have gone away in the drawer with the scarf and will wait there until it turns chilly. There is still quite a bit of yarn left. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with that. I worked hard to finish these on Friday evening as I wanted to get them out of the way before we went away for the weekend. 

Bob had a Wedding Preparation Session with friends down in Wiltshire, then we were going on to Gloucestershire for 2 nights to stay with his sister Denise, and her husband Kevin. And in the wonderful way these things work out, Denise had a pattern for a baby jacket she was hoping to knit for her grand-daughter. The middle section of the pattern was really complicated and she had struggled to make sense of it. So the pattern and yarn has come back to Cornerstones, and I shall attempt to decipher it. 

Another challenge to enjoy! And I like babyknits - they grow so quickly. Watch this space.

[*do you use your blog as an archive for your crafting/cooking notes?]

Warm Words, Top Tips

When we were newlyweds, saving every penny we could to pay for Bob to train for ministry, we lived in a small flat. It was heated in three ways - a tiny gas fire, ridiculously expensive underfloor electric heating [we never used it], and by our neighbours around us [all of whom kept their flats Very Warm, which insulated ours] There was a sign over the gas fire saying "If you are cold, put on another jumper". This statement is still in use in the family. Warm clothes are important, they conserve body heat, they mean we use less energy heating our homes - and they help keep us warm and healthy.

I have some thermal tops and leggings which go under everyday clothes for extra warmth, and I frequently wear tights under trousers. [I did remember to wear footless tights on the Very Cold day of my Podiatrist's appointment. He does not have a changing room!]

I wear warm socks, and have knitted myself some thicker woolly ones

When I go out I have gloves [particularly fond of the fingerless 'milkman's gloves] which leave my fingertips free for texting and such. And hats [the Greta Thunberg Ear Flap one is especially warm]

But my favourite warm garment at the minute is a scarf- the weather scarf wrapped round [three times] as a cowl, the pashmina type shawl Steph gave me, my biker's "buff". I have concluded that if my neck is warm, my body usually feels warmer. Watching The Repair Shop [which is apparently a very draughty venue] I notice many of the presenters there with well wrapped necks. Is it to do with keeping the jugular vein insulated, so the blood to the brain is warmer?

Kirsten is doing an Advent-Knit-Along to make a lovely cowl.

I decided I couldn't manage that with all the other Christmas projects currently on hand, but it may get knitted up after Christmas!

Nightwear is warm pjs, and bedsocks - and in the evening, I often put on my dressing gown over my daytime clothes if we are sitting in front of the TV. And of course, there are plenty of blankets and throws in the lounge to snuggle under.

I'm definitely not a 'onesie woman' nor do I fancy a hooded blanket. And I don't do wild sea swimming [sorry Mags] so I won't be investing in an expensive DryRobe . I met a teenager wearing one recently, and asked where she swam - the reply was "I don't swim, but I thought the coat looked cool" My Skip Parka is proving very warm. And my biker boots grip well on icy paths.

What are your favourite winter clothes?

Have you had snow where you are?

In Liberty And In Lockdown

I decided to post about Gaz & Steph's staircase yesterday because it was their 2nd wedding anniversary - then forgot to mention that in the post! Congratulations! Maybe in future they will amend the wedding service- for richer, for poorer, for better for worse, in sickness and in health, in liberty and in lockdown...
Life goes on, I've tried to have a cycle ride every day since Thursday - I missed on Monday though. Friday was my 65th birthday, and I want to spend this year working on my fitness levels as well as knitting a weather scarf!
I've tackled the ironing basket!![applause]

And I have made SO much bread. 

Jack Monroe's Slocooker Bread [I threw in some seeds which were in the larder] That was very good [recipe] and I did it in a tin.** It toasted well.

Rachel Allen's Soda Bread [plus seeds] I did that half sized. I need to turn the oven temp down a little, the crust was a bit too well-done [recipe]

I used a can of IPA someone had given Bob to make a Beer Bread, thus saving on yeast. It was a soft crumb, and a bit crumbly round the edges[recipe] but it had a plesant flavour.

I made a 'regular' slocooker loaf, but using chapatti flour - that came out well - again I did half quantity and in a tin. [recipe]   
And I made Swedish Semlor Buns [confession, I did make a batch of these the week before, as a Lenten treat, but they came out like bullets!] [recipe]

All in all the last few days have been very satisfactory in terms of domestic achievements. **please see note about the tin in the comments 

TARDIS Tuesday, With Kezzie & Friends

My dear blog-friend Kezzie is celebrating her 40th birthday this week. She is very fond of 'Whovian cosplay' [dressing up as a character from the Dr Who TV series] and she suggested that as a sort of virtual birthday party, we might like to join her in this today - one of her regular TARDIS Tuesdays. You pick a character and recreate the scene - if possible listing where you obtained the garments. 

Longtime followers of this blog will know that I love that sort of challenge - but there is a major problem for me right now- almost all my clothes are packed up, my craft materials are packed up - I have the absolute minimum of clothing available. But the kitchen packing is still in progress. I decided to be creative with the materials to hand. The kick stool in the kitchen is affectionately know as The Dalek because of the way it glides along. I just added a few bits and pieces...

I don't think this looks too bad. Then I remembered Bob has a long overcoat and a floppy felt hat - and I am knitting a stripey weather scarf. There are 40 days to go with that- so I had to conceal a ball of wool and the knitting needle with stitches on up my sleeve.

Here is the 4th Doctor [Tom Baker] recreating Doctor Who and The Genesis of the Daleks from 1975 - six years before Kezzie was born. And below is my take on it

It's Not You, It's Me

Living by myself at Cornerstones for 4 weeks has been an interesting experience. I'm coping OK. And I've learned a lot about myself...

When I last lived alone it was the 1970s as a newly qualified teacher. I got up fairly early, worked hard all day,  and was usually in bed by 10pm. I was a lark. Who married an owl. And over the years, Bob has had to accommodate my early rising, when I need to be out by 7am to get to school in time to set up my classroom. Meanwhile, I've struggled with his late retiring - he often spends the day studying a Bible passage, and around 11pm, the sermon inspiration appears, and he has to write it down. "Burning the candle at both ends" means we've adapted to less sleep.  So I thought I could go back to how it used to be... But I'm still pottering about late at night getting little jobs done, and our goodnight WhatsApp call is rarely before 10.30. Similarly I've noticed that at the Good Morning wakeup call, Bob's already up and dressed and pottering about. I'm permanently tired...

Also, I thought that living alone I'd start to lose weight. I'm run off my feet with Rosie, which ought to burn off the calories.  I thought I'd be eating less because it's only me I am cooking for, and I'm missing the "cup of tea and biscuit" which frequently appears on my desk when I'm working. But my weight hasn't changed at all.

Living alone in a smaller property means less house cleaning and less laundry. But there seems to be just as much to do [no shirts to iron though] and I'm conscious how much Bob does, now he's not around to do it [thank you!]. 

So clearly fatigue, fat and domestic failures are entirely my responsibility. I have no one else to blame... 

But I am not going to be completely negative - 

• I'm teaching 5 days a week [for the first time in years]
• I've got into a regular bread-baking/yogurt-making routine
• I've done a surprising amount of gardening [mostly mowing and weeding]
• I've done a project in the garage using the electric drill
• I'm up to date with my knitting weather scarf
• I've done two jigsaws, finished off a baby cardi and made a cover for the bench seat
• And even managed a socially distanced walk with my best friend Chris and her sister

So yes, I am coping - but I am also looking forward to being in a two-person household again, and even more to when all these strange times are over...

PS - There are even more new people following this blog since I arrived in Norfolk 4 weeks ago. Welcome, thank you for joining us.

Meerkats, Masks And Millarorchy

Just one meerkat, actually - a neighbour, very pleased with teddy's pyjamas brought me a lovely handmade card. "Let me know if you need any other outfits" I said, and she asked if I could dress meerkats. Before I could answer, Bob replied "Simples!!"
So I made Mia the Meerkat a little dress. She's got quite generous hips- hence the gathered skirt- and at the back, the dress opens all the way down, to accommodate her tail!
I fastened it with hooks and eyes.
Liz and Jon asked about masks. So I had a go at these. The key thing is pressing the pleats accurately, I think. I also used a white thread in the bobbin, so that once I had done the final line of stitching, it was easy to distinguish the front and back. 

Having looked at loads of YouTube patterns, I finally settled on one I liked. And then, having finished them, I discovered this site, launched this week in conjunction with Patrick Grant which explains things very clearly. If I make more, I might use his pattern. I'm running out of regular elastic- but one of his designs uses hair elastics. I don't have any of those right now - other than a back of super thick ones which won't stay on my ears!
I continue to log the maximum temperature in Ferndown each day, and was thrilled on Friday afternoon when my yarn arrived for knitting the weather scarf. I may put away the sewing stuff and spend some of the weekend knitting tension squares. The parcel looked exciting even before it was opened. The Millarorchy Tweed is beautiful quality and I am really pleased with my yarn colours...

PLEASE NOTE - tomorrow morning's YouTube service from UCF will be communion. If you are joining us, you may wish to prepare bread and wine, or whatever, beforehand. If you do follow us on YouTube, please can you click the 'subscribe' button. It won't cost you anything, but it will make it easier for us to get a simpler YouTube 'name' for the links each week. Thanks.

Just In Case

When I was out at Rosie's Rhymetime Group in the Library, alongside the shelf of books for sale, I found a random basket of odds-and-ends priced at 10p each. So I purchased this cute little spotty tin suitcase and relabelled it.

I have no idea what the weather will be like in Albania this weekend. Last weekend it was a little bit chilly in Ferndown. The knitting pattern I used for the cardigan for Isla [the 18" AG doll owned by my friend] included one for a hat - so I used up a leftover ball of soft grey green yarn to make a hat and scarf.

I put the hat and scarf in the case, with clear instructions as to what to do next. My plan is to send the case back in a few weeks, containing another outfit.