Friday 26 October 2012

Picking Up Conkers!

 Picking up conkers, picking up conkers,
How many conkers have you got?
  Four big prize ones, Six small-sized ones,
  One little mouldy one and that's the lot.


I'm always a bit nervous about posting about a WIP, just in case it doesn't work out, but I'm so pleased with my conkers and horse chestnut leaf that I thought why not. (I was going to take "big one" out to look for real horse chestnut leaves and conkers today to use in the photos, but once again it is pouring with rain.)  

Clearly the horse chestnut leaf is totally the wrong colour, and the final version is going to have 7 leaflets. I'm knitting an autumny coloured one, and am going to do one in a better green colour. So a watch this space.
 

The conker seems to have just the right shape and dimple at the top.

Conkers do seem a bit hard to find this year, and they have been banned by some British schools because they are considered dangerous. Health and safety gone mad! Hubby thought they could be marketed as the safety conker. I do think they would look really nice on a nature table, and also have an idea to make a conker collecting bag, with the leaf as applique, and the conkers on the end of a drawstring fastener.


Finally, on another autumn note and for Saturday Snapshot, this is the rowan tree in my front garden. It is looking particularly lovely at the moment. We bought it when I was expecting "big one", and 13 years ago it arrived in a small tube through the post.

26 comments:

  1. The leaf look gorgeous, even in blue!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love your conkers and leaves, yes even in blue they look lovely! Isn't it absolutely bonkers to ban conkers in schools, is like banning playground for safety, the world has gone mad! Oh, your tree is beautiful :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love your knit conkers, how fun, I love the idea of knitting them, they are not super common around where I live, and I always see them pictured in wonderful Autumn nature tables, so knitting them would be a wonderful solution. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Cute knitted items-but have to say-I have no idea what conkers are.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Your tree is gorgeous.

    I admit, I had to look up conkers.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Conkers and leaves and big, grown up trees. Lovely autumn post : -)

    ReplyDelete
  7. I wonder what the Conker equivalent would be here? Now I must google this tree.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I, too, had to look up conkers. Can you eat them? Why are they "dangerous"? The photo of the knitted ones made me want to pick one up and hold it. They have a nice shape.

    ReplyDelete
  9. What will you do with the conkers and the leaves? Do they get knitted together to form a pillow or do they simply adorn a table for decoration? Here's Mine

    ReplyDelete
  10. How clever! Love the knit leaves and chestnuts.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Cute conkers! And I LOVE that tree. I would so enjoy sitting under that one.

    Thanks for sharing, and here's MY SATURDAY SNAPSHOT POST

    ReplyDelete
  12. Love your 'safety' conkers and your gorgeous tree!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I love your husband's idea of the knitted ones as "safety conkers"!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I love your tree and the fact that you got it in the mail 13 years ago. Just great.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Your tree has certainly thrived during the last 13 years! Congrats!

    ReplyDelete
  16. How nice that your tree has a story behind it! Very fun pics.

    ReplyDelete
  17. That leaf is incredible, I like it that colour regardless.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I have never heard of conkers before. I assumed it was some sort of nut though. Lovely knitting projects!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Looks like a fun project, and what a lovely tree!

    I think I've only ever heard conkers referenced in British fiction...

    ReplyDelete
  20. That's a beautiful tree in the fall. And... I love those Robins you have on your last post. :)

    ReplyDelete
  21. The colors in this rowan are just beautiful. What a stately, gorgeous tree.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Wow, what a nice idea, conkers & leaf are really beautiful!!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Your autumn tree is gorgeous. Lovely shot of it too.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Oh, for heaven's sake. Yes, I am terrified of conkers. I have terrible dreams about them. Vicious things. I have a young friend who once, as a high school boy, ended up swallowing a quarter - the idiot. I suppose they should be banned, too - coins. Dangerous. And stables, and erasers - let's see what else - baseballs, hair ornaments -

    Oh, how I do love a Nanny state.

    Your stuff is clever and wonderful, as usual. How do you manage to live on such an exalted plain of cleverness and creativity without wearing yourself thin, is what I want to know. I am happy just being a copy cat, worthless thing, dragged along behind - and even THAT wears me out.

    ReplyDelete
  25. How wonderful to have such a beautifully coloured tree in your garden. To watch it grow along with your baby.....
    Love the blue leaf, I think it looks perfect in that colour, great texture . A bag for conkers with a leaf on the drawstring sounds like a wonderful idea and safety conkers, hehe......

    Claire :}

    ReplyDelete
  26. I love your idea of a conker collecting bag. Crazy that conkers have been banned in some schools! There's no shortage of conkers in my neighbourhood - but that's because the kids here don't know what conkers are. Sadly missing out I think. I have fond memories of our conker matches as kids :))

    ReplyDelete