Cottage Garden Hot Water Bottle Pattern (and Kit)

I have been busy designing a hot water bottle pattern, using the lovely soft Samite Silk Blend wool from Blacker Yarns, where I work. You can buy the pattern later today in my shops on Etsy, Ravelry and LoveKnitting when I have uploaded them. 

The pattern is designed for DK wool, and there are instructions for two sizes, and information on how to fairly easily adapt it for other sizes of hot water bottle. It also has charts for two flower designs - tulips or poppies.

If you want to buy the pattern and wool as a project kit this is available on the Blacker Yarns website. I think it would make a lovely gift for any knitter who wants to dip their toe into fair isle knitting. It is a fairly easy introduction, as you are only ever working with two yarns at once.

My husband has just told me it is not the time for hot water bottles, but I have pointed out to him that we are only one little bit of the world. I am sure there are places where it is cold. In an effort to save on the heating bill I have frequently sat hugging a hot water bottle this winter.

You can see in the background of the photos below The Lost Flock by Jane Cooper. This is a really interesting read about the history of Boreray sheep, as well as her own personal story of a move from the northeast of England to the Orkney Islands, where she became a sheep farmer with her own flock of this rare breed.

Ryeland

Could you photograph Rylan, I thought they said! And I started dreaming. My first celebrity photoshoot. Imagining him with those purly white teeth, perhaps wearing a purly white jumper, or maybe black, he often wears black. Alas, I was mistaken! 

Here is the Ryeland that I photographed. Equally lovely, this Ryeland from one of Britain’s oldest sheep breeds, originally known for Merino-like softness. It has just been launched by Blacker Yarns in their Limited Edition and Rare Breeds. If you visit their page you can read more information, and see some lovely photos of the flock that this wool came from.

 

Westcountry Tweed Photographs

Thinking of a place to photograph the new Westcountry Tweed range at Blacker Yarns my first thought was to return to Wistman's Wood, which I last visited in the summer some two years ago. It seemed like it would be the perfect place - with the grey granite boulders, beautiful green mosses, rust-coloured bracken, and the mysterious lichen-covered twisted limbs of the tress.

As you will see it did not let me down. Wistman's Wood is one of the few high altitude oakwoods in Britain, and a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Last time we visited you could walk into the woodland, but there are now little signs asking that you walk around. It is such a special place, and even on a cold autumn day there were so many visitors walking up the hill to see it, that I think this is a good restriction.

My second idea was to try to photograph the wool on Dartmoor with some sheep in the background. I had really underestimated how hard this would be. To place the skeins of wool nicely in front of the sheep, who are pretty much free to roam did not work out at all. Apart from the sheep constantly running away, we also had an angry man accusing us of stealing the moss from his wall. I guess with my big bag full of wool and camera equipment I might have looked a bit suspicious. Is there really a market in moss?

So my next idea was to find some sheep in a field, where at least they would be contained. Even this was difficult, as when the sheep were fairly near, the foreshortening made them look very distant. This is actually a view across the Tamar Valley towards Kit Hill.

A second attempt near Brentor, where the sheep were a bit closer. I could not have got any of these shots without my lovely long-suffering husband hovering in the car, as I clambered across ditches and tried to balance the wool and camera in a suitable position, without scaring off the sheep.

But at the end of a long afternoon we finally found a "sheep super model". I realise I am now going to show rather too many photos, but I wanted to illustrate how this particular sheep was really interested in what I was up to, and started heading across the field to see. She also was a particularly fine looking sheep. She was so helpful that in the end I took a few photos focusing on her instead of the wool skeins.

"Did you get my good side?"

So now I just have to give some thought to the next wool, which contains bamboo. Can I get a panda to cooperate so nicely.

"Trolleys"

I'm not sure what is happening with me. This is rapidly becoming a dog/poetry blog. A few weeks ago I posted a poem that my mother had written "If in April", but since then going through her things we have found this clipping of her only published rhyme. It was printed in her local paper, The Orpington Times, back in 1982. The trolley pound system is pretty universal now. Perhaps my mum's poem did something to help. The poem is a little dated, as pound notes went out of circulation long ago, but she did have a good way with words.

Year of the Sheep

Happy Chinese New Year

2015 is The Year of the Sheep

Devon County Show

I have so many photographs from my summer holiday in Devon that I have split them up a bit, and will be putting them on over the next few weeks. These first ones were taken at the North Devon county show. 

Here are just a small selection.

The tug of war was great fun.

Have I ever mentioned my secret ambition to retire to the country and keep alpacas.

These ones were queuing for the prize winners parade, and I think hubby was pretending to be a farmer.

I like this picture as much for the farmers as the prize winning sheep.

And this is how you feel if you have not won a rosette.

Have you ever felt like this? This hen just seemed to have too many chicks to cope with.

... and I may have an idea for a new knitted vehicle.