Scarves!

Hello everyone, hope your weekend is going well!

I promised I would post a few pics of my recent return to knitting via frilly scarf making, so here we go...

This is the first one I have finished:

I really liked the colours and the pom poms!

This is the scarf currently on my needles:

A return to my fave autumnal colours!  I'm so loving doing some knitting for a change after a break from it of several years.  Does anyone else feel the same at the moment about returning to a craft they haven't had a go at for ages?

And I have a faithful knitting companion who likes to keep his eye on how things are progressing...

Have a great Saturday!

Helenxx

Autumn Views Challenge Week 2

Hi everyone, hope you are managing to stay warm this week - I think most of us have had a pretty good soaking.

It was pouring with rain when I took my photo for week two of the Autumn Views Challenge

The colour hasnt changed that much over the last week, but I think there are less leaves...

This is a picture looking away across the little bridge

The weather was dull but somehow it was ideal for capturing atmospheric views in our local park

Keep warm, Im hoping to blog about my latest escapades with fancy scarf yarn over the weekend!

Helenxx

Autumn begins...

 ... with a subtle change in the light, with skies a deeper blue, and nights that become suddenly clear and chilled.

Glenn Wolff and Jerry Dennis

Have a wonderul early Autumn weekend!!

Helenxx

Autumn Views Challenge Week 1

Good evening everyone - only a day left to the weekend - and counting!!!  We have been doing Arts Award with our students this week - total creative chaos and the mother of all messes to tidy up afterwards.

So a soothing walk back from work was just the thing of course, and this evening I snapped my chosen Autumn View.

The leaves in the bottom part of the photo have definitely turned more yellow this week - we have had some very cold nights here, so I guess it is to be expected!

A few more autumn pics from my wanderings this week:  Sunlight through the trees

Taken quite early in the morning earlier this week

Spot the squirrel!!

Next, a parasol mushroom just emerging

 And last but not least - conkers!!

They were dropping off the tree all around me as I took this photo!  Dicing with death for the purpose of this blog, whatever next...;)

Looking forward to seeing your autumn views from this week!

Helenxx

PS. thanks to those of you who advised me re my photo problems - I have managed to sort it by deleting some of the buttons.

A new crafty craze

 

Good evening, hope you have had a good day.  We had a lovely walk out in the woods again, squirrels a-plenty, leaves just beginning to turn, with quite a few falling to the ground.  Warm in the sun, but decidedly nippy in the shade or when a cloud passed over.  So now, we are just cozying up for the evening, dinner eaten, chores done, candles lit, and Im enjoying dabbling with my latest craze

 



I am just loving knitting with this fancy yarn, it grows so quickly, looks very snazzy and is just so darn snuggly! 

Helenxx

PS - Thanks soooo much to those of you who are joining in my Autumn Views Challenge, Im so excited to see your photos as we experience the season!  Mind you, Im having "Blogger Issues" as it wont let me load up any more images to my sidebar as I have "exceeded my quota" so I cant post my own challenge button to my own sidebar - what a cheek!!.  Do any of you know a way around this?

Autumn musings and a Moonstruck Challenge...

Hi everyone, weekend at last!!

Although its not quite yet officially Autumn for a few more days, it has been feeling decidedly autumnal this week, so I thought I would share a few of my walking to work photos and musings with you all.  I love walking to work and have posted quite a few photos of my on-foot commuting on this blog.  I love the time on my own to just let my thoughts wander and also to take the time to observe the changing seasons.  I try to take a different route each day.  My trusty smart phone camera allows me to snap away to my hearts content (thanks DH for getting it for me!!) and I love to look back on the photos I take.

When I was little, my darling Mum and I used to gather rosehips to make syrup with - full of vitamin C and tasted delicious.  These rose bushes are very long-lived as they are still there, and I often pass them on one of my various routes into work.

At a distance I guess it doesnt look much, but in close up, well that is a different matter

Such abundant fruitfulness, from a tree that is over 50 years old.  Amazing.  Further on down the lane I spotted these glistening jewels

Im hoping that we will have a spot of decent weather this weekend so that I can get enough of these little beauties to make a crumble!

Finally, I have decided to have a bit of autumn fun.  One of my walking routes takes me over a little bridge over a brook, from where this view is captured

For the past few years I have been reading a website all about Autumn (or Fall!) in New England, and one of the contributers posts an photo from her window each week showing how autumn is progressing in her neighbourhood.  I have always loved this view from the bridge due to the colourful trees and shrubs in the autumn so here is the deal - I will take a photo from this vantage point each week and post it on my blog so we can see how the autumn colours are developing and changing. 

I would love it if you would join in and post pictures of your weekly autumn views too!  If you would like to join me in this venture, please post a comment and pop the following photo on your blog sidebar

 

 

I really hope you will join me!

 

Have a super weekend, Helenxx

Hooked on Zpagetti

Hi everyone

On Tuesday evening I gave myself a little treat - I took part in a craft workshop at our local craft shop - the workshop was entitled "Giant Crochet" and was an introduction to the new craze of Zpagetti.

The technique uses recycled fabric and a large hook

 

 

Its great fun to do

 



But a ball of yarn costs £10 so I have found an online tutorial to make my own from tshirts.  Much more in the spirit of thrifiness I think!

Here is a closeup of the swatch I made:

It is an ideal technique for bags, rugs, placemats, etc so Im looking forward to making some useful things soon!  The resulting crochet is really thick and strong, but soft at the same time if that makes sense. 

Although the evening was for learning this technique of crochet, I asked the tutor to show me how to knit using that fancy yarn that makes up into a scarf in no-time so I got good value for my tuition fee!  The workshop took place in the craft shop, and we were able to buy whatever we wanted needed at a 10% discount, so I snapped up some of this fancy yarn while the going was good!.  Will show you some results of my handiwork soon.

Hope you are all having a good week - soon be the weekend!!

Helenxx

Autumn is in the air...

Hello everyone

Well, there is a definite nip in the air early in the mornings and in the evenings.  Inspiring me to return to my favourite, autumnal palette.

Im busy working on some autumnal themed items at the moment - this is a sneaky peek

And finally it is the time of year to go out on a fungi photo forage - just look at what I chanced upon recently in our local outwoods

The next photo is my favourite, I was really pleased with the depth of field

Autumn - my favourite season of all!

Helenxx

Simple Saturday

Well, isnt the weather glorious here in the UK at the moment?  Yes, I know its all happening as the kids return to school, but even so it is grand having super weather on a weekend!

So DH and I decided to make the very most of it yesterday by having a Simple Saturday.

First off we nipped into the city to do some quick shopping.  After dropping off the bags we popped on our walking shoes and headed off to our local outwoods - a ten minute drive and we are into some of the most beautiful countryside.  Off we headed down this enchanting pathway





I loved looking up through the leaf canopy at the blue Indian Summer sky

This little fellow came up to greet us, reminding us that the winter festival beginning with the letter C (cant bring myself to mention the word itself yet, just a bit too early!!) is beginiing to loom on the horizon

From a clearing in the forest we could see the local farmer hard at work gathering in the harvest

More lovely views from the clearing

After all this walking, we headed home for a BBQ.  DH was kind enough to sort that out while I sat on the swing seat leafing through this new magazine

Its a lovely new mag, from the publishers of Mollie Makes.  I had a super leisurely read, made all the better knowing that I wasnt cooking the tea!!

We sat out until late, making a bonfire with some offcuts of wood we had, watching the night sky, drinking apple and cinnamon tea - all in all a lovely, relaxing, simple Saturday.

Hoping to keep today simple too!

Helenxx

I must go down to the seas again...

 

...to the lonely sea and sky

 

 

 

...and all I ask is a tall ship and a star to sail her by...

 

 

 

....I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide...is a wild call and a clear call, that may not be denied...

 

 

...and all I ask is a windy day, with the white clouds flying...and the flung spray, and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying...

 

I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull's way and the whale's way, where the wind's like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.

 

taken from Sea Fever by John Masefield