Friday 28 June 2013

FO Friday

So remember this?  The blanket I made for a friend who was getting married in July....well, here it is in all its huggable glory!

This pattern is Wool Leaves by Jared Flood..... it was a breeze, and it is just as I wanted it....you know me Blanket Girl....always looking for the next big project...and this one didn't disappoint.

The yarn is Sirdar Big Softie Super Chunky  I'm not sure I really want to think about how many balls I used, but probably around 15.  I would recommend the yarn, really soft and chunky....in fact....it did exactly what it said on the tin.


The picture above was the blanket, unblocked and the one below, blocked.  After blocking it was far more drapey and grew a bit too, which was nice as the chunky yarn in this was swallowed up like candyfloss.




So there you have it...one more blanket...my love still not satisfied.....

For the first time I am joining up with Tami's Amis

Saturday 15 June 2013

Wednesday walk - 12.06.13

What a difference a week makes hey?  Last week, blue skies and sunshine, this week, grey and damp.  This is where I started this week's walk, just up past these two white buildings and then on up the side of the cliff. 


When you get to the top, it looks a bit like this....that's what I like about coast path walking, it's a real pat on the back to look back and see how far you've come.  At this stage of the walk I was full of enthusiasm and energy..........


One sticky-outy (Yes, Marigold, there I go again) bit further on


Through some woods.........thinking to myself....this really is lovely, peaceful, I'm getting fitter and I have some thinking time.........

It wasn't long after this bit when I came across a bit of the path which hadn't been cut, so I plough on in, thinking, 'ah well, nothing else for it'  Waist high grass and bracken, holding all the rainwater from yesterdays downpours.....jaw clenched....head down.....marching....Chester leaping up while he walked to see above the long grass. 

I was beginning to think I had made an awful mistake...no visible path, close to the cliff edge.  Then I hear the distant rumbling of a lawnmower and there in the distance are two men from the council cutting the grass....Stopping to talk to them, they tell me that its the only part of the 133 mile path that hasn't been cut....just this part, about a mile...how I wish I'd known!  As I headed on (on the newly cut, clear path) I can hear my feet squelching (as if someone has emptied a glass of water in each boot)  I wondered if the council men were smirking at the sight of me, soaked through (even to my underwear) with squelchy feet!



So things started looking remarkably brighter....but I had a impending dread starting to formulate in my head....

You see my socks...my long worked on, two at a time, toe-up socks....had been sitting in my drawer waiting for their first outing.....can you see where this is going?

So with every step and every squelch I am thinking about my socks....I'm thinking about the lovely colours, the stitch definition.....



Edge of the cliff....and rocks out to sea, but look a bit closer.......




Doesn't the tail end of it look like a sea monster?



So this is where I decided enough was enough...oh that was after a tripped over a large stone in the path and landed like a sack of spuds in a star-fish pose.....the people who were only about 15 metres ahead must have been deep in conversation, as they didn't turn when I hit the deck and made a large grunt....maybe it was a good thing, as I struggled back up covered in mud, and felt a little sorry for myself. 

Looking on, I could see there was still a good way to go, so I did the sensible thing and phoned home, arranged a pick up time and place and stepped up the pace.

By the time I got to the car, I was hot and bothered and a little disappointed that I hadn't completed my intended walk...but hey.......ten miles done....

My socks........felted........

Wednesday 5 June 2013

Wednesday walk 05.06.13


Join me for my Wednesday walk?

So leading on from two weeks ago, I was dropped off far away this morning, and told to find my way home.....actually, I chose a spot that I could challenge myself a little further and put some more steps on my pedometer.


I didn't get any brilliant pictures from my start point and this one is a few miles in at least.  In this picture I have walked around the sticky-out bit....not the one in the front, but the one right on the horizon....the beginning of the walk gave plenty of opportunities to pat yourself on the back, as you could see the walk stretching out behind you.




A lot of the walk is over rough grazing ground, and it isn't unusual to see ponies grazing....I think this pony has spotted Chester.




I am now re-tracing steps from my last big walk, but thought I'd show you a photo of the lighthouse.  This point on the peninsula is wild and windblown in the winter, but is scorchingly hot today.



This is one of the last photos that I took of the ferry steaming past...I actually like the industrial views in our stunning landscapes, but I know I am among the few....

So want to know how far you've walked?

Just short of twelve miles, and look at you hardly broken a sweat!  I fared not too badly as well....although, I'll know the full story tomorrow.

Walking in these beautiful surroundings is wonderful.... although...I have to take a deep breath to go up the steep bits.....