I've been dying to try out the saxon braid as featured on the front cover of "Knitting on the Edge" by Nicky Epstein so when a little local shopping trip yielded some beautiful chunky organic wool it seemed the perfect opportunity. I just did two repeats of the braid to make a front bag flap and knit the rest in stocking stitch. Cables are so satisfying, aren't they? Lots of impact for relatively little effort.
Speaking of lots of impact, the organic farm shop where I bought the wool has an interesting side-line - they keep camels! Right here, in Cornwall of all places is a herd(?) of extremely friendly camels. There are lots of pictures of them on their website (where you can also check out their wool). I believe next year it will be possible to ride these camels on a trek around the Lizard - any takers?
Is this Britain's most southerly picture of socks today?!
I took my completed Lorna's Laces socks on a little outing today. They accompanied the husband and I as we visited the site of Guglielmo Marconi's coastal radio station which is located at the southernmost tip of the Lizard. It was a gorgeous day for a walk along the coastal path - just look at this view....
Of course we had to find a way down to that gorgeous little beach...
We followed the path down to the beach, past the Housel Bay Hotel which looks like the setting for a Hercule Poirot mystery. Of course, the socks couldn't resist another photo opportunity....
The socks declined the opportunity to paddle in the surf afterwards and merely lazed upon a rock as I indulged.
I knit the socks top-down using the pattern supplied by Get Knitted. The Lorna's Laces was a delight to knit with and I've probably got enough left over from the two 50g skeins to whip up another little pair of socks. Or maybe a little bag....
No new knitting to show today - unbelievably, I have gone an entire week without casting on something new. Also, without finishing anything which is another story....
I'm about to book my train ticket to get me to the Knitting & Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace in October. I think I'm going to go for either Saturday or Sunday - do any regular attendees have any pointers as to which is the best day? I always used to visit the show in Harrogate when I lived there which was very easy. This year requires a bit more planning. Has anybody else made any arrangements to go?
Lest you think this blog is turning into a sports adventure (as if!), let me show you that I am still knitting - albeit very slowly. The current fancy here is socks. I'm knitting a very straightforward sock using some Lorna's Laces bought on ebay ages ago. I think it's called Bee Stripe, a lovely yellow and black stripe which is, coincidentally, the colours of our Cornish Rugby team.
Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz little bee, little bee. Sting who you like but don't sting me....
I like coincidences of this type. Some years ago, the husband bought me a personalised number-plate for my car which begins "AF" (my initials). This was before we lived in Cornwall, or indeed had even thought of moving to Cornwall. In fact, this was when we considered it important to have a personalised numberplate (I must stress the gift was, and is, greatly appreciated!). Anyhow, to cut a long story short - it turns out to be a very early Cornish numberplate from a Triumph motorcycle which is now right at home in its homeland. Serendipity at work, I think.
Well, I made it safely down the Maritime Tower this weekend and here's the photographic proof (you'll have to take my word for it but it is actually me!).
Launched safely off the top - I'm that little red speck at the top. The worst bit was when the instructor said "Now just climb through the safety barrier..." What?! Climb through the bit that is supposed to keep me safe?? Actually the abseiling harness felt a lot safer than the little (horrifyingly wobbly and see-through) walkway around the top of the tower.
That's me, picking up a bit of speed at this point. Couldn't look at the view though. (I don't know who the bloke at the front is...)
Almost at the bottom - I could have gone straight back up and done it again.
Many, many thanks to all who sponsored me. I have to admit that it took a bit of nerve to get me off the top of the tower but it was pretty darned exciting once I'd got going!
On Saturday 10th September, I am planning to leap from the "Look-Out" Tower at the National Maritime Museum in Falmouth (it's the tower in the middle of the top picture) to help raise funds for the RNIB. I believe I may be attached by some sort of rope.
The RNIB does fantastic work in the UK providing support services for people who are blind or partially sighted. They provide Talking Books, a Helpline, low vision clinics and all sorts of practical advice for anyone with sight problems.
They do good stuff as our family can testify from first-hand experience. The Baby Bohemian lost her sight around the age of two and the RNIB was a great source of information and practical help for us at that difficult time.
I'm terrified of heights (the tower is apparently 90ft high - over the water!) but I know that I can do this. I think that our six-year-old Baby Bohemian does the equivalent of abseiling down a tower every time she visits somewhere new, or even steps outside our home. It's hard to imagine living without sight - every step is into the unknown but she does it and is a source of inspiration to all who know her. There are so many people who would benefit from the help of the RNIB.
If you'd like to sponsor our descent (my husband, Tim, is abseiling as well), please click the Paypal button. Thank you so much.
I was unable to post yesterday as we had the most terrific storm which lasted all morning. We had to unplug our broadband connection for fear of losing our network and didn't dare plug it back in until the storm had well and truly passed.
Also, the afternoon was taken up by a (by now) routine visit to the hospital for the Baby Bohemian to see the paediatric consultant. I find such visits enormously draining and worrisome. She's fine but the nature of her condition means that she is monitored constantly and it's hard to not worry. It's hard to explain the feelings - perhaps it's enough to say that we just all want the best for those that we love.
On a lighter note, I have finally finished my Melody shawl (scroll right down to the bottom of the page). I started this back in June (on the way to a BB hospital appointment in Bristol!) thinking that as it was just garter stitch, I'd have it licked in no time. Well, I have dragged it about everywhere with me over the last three months and snagged it on no end of zips and buttons but it's finally done. The colours are magnificent but the ladder construction of the yarn combined with slippery metal needles (the only circulars I had in that size) made it a tad difficult to work with.
That's me looking out of my soon-to-be-new kitchen window - despite hordes of visitors, Mr Champagne Bohemian has got loads of building work done - yippee!
It came out really long - a wing shape. I did the body of it on 6.5mm needles switching to 9mm for the last few rows where I made up a dropped stitch edging (I was trying to use up the yarn at that point) and then using 10mm needles to get a really loose cast-off edge.
Does my bum look big in this? Don't answer that....
I was quite pleased with my edge detail - it's got a yarnover detail all around the top edge but I think the dropped stitch helps it hang a little better.
The yarn knits up into an interesting fabric - pleasantly weighty and with a little 'cling' which means it's quite easy to wear. I think it's probably at it's best in sunshine when the little metallic squares are positively glittery. Let's hope we have some more sunny days.