a spoonful of something good... image of the week #2

These spoons are delightful, the colours, the order and the pattern - my definitive choice for image of the week. the picture came from a little hamster's blog which, in itself, is a pleasure to behold.

for the weekend: nature nest and bird make

have you any plans for the weekend? well hows about a spot of nesting and nature gathering? - this was something we did last weekend and I wanted to share it with you.  a while ago i had knitted some birds for patterns for my pets book and thought a nest would be a lovely thing for the children to make for the little birds. so if you too like the idea, weather permitting i guess! here is a free pdf pattern for you to knit a bird or two and make the simple card frame for a nest building experience!

p.s. image of the week will now be on mondays as i thought it would be fun to have a weekend idea every week - i'd like to hear your ideas too, if possible, and maybe i could link some in to this blog?

hope you have a good one...

Holding on...

i have been holding on, holding on to summer, even though i love autumn equally the summer still lingers a bit, especially during the last few days, we even had a busy bumble bee buzzing and gathering in and amongst the remaining lupins yesterday. but today it's suddenly gone much colder, the sun, much paler and this morning the surrounding fields lay heavy with dew, almost a frost. time to get the jumpers out, t shirts away...

my images of the week...

i am constantly browsing books, other blogs and websites and really revel being inspired by wonderfully glowing and evocative images and art, so every friday i'm going to post my personal favourite pictures from the week - be it from a book, magazine, blog - whatever has inspired me, i hope you too enjoy them. here's the first week's selection
i've been in an autumnal mood all week, also a kind of harvest mood, i guess - the weather has been quite sublime for this time of year allowing wonderful light to touch the changing hues of the leaves and lighting the strings of redder than red and indian pink berries like mini fairy lights, also it was the childrens' harvest festival on wednesday, anually held inside our ancient church... (that in itself was an inspiration). so that said, this weeks images, for me, are reflective of nature, autumn and colour. firstly, an atmospheric photograph of autumn cooking ingredients from one of my all time favourite cookery books delicious home cooking by caroline conran, being a creature of habit, i take this book from the shelf around this time every year and plan my future weeks cooking from it - it's just so homely, warm and comforting, for example the recipe that precedes the photo is mrs. beeton's apple snow - quite! the next image is taken from a favourite page from toast's latest catalogue - the garments and the photos within the catalogue always evoke homliness and warmth both in their colours and content. and finally, a striking painting by my friend alice mumford, i went to her private view last night - still reeling with delight. this particular painting entitled saffron cloth and hawthorn... say no more except have a lovely weekend!

hibernation time!

it's almost time for this sprightly fellow to hibernate. his name is tortellini and he's from my book (available here or here)

      hibernation... actually, i rather like the thought of that...

figgy pudding time!

according to delia, now is the time to make your christmas pudding, so choose a quiet, rainy afternoon, you know one of those days when you simply have absolutely nothing to do?!! - i might make a traditional figgy pudding this year for a change, though not now - it's a sunny day and i've loads to do.

you know, fresh figs have such a beautifully soft, delicate and fragile nature, i just had to knit a couple

words and wool

morning and evening maids heard the goblins cry:

 "come buy our orchard fruits, come buy, come buy:

  apples and quinces, lemons and oranges,

   plump unpecked cherries- melons and raspberries,

           bloom-down-cheeked peaches... 

                     beautiful words like these i cannot write so i thought i'd pay homage and knit one instead...

                                the autumnal quince in all its woolly coat...

a gorgeous monday...

follows a glorious weekend...
autumn at trengwainton garden... pumpkins ready for carving... the scarecrows were made by local schools... loads of inspiration for my own garden next year - a lovely sense of optimism and cosiness

and... this was my garden this last weekend - thank you sunshine! and i do love my quinces, this is my first ever crop!
               what do I do with them though?

crazy craze? no!

these are so fab, i love these - crazy bands, a kid's craze they may be - but look at those colours, and they hold their shape when you stretch them and ping them, cool! i don't mind buying these, for my self children... of course!!

A little more time...

...now i've finally managed to complete my latest project - another book for david & charles. now, I have precious time again to play with thoughts and designs with no agenda... having said that, i will give dear appley peach another outfit for the forth coming season and I'd like to make a few dolls to sell on Etsy especially for christmas - see how they go... plus a freebee pattern - this especially for cyndi who contacted me letting me know that, unbeknownst to me, I had not in fact been live and online for weeks! thanks so much for that cyndi! ... and apologies to anyone trying and failing to reach dot pebbles website.
busy again then - great, i love it!
... so back to the start... re. my latest book, here's the wonderful pile of yarn I had to play and create things with... thanks to the wonderful susan at loop for that... and a small peep...

Another yarn...

I love, love, love this yarn I'm knitting (a pair of chunky socks for a new project) with today... it is Misti Alpaca Chunky Handpaints shade Havasu from Loop and its so gorgeously soft, the colours exquisite - have to share it...

p.s... this fellow is in my new book too...

...out today...

...And look who's arrived, get the pattern for this and loads more pets from my new book Knit & Purl Pets out today!! PLEASE NOTE THERE IS AN ERRATA AVAILABLE FOR THIS BOOK WHICH I WILL PERSONALLY EMAIL TO YOU - MY EMAIL FOR CORRESPONDENCE:
claire.garland@btopenworld.com

...And look who's arrived, get the pattern for this little chap from my new book Knit & Purl Pets out today!

Happy September Everyone!