Welcome to my blog. I live, knit, crochet, spin and craft near the Northumbrian Coast (but not too near – the waves won't be splashing my yarn!).There's a story in every stitch, every grain of sand, every blade of grass. I thought I'd blog about it…
The Knit and Natter Ladies have been busy again this week
We had another lively session at this afternoon’s Knit and Natter Group at Alnwick Medical Group. In the last week alone, our members have made another big batch of charity knits: hats, bonnets, tops and bootees.
You don’t need to be able to knit to contribute to the charity knits. Most of these hats were made on a knitting loom .
making a hat on a knitting loom
You may have used this sort of technique before . I know I did as a child, when it was known as French knitting or bobbin knitting . We used a cotton reel with nails stuck in the top or a purpose-made wooden figure with four metal loops stuck in the top – I think it was called a Knitting Nancy. They produced a thin knitted cord, but the modern looms like the one in the picture produce a wider tube. When the tube gets long enough, one end is gathered closed to make the hat.
The bigger the loom, the wider the tube and the bigger the hat…..and they are very quick and fun to make. Group members have made tiny ones for babies and large ones for homeless adults.
Today took us to the The Old Stables Tea Room, just outside Alnwick (on the roundabout just up from the Lion Bridge on the B6352). This lovely little cafe is situated in part of the stable block of a big old house.
Although they serve a lovely selection of yummy cakes and light lunches, we opted for our habitual cheese scones.
We were offered these slightly warmed and they arrived just warm enough to feel fresh from the oven, but not so hot as to melt the butter – perfect!. They were served with a very generous pot of butter, soft enough to spread easily (don’t you just hate trying to spread hard straight-from-the-fridge butter?) . The scones excellent: soft and very light with a little bit of cheese baked on the top. We accompanied them with a pot of tea for mum and hot chocolate (choice of milk or dark chocolate) for me, served with a big swirl of cream.
The cafe has a friendly team of staff and also includes a small shop area with a selection of cards and gifts. It’s usually quite full, especially in the summer holiday season and even today most of the empty tables were reserved when we arrived. It’s probably work booking in advance at busy times
As we were leaving, afternoon tea was being served to one table, complete with dainty sandwiches and cakes . It looked lovely – something to think about for another time.
I have some of my late grandmother’s knitting needles
I’ve been thinking about my late grandmother (Nan) quite a bit recently. I was sorting out my knitting needles the other week (which is a whole new post in itself) and in amongst them are a good many that belonged to her.
I mentioned in my post Another Kind of Yarn that I was busy editing my friend’s book. I came across these lines she’d written in her third book (working title:When All Else Fails)
Even stitches,
Don’t pull too tight,
Take pride in what you are doing
One of the characters is stitching and as he works he thinks back and fondly remembers the wise words of the woman who taught him. That got me thinking about Nan, who taught me to knit and crochet. I remember my mother showing me how to knit too, and how to sew, but Nan was the great knitter of the family.
She always had knitting on the go and my brother, my cousins and I had jumpers and cardigans in every colour of the rainbow. With the leftover yarn she’d knit garter stitch squares and make them up into colourful blankets, which were used at my grandparents caravan, by the river at Corbridge.
Nan taught me how to crochet when I was about 8 years old and I picked it up pretty quickly, though she was always telling me that the way I held the hook was all wrong! I’m pretty sure that she taught my cousins too and they still crochet. She also used to make the most exquisite tatted lace, which was used to edge handkerchiefs.
I love that I still have some of her knitting needles (and crochet hooks too). When I use them it’s reminds me of Nan and what she taught me. It’s great to be part of that wonderful tradition of skills being passed down the generations.
Who taught you to knit/crochet/sew? Have you inherited any of their equipment? Please follow the blog and share your stories.
Having tried and run out of time last Christmas, C and I made a concerted effort to book on to Christmas wreath-making workshop for this year and when we heard about one at The Running Fox, Shilbottle it seemed to fit what we were after. I’ve just got back with my competed door wreath after a lovely evening with C.
We were given prosecco with a dash of sloe gin on arrival and my glass was topped up throughout the evening, Then we were brought a platter of Christmas pie ( turkey, stuffing and vegetables in pastry)Bacon and brie quiche and pigs in blankets.
The guys from MBC Arts, our workshop tutors for the evening, distributed materials and tools ready for us to begin
Frames and moss ready to start
We got to work watching each step demonstrated and then doing it ourselves before moving on to see the next stage. First of all we attached handfuls of sphagnum moss to a wreath frame, winding craft wire round the frame to keep it packed securely in place.
The moss is wired onto the frame, keeping it quite densely packed. The moss is very absorbent and will hold water to keep the wreath foliage fresh
We were brought boughs of blue spruce and cypressus and we cut sprigs, sharpening the cut ends of each with an oblique cut, then pushing them into the mossy base, all lying in the same direction, at an angle, overlapping along the, frame (forming a sort of swirl pattern), then securing them further by winding more craft wire around. the ring, We used smaller sprigs to fill in any small gaps until the front of the frame was totally covered
Sprigs of foliage are added until the mossy base is covered.Foliage in place
Stage one complete, we had a short break and were served more festive treats – sweet ones this time: Cornflake cake Christmas puddings, gingerbread spice cake, cheesecake and mince pies.
Sweet treats
After the break we were given items to decorate our wreaths: dried apple, orange and chilli, cinnamon sticks, pine cones and lengths of ribbon. Although all materials were provided in the cost, we’d brought a few items of our own to add: some pheasant feathers and small gold baubles. We were shown how to secure each item on to a length of florists wire, then push each through the moss and bend back any ends coming through at the back, to secure. We finished off with a wire hanging loop attached to the frame.
You can see C’s work at the top of the post. Here’s mine below
My wreath
I may tweak it a bit now it’s home, but I’m quite pleased with the overall result. We had such a lovely night: the refreshments were delicious and plentiful, The tutors from MBC Arts were very helpful and gave lots of encouragement and the cafe staff looked after us extremely well. With all materials and refreshments included, the price was a very reasonable £35 each. We had some wonderful Mother/Daughter bonding time. Maybe again next year?
How the weather has changed since I posted this time last week in the same place. The rain has stopped and the temperature has dropped. While K walked the dog I put my knitting on a picnic table while I took photos – It was freezing, so I was soon back in the car to get on with my knitting before my fingers got numb.
The body of the poncho cape has grown and I’m really enjoying putting the different blue tones together. I’ve just joined in the turquoise colour you can see on the left – it is an oddment left over from the Valdres Sweater. The number of stitches is increasing rapidly, so I’m about to change to circular needles. You can see how this needle is absolutely crammed.
Last week’s breakers have washed up loads of kelp, The sea is a lot calmer now and it’s so good to have sunshine and blue sky. Coquet Island was clearly visible this week now the rain and fog have gone. The island is an important nesting site for the Roseate Tern – one of our rarest breeding seabirds. Other species breed there too, notably the Puffin.
Even though it was only about 2pm, the sun was very low in the sky, but then it is December. It made the Aln Estuary look beautiful.
Stitches by the Sea 