Sunday 4 June 2017

One hour outside


I can't believe that half term is almost over. Part of me is secretly a little relieved because it will be good to get back into my 'normal' routine. But part of me resents the fact that school holidays don't bring me the same enjoyment that they used to. I have tried to keep myself occupied, but was let down a couple of times; in the past I would have taken in my stride and possibly even relished the chance of an extra hour or two on my own for a bit of sewing or knitting, but instead it sent me into a slump which I found hard to dig myself out of at times. In an effort to make myself go out and get some fresh air and exercise every day, I've decided to take part in #onehouroutside. It was something I spotted on Twitter and all you have to do is post a photo of part of your hour outside. Here are my first 4 days of June...



June 1st - foxgloves in the woods at Blickling Hall



June 2nd - tree ferns in the gardens of East Ruston Old Vicarage



June 3rd - Bath Abbey



June 4th - a path on the Blickling estate

I expect that my photos will be a bit 'same-y' but I will continue to share them with you each week as it will make me go out and about.

I had a lovely day on Wednesday when I met up with my friend Juliet in London. We went to the Balenciaga exhibition at the V&A, and I can thoroughly recommend going if you get the chance. Some incredible 'engineered' clothes, and so interesting to see how his style has inspired so many other fashion designers.

You might have spotted in the photos above that one of them definitely wasn't in Norfolk! Yesterday I got up incredibly early to catch the 5am train to Bath to take part in a yarn dyeing workshop at A Yarn Story with Daisy from Devon Sun Yarns. It was a brilliant day and I'll share the yarns that I dyed with you another time as they're still drying. But here's a little taster of things to come ...





I had lots of knitting and crochet time on the train; I played yarn chicken and won with a secret crochet project...




and cast on the second of my Lovehearts handspun socks...




While I was at A Yarn Story (a fabulous shop, go take a look) I gathered a couple of goodies for June's Pay it Forward giveaway - a Yarn Story bag, a fun pencil which says 'yarn makes me happy' on it (a treat in my gift bag from the yarn dyeing day) and a pot of coloured stitch markers which will fit needles up to 4.5mm, so perfect for lace or sock knitting. To be in with a chance of winning, all you have to do is to leave me a comment recommending a blog that you enjoy reading - it doesn't need to be a knitting one. The giveaway will be open until midnight on June 30th and I'll use a random number generator to pick the winner after that date. Please make sure it's easy for me to contact you by leaving your Ravelry or Instagram name, or leave some other way for me to get in touch. If I haven't heard from the winner within a week, I'll pick another name. I'm happy to post world-wide, so please enter. And may the random number generator be with you! xxx




ETA A huge thank you to Carmen at A Yarn Story for very generously donating the stitch markers. 

18 comments:

snoopydogknits said...

Helloooooo! Love your pretty hand dyed socks and am looking forward to hearing all about your dyeing day! I have just got back and face a mountain of schoolwork :-( xx

Anna Ridley said...

Hello! I'm PeanutPip on Ravelry. I've been enjoying your blog :)

VeggieMummy said...

What a great idea to do an hour a day outside, although, looking at the weather here at the moment, it's pouring down! I've been to Bath many times, but haven't managed to make it to 'A Yarn Story' yet. Your yarn dyeing workshop sounds like great fun. My blog recommendation is http://countrysidetales.blogspot.co.uk for the stunning wildlife photography and running encouragement! I'm VeggieMummy on Ravelry too. Enjoy the rest of the term. xx

kp6 said...

'A Yarn Story' is my LYS - gorgeous shop. I'm doing a short row shaping workshop in a couple of weeks and feel sure that there will be purchases! Looking forward to seeing the finished result of the dyeing workshop. In terms of blogs, I'm a real fan of 'Yarn Harlot'. Also love 'Tales from a Happy House' - Gillian's eye for colour, interior design and the cooking ideas usually motivate me.

kp6

Jo said...

I'm so sorry that your holidays aren't what they used to be, I'm sure it's very hard getting used to doing things without Mr JK but I think you're doing brilliantly. #onehouroutside sounds like a great idea, I'm a big believer that taking yourself off for a walk can change the way you're feeling at a particular time, and it will certainly do you good. My blog recommendation is Maggie, A Blackcountry Wench:- http://crossblackcountry.blogspot.co.uk/ I love this blog as Maggie writes a bit about all sorts of different things and it certainly keeps things interesting. My Ravelry name is jo9919.

Foxymitts said...

What a good idea, and loving the look of those dyed hanks of wool...especially the red one...

Foxymitts on Ravelry

Trish Rapley Giles said...

Hi, my favourite blogs (other than your blog!) are Yarn Harlot, The Twisted Yarn & Winwick Mum. I am Trishrapleygiles on Ravelry.

Marion said...

Hello I'm pinklady558 on instagram and one of the blogs I like to read is called Postcard from Gibraltar

C Carter said...

Ooh that's a hard one - Lucy at Attic 24 has taught me so much, but I also love Winwick Mum for her great sock tutorials. I would love to win your giveaway please! Xx
Claire@homesweethome2015.blogspot.com

Sammy said...

Your yarn dyeing adventure looks interesting, I'm looking forward to hearing more about that. I've always wanted to try dyeing yarn, but I think it's probably a lot more complicated than I'm bargaining on!

I'm a bit short of good blogs to read at the moment, quite a few people I used to 'follow' have moved on to podcasting or stopped blogging. That said, I really enjoy reading Winwick Mum and Little Cotton Rabbits.

Thank you for another giveaway, that's very generous of you. I'm miss-kittens on Ravelry :)

MelindaJ said...

Of all the blogs I enjoy reading, The Yarn Harlot is top of my list. Yours follows on closely behind. A non-knitting blog I enjoy is Above the River, set in South Gloucestershire with lovely photos. My Ravelry name is Melindaj.

Suzanne said...

Your pictures are so pretty! I'm sorry you have had a hard time with your time off. Structure in the day does help.

I read a lot of blogs but one I've read for a long time is Pink Lemon Twist.

You dye day looks like it was a lot of fun.

I won last month's prize so you can skip my entry for this one.

Cindy said...

I am thinking of you as you face each day with courage and try to do what will best help you even though it is difficult and probably does not feel like it is actually helping. The loss of your dear husband is so huge and the pain must be so deep. I truly admire you and your crafting skills and your lovely photos. I hope that each day will be a little bit better for you. Thank you for blogging and sharing your feelings with such honesty! Your blog is my favorite blog and I always look forward to reading it. Take care and stay strong!

Gracey is not my name.... said...

Oh lovely Pay It forward....I'm graceysgoodies on IG....or TammyG on Ravelry....I enjoy reading blogs of people who live very different lives than I do....so Small Things...a homeschooling American mom writes on a variety of things, beautiful photos....Foxs Lane...an Australian mum who farms, also beautiful photos...Cloudberry...lives in Norway, in the Arctic.....What About Your Saucepans...a British ex-pat living with her Dominican husband in the DR....I think those are a good start.....I am not a mom, but I am a school teacher, just like you...

PixieMum said...

I'm Knellergal on Ravelry, my blog has moved to https://pixiemumblog.wordpress.com/ . Blogs I enjoy include Attic24 & Winwickmum, away from knitting and crochet may I recommend http://razorbladeoflife.co.uk/ and http://patspastimperfect.blogspot.co.uk/

Like you, both these ladies have been widowed and record how they are coping, Pat's blog incorporates her autobiography. Zoe has hosted a blog party for the last six years in her lovely home in East Anglia.

Heather said...

My favourite knitting and crochet blogs have all been mentioned above. Non-knitting related I like wildeaboutbirds.blogspot.co.uk - a very talented and articulate young naturalist which gives me hope for the future of the environment.

I'm knittingowltoo on ravelry

Clicky Needles said...

I'd love to be in the giveaway. One of my favourite blogs is https://quiltwhileyoureahead.com/.

Unknown said...

My current favorite blog is Yarn Harlot. Thanks for the giveaway!

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