Flower Power. . .

The weekend was very productive, all about getting lots of mundane tasks done around the house. But there was also time to really embrace spring and enjoy all its colourful vibrancy.

As a reward for a morning of housework, the Liverpud and I went for a walk Saturday afternoon to our favourite park, Calderstones.  We had some lemon sorbet from the ice cream parlour and then went to the Japanese Gardens.  I have wandered through it many times, but never at this time of year and I was pleasantly shocked to see how gloriously red and pink it was.

Just stunning!

My own modest little container garden is also blooming.  I love the delicate shades of deep raspberry and peach on these beautiful flowers.  This was the first weekend we really spent sitting out on the patio and enjoying our garden.  

Sunday we were off to the garden center to add to our little family of flowers, and it was really hard to choose from among so many gorgeous blooms.  I absolutely fell in love with these deep purple - almost black -  petunias in the top photo of this collage.  I bought three small pots with blooms still to come.  Can't wait to see them in all their gothic glory soon.

And I purchased a pot of intense blue grasses, just because I love the texture.  My green grasses survived the winter and so they needed a friend.   I now want yarn in both of these colours.

It's such a technicolour time of the year. How can your spirits not be raised by all the loveliness?

A Brave New World. . .

A few days ago I decided to walk into the 21st century. I got a smartphone.

It's not that I'm a technophobe; I use the internet daily and often. I just didn't want to become one of those people who gets addicted to a gadget, oblivious to the world and people around me. I've always wanted to be the type of person who lives in the moment.

But as my life becomes more settled in the UK, and my group of friends and contacts grows, it was time. Truth be told, I also really, really wanted to participate in Instagram. (I'm blithespirit4 on there)

So I've had my phone for a few days now and I love the camera which is really good. Photos are very quick to upload onto ravelry and Instagram. The photo above is the first one I took with my new phone. It's the first time I'd seen the new statue of the Beatles down by the waterfront which was installed at the end of last year. It's about time there was one of all four of them and the location with the Three Graces towering behind them is perfect.

The other cool thing about this phone? I wrote this blog post with it. Yes, it's a keeper.

Things Are Growing. . .

 It's starting to feel as if spring is in the air. The buds are starting to bloom on the camellia bush in the back yard.

There are new green shoots on the tiny lavender bush that I bought last summer.

My pile of swatches for my course also continues to grow.  This was a fun one to do - using one DK yarn and increasing the needle size every 12 rows to see the different type of fabric that it makes. 

There have been other swatches too.  Many, many, many, many swatches.  I have two more to go for the first module and then quite a few reports to write, but I'm very happy with my progress so far.

I've not had much time for my Buchanan, but I have started the yoke.

And this is a lovely new shawl that I'm currently having fun test-knitting.  I'm nearly on the edging which will be gorgeous.

On Balance. . .

My week of chanting the mantra of "balance"seems to be working so far.  I am not imposing any stress on myself for trying to get things done by a specific deadline, just setting aside chunks of time for different projects, working my way through them in the time allotted, and then STOPPING so that they don't take over my life.  And looking back on what I've done in the last ten days, I feel pretty good about it all. 

Above are my various cast-on and cast-off swatches for my course.  I've had a lot of fun trying several new techniques, including the long-tail cast-on for the first time (I always thought it would be very fiddly, but it was incredibly easy), and the Channel Island cast-on. There are some good online tutorials here and here.  Many of the bind-off methods I was already familiar with, but a new one to me was Elizabeth Zimmerman's sewn bind-off which I will definitely use again as I like the firm edge it creates.  I still have to write up my notes for this section, but I feel I've plunged right into the coursework and am getting very disciplined about it.

I also made time to knit another swatch for the Knit British Breeds swatch-along (and my eventual blanket).   This is Llanwenog wool and the pattern is called Rosemary Sprigs (a nod to delicious Welsh lamb) from Nicky Epstein's book Knitting Block by Block.  I've still to soak, wash and do the wear test on this, but it was a lovely yarn to knit with - very substantial and firm and as you can see, there is a lovely stitch definition.  An aran jumper would look fantastic in this wool.  This was also enormously fun to knit; you cast on 192 stitches and work in the round from the outside inwards.

I've also finished the front and back of a new jumper, Driscoll, knit in New Lanark DK, in these rich autumnal colours.  The company will have a booth at the Edinburgh Yarn Festival and I wanted to test out the yarn as it's very reasonably priced with a good palette of colours, and I'd love to find a good workhorse yarn in the UK, similar to the Cascade 220 I used back in Canada.  As the pattern is fairly straight-forward, I've limited my knitting time on this purely to when I'm watching TV or on my breaks at work.  Onto the sleeves now!

And with any luck, I'll be finished most of it before the next KAL over at the Knit British and Brityarn groups.  This is a challenge to knit a garment in time for a meet-up at the  Edinburgh Yarn Festival in mid-March.  It has to be knitted out of 100% British fibre and use at least three natural shades.  I spent most of the weekend dithering over what pattern to knit but have decided on Buchanan by Kate Davies from her wonderful Yokes book.

I did a quick swatch and think the design will really lend itself to the different shades in my stash. The main body colour will be in Blue-faced Leicester and the yoke will have some Swaledale, Manx Loaghtan and  Falklands Island wool in it.  The KAL starts on Thursday the 14th and I can't wait to cast-on.

I've also finished two books this week and even went to my first Zumba class at the gym. It also stayed dry enough at just the right times of the day to allow me to walk to work four times, something that I really enjoy as it helps clear my mind along with exercising the body.  I may even sneak a film in tonight as well.

Knitting Resolutions for 2016. . .

Looking back over last year,  I was quite surprised and initially pleased at how much I was able to knit. It came at a cost though - when I tallied up the number of books I'd read and films I'd watched, they were among the lowest in probably the last twenty years.   Perhaps, just perhaps, I've been letting knitting take over my life (the Liverpud would certainly agree!).   So my word of 2016 is going to be "Balance".

I've pretty much cracked the work/life balance.  I love my new life in Liverpool and feel enormously lucky to be able to work part-time which allows me plenty of hours for other creative pursuits.  I just need to try and balance the many, many things that interest me and think more thoughtfully about the projects I choose to knit and when I should be knitting them (as ahem, I cast on yet another project up above - this will be my easy mindless tv knitting for the next few weeks - lots of stockinette).  I still want to keep improving my skills, exploring new techniques, experimenting with different fibres and continue connecting with the really vibrant and inspiring knitting community that is out there.  But I also really need to get my reading mojo back and make my way through an ever-growing pile of DVDs.

But still, it's always fun to have a few resolutions and goals and so here are my knitting/crafting ones for 2016:

1.  One of the most exciting projects I've embarked upon is a distance learning course offered by City & Guilds.  It's the Level 3 Certificate in Hand Knit Textiles and while the workload is slightly intimidating, I know it's going to make me a much better knitter and give me a really creative challenge as there will be some design work involved (eek!).  One module at a time though. There are twelve in all and I'd really like to get through 4-5 of them this year as we only have three years to finish the course and I can see the modules getting more complex and time-intensive as we go on.   I just need to be very disciplined and knuckle down.  This has to be my priority before other knitting projects.

2.  Still, there are at least 3 WIPS in progress that I also would really like to finish.  My Deco by Kate Davies has been languishing in a project bag for years now and I just have to finish the sleeves.  My Bowland by Susan Crawford was a project I really wanted to finish in time for Christmas (also one of last year's resolutions was to steek for the first time).  I'm almost at steeking stage - just have a million ends to weave in, but would really love to have this done by the Edinburgh Yarn Festival in March.  And then there's my Anemone by Marie Wallin.  All the knitted bits are done - it's just those crocheted sleeves which are the stumbling blocks.   Still, these are three garments that I'd really love to have in my wardrobe, so if I can finish these up in 2016, I'll be chuffed.

3. I'd love to crochet a full garment.  But if I can finish Anemone, I'll consider this resolution crossed off.

4. Buy only British wool/fibre.  I've given up on a cold sheep yarn diet; I go to too many shows where the temptations are rampant.  But I can certainly restrict myself to British yarns and support local businesses.  No shortage of lovely options there.  And that will stop me from buying bags of discontinued Rowan yarns because they are massively on sale.  They just sit in my stash and glare at me.

5.  Speaking of British wool, I want to continue participating in the Knit British Breeds swatch-a-long because I've really enjoyed the process so far.  It's been fascinating to discover the properties of different breeds.  I've done eight swatches already, six of which are the proper sized squares for an intended blanket.  I hopefully can continue the process until I have 24 or 30 and can put together a decent sized blanket.  It would be super if I could finish this in time for Wovember.

6.  I want to learn to spin with a drop spindle.  I'm booked for a class at the Edinburgh Yarn Festival so hopefully will crack this skill and spin up some roving by the end of the year.  A friend gave me some gorgeous silk batting for Christmas which would be terrific to knit up.

7.  At last year's Woolfest, I bought a double heddle for my loom which allows me to double the width of the fabric.  It's still sitting in its packaging.  I'd really like to assemble it and weave something using it this year.

8.  I'd also actually like to sit down and read more of my knitting books.  I'm great at acquiring them and looking at all the pretty pictures but I rarely sit down and read them in detail.  I know there's a wealth of fascinating information and inspiration in my knitting library - time to start absorbing it all!

Whew - that should keep me busy for the next few months.  I am not going to stress about it all though (well, maybe a little about the course) but try to calmly work through projects and enjoy the process.  We'll see how that goes. . .

Three Years. . . .

So yesterday was the summer solstice which always prompts me to ponder my new life in the UK as it's also the anniversary of moving over here.  Three years already!  And things are very good.  I love my new more laid-back lifestyle; lots of hiking, crafting, walking to work, gardening, and cooking. Work is much more interesting and fulfilling in my new job, not to mention I got a pay raise with the new position and it allows me to continue to work part-time, cover all my living costs and still save for holidays,  wool festivals and retirement.

With the more simple lifestyle, my consumerism is also way, way down from what it used to be and I'm much more thoughtful about what I buy, where it comes from, what it's made from and whether I really, really need it. While my yarn diet this year has been completely blown, I have managed to keep to my resolution of not buying any new clothes and I've even been purging the wardrobe and paring it down to items that I really like wearing.

People were the hardest thing to leave behind in Toronto but friends have kept in touch, and have come to visit, and I have managed to find a core group of like-minded hikers and knitters to hang out with who are interesting and inspiring and barmy in the best possible English way.  The Liverpud is my best friend and we continue to laugh and build a life together. And Mum will be coming over for two months and I look forward to taking her to some of my favourite places.

This is a little bit of what living in Britain is all about for me.

My first English rose!  This is Wildfire - a gorgeous, vibrant orange colour and it's in full bloom in my front yard.  I could never have grown roses in my tiny flat in Toronto.

And here is how I spent the solstice Sunday.  Our walking group went to Abersoch, a popular seaside town,  and I went walking along several miles of the Welsh Coastal Path around parts of the Llyn Pennisula.  The coastal path is marvellous - very well signposted and maintained.

Nothing but sky and sea and sheep.

Islands in one direction. . .

. . . and mountains in the other.

And back for an ice cream in Abersoch during low tide.

An anniversary needs a cake and this is a Dorset Apple Cake from Paul Hollywood's British Baking book.  I love this recipe; it is much less sweet than many British cakes, the flavour coming from cinnamon and Bramley apples which are left in slices throughout the cake.

Absolutely delicious.  Just like my life for which I am profoundly grateful.  I'll always be a proud Canadian, but the UK is definitely my home now.

The Grass IS Greener. . .

This weekend marked my two year anniversary of living in England.  I can't believe how quickly the time has gone.  Once I got over the novelty and the sheer wonder that I had the guts to actually make the move, and my stuff arrived, and was unpacked, and I found a job, a knitting group, a dentist and a multi-region dvd player, life seemed to settle into a regular daily routine and the weeks and months have just flown by.

So did I make the right decision?

Well obviously, the hardest bit was leaving behind family and friends. I have the Liverpud of course, and I've met some wonderful people in England but it does feel weird sometimes that most of the people I interact with haven't known me for longer than two or three years. I miss that shared history of good times and bad that you have with friends of longstanding.  I'm often a bit nostalgic for the coziness of my old little apartment too.

If I had to sum up the key differences of before and now, I'd say that back in Toronto, I had a very interesting and challenging job but a rather boring life outside of it (often counting the days until my next UK holiday), and here, my job is rather ho-hum but I do far more interesting things in my free time. And I have a lot more of it.  It's definitely a trade-off and one that hasn't always sat comfortably, but on the whole I think it's been worth it. There are a lot more important things in life than working.  And there are several things about daily living in the UK that may seem incredibly mundane, but have actually improved my quality of life to no end.

1. The weather.  Yes, Brits love to gripe about the weather as much as Canadians do, but you'll hear no complaints from me because I love weather in moderation.  No extremes here in Liverpool (although you can get worse weather in other parts). I didn't even see as much as a snowflake last winter, never mind an ice storm or temperatures in minus double digits. No more winter boots for me! As for the summers, I definitely don't miss Toronto's heat, smog and humidity.  No need for air conditioners here and I really like that. I also love the extra light in the summer -  at the moment it doesn't get dark until ten. And the rain?  Personally, I don't notice that it rains any more in Liverpool than it did in Toronto.  If it does, it hasn't bothered me; it's what keeps everything so green!

2. Proximity to gorgeous countryside. This can't be understated. In fact I'm continually amazed that there are 62 million people living on this island.  I can't figure out where they all are. About a decade ago, I started going on walking holidays and came to a very simple conclusion - I'm just happiest when out on a long walk. It's the one time that my mind is completely at ease and stress-free and I love the sense of accomplishment that getting to the top of a hill/mountain using my own legs gives me. I even love the tired, slightly achy feeling of muscles well-used that comes afterwards (it's always a good excuse for a nice long bubble bath).  I feel more fit and healthy now than at any time in my life.

3. Living in a smaller city and being able to walk to work.  See above.  Liverpool also has lovely parks and a small wooded area for short walks that is only five minutes from my house.

4. The Marks and Spencer Food Hall.  Yes, really.  I'm addicted.

5. Free art galleries and museums, and cheaper theatre.  I thought I would really miss all the culture on offer in Toronto but I've been so pleasantly surprised by the arts scene in Liverpool. They get more funding in the UK and I'm never short of things to see and do. Tons of festivals in the city and I love being able to just pop in to my favourite galleries for free whenever the whim takes me.

6. Having a garden.  It's small, just a few containers but I'm adding more every year.  Back in Toronto my flat didn't even have a balcony so no green space of my own at all.  Even this little patch gives me such pleasure. And the UK are garden mad - everywhere you turn there are patches of fantastic colour and inspiration. 

7. Yarn Shows.  I really do miss the yarn shops in Toronto which are many and fabulous but I absolutely love going to the many yarn shows that are on offer in the U.K.  Canada is starting to host more but one can't just jump on a plane and go off to Vancouver easily, whereas, most of the ones in the UK are just a short train ride away.  The breadth of indy dyers and spinners is really huge and I love knitting with British wool, knowing that it comes locally from the thousands of sheep I see regularly on my walks.

8. Small country + large population  = fast and cheap shipping.  So when one can't get to London or to a wool show, the speed and relative cheap cost of ordering online (I'm talking from independent businesses here, not the big, bad amazon which I've boycotted for years) is fabulous.  I also love that we have Saturday mail delivery; the nicest bits of mail seem to come that day.

I'm sure there's more but that's plenty to be getting on with.  I do feel quite blessed and happy that this is one "what if?" in life that I don't have to ponder.  No regrets.  Now, if I could just find a decent doughnut shop. . .

Monthly Planner: Hunkering Down in November. . .

October was just mad and went by in a blur.  It felt like I really didn't do anything except work.  I took on so many extra shifts that most days I just got up, went to work for twelve hours, came home and immediately went to bed.  So I'm quite looking forward to a more gentle month even as the days get darker.

Reading:  From the sublime to the mostly ridiculous.

I love this new hardcover edition of the Collected Stories of Stefan Zweig published by Pushkin Press. It is so lovely to hold and read; it's going to be my dipping-into book for this month.  I have long admired Zweig's novels/novellas which I have in beautifully published NYRB Classics editions, but it's heartening to know that he's just as lovingly published on this side of the pond.  It contains twenty-two stories over 710 pages in a wonderfully designed chunky edition and includes "Letter From An Unknown Woman". I love the Max Ophuls film but I've never read the original story. "Mendel the Bibliophile" looks intriguing too.
And yes, the other book on my bedside table is the new Bridget Jones.  I bought it out of nostalgia - I was a bookseller when the first one came out which incidentally I bought at Heathrow after a holiday in London. I'm fifty pages in and it's silly and rather boring but I'm still oddly charmed by Bridget and rather relieved that any resemblance I might have thought I had to her back in my twenties has pretty well vanished by now.

Daytripping:
I'm taking a few days off in November and my weekends are booking up fast. There will be at least two hiking days, a trip to Birmingham to check out their spectacular new central library, and another day out with the girls to Harrowgate and the Knitting and Stitching Show! I also hope to visit Baa Ram Ewe's new Harrowgate store and hopefully find time to have a cuppa at Betty's famous cafe.

Knitting:
I'm very excited about several projects I have on the go even though some of them are going wrong.

Like this mitten.  Love the yarn and pattern ( Maize from Tin Can Knits' The Simple Collection) but it's too small.  And I'm not sure I have enough wool to make the larger size.  So I've dug out some black wool from the stash and plan to do the cuffs in that (and make them longer). It's a slightly thinner yarn though, so I'm playing around with different needle sizes.  Not sure if it'll work out yet, but I'm hopeful.

Also on the needles is the one and only xmas gift I'm intending to knit.  It's a cardigan for my mum and so far, so good.  The pattern is Peasy by Heidi Kirrmaier and I'm using Debbie Bliss Prima, a bamboo/wool combination in a gray-taupe colour.  It's my first raglan, top-down cardigan but the instructions are very clear so I'm feeling quite confident about this one.  All the hard bits seem to come at the beginning and then it'll just be rows of stockinette.  I can do that!

The weather is getting colder which means the house is getting very chilly at nights. I'm craving big, chunky sweaters, so I'm attempting a version of Erika Knight's Houndstooth sweater from the October issue of Knitting magazine.  It knits up fairly quickly.  Here's the back which I completed in just two days, but it's now going to become the front as I think my gauge is way off and I've decided that I'm not going to continue the pattern on the back but just knit it in green stockinette.  I also forgot that the stranded knitting would really draw the stitches inwards and my tension isn't great. In short, this may end up being too small. Or too puckered. Or too strange.  Or maybe blocking will do its magic. It's a complete experiment at the moment as I'm probably going to end up changing the neckline too. Or not.  Maybe it will end up as a cushion cover.

Finally, the only knitting I really got done last month was one of those multi-year projects that I started because it required no brain power, it was easy to pop into my purse, and I could get little bits done during my twenty minute breaks or on the bus ride home.  And it uses up my rather extensive stash of fingering weight.  It's a simple mitre-squared blanket done on ridiculously small 2.75mm needles.  I will have to do a gazillion of these squares and then sew them all up.  It will take forever, but it's strangely addictive. I have about 35 done - I've thrown them into the same bag as my 70 odd hexipuffs and they can battle it out for my capricious attention.

It just feels good to have some play time again.

Monthly Planner: October. . .

October is going to be a slow-down month.  I don't have tons planned and for once, that's okay with me - I want to ease gently into the colder, darker weeks that are coming and enjoy the light and any mild days that we have.  I'm also scheduled for quite a few extra shifts at work so any free time is going to be precious.

Reading: I've counted and inexplicably, I'm currently in the middle of no less than seven books!  No more new ones until at least half of these are completed.

Knitting:  I'm completely on track with my mystery knit-a-long shawl.  One clue to go which arrives this Friday so unless it's a big one, I should have the shawl finished next week.  I've thoroughly enjoyed knitting this and I think it's going to be really spectacular.  Can't wait to have it off the needles and around my neck. I'm also fairly close to finishing my Eyre shawl - I made it extra big - and when that's done, I'm concentrating on jumpers and/or cardigans for the rest of the year.  Oh and maybe some mittens.   Time to get ready for winter.

Daytripping:  The Liverpud and I have at least one hiking day planned in the Lakes this month, but no other trips.  And I will still be out and about making time for some cultural fun in the city. I have tickets to what promises to be a really interesting theatrical adaptation of Mikhail Bulgakov's Master and Margarita at the Unity Theatre. 

And coming this month to FACT is a movie that I can't wait to see. Le Week-End, starring Jim Broadbent and Lindsay Duncan, has been billed as Midnight in Paris meets Before Midnight with an homage to Godard's Band of Outsiders. Yes please!  Check out the trailer here.

Small and simple pleasures.  A little bit of cocooning. Taking time to breathe and enjoy the things around me - that's my month ahead. 

Things That Make Me Happy. . .

Another glorious, mild and sunny weekend with absolutely nothing planned. Never really having had a garden before, I'm fascinated to go out each day and see the progress of what's growing.  Not long to wait now for the daffodils.

And soon the camellia bush will be in full bursting bloom.

My tulips continue to grow.

And Sponge is back, basking in her favourite sunny nook.

I've also finished two knitting projects.  The first is my Leftie scarf, designed by Martina Behm, which I've been working on for months. It was probably crazy to do this in laceweight, but now that it's done, I love the softness and drape.

I also knit a hat for the Liverpud taking a Woolly Wormhead pattern from the latest issue of Simply Knitting.   It's a teeny, weeny bit small, so I may redo it and knit him the larger size, as it was a fairly quick knit.  He seems to like it, just wants it to cover his ears.