An injury

Oh dear, I have already sustained an injury from my sudden running enthusiasm. I have been very surprised to find that I actually really enjoy running, after years of mocking runners and thinking how dull it looks. Don't get me wrong, I've always been into sports, very much so in fact, although as often happens when people leave school and sports clubs are less convenient to go to, I have badly lapsed over the last couple of years. But due to this enthusiasm, I decided to go for a run when I'd only been the day before and should have had a rest day. I have ended up pulling a muscle in the top front of my thigh. Walking is fairly difficult; getting into a car is very painful. Lesson learned I think. Until I've reached a better level of fitness, I certainly won't run without giving my muscles time to recover!

Other than that, my cardigan is really progressing well. I've not got too much to go on the fronts and back (knit in one piece on a circular needle)

The photo is pretty bad quality but you get the idea.

I've found the perfect button to go with it as well,from my newly enlarged stash of buttons. It only needs one, so a great project if you have a random button you want to use... or perhaps rather a large effort to go to just use one button. I guess it depends how crazy you are about them!

On Saturday I met Juliet from Artist's Pallette Yarns at Cirencester Craft Fair. I've met a couple of knitters at events now, andI have to say again that they're always so friendly :) Anyway, her yarns are beautiful and I'd love some of her fibre when my spinning improves. Which reminds me, I went to Nailsworth yesterday and came upon (or more appropriately, hobbled upon) Olivia Dell's World Textiles and Folk Art shop, which doesn't appear to have a website, but is full of fasciating stuff. I bought this book on spinning from her.

Its "Your Handspinning" by Elsie G. Davenport from 1964 and now out of print. A sought after book according to Olivia... but it contains these fab illustrations, of which these two are examples.


I think it will be rather useful as I carry on learning to spin. I was also excited to find that there is now a Cardiff Knitters group on Ravelry, although unfortunately nearly all their meet ups are on Thursday evenings, which is when we have Bible class at our church and I don't like to miss it. There is a group some Tuesdays though so I will have to try and get to one when we're back in Cardiff.

If anyones reading, hello and thanks for dropping by. Please say hello :)

I've missed you :(

After weeks of not being able to do anything creative, unless you include artfully arranging things in boxes to be put in storage, I finally have time to get back into it, and also to post on here. You may have understood from what I just said that we're moving house, in which case you would be correct, but we are staying at my parents until we complete. Goodness knows how long that'll be! But it's wonderful being at home. You always retain an affinity with the place in which you grew up, and I've been appreciating the beautiful countryside by bike and by legs! I've also decided to take up running and purchased a new pair of trainers the other day which have an exciting slot in the inner sole in which you can place a sensor for an i-pod or a sportsband. I'm not so keen on the idea of listening to music as I run, particularly in the countryside, as I like to appreciate my surroundings and hear the birdies chirrupping away, but I like the idea of the sportsband which tells you how far you've run, how many calories burned etc.

Ok, I've just said I've been able to be creative again and talked about fitness... hmmm. Well its always been a big part of my life, just as I've got older it tends to be in fits and starts. All I've really done is picked up my knitting again and I've now got to the end of my second pattern repeat on the fronts and back of the mohair cardigan, so not much more to show. However, a dear friend of my parents from our church had some very large supplies of buttons which she was giving away to a good home. So I rooted through and found some lovely ones.

These were some particular favourites. I love the simple but effective patterns and the way they feel old yet modern at the same time.

I've also been doing some spinning since I last posted. I love how you can pick it up and put it down so easily so its been good for when I haven't felt like concentrating on knitting but have wanted to do something. This colour is just beautiful.

I'm going to have a lot of this as well. As you can see, its way more consistent than the last (and first) yarn I spun, in my last post, so I'm planning a shawl probably for this. I guess I'll have to see how much I end up with. Its 100g in weight.

I found this random ball of yarn the other day when we arrived at my parents.

Its certainly pre knitting and I think I must have bought it while I was at uni to make something for a party. No doubt it was going to be cut into 2" lengths and made into something like a lion's mane for a fancy dress party. In fact I think that is what it was for, but I made the mane from fake fur and cardboard instead! So now this can actually be knitted into something, though goodness know what.