September 05, 2008

Oh what a wonderful time we had

What a wonderful day we had in Cumbria. Very tiring but fun none the less. We were up at the crack of dawn to enable us to visit Mr Mog's mum before she went out. Yes she enjoys going out just as much as us even though she is in her 90th year. We almost have to make an appointment to visit to ensure she will be home. As it is a 2 hour journey to her home and we wanted to be there by 9am an early start was required. The journey up was a little misty but great. Mr Mog will have those pictures on his blog when he posts them. I just clicked as we drove, like you do.
After seeing Mum we drove along the coast through Siloth,Abbeytown and to Anthorn where our friends have just moved after several years in France. The coast was a delight and the views over to Scotland misty and mysterious. We viewed the new home which overlooks the sea and then headed inland and upwards to visit Cae at Johnby. We had first met at Woolfest which Cae organised and got on very well. She had mentioned visiting her when next we went Cumbria Way and Mr Mog and I do not need asking twice:) We eventually found her after getting lost and travelling tiny country lanes in search of the house. What a lovely place it is and the room Cae works in is light and inspiring and has goats walking by the windows as you sit there. After a slice of Grahams apple cake(recipe is on the blog) and cups of coffee we exchanged gifts. Just look what I came home with:)


some undyed BFL to try and some curls from Cae's goat. Just look how curly and shiny these locks are. I'm going to add them to some other dyed locks to make a seaweed scarf.



Hand dyed for me in my colours for sure.

dyed curls for the seaweed shawl/scarf
These are for my sock blanket, bet you can't guess what colours Cae likes and coincidentally was the colour of the elemental I made her???
Then we come on to my other reason for visiting , Cae had offered to try winding the mohair i dyed using her tall swift. It took a long while, after all there are 200 grams and we did talk more or less none stop throughout.

I am so thrilled with the finished result, the colours blended so beautifully. 200 grams of kid mohair is a lot of yardage and it will make a fabulous shawl I think, watch this space..

We arrived home thoroughly tired but we had such a grand day out it didn't matter. I think its the tired days when you have done nothing and been nowhere that are worse don't you?
Then I came home to this in the mail.



I wanted to join the solid sock challenge on Ravelry. I never seem to knit in solid or semi solid colours so I decided to take the challenge. As I wasn't sure if I would get yarn dyed for this month I purchased this skein. The colour is Irn Bru after the Scottish drink.
I am going to try and dye the rest of the colours of the month myself, that for me will be part of the challenge. Not just to knit in solid or semi solid colours but to do so with my own hand dyed yarn.

Today it hasn't stopped raining all day. I've been knitting on my rainbow socks and hope to have pictures of Mr Mogs finished pair tomorrow and hopefully a finished sock for me. Both my own dyed yarn of course:))

3 comments:

maylin said...

It certainly was a grand day out. I can't wait to see the shawl you make with the mohair or the myterious sounding seaweed scarf.

You are absolutly right about days when you have done nothing and feel tired, it is very demoralising.

Steph said...

Oooh, a seaweed scarf sounds interesting. Looking forward to seeing that. :-)

Artis-Anne said...

Oh great post Amber I can feel the excitment over here :) The mohair is so fantastic , great dyeing job . After chatting to you yesterday I too have joined yje Solid Sock and will have to dye some ornage I think, Better get a move on as yours will be knitted up before mines dyed at this rate

Poetry for Brigid Imbolc

  The Lake Isle of Innisfree BY  WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree, And a small cabin build there, of clay a...