Growing, growing, gone

 It certainly feels like Autumn has arrived with cooler mornings and nights, this September is more like the ones I remember as a child, going back to school when there was that nip in the air.  I really don't mind this time of year, by the end of August I'm ready for a new season and a new start and the colours everywhere are so lovely, I love decorating for Autumn as much as i do for Christmas  

On Monday I spent a good three hours down the allotment tiding everything up.  We've had a bit of a disaster with the cabbages and some of the broccoli and cauliflower, they were covered in cabbage mealy aphid.  I thought at first I would be able to wash it off but the further I went I discovered that all of the plants were covered, I didn't want to risk it spreading any further so ripped the whole lot out!

Looks disgusting, and this is one leaf that wasn't that bad!

At the moment the other broccoli, we will need to keep an eye on it though, if you can catch them early enough you should be able to wash them off. 

Everything else seems to be doing ok.

We have a few lettuce, and behind that we have squash, no fruit yet but loads of flowers and there are still a few courgettes to come

Sweetcorn

Carrots, salad onions and peppers.  We probably won't get anything now on the pepper plants.

The kidney beans were slow to start but are growing nicely now

We also have leeks and sprouts which are both doing well.  Not bad considering we only started a few short months ago.

We were keen to get things in the ground when we got the plot and should have given more thought to the layout, we've been talking about how we want to set it out and what we want to grow next year. 

 Mark is going to make us a brassica cage, the cabbage, broccoli and cauli I dug out was under one of those mesh tunnels and we reckon that exasperated the aphid issue, because they had got so big the air flow wasn't so good and perhaps if other friendly bugs had been able to get in the aphids wouldn't have gotten hold.  Oh well, it's all a learning curve isn't it

At home I've taken out all the tomato plants, what a disappointment.  We've had a few that ripened but the majority stayed green.  

I have a couple of bowls in the conservatory and they are slowly turning red.

I've seen online that a lot of people in the UK have said the same of their tomatoes this year, just my luck that I've gone all out on the growing on a bad year 😏
 
-X-

My garden hydeaway and back to school

I mentioned before that my little summerhouse was having a re-vamp and I thought you might like to have a peek inside now that It's all painted.

Be warned, it's very pink, lol

I wanted something other than white, I'm really not very brave with colour but in here it doesn't really matter and It cheered the space up 😁 

I unpacked some bits and pieces that were my mums that no one wanted, they are not my taste either but I couldn't bring myself to take them to the charity shop and I think they go quite well in my grannies china cabinet. 

The weather has taken a turn these last couple of days but It's nice and cosy sitting in there so I will still make use of it through the Autumn at least.

It's been back to school this week with changes for all my grandchildren.

Arty started year 2, a new teacher but the whole class moved up so he is still in the same class as his friends.  Big change for Oliver as he started High School!   he was lucky enough to get his first choice of schools, a school that none of his friends were going to but he favoured this one over the other choices.  So a whole new set of people to meet and make friends with.  I think he has been very brave and grown up making this choice,  not following the crowd isn't easy when you are young. 

Jacob started school, he seems to have taken it in his stride, has come back home very tired but says he likes it.  Bonnie started year 3, a big change for her too as this is a new school.  They are going to a school close to where they live now, Bonnie was on board with it and did already know a few of the children from her dancing class, she makes friends very easily so should settle in well, Its a smaller school too, which will make it better.

My youngest daughter, Stevie, is onto pastures new too, she has now been appointed as an Early years teacher and given her own class.  She has also gone back to uni to do her PGCE, the school she works at are funding it.  She works in a school that has children with behavioral issues, so it can be challenging at times to say the least, she is regularly kicked, punched, spat at, called names and sworn at, and these children are only between 5 and 7 years of age, I don't know how she does it. 

James, my SIL has now retired so I won't be picking Arty up from school like I was, and I won't have my Wednesday's with Jacob either, so that's me made redundant again,😆  I'm sure I will be volunteering my services occasionally and I think at some point next year James may look for some work, for now I think he is enjoying being at home, he has been in the RAF for as long as he and Jenny have been together so It must be nice to be at home more.  He is only 45 though, so I think Jenny will want him to find something, lol.

Just a little update on the pattern fiasco, a lovely lady called Abbi emailed me to say she had looked at the comments on the pattern page on Ravelry, (I hadn't even realised that was an option) and a question similar to mine had come up, Abbi explained it very well, better than the designer did, so thank you so much for that Abbi.  I wasn't wrong after all, it is just not explained very well!

Wishing you all a lovely week

-X-

Confused? I was and probably you will be too, or maybe you have the answer?

I've seen lots of people knitting the Rock It Tee by Tanis Fibre Arts, It's a simple top down vee neck tee with icord edging on the neck, hem and sleeves.  The pattern is written to carry the eyelet detail down the sides, I chose to keep it even more simple and leave that out.  

 I had originally  picked out two lovely hand dyed yarns to knit this top in but then at the last minute changed my mind, I didn't want to risk using the yarn and not liking the finished item so dug some King Cole cotton soft out of my stash to use instead.  The pattern is designed for 4ply yarn and the King Cole yarn is classed as a DK, although does feel a little thinner than regular DK.  I knit a small gauge swatch and worked out that I should knit the fifth size, size 44.

Not a great photo, It does look a bit shapeless on the hanger but the fit is absolutely spot on.  I've never done icord before, It was surprisingly easy and fun to do and I like the finish it gives.

The only thing I would do If I knit It again Is to make It longer, the only reason I didn't make It longer this time Is because I thought this yarn would grow, It's only been washed once and so far looks pretty stable, time will tell I suppose.

The pattern Is a paid for one and considering the cost I found the instructions confusing in parts, It wasn't worded very clearly, I even asked one of the ladies at our stitching group who knits how she would interpret a section I was struggling with and she agreed that the wording was not clear, (interestingly she read it different to me).  

In the end I messaged the designer asking her to clarify the instructions for the size I was making, but to be honest she didn't really answer my question, only said that there were no errors in the pattern, to trust the instructions as It had been knitted hundreds of times before. 

These are the instructions for size 38 through to 48 exactly as written in the pattern on the section I was asking for clarification. 

At this point my stitch count was correct, I had 96 stitches on the back and front.  These increase rounds each add an extra 2 stitches on both the back and front.

Sizes 38, 41, 44 & 48 only: 

Join yarn, starting with an increase round, work Inc rnd A every 2nd round

 - (-, 2, 1, 2, 1) times. 

Then, work Inc rnd B every 2nd round

 - (-, 0, 1, 1, 0) times. 

Then, alternate Inc Rnd B + C every round 

- (-, 1, 1, 2, 4) times. 

- (-. 104, 110, 118, 128) sts on front and back,

- (-, 63, 65, 67, 69) sts on each sleeve

Now to me a dash in a knitting pattern indicates nothing to work for that size, but that makes no sense here because It looks like there are six sizes but it says it's for four sizes 

so for size 44 I was reading..... 

increase round A work 2 times.  

Increase round B work 0 time. 

Increase round B + C 1 time.

But If I did that my stitch count would be two stitches short, and this Is what I'd asked the designer to clarify, was I reading the instructions wrong? Should the zero on increase round B read 1 instead?  As I said she didn't answer other than to say the pattern was correct.

I should say that the instructions for the smallest size and the larger sizes were not written in this way, they were much clearer, that's why I asked her If I was reading them correctly.

If I had ignored the dashes and counted from the first number for my size the stitch count would still have been wrong as that would read as 118 stitches.  Confused?, so am I!

In the end after reading and re-reading countless times the only way I was going to end up with the correct number of stitches (104, because I could see no way those increases were going to end up as 118 stitch count), was to work increase round B one time instead of the zero times indicated. 

I know It all worked out in the end, but I would like to know If you are a knitter, would you have read those instructions as I did, or differently? or can you please explain to me how I'm reading It wrong?

 The weather has still been warm enough for me to wear It a couple of times and I do like the fit of It so I might still use those two hand dyed yarns I'd picked out originally  and make another one for next Summer, I've made notes so It should hopefully go more smoothly second time around! Shouldn't it?

-X-

Well Hello September!

 It was as If the oak tree in our garden knew the date because yesterday the leaves began to fall.  I love this time of year but from now until the middle of November all I seem to do is collect leaves, there are too many to leave to decompose and anyway oak leaves take forever, so that's not an option, you just have to get out there and gather them up.  Luckily the weather has been good so I've spent the last two days tidying up the garden pulling up things that are past their best, emptying pots and cleaning out the greenhouse, if I can get those jobs done it will make the leaf collecting that much easier to keep on top of once they really do start coming down.

Because I've been spending time outside there hasn't been a lot of stitching or knitting done but I have finished my Stick6 stitching for July and August.

Jolly Jack by All Through The Night

Isn't he cute!  I stitched him on some 14 count Rustico Aida.  I haven't stitched on Aida for a long time but I do find the smaller count fabrics a strain on my eyes, especially at night, I loved stitching him and may stitch on Aida more in the future.  The frame is a cheap and cheerful one from Amazon and I laced him onto some mountboard.

Last time I told you about the accident I had with Schoolgirl Lessons and that I'd managed to rescue it by coffee and tea dying the fabric, I was in B&M on Friday and saw a frame that I thought might suit, It fitted perfect, and cost £2.50 😀

As with Jolly Jack I laced it onto some mountboard

I haven't knitted any socks in a while and had the urge to cast some on so I've wound the yarn this afternoon and that's what I'm going to start tonight.

The colourway is Pumpkin Spiced Latte, perfect name and colour for the start of Autumn 🍂

Hope your September has got off to a good start

-X-

Playing catch-up with lots of finishes

Lets start with the knitting.

You may remember I bought this James C Brett Fairground yarn on my trip to Llandudno in May, specifically to knit a hat for Bonnie, and I did just that not long after I returned home.  I used the Rough Road hat pattern, which you can find free on Ravelry and added a fluffy pompom. 

I purchased the pattern for the Felix Cardigan by Amy Christoffers last year, I didn't want to purchase any more yarn at the time but then I came across two 400g balls of James C Brett Aran with wool in my stash.  I must have had this years, no idea what I bought I for but I'm glad that I've finally been able to put the majority of it to use.

In the many hundreds of buttons I have there are none that are suitable, or large enough, (isn't that always the way!)  I'll add some once it gets cool enough to wear.

Not the most inspiring colour but it will be ok with jeans in the Autumn/Winter.  I don't like being bundled up in a heavy coat in the car, so this will be perfect.  

It is a little oversized, although that's how the pattern is designed, I think If I made another one I would make a size smaller and split for the sleeves a little earlier than the pattern suggests just because I think it's a little deep in armhole.  

Oh, and I made the cuffs extra deep, because that's what I felt like doing 😀

A recent knitting finish was this baby blanket.  The pattern is "Sasha" by Snufflebean Yarns, she very kindly offered the pattern free if you commented on her Insta account but It and her other patterns are available on Ravelry for a very reasonable price.

I made this one in Stylecraft Bambino in the colour mist.

I lost my stitching bug for a while but I'ts been slowly returning and I've been enjoying stitching on some new things, which I will share in due course, for now I will show you what I manged to get finished these last couple of months.

You may remember that I eventually completed the stitching on my Bothy Threads Bunny that had been in the making for at least a couple of years.  Finally I got it framed. but, when I collected it I wasn't happy with my frame colour choice, the framing is a fantastic job, as always, the fault is entirely mine.  I was torn between this shabby style in a lighter colour or a grey/brown-ish colour, now I wish I'd opted for the other colour, this light one gets lost on all my walls.  At some point I will take it to be re-framed but for now It Is what It Is.

I finished School Girl Lessons by Little house Needleworks.  This chart was gifted to me many years ago and I'm glad I finally got round to stitching it.  Although as you can see the thread colour bled in places.  This was also entirely my fault, I forgot I had stitched in hand dyed thread and sprayed it with Best Press when ironing it, I was so angry with myself.

It was much more noticeable than It's showing above, I tried rinsing in very cold water a colour catcher and lightly coffee dying, but it was still visible.  My friend Tina suggested coffee/tea dying so I thought I'd give it another go leaving It to soak much longer this time, thankfully It worked, the fabric colour is darker than I would have wanted but at least the stitching Is saved.

The last piece of stitching I have Is my Stick6 for June, I know, that's how behind I am with posting and finishing things.  Mine was an ornament this time.  Hands on Design Oh Christmas Three Is a chart with three designs, Joy, Noel and Peace, I chose to stitch Joy.

Finished in a small embroidery hoop which I painted red and I added a longer hanging.

It will be time to reveal our Stick6 stitching for July and August in a few days time, happily I'm up to date with that one 😁

I hope you are all well and have been making the most of the sunny days, when we've had them, It's been a strange Summer.

See you soon

-X-

Watching the wildlife

 I've been putting food out and topping up the water bowl every night since I noticed the hedgehog in our garden, imagine my surprise and excitement when one night there were two little babies 😁

Since then I haven't seen the two babies together but sometimes mummy comes too and they share the cat biscuits I put out,   

They visit our garden anytime between 9.30 and 10.15, not sure where they are living but behind the summer house and shed is a likely place as they wouldn't be disturbed there at all. I've bought a hog house for them for the Winter, just need to decide on the most suitable place to put it, It wouldn't fit behind the shed but I may be able to get it close.  Aren't they sweet though?

I was so pleased to see that the frog population in my wildlife pond has increased, we now have two little froggies 😁  After the sad fate of the frog and the crow a few months back seeing these two made me happy.

A couple weeks ago Mark replaced all the windows in the summer house and painted the outside, 

now I'm busy painting the inside this week.  The ceiling and walls are all done and I've put one coat on the floor this morning, hoping that each coat will dry quickly and I can get that job finished and everything back in today.  I can't wait to spend some quiet time in there

Hope you are all well and enjoying the lovely weather we are having here at the moment.

Take care

-X-

Day's out and making the most of the sun

 I've mentioned before that I look after my youngest grandson, Jacob, on Wednesdays.  Joanne drops him off around 8.45 on her way to work and after dropping Bonnie at school.  We usually try to get out somewhere, even if it's just to the park, as was the case today.  There's not always time for us to go out for the whole day as once Joanne has picked Bonnie up from school there is about an hour before she has to leave and take Jacob to Squirrels, where she is also one of the helpers. 

Even though we are well into the Summer months the weather hasn't been great, we've had the odd few days here and there and It just so happened that one of those rare hot sunny days was on a Wednesday, three weeks ago to be exact, memorable because since then temperatures haven't reach anywhere near what we had for those few days.  Of course we had to make the most of it and as you can see Jacob thoroughly enjoyed the trip to the local outdoor splash park.  

Last week Mark was off work and was able to come out with us, so we went a little further afield.

I've been to Llangollen many times, as a child and as an adult, it's a lovely little town, I've shared photos of some of my visits before, they are in the Labels section on the right hand side of my blog.  On this day though we were heading for a little place just outside Llangollen first, a place called Trevor which is home to the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct.  

It's been somewhere that I wanted to visit for a while and recently Margaret, who blogs at 

https://margaretmyblog.blogspot.com/  came to the UK with her sister and posted about their visit to Trevor and the viaduct and it reminded me that It really isn't that far, and we should go soon.

The plan had been to take the canal boat trip over the viaduct but after walking over it, very carefully and with me gripping onto Jacob with two hands, I decided that perhaps I wasn't brave enough that day after all.  The viaduct is 126feet high and the views are stunning, unfortunately I only managed to get a couple photos because I found that If I kept moving It wasn't so bad, standing still was a different matter.

After we'd had some lunch we drove the ten minutes into Llangollen.  We didn't know it but that day it was the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.  Apparently the festival started in 1947 "As a means of healing the wounds of WWII" and is held every July.  With 34 countries and 3,000 participants this year its a big event.  We saw the singers from Japan practicing on the River Dee, they were good, very very good.  Later in the afternoon there was a parade with those taking part in their national dress.  Unfortunately we had to set off for home before it started so missed out on seeing what must have been a great sight.  

I'll have to make it something I put on the calendar for next year.

We had a walk along the river Dee, stopping to feed the ducks and walk on the rocks on the way to the canal side, where we did get to have a ride in a barge, or banooke, as he still calls them.  We just managed to get on the last horse draw trip of the day along part of the Llangollen canal. 

The kids break up from school on Thursday so this week he had his graduation from nursery, Joanne sent me these photos of him in his cap and gown 

After several attempts he threw the cap up and it landed on his face, so funny!

 We only have one more Nanny and Jacob Wednesday because after the holidays he will start school, how fast the time goes.

-X-