Hippy Cat

Some years ago we bought a catnep plant from a nursery stall. This is no ordinary catnep. Cats go wild for this. We have passed on cuttings to numerous friends who have had to resort to growing it in hanging baskets or similar so that their cats do not demolish it. We grow ours in a cage outdoors but pot it up and bring it in for the winter. It was recently in bud so we nipped out the ends to let it bush out. Here is our cat Painter getting the scent.

Sew and sew

Last Sunday I went with the group 'Doigts Agiles' to a quilt exhibition at Flamanville (near to Cherbourg and proposed site of a controversial new nuclear power station). As usual some of the work was stunning. The detailed, expert work produced by ordinary women in their 'spare time' beggars belief sometimes. I particularly liked the use of colour in this one, the detailed quilting on top of the patchwork probably wont show well in the photo but believe me it was stunning.


My favorite was much simpler, obviously influenced by Klimt.



Here is a more detailed shot.



I love the fabrics and the whole effect was so rich. Considering brown is probably my least favorite colour it just goes to show how little that means when it is used well.

There was also a bag in similar fabrics shaped like a scarab beetle. Sorry the photo is a little blurry I obviously got too close.



Wouldn't that make a divine project bag?

Talking of bags the pattern for the patchwork bag which everyone in 'Doigts Agiles' seems to be making is still the project of the moment in all sorts of styles, sizes and crocheted as well as sewn. I finally succumbed and made one.



Aren't the fabrics lovely? I got them from Dale a wonderful woman originally from the US now living over here. She is retired but has a 'quilting barn' where she runs classes. It is reputedly full of yummy fabric. I am plotting to visit with a few friends as soon as funds allow.

In the meantime I received this yarn from Les Laine



six skeins of mercerised cotton and one skein of lace weight wool in ‘Barbie Rose’

Thanks to my Secret Pal

At last you get to see a photo of all the goodies my Secret Pal sent. Just as well the photo was still in the camera when it came back as the Peanut Butter Cups (yes I had already started them at this point) are long gone, the soap is fast disappearing and the supersoft roving is half spun. I have also started the Lacy Leaf Cocoon from the Crochet booklet (in SWTC bamboo, photos another time).

Thank you so much Secret Pal.

Time to Dye

I have done quite alot of dying for one project or another over the last couple of weeks and thought you might like to see some of the results. It has mostly been sock wool, some of which has gone off for swaps.


I have gone back to using the long skein method. It may be tedious but I didn't make half as much mess as when I used a warping board (I obviously didn't tie off in enough places) but I painted the yarn anyway and I will attempt to skein it... sometime.

These are the yarns I have sent off for my swaps this month. The one in shades of blue is for my June Project Spectrum Dyed Sock Wool partner and the other is for my Dye-O-Rama swap partner.

Here are some samples of them knitted up too.

Incidentally they are inside my first Kitty Pi for which I also dyed the wool. It is mostly used by Jenkins, seen here in complete abandon.

I have dyed up some more of this yarn as I have 4 more Kitty Pi's to go. I really like the rainbow one.


This is the same yarn I used to make my Olympic knitting. I bought 5 Kg from ebay in white. It is not the softest or most even yarn but dyes and felts beautifully. Here is the coat I made for the Olympics it is from Noro pattern #746 from Vol #18

Here is a detail of the cable pattern. This was my first cable garment and I really enjoyed it.



...and some more examples of sock yarn I have dyed.

Blue June

Just had to take a pic of the Love-in-a-Mist that thrives in the rough patches of the garden. This is my sort of flower, it comes back year after year with no effort on my part.

Sorry Secret Pal

A big apology to my secret parcel who sent me the most wonderful parcel of goodies, including roving to spin, a crochet book I coveted, notelets, soap and lovely smelly things and a packet of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. I took a picture of it all and have just realised that my partner, Keith has gone off to Holland with a friend for a few days and taken that camera with him and I hadn't downloaded it yet! How stupid can I be? It will have to wait for the weekend to see the goodies in all their glory. Well just to liven up the post here is a picture of one of the black cats, Marge, in her current favorite sleep-in-the-shade place.

Project Spectrum May

Well now it is June which for Project Spectrum is blue month. So it is time to wrap up May. May was the green month. Look at the lovely sock yarn and bead markers dyed specially for me by my Project Spectrum dyed sock wool swap partner Danielle. Thanks Danielle. In May I dyed some of the mohair from our goats a lovely variegated green. It seems appropriate to include a photo of the Green Man in our garden as well.

Aujord’hui est le debut de Juin, le mois de bleu pour Project Spectrum. Mai était le mois de vert et j’ai recu des fil de chaussette et des repère maille en perles de mon amie de Project Spectrum Dyed Sock Wool Swap, Danielle. Merci, Danielle.