christmas knitting

The late hours of Christmas eve and early hours of Christmas morning were spent, not relaxing with a mulled wine in front of the open fire and a good book or movie, but instead frantically finishing this hat I had promised myself I would gift to my mother on Christmas Day. 

As it is the same hat I knit for myself a few months back, I thought it would be quicker this time. I was mistaken. The general busyness of the festive period meant I couldn't dedicate as much time as I would have liked to this. Also, no matter how many time you knit this, it is still a fiddly one, with the varying rows, cables and bobbles. 

I love the finished piece - this hat is pretty and looks especially nice in this colour. And my mum was very pleased with it. However, I'm looking forward to my next project, the Ammolite cowl from PomPom magazine. 

project life 2014

As Christmas begins to wind down, thoughts turn to the new year and the possibilities it brings. I'm not one for resolutions. I've made them before and can never stick with them - health, projects, photo a day... i can't make them stick.

However (...haha - cue much eye rolling on my part...) I do plan on sticking with one in the coming year.

One of the lovely presents I received this Christmas was a Project Life album and pages from my brother and his girlfriend. I've never been a scrapbooker, but I think that Project Life will be a great way for me to continuously record, through photos and some *light* journaling (aka - a few words on some simple cards) the year. Having looked at a lot of blogs I think that I will be of more minimalist tendency, and I've been pinning some of my favourite styles on a pinterest board.

The majority of Project Life albums are kid-focused. As it's just the husband and I at the moment, I have been inspired by some posts by Caylee as to how Project Life can be about so much more than documenting kids growing up - she's put together a great list of ideas that I know I'll refer to throughout the year for inspiration and highlighted some great kid-free layouts.

So I've ordered myself the Midnight Project Life core kit - I love the neutral backdrop it will provide for my own photos, but I do plan on slotting in some other colours, primarily pale blues and golds.

I'm very excited for this...here's to a creative and well-documented 2014 - Cheers!

light up light up

Festival of Light, Mountstewart

23.11.2013

Orchids & Fairy Lights Hat

...aka my lovely new autumn hat.

The pattern is Orchids & Fairy Lights by Tiny Owl Knits, and the wool is Malabrigo Worsted. Super soft and lovely to work with. On a recent trip to London (the night before which I was frantically finishing the hat in order to wear it that week) I visited the beautiful shop Loop in Islington, where I picked up a couple more skeins of this wool in other beautiful colours. I'm reluctantly going to knit them up into Christmas gifts...

My head is currently whirling with projects I want to cast on, becoming more and more confused with the different wools, the different patterns and whether they will match up. Tonight I plan to lay it all out and make a plan. Using Ravelry is a good way to keep it organised, so i guess i'd better line them up in the project queue rather than continuously adding new patterns to the library.

Is anyone else planning on knitting some gifts for Christmas?

Did sea define the land or land the sea?

The timeless waves, bright, sifting, broken glass,
Came dazzling around, into the rocks,
Came glinting, sifting from the Americas

To posess Aran. Or did Aran rush
to throw wide arms of rock around a tide
That yielded with an ebb, with a soft crash?

Did sea define the land or land the sea?
Each drew new meaning from the waves' collision.
Sea broke on land to full identity. 

Lovers on Aran

Seamus Heaney

Downhill Demesne & Mussenden Temple
21st September 2013

field notes

I have inadvertently amassed myself a collection of Field Notes. I didn't mean to, but every time the email comes through with the next limited edition, I can't help it.

They are a perfect little notebook. Small, slim, lightweight, graph-lined with a handy section at the front for noting your name and pertinent co-ordinates, should it be misplaced.

They are arriving in my postbox, being admired and then stowed away and saved for a future use. But I have no idea what that future use is. 

So time to start taking them out into the field. Having been inspired by reading Elizabeth Spiers' On Keeping a Notebook in the Digital Age, I resolve to keep one on my person and note down ideas for knitting projects, recipes, travels, decor and anything else that catches my eye. Notes on my iphone isn't going to cut it any more.

holiday on film, part four

Formentor beach. We took a boat round to this hidden spot, sought shelter in a cafe (of sorts) from a rain shower, and then swam in the clear water. 

holiday on film, part three

Some days were just spent at the villa - swimming, reading, eating, snoozing and drinking.

Which is sometimes what holidays are all about.

holiday on film, part two

This film turned out beautifully - it truly shows the warmth of the colours that we saw every day.  I think it was a lomo 100. 

Every single time I get another film developed from this camera, I fall in love with it more and more. The depth of field and clarity of the images are perfect. I'm so glad I left the digital slr at home and "relied" on the film one. 

1. entrance to our villa  

2. beautiful blue shutters that match the sky  

3. elderflower cocktails  

4. an evening paddle  

5. more delicious cocktails  

6. looking out to the table where we ate breakfast, lunch and dinner in the heat  

7 - 12. lunch and taking in old town pollenca