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Showing posts with label countryside. Show all posts
Showing posts with label countryside. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Life Goes On




Happy Valentines Day :)   

















































































If flowers are more your thing then daffs can't be beat at this time of year, a promise of spring around the corner. It's too early for them in the gardens yet but a cheerful tin for the jar - details on the Attic 24 blog. I see Lucy has added some rather lovely buttons and such so I shall have to embellish!

 This was made using the Special DK leftovers from DD1's blanket, I'd love to do them in Rowan Handknit Cotton, like Lucy, maybe another time. Meanwhile I used what I had in :)
Makes for a colourful mantlepiece , but as well as a little crochet I have also been knitting since I was last here and have many projects to share. One of which, my sheepheid, helped to keep me warm in January when we went for a frosty walk in and around Cambo, Northumberland. Near the parking place there is a fabulous old water fountain which I will photograph on another visit, the light was in all the wrong places this time :)



Over Christmas I finished some jumpers and I'll show you those tomorrow, enough for tonight as I am off to look for buttons for my crochet tin covers :) I'm also just in to a DK cardi - but more of that when there is something to take a picture of. I hope the new year is treating you well so far, half way into February already? Time really marches on and we must march with it, onward and upward, hook and needles in hand :)

Monday, October 10, 2011

Alwinton Border Shepherding Show

 There were lots of classes in the tent and after the judges were finished we had a look to see who has won, this was the most surprising! Decorate a Wellington Boot - this chicken was fabulous!
 If you didn't have a boot to decorate, how about a potato? Something of a bird theme going on here :)
 Some beautiful flower displays, many more than I can show here I'm afraid.
 The walking sticks were something to behold, shame you can't get close enough for a really good view.

 What is a country show without a giant leek or two and in this case three.
 Great entries in the carrots too.
 Fabulous onions.
 Parsnips like you've never seen - I wonder what they taste like, I like parsnips :)
 And you need a certain vegetable growing skill to get 5 different veg to this standard.
 Don't forget the tomatoes!
Well, due to the weather the show looked better from inside the tents. It did get slightly better as the day went on but you can't expect too much at the beginning of October.


The local school put on a beautiful display and the children entered their own set of classes in handwriting.


 Mosaic pots and paintings all beautifully decorated and displayed.
 The standard of photographs and pictures was very high and very impressive.
 As were the quiches, scones, pies and cakes.

The lemon curd is a personal favourite but there were jams and pickles and marmalade too.






 Elsewhere even the dogs were dressed for the weather.
 The local spinning guild were there and taught Katy to make a braid which she found fascinating.

 More of those well dressed hounds, they were definitely ready for the weather as were their owners.
 Luckily a little rain can't stop a small girl from enjoying her hotdog.
 The pipers were playing up a storm of a different kind
 and they all looked the part and put on a great show.






 I only saw one pair of what looked like hand knitted socks, though I could be wrong, I hope.
 This little fellow looked like he wished he had one of those dogs coats.
 Happily there were plenty of sheep.










 Even if we couldn't get at the cake we could admire it.

 Of course the highlight of the day for me was the knitting and some surprising winners and runners up and sadly too many classes where only a few entries meant that every one got a prize.



 This one got a special mention with the information that it would have won but for the fact that it was a cardi and the class was for jumpers :(
 A knitted shepherd has to be a winner although Katy thought the dog just out of shot was a better choice!






 I also really liked the pencil drawings so I thought I'd show you those too.


There was some woollen and worsted handspun knitting and spinning yarns but my batteries ran out :( there were fewer classes and fewer entries. Later in the day there was Cumberland wrestling which I photographed a couple of years ago here -
I enjoy watching this but Katy was bored by now and the weather was still very wet so we came home. Next year I take 2 sets of batteries!