Three pairs of finished socks
Opal Prisma, Schoeller & Stahl Fortissima, Kaffe Fassett Regia Mirage Caribbean
That brings my total number of pairs of socks to 5 for the year. 3 pairs currently on the needles but with a Bank Holiday looming and a few hours in the car one of my May goals may still be achievable.
Happy Knitting
xx
Today I was lucky enough to sopend the day at Chelsea Flower Show.
The show is held annually for five days in May. It is held at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea and has been since 1913. This will be the 85th show to be held at this site. Originally known as the Great Spring Show, it was first held in Kensington in 1862
This is the ultimate event in the gardening year. It sets the latest gardening trends, features the newest and most desirable gardening products and creates an explosion of colours and scents.
RHS staff, exhibitors and contractors start planning for the show 18 months in advance. Work is already underway for the show in 2009. It takes 800 people three and a half weeks to build the show. Construction of the show includes 5km of piping, 185 toilets and enough canvas to cover six football pitches. The Great Pavilion covers nearly 12,000 sq m. Around 250 new plants have been launched at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show over the past four years. 17,000 sq m of turf is re-laid after the show. The showground covers 11 acres.
There are around 600 exhibitors in total. The show features around 50 gardens and more than 100 floral exhibitors in the Great Pavilion. International exhibitors come from countries as far away as the Sweden, Barbados, Sri Lanka, France, Holland, Germany, Australia, Jamaica, South Africa, Trinidad & Tobago and Zimbabwe. Some exhibitors such as Nottcutts, Kelways and McBean's Orchids have exhibited at the show since its early days.
Among the top garden designers creating show gardens this year are Jinny Blom, Andy Sturgeon, Diarmuid Gavin, Sarah Eberle, Marcus Barnett, Philip Nixon and Gabriella Pape and Isabelle Van Groeningen.
David and I started the day with breakfast at the Bistro Restaurant which offers the best views of the show overlooking some of the major gardens. We had to book in advance and good job we did - it was very busy. I did a few rows on my "green" sock that I cast on on the train. The reason for "green" was becasue Chelsea was very much themed around green. This is Regia Kaffe Fassett sock yarn in Mirage colourway.
There was a bandstand in the picnic/seating area in Ranelagh Gardens. At different times of the day we were able to listen to Jonathan Ansell, Jive Aces and The Guards Association Band. We took a few breaks here to give the legs a rest. You can walk a few miles around the show!
I managed to take rather a few photo's. I will share a selection
Has someone left their knitting in one of the gardens?
All in all we had a fabulous day and my knitting enjoyed the day too!
Happy Knitting
xx
200 miles and 9 hours of knitting time later I think I have the perfect excuse to cast on a new pair of socks. The yarn had to have green in it and there is a reason for this - all will be revealed. I have chosen the Regia Kaffe Fassett sock yarn in Mirage colourway with randon colour splashes.
Well I thought the yarn had a lot of green in. Pop by tomorrow and we shall see the real thing all being well.
Happy Knitting.
It is not often that David and I venture out on a Saturday evening however yesterday evening we were lucky enough to get tickets to see England's oldest and best loved traditional Brass Band, the Grimethorpe Colliery Band. They were performing at the Corn Exchange as part of the Newbury Spring Festival.
Music included Festival Music by Eric Ball, Henry the Fifth by William Walton and Music for Battle Creek by Philip Sparke - the Sparke piece is the 2007 English National Brass Band Championships Test Piece performed by the Band when they won the title at the Royal Albert Hall.
The Grimethorpe Colliery Band is probably best known for providing the soundtrack to the film Brassed Off, which then went on to be nominated for a BAFTA award.
The evening was fabulous and my knitting enjoyed it too.
I began the concert with this
and when I arrived at Caffe Nero earlier today I discovered I had made a fair bit of progress during the concert
and when I was ready to leave Nero's even more progress,
2 hours and 2 grande americano's later I might add. It is surprising how time flies when you are having fun. Bradley enjoyed it sat reading his Star Wars and Dr Who book's.
In fact this is two Saturday nights in succession. We were also lucky enough to have tickets for the opening night of the Spring Festival last Saturday when we saw Clare Teal. Another excellent evening which my knitting also enjoyed.
Well at least I am making progress with one of my May knitting goals - get sock WIPS down to 1 pair.
Happy Knitting
xx
Further progress has been made with Glint. I have just pressed the pieces of knitting so I can begin sewing up.
The summer tweed which my mum bought me for my birthday has been transformed in to a nearly finished garment
I even have a button ready. I just hope it works with the buttonhole!
Happy knitting.
x
The knitting for Glint is finished, just the sewing up to do. Not today though! I don't think it will take too long to sew up so perhaps tomorrow evening! First I need to recharge the batteries.
Rain is forecast but I want Glint to be ready for when we have our next batch of "wall to wall" sunshine. This Friday would be good for a bout of sunshine as I have an afternoon at the the races.
I am also making good progress with my sock WIPS. The next 6 weeks are looking extremely busy with various trips here and there so need to get the sock program sorted to cover all eventualities - whether my travels be by car, train or even on the water!
Happy knitting
xx
Recently I was lucky enough to win 6 balls of Rowan Yorkshire Tweed Aran yarn on eBay.
A beautiful deep burgundy with flecks of red, green and purple and I shall be knitting Demi.
This will be lovely for the autumn and will feature in my knitting plans later in the year.
Meanwhile it is back to current projects - I have goals to meet in May and need to focus on them!
Happy Knitting.
xx
What a fantastic week this is turning out to be. Warm and sunny.
A slight deviation on the knitting projects though. The sunny weather got me casting on
Glint from the Kim Hargeaves collection
It is a quick knit and should get plenty of wear if this warm and sunny weather continues. It is knitted in Rowan Summer Tweed and I am using the oats shade. The back and half the left front are knitted.
Talking of summer I am thinking about whether to sign up Summer of Socks 2008. This is a two month knitalong that starts on June 21st and ends on September 1st. During the course of the two month along, you can knit as many or as few socks as you like.
I think it will be fun. The closing date is 15th May so not long left to decide.
Happy Knitting.
Another pair of socks off of the wip list thanks to me little helper, Bradley, this morning. We sat outside Caffe Nero's. Bradley had a glass of milk, I had a large coffee as did my mum.
Bradley
Then it was back home after a swift visit to Tesco Metro's as David and I weere lunching with a couple of friends Kostya and Laura.
We went Blubecker's where they do a wonderful roast chicken! The weather was ok, warm enough for a handknit so
Devon Stripe got her inaugural outing
Devon Stripe is from the RY Classic Coast book and knitted in the cotton jeans yarn. I used the same colours as in the book - canvas, sail cloth, jute and madras.
Tomorrow is a Bank Holiday. The weather forecast is for light showers which is no surprise as it is the annual Crafty Craft race here in Newbury.
Happy Knitting
xx
Anyway it is a new month and time to start the monthly goals. So here goes for May - starting gently
Away we go - 31 days in May including 2 bank holidays! Only 28 days left.
I will leave you with this
A beautiful flowering cactus sat in my kitchen window.
