A day at the seaside

Long time no post.

But I have been knitting - all sorts of things - all on my flickr pages, but my current favourite knitted thing is a moebius cowl.

It is quite magical - knitted in the round, starting in the middle of the band and with only one bind-off edge.

The reason for this post is that today I discovered just how close York is to the coast. Only an hour's drive to Scarborough! So an impulse day out is possible, though today's trip was planned as soon as I saw the weather forecast was good.

We walked along the beach, around the harbour and back up to the top of the cliff to eat our sandwiches looking over the South Bay. (We resisted the Fish and Chips, though decided we need to find out which is the best chippy.)

Our car park time had run out, so we drove round to the North Bay - what a contrast!

South Bay was sheltered and calm. North Bay was windy with proper waves (and Free Parking until 1st March).

There is nothing like some wind and waves to set you up for the week.

Inspired knitters

Illuminating York

As a child a highlight of the autumn was a trip to Blackpool Illuminations - a crawl along the promenade to marvel at the coloured lighting effects and then on to the fair.
Matlock Bath has its illuminations too, with illuminated boats floating down the river.
Not to be out done there is Illuminating York.
This year we wentt into town to see what it was all about. It centres around the Minster area.
The highlight was images projected onto the end wall of the Southern transept which features the famous Rose Window.

I only took my small camera so it was difficult to take a reasonable photo - next year .....
There was a series of projections including falling roses and stained glass window effects.
In the gardens behind the minster were other light shows, including a piece of modern stained glass, Unifying Light, by local artist Julia Spall based on work with Refugee Action.
Other lighting included lighting some of the trees from below, including this Acer.


This showed the texture of the bark well.


And I've been knitting too.

My autumn vest has made good progress - the body is complete, the shoulders need to be sewn and then I can make decisions about the edging.

Running

Beginning of the cross country season today, so back to soggy fields and autumn colours. No time to photos of runners as I was asked to judge the finish of the races and make sure people kept in line in the funnel.
I didn't go to any races last winter so it was great to go back, the buzz as I walked into brought back memories of previous winters: the smell of deep heat and sweat as the men run, the gasping for breath as they finish, wishing I could run it too, until I calculate that I would be so far behind the last lady I'd be lapped by the next two races. A great way to spend a Saturday afternoon, and the sun shone for a while.

And I have been knitting too:
A swatch for my latest project a waistcoat / vest in autumnal colours, this is inspired by Jane Thornley's approach to knitting.
Mostly this is knitted with two fingering weight yarns ("4-ply") jnitted together, which creates a greater range of colours, and some more subtle colour changes.

Some things learned from the swatch and more as I go. I am waiting for a sunny morning to take more photos of the 'real thing'.

Changing scenery?

One of the joys of the autumn is picking up a freshly fallen conker. That beautiful colour and the feel of the gloosy shell. It doesn't last long, after a few days the gloss has gone and it begins to dehydrate.

And the pleasure may not be with us for many more years either.

I had a few days in Oxfordshire last week. Whilst driving my Mum around we noticed that the Horse Chestnut trees had turned brown ahead of other trees around. My Mum said she had heard that there is a disease affecting them, she was correct.
The Independent on Sunday reports today Spread of alien moth puts Britain's conker trees at risk

Imagine the change to our countryside if we lose them all - changes on the scale of the loss of elms last century.

Enjoy them while you can.

Knitting too
I have a few things completed, taking part in The Yarn Yard 12 in 12 challenge means completing a pair of socks each month for 12 months.
This is my September pair.

I also knitted a pair across the months - Nightmail:



And then there is the longer term project to knit a waistcoat.
A Jane Thornley pattern, Road to Indigo >

This is taking some time but the beautiful yarns are giving such amazing colours.

Seize the moment

Driving along the A64 this evening I had to stop the car. The sky was spectacular and there was an opportune lay-by with a good view of the western sky.


A couple of minutes later the colours were already fading.


So I had indeed seized the moment just in time.

Holidays

We had a great holday in Elie, Fife, with lots of chances to walk on the beach.


And take lots of photos.


Lots more on Flickr.

And I did some knitting too - some socks for a biologist colleague who has been a great support during my first year in the new job.

No longer missing

I haven't posted for months. I am not sure why, but today I feel like catching up.

Lots has happened - we have bought a little house in York, and it is beginning to feel like another home, though there is toing and froing at weekends - sometimes I go to Derby and sometimes MrBeanz comes here.











I have been learning to love the bike - its so much quicker to cycle the 1.4 miles (wow!) to work , I am gaining confidence in going slowly, dealing with traffic and getting up the small inclines I encounter. I hope to venture further this summer.

And I have been knitting - a fews things here.

keeping warm

I wanted to knit a gilet type garment - my desk at work is by a north facing window, which is leaky (water splashed on my desk when the window cleaner came, even though it was 'closed').

So I get cold, but I am at an age when my thermostat is unstable, so I need clothing that comes on and off easily.

I couldn't find something I liked so I had to make it up as a go along. Modular knitting is ideal for this - add a bit, hold it up and see whether it needs another chunk.

So I have knitted this.

The image is a little dark - my house has only a northern aspect, with the light not really getting into the house or garden, so tricky to take daylight photographs.

But there has been some lovely morning light this week, our local church looked great this week in the low sunlight.

On the road again

Before I came to York I was teaching, before that I worked as a freelancer in Science curriculum development.
At that stage I spent quite a lot of time travelling and Cambridge was a commone destination.
I was back there this weekend. They put me in a hotel across the town from the meeting.
That meant a walk across Jesus Green, Midusmmer Common and Parker's Piece in the morning. What's not to like about that?





























I watched James May on the Moon this evening. It reminded me of this photo I took last week on the way to work. Morning Moon

reflections - a year of p/hop

Hmm the link doesn't seem to work. Click here instead.

Hanging on

This oak tree has been hanging on to its leaves despite the wind and rain of the past week.

The people of Cockermouth and Workington have not fared so well.

They have had a terrible time - many of them will have lost almost everythign as the water levels rose to 2.5 metres in places.

Sadly a policeman died as he warned people not to cross a dangerous bridge.
Last weekend I suggested to MrBeanz that we go to Woolfest next summer - now it seems even more important to go and support the businesses in this stricken community.

Feed the birds ...

We bought a bird feeder for the York garden this weekend. There are so many hedges close by, I thought we'd be sure to attract some birds.

The starlings found it first and were queuing up to eat the fat balls.

Their noise attracted the great tit in to the nuts and then I began to see other birds hovering in the hedge the other side of the wall - including blackbirds, a bullfinch and a wren.


My camera will now sit by the window waiting for more pics - I need a longer lens.

Why do I knit?

The Craft Council wants to promote crafts in the UK.

I'd have thought that was their raison d'etre?

So they have a campaign going at the moment and you can register your support.

Here’s the text from their website:
If craft is important to you, we want you to let us know. The Crafts Council believes that Craft Matters and we want to show that it matters to thousands of people across the UK as much as it does to us. The government’s own data tells us that “17% of the population took part in a craft activity in 2008/09” – we want to show what that statistic looks like in real support so that everyone can see that craft is highly valued. So, sign up today and pass this email on to friends and colleagues. Together, we will show how much Craft Matters.

Why do I knit?

Knitting gives me an opportunity to be creative in a busy day; provides moments of calm for thought or meditation; allows me to make beautiful things for my family and friends; has given me the opportunity to make new friends.

Making connections

A couple of weeks ago I picked these up and they have been sitting on my desk, gradually drying out and losing their glorious gloss.















Today I made the connection with this, which is also sitting on my desk, maybe sold as an 'executive toy', but also called Newton's cradle. You may be familiar with it, if not watch what it does. It was always a fascination to someone in a physics class.



But what about this - a newer physics toy and don't blink when you press play or you will miss it.
Superficially it is similar to the above both have ball bearings, and you might expect it to behave in a similar way, but in fact it behaves very differently.



Come back tomorrow for more on this.

Life

I don't know if you have been watching David Attenborough's latest series Life, but t is full of amazing photgraphy. It is about survival and adaptation. But surprisingly DA does not use the word evolution because, apparently, according to reliable sources, it would be much harder to sell the series in the US.

Last night's programme Birds had a particularly wonderful sequence about Clark's grebe and its courtship behaviour. The sequence was filmed with a background music trackand just a few words from DA.

You can see it on iPlayer (maybe only in the UK?) at about 35 minutes into the programme - it follows a gruesome section showing pelicans eating live gannet chicks! I suspect it will be on YouTube soon - currently YouTube just has the finale of the dance in a trailer.

Walls

This is a late post for Saturday.
It was a glorious morning and I had to walk down to the Post Office to collect a package. I took my camera, wondering what the theme for today would be.

As I walked along ther road it became obvious resulting in a strange woman taking photos of blank walls!

Modular Knitting

At first sight modular knitting might seem the complete antithesis of the freeform knitting I did last week.
But because modular knitting happens in little chunks it is possible to make decisions as you go.
So my sock yarn blanket (also in my avatar) is made of lots of little squares knitted from many different yarns, I have been using colours semirandomly.

The modular waistcoat (left) I am now building is from just one yarn and I have been just adding squares and seeing how it goes - actually that isn't quite true, I did sketch out a design on squared paper, and am recording how what actually happens.
I need to finish it as I want to wear it at work. And then I can get on with other projects!

Local Hero

Remember, remember the fifth of November,

The gunpowder treason and plot,

I know of no reason

Why the gunpowder treason

Should ever be forgot.

Thanks to local hero, Guy Fawkes we went to a great Bonfir Night this evening.
Guy Fawkes was born and educated in York, so no Guys on the bonfires here!
There was a fire juggler - with his lovely assistant who had a fire hula hoop!

And a bonfire.

And fireworks.











And the safe alternative to sparklers - the led whirly thing.

there and back again

I set out early for work but paused to admire the avenue of trees, just sycamore but still they look good - I wonder who planted them for my benefit?

The leaf litter is appreciated by blackbirds, I counted at least eight rooting around as I walked along - plenty of hedges for nests around here.
















About three minutes later I realised I had left my work keys on teh shelf at home. So I turned to walk back and had the view back along the avenue towards my house.

I continue to marvel at my luck at having such a pleasant walk to work.