Where do you keep yours

JosieKitten is taking part in Knitting and Crochet Blog Week and doing a great job, I'm very impressed. I wasn't aware of this event or I might not have joined in but there again I am prone to idleness so this counts as my contribution. I loved JK's stash revelations, admired her storage and accessories and she got me thinking how different my own arrangements are. I'm not one for exposing my stash, mostly it's hidden away until I take all the yarn out for a bit of adoration and project fantasy but I do like to make a feature of some items. So my needles live in a vase, that I think I found in Sainsbury'sand I display some choice yarns on top of an old laundry hamper that is of course full of wool. More stash in the box in the hall and finally a rather chaotic department at the bottom of the airing cupboard. I did see an interesting post about someone who kept their craft supplies in a set of old suitcases, practical and portable.I have these two vintage pieces of luggage, I particularly like the tweed Antler case that I fancy would make excellent stash storage, but then again do I want to encourage myself to buy even more yarn.

Expiry Date

I don't take a blind bit of notice of expiry dates. I use my common sense and don't eat things that are obviously on the turn but if I have something that is well past its best by date I have been known to simply peel off that bit of the label and continue as normal. I remember hearing John Humphrys on Radio 4's Breakfast programme one day discussing this subject and saying that yoghurt was no good till it was weeks past it's expiry date and just about blowing the lid of the carton. I agree.

So I was amused to see in the local diy/garden centre this week that some perennials (and there is possibly a clue in the name) had been reduced from £2.99 to 50p because they had reached their best before date. How can plants about to spring into action and looking perfectly healthy possibly have a limited shelf life. Naturally I snapped them up and they are doing fine in the greenhouse. I have however seen a few signs that winter has now reached it's expiry date. We've had real spring weather that has done me the world of good and I can report that my favourite sheep are back in the field behind our houseI have a word with them most days. My favourite hellebore is flowering again, gorgeousand my favourite husband (so far still within his shelf life) has had his first bonfire of the season.

Scream if you want to go faster

It's a gloriously sunny day, there are just a few patches of snow remaining on the hills, washing is on the line, spring is definitely coming but somehow it just isn't exciting me as it should. It's always a long wait for us here, everyone else sees the arrival of spring bulbs well before we do, I usually don't mind but this year it just doesn't seem right.

I have lovely bulbs flowering inside and out, my orchids are putting on a wonderful display, the little cyclamen I've had for years is doing it's best, but nothing quite hits the spot.

I've started sowing seeds, my sweet peas are up and some tomatoes, I have potting to do and a small bed near the front door to renovate.

I'm wearing new socks and have another pair on the needles, which match very well with the lacy scarf I didn't knit and my knitting bag.

Plenty of things to keep me occupied, lots to admire but the usual anticipation just isn't there, I'm not sure if it isn't all the sadness in the world at present that's impacting on me. So many people going through such terrible times and I have much to be grateful for, lots of plans, a birthday party, possibly a visit from a friend overseas, another market stall and best of all a trip to Italy when the Giro passes through our village. That's it, I'm off to give myself a good talking to, then get some soil under my finger nails. Have a lovely spring weekend, I plan to.

Grizzly weather

At the end of last year we received a lovely calender from our friends in Canada. Mr FF and I both agreed we were looking forward to March, gorgeous black bears in a blizzard. I didn't expect when I turned to this month that we'd soon be having our own version of the British Columbia weather.Yes more snow. Pam and Andrew are coming for dinner tonight but instead to attending to the duck I've been clearing the drive, bound to give me an appetite.

The forecast for the weekend is more snow, Mr FF is of course planning a trip up to Perthshire on Sunday with his walking chums and an early flight on Monday. We've been there before haven't we, I shall be knitting my much needed new socks in front of the stove.
Enjoy your weekend, with or without snow, with or without bears.

I'm a cobbler's kid

Actually I'm not you probably know I'm a farmer's daughter but I am quite badly shod* at the moment. My FF has a very nice selection of hand knit socks in his drawer but I'm down to just two pairs of my own knits having worn out quite a lot of pairs recently. But apart from a bit of half hearted darning am I remedying this, no I've just finished these a plain knit pair in Opal for my April market that I might claim if they don't sell,

and these Diagonal Cross-rib socks another pattern from Favourite Socks by Interweave. They came out quite small, probably a man's 7 or 8 but I didn't have any more Regia Stretch to make them bigger. That's two great patterns this book has provided and there are lots more I want to try.
I collected two of my library reservations today, really lovely books that cost me 50p each to reserve. I particularly like the Knitted Gifts, it has some great ideas like felted oven gloves but before embarking on anything like that I should stock up on socks, just basic plain everyday socks, I can create the perfect pair later.

*"The cobbler's bairns are aye the worst shod" : this Scots saying (the cobbler's kids have the worst shoes) means that someone with a particular skill or trade is often the worst at applying it at home.