Little Cotton Rabbits

Longing for rain

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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We are longing for rain here and we British are not accustomed to making such statements about the weather, on the contrary we're usually characterised by carrying our umbrellas everywhere and complaining about it being too wet. It has however been so very hot and dry here for the last month and with no rain in the forecast for the next few weeks we are longing for a torrential downpour, though even a light shower would be most welcome. The land is utterly parched and out in the woods the leaves have crisped, turned yellow and fallen, the blackberries are already ripening in the hedgerows and acorns are already well on the way to dropping - as though autumn has already arrived. My pictures in the previous post of the countryside in June now prompt me to feel nostalgic for the green and lush growth that we had throughout the Spring. Everything is now baked dry, bleached out and wizened by the sun and the seasons seem to be all out of kilter. Though on a positive note there have been some amazing sunsets recently.

We're now half way through Toby's long summer break from college and we have fallen into a comfortable routine. In the mornings he chooses to stay in bed with his breakfast on a tray and his musical books and duplo to play with. Once he decides to get up he and I head off for a 2-3 mile walk and a picnic lunch. It's lovely spending time with him outdoors - he loves being outside and is usually at his best, especially when we have a quiet walk and don't encounter many people or dogs. It's a nice time together and we've mainly walked near to lakes and rivers where it's a still green and is a little cooler.

I had a couple of objectives to work on with him this summer and those are going well. Firstly I wanted to get him used to carrying his own rucksack with his snack and water bottle inside, that way my backpack isn't as laden and heavy and I don't get so worn out at the end of our walks. That has gone really well and he's now completely used to carrying his own supplies in his backpack - something I'll be so grateful for in the winter when he'll also be able to carrying the layers of clothing that he always removes on our winter walks.

My second objective is to get him to choose when to take off his ear defenders and hat without needing to be prompted. He always wears them whenever we go out anywhere as they help him cope with sensory overload, which he frequently struggles with and which often freezes him to the spot or results in a meltdown. When it is quiet and calm (with no barking dogs or human noise) he is relaxed enough to do without them and it's nice to see him coping without them for at least part of our daily walks.

Thirdly I'm trying to get him used to me stopping to take pictures of things. This is something that has always distressed him and so up to now it's something I've not often done. But being able to take pictures will make our walks more fulfilling and enjoyable for me and so with my eye on future life after college when he'll be my constant walking companion I've decided to start what will probably be a long process, so far with mixed results, though as you can see I have managed to get a few pictures on our recent walks.

On the knitting front there's not much to show, my fingers get all fat and fumbly in the hot weather but in between looking after Toby's every need I am slowly working on small versions of some of my animal patterns and also on some sweaters, coats and cardis for the smaller 7 inch sized animals. Once Toby is back into his term time routine in September I'll be free to step up the pace on these patterns and will keep you posted here. 

Hopefully see you again soonish, 'til then be well and happy x

 

 

Summer days

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summer has arrived. Here the month of June has the longest days of the year, and the countryside all around is at it's most green and pleasant so as there are only 2 more weeks until Toby finishes college for this year, I've been making the most of what free time I currently have. I'm getting out and about with my camera as much as possible, because although we'll walk every day over the long summer break together, walks with Toby are all about his needs rather than my wants, so we'll be going at the pace he dictates, along the route he chooses and he's really not keen on me stopping to take pictures of things.

For my solo adventure this last week I headed off to Panshanger Park. Though it's on the edge of Hertford town it feels like deep countryside, especially midday in the midweek, when there are few people there. Oh my, this place makes my soul sing, there's so much there to delight in...

wandering along the woodland paths, dappled with sunlight and cool green shade, listening to the small bird chatter in tree canopy overhead.

wading down through the open meadows, past the great gossamer globes of the goat's beard seed heads, swishing through the long grasses which move like the gentle swell of the sea in the breeze and buzz to the drone of bees, dragonflies and hoverflies and where the longhorn cattle go about their business of meditative munching.

squelching along the marshy margins of the lakes and the meandering river, where coots, ducks, swans and grebe all call out their warnings from nests hidden deep in the reeds and rushes.

The heat of the summer sun has not yet been with us long enough to have bleached the intense green from the leaves and everywhere there are flowers; exquisitely delicate lace of cow parsley, fragrant heads of elderflower, tiny flowers of deep periwinkle blue that glint in the verges along the path, daisies and buttercups and dog roses. I walk with a big smile on my face and a lightness in my heart that has been a little lacking of late.

Back at home I'm making plans for the autumn, which is when I'll have time to work properly again. I'm drawing up lists of the patterns that I'm planning to work on, and the tutorials that I'd like to share. As always these lists will probably be rather more ambitious than realistic, it's hard to factor in the limitations that caring for Toby brings and I forget that everything always seems to take twice as long as I'd imagined it would. I do however already have samples made for a blog post on the increases and decreases that I use in my patterns and their relative merits - I'm hoping to write that up and share it soon and as always I'll keep you posted on news of new patterns later in the year.

Well that's it until next time. I hope that you're able to find some of the same kind of joy that Panshanger brings to me sometime in your week ahead and that you've enjoyed seeing some of these pictures, thanks as always for visiting with me here, J x

PS: In my 3 hour wander I managed to take 443 photos! So these are the heavily edited highlights :)

 

 

Early April

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spring is in full swing here and the days are lengthening and warming up nicely. The plum tree blossom is now just faded confetti on the ground, but for a few weeks it was a glorious sight, especially when illuminated by the ghostly light of the full moon or warmed to a rosy glow by the rising sun. Do you see the red kite gliding overhead? It was only a few years ago that these majestic birds returned to this area, but now we see at least one every day and sometimes as many as six circling high overhead, they are wonderful to watch.

Here we've been plodding on quietly and keeping to familiar and comforting routines. There have been lots of walks in the woods with Toby, some pottering in the garden and some knitting of course. I've been wanting to use this beautiful hand-dyed yarn for a while and have spent far too long browsing on Ravelry and pondering which would be the right pattern for it and I'm very happy with the one that I finally chose. The pattern is simple and relaxing to knit, just what is needed right now, and it's knitting up beautifully. The yarn is 'Honey is Cool' Falkland Merino 4ply hand-dyed by Ocean Rose and the shawl pattern is 'Hollows' by Melody Hoffmann.

Lastly, as you can see there is a new little friend emerging from my needles. He's a little shy at the moment, having not yet been knitted any clothes to wear, I've been really indecisive about what to dress him in but I hope to be able to finalise his outfit from a couple of ideas that I've been working on and share the patterns soon - I'll keep the blog up to date with developments.

Thanks for visiting here with me, I hadn't intended to be absent from the blog for so long but finding the time seems to have become a little more difficult and sometimes it doesn't feel like I have anything interesting or relevant to share. I do however plan to be here a little more often, so hopefully see you soon and until then I hope that life is treating you kindly, J x

 

Snapshots from February

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These are some pictures from my February, but words seem hard to find right now. What to say when the world has undergone such a monumental change? Feelings of helplessness and hopelessness abound and it seems unlikely that anyone in the world will be untouched by the ramifications of this horrific war in Ukraine.

It is hard to balance feeling both overwhelmed and distraught at world events with moments of contentment and happiness in our own individual existence, it creates an uncomfortable mix of emotions that are hard to accommodate. But it is human to feel both, and so I am sending the hope that you are finding some moments of peace and pleasure in your days. As always I turn to nature for solace and find it constant and steadfast in it's ability to calm racing thoughts and soothe physical tension. There's knitting going on too, but it seems so inconsequential at the moment and I don't have anything finished to show.

I'm still trying to work out how best to help, for now I've donated to the British Red Cross Disaster Emergency Committee fundraising appeal but there are many many other charities raising funds to help. If you or your loved ones are directly affected you have my very deepest sympathies.

 

 

Christmas tree bears & a new friend

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This year it seems to be proving harder than ever to get organised for Christmas. I had so many things on my to do list for this week but on Monday Toby developed some snuffles, and although he has no other symptoms and isn't unwell in himself I felt that keeping him home from college was the responsible thing to do because the current situation has us all feeling a little paranoid and extra sensitive to other peoples coughs and sneezes. Anyway, I'm going to be deleting a few of the less essential things from my list and what doesn't get done by friday will simply have to stay undone :)

I have ticked one thing off my list today though and that is to upload a new and updated version of my tiny bear Christmas tree decorations. I first shared this in December 2008 and I thought it could use a make-over and a few new photos. The instructions are the same as they were and are very simple and fairly quick, if a little fiddly, to follow. If you wanted to make some of your own you can download the new copy of the file from here:  download now 

And you can see all of the projects that others have made over the years (including lots of sweet adaptations) over on Ravelry.

Lastly, out in the garden I have a new friend. I am still missing Kit the fox and will never forget her frequent visits over the last 2 years, but the antics of this little squirrel definitely put a smile on my face. We've had plenty of squirrels in the garden before and they have all been typically skittish and wary, but this little chap is a very friendly character and follows me around the garden. I now have hazelnuts in my pocket whenever I go outside, and he politely takes each one in his little paws before scampering off to stash them somewhere - by now he must have the largest stash in the area!