Wordless Wednesday

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Worbarrow Bay Blanket

Last year, in April, I was in a quandry about which colours to use in my Coastal Cosy blanket – and you dear readers helped me out – pinks or no pinks that was the question.

I finished the blanket back in the Autumn, but have been waiting for a suitable sunny day to take it to the beach for its Ta Dah! moment.

Yesterday was the day and we went on a fabulous walk at Tyneham before getting to the beach

there was a bit of resistance to climbing that hill but after seeing this sign

chatting about exploding cows got us to the top

walking through coconut scented gorse bushes towards Flowers Barrow and looking inland at Lulworth Castle

and then the most glorious view of the steep descent to the beach

oh my aching knees! but Oh! it was so worth it.

The blanket had found exactly the right place to be photographed

and because it went so beautifully with the colours there, it has been re-named the Worbarrow Bay Blanket.

Master R and Little Miss M were happy to help me with the photo shoot.

and came up with some novel ideas of their own …

blanket angels

“we are a rock”

“it would look good on this rock over here Granny”

and then back to hunting for sea glass

our haul after about an hour and a half

tiny pieces of treasure.

We walked 3.8 miles bringing the total number of miles walked by Little Miss M and me to 65 of our 500 mile target.

More details of the colour order and the edging of the Worbarrow Bay Blanket to follow in a future post.

Edit

In case you would like to visit Tyneham and Worbarrow – here are the Opening times for this year.

Click on any photo to see it full screen.

 

Silent Sunday

Jurassic Blanket

My Wednesday WIP.

It is now big enough to keep me cosy whilst I’m working on it, and I’m loving being with these colours in Stylecraft Special DK and Stylecraft Batik.

Linen stitch, or extended Moss Stitch is perfect for blending colours and it makes a really warm thick blanket.

There are sections that are inspired by specific places along our Jurassic Dorset coast, and then some random stripes in the coastal hues.

Still a way to go if it is going to be snuggly warm for my nephew who is edging towards 6’4″ tall. I love that even at 23 he is keen to have a blanket to curl up under.

You can see the blanket I made for his sister here.

Silly Saturday

I met this guy on Branscombe Beach last weekend, any ideas what his name could be?

He looks like he might be emerging from his underground home to see who’s about.

I think he might be related to this chap who lives in the Lost Gardens of Heligan

I don’t know his name either.

Joining in with Cee’s Oddball Challenge

Snow, Ice and Guinness

Last weekend I went to Branscombe, Devon for a ‘Walk of Life’ workshop.

But

The Beast from the East was foretold and this Beast would clash with Storm Emma and cause all sorts of dire conditions

I wondered if the workshop would still take place, but Helen seemed very determined that it would go ahead so I decided to go a day early to get there before the worst of the weather was due to descend upon us.

I got there just in time, as just a couple of hours after I was cosily ensconced in Nestlecombe, the walk across the road to the Masons Arms was getting icy and the village was soon to be cut off for all except farm vehicles.

In the pub I found a log fire, a warm welcome and a handsome young French bartender. I ordered mushroom soup and Guinness… I do love a draught Guinness.In his strong French accent, the bartender asked me what I was doing in Branscombe.

“I’m here for a dance workshop on the beach,” says I

“I was not expecting that!” he said, we laughed!

After lunch, while the storm raged and the snow fell, I was snug back in my holiday let, happily watching ‘Shetland’ on iPlayer and doing some more of my Jurassic Coast blanket.

This is currently my go to project when I just want to do rows and not have to think too much about the pattern. Easy to do in front of the TV.

I laid it on the bed to see how it was coming along

Just coming up to half way.

Keeping to coastal colours in Stylecraft Special DK, 4.5mm hook and in Extended Moss Stitch, which I think is also called Linen Stitch.

The view from the bedroom window

After the snow came the freezing rain and on Friday walking anywhere was lethal – lethal but beautiful 

so I just had to get out there with the camera – luckily I had my walking stick and Snow Grips with me. I’ve had them for years and never used them before.

There was a crust of ice over everything

which made a wonderful crunchy sound as you made your way across it

I have never seen the effects of freezing rain before

this whole tree was encased in ice

The photos don’t really do it justice as the light was so low

the effect was spectacular

I thought the pub sign had a touch of ‘Daphne du Maurier’ about it.

and in the fields

so much beauty to be found

even the catkins were frozen

more icy photos to come …….

Click on any photo to see it larger.

(PS. I was the only one who turned up for the Workshop! Wimps! Ha!)

Now I’m going to pop over to Cathy’s for a good ol’ Knit and Natter Friday

Monthly Meet-Up: Scale

Here we are again. Helloooooo! How has your photographic month been? I’ve had a great time in the recent snow and ice, in the delightful village of Branscombe, Devon. I stayed in a little self-catering flat, called Nestlecombe, in the Square that I have no hesitation in recommending.

In the bitter cold wind I went down to the beach to see if I could get some inspiration for our subject this month. I do love to see stone-balancing, and you can see some beautiful examples if you look at the Genteel Giant’s photographs on Instagram. My sisters met him on Newgale beach when we were staying there in January, I was back at the holiday let crocheting at the time, so didn’t get to see him, but love his work.

It was far too windy to try stone balancing but I played around with scale a bit.

The sea was scarily fierce and with the tide coming in, it nearly caught me out whilst I was picking up the plastics on the strand line (hence the poem)

I tried in vain to catch the power and the scale – the pictures look tame in comparison with the experience.

We are such tiny creatures who do well to respect nature’s power

 

 

high tide

strong winds

fierce waves

~

death is only a trip away

~

 

Please leave a link to your photos of SCALE in the comments below. Can’t wait to see them!

You can see the whole year of subjects on my Photo Challenge Page.

Next month’s subject is

YELLOW

 

 

Silent Sunday

Joining the Daily Post: Silence

Swanie Silent Sunday

Joining in with Cee and the Daily Post: Silence

Silent Sunday

Yarn Along is Back!

I am ridiculously excited about the return of Ginny’s Yarn Along, I’ve missed it.

Now appearing monthly rather than weekly. I love Ginny’s blog, the photographs are superb as she shares with us her tales of knitting, dyeing, making and family life in such a gentle, honest way. I often read her posts several times and wonder at her photography – if only I could take such beautiful photos.

Whilst I wait for Attic24’s Woodland CAL to start (eeeeek – only two more days!) I have been working on a blanket for my nephew. It is in a nice relaxing linen stitch that I can do in front of the TV or whilst watching the children play, giving me a rest from the intricacies of the mandalas I’ve been making recently.

 

 

I joined in with Lucy’s Moorland Cal last year, but chose Dorset Hedgerow colours for the blanket I gave to my niece, she is training to be a vet and loves the Dorset Countryside.

Her brother was quick to mention how much he also loves to curl up on the sofa with a blanket, so what to make for Harry? When I think of him I think of surfing and the sea, and we do live on the World Heritage Jurassic Coast so…….

I gathered a Coastal Palette together

Using Stylecraft Special DK and Stylecraft Batik in the hope that I can blend some of the stripes together.

Ginny asks us to share a book we are reading along with our yarny projects – and synchronicity! – I am currently reading a book about the life of Mary Anning, one of our local heroines.

I have been making a few little ammonites using Eleonora’s cute pattern . I have made them so that I can play around with working out the order of the stripes.

Orange

Sunset’s orange light

Anticipating dark night

Shadows to delight

The call went out

Gather on the cliffs tonight

For cheerful magic 

Bluedaisyz Photo Challenge: ORANGE

Ronovan’s Haiku prompts: CHEER and CALL 

Location: Durdle Door, south coast of England

Free Shipping worldwide in the Society6 shops til 25th. Oct.

Here’s a link to mine: Wild Daffodil at Society6

Oh my gorse!

Today was a dream of a day! Off across the cliffs with the sun in my face and the wind at my back – the colours were zinging, the birds were singing and the gorse …. don’t you just love the pineapply smell of it and the colour so strong and bright, especially against the blue of the sky and the sea – I couldn’t decide which picture to post …….. I did play around with the colour on this one a bit, but the sea really was very gorgeously blue and it didn’t always come true in the  photos. Which do you like best?

I was here at Beer Head (sneak preview of the next Wednesday Walk-Along).

 

Wednesday Walk-Along at Worbarrow

Lost village, beautiful beach, poignant experience ….

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Ramsons (wild garlic) peeping up beside the path to the beach majestic sweep of Worbarrow Bay looking back towards the village view from the cliff topback through the woods to Tyneham village ……….
a village that was cleared of its inhabitants just before Christmas in 1943 to use that area for training troops. It must have been SO hard to leave this beautiful place and although the villagers were told they could return after the War, they were never allowed to. After we had walked to the beach we went and explored the village ……… (to be continued)

Here are some more walks to enjoy: Above the River in the Cotswolds, Alistair at Still Walks in Wales, Janette at Green Dragonfly in New Zealand, Melissa at Aran Artisan in Ireland,