Woolly All Sorts

Gosh it feels like it's been a very l-o-n-g hot summer, and we're only just into August. My garden has taken on a sub-Saharan vibe. Parched would just about sum things up right now, and with the mercury pushing up into the 30s here in London it's been hard to muster huge enthusiasm for all things woolly.

But I have been playing with some neutral dye baths to make contrasts so that my brighter colours will pop. I'd saved up a huge consignment of dried onion skins, avocado skins and stones and pomegranate skins that went into the pot last week. I added a little turmeric for golden sunshine, and came up with a very pleasing Hermes mustard yellow. And just as the bath was beginning to weaken I brewed up some walnut shells and threw them into the mix,  turning my mustard yellow into a warm, unctuous chocolate meets golden treacle colour. Would you believe me if I said I was on a strict no-sugar/ no starch diet? 😶

Anyway, banishing all thoughts of forbidden delights like sticky toffee pudding, chocolate ganache and the like ... here's what I came up with:

I've also been busy knitting socks for my dad:

And then knitting some finger-less gloves for myself with the left-over 4 ply:

I've never tried knitting gloves before. They're fine until you reach the fingers, and then life gets very fiddly. It took a while to figure my way through the forest of double pointed needles that has to be navigated at this point in the project. I've finished the right hand, and I'm up the thumb on the left, so there's still more to do.

I've been enjoying the sunset on the longest breakwater in the UK, which lives in Holyhead, in very beautiful Wales :

I've continued to play with my cacti obsession:

And, finally, I've been making new friends, who share my interest in all things woolly. Meet the handsomest sheep at the Clogher Valley Agricultural Show 2018:

Long live summer: the very best time of the year!

Enjoy, stay hydrated and have a great weekend!

Bonny x