A touch of red

As the old year edges towards a close and a whole new shining year of possibility approaches, it's hard to know what to do - to look back, reflect and consider the year about to end or to look forward with anticipation for the year ahead.

I have already decided......I am looking ahead and I will make lists and make plans and make 2014 a year to delight in, a memorable year.

I have started a project... Festival Shawl a pattern by Lyn Robinson that I found on Ravelry. I was looking for something to make with the lovely extravagant Yarnpony red yarn I bought in Edinburgh at the start of the month. I think I am just about in tune with the pattern, but it might take a few more rows before I can totally relax into it.

It has been really wet and windy for what feels like weeks and in a brief spell between the showers yesterday, I ventured out for a short walk. It was pretty wet underfoot.

It doesn't really feel like winter. It feels more like early spring or mid autumn. Look how green everything still looks and here in the back garden the daffodil bulbs are already starting to show their tops. I just hope the deer aren't tempted - although they usually do avoid them.

The path I took had lots of branches and twigs along it, brought down by the recent gales. Nothing though compared with the awful gale of two years ago that brought down many large trees that lined the path of this walk.

I finished off the crochet boot cuffs and have packaged them up to send to someone.

A touch of red.

Short and Sweet Saturday

A calendar for the coming year arrived in the post today.

Keeping Warm

Although some of us here on the Scottish West Coast are still hoping for snow, it's not looking promising outside with some non stop rain and gales being the norm. Good thing there's a bit of the make believe snow about indoors.

We've had some really long dark days - so the stove has been going day and night - which means a lot of carrying wood in to feed the monster. I managed to cut my finger today when I was collecting some to bring indoors. I was very excited to be able to use one of my Christmas presents - a fantastic box of Liberty Hello Kitty plasters!

Once the stove was topped up I settled down with a Christmas mug of tea to watch "White Christmas" - don't you just love those red dresses trimmed with white fur at the end? Not forgetting the snow....

I wrote up my notebook with this years presents and had a look through a Christmassy book.

As 2013 draws to a close it's time to gather my thoughts and dream some dreams for 2014.

'Twas the night before Christmas

The presents are all wrapped and some have been delivered and some received in return. Tomorrow's dinner is defrosting in the kitchen........a proper farm shop free-range chicken. The cottage is tidy and looking Christmassy. Just waiting for Santa.......

..........Merry Christmas!

Christmas Shopping

Mr M and I had a day in Inverness yesterday to try and do some Christmas shopping. We had thought of heading to Perth for a change, but the forecast was pretty awful and the A9 was closed in a couple of places - so although I was dreaming of a couple of nice shops I had been to before in Perth - we had to be sensible and headed off to Inverness instead.

On the way up, there was a bit of snow on the hills and the sky was certainly threatening more snow. Inverness was busy but not chaotic and we managed to get a few things we needed. It's one of the drawbacks to living where we do, that you just can't pop out for a wander round the shops. You have to go, look and decide all in the one trip!

We treated ourselves to a lovely Christmas lunch at The Mustard Seed - Mr M had a very outrageous Christmas Pudding Sundae - I was glad I booked as soon as we arrived, as it is often busy and is a real treat if you are in Inverness for the day.

The Christmas lights were lovely and we had a long journey home through a bit of snow - it was nice to get home and think that was the shopping done for this year.

Short and Sweet Saturday

Using up some completed crochet motifs....

 ...and turning them into gifts.

Christmas Decorations

I finally took the plunge today and decided that Christmas should arrive here at the cottage. I've been dillying and dallying and the lack of the normal Santa's Grotto look was beginning to get me down. I've no one to blame but myself - a viewing of Alistair Sim in "Scrooge" helped to get things in perspective - nothing like a bit of Dickens to make you feel glad you weren't a Victorian. It's taken most of the week to get there though and the tree is still missing - Evie hasn't experienced the indoor tree yet and she is quite keen to climb outdoor trees, so I don't know how that is going to work out!

I tackled the outside lights first - never an easy job - and as darkness fell and as they twinkled more and more I felt a little surge of Christmas spirit.

Today we awoke from a night of gales which was swiftly followed by a morning of hail showers - it was so thick it looked like snow and the road was pretty treacherous.

Just the sort of day to unpack the decorations and bring a little winter inside.

Santas gathering on the sideboard.

Snowmen huddling on the bookcase.

Christmas crockery in the kitchen.

There doesn't that feel better........jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way.......

Hail Storm

I'm sitting in front of the stove typing to the sound of the hail stones rattling off the window. It's a wild night here on the West Coast of Scotland - thunder and lightning, strong winds and temperatures getting back to a more seasonal 3C.

Nothing else for it, but to close the curtains and keep cosy.

The Christmas gift making is progressing ever so slowly - a bit like my Christmas spirit this year  - however I have high hopes for a rush of inspiration and activity over the coming days. Last night I busied myself with making some festively red boot cuffs a pattern tracked down via Pinterest from Cates Crochets. I am not yet sure who the intended victim of these will be, but I am on the look out for a friend with slim legs. I just need to sew on some buttons - a supply of which I do not lack!

Tonight's make is a pair of mitts - they are pretty wacky - so I'll see how difficult it's going to be to unravel the pattern. Not sure how much of a relaxing unwind they will be after a day of work!

Short and Sweet Saturday

Knitting by candlelight - power cut for four hours today and it's still stormy outside.

Prettifying the ordinary

When we were on holiday I bought some plain cotton pillowcases with the thought that I could add a bit of embroidery and a crochet trim to make them look pretty.

I have a book by Aimee Ray "Doodle Stitching" which has lots of pretty motifs that would suit my purpose and like all projects the hardest part is starting.......thinking about it always takes more time than actually knuckling down and getting on with it.

I have lots of embroidery cottons to choose from, but I thought it might be fun to use some of these vintage threads that made their way to our house from the attic of a family member. They make me think of lovely old-fashioned shops with wooden cabinets with drawers full of carefully boxed treasures.

Sometimes modern shops seem to be all the same and without any character. Why did we stop liking having our packages wrapped up in brown paper and string?

I'm making a list

Anyone who knows me knows that I love Christmas and that I especially love the build up. All the planning and the making, decorating the house and listening to Christmas carols and songs and wishing I was Judy Garland in "Meet Me In St Louis". December is usually never long enough for me.

Somehow this year is different - here we are at the 10th of December and I haven't unpacked a single Santa, snowman, reindeer, bauble or light - what is going on? I've been feeling unsettled all year and out of place. I thought that Christmas would be different from the rest of 2013 and that by now I would feel like singing White Christmas and Jingle Bells, but I don't.

Maybe if I just take a deep breath and close my eyes Christmas will appear.

My very favourite bit of festive cheer a Lucy Loose angel - I can never bear to put it away with the other decorations.

I am trying to get into the spirit and have been making a few things to give as gifts. As usual the to do list is longer than there are days left before the 25th.

I have been doing some knitting and I am enjoying the challenge of trying new stitches and using up yarn I already have. There is something so soothing about pins and yarn - for me it's a combination of concentrating on a pattern and yet at the same time my mind just seems to wander quite pleasantly, ambling around without any real destination.

So, I am off on a little journey from the comfort of the sofa - who knows where I'll get to tonight - but wherever I get to, hopefully the piece of knitting will have grown a little and another project will be closer to its finish by bedtime.

Short and Sweet Saturday

Home Sweet Home.

Storm Surge

What a wild and slightly scary day. After a pretty restless night listening to a gale rage outside and worrying if the yacht parked across from the car was going to take off on an unplanned voyage, the day dawned, but the gale just wouldn't let up.

The tide was out and so the sea didn't look that wild - although when we ventured out the few steps to the Seabird Centre for a cup of coffee and a cake we found it hard to walk upright in the bitterly cold wind.

It was a bit worrying when the council came and deposited sand bags at the front door. Inwardly I told myself that it was just a precaution......little did I think that when we arrived back at the house at 4pm, after a few hours out and about, that we would have to wade through a stormy sea to get to the door.

This is where our car had been parked all week. Thankfully the tide turned shortly after this and I was able to stop hyper-ventilating. High tide is back around 4.30am - hoping it's not so high. It's still pretty windy out there tonight and I am wondering how things are at home as I haven't been able to raise anyone by phone and suspect that the power may be out.

New Yarns

A day in Edinburgh, a visit to two yarn shops and a skein or two of lovely yarn brought home to use in upcoming projects.

The red yarn is from Yarn Pony an extravagant purchase of 100g of baby alpaca, silk and cashmere - but it felt so soft and the colour, Fire Engine, and was just too Christmassy to leave in the shop. I'll need to look for a suitably luxurious pattern to match.

Yarn Pony, apart from producing lovely hand-dyed yarn - and there were lots more equally appealing colours and yarn mixtures that I left behind on the shelf - runs yarn dyeing workshops. I am definitely going to put one of those on my 2014 to do list.

The shop that stocks the lovely yarn is Kathy's Knits in Broughton Street, full of lots of British rare breed yarns and run by a very friendly lady. I also bought some New Lanark Mills chunky yarn to use for an owl hat pattern I want to try soon.

I also tracked down Be Inspired Fibres in Marchmont Road - the hand spun baby camel is another softie and Mei who runs the shop had knitted up a moss stitch scarf in the yarn and it looked lovely and I was picturing me and a crochet hook and some happy hours making a Christmas gift for someone - so I had to get some.

The orange is a Cascade Alpaca Lana D'Oro. It felt happy to be picked up with the lovely camel and I have no fixed idea of what I'll do with it yet!! There were so many different yarns and such a fabulous range of colours in the shop that I could have filled a trunk. If you are ever in Edinburgh treat yourself to a visit. I would have loved to have taken some photos, but there were a few people in the shop and I felt a bit nervous to ask - maybe next time.

A well deserved cup of coffee and a cinnamon bun was had at Peter's Yard - an artisan Swedish bakery - aren't cities great places to visit?

Quilt Lessons

Today we were treated to lunch by one of my sisters and my aunt. The Open Arms at Dirleton with its Christmas trees, open fire and mulled wine felt very festive. It was nice to catch up and it's always nice to be spoiled - lunch and presents!

My aunt gave us a beautiful quilt she had made. Isn't she a clever lady? Isn't it gorgeous?

My aunt has always been there and a part of who I am today is down to her. Among other things I have her to thank for my love of the Scottish Highlands - holidays all over Scotland with my granny and sisters, staying in wee cottages in out of the way places - exploring seashores and countryside. 

A love of reading - all the books she bought me growing up.

A love of history - all the castles and museums we went to.

A love of crafting - knitting and sewing for us all when we were children and passing on the skills. 

A love of singing out loud - no car journey was ever complete without singing.

Do we ever stop and thank the people who moulded us? Thank you.

North Berwick

We left the west coast behind yesterday and are having a few days on the east coast. It seemed to take forever to get ready to go......I don't like leaving Evie behind, but a cat mad family member is staying to look after her and I know she'll be fine.

As much as I love where we live, the scenery here is just so different, the sky is always so big.....I think it certainly looked that way today. It was lovely to wake up this morning and look out on the sea and a clear blue sky.

I wouldn't say it was warm, but we didn't feel the cold walking along the beach as the tide came in. Lots of people out walking their dogs....all shapes, sizes and ages....dogs and humans! My favourites were these two Scottie's with matching red leather collars and leads.

Wouldn't it be great to have steps to the beach at the bottom of your garden?

Maybe it's fond memories of childhood, but I just love exploring along the beach, watching the waves break and dissolve on the sand....happy thoughts can't help but rush to the fore.