Pots and Socks

Our village has its own art gallery (Church House Designs) and I called in today to look at the new exhibition. I ended up succumbing, buying a garden pot by Johhn Huggins. I've been admiring his work since it appeared in the gallery window a couple of months ago, but there were some smaller, more affordable pieces and one came home with me.



It has found a possibly temporary place in my garden but may have to move: it is a little vulnerable to football passes where it is pictured. I am so taken with the ammonites within its body. Heavy rain means both footie and repositioning are postponed, and the garden is very grateful.

Meanwhile, here is a picture of my latest knitting project.



I came across a wonderful blog by Sock Bug , which includes some new-to-me and different sock patterns - FREE! These are her Lacy Scallops Socks, which I'm making with a stash ball of Opal self-patterning sock wool. I like the picot edging. It's the first time I've cast on using waste yarn and then knitted in the stitches later to form a fold-back hem. The lace pattern is easy to remember and pleasant to knit, so I'm enjoying it so far.

I'm simmering some fabric on the stove in a dyepot as I write. Last evening saw emergency Mummy duties when DS announced he needed a navy blue scarf by tomorrow for his sailors' dance costume (he's performing in a schools group show on Friday). In a house of fabrics, no plain navy cloth was to be found. Instead, I found some calico (recycled toile from a dressmaking friend) and cut out a scarf using DS's cub scout scarf as a template. I edged it in zig-zag and then dyed it: of course, I couldn't find my navy blue dye, so used a mix of Omega Dyrect Black and Indigo. Apart from being pleased to have solved the problem of the costume scarf, I also realised that it would work rather well with the rust-dyed fabric Pictured previously. So, using some recycled cotton sheeting, I'm having another dyeing session with a view to combining the two fabrics in a textile art piece. So, watch this space!