Verb: pootle
poo-t(u)l To move in a leisurely unhurried way,
with no real purpose


Monday 3 March 2014

A weekend of B's....





A strange title for a post I know, but when I was looking back over the weekend I realised that rather bizarrely my weekend had quite a few goings on all beginning with B...
Firstly , and sooooooooo excitingly, the venue for Meg and Adams wedding has been Booked !
It is the most beautiful converted barn, tucked away just outside Bath and being totally set up with weddings in mind it offers every single thing that will be needed on the big day.
So, let the planning begin !






Next, a bit of Blocking.
This was a new one on me as although I have crochet blocked before this time it was for the knitted wrap that I have just finished and the pattern advised using blocking wires.
Having not heard of these before a quick Google later and I had found a set on Amazon.
The first step was to soak the garment in water for about 15 minutes. 


                            This kind of went against the grain a bit but I ploughed on and kept fingers
                                                    tightly crossed that it wasn't going to shrink.



When soaked its more a matter of squeezing gently to get rid of the surplus water rather than
 wringing, so as to avoid pulling it out of shape.


This done it then needed to be laid out in shape on a towel and gently rolled.


Quite hard to demonstrate gentle squeezing with one hand whilst taking a photo with the other, 
but you get the general idea.


And then for the wires.... so impressive and so clever, you simply feed the wires all around the edge of the garment, shaping as required and then pin the wires, rather than the wrap, to hold it in place. In the kit there are different length wires to make life a little easier.


And then it's all about being patient and waiting a couple of days for it to gently air dry.


So, we shall see what happens. Photo's to follow....


The next B was Breakfast at the lovely Merkins Farm Cafe on Sunday morning. They have recently added a new room, all in the theme of a vintage caravan called Bertha ... its gorgeous !


Home for a bit more hibernating in this 'lovely' spring weather we're having, and some comfort Baking.
Now, I can't honestly claim that things all went swimmingly here
because what should have been sultana fairy cakes turned out to look like scones in paper cake cases.
Lovely hubby walked in at this point;
 " What's scone wrong here then ?" he says
" Ha Ha " I said.


But that said they tasted very scrummy and I figured once sprinkled with icing sugar,
 arranged on a plate and placed in front of some lovely daffodils no-one would ever know !



Weekend nearly over there was just time to start a new knitting project...
Bobbly wrap Mark 2,
again from the wonderful Juju's Loops book.


I am using a new wool that I haven't worked with before, and I have to say I am loving it. 
Its Millamia Merino in a Sportsweight, which if I'm right is somewhere between a 4 ply and a DK.
Its such a lovely yarn to work with and because the wrap is made with a chunky wool I am using 3 strands together to get the right tension.


And there you have it .... a weekend of B's.
Maybe next weekend I could try c's...
Any suggestions ?

26 comments:

  1. Kate you are so brave to plunge your newly made shawl into a bowl of water! It looks fantastic in your signature grey and I like the look of your new one too. The converted barn venue for the wedding looks such a beautiful setting, what a great day it will be, you must be so excited. Have a lovely week.
    Jane x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Jane - yes it felt very wrong plunging something that had taken so long to make in to a bowl of water !
      You have a good week too,
      K x

      Delete
  2. and one more B: Beautiful! Love your pics and your blog! x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Helen, and thanks for dropping by,
      Kx

      Delete
  3. Hi Kate loved your B-eautiful B post. I think you could be starting a trend. Weddings are so wonderful to plan and the venue looks lovely. My three daughters all got married within 18/12 of each other - so we had a very busy but fab time. If you want to see my three beautiful brides I did a happy post about them http://sweetpeafamilyblog.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/52-weeks-of-happy-1152.html?showComment=1363470429429
    Hope you have a good week
    Sue xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh Sue, such beautiful , beautiful pictures and what a wonderful post. I have three daughters too and couldn't empathise more with your lovely words. We are so excited about Megs wedding. I love how all your daughters have chosen quite different dresses and styles, I think Meg, Beth and Immi will be the same ! Meg has asked her sisters to be her Bridesmaid so I'm sure I will be a big wet heap at the end of the ceremony !
      Hope you're feeling better,
      K x

      Delete
  4. Gorgeous post Kate, I really enjoyed reading it. Thanks for the tips on blocking, obviously I would actually need to finish something to give it a try...but you never know!! Have a lovely week, Sarah xo

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wow, that knitting looks highly skilled! For a weekend of c's, you can't beat crochet, chocolate cake and countryside. J x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That has got to be the perfect C weekend !
      Kx

      Delete
  6. Your shawl is beautiful what patience you have. Will look forward to seeing Merkins again. We treid to book our caravan in for a couple of nights last september but they were full so had to make do with a coffee there. Anne x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Anne
      You would so love Merkins Cafe now, they have done it so beautifully ! Hope you get a booking this year.
      Thanks for dropping by,
      Kx

      Delete
  7. Brilliantly beautiful blogging, baby! ;-) Seriously, that shawl is amazing. I am fascinated by the wires and the intricate blocking technique. And I'm sure your 'sconecakes' tasted just fine with a hot cuppa and a smile! (I don't know whether I would have laughed or pinched my hubby for that pun - probably both!) The wedding plans are looking wonderful...as is your knitting, millamia yarn is sooooo lovely! Chrissie x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Chrissie
      Love your comments , they always make me laugh ! ( that's obviously in a good way !! )
      Have a good week, lets hope the sun shines !
      Kx

      Delete
  8. I am loving the shawl it's absolutely beautiful. I have been knitting for over 45 years and I have never seen these wires before. But they do say you're never too old to learn something new.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Me neither Mitzi, but I was certainly very impressed with them, such a simple idea.
      K x

      Delete
  9. Hello Kate I loved reading about your weekend and all the brilliant b's in it! Your shawl is gorgeous, and I liked seeing how you blocked it with the special wires which I have not seen before. Your new shawl pattern is a lovely one too!
    Helen xox

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Helen, gone a bit shawl mad I think !
      Kx

      Delete
  10. Kate your knitted shawl is so beautiful and intricate! I have never heard of blocking wires either, but it looks as though they will do a perfect job.
    The wedding venue looks wonderful, so exciting for you all!
    Have a great week and enjoy the sunshine!
    Gill xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Gill, you have a good week too, doesn't the sunshine just make everything that little bit better !
      Kx

      Delete
  11. How exciting for you Kate...the wedding venue looks completely gorgeous!...x
    Beautiful shawl and the blocking is definitely worth the effort....I'm sure your little sultana cakes are just gorgeous too. :-) ..x
    Happy Wednesday!
    Susan x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Susan, yes, I have really seen how important blocking is, so worth it.
      Have a good week,
      Kx

      Delete
  12. Looks like a lovely weekend of B's. For a weekend of C's there would have to be cake involved I'm sure! Your shawl looks lovely, pretty and intricate.
    Marianne x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Marianne
      Cake definitely got the highest number of votes !
      Kx

      Delete

Thank you for dropping by - I LOVE receiving your comments and get really excited when I see a new one has been added. I read every single one and try to send a reply whenever I can. ♥