Quick trip to Cumbria

Up the road the pretty way to Cumbria on Friday, before teaching a workshop at Eden Valley on Saturday. Glorious, glorious weather, and a beautiful route up the non-motorway side of the Howgills. Such lovely country.

A really comfortable and pleasant evening with our host and a friend of hers, within what was truly walking distance of the venue. Except that we had all the stuff to shift, so we did take the car.

The hall at first seemed really good - large, light and airy - but the acoustic was vile, very echo-ey, and it was hard to carry on a conversation let alone lead a workshop.

This had been intended to be a joint effort between the DSM and myself, on knitting with singles. But we hadn't done it as a stand-alone before, only as part of a longer course, and the timing didn't work out. So it was mostly him - and isn't that enough for anyone? - and me throwing in a small and frankly superfluous bit towards the end. Having said that, my impression was definitely that people enjoyed their day, so that's ok, then.

This chap seemed to, anyway!



Others hard at work - including someone doing the workshop with a spindle, which is of course, perectly do-able.



I hadn't actually slept all that well on the Friday night, so by the time we got home - an incredibly easy two hour drive back down the motorway - I was somewhat tired, but still managed to go and have a Thai meal with the DSM and my sister who had been cat sitting for us. So Sunday, I lounged, but yesterday and today, with a couple of good nights under my belt and yet more wonderful sunshine, I have been spinning and knitting up a storm, plus going for a couple of short walks. Now that Spring is really and truly here, I need to be out there much, much more. I suspect that this year is going to do the same as most recently and give us lovely dry and sunny weather now, and then when summer comes along, go to pot.

Still, given that we have such a lot on this summer, maybe that won't be too bad a thing! Good weather would be nice for Woolfest (and fairly traditional, too) but Knit Nation and Summer School could be cool, if not soaking. (I've had the timetable for KN now, and we are teaching a half day on the Saturday and a full day on the Sunday, which gives us Friday to hang around, meet friends and trawl the market. It will be such a different venue/format for us, and I am really looking forward to it.)

My sister is back here cat sitting again this next weekend, as it is the AH spindle spinning retreat. Our participant numbers have gone up, I'm not quite sure by how many, but it is looking much healthier; I'm looking forward to this as well. Again, a different format, and I will have to be really firm with myself not to be yacking away trying to impart information all the time - it is intended to be student led! We have some nice fibres for people to have fun with - well, me too, really. Can't help the others if I don't try them out myself, after all.......

One thing I am a bit disappointed about - apparently, there is another Earth Hour on Saturday, at 8.30pm, and AH are not going to observe it (unless my email of enquiry stirs them in to action.) It would be a perfect place for it, and we could both spindle spin and watch the skies. Such a shame.

So, now off to sort and pack fibres - the spindles are already done from an earlier workshop.

And long, long may the sun keep shining!