Staycation

Hello all! I’ve had a very busy weekend with my parents being down.

While waiting for them to come down I got another 4 squares done on my sock yarn blanket. The left two are from a special mini skein I was given several years ago. I’m not entirely sure when I got given it, but it was a very small skein, probably under 20 yards. Just right to add into my blanket and serve as a reminder though!

Saturday we went to Dyffryn gardens – A national trust property that they’re working on restoring. None of us are gardeners, but there was such a lovely selection – In the summer I’ll borrow more photos off my mum’s camera as I thought I’d forgotten mine for the start. Rhys was very enamoured by the cactus room.

Sunday we were up and off an on. We went on some Segway’s at Chepstow diving centre, as we booked so late 9am was the only time slot, which was nice as we got to have the rest of the day to ourselves. Poor Mum fell off at the last bit (she’d misjudged where a tyre was as she was wearing the wrong glasses) and cracked a rib.

After the Segway we went up to Symonds Yat Rock. I have strong memories of coming here when I was small on holiday (we would have been in primary school, so under 11) and it was nice to go back. They have a pair of nesting peregrine falcons and a man set up with a telescope trained on them which was fab. That and a poor buzzard being chased by crows over and over. One year I’d love to go and try kayaking down the river again as we did on that holiday.

Sunday night I started and finished a caliomerty for mum to keep her hair out of the way while shooting. She wants one in a cotton blend and thinner – which I should be able to squeeze in before we go down in July.

Monday we had a very lazy get up and wandered off out to Caerphilly for the day. The castle is amazing and had a medieval re-enactment going on that was well worth the entry fee alone.

The falling tower was amazing – it really looked like it would fall over!

 

There was also a very cute family of swans as well nesting under the castle. 3 very cute cygnets!

I’ve not got any photographs on my phone but Tuesday we went to Tenby. Completely not what I was expecting it to be (I’m used to the North Sea and “real” waves!) but a very lovely seaside town.

We found an antiques and craft shop and I managed to pick up these heart shaped beads and jewellery findings. I’m thinking that they will make fantastic markers for crochet. They should stay in very well, but not be as fiddly as lobster clasp ones and they have no area for yarn to get caught in.

The white blob is a bigger white blob. I’m nearly at 300 stitches. I think I want about 405 to get a reasonable wingspan – so a few more rows to go yet.

I managed a bit more spinning this weekend too. I finished up the first bobbin and I’m onto the second. I think when I’ve finished plying it I’ll do a Russian join while winding it onto the Niddy-Noddy so I get 1 skein instead of 2. I plan on doing a N-Play so the colours remain consistent.

 

My last WIP is Cas Dragon – but sadly I’m out of yarn :( I’ll order some more on Friday (hopefully Wool Warehouse will have some in stock by then!) to finish him off. I assumed at the time I would have enough as the plan was to do it with one strand of lace weight – but It was far too thin, doubled was the trick but of course you use twice as much yarn!