Category: crafts & knitting

countryside · crafts & knitting · in the woods

Recapping April

Julie (little Cotton Rabbits)44 Comments

Hello again and sorry it’s been so long. April was mostly taken up with the school Easter break and so was full on Toby-time for me. We had a good few weeks though, with wood walks featuring heavily. Spring has taken hold here and sprinkled the countryside with blossoms and blooms. Most of the ones pictured here are now finished for the season as they were the first of the spring flowers; blackthorn blossom, wild daffodils, wood anemones and primroses. I’m happy that I managed to see most of them at their best this year, though it did mean getting up at dawn and heading out with my camera while Toby was still sleeping, as he really doesn’t tolerate me stopping to take photos on our joint wood walks.

Since the start of the school term I’ve had another thing keeping me busy, as you’ll see in the last picture 🙂  I’ve been working on this dogs pattern intensely since the beginning of the year and it’s been growing weekly in terms of the number of options for different breeds. I’ll give you full details once it’s finished and ready, but so far I’ve knitted a total of 57 different heads. The pattern is mostly written up and part of it is already in testing, so it won’t be too long before it will be ready to share. ‘Til then I’m off to work on it some more, I hope to be back here a little more regularly now that most of the hard work is done, see you again soon, J x

 

crafts & knitting · foxes in my garden · garden stuff

springtime

Julie (little Cotton Rabbits)22 Comments

This morning I went out into the garden in my pyjamas with my early morning cuppa and walked with bare feet on the dew damp grass. Because I’m trying to conjure up a romantic image I’ll gloss over the fact that I had to look very carefully before stepping, in order to ensure I didn’t tread in any fox poo! The point is that the morning was warm and inviting enough for me to want to walk barefooted on damp grass and that’s because at last Spring has arrived here. One of my favourite Spring things is the dawn chorus and to stand rooted in stillness and listen to the liquid golden sound of a robin or blackbird singing in daybreak is a joyful way to start any day.

The blossom on the old plum tree has been spectacular this year (I’m predicting a deluge of plums later in the year) and has been a magnet to bees, hoverflies and a few butterflies emerging from hibernation.

I’ve been knitting, oh so much knitting, but I can’t show you most of it just yet because it’s all for the new pattern that I’m working on and is not yet ready to reveal. Though I have also been trying to make a little lamb to celebrate Easter this coming weekend – hopefully I’ll get her finished in time. Her dress colours are inspired by these beautiful tulips – I don’t often buy cut flowers but found these irresistible.

Lastly, the reason I have to watch my step while walking on the grass has been our usual daily visitor. We’ve not yet seen any sign of Kit’s cubs for this year but she’s taking food away each time she visits, so I’m convinced that at least some have survived the very cold snap that was here when they were born. She remains as wild and cautious as ever but is content to sit 6 feet away from me and let me photograph her while she’s waiting for a snack.

I hope life has been kind to you this last month, and that the feeling of hope that has been creeping into my heart with the advancement of spring has found a home with you too xxx

 

countryside · crafts & knitting · foxes in my garden

On the cusp of spring

Julie (little Cotton Rabbits)17 Comments

 

This year it has felt like winter has lingered longer than usual, but there is at last a feeling of seasonal change here. Spring is definitely in the air, which has warmed appreciably from two weeks ago, when there were still traces of snow on the ground, showing up the tracks of Kit the fox all around the chicken run. On my walk today the touch of the breeze was pleasant rather than painful, with no need for bundling under woolly layers to keep out the chill and the bright sun was warming and very welcome. Although the woods are still wreathed in browns and greys and remain bare twigged, the leaf buds are starting to swell and it won’t be long until they burst open with joyous green.

Birdsong is building in the early mornings, which is a lovely way to greet the day and is usually started by high clear notes from the robin. The pigeons bill and coo along the length of the fence and the bluetits are darting to and from the nest box, not yet bringing in nesting material but definitely behaving like prospective buyers.

Spring feels especially welcome this year and I’m daydreaming about the longer days to come, picnics, knitting in the garden, wearing short-sleeves and enjoying the feel of the sun of bare skin. Winter hasn’t been all dull and dismal though, the skies have provided lots of splendid colour; whether it’s been tightly focused in the curve of a rainbow or splashed across the whole sky in technicolour sunsets. And there is always colour inside in my knitting bag. I’m working on lots of new patterns at the moment, cabled sweaters, new animals and a few other ideas are being played around with. As always I’ll keep you posted with more details once they’re all further along and ready to share.

Lastly there’s foxy news from the garden. Kit has had her third litter of cubs. We don’t know where her den is but it must be close by as she’s popping in daily for snacks. I knew that she was pregnant as I saw (and heard!) her mating in the early morning light on December 19th and throughout February she has grown obviously and progressively more bulbous around the middle. It’s most likely that the cubs were born between February 10th-14th as she didn’t come to visit at all on those days and when she arrived on the 15th she was no longer looking pregnant. It was the worst possible time of the year as Feb 10th was the coldest night for quite a few years with temperatures down to -7. I’m hoping that the cubs have all survived and are flourishing now the days are warmer and I’m wondering if we’ll get to meet them later in the spring once they’re old enough to venture out of the den. I shall make sure that I have my camera battery fully charged and ready, I’d love another morning like the one I had last year when Kit brought her cubs to visit for the first time 🙂

I hope there’s a little in your life right now to lift your spirits and that you have a good weekend ahead. See you soon xx