Flutterby Patch

Sunshine and smiles

Just two days into April and the sky in north west England has changed from dismal grey to deepest blue so I'm taking my camera on a little wander round our garden. I hope you'll join me.

The pink Camellia blooms are bursting from their buds in rapid succession and are certainly enjoying the warmth of the sun on their faces.

The early flowering heathers have been blooming since January and are always welcome providers of colour during the long dark months of winter.

I love this combination of light mauve and purple produced by two different heathers that have lovingly intertwined over the years.

Primroses grow everywhere in the garden. They thrive in damp places so are spoilt for choice in our wet climate. They love to nestle at the base of stone walls or on mossy banks.

Daffodils are the main players at this time of year and their delicate perfume fills the air on sunny day like this. Clusters of them emerge from the borders and lawns every year without fail. Unfortunately, in their enthusiasm to grow there are often a number of casualties that have been knocked over by wind and rain. So every year I pick the damaged blooms and take them indoors. I have already picked a number by the time I reach this spot.

An avenue of daffs guides us down a long path to the far corner of the garden where we have an area for making and storing compost and a place for a (large) bonfire.

And here we are at that far corner of the garden. The compost area is on the right and the bonfire area just behind me.

Back to the house now to give the damaged daffs I have picked a refreshing drink of cool water. Remember the wall my husband was repairing a few weeks ago? He finished it in record time and the steps are now swept clean and all is tidy again. A splendid job!

And here is a vase of orphaned daffs, I've placed it on the old dresser in the dining room. I love the combination of yellow blooms and blue and white china.

After all the daffs have been put in vases its time to take a quick trip to the local supermarket and I thought you'd like to join me. Past the lake we go with wonderful views over the distant Lake District mountains. Just look at that fresh green hue on the trees, it really lifts the spirits.

And after a short car journey we arrive at the supermarket where I do my weekly shop. Booths is a family firm with a number of stores in north west England. It is of course in direct competition with the big multiples that dominate the British market but despite this is doing rather well; and long may it do so. The supermarket building was once a Victorian station and engine sheds. The buildings were converted in the early 1980s to create a large modern food hall. The current station is now to the left of the car park behind a tall fence....

....and we can see a train just arriving.

I get a few strange looks as I climb on the wall and lean over the fence to get a better picture of this very smart locomotive. Only three carriages but it is sufficient for the area. Most people travel by car these days but the train is well used by the many overseas visitors that come here and of course local people can be whisked away to Manchester and London and all the places in between.

Here we are at the store. I'll leave you outside admiring the pots of brightly coloured polyanthus that are on sale whilst I go inside to pick up a few essentials. 

What a sunny sight we see on the homeward journey; a large patch of celandines growing in our lane beneath the hedge. Like us they are pleased to greet the sun.

There are hundreds of them looking just like little yellow stars in a glossy green sky.

Back home to unpack the groceries and we'll enjoy a welcome mug of tea whilst seeking more information about celandines. This book never lets me down. Its the 'Reader's Digest Field Guide to Wild Flowers' and has hundreds of gorgeous illustrations of British wild flowers with loads of added information. The little yellow flower we saw in the lane is the lesser celandine (ranunculus ficaria). It flowers from February until May, opening fully in the sun and closing when the weather is dull.

The book tells us that Lake District poet William Wordsworth loved the celandine so much that he was moved to write no fewer than three poems about it. In fact his sister Dorothy wrote in her journal (April 1802) that she had to walk endlessly backwards and forwards with William whilst he repeated the first celandine poem to her and he wouldn't give up until it was finished, by which time it was 5 o'clock. She goes on to say that after he'd finished he had to retire with a bad headache... Hardly surprising!!

Here is the first verse from:

The Small Celandine by William Wordsworth

There is a flower, the Lesser Celandine,
That shrinks, like many more, from cold and rain;
And, at the first moment that the sun may shine,
Bright as the sun itself, 'tis out again!

 Until next time
Eli

Wordsworth's Daffodils

Imagine the scene.... It's early spring in the year 1802 and you are walking with your brother in the English Lake District beside the lake known as Ullswater. A truly beautiful place in pleasant weather but today the water reflects the moody grey of the sky, the mountains look menacing and the wind whips icy rain against your face. You trudge along beside the lake sheltering as best you can beneath the narrow belt of trees that grows between the lake and turnpike road just a few yards away.

Keeping your head down you travel ever onwards. Then suddenly you come across a scene that stops you in your tracks. Daffodils! Growing beside the lake, dancing in the breeze. Might this cheerful view not inspire you to write a few lines of verse. I think by now you'll have guessed where I am headed!

The brother and sister in my little story were William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy. In 1802 Dorothy wrote about this day in her journal and later William recalled the experience in his now famous poem.

I've been waiting for the just the right weather to photograph the exact spot where the poet had his spark of inspiration and yesterday was perfect. I travelled to Ullswater (just a few miles form where I live) and found just the scene I'd been hoping for. 207 years after Wordsworth passed by, in the same place, beside the lake, beneath the trees, daffodils were still fluttering and dancing in the breeze. That is the beauty of this lovely area, so much of it has remained unchanged from the days when the poet lived here.

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud

I wandered lonely as a Cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and Hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden Daffodils;
Beside the Lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:-
A Poet could not but be gay
In such a jocund company:
I gazed---and gazed---but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude,
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the Daffodils.

The little daffodils growing beside the lake are native British wild daffodils -Narcissus pseudonarcissus

I have a copy of Dorothy Wordsworth's journal which she kept from 1800 to 1803 (see below). Dorothy's original hand written journal is in the Wordsworth Museum in Grasmere. 

The journal was written whilst the Wordsworths lived at Dove Cottage. From this link you can look inside the cottage and also view the other homes the family had in the Lake District.

Dorothy writes in her journal:
'When we were in the woods beyond Gowbarrow Park we saw a few daffodils close to the water-side. We fancied that the lake had floated the seeds ashore and that the little colony had so sprung up. But as we went along there were more and yet more; and at last under the boughs of the trees we saw that there was a long belt of them along the shore, about the breadth of the turnpike road. I never saw daffodils so beautiful'.

'They grew among the mossy stones about and about them; some rested their heads upon these stones as on a pillow for weariness and the rest tossed and reeled and danced and seemed as if they verily laughed with the wind that blew upon them over the lake'.

I'm finishing this post with a photo I took of St Patrick's Church in Patterdale, not far from the scenes above. Built in 1853 it makes a pretty picture with its churchyard full of daffodils.

Until next time,
Eli 

Knitted daffodil

It's a little bit early to be doing a post for Easter but not too early to be thinking about knitting a little something for the Easter table. So how about a bright yellow daffodil to decorate an egg cosy? I created this pattern several years ago and have used it endlessly ever since (with a few variations along the way).

The pattern is very easy to follow (I don't do difficult). Please note I have written the instructions in a way that 'beginners' should be able to follow. If you are an experienced knitter please don't be put off by the rather lengthy instructions.
 
You will need a small amount of yellow DK yarn, pairs of 3.25 mm and 4 mm needles (US 3 and 6) and a couple of hours to spare.

Start with the centre trumpet. Using 3.25 mm needles (US size 3) cast on 14 stitches. 
Row 1: purl
Row 2: knit
Row 3: purl 
Row 4: knit 
Change to 4 mm needles (US size 6). Changing to larger needles gives the trumpet a better shape.
Row 5: purl.

To create a little wavy edge to the trumpet you now need to do a picot edge as follows.
Row 6: Knit 1, (slip 1, knit 1, pass slip stitch over the stitch just knitted). Repeat the instructions in the brackets to the last remaining stitch. Knit 1.
Row 7: Purl 2 stitches then pick up the yarn between stitch 2 and 3, put it on the left hand needle and purl it as a stitch. Purl the next stitch then pick up the yarn before the next sitch and purl. Continue doing this to the end of the row (by picking up these short lengths of yarn between stitches you are replacing the stiches that were lost on the row before). You should now have 14 stitches on your needle.
Row 8: knit
Change to 3.25 mm needles
Row 9: purl
Row 10 knit
Row 11 purl. Break off the yarn leaving a length of about 20 cm (8 in). Remove all the stitches onto this length of yarn ready for drawing up later.

Using a separate length of yarn (not the one threaded through the stitches) stitch together the two short edges of the daffodil trumpet and secure. Now pull the thread that passes through the stitches, draw up and secure tightly. This will form the inside of the trumpet. Fold the trumpet along the picot edge and secure the cast on edge to the back of the daffodil. Don't draw up this edge. (shown above). The trumpet is complete.

You will need 6 petals. I have used a paler yellow for these. They are knitted in garter stitch which will ensure they don't curl.
Using 3.25 mm needles cast on 7 stitches. Work 5 rows. Knit 2 stitches together at the start of the next and every following row until you have 3 stitches remaining. Break yarn 20 cm (8 in) from the work and remove stitches onto a sewing needle. Draw up and fasten off (petal above left). Now draw up the cast on edge and secure to give the petal a nice curled shape (petal above right).

Stitch 3 petals to the back of the trumpet as shown above.

Stitch the remaining 3 petals behind the first 3 petals as shown above.

To make the stamens/stigma for the centre of the flower. Cut a piece of yarn (orange or yellow) 20 cm (8 in) long and wrap round a needle as shown.

Tie 6 knots as shown above.

Thread each tail of yarn through to the back of the daffodil and secure tightly. The bloom is now complete and ready to add to your egg cosy.

As you'll see I've made the trumpet in the centre quite short as I didn't want the bloom to flop forward. A couple of extra rows before and after the picot row will give you a longer trumpet. For the stem I used a green plastic knitting needle which I simply pushed into the back of the flower.

The daffodil together and a white narcissus with an orange centre (knitted same as above) make a pretty corsage. The stems are easily done with green yarn. Cast on 14 stitches. Work in stocking stitch for 2 rows and cast off. The stem will automatically curl showing the back of the stocking stitch. Use this as the right side and stitch together the two long edges to form a stem.

To make a very simple knitted egg cosy use 3.25 mm needles. Cast on 32 stitches. Work 4 rows in garter stitch and 15 rows in stocking stitch. Break yarn and thread stitches onto it. Draw up and secure. Stitch the two short edges together and you have a simple egg cosy.

I found a bulb catalogue a very useful source of daffodil pictures as there are dozens of different shapes and shades to choose from.

Happy daffodil knitting

Until next time
Eli