Flutterby Patch

A sunny trip to Cartmel, Cumbria

The first day of September and there was a distinct feel of autumn in the air today. England has suffered a very dismal summer but quite suddenly today the sun put his hat on. What a treat!

Berries around the garden are turning red and bronze and birds enjoyed feasting in the sunshine
1). Hawthorn 2). Cotoneaster 3). Rosehips 4). Rowan
 
After lunch my husband and I made the most of the welcome warmth and visited a favourite haunt of ours only a few miles away, the small village of Cartmel in Cumbria. It has numerous character buildings and a wonderful 12th century Priory where monks lived and prayed in Medieval times.

The stone built Cartmel Priory seen from the east. It dates from 1190. 

Inside the Priory - the High Altar and East Window

These are the beautifully carved oak choir stalls where the monks would have prayed (nine time a day).


The monks had to stand to pray for many hours at a time which must have been exhausting. The poor fellows did have some assistance however in the form of narrow seats on which they could perch. These are known as 'misericords' and they date from 1460. I find them all fascinating; the skill of the woodcarvers is phenominal and the choice of subjects is both weird and wonderful. The carving above shows a double tailed mermaid with comb and mirror.

This is the marvellous old Priory Gatehouse which today is owned and cared for by the National Trust. It is on a main road through the village and sadly cars rumble through the archway which can't be good for the building's ancient foundations.

 
And here is the Cartmel Village Shop. It wouldn't look out of place in one of Beatrix Potters tales. It is famed for its sticky toffee pudding.

Knitting acorns

I went for a stroll in our wood yesterday looking for acorns high in the branches of the old oaks but there seems to be a poor crop this year. I can't think why. No doubt someone would suggest global warming as the cause but trees often take a rest after producing heavy crops the previous year. This would seem to be a more obvious explanation as last year's crop was enormous. I returned home with a handful of oak twigs and leaves and the idea that knitting acorns shouldn't be too difficult .... it wasn't.

 

I had great fun experimenting and produced a variety of different sizes.
I used scraps of double knitting yarn and 3 mm needles. The number of stitches cast on and rows knitted depends on the size of acorn required (my finished acorns measured approx 3 cm x 2 cm). I found the most realistic ones were knitted in 2 pieces (see below).

For the top cast on 12 stitches. Knit 10 rows stocking stitch. Row 11, knit 2 stitches together right across the row (6 stitches remaining). Row 12, purl 2 stitches together across row (3 stitches remaining). Break off yarn (allowing 15 cm) and using sewing needle thread yarn through the remaining stitches and gather. Stitch side seam. 

The acorn cup is done in moss stitch (k1 p1) but reverse stocking also looks effective. Cast on 13 stitches and knit 8 rows. Break off yarn (allowing 15 cm) and using a sewing needle thread yarn through the 13 stitches and gather. Make a little twisted cord using 2 strands of yarn for the stem of the cup. Insert knotted end of stem into the gathered edge before closing and stitch side seam. Now stuff the acorn (top half only) with a small amount of fibre filling. Don't fill it too full or it will be too fat! Close the end and insert it into the acorn cup. Stitch two halves together securely. Job done!

 

Note reverse stocking stitch is used for the acorn cup on the left. The remaining three have cups knitted in moss stitch.

Above - a magical gold and silver acorn. On reflection I think using finer knitting needles and adding more stitches and rows would have produced a better acorn. They'd be great as Xmas decorations

Finally I wanted to make an acorn girl with a smiling face! I used the same method as before but instead of adding a stem I made a long twisted cord to create a necklace. The features were stitched onto the face after stuffing. A red crayon produced glowing cheeks and little yellow plaits stitched below the hat gave the finishing touch.
They say mighty oaks from little acorns grow so perhaps its lucky that I don't have enough yarn to knit enough acorns to fill a tree!

Button garden.

Does this pic look as if it was stitched a century ago by a seven year old child? No I thought not! I saw the 'real thing' in a magazine some time ago and thought I would try to achieve the right 'look'. I rooted out an old piece of tired looking cotton fabric and gave it the obligatory bath in cold coffee. Once dry I emboidered the words and stems and stitched on a mix of (genuinly old) buttons trying to make the design as haphazard as I could. Finally 'Alice age 7' was added for authenticity. An inner frame covered in a pretty blue and cream printed cotton lifts the buttons away from the glass and finally the ultimate 21st century touch, a light wood frame. It doesn't look old but it does look pretty on my kitchen wall and I like the sentiment!