These end-of-February days are rather grey and dreich. Here is some colour to brighten them . . .
Green
Red
Blue
The yarn is my new favourite stuff to knit with. (So soft! So richly saturated! You’ll hear more about it soon!)
The swatch is one of several I’ve been making for the “Steek Sandwich” workshop I shall be leading at This is Knit in April. (That’s steek, not steak)
The daffodil bulbs are on my window sill
The bowl is from Emma Bridgewater’s new Walk in the Park range. (My favourite Bridgewater design since ‘Blue Hen.’)
The hand-coloured prints are the work of the quite brilliant Suzanne Norris. I love Suzanne’s designs – precise, evocative – and I also love the thoughtful way she writes about process. These are from her Amateur Naturalist’s Specimen Collection and you can read about the process of creating them in three parts, beginning here.
KDD & Co 
http://jeannettesmyth.com/2012/02/29/home-pinny-porn/
i hope this amuses you as much as it did me.
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Lovely colors! They do brighten up the grey! We just had snow again where I live and despite the fact that the snow drops are up, I am despairing of spring!
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beautiful yarn,I love the red, I have a cone of mainline wool very near the same,I was a weaver, but had to return to knitting,it has been 25yrs since i have knitted and you have given me the inspiration to do it. we have had our spring flowers ,just a few snow drops showing.in west Alabama.USA
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I love the yarn Hope to know what it is. I did not know what steek means but googled it and discovered I have indeed come across it . Many years ago i went to Norway to visit my penfriend and when i was there knit a fairisle top. . She explained i would have to cut it to make up,needless to say she did the cutting! many thanks for a fantastic blog
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What a lovely surprise on visiting here – thank you for the kind words, Kate!
The green yarn and daffodil shoots are beautiful together… such a promise of spring!
And the swatch is intriguing – looking forward to more ‘steek sandwich’.
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Lovely ^_^
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Just lovely!
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Fascinating, that missing yellow :-).
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Oh that’s a wonderful fresh green! My eyes have needed to look at something like that. Almost threatens my resolution to buy NO yarn this year….
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You little scamp! Not revealing the name of the yarn yet, is that it? You’re playing a dangerous game, Davies!;)
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I was already looking forward to the class in dublin but now am just pure excited! Can’t wait to get my homework!
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These colours are so beautifully put together.
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Love the patterns in your photos. And very excited to hear about that beautiful yarn!
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Really wonderful – colour and combinations!
Great!
Birgit
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BEautiful!
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Very exciting teaser for the yarns!
Bruce and family on a bowl!
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Dreich is bang on – here in Wales (in contrast to the last comment) we’ve been in mist for the last three days. Thos lovely colours are a great reminder than the world doesn’t always come in shades of drippy grey. That yarn is tantalising…
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Hi Kate,
Extremely OT, but your use of the word dreich made me think of something else not at all knitting related. I’ve been learning some old folk songs which use many Scots words. Do you have a recommendation for a book or source for getting accurate translations? So far I’ve been getting by with google but I’d love something more reliable. (I was historian trained – and have a theory looking things up in books is a bit like comfort food for my brain).
p.s. 37 degrees where I live in south of australia today. no dreich in sight!
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You could try this website, a digitised version of the research project which resulted in the ‘Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue’: http://www.dsl.ac.uk/. I think you can search both ways, from Scots to English and vice versa.
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Cool – thanks :) Have been really enjoying listening to things like Alan Lomax’s recordings. Every now and then I get quite obsessed listening to particular types of songs like waulking songs, which are really hypnotic. I’ve been learning songs by ear but it helps memory to have some idea what you’re singing!
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Are you familiar with the Tobar an Dualchais/ Kist o’riches project, based in Edinburgh’s Scottish Studies Archive? They have a fantastic website, full of audio clips and information about the songs and their collectors (1940s- present day). The website’s here: http://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/
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Oh I am very curious about the yarn we will hear more about! That blue…
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That bowl is gorgeous. Can’t wait to see more about that lovely yarn.
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Thank you. I was feeling rather stressed and seeing the colours and different textures made me smile.
The simple stuff in life is what’s important. :)
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As lovely as ‘This is Knit’ looks (of course I had to check out the link, impolite not to, and add it to my bookmarks), I believe we need to get you to run some workshops closer to home. Selfish I know, but…..
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I can’t wait to hear more about that yarn- I’m wondering if the lack of info here because it is a secret new yarn?! Beautiful colours.
I’m running a class on steeking this weekend- it’s the first time and I’m feeling prepared and excited about it but I would feel even more confident if I could do the class with you first- I’m sure there are lots of holes in my experience ; ) I’m always reading, trying different things and talking to people but I do wish there was more opportunity to share skills with others in real life! My buddies and i will have to organize another knitcamp here…
Thanks for the colours- hope you have a bright day.
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I so apreciate this post ~ it came just in time for me to have a blast of color. Your posts somehow have the ability to inject a powerful dose of the creative spirit !
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Oh that yarn!!! I’m sitting on the edge of my seat now. I must.know.what.it.is!!
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shelter?
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Oh you tease! What is that lovely yarn???
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I had to look up a definition of dreich. We have those kind of days on the Oregon coast. Enjoyed the pictures.
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My world has been covered in a blanket of white. I just love fresh snow, but give it a few days, weeks and sometimes months that it can remain and I have had my fill.
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It was a beautiful, sunny day in Lincs. – with the aconites positively bursting open and trying to be buttercups. You need some yellow in your next selection!
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We’re in the grey here too, although I’m fighting back with my Trellis Waistcoat. I want to hear more about the yarn and about the steek sandwich (especially since I’m getting ready to teach a steek class in a few weeks). Saw my first snowdrops of the season last week.
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Not grey or dreich here, where we seem to have jumped directly to late spring, but your pictures have fired my imagination anyway. The yarn colors, the prints, and that bowl. . .
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I’m always excited to hear about awesome yarn– it looks woolen-spun and tweedy… yum :)
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Beautiful images! Thanks.
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I am not one for green, but I practically leapt through the screen for that yarn. Thank you for such lovely images to inspire my day!
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The yarn! The yarn? I’m drooling. Can’t wait to hear about it.
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Gorgeous colours :) This weekend I hope to have time to take some photos and do some knitting. Looking at my to do list though I think I’d need a 5-day weekend…
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Wow, it’s so pleasing to the eyes!!! I have to bookmark this page and look at it when I’m tired and bored by my work. Thanks so much for sharing, Kate!
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Thanks Kate. Sometimes your photos give me the only opportunity I have to just breathe.
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Nice pictures for a cloudy, windy day in north Alabama.
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Lovely, cheered me up no end!
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Great pictures, thanks. I love steeks, can’t wait to hear more about your “steek sandwich”
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I’m going to be in dublin next month :( I wish it was April!
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Yes let’s celebrate the arrival of Spring! Love your colour inspiration, I’m knitting with my choice of Spring colours at the moment and enjoying the daffodils on my windowsill.
Happy Knitting
Fleur xx
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Beautiful photos–gave me a perfect shot of inspiration this morning!
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Beautiful colours. I’m looking forward to hearing more about the yarn.
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Thanks for the lovely colors, Kate. The Bangles wrote a song years ago that “The Sky’s a Hazy Shade of Winter”. It’s definitely been that way here in Chicago.
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The Bangles covered it, but Simon and Garfunkel did the original version (Simon wrote it). Good song.
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