It is a lovely time of year, and, as the weather starts to change I am really appreciating our new situation. Our house is in the middle of the photo above – one of five properties on a small steading, situated at about 250m above sea level. In front of the steading, to the South, the land dips away to a small lochan. To the North, East and West, we are surrounded by hills and woods. After living in a city, when one steps outside, the space here sometimes feels immense to me, but because of our location, there is also the interesting sensation of being cradled in the landscape, a dip in the earth sheltered by a canopy of sky. Yesterday I took a walk around the loch with Bruce, and felt this very distinctly. The arc of this rainbow shifted round the landscape with me, curving over the steading and seeming to somehow illuminate it.
On my daily walks I see the landscape slowly coming back to life. Birds sing in the early hours, daffodils have taken the place of the snowdrops, and last week I saw the first caterpillars and frogs of the year.
Golden flowers are appearing on the gorse, the ultimate sign of a Scottish spring for me.
The Spring weather has almost made up for the fact that I spent last week at home, with a poorly Bruce, rather than in Shetland, where I was, in fact, supposed to be.
Worry not, friends of Bruce: he is doing fine. The cone is a wee bit tiresome for everyone, but his snout is healing, and we will be back at the vets this afternoon.
The Spring light has also given me a chance to photograph the steeked design I mentioned in my last post. It is a garment for a man, and will be released as part of a new collaboration with my good friend and colleague Jen Arnall-Culliford. I’m very much looking forward to telling you all about it next week! It is a time for new releases all round, in fact, as various things are due to arrive next Monday which I’ve been keeping under my hat for some months, but am very keen to show you. (Apologies for all of the mystery, but soon all will be revealed.)
Right, the sun has come out and it is time for another walk with Bruce. Enjoy your Monday, everyone!
KDD & Co 
What a great picture to head your post! Will one of your “Things” have four wheels, I wonder? I am amazed that you don’t miss the opportunities for random retail therapy offered by town dwelling.
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Oh poor Bruce, I hope he is not poorly any more. My Labs wore an inflatable Cloud Collar, which Gilly loved even though she wasn’t ill and Peri endured, last year after an operation. It is nicer then The Cone of Shame for The Girls!! We are excited about Autumn and the arrival of cardigan knitting and wearing weather!!
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We have bud break on our vines here in the Napa Valley. A bit scary since we could get easily get a freeze yet. Fingers crossed….
Lovely post, and look forward to seeing your new goods.
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What beautiful pictures! I love your blog (:
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What a great spot! So pretty, and with flowers and rainbows – wow! Can’t wait to see the mysteries you have been working on.
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May my dog and I move in with you? Please????
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Dearest Kate! This post is so lovely! Thank you for taking time to share your bit of heaven with all of us; I too am stuck in yet more snow and so the daffodils gave me hope that in a few weeks we shall have our own pretty landscapes. Good to see Bruce out and about, with a smile on his face!
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Thanks so much for sharing these scenes, Kate. The Scottish landscape in general and your little patch of earth in particular are always a delight to see (especially as we’re still looking at two inches of snow on the ground here in Philadelphia). The reflection of place and history in your designs makes these scenes even more meaningful. Here is a piece by Barbara Kingsolver with which you will likely resonate. Enjoy. http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/7809
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Oh, I miss the smell of the gorse bushes in Spring! It always amazes me how much they smell like coconut. How does a hardy northern flowering bush share a scent compound with a tropical fruit?
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oh goodness you are truly living at the end of the rainbow, enjoy your stunning walks. how lovely that you make the most of your surroundings!
and i LOVE the new mitts, and the gorgeous b & w photo sharing them.
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I’m so glad Bruce is on the mend. It truly is a beautiful place you live.
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What a beautiful place to live. I love the way you describe being ‘cradled in the landscape, a dip in the earth cradled by a canopy of sky’. Unable to sleep I was up at 3am reading Edward Thomas’ The South Downs and I think he would use such words too.
Good health to Bruce. Enjoy the Spring and I am looking forward to all that you are going to show us.
Lydia
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Beautiful, our spring is a little ahead though we’re still on daffodils, we’ve had frogs for a while (our pond looked like a frog rugby-scrum). My dad is going to be very excited to hear this, though I might have to teach him to knit as I still haven’t finished his last jumper, he loves wool, wool production (he worked for the international wool secretariat years ago), knitwear, being knitted for and fashion and is a one man “men should wear brighter clothes” campaign!
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Love the first photo! Can’t wait to see your new designs/what you’ve been up to!
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Dear Kate,
I’m so sorry your journey to Shetland had to be postponed. I’m so sorry Bruce has an infection and I wish him a speedy recovery indeed. Looking forward to see what the new collaboration has in store! xxx
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It has been a beautiful few days! I saw a caterpillar just like that one when I was out running on Sunday in the Lomond Hills. Glad Bruce is feeling better.
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Hi. Your photos are lovely. It brings me such joy to see a rainblow. Glad to hear your Bruce is doing well and the weather is improving. Not so here in New England where the temps continue to be unseasonably frigid. But we have a rare 50 degree day here and there and then it plummets again. Can’t wait for Spring this year. You are very lucky to be able to live in the countryside. Have a good week.
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I too love that sense of being nurtured by landscape. It is such a joy to the soul for those of us lucky enough to live in the countryside.
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Simply beautiful. How lucky you are to be surrounded by so much beauty and nature. The rainbow means good luck. Poor Bruce, feel better baby.
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I hope Bruce is all better soon and look forward to some new designs! Thanks for your lovely pictures :)
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Ah, yes, next week……..:) What a classy cone Bruce has, never saw one that wasn’t solid and the dogs couldn’t see what was going on, Brilliant! As is your landscape and a rainbow to boot! I do know what you mean re feeling landscape being too open vs too confining. Enjoy Spring!!
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Looking forward to next week.
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Looking forward to seeing what you’ve steeked up.
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Hello. I am a Spanish knitter and I enjoy spring, and now I knitting with cotton and beautiful colors.
I really like your work. ;)
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I’m reading an Ann Cleeves ‘Shetland’ marathon and looking out at 9″ of fresh snow in Virginia. Your spring photos are a beautiful peek at what’s to come — soon I hope!
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You live in such a beautiful place, Kate. I’m glad Bruce is on the mend, and hopefully you are able to reschedule your Shetland trip. I can’t wait to see what you have coming in next week, and also your new design.
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The landscape around you is beautiful! Bruce looks happy despite the cone. You are a dedicated mom to stay home with your boy. I will be going to Shetland in a couple of months and I am So excited!
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What a wonderful home and surroundings for your family. Just beautiful.
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loved waking up early this morning to your walk and talk in the country.
Life is good.
Thanks, too, for Jen’s website!
I purchased her hat pattern—so glad the world is small—and woolly.
teri x-x-x
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Love the pictures! We still have a foot of snow in most places, but some of the green is starting to show through!
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Oh what a beautiful location-I am getting landscape envy. I fell in love with Scotland years ago. You are very lucky to be living there. I am feeling for Bruce as have had experience with lampshaded dogs and also cats-I have to say cats are the craftiest-we had a ginger tom that managed to escape in no time at all and was so proud of himself he had the equivalent of a kitty grin-didn’t help the bandaged paw at all as he was soon tackling that offence to his person as well………
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As we just got an unexpected 10-12″ of snow here on the east coast of the States, this was a welcome and lovely reminder that spring is coming.
Looking forward to your new design!
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It’s my hubby’s year for sweaters….one done….and I’d like to knit him two more this year….so maybe this new design of yours will pass inspection! I hope so…..! It looks lovely there….how far do you have to go for supplies?
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