Hello! It’s a beautiful day here today – fog has been hanging thickly since dawn at low levels, but in places where the sun burns through there is the most incredible golden light. It is also unusually still and crisp. We took Bruce out for one of our favourite walks, and Tom shot some photographs of life out on the loch.
Thanks, by the way, for your support of the new photographic site and for your comments and feedback. Tom intends to update the site later this week so that you’ll be able to see (in the image title) information about the location and subject of each print.
We are having a reflective weekend here, and thinking of our friends across the pond.
KDD & Co 
Love the SUP photos. Looks slightly cooler than our favourite SUP destination; Ross River in far north Queensland. Take a bag to fill with mangoes as you warily (occasional crocodiles) cruise the river.
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Interesting how both colour and black and white work equally well…
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You’ve been mentioned on Merriam Webster! https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/more-knitting-words/cable
While there are many knitting patterns back to the late 1800s that feature cables, they are inextricably linked to a style of fisherman’s sweater associated with the Aran Islands in Ireland. Aran sweaters are usually heavily cabled, using many different cable patterns at once. The widely dispersed mythology surrounding Aran sweaters is that the cables were tied to particular clans—so much so that the sweaters themselves were supposedly used to identify the bodies of fisherman who had drowned and later washed ashore. This is, however, false: knitwear designer and historian *Kate Davies* gives a thorough explanation as to where the myths came from on her blog.
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Lovely! I live in the U.S. and fully support our new president. For me, President Trump stands against the establishment of oppression, which is the multi-national corporations, bankers, and military industrial complex, which isjd constantly engaged in foolish wars that meddle in other nation’s affairs. Women in the United States are perhaps the most free women in the world. Perhaps the energy would be better spent fighting for the truly oppressed women of the world, who live under Sharia Law.
Cheers!
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All views are welcome here, Sally. Yet you might also appreciate that from a Scottish perspective its quite difficult to comprehend how a billionaire businessman, in the lap of the oil industry, might ever be regarded as the antithesis of the capitalist “establishment” you mention.
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Not to corrupt this lovely web site and these lovely photos, but please don’t think the above comments from “Sally” are from this Sally. I strongly agree with Kate’s reply. And thank you for a bit of sanity through photos and knitting in these unsettling times.
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I much appreciate Kate’s response here and honor her views…..I am an American coming to this site to view beauty, tranquil bucolic scenery and handmade beauty…..my heart would appreciate keeping the politics to another blog or site….I am overwhelmed with all the blather. Sorry…
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I’m curious about what the air temperature was the day of those photos (Canadians are into winter weather details). Here, Lake Ontario has not yet frozen over, and we have not had snow that “sticks”–evidence of climate change. All our swans have long since migrated south though. Good weather for wool.
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These are incredible photos. Thank you for sharing. And thank you for thinking of us across the pond! It was incredible to be amongst 175,000 marches in Seattle Washington!
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As always incredibly beautiful photographs!
Thank you for thinking of us……
It has been a difficult few months in the US, but after
the rally at Columbus Circle on Thursday, 1/19/17 and the beautiful marches all over the country—-I think that
many of us are beginning to feel the strength in unity. Never been so proud to be a knitter and
an activist.
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Thank you for the lovely, peaceful photographs, and especially for the very last line of your post – thinking about us on this side of the pond. It is a very difficult and frightening time here. I’m not sure how to breathe anymore. Peaceful places and supportive thoughts from friends are much in need right now.
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Gorgeous photos and thanks for thinking of us. In my city of roughly 250,000 people, 100,000 people turned out in pink knitted, crocheted, and sewn hats.
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I have found the news of the marches and rallies this weekend so heartening and inspiring.
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Wow! These are places where you just blend in with this unknown world
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Love the photos of the SUP boarders on the glass loch stunning! Wishing you both all the best with all your new projects.
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Kate – thank you and Tom for sharing the beauty of our world. It is a great reminder that all the beauty in the world is still with us, in the natural world and in each other. As an American, I am incredibly proud of all those who peacefully marched yesterday in cities small and large all over the world. Truly historic proud moment that reinforces my faith.
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Absolutely beautiful photographs Tom! Steeped in tranquility <3
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Hi Kate,
Will Tom be adding these images to his website? I would like to buy the misty tree with the mountain backdrop for my mum’s 75th birthday.
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yes he will certainly do that! If you can drop us a line at info@katedaviesdesigns.com Tom will let you know when it is ready.
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Thanks for thinking of us in the U.S. I have never been more afraid for my country as I am now. I’m glad Tom will be putting information about the photos on the site. Hopefully Bruce will be in some of them.
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Thank you for thinking of us these past few days. Friday felt more somber than I even expected. That was until, the bright part of the day was notification that my KDD parcel had shipped. Carraig Fhada-you are soon to be on my needles! However the solidarity seen from women, men, knitters all around the world was so encouraging.
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I hear the Isle of Eigg had 21 marchers. Way to go Hebridean friends. Wonder what sort of jumpers they wore :)
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OMG. Absolutely gorgeous photographs. Takes my breath away.
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Thank you for your kind thoughts, Kate. We will survive this. It will be ugly and almost unbearably sad, but we must believe that kindness and truth will prevail. (“Kindness prevailing” paints a most odd picture, doesn’t it?)
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Thank you for sharing the tranqulity of your corner of Scotland. I have been watching the news of the marches at home here in Canadian cities, around the world and most particularly in cities to the south, in the USA. We do live in interesting times and I am seeing the reflective knitters’ influences in all marches of the cute hats with “ears” that are in evidence around the protesting world. Quiet statements with symbols of unity are so very effective!
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Just back from the local March on Cape Cod. Your photos bring peace to a very troubled world.
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Kate and Tom,
I love the photography and want to order several pictures, but there’s absolutely nothing on the site that I could find about the cost of sending them to the U.S. or anywhere else outside of Scotland. It would be very helpful if you added that info. It’s frustrating to go to order something from outside the U.S., only to discover that shipping is nearly as high as the cost of the actual item. I know you guys will be fair, but it would really be helpful to have that information easily available.
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I will pass this on to Tom – it would be good to see these prices up front. I do know he has endeavoured to keep the costs low and that you can see the prices at the checkout – 3.99 (UK), 5.99 (Europe) and 6.99 (rest of world, including the US)
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Absolutely love these photos. We have swans in the marshland and waterways next to our village. I have been photographing them all week in the cold frosty mornings.
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Hi Kate…..tell Tom beautiful photography….how lucky you are to live so close to water, it really does have its own beauty…surprisingly here in Ontario we are having a Jan. thaw….am enjoying the mild weather as I am sure Feb. will bring winter back…received my 2skeins of Buachaille yesterday to make your beautiful new hat…looking forward to knitting it
Best for New Years for you and yours….cheers pat j
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Dear Kate, your posts always inspire and uplift!!! I am LOVING EVERYTHING about my Inspired by Islay membership. Always, Susan from San Francisco Bay Area.
Sent from my iPhone
>
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Wonderful pictures, thank you for your thoughts and I will be ordering a picture with my next check!!! When have we heard that before haha but truly, I LOVE those goats. Silly me.
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Thanks so much for thinking of us knitterly friends across the pond — it helps a lot. The serenity and tranquility of your post, your words, Kate, and your pictures, Tom, is most welcome. Also of great help is Hat 101 — concentrating on the patterns that are evolving in such a neat and orderly fashion is a meditation of sorts and helps me stay sane.
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Thanks for the good thoughts and scenes. I can’t march today, but I sent a pink hat and have knitted a second (purple: crone’s color) to wear around town.
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Lovely pictures, as always! Thank you for thinking of your friends across the pond, we need all the help we can get.
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Dear Kate and Tom,
Thank you for the quiet and reflective images of peace. Keep thinking and hoping for the best for those of us across the pond. Although I am from Canada, what happens to those close to us affects us all. I work in kindergarten and one of the first lessons is about building relationships, keeping everyone safe, and having empathy and kindness for us all. Those are life lessons I wish everyone could take to heart.
Karen
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Thank you for thinking of us here as many of us engage in peaceful, strong protests. Beautiful, serene images are help to my soul at this time.
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I love the detail of the water dripping from the swan’s beak in the header image. Adds a little extra something to an already special photo.
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I adore these pictures😍
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Thanks for these beautiful photos. Peaceful moments are so precious.
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idyllic scenery- thank you for posting!
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