Red Woolly Jumpers

So that's where all those red sweaters that appear in the shops at Christmas time come from...

The Knitting and Stitching Show

After our herculean efforts for the fair, it was time to kick back and have fun today.  And what better place to party than the annual jamboree that is The Knitting and Stitching Show?

This sumptuous extravaganza of all things textile-related is always a feast for the eyes and imagination (but can cause a serious famine in bank-balance land).  The best specialist suppliers gather to purvey their glorious goods.  There are exhibitions and galleries to browse; the latest technical innovations on display; colleges showcasing their students' work; and classes and workshops to drop in on throughout the day.

Almost as much fun as revelling in the deliciousness for sale is the age-old art of people-watching.  Put several hundred artists and crafty types in one place and you get an impromptu pageant of skilful knitwear, hand-made corsages, outlandish jewellery, and outfits put together with inventiveness and flair.

The Knitting and Stitching Show runs until Sunday at Harrogate International Centre.

Treasure at the Fair

Tomorrow my partner-in-crime and I are doing our first craft fair together.

I'm so excited to be working with Claire.  Besides being a good friend, she's a seriously talented textile artist.

Tomorrow we're launching our Treasure Books: little blank journals to be used for special purposes - as sketchbooks, scrapbooks, notebooks or photograph albums.  They have quirky concertina folds; the pages have hand-drawn borders - either pen and ink or machine embroidered; and most of them fasten with pretty ribbons.

There are piles of them here just waiting to go to the fair.  Small treasures hoping to hold greater treasures.

Birds of a Feather

I often see these birds sitting atop their little pier. And on a still day, you get double the birds for your money because their reflections line up in the reservoir below.

One of my favourite morning sights. Just wanted to share it with you.

The Walk to Conistone Pie

Friends

Two dogs

Weak winter sun

A companionable drive into the Dales

Briefly lost

Directions from a helpful chef

The postcard perfect village

Steep scramble up a dry riverbed

Limestone gleaming in the sun

Trees bowed by years of winds

Snails, sheep, a startled pheasant

Kissing gates and stiles

The distant silhouette of a gigantic bird turns out to be a man with a gun

Conistone Pie at last - a rocky outcrop with a shape reminiscent of.....well, the obvious

Clamber up to see the cairn on top - laughably minute (less than a foot tall)

Views spread into the distance

A footpath for the descent

Dogs tracking unknown scents

A wall thick with moss by the churchyard

Tall monkey puzzle tree in a garden

Sleepy, deserted village

Red postbox, red telephone box, red cotoneaster berries

Off to a pretty shop for hot drinks and cake

Rain starts as we travel home

We've had the best part of the day.