Do people still read blogs?

I find myself wondering how much longer to keep blogging.  Do people still read them?  If they do, they don't comment that much. With Facebook, Twitter (don't get that) and Instagram (I like that), who has time to read blogs?  I must admit the only ones I regularly read are Supergran, North of 49, Knit One, Raised 4 , Small Things, all the others in my feed just seem to require far too much time.

 When I first started blogging it was to record my knitting.  I didn't actually plan for it to evolve in the way it did.  It has proved to be a handy reference point if we ever wonder when something happened, and also great for quickly looking up photographs.

Looking back over the last few months it seems that I am reverting back to just posting about knitting, photography and the garden and that's fine with me.

To that end, this is what I've been up to on that front.

Body Warmer for Miss J

Peter's teddy

Retro cardigan for baby R 

inherited yarn tangle

thats better!

My knitting area in the sitting room

Breakfast at Herbies

Village church

Puddle jumper

Last post of 2012

This is my last posting for 2012.  It has been a good year. There is too much to recap on but the most important thing to happen was the safe arrival of Laurie in July.






3 days

5 months

Another significant factor this year has been the weather.  To say its been wet would be an understatement.  I can't actually remember such a wet year, ever.  This Christmas break has been wet too.  The only dry days being Boxing Day morning (Wed) and yesterday (Sun).  These were the only days we managed to get out for a decent walk.  When I say walk more like a slip and slide in some places.  Pathways blocked and those that were open were a mud bath in places.  It was good to get out for some air after being forced to stay in (knitting, such a hardship!).  We did go and see the Hobbit too.

Boxing Day walk

As posted a few weeks ago the fields around here were pretty wet. They now are a whole lot worse..... but we are the lucky ones, our homes are dry and safe and whilst one or two people in the village are inconvenienced (see above picture) they at least have dry homes.  My heart goes out to many in the UK who are displaced and their homes wrecked due to the severe flooding.

Anyway back to the walk.

field on the left?

there's a lake in here somewhere

this is a field

we nearly didn't get though

this is a field too

mud

foot path

foot bridge

there's a foot path along there somewhere between the lake and the drain

see there is the start of the foot path

so we won't go that way either

another foot path

the Great River Ouse is in there somewhere

another field

escaped foot bridge

more mud

lots more mud

even more mud

Mere Fen - this floods most winters and if it freezes hard enough then people skate on here - see this link for details

With more rain forecast for today it won't be getting dry around here anytime soon.  New Years Day is looking dry and sunny so maybe we can get out again. We always think we are getting a good long holiday but it goes all too quickly and before you know its back to work.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for stopping by to read my blog; I love to read your comments so keep them coming.  Why not become a follower or LIKE us on Facebook.

Wishing you all a very happy, healthy New Year.  

I hope 2013 is kind to you all.

Best wishes Sue xx

Followers & Comments

First I'd like to welcome my new followers, always good to see your numbers going up;  makes it all worth while writing the blog if someone is going to read it.  I love to receive comments too, but have noticed that some of you are "nonreply-commenters" which is a real shame as I'd love to thank you personally for your lovely comments.  I think its something in your settings so if you'd like a reply from me then check it out.  If not, I'll try and find a way round it.

Update to above - you may not know you are an noreply-commenter, so to check out do the following:

Go to your dashboard, click on edit profile, check the box - show my email, then hit save.  Hopefully you will then receive lots of replies to your comments

Whilst on the subject of comments and followers I know there are some of you that read my blog on a regular basis but aren't followers.  Come on don't be shy, I'd love to know who you are and check out your blogs if you have one.

Whilst I have you, here are the factoid and quote for the day

1954 - The University of Oxford won the 100th Boat Race .......... boo hiss come on Cambridge

Peace is a journey of a thousand miles and it must be taken one step at a time

Brynwood Giveaway.......

Yesterday I arrived home to a parcel from the US. It is always lovely to receive a parcel and even lovelier when I opened it and found not only my Pumpkin Bread T-towel, but other gifts too.

The lovely and talented Donna of the Brynwood Needleworks blog had included a sweet bag of candy corn - which I need to hide from hubby, a dates book, a Breast Cancer friendship bracelet and a picture postcard of Tag with a kind message.

Thank you so much Donna for your generous gifts and I promise to make and post about the bread. If you need inspiration to take up crafting then check out Donna's blog she is one gifted lady and has a way with words too. 

Thanks again x

Reaction buttons

MarmePurl posted a comment on my latest post regarding the desire for a LIKE button, no sooner said than done Joan.  So all you readers can now react to my posts. I would prefer a comment but a reaction is better than nothing (-:

If you have a spare moment check out Joan's blog and see her amazing farm - envious or what!!

Knitting & Crochet Blog Week - Day 7

 Your knitting and crochet time. - Write about your typical crafting time. When it is that you are likely to craft – alone or in more social environments, when watching TV or whilst taking bus journeys. What items do you like to surround yourself with whilst you twirl your hook like a majorette’s baton or work those needles like a skilled set of samurai swords. Do you always have snacks to hand, or are you a strictly ‘no crumbs near my yarn!’ kind of knitter.

 My sofa

 My side table with WIP, needle roll and boxes with all my bits and pieces

Current copies of knitting magazines, pen, scissors and coasters

See I need the space to spread out - me and my ten stitch blanket

I always have a cup of tea to hand, but rarely eat whilst knitting maybe the odd sweet if there is one around. I often have to share my sofa with our cat.  Things can get a bit fraught as the cat likes the middle of the sofa too. 

My knitting time depends on the time of the year, during the winter months then its most afternoons when I get home from work and have prepared dinner and done any jobs I've allocated myself (or not).  The TV is usually on in the evening but I can't really tell you whats on.  Over the summer months my knitting has to take a back seat to the garden but I can usually manage a few rows once it gets dark.  I am looking forward to having our garden room completed then I will be able to sit and view the garden whilst knitting away

Other places I knit are, the Medway Craft Group - we meet every other Thursday.  Also Stitched-Up a young offenders group which we run on a Monday afternoon, I teach the girls to knit.  They don't do too badly, providing they remember to bring their knitting with them!

I've really enjoyed Knitting & Crochet Blog Week, its been good fun.  I now need to get round to reading all the posts that everyone else has posted.  I would like to thank everyone who has visited and commented on my blog this week.  Thanks and I hope you will continue to visit from time to time

Knitting & Crochet Blog Week - Late to the party - Days 1 & 2

As you can see from the above banner its Knitting blog week - you are suppose to blog about a given topic on a given day.  I've been procrastinating about this, but having read some of the entries its looks like everyone is having a good time, getting lots of visitors to their blogs, so I've decided to pull my finger out and get on, especially as its raining and I can't get out on the garden.

Day One - Tale of Two Yarns - choose two yarns and tell what you like or dislike about them. 

Well I'm not a yarn snob so you won't be hearing about some fantastic yarn I've bought which I needed to take out a 2nd mortgage for.  I like yarn that has acrylic as part of its makeup.  I can hear the gasps of disapproval from here.  I like to be able to throw my knitted items into the washing machine and for them to come out as they went in.  Having experienced knitting with 100% wool yarn and then seeing the end result after my daughter washed in the machine, its an awful waste of time and effort.  Having said that I think the nicest yarn I used was for a little cardigan for a friend daughter's christening, knitted in Sublime Yarns Baby Cashmere Merino Silk 4ply

With regards to a yarn I'm not keen on, that would have to be Paton's Smoothie, whilst the end result looks good it splits terribly

So on to Day 2 - Skill + 1Up - Look back over the year to see how you have improved knitwise.

For me this was lace knitting, I went right out of my comfort zone when I joined a KAL on the Grandmas Hand Forum its was for the Travelling Woman Shawl,  I learnt that its not easy to unpick lace, I learnt about installing lifelines and making sure my stitch markers were in the right place. I was pleased with the result.  I now have all the necessary blocking equipment so future lace projects will hopefully have a crisper finish.

I still need to push myself into sock knitting, its my goal for 2011