When I am lost, I come out here – to the base of Stanage Edge where the millstones lie. I eat breakfast and feel the gentle breath of a breeze. I can see for miles out towards Hope Valley, the stones are ancient – have been pushed and fallen, the rocks well climbed by amateurs and professionals alike and the paths well walked. I have so many creative ideas that they are bursting and I’ve stopped to a point of disconnection because I measure myself by reward – but this place, this earthly place brings me back to me, to a core that I hadforget. The stones make me care again, connect and contribute to my creative process. I cannot compete with the millions of knitting patterns pushed out into the world that are for sale, nor do I want to but I know that this Kaleidoscope pattern is a very good one.
When I meet the millstones and the old stone trough, I knit, I eat, drink tea and I am grateful for my thoughts. I have had 3 ideas to put togethere with my Tree and star new sleeve and you will have to wait until I have finally made my choice.
I am heading to an artist residency at the base of Mount Fuji for the whole of December and I am working on a piece called between Silk and Paper, drawing on the Japanese concepts of Ma and Mono No Aware – You can read about it here
I’ve been working on the materiality of the pieces
But for now, I am very much enjoying my new knitted jumper – you could too, use your stash, make it yours, go out into the countryside and knit
It feels like summer is drawing into autumn. The nights are drawing in and mornings are nippy. I’m grateful to be able to experience a safe, carefree, summer.
Water, river water, outdoor pool water and the water in the brook below the allotments has been a daily treat. We have been so short of rain that, in turn, we have been short of natural water outside but here are some of the luxuries of water
A summer of Flowers. All year, I have collected, saved and dried many flowers – from the first Peonies and Roses to the last Straw Flowers and Statis with Bronze Fennel, Daisies, Rosemary, Honesty, Yarrow, and any number of other flowers in between.
Every year, I make a dried flower wreath – this year, it felt like I made a ring of summer. I gathered all the left over flowers and made a bright ring for my daughter too.
On Bank Holiday Monday, it was Hope Show in the Village of Hope in the Peak District. It was a wonderful, happy day with sheep dog trials, Shire Horses, prize Sheep, Sheep shearing, many stalls – great food and stalls as well as a wool tent. I sat beside a couple I had never met before so that I could be near their beautiful Merle Sheepdog who only had eyes on the the sheep dog trials. It was another hot, bright day with thousands of people enjoying the many wonderful local shows. I loved the tent with the prize flowers, eggs, cakes and knitting. I will enter next year.
I went to Park Hill Summer Fair and my son arrived for the weekend, got straight out of his camper van and sat down to play chess with a complete stranger – this is Sheffield
I have been walking every evening in Sept in aid of Cancer Research Uk – where I will walk 3 miles every evening after work in my local area. I started a little early – about the 25th August and I will continue until September 30th. I share my walk on instagram in a post or in stories and share the local wildlife. If you would like to sponsor me, my link is here
I made a long overdue visit to see my daughter and her partner, in London – along with their dog, Luna, who had a fall.
and when In London, I saw beautiful hand made cards in a shop in Covent garden and promptly went back to Pattis and made two in the same style – here (below on the right) is the first one I made in vintage green checked ribbon. I think I am on to something.
and last but not least by any means, on Saturday, 6th Sept, I saw and felt deeply, the National Peaceful Protest of 300,000 people walking from Russel Square to Parliament to say that we do not agree with arming Israel to kill the people of Gaza. 300,000 people from all across the UK calmly marched to drums, singing, whistling and 800 were arrested – mostly over the age of 60 years old. It is all completely incomprehensible and we cannot turn away to what is happening.
So, I hope that you have had a good, care free summer, safe from harm and let’s hope that Autumn will bring world changes.
I live in a city called Sheffield in South Yorkshire. The Peak District borders Sheffield for quite a few miles. Here’s some of the things that I do in Sheffield.
I’ve recently started meeting Sara and her friends to go wild swimming at the weekends at Barbrook, which is between Sheffield and Baslow. There is also a stone circle there and an old burial mound. Many people use this large pond of water and there’s always activity. Last week, a lovely young man came and played his banjo on the top of the hill by the water, before he swam. There were horses and butterflies and cake and lovely people – mostly of whom were women out enjoying the freezing water. Thanks Sara Davies for the photos, here is a little link to the post on Instagram.
I’m growing an abundant range of flowers in my tiny garden area outside my flat – The Flag Iris is particularly stunning, the tulips from Amsterdam have been magnificent and I have an eye on my Peony buds. At work, I am drying flowers in the hot windowsill for confetti, for no one in particular, yet.
Putting up my tiny tent.
Yesterday, at 3pm, we were in the middle of a heat wave again, so I decided to spontaneously go camping and the best place is 7 miles from my home at North Lees Campsite in Hathersage. It is a very secluded spot but very popular. It sits at the base of Stanage Edge and beside North Lees Hall, a place of great beauty. It is said that Charlotte Bronte stayed at North Lees Hall and used it as Mr Rochester’s house in Jane Eyre. It is fitting for that purpose and is currently owned by the Peak Park with tenants in it.
I packed up really early this morning so that I could walk along Stanage Edge and sit and knit in my favourite spot beside the age old stone trough and millstones, which were cast aside many many years ago when there were millstone quarries in the area.
Stanage Edge is 5 miles from my flat and is always a great wonder of the world.
There are so many ordinary things that I do in Sheffield that make up my life, like, go to work 2:5 days a week at Sheffield Hallam University. We have a huge new build in the centre of town with its own roof top garden and other fancy benefits. I love working for SHU, it is where I did my own BA Fine Art degree and now I support apprentices doing theirs. On Thursday, I have been going to the Over 55’s film screening including a cuppa tea and a cake. The cuppa is quite normal and the cake has diminished somewhat and the price has gone steadily up from £6 to £9 now but I have seen some marvellous films on a Thursday from 10am – 1pm alongside new friends.
We have festivals. From the flat now, I can hear the fake festival way down in Endcliffe park and it has a bunch of bands on, we have Sheffield Doc Film festival and any number of other things, park runs every park – every saturday, and tomorrow it is Nether Edge yard sale where lots of folks sell their stuff on tables on the pavements or from their gardens or garages – who doesn’t like a rummage?
Once a month now, Mary and I have arranged a crafting night at Café 9 – the next one is on Monday 12th 6-8pm, if you are in Sheffield, and I have started to join Petra from Black Elephant hand dying at her knitting night too.
I live beside a walk into the woods up Porter Valley and every week, I see herons, king fishers, tiny birds and last week I saw a bambi in front of my, really I did and now I feed the foxes as well as my badgers and my cat. Owls call each other from the tree outside.
Life in a South Yorkshire city isn’t what you might think it is in a city and I am nearly 62 years young and still go to the gym every day to swim or yoga or body balance or endurance class. I have a great bunch of friends that I know there which is good for wellbeing. Many other folks have diverse lifestyles here too. It’s a pretty cool city to live in.
I still knit every day and am excited by what I am making at the moment. It is a companion to the Tree and Star Hat pattern.
I will be doing a one day Colour Blending workshop with Hope and Elvis on 18th May but other than that, I am not doing any workshops in May or June – I’m taking a break. My next available session is on 26th July – 2 hour colour blending. my link to the workshops is here , I can send you a booking form and an overview, if you would like to join me on 26th July
I hope to see you at one of my classes or get in touch through Instagram. Show me the projects that you have done using my patterns. I love to see them on instagram and I frequently share your work to my feed.
In celebration of knitting outside for one year, for moving around the sun for another 12 months outside knitting, I wonder if I am filling time, or am I connecting to self? Why spend all these hours knitting and walking and sitting outside when there could be something better to do with my life. I saw a post yesterday, where Julia Roberts learned to knit on set and looked at a length of knitting as ‘lonely time’ It made me wonder.
Because I feel, completely calm and peaceful in my outdoor surroundings from the time of knitting temples of Kyoto one year ago this week, to knitting at my favourite place beside ancient abandoned millstones at Stanage Edge, or beside the work of Lee Ufan in the Summer Garden exhibition in the Rijksmuseum, to the simplicity of an early evening walk from my home in the city, through the allotments, beside the stream to wait for the King Fisher and knit – watching the sky change colour. Just sitting quietly and knitting. Am I filling time?
Could I be doing something better with my life other than working with my hands, creating art, out in nature, connecting to self, waiting for that one pure moment of natural beauty whilst knitting? I have realised that all of these times have given me peace. I am not sure what could come close to that total peaceful time? maybe in the arms or a partner but failing that – I rely on myself to find the peace.
Happy Wintering. Peaceful moments in this time of world uncertainty.
If you would like to join me in my online colour work knitting workshop, then please go here , I have a few places left in January. And if you would like to join me for a 1:1 workshop, then please get in touch – I could take you out knitting in the wilds of the local area.
This morning, a couple of my favourite things collided to make me being in the right place at the right time on a beautiful sun sparkling morning. I walked to a favourite spot to knit at sunrise.
About 5 miles and 10 minutes from home, lies Burbage car park and bridge. From there, you can walk across the moor to Stanage Edge, which overlooks the back of Hathersage and North Lees wood and far into the distance, Hope Valley.
I’ve been coming here for years and years, to walk, sit, eat breakfast on Stanage Edge, chase fog, climb, or to knit during the golden hour of sunrise. Today, was the first frost of the year and in my tiny flat in Sheffield, I knew that the moor would sparkle. It is so close that I can walk it, cycle it but today, took the car to Burbage and walked the short distance to a trig point high above old millstones, which date back to the 18th and 19th century, used to grind grain into flour, left discarded in some once used quarry area. I love it in this place. Everyone who lives within a 50 mile radius knows of these stones, though many lie buried under grass and moss.
These few that lie just below Stanage, beside an old water trough are my favourites and I often visit, sitting on the same rock with my same thermos, to knit and take in the splendour of this small valley next to a city.
Anyway, last night, I grafted the shoulders of my latest Fair Isle Pullover and took it to the millstones to start knitting the neck. It was such a beautiful morning at golden hour where every rock was casting its own shadow from the rising sun. The short grass glistened with crystalised frost. I knitted for some time then went to Hathersage for a cheeky breakfast at Outside Hathersage café, which was full of climbers talking of their chosen climbing routes.
It’s a lovely place to be, to knit, to see the world. Stanage Edge, bordering Sheffield and Derbyshire. Come visit. Bring your knitting.
The cat woke me with his heavy weight transferred through his fat kneading front paws alternately pressing into my sticking up right shoulder.
Alfie joined in the attempt to get me to feed them by his repetitive bipping noise. The old, cheap, mantle clock chimed six so I turned face down in the pillows.
The forecast (a habit I have from Shetland of checking) read that we were to expect fog in the city first thing, then a ball of sun most of the day. I lay there for a while, my tired body ignoring the purring and bipping cats. At 7, I gave in and got up, fed and watered the boys, made tea then dressed hurriedly to get out onto the moors. Fog in the city is boring, I wanted to remember what fog was like in Shetland – to remember some part of it that used to haunt me for days on end, so I drove up to Burbage fog chasing. But, at the edge of Ringinglow, bordering on the Derbyshire boundary, the fog started to clear and within seconds, I’d driven through it into pure blue sky and bright sunshine. Another world.
At Burbage, both the moon and the sun hung in the sky casting their natural magic. Fog was nowhere to be seen. A real warmth came from the sun high on the peaks at 8:30am.
I walked towards Stanage Edge where the clear moon tilted over the rocks in a beckoning way. The path was bordered by long dead bog grass, heavy with water, looking like a prairie. Then the fog started to drift in below Stanage rocks, blown gently and slowly from the left, in a long soft ribbon, thick enough for the most magnificent natural thing to happen created by the collision of two things – the bright unhindered sun hit the fog and created a fog bow.
I actually squeaked with joy, turned to look back at that sun, then saw all the fronds on the low-lying fluffy grasses hanging in tiny droplets of water shining like glistening small crystals.
The fog bow came fully into sight.
High up on the rocks, at the Edge, the fog rested in the valley over Hope and Hathersage. Every passing person had a photo at the trig, including me. And every passing person was excited by the energy of the sparkling light and visible moving shifting fog. Until, finally, the gentle wind pushed the fog up and over the edge of Stanage, covering both left and right and finally the trig.
The moorland that borders Sheffield and Derbyshire and stretches as far as the eye can see toward Edale, is carpeted in heather and speckled with thistle. The heather is knee high.
In the sun and breeze, the air is constantly heather scented. Everyone the you pass along the way, shares their complements on the miles and miles of purple. Apparently, it is a good year for heather.
If you walk from my flat, through the Hanging Water allotments, up the path winding through Whitely wood to Ringinglow, cross the road by the old toll bar house opposite the Norfolk Arms and walk across Hound Kirk Moor, which is an Toll Road, you’ll see the360 degree purple carpet. Along the moorland track are two old milestones. I head for them every time I walk this way. The most interesting milestone registers the miles to Tidswell (Now spelt Tideswell) and Buxton and has a skull and cross bones carved underneath it. The Milestone was reunited in 2014 with its base after it was found in a garden in Dore where it had been part of a Rockery. You can read about it here but go and see it for yourself – it’s always a joy.
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This is the second walk that I have done in two weeks where I have seen this natural purple carpet.Today, the view so enriched my walk that I have chosen the colours of heather, thistle, stone, rock, sand, pale sky, gravel, blackberry and blackberry for my yarn colour palette for my new work. I have been knitting the colours into Fair Isle samples for a workshop I am doing on 2nd September but in doing the samples, I can see how beautiful this colour palette is.
In September, I will bring Fair Isle back into my work and the colour palette will lean towards autumnal heathers. In the Winter, when I look at the yarns and colours, I’ll remember this summer day and the carpet of heather.
tracey doxey 