Putting Christmas to One Side (for the weekend only!)

Confession time - yes I've started knitting a new cardigan, even though I have a mound of Christmas knitting and crocheting to be getting on with.

Look at the gorgeous colour - "heather" - it's so beautiful (the third and fourth photos are a more accurate representation of the colour).

The wool is Shetland 4 ply.  Grace bought me 2 skeins from one of the craft fairs she attended recently.

I don't have enough of the wool to knit a plain cardigan so I'm going to knit plain sleeves and see how much wool I have left and then work a Fair Isle pattern for the body piece.

I've missed Fair Isle knitting and I'm so looking forward to having a play with colours again.

Now, I do have a reason for why I started knitting this cardigan and I shouldn't feel guilty.  We went down to Cambridge at the weekend to see Eve.  Obviously I couldn't take my Christmas knitting with me and, for car journeys, plain knitting is always easiest, so casting on with the new wool gave me something to do on the long drive down.  Now that we're back home, I'm afraid this project will be put away until such time as the Christmas stuff is all done (the night before Christmas probably!)

Anyway, we had a wonderful time in Cambridge.  On Friday when we first arrived we stopped off at the American Cemetery.  This is the only American World War II cemetery in Britain.  It holds the remains of 3812 soldiers, airmen and sailors including 32 civilians.  A further 5127 individuals are remembered on Wall of the Missing.

It was a very peaceful and thought provoking place with an excellent and informative visitors centre.

On Saturday we walked across the meadows to the village of Grantchester.

Excuse me!  I think you're blocking the path.

Virginia Woolf and her friends used to come to Grantchester for afternoon tea, sitting in the deck chairs in the garden at The Orchard.

It was a bit cold for us to sit outside so we made ourselves comfortable in the pavilion and had our own afternoon tea.

We found a lovely old pub in Cambridge with a great atmosphere for a relaxing drink in the evening.

It was wonderful to see Eve again.  The weekend went so quickly but we will be seeing her again soon when she comes home for the Christmas break.

This thought sets me panicking!  I'd better get on with the Christmas knitting, crocheting and over-ambitious making before she gets back.

I hope you had a lovely weekend and that Christmas isn't creeping up on you too quickly.