needled

Did I mention the weather is superb in Scotland at the moment? We took advantage of it yesterday, climbing Meall nan Tarmachan, and the four tops that make up the Ptarmigan ridge. I remembered my knitting this time. Here I am working on a sock at 3422 feet.

Yes, folks, that is a clothkits hat I’m wearing. I admit it — I am a clothkits junkie. I liked the birdie so much I was compelled to buy a hat kit as well (the hats are designed for children, but clearly this doesn’t bother me). However, hat and skirt are probably best not worn together, unless one really likes the slightly crazed, infantile handmade look. . .

Oh! Liberty tana lawn, how I heart you. . .
It is a good hat.

Returning to the matter in hand — we had a fabulous day’s walking yesterday. It was warm enough to hang about, knit, and take our time over lunch at the top (unusual, that). There was one moment of slightly hair-raising scrambling (I am not great at descending feet-first into the abyss) but the wee ridge was lots of fun:

(Mr B on the ridge. Note: he sports the uniform of outdoor-man)

It was a very clear day and the views were absolutely wonderful. We could see Ben Lui (which we climbed a couple of weeks ago), the whole of the highlands north to the Mamores, and the great snowy hulk of Ben Nevis below the clouds in the distance. I do like to stand on a mountain, looking at all the other mountains I have climbed at other times. I think of my earlier selves climbing those hills, negotiating corries, colls and ridges. I think of other days and other walks, and the peaks look back at me like old friends.

A while ago I won the designer knits ‘Knitting in the Wild’ competition for this photo of me knitting atop Ben Lomond. (Roll on Spring weather, and more mountain knitting). Today a nice prize package arrived, containing this lovely skein of Araucania

. . . this lantern moon keyring . . .

. . . and these knitting notecards.

Hurrah! Thanks Irene!

A quick post from a flying visit. My sister came to Edinburgh this afternoon, and I took a couple of hours off to walk with her up Arthur’s Seat. Here she is enjoying some hilltop knitting.

…check her out twisting cables in the wind and everything! Go Hells!

Among my sister’s many talents are the softies of all shapes and sizes that she designs and makes for her kids. She brought some of them along for the walk. Here is one enjoying the view:

It seemed a little perturbed by the height of the hill…

A quick Sunday-evening post. Took my knitting walking this weekend — up Striding Edge to Helvellyn. Too cold to knit on the top, but here I am, after part of the descent, making yet another bootee near Grisedale Tarn:

As well as enjoying a superb day’s walking, some very good company, and fabulous surroundings, we also managed a visit to the wonderful Wool Clip women’s co-operative in Caldbeck, where I bought some undyed, handspun, Herdwick aran for a man-sweater, and some hand-dyed rasberry pink Shetland aran for me. Lovely!

More munro knitting, this time atop Buachaille Etive Mor, the huge pink granite “shepherd” of Glen Etive, towards Glen Coe.

After a rocky scramble of an ascent and a few minutes across the moon-like surface of the tops of Stob Dearg we were up in the clouds. I worked on a sock:

but could only manage a few rounds before I had to stick my gloves back on:

chilly! But a fantastic walk….

I suppose it all depends on what you mean by “public”… In any case, my contribution to worldwide knit-in-public day (June 9th) was to take a project (something I am knitting for the Rowan exchange) to the top of Ben Lomond and knit it there.

Here I am.

The weather was fantastic — just a few swirling clouds at the top. We had views across Loch Lomond to the Cobbler, and north to the highlands proper.

We came up across the Ptarmigan - a nicer and more varied ascent than the usual route. I found knitting at 3,000 feet strangely exhilarating and now have a vague notion of knitting my way up all 284 munros. Whadaya reckon?