I awoke to a winter white world this morning a new meaning to www.

Cows are making an awful noise waiting for feed and the pheasants and grouse are scrambling about.

I love the solitude the winter arriving gives me,it is like being cut off on an island.See the pheasants  here.The mist has also rolled down the hills meeting the whiteness of the ground so it is all quite ethereal.I think of the people of the past who lived up here and how very hard life must have been for them ,coping with the bitter cold winds that come so fierce down this valley,making every day tasks more difficult.A constant battle to just survive day by day ,to put food on the table and put heat in the home.

I thank them for the way they cared for this landscape allowing me to live here and enjoy it all as well.I thank my local farmers who tend these beautiful animals day in day out ,this weather now coming so early will make it along hard winter for them.I shall write ,make felt,knit,design new garments and prepare for Christmas and next year,which for me will be so exciting (more on this in the future)

The Knitting and Stitching Show in 2 weeks in Harrogate where I shall teach Double Knitting and a Masterclass in this fabulous technique.

I love returning to Harrogate my home town full of memories all good ones and I miss it quite a lot.

Thursday I am meeting Kate from America who next year will bring her group to felt with me over here in the UK in Farfield Milland see some of our beautiful landscape ,see Liverpool and where the” famous four” came  from ,look at the lakes and maybe ferry over the Mersey .I wish them all a brilliant time.

Last week I had 2 students Jane and Elizabeth who persuaded me to do a private class for them in my studio, teaching screen printing and felting a lattice cowl and a scarf and also Jane has done the Vienna top from my book Nuno Felt.

Some colour studies on paper before screening.

She downloaded the free template design and we then made metreage for her as this was only her 2 nd foray into the felting world.Well done Jane and Elizabeth the 3 days were fun and you were very good students.

Well fires to stoke,words to write and of course knitting to do as well s felting.

Welcome my friend Winter, it is my favourite season.

Kath a very old friend sadly no longer here would be on the phone now excited like me as well that winter had arrived,she would get her sledge out and make the journey to the village for milk and papers then trudge through to me snowed in, to sit and giggle like girls in front of the fire drinking hot coffee and discussing the weather. I still miss you, every day I have so much to tell you,I will store it all up till we meet again,and as for today the outlook is not good my friend,time to get more logs nearer the house.