Thursday 16 October 2014

Heading South

Hello again. Thanks for all your comments on my last post; it seems you all liked that mischievous donkey. Welcome to some more new followers too.

Before I tell you some more about our recent holiday I have to tell you that I actually won a Giveaway!! I've never won anything before so this was a real surprise. Thanks to Jo, writer of her great blog The Good Life, for sending me a packet of Mini Munch cucumber seeds (together with a lovely wee card).


Well, after spending a week on the Isle of Skye, we headed south to where we were going to stay for the next few days. The scenery driving through Scotland was magnificent.



We stayed in one of the self-catering cottages at New Lanark Mill. It is a great place to stay with plenty to see and do. We were right beside the river and could hear the water making gentle music outside our window.


I went for a bit of a wander about and took a few photos.


The mill complex was huge! I walked along the river to the Clyde Falls. It was very quiet and peaceful.






Walking back towards the mill this was the view I had first down river and then back towards the falls.



There is a lovely shop in the old mill where they sell mostly gift type items but also their own wool. They have DK, Aran and chunky weight in an array of gorgeous colours. Some are 100% wool and the rest are 90% wool with 10% silk. I chose five balls of Aran weight wool with silk.


Their yarns are all very reasonably priced and are also available to buy online.

One of the reasons we stayed in this location was so that I could go to the James Inglis shoe shop in Peebles on the following Monday! I had an appointment to have a fitting and try shoes in the hope of getting something to fit my long, narrow feet. I'm sure I must have tried on fifty pairs of shoes!! That poor sales assistant carried them to me in huge piles. Thankfully I was able to find two pairs to buy. And that's not unusual, apparently; that one would only find two pairs out of fifty that are suitable. It was an experience anyway and I now know what's the best fitting type of shoes to get in future.

I'm busy crocheting and knitting and weaving. My peg loom arrived while I was away on holiday but it has since been unpacked and tried out. I'll let you see how things are coming along in another post.

All the best for now. Make my day and leave a comment!

19 comments:

  1. Love New Lanark! Did you do the Annie MacLeod experience at the mill? I also really liked the housing for the mil workers, and the school. It was a very progressive place for the times, wasn't it? I knitted a red jumper with New Lanark Aran and love the slightly scratchy feel of it. Next time you pass, you could stop for a cuppa! x

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    1. We didn't do the Annie MacLeod experience this time. But looked at the housing, school and shop - all very interesting. It's great that people have bought the houses and are still living in them.

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  2. Thanks for the mention. Glad the seeds arrived safely, I hope you enjoy growing them and that they do as well for you as they have done for me. It looks as though you swapped one beautiful place for another on your holiday, and wool thrown in too, fabulous.

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  3. I love Lanark yarns. Your photos are stunning I cant wait to see what you make.

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  4. I love the widenes of the second picture - this is "my" Scotland. And also the yarn looks beautyful, I'm exited to See what you are going to knit. I am looking forward wintertimes, because there will be time to knit for my own.
    Have a good time, Birgit

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  5. Your photos are beautiful, the Falls are gorgeous as is your new yarn. Hooray for two new pairs of shoes!
    Hugs,
    Meredith

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  6. I love the look of that yarn, such lovely soft colours. And extra nice for being a souvenir from your holiday. x

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  7. What beautiful scenery, I love mother nature! I am envious of your yarn, sure looks nice and will be great to create with. I commiserate with you on shoe issues, I have very narrow feet and have a hard time finding shoes to fit. I think that's what got me going on knitting socks, helps my shoes stay on!!

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  8. Thank you for sharing so beautiful pictures. I love it!
    Have a nice Sunday!

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  9. The yarns are so pretty! I love your pictures of the water, it is so beautiful. xx

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  10. What a beautiful place to be. Everything looks s peaceful and calm. I really like the colors of your new yarn. Thanks for sharing.

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  11. Such a beautiful place! The mill looks vast and such an adventurous place. Thanks for taking us along with you x

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  12. So beautiful photos and such a lovely place with rivers and beautiful nature.
    It's good to be out in the fresh autumn air.
    Good Tuesday to you.

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  13. Hi Gillian,
    You have a fabulous blog, a pleasure to read although I am only a quarter in as I write this. Loving your crochet makes especially the hexagon blanket-truly beautiful and your work in progress granny square, looking very pretty so far.
    You have bees!, I love bees and have been so much more conscious with my planting choices than my younger less experienced years.
    Lovely to share other crafts as we experience them too.
    Thank you
    Helen.
    P.S you had a lovely holiday-stunning scenery.

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    1. Welcome! Hope you have fun catching up. I can't wait to hear what you think of the donkey story!

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  14. I've never been to Scotland, but it's just moved up a few places on my 'places I want to visit' list. xxx

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    1. It's really worth visiting. We're planning our next trip already!

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  15. These are really beautiful photos and capture New Lanark Mills. I really must go there again as it is really not that far and it is many years since I've been. I bought some New Lanark wool from Yarncake but haven't made anything as although it is a beautiful colour and a natural local product it is as jaggy as a badger's bahookie! I must try and get my hands on the stuff with silk as the 100% wool would have me twitching making it and god forbid wearing it!

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    1. Even with the 10% silk the yarn is still quite jaggy!

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