Summer Pudding

I learned something yesterday – knitting in a haar is not easy.

I sat out on deck on the Varagen yesterday. It was brilliant sunshine, and so hot that l thought I might need to travel inside. Once we were underway however there was sufficient breeze and light haar to keep me comfortable.  I managed not to tip the Rhytidome overboard and did knit several rows. I even took a photograph, which I would post here if only I could make my PC talk to the mobile phone that I took the photograph with.

Chatting with M. about my knitting and the forthcoming Show, I suddenly twigged a mistake that I have made. I knitted up the skeins that I had been planning to show and I have no skeins to exhibit! This is a problem – we asked for new classes to be intoduced for Spinning and we were successful.  That being so, it is necessary to support those classes by entering them. The show is to be held on the 31st of this month. Ideally I would have two pairs each of skeins from raw fleece and commercial tops. I have 26 days in which to produce them. Gulp. Bear in mind that I also need to produce some knitting for the Show, plus photographs , cards, and hopefully some baking…  and now that there are Spinning classes, I’ll need something else for “Any other Craft” as well. Help!

It gave me much to ponder while shopping.

Kirkwall was hot and sultry. Shopping knocked the stuffing out of me and I was more than glad to be back on a boat and able to relax in a sea breeze.  The haar was much thicker coming home and it played havoc with my knitting. The dampness got into the yarn and also precipitated itself onto the needles. It is of course a sticky dampness, from the salt. I discovered a great reluctance on the part of the stitches to leave the company of the needle tips.

As well as bringing home the bacon, and the burgers for last night’s BBQ supper, I brought home large quantities of soft fruits. A Summer Pudding is under weights in the kitchen ready for consumption tomorrow.

I love a Summer Pudding but have never been able to work out how something so very simple and, let’s be frank about this, reasonably unappetising -sounding (dry bread? In a pudding?) can turn into a dish so transcendentally delicious.  Happily though, it does – and I am thoroughly looking forward to mine.

One other thing that I managed to find on my shopping trip was some fresh cod fillet. Guess who is having fish, chips and mushy peas for supper? This makes me a very happy woman. Very happy indeed.

What also makes me happy is that I have a roving on my wheel today. 26 days and counting.  If I were a sensible spinner, I would be spinning this a lot fatter – but this is a special roving and I want to make the most of it.  Long time readers may recall the surprise gift I received at Christmas from a mystery benefactor. It is 8o% Merino 20% Silk, hand-dyed by Natalie at The Yard Yard. I have been saving it until I felt able to do it justice.

I was wondering what to name this yarn – when I was in the kitchen with the cherries, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries and raspberries, it dawned on me: Summer Pudding it is, then.