Knitting holidays in France

The second knitting and crochet holiday for 2014 started on Wednesday.
Regular visitor Margaret and her hubby Richard arrived by car from their home in Brittany and Culli collected the other two guests Clare and Sandra from Bordeaux along with his old school friend John, so it is a full house.
After a few glasses of wine and late supper everyone collapsed for the night.
Sandra, Margaret and I started the day walking the dogs before breakfast, then we all settled down for a day of knitting. Everyone has brought along very different projects, Clare is knitting a Rowan pattern which her friend(!) Sandra says will make her 'look like an exploding perforated snowflake', she is also making some crochet hats for KAS (knit a square South Africa). Sandra  is leaping between a chunky hat, a pair of ribbed mitts, blanket squares and a Debbie Bliss child's sweater. Margaret is knitting her third ASJ (Elizabeth Zimmerman Surprise Jacket), a knitted mouse, a cotton and bamboo cardi and some fingerless mitts. I am dodging between finishing off a fairisle tank top and another Ballerina bunny.
We had supper of asparagus wrapped in parma ham, followed by duck breast with prune and chocolate sauce and tarte tatin, lots of wine and lively conversation.

Roman amphitheatre in Saintes

coffee and beer in Saintes

On Friday we have another early morning walk with the dogs, then go into Saintes to visit the wool and fabric shop. Sandra bought some lovely fine baby yarn, ribbons and novelty tape measures, Margaret bought a piece of fabric to make a scarf and I bought a book of sewing patterns.
After a quick visit to the Roman amphitheatre we went for coffee in the centre of town, then drove home dropping Clare and Sandra off in Brizambourg for lunch at our local bar. Margaret and I settled down in the garden for an afternoon of knitting. Margaret's husband Richard has been taking some amazing photograph's for his 365 project and I have talked him into taking a few for my website and the blog. We had supper of smoked salmon pate, seafood pasta and chocolate torte.

On Saturday Sandra, Margaret, Richard and I went into St Jean d'Angely for the market and Culli took John back to the airport for his flight home. We wandered through the market and town, stopping for a coffee in the sunshine then back home for lunch. In the afternoon I did a short workshop on knitting with beads. Clare has started to crochet a beaded cushion in a lovely soft lilac cotton with yellow beads. Supper was pear, roquefort and walnut salad, chicken and fennel cassoulet followed by cheesecake.

Clare with her wine stash

 

On Sunday morning Margaret and I dragged Richard along to a brocante, a definite improvement on the one last week. I bought a some jars to sort my button collection into and we both bought plants, lots of herbs and a few lettuce. We spent the afternoon in the garden enjoying the sunshine.

Clare had to leave on Monday for work, so I dropped her off in Bordeaux, leaving the others relaxing in the sunshine. A final round up of projects, Clare had nearly finished her jacket and completed one side of the beaded crochet cushion, Sandra had got a bit further with everything, but nothing completed and Margaret made me 3 mice for the Open House at the weekend and was close to finishing her surprise jacket.

Clare's cardi

Margaret modelling her almost finished jacket

Sunday and Monday

Sunday morning and no rain so we head into Saintes for the huge brocante in the Hyper U car park. Loads of stalls but nothing (affordable) that leaps out saying 'buy me', so we all leave empty handed. After a quick stop at the Sunday morning market to buy prawns, vegetables and strawberries we go home for lunch and more knitting.

On Monday we spend a quiet morning at home working on our projects and in the afternoon my craft group come along for a knit'n'natter, lots of gossip, tea and cakes.

It is the last day of the holiday and we have achieved a huge amount. Stephanie has persevered with her beautiful lace scarf and two hats, Juliet has made some lovely crochet flowers and jewellery, experimented with crochet trims and finished a pair of bootees and some Easter chicks. I have finished a Debbie Bliss Ballerina bunny and my project for Knit Now mag.

The 2014 knitting and crochet retreats have started

Wonderful, a whole two weeks of knitting, and a bit of cooking. Spring has finally sprung and we have had nearly two weeks of glorious weather and the cowslips are out.

Guests Juliet and Stephanie arrived on Thursday in glorious sunshine, soon to change to pouring rain on Friday morning! However, after breakfast we made a quick dash into Saintes to the yarn and fabric shop for a few emergency supplies, yarn for all of us and a new crochet book for me then back home for lunch and an afternoon knitting.

Stephanie has made a start on an entrelac hat and lacy shawl (a brave move on the concentration levels but has been saved a few times by the lifelines), Juliet finished off a pair of moss stitch bootees and has moved onto experimenting with different crochet edgings, I have finally completed a project for Knit Now magazine that has been hanging over me for weeks and have started on some Easter bunnies.

Today we had more rain in the morning but the sun appeared in the afternoon so we went to Cognac for a wander around the shops, more fabric and ribbon purchases for me, and a couple of albums for Stephanie from the vinyl record shop. After coffee in the square and a quick photo session in the church and down by the river it was back home for more knitting.

Knitting holidays in France - spaces still available

Enjoy an early Spring in the Charente-Maritime we still have a few spaces available on the following three knitting and crochet holidays -

Thursday 20th March - tuesday 25th March 2014 - knitting and crochet holiday with optional workshops on various knitting techniques and basic crochet. For further details click here.

Thursday 27th March - tuesday 1st April 2014 - knitting and crochet holiday with optional workshops on various knitting techniques and basic crochet. For further details click here.

Thursday 24th April - tuesday 29th April 2014 - knitting and crochet holiday with optional workshops on various knitting techniques and basic crochet. For further details click here.

Come on your own to enjoy the company of fellow knitters or bring along a partner or friend (we can also arrange woodturning or painting classes on the same holiday if wanted). The holidays are open to all skill levels.

Christmas in France

Christmas started with a trip to the Christmas market in Bordeaux and of course Ikea...

No Christmas tree at la Verderie this year, I am fed up with clearing up pine needles which the dogs spread all over the house, so have gone for a couple of branches from the old walnut tree around the corner and my vintage glass baubles.

Buddy our new rescue dog is settling in well and he and BeBop have become inseparable.

The weather was fantastic for most of December, cold and frosty at night with blue skies and warm sunshine during the day, perfect.

But our luck ran out for Christmas with the tail end of the UK storm,the weather turned to mild, wet and windy.

A quick last minute shopping trip to the market in St Jean on Christmas Eve, then a few drinks in the bar which is packed with French and English (wearing their Christmas sweaters) all tucking into oysters, cakes, mince pies and chocolates.

Back home to walk the dogs, make the turkey stuffing and slump in front of the Christmas films.
Christmas day was lovely, just 6 of us for lunch (and 5 dogs), lots of eating, drinking and relaxing.
On Boxing Day we went for a walk on the beach, perfectly timed in brilliant sunshine between the showers.