Photo of the Week 3 - Leeds Cityscape

Leeds is an old, old city. Nobody really knows how old, though - there are some written references to a Roman garrison town which was in the area, on the River Aire by a ford, but no remains have been found to pin down the precise location.

The forest of Loidis, or Leodis, was part of the kingdom of Elmet, from the 5th to 7th centuries AD.

As you can see above, if that Roman town WAS in the same spot on the river as Leeds occupies today, there's really no hope of ever finding it. The Waterfront in Leeds has been a very busy area for a very long time.

The above photo was taken from the staircase in the Hall of Steel at the Royal Armouries Museum on Clarence Docks, overlooking the Aire. It is centered on the parish church, and shows one of the Victorian cast iron bridges in the background, the Millennium Footbridge in the foreground, and several of the apartment buildings that comprise the redevelopment of the Dockside area. It was taken in January 2010 and, let me tell you, that frozen slush you can see was murderous to walk on.

This is NOT a Knit Blog!

But, it is written by an obsessive knitter, so knitting is going to feature heavily.

I've already mentioned my sock knitting craze, and after 8 pairs of plain toe ups with short row heels, I'm currently working on my first ever patterned pair of socks. Still toe up, but I'm hoping the departure from the old and familiar is the start of a more mentally challenging creative journey. The next step will be a pair of cuff down socks, now I have a good eye for how much yarn it takes to make a pair to fit me, so I'm not fretting about running out of yarn with half a foot to go.

One thing I've learned from this project, is that Malabrigo Sock yarn deserves its reputation for gorgeous colours, but with the slightest hint of dampness it binds onto bamboo needles like it's glued there. Since I love my bamboos, and the past few weeks have been hot and humid, this has not been a project full of peace and harmony. In fact, more a project filled with profanity, threats of violence against inanimate objects, tangles and obsessive hand washing and drying (to no avail). Grateful as I am for this skein, which was a swap gift and a most thoughtful one, I don't expect to be seeking this brand out in future, unless I'm prepared to use metal needles throughout the project.

As the image also shows, I caved in to the inevitable (not gracefully) and switched to metal needles. Since I have the tension from hell, and bend my needles into something resembling emaciated bananas, metal needles do unkind things to my fingers, so I mostly avoid them.

Of course, I don't just knit socks. In fact, my creative diary is fully booked up for the foreseeable future. I have a hat for a friend, another hat and a sweater for The Welshman, a sweater for The Caver (not such a hassle, he's a skinny shortarse. Has to be to get down those pot holes), plus, at some stage, a warm shawl and a hooded jacket for me. All to be done this year. Along with more socks.

I like a challenge...


And, to those now suffering an earworm of This is Not a Love Song, by the Sex Pistols... gotcha! :)