photos from the Viking Museum website
Remember a few years ago in 2008 when I followed the voyage of the Sea Stallion, the replica of the Viking Ship that sailed from Roskilde in Denmark around to Dublin via Norway and Scotland. Well, the Sea Stallion is back in the water. Its home is the Viking Museum in Roskilde.
A recap of previous entries – When I reached row 66 and counted approximately 750 stitches on my medallion blanket I decided things were not going exactly according to plan. In a previous post I referred to this as a knitting disaster. Well, as a glutton for punishment, I am trying again with the circular blanket idea but now I am reverting to the pinwheel blanket pattern, previously pictured. Pinwheel blanket 2 is progressing. The radius is about 10 inches and I am approaching 400 stitches. All seems well albeit progress is slow. 
How much further will I knit? Quite a bit, I hope, all in the interest of stash reduction.
Today I went to see the Sea Stallion again. Yesterday it was so exciting to see the red and yellow sail of the Sea Stallion in the distance and then to cheer its arrival at Custom House Quay. 
Today I spent a bit of time in the Viking Village and admired the displays and the costumes of the “Vikings”.
I have had a very busy – and very satisfying – week of lawn bowling. There were numerous matches throughout the week, culminating in the finals yesterday. If you really want to see the full programme it’s posted on the Irish Lawn Bowls website. 
Check out the Ladies Singles final. J. McKee lost but she was a “happy loser”. I put up a good fight and was delighted to be awarded the prize for Lady Bowler of the Week. 
Home in the garden displaying my prizes.
My schedule is still pretty busy though and leaving little time for knitting. We are getting ready for family visitors and I am going to music camp for a week so I have to practice playing my recorders.
I have managed to do a bit of knitting, not a lot. I have been working on another pinwheel blanket. 
That’s about all I have to report on the knitting front.
Last week was the annual Dublin Horse Show. And each year during this week there is an exhibition of outstanding Irish craft work. The Horse Show is over for another year, but the RDS National Crafts Competition Exhibition is still there to be seen at the RDS (Royal Dublin Society). It will eventually go on tour. I went today to view the items – it was marvelous. And it was good to see a number of pieces by friends in the Irish Guild of Weavers Spinners & Dyers.
Here are a couple of photos of knitted items from the exhibition. 
Topsy turvey doll
Knitted dress
The Sea Stallion is due in Dublin tomorrow – will try to get some photos.
Finally, current reading – The Monarch of the Glen by Compton MacKenzie. lst published in 1941.
I guess I’m still hurting over Henrik of the Sea Stallion calling a 70 year old lady whom he met in Kirkwall “elderly”. Am trying to think of a good reply. Well, o.k. maybe I have to accept “elderly” but it doesn’t mean I’m folding up my knitting and sitting still. In some ways I would love to be 50 years younger and physically able for the Sea Stallion adventure. On the other hand, I don’t mind being a spectator – and I have had lots of wonderful experiences and still look forward to many more.
In addition to following the progress of the Sea Stallion, I am obsessed with the Tour de France and the Tour de France KAL. Only 1 more stage and then the final stage to Paris. I finished my first project for the Yellow Jersey,
Pinwheel blanket
am all but finished with my second project,
Front and back of yellow tank top.
and will still be working on the 3rd project when the race finishes. The 3rd project is well under way. 
This is another circular blanket in the making. Seems to be going more slowly than the pinwheel blanket shown in earlier posts. Either I am slowing up or the yarn is finer.
In keeping with the Tour de France KAL I have been doing a few sketches in my art class. Here are a couple of my efforts.
Cyclist under way
And another sketch, interrupted by a 10 minute monologue from another member of the class who wanted to tell me about her favourite cat “Bobbie”.
She thought I wanted to draw a cat – what I was trying to concentrate on was the chair. Work on the cat still has to be completed. The more she talked, the more I thought I would go back to bicycles. And then at the end of the class, the teacher thought my chair and cat were far better than my earlier efforts with bicycles. Oh well. Earlier in the morning Ian had suggested my theme for today should be the Highland Games which I had been reading about on another blog. – hmm, I thought, homegrown vegetables for the Home Industries competition. Another member of the class did come up with a very good watercolour of carrots – well worthy of an entry along with real carrots, if she were so inclined. Next week what will my subject be? Should I try sketches of people knitting? like the person I saw knitting on Cable One while the Sea Stallion was under tow across the North Sea?
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