It has been a bit busy here - lots going on but very little to really show you!  Last weekend saw me at Gardening Scotland at Ingleston near Edinburgh.  I was lucky enough to have the help of Dorothy on my stand on Saturday.  The event lasts 3 days, and the days are very long, so I was a little worn out each evening and although I did take some photographs they were not particularly exciting!  Because I was in Edinburgh it meant that I was NOT in New Orleans watching my nephew get married.  By all accounts they had a wonderful day.  Hopefully I'll soon have a decent photograph to show you how lovely the couple looked.

Since returning home I've had my head down preparing for Woolfest at the end of the month, but on Thursday I took some time away from the dye pots to travel back down to Inverness to attend a seminar on Colour Trends through to the 2014/2015 Autumn Winter period.

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I always find it exceptionally difficult to think that far ahead when it comes to dyeing yarns, but it is always a fascinating look at fashion both in clothes and home ware.  Some of the classic colours and combinations never seem to go out of fashion, and as would be expected black and white makes its presence felt yet again.  But other combinations include grey, black and cream with a streak of gold running through to lift it, classic red and grey as well as really bright combinations of bold orange, deep red, violet and plums combined.  The theme running through are for colours that are bright and bold, and there is something to suit everyone's tastes, from classic cool pastel shades through neutrals through to bold, strong shades.

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In terms of clothing trends, it seems that distressed clothing will be a huge feature towards the end of next year, and for both men and women there appears to be a rather disturbing move towards neoprene dresses and  neoprene trousers!  Fortunately knitwear is still very popular and textured stitches will feature heavily (cables, wide ribs and much garter stitch).  Snoods and cowls are looking particularly popular, both big chunky ones and more delicate, lacy ones.  In fact lace knitting (and crochet) featured heavily in the presentation.

It was good to meet up with old friends at the event, such as Laura West who hand makes the most stunning books and Joni Phippin from Hung Gallery in Inverness.

It was a glorious day in Inverness and "the bridge" is always good to photograph:

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