I've started knitting again! It's only been about 25 years since I last picked up a pair of knitting needles - oh I am loving it so much!

 I am following one of Kaffe Fassett's sleeveless pullover patterns from his book 'Glorious Knitting'; sticking pretty much to the colourway in the book, as it so happened I had those colours stashed away in my wool basket anyway.

On Friday I went to see the Leach Pottery in St. Ives, somewhere I drive past so many times and have just never got round to going in.

 As you will read below, Bernard Leach set up the pottery with his friend Shoji Hamada in the early 1920's. Later his wife Janet and son David also worked alongside Bernard producing the dinnerware and studio pots which made his name famous all over the world, especially so in Japan, where Bernard had originally been taught his craft by one of the Japanese masters. Nowadays there are no Leachs at the pottery, but other resident potters still produce a range of dinnerware and studio pots available to purchase in the studio shop.

 I will take you on a little tour around the pottery, picking out details which delighted me.... (there was no-one else looking around, so I could take my time and soak in the atmosphere, imagining the great master at work).....

 The clay mixing machine

A warming fire at the heart of the pottery where Bernard would do critiques of his son David's and other student's work - if it wasn't up to scratch, he would simply squash it and expect the piece to be made all over again.

On one wall, samples of different clays and glazes for reference

 (When I was looking through these photos I suddenly noticed how closely the colours on these tiles resembled the colours that I was using in my jumper!)

The kilns, fired by gas

Hope you enjoyed the tour!

Some beautiful pieces by contemporary potters for sale in the shop. 

For once, I resisted.......