Mia and summers end –maybe not if you knit this hat! –just love the fabulous job that the team at http://www.knitonthenet.com have done with my design –go have a look at all the other fabulous knits over there.Well back from France and the design book is full now for next falls designs so heres to all the swatching I need to do,will miss the sun and the lovely people I met.Seeing my sister for a few days without being ic of little folk was great and nice to reconnect  

Mia

after all the childrearing years.Our husbands had a good time with their own brand of humour –not lost on us really. We ate some lovely food and drank some very good wines, La Caminade http://www.lacaminade.com where I stayed was just perfect and Joelle and Christian both perfect hosts .

Mia— summer days at la Caminade

Summers end –or maybe not

Mia

Twilley’GORGEOUS’

Been using some differing yarns just recently and I have to say the Twilley Gorgeous is a great yarn with a lovely drape but holds your stitch pattern firm and the colours are good too–well done Twilley ,seems an age since I designed for them the ‘knit to felt’ kits usingFreedom.More colours in this range would be great maybe colours like theSincere organic cotton range .

 

No cobwebs in my chapel so decided to knit one –love these colours

new homeware patterns available now on Ravelry

the new quillow design pattern is now uloaded and ready on Ravelry as is the bolster cushion this is great fun to knit as is Cushy cashmere knit in the beautiful Shilasdair yarn
The patterns will be on http://chrissieday.co.uk very soon but for now please visit Ravelry.Happy Knitting

Memories and Aching Bones

The only wedding pic I am allowed to show you until the bride and groom return from honeymoon.
We had a family party the night before the wedding as family had travelled many miles for this event and the joining of 2 families is importrant and the party was great the weather good the food good –thanks to my mil Cindy who I could not have done it without her,and she made the wedding cake -! so a couple of piccies from there showing my brother and sister(aren’t they good looking dudes)who had not met before the party for 16 years when we buried my Mother,the other a kitchen shot (most good parties start and stop in the kitchen ) of Cindy my mil,Bart my brother and Kath one of my longest ever friends hahah( she rescued me in a snow storm when I was pregnant with my son 29 years ago).

But back to reality now and what can I say! my back aches, my knees scream,and my hips feel like they are singing at me but apart from that I am fine, as fine as someone moving at my age can be.
There are so many casualties of this move, tons of yarn- I really felt it was a competition as I made each hank or ball of yarn justify its existence in my stash some did not make it and the load got lighter –the next day round 2 and it started all over again and more casualties until I had reduced the stash. It is amazing how focusing on justification gets rid of so much we cling on to.
I have cleared my studio and apart from feeling sick and crying when 2 of my vintage sewing machines left home I am doing ok I think.The plants in my garden I will mourn over and wonder how they will do –pathetic really but the cherry blossom each April is awesome and the first taste of my own plums is something else.The frogs in the pond and all the birds I will miss, wonder if my baby robins will follow me.
I know there are horrid things happening in the world but I never wanted to move again and here I am off again.How I envy folk who have lived places for 30 or 40 years .The longest I have managed to be in 1 place was the childrens childhood home and I did 17 years there and leaving it nearly killed me and have not settled since really.I have my beautiful Teasdale home where my bones will rest when I am older.
Back to this move and more looking forward ,the new village is lovely the new garden is looking good and I love my home and am ready to make some good memories.My new lounge looks out over the main part of the garden and again my dreaming table (I call it that because as I sit to write or create I dream the day away gazing outside )has a great view so cannot see the new book getting finished very quickly.
I am not hanging onto anything any more that is not functional and needed by me now right now or so beautiful I cannot face the day without it,
So once again new beginnings to face and changes to cope with, lots to do, lots to learn, and lots to look forward to.
I am so happy for my daughter and her new hubby and I adore my new sil but I am so going to miss her and she will be living even further away from me but as you will see when I post some more piccies no-one could be happier, she oozes happiness and I never saw her look more beautiful apart from the 1st day I ever looked into her face. I was honoured to design and make her dress,and tiarra and bag I enjoyed every hour I spent doing them and very proud when I saw her ready for her big day ‘Thank you Emma for giving me that opportunity I will never forget it ‘.
Moving date looms and there is still fabric to sort, knitting needles to sort,views to say goodbye to and more than likely hundreds of decisions still to make,but they will be made, I salute the future.To any of my blog readers who are also moving –good luck !!!check out http://feltingfibres.wordpress.com for news on latest felting classes to be held at Viking Loom York in November

felted slippers

Oh sometimes I wish I had never knit any felted shoes,slippers, shoes, etc the hunt is on again and it always shows in the stats the trawl for my patterns all over . Patterns which are free are on the download pages here and in Ravelry and those which I charge for are available through the proper channels and stores which stock me .I now have a fabulous American editor to do all the pattern checking and writing which also helps with copyright and documentation needed.

It is enough to put you off knitting but every designer goes through this I hear, so I persevere and try to stay optimistic. well to a more cheerful note I have just finished all the felting tests on a brilliant felting yarn more to come on this –it really is worth looking hard for the best yarn that will not lose its colour as you machine boil your knit to felt projects ,and will not pill up and ruin your knit effects .

  I find Louet loses colour as does the ‘Knit 4 fun’ yarn –this used to be good as I used it in my first felting book not happy now with the colour tests .   Oh bring back Maya .

Felted slippers and more spooky

As a blogger you know people are going to read you but what I find unerving is when someone decides to search the entire web universe for any entry that has your name attached –this time they have done it through Virginmedia and 5 folk have viewed that link –spooky .Last week I had search engines repeating a sweep of a month ago for anything to do with felted slippers –all this does is make me feel someone is trying to take my designs so I remove all trace from the sites .I f somebody wants some information they can email and ask not snoop ,these are not regular readers and this is why it shows up in the stat details so vividly.So whoever you are please email and ask your questions, if you are wanting a pattern ask for one to be designed for you or buy one and use for your own knitting only.

This is one of the down turns of blogging on an open forum  irritating really .

Free patterns start in March and will be downloadable through a link to my web site .watch this space .

A whole new set of podcasts will be available either through the blog or through the website ,it is just amatter of getting them totally finished

Easter

can you imagine what is being said here ‘they do what to us’!

 Well hope everyone had a good break and if knitting time did not happen then maybe you read some of the new books that are out .

My toe is broken at the moment so trekking off to the hills was not on this holiday so I did have some time to read the new books and to just gaze at some of the new wools out, the colours this summer are fantastic .

a friend sent me some fabulous bamboo and cotton yarn which is temperature regulating and the colours just made me think of ice cream so  be a great summer choice for everyone –will fill you in soon with brand etc.

‘design on textiles ‘ here is one of mine  could look good knitted. Actually managed to catch up with Liz which was nice..

I have made some lovely friends on Ravelry the amount of knitters around the world amaze me .