thank you

Very many thanks for all the emails ..I noticed over the hols and reading all the american blogs that the habit of adding a comment is much stronger there than here Been wishing for snow but as we all know it ain’t a lot of use wishin’ sometimes ,it has not happened and January is half way through .I have been treating myself to some very posh yarn from a company of the same name -Beautiful yarn, beautiful colours and a very clever selling technique–you cannot buy anything until 6pm Sunday and then it is madness,but I love it it makes it all so exciting — do think I would cry though if I missed out on my choice, because as soon as I spot something the old cogs start whirring away and I can already picture that yarn on my needles .Missing my children whom I saw over  holidays I will be like this now for a few more weeks yet then i will get over it.

Cannot believe where 2 months have gone

Sorry everyone I have been so so busy but not too late to wish everyone a very Happy 2008  I hope .

It is cold here but no snow which to me is a bit of a dead loss as I love the snow,went to my isolated chapel for the holidays which was good but the rain was slightly horizontal at times .

New yarns are coming in now very quickly and I have been treating myself with some beautiful yarns handyed from poshyarn in Wales ,you only can buy from 6pm Sunday and when they are gone they are gone it is quite exciting really and this week managed to obtain exactly what I wanted .

Have seen most people who know me well since the show in Harrogate  and my sudden disapearance –this was down to seeing for myself with my own eyes someone who I considered trustworthy actually selling my slipper design as a kit at the show .This has made me remove my patterns until this matter is sorted out.One would imagine that within the yarn world all people are nice  –well they are not

September mornings already

Oh what !!I cannot believe it is September already -where was summer and those hot sultry days? –well Autumn is my favourite time, I have to confess it just stirs something deep inside,and this is my birth month so lots of yummy presents etc ,slightly makes up for another year whizzing by faster than I can knit.

Well been to Glaramara again and it only rained on the last day,by which time I was exhaustedbut totally exhilerated with all the fibres and creativity and felting etc and 

                                 

meeting old friends and making new friends .Lizzy if you read this I cannot look at a plum without thinking of you,haha.Here are some piccies of us all gathered ready to start felting with Mollie Littlejohn from Australia .We all had a fabulous time the whole thing was oorganised by http://www.winghamwoolwork.co.uk  Ruth and Alan have this down to fine art now and we all get very spoilt with great atmosphere great teaching yummy food and scenery to blow your mind .

So it is back to the real world and deadlines etc .Have a 3 month lace series running in Knitting starting next month October issue ,so that has been lovely to do especially after my Elizabeth Zimmermann knitalong with http://www.Knitpicks.com .

This American yarn company has some beautiful products but will not ship to the UK, come on Knit Picks please start shipping .

It is the time for all the great knitting shows as well Allie Pally and NEC but my favourite has to be Harrogate ,which is my home town.I will be there every day this year with http://www.Paviyarns.co.uk   teaching on the stand and book signing so that is exciting and I hope to meet lots of people .  Check Pavi out some lovely new yarns and hand dyed yarns and silks yummy and juicy .

Promise to myself will aim to write more and to all who email me and spell my name wrong which results in bounced emails try the following maybe that is easier knittinglady@dsl.pipex.com .

Keep knitting and felting, should include crocheting as my new book Quick Crochet will be out before Christmas ,lots of fab things in there to do and lovely yans used .See those who make it to Harrogate .

Lace AND Lace AND More Lace

lace has been a prominent feature this week

 

Lace Knitting and Yummy Woolswell what a week, joined a KAL on knitting through the EZ Almanac for the year and you guessed it we have started with the lace shawl which is beautiful. Suddenly my life is full of lace knitting and rain ,we have had so much, I feel as if I have rising damp and the rust.There are loads of knitters ploughing through their chosen tasks and the camarederie is great ,some of of are hot some cold some wet the international weather reports lighten my day.

Thank goodness Addi seemed to realise what we would all be doing and I have been road testing the new lace circulars —-verdict fantastic so treated myself to quite a few pairs.

So to choosing the yarn to knit with I was spoilt but settled down with a Kaalund yarn Expressions colour Poinsetta (but it makes me think of summer pudding —–always food always food )which I adore and sadly is no longer available so if anyone is de -stashing and has Expressions email me first please. I do have another favourite and that is cashwool from http://www.Paviyarns.co.uk the colours are sublime .3rd favourite is handmaiden silks from http://www.getknitted.com  the colours are fab and texture beautiful.

Also this week took delivery of some hand dyed had spun silk from Theo and believe me that is knitting heaven only not fine enough for a lace shawl.

Books this week have been a new reference book on Historical Fashion and of course my EZ Almanac,so  wish I had met this lady she cracks me up and was obviously a great knitter .

Well heard it is going to rain until September so not amused at all by this news as i do like this body to dry out once a year.

more yarn news is the natural dyed shetland chunky from knit global available from Pavi and the colours are great walnut and tea being my favourites. Also have some of their cashmere and its mine and its going round my neck and I am not knitting this for anyone but me it is beautiful.

been busy getting my patterns sorted and printed nicely so that I can sell on line which will be good.

well last night downloaded a new novel to knit to  titled  A place called Here by Cecilia Ahern so tomoorow ill see me sitting watching the rain maybe and knitting lace and listening to the new book.I do like crime thriller but somehow they do not seem to jell ok with lace knitting .

 

Catching Up

I cannot believe that time has gone so fast and also that I have not beeen very good about keeping up to date with my blogging.Life since February has been manic and also had some ill health to cope with so all good excuses but no excuse really –it is after all just a few minutes per day.there.This time next week will be in Sweden and looking forward to that .We  are promised a long hot summer but I promise to keep blogging.One thing at the moment keeping me happy, is at last we have Greys Anatomy back with us,it is a good show and I have done my grey knitting as I have watched . Enjoy the rest of spring new mags should be put soon tempting us with more lovely yarns and new patterns.Last but not least, spent the Easter week getting to grips with my new spinning wheel ,she is a beauty ,and spent 2-3 days happily spinning lots of sample pieces from her,I think she is going to be a ‘Prudence’.Talk soon ,keep knitting and thankyou for all the lovely emails you keep sending

Knitting is easier.

Well the main part of my days over the last few have been spent building a web site and it has been hard hard work,would rather have tackled a new Bohus pattern.

But I am sure that by next week I will forget what I have taught myself in the past few,what has amazed me is looking at the traffic logs for the site—it is amazing that after only been up and running for less than a day it has had the hits it has.

Anyone got any ideas for a good valentine knitty idea ??brain has dried up

My 2007 Resolutions

Ok so yesterday was supposed to be the most miserable of the year –heck we are not yet 3 weeks in.

For me it was ok there was time in the day for Yarn to be included along with cooking,got out of shopping  the Dr did it bless him. played about with some seriously beautiful alpaca which felt like i imagine knittting with double cream would feel.Got me to thinking how differing yarns give me differing vibes .alpaca and cashmere and certain merinos just do it for me and I feel warm and happy and hmmm.Ribbon yarns in bright colours and somehow I am on hols with my two offshoots. Certain colours invoke cetain memories too and there is a turqouise that to me is Cephalonia and I can smell the sea remember the books I read and what a great time I had there ,yet equally I tried to recreate that feeling in a wire jewelry piece and it did not give me the same  impact a skein of yarn does.

So grey January days do your damndest I will just go and curl up where I am pleased to say yarn spills from every surface ,drawer,table and container giving out its splashes of colour and textures to touch so my dreaming can carry on.

ready to go to bed and the new one is jst a gleam in my eye.

Gave offshoot 2 a knitting kit at Christmas and Mother and I have knit it!!!.

She is a beautiful knitter would just love to see her do more and more and basically join the club–she is holding on to her sanity at the moment though.

Snow has got to come otherwise I will sulk until next winter ,going to Sweden in April and no doubt there will be no snow there either –so apologies ‘tongue in cheek’ to all commuters but just 2 days of snow will have me a happy bunny.

On a more serious note whilst the yarn sales are on, remember to think about basics you may need and do check over all your needles especially wooden ones.There is a rumour going round you should not knit with wire on wooden needles so to stop any more phone calls to me –I stand by what I do myself and use bamboo and wood even my rosewood needles when I work my wire ,in fact my crochet hooks are wooden too. Also no wrapping wire round needle please cast on correctly and bind off correctly as well.

Last item on this post is to find 4 more ways to knit a sock!!!!!joking