Unravelling

July 4, 2015 LeftFootDaisy15 Comments

I’ve been trying to write this post for many hours, days in fact and I’m still struggling with finding the right words , so maybe I should just come straight out and say it, then explain?

We’re closing down.

I know there are a good few of you that will read what I’ve written, then re-read it, possibly even more than once. I also know some of you might think I’m having a laugh, or playing some kind of practical joke, but I’m afraid it’s true L

I think I’ve known it’s been coming for a long time now, but like most of us do when faced with a tough decision, have been avoiding making it. Now it seems that the universe has stepped in and taken over, the elements have all lined up and the conclusion has pretty much, been made for me.

It’s been almost 10 years since my husband and I moved to Ireland and I opened my little shop in Dungarvan (I know some of you will probably be surprised to hear that I’ve been at this for that long).

Since then I’ve moved premises more times then I, or my ever suffering husband care to remember, but I’ve always felt the shop was ‘home’ when we eventually came to Midleton.

I can’t say ‘I always wanted to own a yarn shop’ because I’m not that kind of person, I’m not really aspirational, my life hasn’t worked out that way. I’m what most people like to refer to as a bit of a ‘hippie’ I guess and I just amble through life trying to do what feels right at the time. My love of all things crafty combined with the terror of moving to a new country and knowing I’d need to find ways of meeting people, resulted in the shop. Which several years later became the Knit you know and I hope, have loved?

Throughout the 9 odd years I’ve been extremely lucky to have met some truly wonderful people and am blessed to be able to call many of them friends, lifelong friends too (I hope). It’s easy to take for granted how the people you meet can brighten your day and adjusting to life without the smiles and chat with my regulars is something that I know will take time.

How we’re closing and when we’re closing are some of the more practical things I shall need to tell you about. I shall pop a separate post up about this over the next little while; I just have to finish typing it up.

In the meantime I hope you will all understand that I don’t really want to talk about the why’s and where for’s because in all honesty closing the shop is not as a result of just one thing.

You name it and it’s probably a factor – family, health, wealth and happiness there are changes happening in every aspect of mine and my family’s lives and this is just something that needs to happen.

The Facebook page as you know it will eventually be going, but I shall still be on Instagram and blogging about my fibery exploits among other things. Hopefully a few more of you will come and join me here by following the blog and then we can keep in touch?

Most importantly I want to say a very big ♥ heartfelt ♥ thanks for all your support over the years.

♥ Follow me on Bloglovin Here ♥

I’ve Been Unfaithful

June 19, 2015June 20, 2015 LeftFootDaisy1 Comment

It’s true I’m afraid, I’ve been having an affair…

Tempestuous, tumultuous, impassioned and at the same time harmonious, equable and calm, all the things you want from a great romance. Don’t be mistaken though, I shan’t be running away any time soon and shifting my allegiance, it’s just a 💕 dalliance💕 I’m sure

My husband? No we’re fine, never better actually.

Thanks for asking.

So what am I referring to?

Why, knitting of course 😊

I’ve been neglecting it a little you see, becoming slightly enamoured with my sewing again, as myself and my sewing machine become reacquainted.

I’d spotted this top/dress on Instagram from someone who was posting daily photos for #MadeinMay. (The idea being that for every day of May, you’d try to wear something you’ve made yourself.)

So…. I went off in search of the pattern – as you do 😉

The top is called the Wiksten Tank designed by Jenny Gordy and is available as a downloadable pdf via the Wiksten website here It costs $10 so it was a bit of a gamble, but as I had the material already, it wasn’t going to be too bad. Mind you, I did use to make clothes for Dina and Durahn when they were smaller and I was forever ‘upcycling’ jumble sale and charity shop finds. It wasn’t really upcycling, just what you do when your disposable income doesn’t stretch as far as you’d like it too, or your short with big boobs.

The sewing machine and I aren’t firm friends yet, it wouldn’t behave as well as I would have liked, but I did manage to make my Wiksten Tank and I’m so very ♥happy♥ with it, that I’ve already bought some material to make another one. I’ve gone for somewhere between top and dress length, so I can wear it more like a tunic over a tee-shirt and jeans. The fit is good and whilst I could tweak it with the odd dart here and there and maybe nip it in a bit under the arms, but why bother when it’s fully serviceable as it is 🙂

In the meantime I guess I should get on with some of my many ongoing projects.

Whilst unpacking all my project bags from my lager knitting bag, I discovered that I’ve left the crochet blanket I’ve been working on too, at home in the living room. I realised we have loads of duvets at home, but very few blankets. Something I can at least, start to work on rectifying. This is proving to be a little addictive though, my mantra has become ‘just one more round’, fine when it was smaller, but now i could loose an hour or so.

Whilst typing this post, it occurs to me that it presents an ideal opportunity to also tell you about Zebrino, the latest offering from Adriafil.

Zebrino is a self patterning yarn with 125 metres/136.70 yards approximately to each 50 gram ball. It’s made from a blend of 53% wool 47% acrylic and is a worsted/aran weight.

For now I’ve only gone with 4 of the above shades just to see what the yarn is like. The colours in stock are shades 61, 62, 64 and 67 and I’m itching to have a go at knitting with it, but as the pile of projects in the photo above shows, I should probably control the urge for a while longer. I’m thinking a big, oversized jumper though and maybe a scarf or two as Christmas presents.

Happy Knitting!

♥ Follow me on Bloglovin Here ♥

Let’s Talk Money

June 11, 2015 LeftFootDaisyLeave a comment

There are times in our lives when we’ve probably all had to have one of those uncomfortable talks. You know the ones – money, religion, parenting, politics, family, etc, etc, etc.

This for me, is one of those times……

Having received new price lists now from several of my suppliers it’s become apparent that a change is under way, one that knowing the way these things go, is rather unlikely to be reversed.

Many of the yarn brands we’ve come to know and love here in Ireland, are actually UK based companies. Most, of these sell their wares in Sterling to their UK based shops whilst the likes of me in Ireland, purchases in Euros. It makes it easier all round in terms of banking, recommended retail pricing and in the main, produces a ‘fairer’ system for the shops and end consumer alike.

However, it’s probably not escaped your notice that the Euro has been performing extremely badly against the pound and as a result of the Pounds increasing strength, the UK based yarn companies have pretty much all increased their prices.

Increases of between 6 – 10% from what I’ve seen so far, seem to be the rate most of the yarn companies have rolled out. Which translates to quite a jump in the price of some of our yarns. For example a ball of Sirdar Snuggly Double Knit will be increasing in price from €3.90 to €4.20 a ball (sorry).

I’m going to have to ponder on what these increases will mean to us continuing to stock some ranges. There are some yarns that I personally, just don’t think represent value for money at the new increased price and I shall begin to phase these out. Others, some of which are favourites of yours and mine, will either stay or I’ll try and find alternatives, more reasonably priced alternatives.

Many of the more popular yarns are manufactured for several different companies and perhaps a little investigating is what’s needed now? Not wanting to be too cynical, my fear is that once increased, the yarn companies will be slow to implement any reductions in price if the Euro regains some strength.

I could have just implemented the price increases across the board and hoped no one noticed, but I’d prefer to be upfront and tell you all what’s happened and why.

Hopefully, we won’t all be too much poorer, as the price increases will I imagine, be rolled out on many of the things we buy 😦

Happy Knitting!

♥ Follow me on Bloglovin Here ♥

Pretty For Summer

May 28, 2015 LeftFootDaisyLeave a comment

Knitting and crochet were for many years seen as seasonal hobbies, often traded in for gardening during the warmer months. Fortunately, for us yarn shop owners, this isn’t so much the case any more and there are lots of us out there who see the summer months as a great excuse to sit down with friends on the beech, or by ourselves taking in those Vitamin D producing sun rays with our latest projects.

Copious photographs in previous posts and on Instagram will go to prove that I will knit just about anywhere, having been known to pull my needles out at music festivals, steam rallies, Ardmore Beach and on tour buses to name but a few. Regardless of the time of year I’ll knit.

File 28-05-2015 16 29 18 — On the back of the trike on our way to Blarney. I can successfully knit if I hold my knitting low down behind my hubby – even at 120kmph 😉

As my ever suffering hubby and children will confirm, Love me, love my knitting.

I would have to confess though, that when selecting a yarn to knit with, cotton wouldn’t usually be my first choice as I tend to find it tough going on my hands, particularly if it’s mercerised.

Mercerisation (if you’re interested?) is where the yarn is given a Sodium Hydroxide bath that is neutralized in acid. The process increase the strength of the yarn and is what gives mercerised cotton it’s familiar lustre too. It’s also said to make the yarn adsorb dye better, which is how such bright colours come to be achieved by the spinning mills and as a ‘by the way’, it results in a yarn that is mildew resistant too.

If I was to opt for cotton and i occasionally do, I’m much more likely to reach for a ‘raw’ cotton (un-mercerized), something very like Classique Cotton from Stylecraft Yarns, which is super soft and comes in a range of beautiful colours and costs €5.95 per ball. Each 100g contains 184 metres/201 yards of 100% cotton and knits as a true double knit on 4mm needles, with a tension of 22 stitches to 28 rows over a 10cm/4″ square.

I’ve chosen 15 colours from the range to begin with including (from left to right)

Plum, Poppy, Hot Pink, Shell Pink and Shrimp.

Seville, Sunflower, Leaf, Soft Lime and Azure.

Greek Blue, Lavender, Wisteria, White and Ivory.

Classique Cotton has been a Stylecraft Yarn staple for some time now, so as you might expect there are a good range of patterns available in knitting and crochet, for adults, children, accessories and home wares.

Some of my favourites include.

Pattern 8745 is a classic round neck, knitted jumper with a deep rib and the added detail of a cable running up the length of the arm.

Pattern 9133 is a t-shirt style knit with decorative eyelet stripes in sizes 32/34″ to 40/42″.

Pattern 9134 is a girls round neck cardigan with a pretty lace detail for sizes 2 – 11 years.

Pattern 8849 is for crochet mats and storage pot covers. personally I’d love to decorate a wall in my house with some of the mats fixed to it as they’d add a good splash of colour.

Lastly, what’s not to love about the spotted crochet tea cozy, complete with a pretty posy of flowers on top from pattern 8853? The pattern also has instructions for the mug cozy too 🙂

If you enter Classique Cotton into the yarn search bar on Ravelry, you’ll notice the yarn has been used for over 470 projects including everything from dishcloths and bunting to jumpers and blankets.

I imagine by now, there’s every chance you’re wondering what the photograph at the top of the post is all about? It’s actually the widely anticipated three new shades released by Stylecraft in the Special DK range. The new shades are (from left to right).

Storm Blue, Parma Violet and Sage.

Happy Knitting!

♥ Follow me on Bloglovin Here ♥

Socks, Socks, Socks

April 23, 2015 LeftFootDaisyLeave a comment

It’s all things socks here in the shop at the moment and why not? The sock I’d been knitting in one of the previous posts is now finished and I’m itching to cast on it’s companion so I can move on to my next ♥ pair ♥

I’m going to have a go at knitting a pair using the Cotton Premium from Opal. Unlike most standard sock yarns, the fibre in Cotton Premium is a blend of 38% wool, 32% polyamide & 30% cotton making it more ideal for the warmer months. A standard 4ply yarn, still with 410m on the ball but the addition of cotton also makes the colours more muted, almost pastel in tone.

My only dilemma now, is which colour to go for?

Along with the Cotton Premium I also bought another new range of sock yarn for the shop. Gallery is another Opal yarn and the colour combinations this time, could be described as anything but muted.

So it stands to reason that a delivery of new sock yarn must mean I might possibly have to have a bit of a clear out I guess?

Any of the discontinued balls of 4ply sock yarn in the basket are €5 each to clear. Most of them are fairly Autumnal shades, but I’m thinking Christmas presents (yes I did say it, sorry).

Don’t forget that although it says ‘sock’ on the label the yarns are all standard 4plys and will work to most 4ply patterns. Who doesn’t need a Hitchhiker or two?

Happy knitting!

♥ Follow me on Bloglovin Here ♥

Sharing – But only if the internet connection lasts!!!

April 19, 2015 LeftFootDaisy4 Comments

There seems to be so much going on at the moment that I feel like I’ll fall behind if I don’t begin sharing some of it with you and there’s too much to put in a Facebook post, so please excuse the disjointed nature of this post. It’s probably a truer indication of how my mind works – on a good day that is 😁

(The balloon flower was gifted to me by one of my young students, Miriam, yesterday morning and it set the tone for a lovely day.

The sun was shining and I finally managed to get round to photographing these lovely blankets that Jackie Dunn whipped up for the Chernobyl Children’s Trust. Aren’t they just fab?

As are the scarf and 7 hats that she also made 💕

Some of you might have already noticed that I’ve finished my 3rd pair of socks this week. I had literally been dragging my heels over knitting them because they’re not really my colours and was planning on using them as boot socks. However, I’m prepared to swallow my words and admit to rather liking them.

Just so you know, I’ve knitted them in Heart & Sole sock yarn from Sirdar in shade 107 (Hip Hop) with 2.5mm needles and they’re really comfy 🙂

I’m on a total sock knitting binge and am actually making two separate pairs at the moment, one is a 6ply pair just to see what they’ll be like (I’ll be sure to let you know). The second pair are flying up, so much so that I’d reached the gusset part earlier today, but we were off to see Fast & Furious 7 and I needed knitting 😕 So I decided to risk it and try to work my decreases in the dark movie theatre, what’s the worse that could happen?

I’m dead chuffed with my cinema knitting. Not only did I manage to work my k2tog decreases neatly and without dropping a stitch.

I also completed my ssk’s too and 5 rows of the leg, despite being thoroughly engrossed in the antics of Dom, Brian, Letti, Hobbs and the rest of the team.

Happy Knitting!

♥ Follow me on Bloglovin Here ♥

The These Islands Book Launch – Come See

April 10, 2015 LeftFootDaisy3 Comments

Come and have a look at what you missed if you couldn’t join us and if you were there it’s time to see the photos.

It was all hands on deck to set up between the shop closing at 5 and the launch starting at 7.30pm but we managed and it was lovely to be able to see the design samples knitted up.

The Happy Out Mitts that Sara had knitted up looked fab in the the Cinnabar shade of Smudge Yarns 4ply.

The Hip Hop Hat sample shown here is knitted in Smudge Yarns double Knit. The beautiful blue shade is Cairn, whilst the lime green is Fuggles, a name you just can’t say without smiling 🙂

Confession time now, I wasn’t sure how I felt about the Crosshatched Cowl, it didn’t really appeal to me. However, I’m a convert, seeing the knitted sample in the shop last night really changed my mind about this piece. The colours in the Pencil Roving really pop with the Herringbone Stitch, it tempted quite a few people too, judging by how much of it was sold.

As I mentioned in the previous post about the book launch. There were kits for the Beaker Shawl Knit Along available last night (I also have a few available here in the shop). Much discussion was given over to choosing the complimentary colour for the KAL and as you can see from the photo, the choice was a made harder by the sheer scrumminess of shades available in the lace weight.

Don’t forget that if you ‘cast on’ your shawl via Ravelry by Sunday you’ll automatically be entered into a draw to win a hank of Smudge Yarns Laceweight yarn. (I’ll pop up a quick post later today on how to this for those of you that haven’t ever done this before.)

I kicked things off with my usual chit chat, minding my p’s and q’s a little and then handed things over to Sara so she could share with us how the book came about.

Sara handed the gauntlet over to Evin to tell us a bit more about the book and the ethos behind the yarns used, before we moved on to the socialising, laughing and general merriment.

The turnout for the launch was fantastic, it’s great to see fibre folk coming out to offer their support and better still when it’s for local knitterly people.

Dina my lovely and ever suffering daughter, went round with the camera gently persuading everybody to smile. Having reviewed the photos, it evidently meant she wasn’t in front of it at any time. Does anyone have photographic evidence that she was there?

See those smiles. Fiona, Rachele, Sadie and Lee Ann seem to be enjoying themselves.

As do Noreen and Liz.

Hilda and Catherina posing for the camera (I think I spy a KAL kit there). Isn’t Catherina’s crochet Granny shawl beautiful?

Smiles all round from Joan, Erin, Sara and Carol.

Clare and Michelle doing a great job of enjoying themselves and plugging the book at the same time.

I managed to get in on the action too, laughing of course with Orela and Edwina.

How lucky am I? My best friend Snadra was over from England too.

I know some of you will be eager to hear about the raffle prize, but I’m not quite ready to tell you yet.

It wouldn’t be a book launch, without a book signing or two as demonstrated here by Sara and Evin.

Having roped the lovely Carol Feller in to draw the winner I’m really happy to say Noreen won the hamper of goodies, can’t wait to see what she makes with the ‘special edition’ yarns.

I know you’re probably wondering…..

Yes, I did.

Happy Knitting!

♥ Follow me on Bloglovin Here ♥

These Islands: Knits from Ireland, Scotland, and Britain Book Launch

March 31, 2015 LeftFootDaisyLeave a comment

It’s all been confirmed, we’ve sat down, deliberated, cogitated and digested and I am now happily able to announce that the These Islands book launch will take place on Thursday 9th April from 7.30 to 9.30pm

These Islands includes eight never before published patterns for hats, a cowl, shawls, fingerless gloves, and boot cuffs using locally-processed wool made from the fleece of Irish, Scottish, or British sheep with names. The patterns are designed by Sara Breitenfeldt, Suzanne McEndoo, and Evin Bail O’Keeffe.

Suzanne currently lives in Edinburgh so won’t be able to make the launch however, both Evin and Sara will be available for book signing, laughter and fun.

A Cork resident, Evin is the author of the 2014 Blog Awards Ireland award-winning craft blog EvinOK.com. In addition to being a busy mum and her blog, Evin also managed to find the time to write and release her book Bake Knit Sew, which showcases a year of creativity in baking, knitting, and sewing. The book offers a complete year of projects! With over 50 full-color photographs shot on location here in scenic Cork. To find out more about Bake Knit Sew or to order your copy head over to the Anchor & Bee website here.

Many of you will already have heard of Sara, now a Midleton resident too, as is the creator and owner of the hand dyed yarn company Smudge Yarns. Sara’s beautiful yarns are available to purchase via her website or in a handful of shops around Ireland, including mine 🙂 There is also a Smudge Yarns Facebook Page here and a Ravelry Group too for you to join should you want to show you’re appreciation.

The gates open at 7.30pm for the book launch, with everything kicking off ♥ proper ♥ at 8pm. This will be a ticketed event due to the size of the shop, so spaces are limited. There will be refreshments, book signing and all ticket holders will be automatically entered into the craft hamper raffle (more details to follow later, watch this space).

Tickets are €5 each and can be purchased in the shop with me or via the Smudge Yarns website here

In addition to the book, Sara hopes to have some of her yummy yarn on sale to tempt you, she will also officially launch her Beaker Folk Shawl Knit A Long on the night. Kits will be available to purchase at the launch and we hope to get as many of you casting on for the KAL as possible.

As a special incentive to get involved, everyone who “Casts On” the project on Ravelry before midnight on Sunday 12th April will be entered in a draw for a special limited edition skein of yarn.

The shawl can be knitted in one of two sizes, either as a smaller shawlette, or as a larger wrap. The photographs shown here have been taken from the book and have been knitted using Smudge Yarns Hand Dyed Lace Yarn and 5.5mm needles. The featured colourway if you’re interested, is the beautiful denim hues of 💙 Beara 💙

If you’d like to have a closer look at the Beaker Folk Shawl, we’ve a sample garment on display in the shop at the moment.

I’m really excited to be able to showcase this brilliant book and hope some of you will be able to join us on what promises to be a great, fibre related evening.

Happy Knitting!

♥ Follow me on Bloglovin Here ♥

Psst…

March 28, 2015 LeftFootDaisy1 Comment

I’m really excited to announce that we’ll be hosting a book launch for the fantastic book These Islands: Knits from Ireland, Scotland and Britain by Sara Breitenfeldt, Suzanne McEndoo, and Evin Bail O’Keeffe soon.

As you can see from the photo above the date is still to be confirmed, but is likely to be sometime over the coming fortnight.

Watch this space

Happy Knitting!

♥ Follow me on Bloglovin Here ♥

Stylecraft Malabar

March 27, 2015 LeftFootDaisyLeave a comment

Summer yarns aren’t as popular for us as you might think? After 10 years in this business I’ve come to the conclusion that there’s several reasons for this.

Many summer garments are fashion rather than classic and this can be off putting to even the most dedicated knitter amongst us.
Lots of knitters are also gardeners, so they switch loyalty when the sun begins to make an appearance.
Summer yarns usually means double knit or 4ply traditionally = a lot more knitting.
Our summer isn’t too long, so the garment you’ve lovingly created doesn’t get worn much. Fine if it’s a classic piece but refering back to the first point I made….

At last it would appear the big yarn companies have started to listen and this year we’re seeing a good few summer yarns in aran weight 🙂

I’ve had a play with some of the main releases and have decided to go with Malabar from Stylecraft so far.

As I’ve said, it’s an aran weight yarn, a blend of 22% silk/78% cotton, fantastic for €6.75 per ball. There’s approximately 180yds/165m in each 100g ball and the suggested tension is 18 stitches x 24 rows to a4″/10cm square on 5mm needles. Did I mention there’s 12 colours too?

The good folks at Stylecraft Yarns have released lots of accompanying patterns, including the crochet shawl at the top of this post, which is likely to be a favourite of everybody’s because it’s just so pretty. I’m quite smitten by the summer shrug/cardigan on the accessories pattern leaflet here in cream ♥

Truthfully though, I’m thinking of knitting Mimic by Veronika Jobe for myself in Malabar when I’ve finished a couple of my ongoing projects. In the mean time I’ve run up a little Yoked Cardigan by Hannah Fettig aka Knitbot as a mini display garment for the shop in the fabulous summery, turquoise shade.

Interesting fact for you all, turquoise is meant to be the one colour that we all look good in regardless of our skin tone, eye colour or age, it’s universal.

Happy Knitting!

Confessions of a Fibre Strumpet

Category: The Shop

Unravelling

♥ Follow me on Bloglovin Here ♥

I’ve Been Unfaithful

♥ Follow me on Bloglovin Here ♥

Let’s Talk Money

♥ Follow me on Bloglovin Here ♥

Pretty For Summer

♥ Follow me on Bloglovin Here ♥

Socks, Socks, Socks

♥ Follow me on Bloglovin Here ♥

Sharing – But only if the internet connection lasts!!!

♥ Follow me on Bloglovin Here ♥

The These Islands Book Launch – Come See

♥ Follow me on Bloglovin Here ♥

These Islands: Knits from Ireland, Scotland, and Britain Book Launch

♥ Follow me on Bloglovin Here ♥

Psst…

♥ Follow me on Bloglovin Here ♥

Stylecraft Malabar

♥ Follow me on Bloglovin Here ♥

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this: