If you’ve been following my exploits for some time now, I’m sure it’s pretty obvious, that I’m a bit of a ‘how can we help’ fiend? I’ve often found myself knee deep in knitted items, sorting out, bagging up and horror of all horrors – sewing seams 😱 To be fair, my long suffering knitting friends are usually roped in somewhere along the line too 💗 💗 💗
In the past getting a charity knitting and crochet campaign off the ground was relatively easy. I had the shop and a lovely customer base, who spread the word high and low. Once I’d got everything together and had a plan in place, I knew I could rely on everyone to champion the latest collection. Whatever the cause, the response was always fantastic and every time, I was honestly blown away with the amount of work everyone put in.
This time round, there’s no shop. There is a magazine, so you’d assume it would be much, much easier, but it’s not due for publication until next month 😦
The charity in question, is an Irish one and they’re in need of a long list of things, woolly and not so woolly.
So here in lies a dilemma and I’d love to hear your thoughts?
How do we gauge interest?
How do we spread the word?
How do we collect the items and where are we going to put the drop off points?
It can only go ahead with your help, so I’m looking forward to hearing all of your ideas.
I can hardly believe a whole year has passed again, Yarndale 2014 seemed like only yesterday and I almost missed it this year, due to the distraction that is Olann and.
Hubby needed to take a course in the UK, which we were able to time beautifully to coincide with the annual pilgrimage to Skipton and we’re lucky to have family in Yorkshire too. Handy for staying over and availing of all the Yorkshire bargains, my family are obsessed with bargains – 25% off a meal here, a free coffee there. It’s really funny and the subject of many a jest, but every little helps after all.
We caught the ferry in the wee small hours of Friday morning to give us a couple of days to spend in Yorkshire with the family. Saturday included a road trip around the dales, exploring some beautiful places and happening upon the Holmfirth Food Festival too.
Rising bright and early, we made our way to Skipton on the misty Sunday morning, stopping off for breakfast on the way (as you do). Despite arriving by 11am, the marts was already filling up and parking was at a premium.
Heading straight in as we’d pre-booked, we were handed our Show Guide, which contains details of what’s on over the weekend, all the exhibitors and a few lovely little knitting & crochet patterns. This years programme also contains a great interview with John and Juliet of John Arbon Textiles who won the best stand award at Yarndale 2014.
Having just closed a yarn shop, it’s fair to assume that I might have a few balls and hanks hanging around the house, so purchases could seem just a little extravagant. There’s so much to tempt you though that resistance is futile. I did buy a couple of books and some fibre to spin. I also bought some good old fashioned rug wool to use with my stash of weaving yarn. There were a couple of books and magazines too, but my hubby has it all with him in the UK to save me carrying it on the plane and he’s not coming home for a while yet. So it will be like Christmas when he does 🙂
You really have your pick when it comes to Yarndale, there’s stalls selling everything from fibre and spinning wheels to yarn and patterns. You can even enquire about purchasing an alpaca or two if you want. Setting a budget, is probably the safest option and then leave your bank/credit cards at home too. Bare in mind that there are bargains to be had, with many of the vendors offering ‘Yarndale Show Deals’ and ‘Special Prices’.
There are classes and workshops, but it’s better to book ahead as they fill rather quickly. Grabbing a bite to eat will no doubt involve queuing and seating near the food area is very busy. There are chairs set up in pens on almost every row throughout the marts though. So you can stop and rest your tootsies or even eat your lunch.
There’s a great atmosphere, with many attendees bedecked in their woolly creations and many of the stalls have garments on show for you to see in ‘the flesh’ and try on before choosing.
I could rattle on for ages about the things to see and buy, but maybe I should just let the photos speak for themselves? I took so many, but the lighting has meant loads of them are unusable 😦
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The day went by all to quickly ⏰ but not before we’d managed to head back into Skipton town for a walk around in the gorgeous late September sun ☀️
With so many lovely places to stop for a bite to eat it would have been criminal not to partake of a cup of tea and a slice of cake before heading back down to South Yorkshire.
L👀k at that cake.
We took the scenic route back to South Yorkshire, enjoying the stunning views and beautiful Autumnal sun.
I was fully convinced that closing the shop, would result in me having more time. At the moment though, the complete opposite would be true ⏳ (I’ve now got Culture Club in my head)
It’s all good fun though and I’m thoroughly enjoying working with Deirdre on Olann and. It’s great to be able to put the 10 years worth of knowledge, gained whilst working in the industry, to good use.
On the flip side, there’s been very little time for much of my fibre crafting 😦 That’s why it’s been a little quiet on here and the Facebook Page of late.
I’ve been taking my knitting or crochet to bed some nights, simply to try and squeeze the odd few stitches in before the zzz’s come a calling. What a glamorous life I lead?
So it’s lovely to be able to share a project I’ve finished, or should that be projects?
That’s right.
What’s better than finishing one project?
↓
♥ Finishing two ♥
I’ve finally managed to adjust the foot length on my neon, London Comicon socks
and I’ve also knocked up a pair of Autumnal looking lovelies too (oh yeah, now dancing in my seat)
I used 2.25mm needles on both pairs, rather than my usual 2.5mm and the slightly denser stitch, seems to have resulted in a warmer sock. Always a bonus round here 😉 I still knitted my usual 60 stitch sock, but added an extra few rows to the length of the leg and the foot.
I already have another pair on the needles, as well as far too many other WIP’s to list here, so I’m sure they’ll be something new to share soon.
Happy Knitting!
PS. I’m so excited to be attending our first official ‘Olann and’ outing tomorrow evening with Deirdre. Looking forward to meeting more fibre infatuated people and telling you all about it some time in the near future,
A few weeks back when I was sorting out the discontinued shades of Sirdar Supersoft Aran for the now de-funked Green Bin, I noticed how lovely some of the colours looked together. As Supersoft Aran is 100% acrylic, I knew I’d be able to work with it whilst suffering from my hayfever induced wool allergy, but didn’t know what to make with the 5 shades.
Cushions?
I’m definitely not short of them for my sofa and whilst some of them could probably do with a bit of a refurb, I’ve already bought some fun, funky material that will brighten up my dark sofa.
A chilly Sunday lead me to conclude that we don’t have enough blankets in my house. Being old enough to remember what it was like to have sheets, blankets and a bedspread on your bed and if it was cold, an extra blanket or two, I find it quite amazing that you never see ‘proper’ blankets any more. There’s no shortage of duvets in my house, but when you’re trying to convince yourself that it’s only forty winks on the sofa, a duvet can seem like too much of a commitment (or is it just me that thinks that?).
So a blanket it is.
As much as I love the blankets you see on Pinterest and Instagram, with all the lovely little granny squares, I’m just not up for sewing in all those ends.
The centre is a bit wonky, but it seems to have straightened up
I started with 2 balls of each colour and knowing I wouldn’t have enough to complete three repeats of each of the five shade, I opted to only repeat the first three shades a third time. As it turns out, I needed an extra ball of the mustard colour to complete the last side of the round.
I love it, but I want it a bit bigger and there’s no more green. Luckily, I’d put by a couple of balls of the dark grey, which I think will work really well to frame the rest of the colours and finish of my blanket.
Now all I have to decide, is how many rounds of the grey to do, all suggestions would be much appreciated.
I was hoping to be able to hang the blanket up on the washing line, so you’d see it better, but it was awful in Lismore yesterday evening. Instead I promise to photograph the finished blanket when the ends are sewn in and it’s washed.
Nearly forgot, I’ve been using a 5mm crochet hook.
Hopefully you’ve all had a little time to come to terms with the news in the last post 😦 Thank you for all your kind thoughts and words. So lets get down to it – I want to let you all know how and when we’re going to be closing. In order to try and clear as much of the stock as possible, I’m going to open up on Monday and will be open for most of the coming 3 weeks, although I will be closed next Saturday the 11th. As you might expect, there are lots and lots of bargains to be had, so I’d advise taking some time to plan what you’re after, make a list and be sure to bring a bag or two.
♥ Discount time ♥
That’s the yarn and the patterns. Needles, hooks and notions. Books need to go too. Please remember to dig out any gift vouchers you’ve been given, so you can use them before we close. All of the fixtures and fittings will need to be sold on too, so if you know someone who needs slat wall hooks, a till, vintage cinema seats or fancies my yarn units be sure to let me know.
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.
You might have noticed by now, that my knitting needles haven’t been getting much use of late?
Don’t worry, I’m not ready to put them away just yet, it’s purely an enforced pause due to the dreaded hayfever season. Sadly, along with thousands of other people I suffer horrendously at this time of year. To add insult to injury, I become sensitive to everything including dust, wool, my dogs and even the Vaseline you can dab on the outside of your nostrils to catch the offending pollen particles 😦
My poor puppy, ♥Errol♥ is having to make do with sitting on the sofa with me rather than on or next to me and the knitting, which is mostly pure wool, as it tends to be my favourite, is staying in my project bags most of the time.
However, a life without fibre, is in my opinion just not right and happily, I still seem to be able to play in other ways, with just the odd sneeze here and there 🙂
I’m rather ashamed to admit to owning quite a lot of fibery equipment that, in most cases, has never really been used. Some of them were ‘complete bargains’, gifts, specially made (sorry husband), or bought with the best intentions, but a lack of time to learn how to use them.
Weaving, is something I love and have been fortunate to attend a couple of tapestry weaving classes now and I always get far too carried away when I do basic weaving with the children I teach. Since Christmas we’ve made wall hangings and Gods Eyes and I’ve bought Hula Hoops to try and use them for a group project at some stage.
So it probably will be of no great surprise for you to hear that I own a few looms? One of them is a little bit intimidating (a floor loom, disassembled and stored) and falls into the ‘absolute bargain’ category. I also own a peg loom (thank you husband), several tapestry frames (husband again) and a Ashford Rigid Heddle Loom that I’ve been dying to play with if only I could find the time.
Cue hayfever and cut to the loom →
Along with the ‘complete bargain’ loom, there were several boxes of weaving yarn, warp thread, tools and equipment, which all just added to the ‘deal to good to pass up on’ feel of the transaction many years ago. The yarn is mostly the heavy weight, rough rug weaving type of thing that makes your neck itch just looking at it. I love the colours though and find the more than slightly rustic look of the yarn, quite appealing, I just don’t see myself wearing it.
At this point, I could lie and say “I’d checked the thickness of my yarn by wrapping it round a ruler to see how many strands it took to make a inch (WPI’s) and then selected the appropriate reed – that’s the plastic bit that determines the set (lay man term – spaces) at which your warp (up and down) threads run through your finished fabric. I didn’t though, I took the picture after. Instead I winged it and used the 7.5dpi (I think I barely understand what this means myself, certainly not enough to explain it yet) reed that came with the loom, which is basically the one for medium thickness yarns
Having warped my loom, which took much longer than it should have, I was able at last to get on with some weaving. I completely forgot to take photos of the process which was more experimental than anything, but happily it ended up being usable.
I didn’t make my warp long enough for my table runner to stretch the full length of my kitchen table, because it’s purposefully over long and rustic. If you’re wondering, my ever suffering hubby made it for me, it’s based on my dads work bench which I loved and reminds me of him every day ♥
The weaving was an experiment after all, even the pattern ended up being a happy accident, one which just evolved and then I repeated.
I think it’s rather lovely, even if I do say so myself.
Look at those tassels too (don’t look too closely at my edges please).
I found I’d enjoyed myself so much I couldn’t resist warping up the loom again. This time I’m using sock yarn and I’m hoping to make a scarf.
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.
After spotting a write up on Centenary Stitches in issue 83 of The Knitter, I knew I’d have to add a copy to my library.
Centenary Stitches is a beautiful book of vintage knitting and crochet patterns, re-worked from traditional garments and patterns for the feature film Tell Them Of Us, a film based on World War One solider Robert Crowder who died whilst serving in the army in 1917. The film tells the story from the point of those he left behind in the small village of Thimbleby in Lincolnshire.
Despite many of the records from WW1 being lost or damaged, Robert’s family had held his memory dear and kept a remarkable archive of unpublished material, enough to make a film with. The film goes some way towards exploring the shocking reality of living ‘normal’ every day life then being thrown into the terror and torment of war.
Elizabeth Lovick, volunteered her services when Pauline Loven, the costumer for the film put out a request on Ravelry to find help re-creating a knitted jacket as worn by the original Grace Crowder(Robert’s sister) and which was typical of the period.
Elizabeth in case you don’t know, is a knitwear designer specialising in traditional Shetland Lace designs. Her book The Magic of Shetland Lace Knitting provides a beautiful reference for anyone interested in lace stitches and the beautiful pieces that can be made using them.
From this single design, sprang over 70 garments for the film and subsequent book of patterns, which was a collaboration of over a hundred knitters from across the UK and USA. The patterns are for children and adults, garments and accessories. There’s even a dog coat and a set of baby reins (I know some people frown on the use of these, we’ll save that for another day).
In addition to the fabulous patterns, there is a lovely description of the village of Thimbeleby written by Pauline Loven, who also talks about the WAG film making group and what’s involved in being their costumier. Elizabeth Lovick has included a brief history of knitting in WW1 and the challenges faced in translating vintage knitting patterns.
Most importantly, there is a little history of Robert Crowder written by his Great Nephew – Robert Holland, including excerpts from letters written by Robert’s brother William Crowder, to the historian Peter Liddle about his war experiences and some much cherished family photos.
Of the 70 or so patterns it’s difficult to chose ‘favourites’ as I’m actually quite smitten with lots of them. If pressed, I’d have to go with Cosy Cat by Alison Casserly which is a short crochet waistcoat, worked in aran weight yarn.
The Rough & Ready Cardigan by Judith Brodnicki is an extremely versatile aran weight cardigan for both children and adults.
Judith is also the designer of William’s Waistcoat, which is a great aran weight knit, that I know my hubby would love (Christmas maybe?).
The Mersey Wrap translated from a Fleicher’s Knitting & Crochet Manual by Tina Kinnar and knitted in double knit yarn is simplicity at it’s best.
The garment that started all of this – Grace’s Jacket by Elizabeth Lovick,is truly beautiful. Elegant, whilst utilitarian and Knitted in double knit yarn, I can’t wait to find some time to get working on it.
Definitely a book worth having, you can purchase it in traditional ‘paper’ format or as a digital download. To have a look at all of the designs included in the book, follow the link here for the Ravelry patterns page.
Confessions of a Fibre Strumpet 