Last night the knitting group decended on the Pepperstack Bistro for our Christmas get together. I think it’s obvious that good fun was had by all in attendance and we all left full to the brim. The food as always, was tasty and filling and the staff were as lovely and attentive.
We all took part in the Secret Santa Christmas Tree Decoration Swap, as you can see from the photos the standard of knitting and crochet this year was quite high.
The whole gang (those that could make it)
Wait a minute I was there too.
See
Sadie, Rachel and Mary
Caroline & Orela
orela, Michelle & Elizabeth
Lee Ann & Mary
Fiona & Deidre
Deidre & Clare
Edwina & Dina
Our Secret Santa pressies.
With only 14 more sleeps to go until the big day there’s not that many more hours left to get those gifts made up (if you’re like me anyway).
Look at the lovely parcel that arrived yesterday. (Actually there were 4 more but lets look at this one now)
OK so from the outside it doesn’t look so great and you’d never know what was inside, unless of course you’ve spotted the sticker?
Can you make out what it is now?
The anticipation is actually killing me, all this photo taking lark is completely against my inner self screaming ‘just open the damn thing’.
Gorgeous, hand dyed here in Cork, Smudge Superwash Sock Yarn is €23 per 100g. There’s five shades to choose from at the moment and each beautiful 100g hank contains 300 metres of blended 4ply yarn, 70% wool/30% nylon. Not just for socks, I’m thinking a shawl maybe, but I do ♥love♥ my socks…..
I’m not usually too much of a fan of furry yarns, but of late I’ve noticed there are changes underfoot. I even caught myself pondering colours for a project and warming to mint? Those of you that know me, will know I’m not really a pastel kind of girl, quite the opposite usually, but combine the mint and my new found amour with fur and it’s fair to say I’m concerned 😮
In fairness to myself the fur I’m alluding to is in colours more to my usual taste and it is so incredibly soft, that I’d defy any of you not to be smitten too.
The yarn I’m referring to is Ophelia from Sirdar.
Each 50g ball contains 95metres/104yards of this yummy yarn which also has a glimpse of lustre from it due to the metallic thread running through it. Ophelia knits to a tension of 14 stitches by 19 rows on 6.5mm needles and is perfect for making garments and accessories, as well as gifts. Ophelia is machine washable and easy care.
Ophelia is available in 10 shades including white and cream which could also be useful to those of you considering making cardigans for Communion and while we’re thinking along those lines, what about a cover up for a Winter wedding too?
Despite how busy things get round here when Winter hits, I did manage to find the time to have a play and whipped up a really quick hat – beautifully modelled by Dina my ever suffering daughter.
Her co-operation, as you can see was very forthcoming….
I’d caught her off guard when she was sweeping after we’d closed on Saturday, hence the broom.
Me being me, couldn’t resist popping it on her head – oops, I slipped 😉
Not sure exactly what she was about to say, maybe it was Festive or Fluffy?
♥Beautiful♥
Come to think of it I’m rather lucky she didn’t bop me with the broom.
I’m ♥loving♥ this pair and they’re doing an excellent job of adding a festive feel to the shop counter. I do have a confession though…..my friends Noreen and Liz made them for me along with the Tinsel Owl below. Big thanks to both of them, they are without a doubt, skilled when it comes to making knitted toys.
The snowmen are made using Sirdar Snowflake (dk for the smaller of the two, chunky for the larger) and Stylecraft Special DK for the accessories The biggest chap stands approximately 11 inches tall whilst the shorter one is about 8 inches high.
The design has been created by Sue Jobson for Sirdar, pattern 4513 and the girls assure me they’re a fairly straightforward knit. As with all toys, it can be easier to sew as you go, otherwise the task can seem a little daunting if you leave it all to the end.
Loving the addition of the red on the robin’s breast, much more appropriate me thinks 💡
Here’s the afore mentioned owl, he’s a rather big boy and is the largest size on the pattern. He still only took the one ball of King Cole Tinsel and he’s proving even more popular than the hedgehog at the moment.
As you can see it’s pattern 9022 I think they’d make a lovely little present for someone, especially as owls are so popular at the moment. I think I’d rather like a little white Snowy Owl perched on our Christmas Tree.
This is Knit’s latest addition to the Knit Family Menagerie, there’s only one problem though – he doesn’t have a name yet 😯
I knitted him up using pattern 9019 from King Cole Yarns, however the wool Luxe Fur, is impossible to purchase because it’s completely sold out EVERYWHERE 😦 Undeterred, I decided to try knitting the design up using Tivoli Husk as a substitute instead and I think you’ll agree he’s turned out great?
He’s the baby bear and there’s also a mummy and a daddy bear (medium and large) on the pattern. He was fairly simple to knit up and the trick is not to stuff him to firmly with toy filling, otherwise he won’t be so cuddly.
The pretty knitted garment hanging behind our friend the bear is called The Pheasant Shawl by Julie Ferguson which I’d spotted in issue 73 of The Knitter in June and instantly fell in love with. A naughty purchase of yarn for said garment happened on a trip to York during the summer and I managed to find some time in amongst knitting all the other projects to get it made up. The yarn used is a double knit from West Yorkshire Spinners from the New Country Birds Collection and is 100% Blue Faced Leicester.
Unfortunately, I ran out of the multicoloured yarn several rows before I’d completed the main part of the shawl, which means the shawl is slightly smaller than the size specified on the pattern.
The colours are beautifully autumnal, unlike most of the clothes I own
There have been so many yummy yarnny deliveries of late that the stock rooms are fit to burst and there’s a danger that I’ll go in one day and never return
There were 2 deliveries last week, 2 the week before and there have been 3 so far this week, with at least one more due. Sadly, this does mean that I’m a little behind when it comes to telling you all what’s in and even more behind with knitting my samples for the shop 😳
Cracking on then –
Last week was a good week for those sock knitters among us with several different items arriving in to help keep your toes toasty. The Knitpro Karbonz in 2.5mm are back and I’ve also stocked up on the 2.5mm Knitpro circulars too.
Now for some yarn porn
3 delightful shades in Opal Beachcoming
The almost complete range of Opal Solids
Something we haven’t had for a while now – 6ply sock yarn. It’s the Daydreaming range from Opal. Can’t wait to give 6ply (double knit to you and me) socks a go 💡
Another new addition and one completely at the other side of the woolly spectrum is Flame from Rico Yarns.
Flame from Rico, is a lightweight super chunky yarn, note I said lightweight. Each 50g ball contains a whopping 90 metres and knits to a tension of 10 stitches to 14 rows on 10mm needles. it’s a wool blend, 40% wool/60% acrylic and I’ve opted for 6 of the available 7 variegated shades (2 of them were very similar). Reasonably priced too at €4.99 per ball – Bargain!
We have patterns too and I’ve promised Dina a cardi but I have to cast on a jumper I’ve been promising Durahn first. In the meantime I think I might get a hat knitted up for the shop and possibly the odd Christmas gift too.
I’m happy, no throwing cartwheel ecstatic, to report that we’ve done it!
We’ve managed to collect our target 5000 stockings for the Knit Happens Campaign and more 🙂
The stockings have been checked, counted, bagged up into 50’s, (checked twice) and sent out in counter top boxes to the lovely East Cork Rapid Response people to distribute for sale around the East Cork area.
So far you should hopefully be able to find them at the following outlets.
Castlemartyr Resort
Garryvoe Stores
Ladysbridge Post Office
Greengrocer Castlemartyr
Castle Holistic Clinic Castlemartyr
Pobail Scoil na Trionaide Youghal
Cobh Leisure Centre
East Ferry Rowing Club
Robinson Tyres Midleton
Ballymacoda Post Office
Crowleys Youghal
O’sullivans Gortroe
Brodericks Garage Shanagarry
Sammy Revins Butchers Youghal
Read n Write Youghal
Sean Twomey Butcher Youghal
Crees Card Shop Youghal
Castlemartyr Florist
Centra Cloyne
Cloyne Post Office
Youghal Library
Wallis Bar Midleton
Midleton Park Hotel
Results Fitness Midleton
Dr. Morehan Killeagh
Colemans Newsagent Killeagh
Arcade Midleton
McCarthys News Midleton
Well n Good Midleton
4home Midleton
Costcutters Carrigtohill
Dr Dorans Surgery
Centra Carrigtohill
Bramley Lodge
Garveys Supervalu Cobh
Murphys Centra Cobh
Keatings Londis Newtown Cobh
Rosies Aghada
Days Whitegate
Nutrition Club Midleton
Ladysbridge Market
Old Thatch Killeagh
Community Radio Youghal
Big, big, big thanks to everyone involved so far.
We’re still in need of more outlets and would love to hear from any in the East Cork Area that would be happy to sell a few stockings to help raise funds for the East Cork Rapid Response. If you see the boxes in any of the places mentioned, please take a photo and share it on the Knit Happens Facebook Page so we can give a little nod to all of those supporting the campaign.
There has been so much going on lately that I’m struggling a little more than usual to keep up.
On Sunday as I’d mentioned, I went to the RDS for The Knitting & Stitching Show. Unfortunately, for my ever suffering husband, my car decided it really had had enough of driving back and forth on the Dungorney Road.
I feel the need to point out to those of you that won’t be familiar with the afore mentioned road, that I mean ‘road’ in the loosest sense of the word. Imagine a road as smooth as silk, a pleasure to drive, that your car no matter the age, make or model, glides smoothly over.
The road from Lismore (where I live) to The shop in Midleton, is the exact opposite.
So Coni and I headed off in the wee small hours and arrived pretty much as the doors to the hall were opening. As usual there was a right mish mash of vendors, many with yummy woolly, fabricy goodness, lots of papercrafting and embroidery too, but there were quite a few stalls selling everything from clothes to hard skin removers, which as always is a little disappointing.
Happily there were a couple of stalls with new items on them including 2 new Irish companies that caught my eye especially.
Denise Pinnegar is the woman behind the new Irish business Unravel, which she runs from her studio in Co. Wexford. Denise has created several knitting and crochet kits which use Irish Yarns, find out more about Unravel here.
The Bead & Button Emporium is the brainchild of Sharon Murphy who has developed a unique collection of hand-crafted jewellery, buttons, beads and more. Working with polymer clay, Sharon’s wares are beautiful and imaginative with a little quirkiness thrown in for good measure. As a fan of all things buttons I’ll certainly be looking into the possibility of becoming a stockist of The Bead & Button Emporium goodies.
The other items I purchased were material for my son to make himself a pair of trousers and some grey denim to make a dress for me. A hank of beautiful Coolree Yarn to have a little play with, a couple of books to add to my library and the ball of Katia Chevrolet is so I can knit it up an see if I’d like to get it in for the shop. I also picked up one of the fantastic Latvian Mitten Kits from Hobbywool as they were just to tempting to resist.
If that wasn’t enough excitement for one week TV3 met us at the shop first thing in the morning yesterday to film a 2 minute piece on our Knit Happens campaign for the lunchtime and evening news. Lee Ann Flemming a friend and one of our knitting group regulars was persuaded to come along and join me for the filming, bedecked in and rocking her woolly creations (thanks babes).
The cameraman Rory was a genius and really managed to bring out the beauty of the stockings when he zoomed in for the piece and I was really happy with how pretty the shop looked on the film.
What wasn’t shown on the clip was how much of an ‘accomplished’ knitter Paul Byrne is 😉
All of this publicity, on the telly and in the newspapers as fun as it looks, is to try and get our message out there and raise awareness of the very necessary service that is the East Cork Rapid Response.
Today I have 100 flatpacked boxes to get ready for the next stage of our Knit a Stocking Campaign – Selling Them.
We hope to have the boxes in the shops and business in the East Cork region, that have agreed to help us raise funds by the end of this week, so keep an eye out for them. It would be great if some of you could take the time to post on the Knit Happens Facebook Page if you notice one of our boxes.
Tomorrow is the launch night and I have to make a speech – wish me luck.
If I don’t finish this post now, it’s going to be Monday before I get back to it as I’m going to The Knitting & Stitching Show at the RDS in Dublin tomorrow ♥
The yarn companies really seem to have got their act together in terms of colour this season and have selected some beautiful hues to add to the palettes in their existing ranges.
Our most popular yarn in the shop is probably Sirdar Snuggly Double Knit and I’ve decided to add 5 new shades to our range. Look at that blue.
I’m loving the new aqua colourway in Supersoft Aran, but looking at the 3 new shades together they all look great.
Something similar again in Baby Hayfield Chunky yarn too.
Two pretty additions in Sirdar Baby Crofter.
Two more in Bonus Buzz. Every time I see the turquoise and grey colourway it make me think of knitting a stuffed robot for some reason?
Last but not least are 2 more shades in Bonus Aran Tweed and 1 lovely new shade in Bonus Aran (my son will be getting a jumper in this).
I’ll try and get some photos of the show tomorrow to share. A friend has recommended a few of the stalls already, I’m particularly looking forward to seeing the Latvian Knitting Kits. Hopefully, the rain will have stopped.
At the beginning of the month I shared a Ravelry link to the pattern for the Dropped Stitch Cowl by Abi Gregorio. As i mentioned at the time I was planning on knitting up one rather quickly after having fallen in love with the pattern.
The first one I knitted was for Dina in the awesome bright red Rico Super Chunky and I’m happy to report she loves it, so much so that it’s never going to be left in the shop long enough for people to see.
So when 5 new colours in Rico Creative Twist arrived in I knew the Dropped Stitch Cowl would be the ideal quick knit for a display garment. It took a little over the one ball and I’m actually going to knit up a stripey one as a Christmas gift using a ball of the grey with the remaining burgandy yarn.
I hate taking ‘selfies’ but there was nobody here to help me. basically my arms aren’t long enough to hold the camera far enough away and my hands are too small to hold the phone and press the button. However, in the spirit of ‘we’re all friends ere’, ta-dah!
Add this pattern to your Christmas Knitting list, you won’t be disappointed and neither will the recipient. The only problem will be everyone else asking you to knit one for them.
Confessions of a Fibre Strumpet 