allstitchedup

Where did those months go?

2011-12-11T14:10:00.001Z

So long since my last blog entry and it's been a funny time. Not in a good way sadly. My mum has been diagnosed with dementia. They've decided it is not Alzheimer's but they're not clear which type of dementia it is. They are linking it to her head injury 18 months ago but actually she was already behaving strangely before that, repeating herself a lot. On the positive side she is very happy and finds everything very funny. On the negative she seems to be deteriorating rapidly and this makes it very difficult for my dad to keep up with the many adjustments he is having to make in order to care for her.

We have entered the weird world of social vs medical care and the support (or lack thereof) provided by the state. My poor dad is alternately strong, brave and overwhelmed. I am so sad, so very sad and writing about it, thinkig about it makes me cry. Nevertheless I will write about this more in the future no doubt. For now my world is upside down, I have done no dyeing for ages and I am slowly getting myself back into the swing of things and the new normal that life has become. Thank goodness for the routine of going to work at Ring a Rosie which has kept me sane and to Barbara who has been a constant source of support and sympathy.

Life goes on.

Alwinton Border Shepherding Show

2011-10-10T22:12:00.000+01:00

There were lots of classes in the tent and after the judges were finished we had a look to see who has won, this was the most surprising! Decorate a Wellington Boot - this chicken was fabulous!

If you didn't have a boot to decorate, how about a potato? Something of a bird theme going on here :)

Some beautiful flower displays, many more than I can show here I'm afraid.

The walking sticks were something to behold, shame you can't get close enough for a really good view.

What is a country show without a giant leek or two and in this case three.

Great entries in the carrots too.

Fabulous onions.

Parsnips like you've never seen - I wonder what they taste like, I like parsnips :)

And you need a certain vegetable growing skill to get 5 different veg to this standard.

Don't forget the tomatoes!

Well, due to the weather the show looked better from inside the tents. It did get slightly better as the day went on but you can't expect too much at the beginning of October.

The local school put on a beautiful display and the children entered their own set of classes in handwriting.

Mosaic pots and paintings all beautifully decorated and displayed.

The standard of photographs and pictures was very high and very impressive.

As were the quiches, scones, pies and cakes.

The lemon curd is a personal favourite but there were jams and pickles and marmalade too.

Elsewhere even the dogs were dressed for the weather.

The local spinning guild were there and taught Katy to make a braid which she found fascinating.

More of those well dressed hounds, they were definitely ready for the weather as were their owners.

Luckily a little rain can't stop a small girl from enjoying her hotdog.

The pipers were playing up a storm of a different kind

and they all looked the part and put on a great show.

I only saw one pair of what looked like hand knitted socks, though I could be wrong, I hope.

This little fellow looked like he wished he had one of those dogs coats.

Happily there were plenty of sheep.

Even if we couldn't get at the cake we could admire it.

Of course the highlight of the day for me was the knitting and some surprising winners and runners up and sadly too many classes where only a few entries meant that every one got a prize.

This one got a special mention with the information that it would have won but for the fact that it was a cardi and the class was for jumpers :(

A knitted shepherd has to be a winner although Katy thought the dog just out of shot was a better choice!

I also really liked the pencil drawings so I thought I'd show you those too.

There was some woollen and worsted handspun knitting and spinning yarns but my batteries ran out :( there were fewer classes and fewer entries. Later in the day there was Cumberland wrestling which I photographed a couple of years ago here -

I enjoy watching this but Katy was bored by now and the weather was still very wet so we came home. Next year I take 2 sets of batteries!

Punting on the Cam

2011-10-10T21:03:00.002+01:00

DS2 is at Cambridge studying Mathematics. This makes me very proud :) I am also happy that this enables me to help my mum access some happy memories because I was born in Cambridgeshire and when I was a very little girl my mum & dad went punting on the Cam. Last weekend DS2 and I were able to take mum back to those days for an hour or so. It was a beautiful suny day and here are some photos from our day out :)

My Mum

2011-10-07T08:17:00.001+01:00

This is my mum, Ann, she taught me to knit. I'm not sure how old I was, around 6 I think. When we did knitting at school when I was a little older I was the only one who already knew how and I helped the teacher to cast on for all the other girl in my class; the boys did woodwork! I felt so proud and clever and that is how my knitting has made me feel ever since. Thank you mum.

Recently my mum has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and she has virtually stopped knitting. This makes me feel very sad. I have lost a connection with her that was very precious to me, and it is a small part of the bigger loss that we are all experiencing :( But I still have the gift she gave me when I was 6. My mum taught me how to knit, thank you mum.

The Blanky has a Friend

2011-09-25T22:51:00.001+01:00

DD1's Uni 'Happy' Blanky has a friend for her to take along with it on her travels. The cushion is finished. I love it, love it, love it. There will be more. I bought a £2 cushion in Asda and used the cushion pad - this seemed the cheapest available option :) and it's cheap yarn too so why not?!

Since finishing these projects I have started a cot blanket.

Since I took this photo I have added more rows and the blanky is growing. Now this blanket already has a recipient and once again will be leaving home once it is finished so I have also started buying yarn for my own blanky which I will keep and snuggle up under over the coming winter.

I'm not ready for winter yet so I am focusing on Autumn delights of misty mornings and the quality of the late afternoon sunlight. The yarn I am going to use for the next project is King Cole Merino Blend and 100% superwash wool - I am looking forward to a different but also extensive palette to work with. We had a lady in the LYS, where I work 3 days a week, on Saturday who bought 28 different colours of this yarn for her blanket and then LucyLocket came by to buy yarn for her blanky too so it seemed a good day to start collecting my yarn too - I even have a basket for this project which I bought at Aldi, along with some Aran yarn for a cardi I will get to later. Lucy reminded me about 'little cotton rabbits' blog which was a lovely thing to remember - check out the crochet going on over there. For now I am addicted to crochet and enjoying the hooking, which is where I am off to now. An hour of hooking before bedtime, what could be better? We had Amanda from the Natural Dye studio visiting the shop on Saturday too and her crocheted blanket projects are so inspiring.

My stripy blankets and granny squares are great brain-dead, too-little-sleep, too-much-to-worry-about projects to work on for therapy. Sadly my mum has Alzheimer's and this horrible illness is taking it's toll on my family. I shall be hooking happy colours all winter I think; many blankets needed for many cuddles all round. :s

DD's Happy Blanket

2011-09-02T12:25:00.000+01:00

My darling daughter is leaving home to start her University course in October. I wanted to give her a present that she could wrap herself in and feel my love for her even when we are miles apart so I made her a blanket :)

This project was inspired by Lucy at Attic 24 and I used the same yarn which I got from Masons a great acrylic yarn which is making me rethink my acrylic aversion - well for some things :) This is ideal for a machine washable and tumble dryer safe blanket at a budget price and that's just what DD needs. 68 stripes (4 repeats of all 17 colours) and just right for a single bed size. I pretty much followed Lucy's instructions to the letter and love the finished result. As I had some left overs I have started a cushion cover to go with the blanky :) These bright happy colours have been a joy to work with and remind me that the right yarn for the right project is always a joy (even when it is acrylic!). it took me 1 month and 4 days to finish this and I love, love, love it!

Learn to Spin!

2011-09-02T12:21:00.001+01:00

If you've been thinking about learning to spin I may have just the opportunity you have been looking for :)

I am teaching a day's Workshop here at the end of this month.

Scroll down on the Workshop - 'current courses' page and you'll see the 'Spinning Workshop' details.

I love teaching people to spin and we'll be starting with the basic yarn production and move on to look at plying and designing yarn for your projects. We'll also cover different fibres and how to work with them and look at combing and carding and preping fibre for spinning. Later we'll look at wheel spinning and what to look for and avoid when choosing a wheel.

I am really looking forward to my day and hope to meet lots of new spinners, places are limited though so book now if you'd like a wonderful wooly day :)

Back to the Borders

2011-08-26T13:38:00.005+01:00

Last weekend was my first visit to The Scottish Borders. This is my stall at the Edinburgh Guild of Weavers Spinners and Dyers Annual Gathering held in the village hall in Broughton. What a fabulous venue!

I had some lovely spindles by Enid Ashcroft, beautiful woods and great little spinners :)

My table laidened with fibre packs, spindle kits and hand knitted goodies was popular too - especially the alpaca!

On the main table I had lots of fibres for sale, all brightly coloured acid dyes and ready to spin straight from the braid.

With some lovely blends of BFL & silk and BFL & Seacell. Those little packs at the front are sock yarns in mini skeins ideal for hexi-puff blankets! More on that later...

As well as the fibre my yarns made an appearance including handspun yarns too - I hope to be doing more and more of these in the coming year. There was Super Chunky, Aran, DK, Sock and lace weights.
All in all a wonderful day and made all the better by the company of friends Agusta, Claire and Jon and by the lovely ladies of the Guild. I must go back to explore the countryside too. This coming weekend (27th August) I will be at the show in Coldstream Community Centre. As well as taking all of the above with me I have a spinning wheel to re-home. A lovely Haldane Orkney complete with 3 bobbins and having had one careful owner from new she comes with her original leaflet and bill of sale :) Why not come along and say hello I will have my youngest daughter with me this time so I'm sure she'd like to meet as many people as possible :D

Crocheting On

2011-08-03T22:18:00.004+01:00

Progress continues on my portable project :)
The front is finished and I'm doing a simple double crochet (dc) back with stripes of the 4 colours from the front and an additional colour from my stash. The front took almost all of the 4 balls but there's enough left for a decent stripe or two :)

The cushion cover will come out at 16" which just happens to be the size of most of my cushions - there's plan of sorts! This is my 'take along' project at the moment and for the first time in ages there are no socks on the go. These were the last socks I finished - DD1's birthday socks, Regia yarn.

Meanwhile the blanket project is too big to carry around but is growing steadily as I add a row or two each evening.
The Stylecraft Special DK is cheap and cheerful but I'm loving the colours

and it will be an easy care blanket which hopefully will keep DD1 wrapped in my love when she leaves home in October.

Well it will be once I finish, and, ... sew in the ends!

Coming over all Crochet

2011-07-28T21:59:00.003+01:00

I've been looking at Attic24 as DD1 wants a blanket to take away to Uni with her. I showed her the options there and she chose the granny stripes one. Meanwhile, not much to show there yet as those are 'l.o.n.g.' rows, I have been crocheting a cushion cover with some stash yarn acquired from Ring-a-Rosie. A nice portable project which I took with me to DD2's swimming club tonight. An hours uninterrupted hooking! Yay! Loving this and the blanket too.

This yarn is a Sirdar discontinued yarn, Sublime Yarns Organic Merino Wool DK. Lovely squooshy yarn. This project is making me want to knit the 20 balls in my stash into something gorgeous to wear to work this winter.

But the sun is still shining now so I'm happy to press on with the crochet blanket and cushion. I think there may be many more to come :) One lovely fringe benefit of crochet is that whilst my mum taught me to knit she does not crochet and this craft is my link to my grandma who crochets but does not knit - perfectly balanced family heritage lol

Talking of the sun, today was a funny day at work in my LYS. Very warm, sweltering, and lots of people buying chunky yarns to knit big jumpers to keep them warm this winter! Either they are going somewhere very cold or this is very good forward planning! Remember how cold it was last year? Walking back from putting my car in the garage I realised the nights are starting to draw in :(

Still a little summer to go and I'll crochet faster if it helps keep the sun here for longer but those snowy days could be just around the corner and I have so many plans for projects I didn't even cast on last year. Let us not mention the ones I did cast on and not finish! I'll have a WiP effort in Ocrober I think. August/September is reserved for knitting handspun to coincide with La Vuelta (spanich Bike race) - I really didn't get much spinning done during the Tour de France, I was working on a secret project I'll tell you about asap, but I have plenty of handspun to work with.

Another lovely thing happened at work today - new seasons yarns have started to arrive, but I can't tell you about that yet either, shhhhh, it's a secret!

What a Wonderful Day at the Fair

2011-07-28T07:54:00.008+01:00

How much fun can you have in a tent? Well, whilst I wouldn't recommend sleeping in one - you don't get much sleep - going to a fibre festival held in one (or two) is definitely a good idea :D

Setting up didn't take long, I've done this a few times now :D First time for DD1 and DS2 though, but they seem to have enjoyed themselves.Everything laid out on Friday night ready for the customers on Saturday morning - and here's a closer look at the things on offer.This was the first ever Fibre East but I am sure it wont be the last. We all enjoyed it and everyone else seemed to be having a good time too :D

I took 10 minutes on Sunday to have a look around and visited the 'Sheep to Sweater' tent where everyone was working hard. It took 6 minutes to carefully clip Sally the sheep so that there were no second cuts in the fleece, then it was over to the spinners. Once the first bobbins were full the knitting began and within 4 hours the child's size sweater was ready.
I don't think I'd like spinning in the grease, although the lanolin left after scouring a fleece does make your hands feel wonderful. This fleece was exceptionally clean and gorgeous looking. Sally has an ear tag so she can be found again for next year's full scale challenge.
One of the huge beneftis of heading south for a show is being able to have my teenagers with me. As I said this was their first show and now they know what it is that Mum does. They were great and having them there was a joy :)
DD1 even learnt how to spindle, and made a good job of it too, her preffered spindle was a Turkish mini - great work!

Another good thing about going to Bedford was visiting with my family, we're scattered around the country but for once we were all together (apart from my eldest) and it was a wonderful opportunity to spend time with my Mum who has recently been diagnosed with dementia. Not an easy visit but a very worthwhile one and here's a picture I will treasure from our evening out together. My Mum and my little sister share a joke, ahhhhh!

Drive by Blogging

2011-07-04T18:45:00.002+01:00

Just a quick drive by posting to give you a great link to a video on using Russian Spindles - I have some beauties to add to the shop tomorrow and here's how you use them :) Fleegle's Blog is a brilliant resource for those who like to knit lace and just lately I've been feeling the need to do just that. Whether I will have the time to do it is a different thing :)

I'm getting ready for Fibre East - here's a sneaky look at some of the Corriedale Tops I've been dyeing for the show

Sock on a hill

2011-06-05T21:25:00.005+01:00

Friday was a glorious day and we went to Simonside parking the car at Tosson Tower. Anyone wanting to expolore the area is spoilt for choice with some beautiful cottages available to rent as holiday bases.

Our walk takes us past an ancient hill fort for those who like to explore earth works :)

We're heading for Simonside itself - that's 1 1/4 miles straight up!

Worth the walk even though it was a little too hot for comfort. On this occasion rather than head for the top we rounded the main hill and headed for a cave where we stopped for lunch.

I stayed at the cave for some quiet knitting :) DH and DD2 headed off to see Selby's Cove. I'm outside the cave on the hillside behind Katy's hat as she examines the cotton grass :)

DD2 was impressed!
Her favourite things of the day were all the dead trees,

and the many creatures living inside them!

As the shadows lengthen it's time to head down again back into the trees.

Of course there were many sheep with lambs and many rabbits too :)

Heading homeward and leaving the views behind.

Through the kissing gate.

Back to the tower

and finally the journey home, tired and happy.

And then there was knitting

2011-06-05T21:13:00.004+01:00

Often my spinning produces yarn that goes happily into my yarn stash but gets no further. I have however, decided to turn over a new leaf so I knit those singles (see previous post) straight away and made a Revontuli shawl. This pattern has been in my queue on Ravelry for ages but I never seemed to have the 'right' yarn, the Shetland singles were just right!

I'm very pleased with how this one turned out so I imagine there will be more. Happy with how the singles knit up and spurred on to try more I thought I'd get some preparation in for the Tour de Fleece spinning to come next month. For the duration of the Tour de France bike race we'll be spinning every day and I've decided to try art yarns so I made some thick and thin singles in Finn dyed in Acadia colourway by Amy at Spunky Eclectic.

If you'd like to join the Spinning a Yarn, Tour de Fleece Team and spin with us then post over on the Ravelry group - the more the merrier :)

Finally some spinning.

2011-05-23T17:29:00.002+01:00

Shetland singles spun on my newest wheel a Pipy Poly I really like this wheel's low ratios and hope to start spinning some 'art yarns' as soon as I have time to experiment :) Meanwhile I am knitting this yarn into a Revontuli I got around 520yds from 100gm and the fibre is from Wildcraft Fibre Club :)

Keeping a blog in two places is not always easy :(

There are a few posts you may have missed if you only read this blog here so may I gently suggest you pop over to my shop blog until I get time to add those posts here, thank you :)

Catching up on our goings out.

2011-03-20T21:59:00.008Z

Last weekend was the Birtley Model Railway Show. One of the good things about having a DH with an obsession, er, I mean interest, of his own is that he can't criticise mine! Well he can and he does, but he hasn't a leg to stand on!

Another good thing about it is that it chimes nicely with a past interest of my own, Dolls Houses. These models are in another league from anything I ever made and I really enjoy looking at the exquisite detail in some of these exhibits.

Essential equipment is 'the step'.

These events are always attended by the nicest people, the same people often that you meet at preserved railways. Good people.

It just wouldn't be the same if she couldn't drive some engines too.
This Thomas the Tank layout is always popular.

On the way home from Birtley we pass The Angel Of The North and as we've never stopped to have a proper look we did so this time.
The size is really something you need to stand up next to to believe.

So she did and it was!

Luckily it was nice and sunny.

There were also some rather good clouds.

This fabulous blanket arrived on Saturday morning just before I left for work. The wonderful Posh Yarn Ravelry group members made it for me! I am overwhelmed and much as it is beautiful to look at it is so much more gorgeous to feel. All that loveliness... for me?!? Amazing. I shall treasure it forever and 'thank you' is not big enough to begin to express my gratitude.

Today the sun shone again. Maybe it's the spring equinox or maybe it's the love of the Posh Posse, whichever it is the gloom is lifting and we're heading in to spring. Hurrah!
We went to Tynemouth and built a sandcastle.

It was good, and the day was warm enough (until the sun went down) not to be bundled up too much. Looking forward to the year ahead now.

There's a fibre update next Saturday 26th March at 8.30pm GMT. There'll be a preview before then so you can see what will be included. Meanwhile, I'm starting the sleeves on my Fair Isle jumper as the body is done up to the yoke shaping.

Happy knitting and spinning, enjoy your sunshine whenever and wherever it comes and be kind to each other there really isn't much else. :)

Spring Cleaning

2011-03-18T18:09:00.006Z

Time for a catch up :) I finished my 'Sunglasses Required' blanket and the download for the free pattern is available here

The fundraising at Ripples Craft for which I donated a Cold Hands Warm Heart Mitten Kit raised a grand total of £1155.33 which is fabulous. Of course since then events have overtaken us and we now think of our brothers and sisters in Japan and their loss and grief. If you'd like to do something to help there is information here about knitting squares.

I added a photo of St Abbs to my website blog but not to blogspot so here it is.

I've been doing lots of spinning but have no photos to share yet, more of that next time.

The Metro runs not far from my house and is a vital link.

I like it even more now that I am reminded how much I don't like buses! The metro is closed for refurbishment of stations, installation of new ticket machines and the relaying of the original track which was put down more than 30 years ago by British Rail.

They are working through the night and DH has been out taking photos. I thought I'd share, after all something like this doesn't happen on your doorstep every day of the week :)

For anyone local whom it may effect - DH says there's no way North Shields station will re-open in 2 weeks time, it is now a muddy hole in the ground!

The website is undergoing a bit of a spring clean so some areas are offline at the moment. The next fibre and spindle update will be on Saturday March 26th at 8.30pm GMT. Hopefully you will find the new layout of the shop pages easier to navigate. I welcome any feedback on the website so do get in touch using the contact form :)

I am loving my current project. The original Martin Storey pattern Homestead

is lovely but I wanted to tidy up those reindeer legs! So I've adapted it somewhat by knitting it in the round and doing the reindeer as a yoke rather than seaming them so there will be no 6 legged reindeer. This one will be for DD1 and she has had a lecture about laundering it as the baby alpaca yarn s too gorgeous to even contemplate shrinkage! This is what I've done so far and I don't want to knit a stitch on any other project until this one is done! I may not feel the same by the time I get to the sleeves. I've altered the fair isle patterns a little to make them fit more comfortably into my stitch count and knitting in the round.

So, happy spinning, knitting and crochet and let's here it for the people who work through the night for us.

St Abbs and New Zealand

2011-02-26T22:22:00.001Z

First things first :) I'm donating a prize for the raffle to raise funds being run my Helen at Ripples Crafts. You can buy a ticket to help support this excellent fund-raising idea here. The prize I'm donating is a Cold Hands Warm Hearts Mitten Kit - there are some wonderful prizes and the money raised will be matched $ for $ - read all about it on Helen's blog.

Secondly - the shop is temporarily offline whilst I do a quick stock take after a wonderful day at St Abbs. There are more spinners every time and I really need to do a fibre update as I only have 2 braids of fibre left! So to answer Cal's question from a blog post or two ago (waves to Cal) there will be a fibre update towards the end of March, I'll give plenty of notice both here and on Ravelry.com. There hasn't been a fibre update for a while now so I'll try to make it a special one :)

Please excuse the photo free post but as I've been up since 4.30am and it's now half past ten I think if I tried to upload the St Abbs photos now they might come out upside down or something! LOL

Sunglasses Required

2011-02-18T19:28:00.004Z

I don't do crochet. I used to a long time ago. I can put an edge on a knitted cardi but I've forgotten so much. recently I figured out I was doing it backwards anyway! BUT... I loved the Full o' Sheep Yarn that I used for Katy's jumper. The feel of the fabric was even better after it was soaked and blocked. The colours are vibrant and happy and I wanted more but not as a garment for me. So, a blanket seemed an ideal solution, I bought 1 ball of each colour and I have begun my journey into a ‘wake you up, bright and breezy, better wear your sunglasses’ easy peasy beginner’s crochet blanket :)

PS I am ignoring all those ends, do you think they'll go away if I ignore them hard enough?

Cold Hands, Warm Heart Mittens

2011-02-13T20:28:00.005Z

Spinning a Yarn proudly announces the launch of a new mitten kit.

Now which colour shall I knit my own mittens in?

I decided at the beginning of the year the Wednesday would be spin day and I've had a few Wednesdays where I even managed to keep to it :)

This fibre by Babylonglegs is called 'Fire in the Sky' and I bought it ages ago and have only just gotten around to using it, it's 200gm of BFL Humbug which I spun as a 2 ply and as singles. I love the colours :) No idea what I'll make with it yet but part of my intention to spin is to also knit with my handspun so hopefully it wont be to long before I have it on my needles.

Finally if you're looking for help with seamless knitting in the round then look no further than any book by Elizabeth Zimmerman. I'd strongly recommend 'The Opinionated Knitter' and 'Knitting Without Tears' but they're all excellent books and you can't go wrong with any of them. EZ rules, if you don't know her already then my friendly advice is to get to know her a.s.a.p. :)

When life gives you lemons make lemonade...

2011-01-30T15:41:00.002Z

... or in my case mittens!

Sadly I wont be going to Woolfest this year as there isn't room for me :( I was looking forward to seeing customers and friends again but we'll have to meet elsewhere :) Maybe at St Abbs at the end of February? I am exploring other possibilities but in the meantime I decided that dyeing must go on and I'd like to share my most recent project with you :)

I have been test knitting a new mitten pattern and it's nearly ready for release as a kit for the online shop and also through RingaRosie in Whitley Bay. RingaRosie for those who don't know, is my local yarn shop and the place where I work 3 days a week. It s a wonderful shop with everything a knitter needs and is owned by the lovely Barbara who is the most supportive employer a yarny could wish for :)

The kits will be available initially in the following colours :)

I have also been knitting for my daughter and finished the jumper she was supposed to be getting for Christmas - ooops - ah well cobblers children have no shoes and knitters children have no handknits! Here are the photos, the jumper is from 'Best of Lopi' and the yarn is 'Full o' Sheep'
a great yarn I will use again no doubt.

2011-01-03T18:19:00.005Z

Another cold walk but this time a great excuse to photograph the first completed project of my 2011 UFO Challenge - this shawl has taken a year to complete, I knew I was going to run out of yarn and put it away in the hope that some magic would happen but having to admit that there are no yarn fairies I had to improvise. And today the sun shone on the photos so it must have come out alright :)

Here's the modelled shot so you can see the size of it - I decided not to block it and the garter stitch is soft and warm and suggly.

I actually wore it today wrapped around my head to keep the drafts out! It was a lazy wind, couldn't be bothered to go around so just blew straight through me, brrrrr.

Much to Katy's delight there was plenty more ice and snow in the furrows. Some photos of the scenery - you may recognise the walk, although the last time we were here the fields were full of bales of hay and it was a good deal warmer.

Even though it was very cold and I couldn't feel my legs by the time we got back to the car, it was worth it for the sunset!

2011-01-02T21:31:00.005Z

Oh My It Was Cold

but it was beautiful.

And there was ICE.

2010-12-19T12:21:00.001Z

Beyenburgerin has a lovely new hat on her blog and she's writing up the pattern. But the hat has no name so we're running a “Name the cap with no name Competition”

Brigitte writes

> Looking for a name cap or hat
>
> I like the new caps with ear flaps, so
> I thought it was time to knit one. And
> as it turned out nicely and I want to
> give something for my 500.000th
> visitors celebration I am writing this
> pattern.

Spinning a Yarn will donate a prize for the person who suggests the name. Post your suggestions in this Ravelry thread - chat about the hat should be over on the Finished Object (FO) thread please. The suggestions need to be posted here by Christmas Eve and Brigitte will choose the winner.

The prize is a braid of fibre or a skein of yarn of your choice from the Spinning a Yarn Fibre and yarn shops. We have one more update before Christmas and you can choose anything from the website yarn and fibre range which I will post out after the Christmas holidays. Brigitte will also get a skein or braid as a thank you from me.

I like competitions and plan to make then a regular feature throughout 2011, so help make this first competition a good start, what would you name then new hat?

View from my door

2010-12-07T12:09:00.003Z

From the back door step across my yard and out into the back lane over the wall. Brrrrrrrrrrrr! Everyone wrapping up warm and keeping safe? Keep an eye on your elderly neighbours and be good to each other.

We actually had parcels delivered today! First time in a week. Poor postmen.

Snow Day 2

2010-12-03T19:57:00.009Z

The sun was shining brightly this morning.
But by the time I'd done the jobs I needed to the front was coming over and the clouds were here too. Nevertheless I needed to go to the bank and decided to walk the long route to go through the park. I set off along the unattractively named Willington Gut and took some photos anyway even though the light was not ideal.

It's nice to see the new bridge which involved reprofiling the slope hasn't killed off the sledgers. These ones had better watch out! If they don't stop soon enough they'll be in the Gut, brrrrr!

The walk through the snow was very lovely despite the sun going in.

There was even someone skiing through the park!

And the trees are beautiful in the snow.

Meanwhile there has been spinning on my new wheel. DH finally noticed the latest addition to the 'family'. Hang on, says he, have they been breeding! Baked beans for Christmas dinner anyone?

Keep safe and warm this winter.

Snow Day

2010-11-29T10:30:00.004Z

Brrrr! It's cold outside.

These photos were taken yesterday, we've had another inch of snow overnight :) I love it!

Snuggle up and do some spinning.

I'm working from home today and tomorrow. Shopping is ordered online for delivery on Wednesday and the local shops have emergency chocolate available should I need it. I'll be labeling new laceweight for RingaRosie in Whitley Bay later today which I will take in with me on Wednesday (thank goodness for the Metro). The knitted items I've been working on for weeks are ready to post to Treacle Wool Shop in Morpeth and I have a lovely order to post off to Germany. My dodgy feet and I are seeing the Biomechanics man later today (weather permitting), they're much better since I started using the inserts in my shoes but might be improved further with a little tweaking, fingers (or should that be toes?) crossed. Once all that is done I shall be collectingDD2 from school early as they're closing to let staff get home. Teenage DD is still in bed as the first thing she did this morning when I woke her up to get ready for school was to check the school website on her phone and thrust the message saying they're closed under my nose in triumph before collapsing back under her duvet. Heavy snow showers forecast for today!

Enjoy the snow, keep warm and safe and get lots of spinning time in until there is a thaw!

xx

Spindles Out!

2010-11-22T10:32:00.003Z

Recently I've been dyeing custom orders on super sorted BFL (Blue faced Leicester), yum yum yum. A few braids also made it into the shop but I kept back a braid of 'Bluebells' colourway for me. I've been spindling!

Once you have a sitting room full of spinning wheels and with time in short supply I tend to wheel spin whenever I get the spinning urge. I feel as if I'll get more done, and I probably do, more photos to follow of last nights plying escapades later but ...

Lately I've been wanting to spindle and I'd forgotten how much you can get done in the little bits of time you have between other things. This spindle has been spun whilst DD2 has her bath. She likes me to sit in there and chat about her day whilst she bathes and plays. Often I take my knitting but this is also ideal spindling time. I'm plying on the fly having learnt how to do this from this you tube video. This means I don't have to take the yarn off the spindle and ply it - I will have a finished 3 ply yarn when I'm done. I may be tempted to take the other braid out of the shop too, but at the moment I have no plans for the yarn, I'm just enjoying the spindling.

I'd love to get a spindle gym... or maybe I could make one?

Funny Peculiar

2010-09-05T22:41:00.023+01:00

Our walk begins in Meldon, parking next to a post box and public telephone.

The first lesson of the day is a geo-political one about the riches of the developed world and the inequities of distribution of food resources. We have so much that it is piled up outside whilst in other places price rises due to poor harvest in Russia and Canada mean demonstrations, riots and people being killed in Mozambique.

Reflecting on how fortunate we are and how unfair the world is nevertheless we set off for our afternoon walk. I wondered where the birds are but DH says they're too stuffed on seeds to be able to fly and have gone for a lie down!

Just through the first gate and we find deer tracks in the mud, we have occasionally seen deer too but not at this time of day or on this walk. Somebody is too noisy to creep up on anything!

Just in case you were wondering there were sheep this week but not many and not as handsome as last time's. These, I believe, are Mules, and they're very obligingly posing for their photo before moving out of our way as we set off uphill to walk along the skyline. The ewes are mainly Blackies around here. The initial section of our walk is obviously not well trodden and has become so over grown with nettles that we had to take a short detour. Up here however the stubble in the field is easier to navigate.

Folklore would have it that a heavy crop of berries forewarns against a hard winter but perhaps this tree clinging to the edge of our path just tells us this has indeed been a bumper year for all in this country.

A windswept untended former hedgerow stands on the ridge, bent by the westerly wind. Today is was pleasant, though windy hence the Calorimetry, in the last summer sun but in the winter this section of our walk is bitterly cold.

Always at the edge of a 'safe distance' she's running ahead as we make our way downhill towards the river. It's good to be somewhere where that boundless energy can be relatively free running.

It really is a big step for a small girl. From here on it's relatively flat walking until the very end. A great place for throwing stones in the river and now that they've replaced the bridge no more fear it might fall in!

Half way there and time for a rest and a snack then catch me if you can!

An important aspect of any walk is the collecting. We always come home with a bag containing momentos of our day. Important lessons about what can and cannot be picked and why, the relative merits of a special stone, the number of ears of wheat left after the combine harvester which would be needed to make a loaf of bread. Is this wheat, barley or oats and what do you make with them? Katy has her own theory about why this field full of weeds and parched areas had not been harvested and what the farmer was doing by leaving areas fallow.

Sometimes we play the 'what if we lived here' game. If we lived here there would be plenty of space for the football posts and I could have a studio in the outbuildings. On reflection though we thought it might be too big for us and Katy didn't want to be so far away from the blue shop where she gets her bouncy balls!

This sign points the way to another lovely walk in this area which we have done in the past. Visiting the same area several times means we have been able to see lots of different aspects of this place, it's riddled with footpaths and it's lovely to go back time after time yet rarely cover exactly the same ground. I am beginning to see how all the walks fit together and where one crosses another.

Before leaving the short road section of our walk we had chance to 'speak' to a horse curious over whether we might have a treat hidden in our bag. Sadly we did not.

Soon after leaving the road we walked along a Public Byway. On the map this led from somewhere insignificant to nowhere important. Was it an access road for something grand? Or to take stone from a quarry perhaps? A made up road with bridges and embankments; a railway? No sign on the ground or the map of it's original purpose. The farmer we asked said it was just a 'Green Lane' and nothing important.

But I think I want to dig a little deeper on this one.
Under the strangely elaborate Public Byway there were several culverts, a lot of trouble for a 'road to nowhere'.

And by the side of the Byway were some unusual fungi which were variously described as 'dinosaur eggs' and 'stones' until she tested them with her finger and oops they weren't as hard as she thought they'd be!

Further along we came back to a familiar part of our journey and rejoin the path on a section we have walked before.

The dilapidated pump means we're on the last leg of our walk. Phew, nearly there!

Not sure but I think this stubble is Oil Seed Rape - very pretty and in the last of the sunshine the field glowed red.

At the top of the hill, in the last field there are 8 trees in a line. By now we are tired and I am ready for a sit down and that flask of coffee I left in the car! What's the best way to get a small girl along this field as quickly as possible? Why have a race of course! She's getting pretty quick and I am pretty slow, wont be long before she beats me every time instead of most of the time like now.

Have a good look, this may be the only photo you ever see of me running :)

The End of August in Northumberland

2010-08-22T22:04:00.025+01:00

What a beautiful day! I really feel very lucky to live on the doorstep of such a wonderful county and to have a DH who wants to show me all his favourite places. Today we went back to a walk we've done before, not far from Mitford and Meldon in Northumberland about half an hours drive from our home.

The sun shone, the sky was blue and the day started with lots of sightings of butterflies.

The fields are full of ripening wheat which is a sight to behold, so much more pleasing than the oil seed rape of earlier in the year! We could hear the Combine Harvester in a neighbouring field. I expect all the farmers were making the most of a dry day after all the recent rain, they were still hard at it when we were leaving to make out weary way home.
So nice to be out of the city and walking along the footpaths and bridal ways :)

Everywhere are colours I'd love to capture in dyes and fibre or yarn :) But today wasn't about work it was about making time for family and to let the past few weeks hassles and stresses evaporate.

Even the daisies are on top form when the sun gives it's glow to everything around us.
This little guy was happy enough to be singing in the sunshine and DD2 was fascinated by him and the other insects. She ran along spotting things for DH to photograph and he took full advantage of the excellent light conditions. This was the only section of our walk today which was on the road but it was one of those quiet country single lane roads - so quintessentially English with the fields on either side and large untidy hedgerows full of life and colour.

A walk full of butterflies and bees - just what the doctor ordered!
I counted 5 different butterfly species.

The spiders were busy too!

There were pretty sheep and hens of course.

Into the woods and we found fantastic alien looking fungi growing on the trees.

Look at the texture on the top of this! It looks as soft as a peach.

Now these I know are Texel, I asked the farmer :)
There were also blackies and mules :) which I recognise now since Agusta and I went up to see Julie when they were shearing.

As we walked past a shed where they were shearing earlier in the year we saw abandoned fleece! This was like torture but I didn't stuff it in my rucksack and run away LOL

I was tempted!

There were green lanes and lanes of green.

It was a good day :)

Spotty meets Max

2010-08-15T15:47:00.007+01:00

My DD2 has a favourite toy so when I asked if she's like to do some sewing this morning it was no surprise that she wanted to make another Spotty.

Fabric was chosen, a pattern drawn, and sewing ensued. I just happen to have toy stuffing, like you do, so it was only a couple of hours between thought and finished toy. Here are Max and Spotty together, making friends.

Ah, that's better, Max is going to be Spotty's mummy, every dinosaur needs a mummy, don't you think? :)

Suint or no Suint the Fleece Goes On.

2010-08-06T09:34:00.004+01:00

The second fleece came out looking cleaner and I'd say the whole thing was a qualified success. Qualified by the fact that the fleece absolutely reaks to high heaven and even when rinsed really well still has a considerable and foul wiff! Qualified by the fact that although now white it still has dirty-ish tips and is still very greasy with lanolin.

Years ago people learnt to spin with fleece, they mainly spun from fleece, they made their own fibre preperations and carding is hard work. Spinning in the grease was a lot more common that it is for new spinners now. What I have after the FSV may be a perfect preperation for spinning in the grease, I don't know how to assess that, I don't have the experience or skills. But I do know that I learnt to spin using prepared tops, tops in many rainbow colours or white naturally coloured tops. Tops free from lanolin. This is where my comfort zone is, this is how I like to spin. I do not want to get my carders or wheel dirty, I do not want to spin greasy fleece. So from now on it's hot water and detergents for me :) Tried it, decided it's not for me. So back to the white clean fresh lovely fleece I'm used to. Back to the lovely colourful tops hanging in my hallway :)

This is my current spinning, beautiful BFL Tops from Wildcraft in Mont Blanc colourway.

In other news Sock Club is very nearly ready to ship. Today will be spent tweaking the new sock pattern for this months colourway. I need to grab DD1 to get a modeled photo to put on the pattern before she leaves for the day :) Once the parcels start to arrive I promise there wil be photos here too but for now it's a secret so shhh! No spoilers today.

But every bog post should have a photo or two so I'll go photograph some BFL locks I am going to dye for the shop - before and after photos, here's 'before' today, and 'after' will follow when they're ready :)

Fermented Suint Vat

2010-08-03T21:22:00.007+01:00

Here's the rinsed Polwarth fleece that I used to start the FSV all wrapped in mesh bags and draining in the yard. This fleece was very dirty and had a small anmount of vm and a lot of lanolin, the vat has been soaking and brewing for 8 days. This fleece still needs washing with warm/hot water and a detergent to clean it of the lanolin. I need to let it dry first so that it wont felt when I put it in the hot water but Dh wont let it in the house because of the smell so I hope it doesn't rain tonight lol

The stinky FSV in the box, all the water from the draining fleece went back in here but no fresh clean water was added. This smells like liquid sheep manure (I'm not sure it's anything but - to be honest) but the fleece is very white apart from the tip and still feels full of lanolin.

This the Romney before it went in the Vat beautifully skirted and free of Vegetable matter and ready to go into the disgusting mucky water. This is the real test of the Vat's powers. I still need to wash the Polwarth it's very white but the tips are still disgusting and the smell of the FSV is disgusting too. Theis fleece is a Romney Shearling and it's beautiful but quite grubby so if the FSV does it's stuff it should come out nice and white after a 2 day soak and should just need rinsing (several times) and drying to be ready to spin.

Coming Back to Blogger :)

2010-04-19T15:02:00.001+01:00

It's been a while but I'm coming back to blogger :)

This blog is moving ...

2009-08-04T17:58:00.000+01:00

Find me at my new home

Spinning A Yarn

Shop Update - Again :)

2009-08-02T11:17:00.001+01:00

Shop Update
Originally uploaded by Jam_mam.

More lovely batts for your spinning :)

Later news on the blanket squares and a move to a new blog perhaps?

bluebells

2009-08-01T19:26:00.001+01:00

bluebells
Originally uploaded by Jam_mam.

Here's the last of the Tour spinning, finished last week but late to the blog :) I ended up with 2 skeins - one of 3 ply and one of 2 ply. The BFL/silk was denser than the BFL alone so the single came out shorter. I was pleased to see that my consistancy was good as both the other skeins were of equal length - that's a first. Just over 300yds of a squooshy DK wieght yarn, BSJ?

folksy update

2009-07-24T12:02:00.001+01:00

folksy 22.07.09
Originally uploaded by Jam_mam.

Did I tell you I'm selling batts on Folksy? Similar to etsy but in £ rather than $

My shop is here http://www.folksy.com/shops/jammam, come over and see if there's anything you fancy ;) I'm happy to do custom orders too.

Knit me a square?

2009-07-24T11:52:00.002+01:00

2009_06230001
Originally uploaded by Jam_mam.

Over on the Posh Knitter's Group on Ravelry we're knitting for the Macmillan cancer trust. Dee received the following message and it's taken hold and this is the first square to arrive, thank you Michaela :)

Squares are to be 20cm square (!) and garter stitch knit on the bias.

Pattern

cast on 3 stitches
knit all rows increasing by knit front and back into the first stitch of every row.
when the side measures 20cm decrease every row, k2tog tbl at the start of every row.

please sew the ends in if you can as we'll assemble at our Macmillan coffee morning by crocheting all the squares together, Oh and it's aran weight please, nice and quick.
leave me a comment if you want to join in and I'll send my snail mail addy when you've got some squares to send

Here's the Macmillan message

Macmillan Comfort Blanket – The Knitter Campaign 2009

The Knitter magazine needs your help. As you may know, Macmillan Cancer Support is their charity of the year. They do an amazing job for people who are living with cancer and many of our families (including my own) will have been helped by their services. So important is this charity to the team at The Knitter that they are launching a Nationwide campaign called the Macmillan Comfort Blanket in association with the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning on 25th September and supported by Rowan.

They are asking knitters all over the UK to knit squares – 20cm x 20cm squares to be precise. In fact they would like knitters to host a Coffee Morning for their knitting group, friends and family and knit 40 squares to make a Comfort Blanket, 8 squares long by 5 squares wide. Each Comfort Blanket we make will be given to somebody who is living with cancer, so the more blankets we knit, the more people we benefit.

The Knitter have asked designers from around the world to create lots of square patterns especially for the campaign. Based on Rowan’s Pure Wool DK there are patterns for squares by Debbie Bliss, Alice Starmore, Meg Swansen, Kaffe Fassett, Marie Wallin, Kim Hargreaves…. the list is endless. These can be downloaded at www.macmillan.org.uk/theknitter

So here is what knitters need to do to take part in the Macmillan Comfort Blanket:

* Download patterns from www.macmillan.org.uk/theknitter
* Register for a coffee morning or donate online www.macmillan.org.uk/coffee or call 0845 602 1246 quoting NA3
* Knit squares with your knitting group
* Take 40 beautiful squares and sew together into a Comfort Blanket
* Send you Comfort Blanket to: The Knitter Macmillan Comfort Blanket, Future Publishing Ltd, 30 Monmouth Street, Bath, BA1 2BW or drop it off at The Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexander Palace.

The target is 100 blankets, that’s 4,000 squares, and you can keep updated with news of the campaign on The Knitter Ravelry group, and the Macmillan and Rowan websites.

Sadly some of us will get cancer. Think how much it would mean to you – the gift of a Comfort Blanket – knowing there are people out there you have never met who stand by your side lending you strength.

Thank you from everyone at The Knitter and Macmillan.

Posh Scarf from Sock Club

2009-07-19T14:22:00.001+01:00

Posh Scarf
Originally uploaded by Jam_mam.

Why join a sock club if you don't often knit socks? Why! So you can make a scarf of course. :)

Posh Yarn Sock club June, Daisy, 100g, makes a plain tabby (?) weave scarf 8" x 70". Shows of the colour changes beautifully and much faster than knitting.

I need to work on my selvedges, a lot, must practice more.

Fabirc made of this yarn drapes beautifully.

Meanwhile Tour spinning continues, finished my Wildcraft Bluebell rovings last night, plied up in to a 3 ply, still drying. 300g of fibre to start with made up to 216yds of 3 ply and 19 yds of 2 ply as the SW BFL spun up to a little more yardage. Very please with how even this came out and in matching the yardages so closely :)

I'll go check if it's dry. Oh and do a wpi measurement, roughly DK by eye.

selfish by Spunky Eclectic

2009-07-17T10:27:00.001+01:00

selfish
Originally uploaded by Jam_mam.

Fibre Club June 09
Shetland
spindle spun ply on the fly, lots to learn about consistency LOL got thicker and thicker as I went because I thought I was getting thinner and thinner so kept increasing the thickness to 'stay the same'. Started the second 50gm and it's going well but spindling takes a long time compared to wheel spinning.
Rejoined the spunky club today too :)

Last night spun up more than 100g of my Wildcraft Bluebells fibre, 2 plies of SW BFL already done, finish off the bfl/silk tonight and then make a traditional 3 ply, Using a control card so hopefully relatively consistent, fingers crossed.

Spinning every day as part of the Tour de Fleece. Loving it so far and enjoying the race too.

Started weaving on my Cricket again with some Posh Yarn Sock Club yarn - will photograph properly later :)

tfd3

2009-07-17T10:14:00.001+01:00

tfd3
Originally uploaded by Jam_mam.

theyarnyard club fibre
merino/nylon
2ply from a centre pull ball
218yds
very soft and a dream to spin.

Ishbel for the teacher

2009-07-17T10:11:00.001+01:00

Ishbel
Originally uploaded by Jam_mam.

Imagine. Another school year over and another summer holiday. Where did that year go?

The long hot days of summer holidays stretch ahead of us, it's raining! :(

Happy holidays everyone.

etsy update 3-7

2009-07-03T13:43:00.001+01:00

etsy update 3-7
Originally uploaded by Jam_mam.

The problem with not blogging for ages is knowing where to start when you come back to it.

Firstly I have an etsy shop selling Batts, roving and handspun yarn and I've just added a few new batts. The rest of the batch were sold to the ladies at the Stitch 'n' Bitch last night.

It's lovely to spend a couple of hours once a fortnight with like minded/obsessed folk. Very lovely and a real tonic.

A short while ago (mid June) I had my second pattern published in Yarn Forward magazine. There have been some changes over at YF including a new editor and going monthly. Hurray for a UK based knitting magazine with some serious patterns in. Interweave Knits is still great bt all that yarn subbing is hard work and it's a great feature of YF that they suggest 2 yarn possibilities for each pattern.

Meanwhile the last baby we looked after has moved on amidst many tears and fond farewells and a new baby is here and he's a peach. I love him to bits already. Sadly once again I am not allowed to show you a photograph :( but he's gorgeous and chubby and reminds me of DS2 when he was little. I found out today he'll be here until at least February next year and he's on the verge of walking so will be into everything by then, keeps me out of mischief. I'd like to thank Andrew for his continued support and enthusiasm and for the whole hearted commitment he shows to the babies. Every child should have someone who looks at them with love and affection and 'our' babies do - in spades.

I'm sure there are many other things that have happened between then and now and that most of the significant ones for me have been spinning related. I got a new wheel, I went to Woolfest again and I continue to be filled with bliss as I sit at my wheel. If you haven't tried it yet, what's stopping you?

I also test knit a beautiful shawl for Posh Yarn designed by Laura at FiberDreams, there are a few kits on sale in this weeks Posh update and we're hosting sa KAL over on Posh Knitters on ravelry.

OK back to my knitting as the end of term approaches and I think teach would like an Ishbel, don't you?

City Pool Update

2009-06-07T11:15:00.003+01:00

When we took Katy for her swimming lesson on Saturday morning the 'independent' market research people were there. They are called Total Research, an organisation that work through and for the council and are paid through the council payroll and the client for this survey is 'Leisure Services' at the council, but the gentleman assured me they pride themselves on being independent. They were giving out forms which involved a series of questions inviting further comment rather than yes/no/'choose the closest option' kind. One of the questions was 'did you know the small pool is going to close next year?' so it seems the 'done deal' is indeed considered to have been done.

Nice of them to do a consultation after they've decided the outcome!

Lots of people were rather exercised about the whole subject and I believe that they got a very vocal and negative response to the decision to alter the use of the building (or initially part thereof). Gentleman says he was surprised at the scale and level of feeling about the issue. Good!

I asked the gentleman whether once their report was complete I would be able to get a copy of it. As the report was commissioned by Leisure services it is the property of the council and it is up to them to decide whether to release it in whole or in part or not at all as they see fit. Hmm, maybe we require a little openness in local government here. So Newcastle City Council will you be letting me read this report and if so when? Gentleman says the report goes back to Leisure Services 2 weeks from Tuesday.

I understand that a certain Stephen Byers MP is a regular swimmer at City Pool I wonder what he thinks? Have you signed the petition yet? You might also be interested in this.

Newcastle City Pool Closure

2009-06-04T22:20:00.006+01:00

The City Pool comprises two pools with the main pool being used by the public most of the time on week days. The smaller pool is used by schools and swimming squads of all ages for training and for adult classes.

Over the last month there have been many rumors about the closure of the City Pool. Numerous attempts by members of the public to obtain information from the Council were fruitless. Lots of phone calls, promises to call back not kept, appointments made and broken by the evasive councillors. The logic appears to be that we can't object if we don't know about the proposals for change of use of the baths. When people were seen taking measurements it transpired that the 'small' pool is threatened with complete closure. Whilst it is not a secret that the council have been trying to close the pool for years it is emerging that the council intend to use part of the building as a drug rehabilitation unit and have obtained a £5 million HLF grant.

A petition was gathered to be presented at Newcastle City Council Chamber by concerned swimmers. At the hour appointed for the council to discuss the proposals, petition organisers were informed that the meeting had been 'rearranged' for a later time. The councillor who put them self forward to speak on behalf of the swimmers to the council meeting, is, it transpires, also one of the key officials involved with the proposed the closure plan. Please consider adding your signature to the petition.

Apparently the council's position is that this is already a 'done deal'. In a chance encounter I obtained the details of the proposed closures today. These are: that the small pool be closed entirely; all different interest groups (classes, schools, swimming clubs, general public, etc.) who currently use the pool would henceforth be allotted a time in the large pool. For the general public this will mean that the new 'opening' hours will be Mon - Fri 08.00 - 10.00 and 12.00 - 14.00 a total of 4 hours per day (or 20 hours a week compared to 59 1/2 hours per week at present). It is unclear if there will be any public access on Saturday. Visit their website here for more information on the facilities currently available.

Staff at the pool confirmed that they forbidden from discussing these matters with the public. I also learned today that 'independent' officials will attend the pool on Friday, Saturday and Monday at about mid day with a view to canvasing opinion from the public although it is unclear whether this will later be trumpeted as belated and unpublicised consultation.

Having used the pool for 39 years, taught to swim there b
y my father, and with a child who is learning to swim there at the moment, three generations of my family have used the pool regularly. I have seen many attempts to close the pool in the past. The current strategy appears to be to make the use of the pool so inconvenient that numbers of swimmers are driven down and then the council will proceed with full closure on the grounds that the facility had insufficient numbers of users. Whilst the principle reason for coming to the pool may be to swim the additional business generated for local shops should not be underestimated and would be missed. The council are keen to point out as justification for closure that there is a pool being constructed as part of a sports complex on the same street. However what they fail to point out is that the University pool is a private pool for student only and none of the users of the City Pool will be allowed access.

Whilst there are other pools around the city this one retains a special and unique character with highly knowledgeable, long serving staff and lanes roped off and available for 'serious' swimming at all public sessions. Having two separate good sized pools allows for multiple use including by minority groups who need private swimming sessions and single sex swimming which are not possible elsewhere. The future of the Turkish Baths, Fitness Room and Sports Injury clinic would also appear to be in jeopardy.

We will be at the baths during one of the consultation events and will report back on what we learn. At a time when we are all being encourage to be more active, with a threat of growing number of people suffering ill health due to obesity and in complete contradiction with stated government policy to increase public swimming by allowing free entry for pensioners and children this proposed closure is contradictory and illogical.

Please feel free to comment if you know something we don't or if I have inadvertently misrepresented the council position. I am happy engage in debate.

So... where was I?

2009-05-20T16:18:00.002+01:00

Oh yes, I needs to nominate some blogs and I am going to cheat a little :) I've been thinking about sewing a lot recently and finding myself drawn to sewing magazines especially quilting and patchwork ones, so I shall digress slightly from the recent knitting mania and give you some links to patchwork/sewing related blogs.

http://lucylocketrecycledherpocket.blogspot.com/ this lovely lady sometimes comes to our SnB meetings and her blog is a lovely place to hang out and look for inspiration - lovely reflection of a lovely lady ;)

I asked for some suggestions on Ravelry and these led me to the following stitchy places

http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/
http://www.filminthefridge.com/
http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com/
http://katekwiltz.blogspot.com/
http://www.soulemama.typepad.com/

all of this loveliness makes me want to get the fabrics out and play and as I am still waiting for a new placement I have time whilst Little Miss 6 years is at school so maybe I should make hay whilst the sun shines LOL it could be pouring next week, and as it's half term it probably will be. Perhaps I should be teaching Little Miss 6 Years to sew too - could be fun, will be a mess but could also be fun! If you've never done any sewing before this site might help.

So I am in search of small projects to make with the Little Miss and I think bags, little bags are a good place to start. Isn't a universal truth that small girls like small bags? It is in our house. Hmmm, and some soft toys of some kind. When I was a teenager I made lots of rag dolls so time to resurrect that idea too, maybe one of those upside down, happy/sad, asleep/awake dolls? Yes, that would be fun. And for me some quilting projects to finish too and a stichery I marked up but never got around to sewing, that was meant to be for Belle, are you still there Belle? I shall sew your stitchery first, a nice portable project if I put everything in a basket.

But before any of that I have a test knit to finish so to the knitting and I'll dream of sewing and get ready for next week and if it rains we'll have plenty to do. Having a 6 year old in the house can be a very good excuse to find you inner child. What would yours like to be doing for the summer?

Actually I have to confess to feeling guilty for flitting between crafts, and often feeling guilty stops me doing things. It's the same with wip, mustn't cast on the next project until the current one is finished! Sound familiar? But not feeling the enthusiasm for the current project means I just do nothing instead of finishing, so maybe a better attitude is to resist the guilt and give in to the temptation. After all I am not sewing or knitting or spinning to clothe or feed my family (thank heavens, they'd starve!) but because it brings me peace and joy, so why impose rules that constrain that peace and deadlines that limit the joy? What is it that makes us castigate ourselves for not meeting self imposed targets? Relax, enjoy, glory in the creativity and let it lead you where it will, on a whimsy, the process brings pleasure and if we stumble across a finished project along the way all the better. Ah, I feel much better already. Letting myself out of the straight jacket for the summer, after the testy Tilia that is. To work! Play time is next LOL

And if your wondering where to get the goodies, then I recommend Cotton Patch (no affiliation)

Baby's Batt is finished

2009-05-09T01:01:00.001+01:00

My creation
Originally uploaded by Jam_mam.

Do you remember a while ago the lovely Dee at Posh Yarn gifted me a batt called damsel in Distress? Well, if you don't, she did! I started spinning when I was still grieving my 'goodbye' for my most recent foster baby who had just left us to go to her new home. Spinning is such very good therapy :) I'm feeling much more my usual self and the batt is spun!

2 ply yarn 103g 411yds.

Damsel in Distress
70% Falkland
20% Alpaca
10% Silk
and lots of sparkle

and beautifully soft. I don't quite know what this will become yet, probably a Gail shawl. But I do know what some earlier spinning will be. I made some low twist singles from the Wildcraft Club Fibre and tonight I cast on for a Moebius Cowl. I have Claire to thank for that as she had her cowl at Stitch n Bitch last night and I was very taken with it :) Here are the singles and the specs BFL & silk: 203 yds, low twist thick & thin singles, spindle spun.

Meanwhile I am surprised and delighted to have been given an award by Helen over at http://myheartexposed.co.uk/ .

Thank you so much Helen, to say I am delighted is an understatement.

The rules for this award are The rules of the "KreativBlogger Award" are to list seven things I love and then pass it on to another seven KreativBloggers. Tonight I am just too tired to know where to begin, it's been a very long day, but I wanted to share my glee at the award and to promise I'll look at passing it on to some more deserving bloggers tomorrow. Sleep well and pleasant spinny knitty dreams to you all

I don't often...

2009-04-24T23:48:00.001+01:00

1aaaEaster09 051a
Originally uploaded by Jam_mam.

... but I do sometimes knit socks. Every time I do I wonder why I don't often :)

Toe up, sewn cast off, Posh Yarn, 60 stitches, heel flap, 2x2 rib.

I have happy feet, how about you?

Next Generation Knitter

2009-04-11T22:01:00.002+01:00

1aaaK&spin 004
Originally uploaded by Jam_mam.

I should have been listening more closely a month or two ago when Myheartexposed on Ravelry started telling me about knitting looms.

I should have picked up on how very addicitve and wonderful they are. But I didn't.

As a treat for being good whilst fabric shopping K and I popped into the adjacent craft shop and found a set. They're great. Great for children (and especially for adults but shush) because there are no needles to drop. She can wrap and pick and it just grows and grows. We've tried needles and didn't get anywhere, too many thumbs!

Remember the Knitting Nancy of your youth, well, put her on steroids and you get one of these babies, circular knitting at it's best.

The only drawback is a lack of chunky yarn, but that can be remedied.

Of course said purchase has led to some book buying, I do like to have a library to go with each new craft venture LOL

Anyone got any recomendations to take us beyond hats?
Where can I buy a sock loom?
How didn't I know how easy and addictive these things are before?
Oh yes, that's right I wasn't paying attention when Myheartexposed was telling me just that a few months ago.

:)

Can you see the concentration? Excuse the make up btw we were having a girly day LOL

Update on those batts

2009-04-08T21:42:00.001+01:00

1aaadees 002
Originally uploaded by Jam_mam.

Work in progress :)

Dees Batts

2009-04-01T12:18:00.005+01:00

Click photo for bigness :)
Dees Batts
Originally uploaded by Jam_mam.

Over at Posh Yarn Dee has been learning to spin and Tony has started to dye for batts.

I was waiting for the postman this morning because the Posh Sock Club Yarn is due any day now, instead he brought this lovely surprise. Great, pink/orange/sparkly batt, lovely.

Damsel in Distress
70% Falkland
20% Alpaca
10% Silk and lots of sparkle

the wonderful colours we've come to expect from Posh and beautifully soft. I haven't bought any Posh Batts up until now, but I shall be watching future sales with great interest (it's beautifully soft) for some more subtler colourways like this one, I'm going to try for a laceweight from this batt. For more posh colour therapy try looking at their Flickr set.

I am looking forward to spinning this and it's amazing how pink is coming to me at the moment. From my limited knowledge of colour therapy I seem to remember that pink is the colour of 'unconditional love' and that seems very appropriate and healing as Baby left us a week ago today to go live with her Dad. Bon voyage Baby, I love you xxx

My most recently finished spinning was this batt from picperfic on etsy

which became this, Pink sparkly batts spun into heavy laceweight/4 ply, 2 ply, Pioneer, short forward draw, Shetland & sparkle

Whilst I have really enjoyed spinning and plying and learning how to make a soft yarn by not over spinning the singles I have also been watching all the lovely low twist singles other people have been spinning so, with the Wildcraft Fibre Club fibre, I thought I'd have a go myself. I didn't think I could manage it on the wheel so I went for a spindle to have a little more conrtol and reversibility and this is the result.

Karen's fibre is a beautiful BFL & silk mix, and a lovely colourway called Viola. I think I will make a cowl from it. The spindle is from Wildcraft too and I am happy to recommend them to anyone (no affiliation).

As I haven't blogged for a while here are some more photos to catch you up with some knitting too :)

The Tess d@urberville shawl, finally off the needles, remind me not to knit this much gs ever again in 4 ply yarn. Posh Yarn of course :)

A quick beret for DD1 using this free pattern a quick pallette clenser taking less than 2 days and 2.5 balls of Rowan RYC Cashsoft Chunky.

Lent finished early in my house as I failed miserably not to buy more fibre althogh this was a swap

and this was a gift from the Spunky Angels on Ravelry

I had to try Dee's roving from their first ever fibre sale, well I had to!

and a last bit of spinning, David's polwarth in Teresa colourway

yum yum, still my favourite fibre. Also from Southern Cross Fibre, this months FibreClub colourway was called Spring Forward, beautiful, rather than show you just the 1 fibre I thought you might like to see all the fibre David has on Flickr

Happy spinning everyone, and a little knitting time too. Life goes on, so must we and the kindness of knitty and spinny folk make the path easier. :)

Midnight Again

2009-03-05T07:39:00.001Z

1aaa 003
Originally uploaded by Jam_mam.

Here's that fibre in daylight.

And the Fibre goes on ...

2009-03-02T23:32:00.002Z

I spun/span/spinned some more of David's fibre. This time colourway midnight in merino and made these singles (above) which I plied into this yarn (below).

and it goes squoosh squooshy squooshy!

So soft and floofy and I think I am going to make me a big old comfort blanket because my baby fosterling is leaving us in 3 weeks, and, after 16 months and from the day she was born - I will miss that baby big time! and I'm gonna need me some comfort :(

In more happy news I am going to the big smoke for the day on Wednesday and that means 6 hours train ride with no children of any description so I need to plan some serious and most excellent knitting time! Can I knit lace on a train? Probably not, Perhaps I'll start that blanket :)

Send me a hug, I need one tonight.

David is the man!

2009-02-28T13:38:00.003Z

My creation
Originally uploaded by Jam_mam.

I've been neglecting the blog again, sorry blog, I love you really. Any and all free time is taken up with spinning, I do remember knitting but we spend less and less time together, some day we will have to become reacquainted as I have to do something with all the hand spun!

Here's some beautiful merino in Southern Cross Fibres Gecko by David Schulz. Beautiful fibre to work with and this 390yds of n plied loveliness just flew onto the bobbin with hardly any effort. The finished yarn is 20 wpi so suitable for a shoulder shawl perhaps?

Here's a closer look at the finished yarn.

More of David's fibre arrived this morning and I've also spun the first of my Southern Cross Fibre Club instalments. Here's February's fibre and having recently been all about fine yarns I decided to go for a quick fix and spin this on chunky weight. Fibre first..

Beautiful smooth as silk fibre that spins like butter through your fingers and at this thickness was one evenings spinning singles and the next afternoon plying as a 2 ply to produce this 90 yds 7wpi

If you'd like to see the other fibre which arrived today from Australia you can look at my Flickr here where you'll also see a few skeins of Posh Yarn which I bought recently. In my own defence I should point out that all of this was pre Lent as I am on a fibre fast and trying to use up my fibre/yarn stash. I've made it this far (since Wednesday) without buying either yarn or fibre but the whole of lent will be a challenge for me :) Especially as Dee and Tony at Posh Yarn are about to start selling fibre for spinning.

I'm off to London for the day on Wednesday and that means 6+ hours of knitting, something unheard of. I am about to start the last 1/4 of my Tess d'Urberville shawl but I'm not sure whether to take that as it is getting quite large for a 'carry on' project. I'm looking for an impressive project (there will be non-knitters we need to convert) and I will need to be able to chat whilst knitting so it needs to look hard but really be easy LOL Socks? All those needles are always impressive to the novice, or maybe a familiar shawl something like a Forest Canopy, lace looks hard but this pattern is so established in my head now I think I could knit it in company without too much trouble provided I had done the set up before I went. A whole day away from home is very unusual, the last one I had was last June when I went to Woolfest but even then I had the baby with me and I was driving so a whole childfree day with knitting opportunities is both unheard of, and very desirable.

p/hop

2009-02-12T21:36:00.001Z

p hop1
Originally uploaded by Jam_mam.

If you've used the free pattern link in my sidebar, how did you get on? Today my copy of Let's Knit! magazine arrived and when I turned to page 8 I saw that p/hop has really gone 'public' now.

Click on the picture to read the article and remember to donate something to p/hop using the just giving widget to the right! People are p/hopping all sorts of things over on Ravelry, got anything you'd like to swap or donate?

ice queen

2009-02-12T21:32:00.001Z

1aaicequeen 002a
Originally uploaded by Jam_mam.

I have been spinning again :)

and I started some more Southern Cross Fibre, just a single on the bobbin so far but pretty, pretty.

and

I got a cricket loom and made DS2 a simple scarf using Noro Silk Garden.

The influx of yarn has slowed, somewhat, now that I am making my own LOL but my first Posh Yarn 'sock' club arrived. Much more beautiful in real life and pure alpaca.

Whipping through the WIP

2009-01-31T22:17:00.002Z

1aamitts 004a
Originally uploaded by Jam_mam.

Another finished item. :) Following the Garden Party Shawl I thought I'd tidy up some more Works In Progress for quick finish satisfaction and the next in the queue is my Winter Cottage Mitts.

Lovely wool, Posh of course, so soft they caress my hands as I wear them :) Sadly I spoiled a perfect finish wen blocking the first mitten (the one showing palm up on this photo) as I got interrupted when soaking the mitten preblocking and left it standing in the water for 4 hours. By the time I got back to it the colour from the variegated yarn had run into the cream contrast, not so badly as to ruin the work but enough to colour the cream and to streak in some areas so the contrast is not as strong as it is with the second mitten. So, I have odd hands! But, I guess they just match the rest of me :) and their softness is unimpaired. I have considered leaving the other mitt for 4 hours too, but I don't want to spoil its pristine finish.

I'll just have to knit more mitts!

Next on the WIP list is a simple square shawl using Shetland lace patterns, I have 4 more repeats of the border to do and then an edging to knit, haven't decided what to use for that yet. Then I am writing up the pattern, which takes much longer than you think.

Come In Spinner

2009-01-27T19:32:00.003Z

The lovely David (on Rav) has his own etsy shop selling beautiful handdyed fibre, yum yum.
My creation
Originally uploaded by Jam_mam.

In a past sale I bought these batts

and I started spinning them last night

and they spin beautifully. Oh my, that's it I am not a knitter any more, now I spin!

Before I started spinning I used to look at blogs with fibre on and think, yeah, ok, but what's that about? Now I love love love to spin, I love to get new people spinning and I love fibre. Oh dear, I need more time.

I am still adding to the 'spin a sweater' project and still changing my mind frequently about what to knit when I am finished spinning, but for now I am enjoying the squooshiness of the handspun, soft and fluffy, more yum yum yum.

Join me in the Garden Maude.

2009-01-27T19:22:00.002Z

I started this Garden Party shawl way back at the beginning of last year and made steady progress until I got to the edging chart. Nothing wrong with the charts or the pattern, just with my determination. Can't believe it took me nearly a year to get back to it and to finally finish it off. I always note down where I was in the pattern when I finish stitching for the night, otherwise I wouldn't have a clue. Just as well my previous entry was in July! One evening's enjoyable work and it was done, cast off ready to block and the finished shawl looks like this

Not a good day for photographs outside so here it is hanging on my living room wall. Maybe once we have some sunshine she'll get a proper photograph, mean while it makes me smile every time I look at her. Pretty lace, no?

Cecilia, approx. 50g
1aagardenparty 002a
Originally uploaded by Jam_mam.

Nearly the end of January already?

2009-01-24T09:30:00.004Z

Do you ever wonder where the time goes? As I get older I am sure the globe is spinning faster. When I was a child it was an age between summer and Christmas. Now Christmas is only just behind us and suddenly it's nearly Easter already. OK, so I exaggerate slightly but has anyone seen where I put my January because it's nearly all used up and I just don't remember what I did with the part that has already passed LOL

Things are going well on Ravelry with the p/hop knitalong so I thought now might be a good time to give some links to past blog posts which people could find helpful and also so that if anyone finds me blog for help with 'Flowers in the Rain' but isn't a member of Ravelry they can get some assistance too :)

these posts on my blog may help with lace knitting

lifelines
swatching
blocking

In other, rather shocking news, I used the excel feature on Ravelry to work out how many miles of yarn I own and I have a stunning 151 miles. Twinepixies kindly calculated that I could knit 12 yards a day for the next 60 years.

Better get busy then, hadn't I? It'll be Christmas again before you know it!

Quick wip round up

Possum horseshoe stole - barley started.
Garden Party Shawl - nearly finished.
Winter Cottage Mittens - half way through mitt 2.
Tess d'Urberville shawl - half way.
cot blanket in crochet - half done.
Cot blanket in mitred squares - quarter done.
Square baby blanket - just border to complete.
Square baby blanker - border to complete and edging to add.
Secret project for YF - planning and swatching.

Yesterday I had a lovely morning with the lovely Roz.
waves
Roz made me a tasty and healthy lunch which was very good of her as I am ready to give up on the diet :( I must try to get through this bored phase or the 6lbs I've lost so far will go back on with an additional 6 no doubt. More importantly (we'll move away from those unpleasant 'I am fat' thoughts, shall we?) we span, spinney spinney spin spin. And here's my Wildcraft Fibre and spindle club fibre all spun up.

101 yds
BFL
pot pourri
9 wpi

The first p/hop pattern is ready

2009-01-08T21:47:00.002Z

you can download it for free from Ravelry if you are a member.

If you would like to make a donation to MSF for the use of the pattern you can either do so by clicking the icon in my sidebar or by clicking here

p/hop also has a blog here please go leave a comment to let MSF Pete know to watch out because the knitters are coming :)

and there will be more patterns to follow

watch this space...

My First Mitt for me

2009-01-01T12:19:00.001Z

My creation
Originally uploaded by Jam_mam.

Photos on the left are after blocking, those on the right are before. I left it soaking for several hours as I was busy and the colours ran a little so I probably shouldn't do that with number 2 :) Off to cast on.

Also joined 'seasons of lace' to knit up my first handspun laceweight project, I haven't decided on a pattern yet, and I am also 'spinning for a sweater'.

That should keep me busy for a while :)

End of Year Round Up

2008-12-31T19:18:00.002Z

Last year I thought I hadn't done much knitting until I did a quick review of finished projects. I am hoping that would be the case but please take into account that I have learnt to spin this year so much of my time has been taken up with twirling :)

One of my favourite ever projects was the Pi shawl I knitted for Aunty Nancy to give to her first great grandchild. I was pleased with it at the time and happy to be able to knit it for Nancy as she was no loner able to knit due to crippling arthritis. Sadly later this year Nancy died very suddenly and the project became even more important to me. I feel lucky to have met this lady who was my husband's father's cousin and not really an Aunty at all, but when I moved up to Newcastle a few years ago she made me very welcome and told me to consider myself the daughter she wished she'd had. If only there had been more occasions to share our love of knitting with her, but at least we had time for Pi :)

Pattern Elizabeth Zimmerman's Pi Shawl
Yarn Sirdar Snuggly 4 ply, 5 x 50g balls, white, Nylon/Acrylic mix (shudders!)
Needles KnitPicks Options 3.5mm
Blocked (sic) size 46" in diameter.

Over on Ravelry in the Posh Knitters Group we had a fantastic KAL for the Swallowtail Shawl.

Swallowtail Shawl

Posh Yarn, Eva 2 ply lace weight, 1 skein 50g 400 yds, (13g left), Captain.

size 3.5mm needles, blocked size 48" x 24"

I never would have gotten this finished if it weren't for the fabulous photos of other people's finished projects. Ravelry has really become an integral part of my life. I cannot imagine nor being on Rav.

Hmmmm must do more of that KAL thing.
I made an emergency 'I need it like yesterday' shrug for DD1

One Skein Wonder by Stefanie Japel

Needle

US 5 / 3.75 mm

US 8 / 5.0 mm

Yarn

Acrylic from stash.

Then DS2 needed

emergency hat

Pattern

Basic Hat Pattern by Ann Budd

Made for

DS2

Size

23"

I got a lovely Batt in the Posh Christmas Swap

2008-12-28T18:03:00.002Z

1aababs 003
Originally uploaded by Jam_mam.

and I made it into this

I wonder what DD2 got for Christmas?

2008-12-28T18:02:00.001Z

1aasarahshawl 006a
Originally uploaded by Jam_mam.

And before that you finish one of these

2008-12-28T17:59:00.001Z

My creation
Originally uploaded by Jam_mam.

Yarn: Posh Yarn, Lei, colour- tradewind.
Pattern: Diamond Fantasy Shawl.
For: DS2's grilfriend, Sarah.

And after Christmas you knit a scarf

2008-12-28T17:56:00.001Z

My creation
Originally uploaded by Jam_mam.

Fibre from the yarn yard fibre club.
Spun on Majacraft Pioneer (Susan)
Pattern by the Yarn Harlot - one row handspun scarf
result, squooshy!

Flowers in the Rain

2008-12-27T12:59:00.007Z

This pattern was originally published in Yarn Forward issue 6 - as the copyright arrangement with them has now expired I am reproducing it here for free and hopefully it will be available as a pdf download on Ravelry as soon as the holidays are over and everyone gets back to work. Please bear with me over formatting mismatches between Google docs and blogger and don't hesitate to leave a message if you require pattern support.

This pattern is available in conjunction with Natalie at the Yarn Yard's p/hop so I hope you will consider making a donation to MSF through the link on my sidebar if you use the patern, thank you. Pass it forward. :)

Flowers in the Rain

Wrap up warm against those storms and chills in hope ofmilder days to come.

This pretty scarf pattern is knitted in luxurious
cashmere yarn and a bright colourway to brighten winter days and lead
the way to summer sunshine.

Flowers uses 2 lace patterns, Floral Mesh from Barbara
Walker’s 4th Treasury of Knitting Patterns and 3 variations of the Snowflake Eyelet Pattern from her 2^nd Treasury. This scarf is easily adapted to a wider stole size or a narrower scarf.

Instructions for possible adaptations of the pattern are included.

Yarn: Shown here in Posh Yarn, Sophia, Sunbeam (55gms 400yds) 2 ply laceweight, 2 skeins).

Finished size: blocked 11” x 61” (Unblocked size 8” x 52”).

Guage: As this item is not fitted, gauge is not important. Use a gauge you are happy with, if it seems too tight for your tastes, use larger needles, too loose use smaller needles. If you are using a different weight of yarn your finished item size will vary and you may need more or less yarn. The scarf pictured used half of the second skein, approx. 85gms and approx. 600 yards in all.

Needles:
size 3mm, 50cm circular needles. Needles designed for lace, with tapered points make knitting easier but are not essential, straight needles are fine too.

Abbreviations:

K knit sts stitches

gs garter stitch (knit every row), ss stocking stitch (knit right side, purl wrong side)pm place marker ssk slip slip knit through back of loopsyo yarn over
K2 tog knit 2 togetherRep repeat Sl2 K1 p2sso slip 2 stitches, knit 1, pass 2 slipped stitches over.

Instructions:

Cast on 69 sts

Knit 8 rows gs

K4, pm, knit Floral Mesh pattern (see chart), pm, K4.

The 4 stitches either side of the Floral Mesh are maintained in gs throughout, to form a border for the scarf.

3 edge stitches<-------------pattern repeat--------> 2 edge stitches

Floral
Mesh Chart

Key

O yarn over,
/ k2tog
\ ssk,
^ sl2 k1 p2sso
blank squares are knit

Lace charts are read from bottom to top and right to left on the right side rows and from
left to right on wrong side rows. This chart shows right side rows
only as all wrong side rows are purl throughout. Start with row 1, a purl row, then at the bottom right of the chart , row 2. The areas outside
the pattern repeat arrows are only knitted at the beginning and end of the row,
the area between the lines is repeated across the row 7 times in all.
So the row starts with the 2 sts outside the arrowed area, then repeat
the sts inside the lines 7 times then knit the last 3 stitches
outside the arrowed area to complete the sequence.

You may wish to insert
markers at the end of each repeat of the floral mesh as this will
make it easier to identify repeats and to count stitches to check for
mistakes.

Repeat the 12 lines of the chart 9 times in total.

Keeping the first and last 4 sts as set.

Change to the snowflake eyelet pattern.

The repeat of both patterns is over the same number of stitches so you can use the same stitch markers
between pattern repeats (if used) without having to move them.

Snowflake
Eyelet Pattern

Row
1 (wrong side) and all other wrong-side rows ---- purl.

Row

2 K4 *ssk, yo, K1, yo, K2 tog, K3; rep from *, end K1

Row

4 K5, *yo, sl2 K1 p2sso, yo, K5; rep from *

Row

6 Repeat Row 2

Row

8 Ssk, yo, K1, yo, K2 tog *K3, ssk, yo, K1, yo, K2 tog: rep from *

Row

10 K1, *yo, sl2 k1 p2sso, yo, K5: rep from *, end last rep K1

Row

12 Repeat Row 8

Repeat the 12 rows of the snowflake pattern 15 times in total.

The next lace pattern is a variation of the snowflake eyelet.

Insert 2 rows of ss between row 7 and row 8.

Remember to keep the first 4 and last 4 sts in gs.

Repeat the 14 row snowflake variation 11 times in total.

Add a further 2 rows of ss between rows 7 and 8 (4 additional rows in total). Repeat this variation 5 times in total.

Knit 8 rows gs

Cast off using a large needle to ensure a loose edge. The model was cast

off using a 6mm needle.

Block
(with wires or by threading a string along the sides and end and
stretching damp knitting, pinning out and leaving to dry. Unpin when
dry and ENJOY!

Variations.

You can make the scarf longer by adding repeats of any or all the
patterns as desired. Remember you will use more yarn. Making it
narrower or wider is achieved by subtracting or adding repeats of the
charts across the scarf. Both patterns have an 8 stitch repeat so add
or subtract multiples of 8.

If you would prefer a simpler scarf you can use any of the 3 variations of the Snowflake Eyelet pattern, either singly or combined as you choose. Adding the gs border at both sides and ends helps to prevent the scarf from curling. Or for a slightly more complex scarf you could knit it entirely in Floral Mesh. Both patterns are easily memorised and read in the knitting so either alternative will just call for stamina.

You can also make the scarf longer by adding further rows of ss between
the snowflakes to spread the design out more adding as many repeats
as you wish. Alternately add another lace pattern after the first
snowflake pattern in place of the snowflake variations used here,
e.g. any of the eyelet or honeycomb patterns would look good.

The scarf pattern, as written, produces an asymmetric design. If you
would prefer to finish the second side symmetrically you can adapt
the pattern by knitting additional repeats of the first Snowflake
Eyelet pattern to make this section longer and then repeating the
Floral Mesh. Both the lace patterns used are virtually identical
inverted. If you want to be sure they will mirror each other exactly
then you should knit until the scarf measures half your desired
length (or until half the yarn is used) and, leaving these stitches
on waste yarn, cast on and repeat the patterns so that you have two
matching, identical halves which will then need to be grafted
together using Kitchener Stitch.

Copyright © 2008 jacqui walker. This material may not be reprinted without permission of the author; this pattern may not be used to produce items for sale.For reprint permission, or technical assistance, please contact: allstitchedup.blogspot.com

Hmmm, Mittens again?

2008-12-16T12:10:00.001Z

1aamitts 003a
Originally uploaded by Jam_mam.

Yep, I am nearly mittened out, these are for DD2's teacher. I wanted to do a nice sophisticated black and white butno, DD2 had different ideas! Miss would much prefer red and white 'the same as mine' - so here they are, NHM#9 in theyarnyard's Bonny 4 ply.

Done, next?

Have I got time to do a pair of socks before the 20th? Hmmm, probably not.

Book Meme - thank you Panperoxide :)

2008-12-05T23:11:00.002Z

This one is originally from the Big Read. Apparently they reckon most people will have only read 6 of the 100 books here.

Instructions:
1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Underline those you intend to read. - underline's playing up for me... going to put a note instead...
3) Italicise the books you LOVE.
4) Reprint this list so we can try and track down these people who’ve only read 6 and force books upon them.

1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2. The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4. Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6. The Bible
7. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8. Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9. His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11. Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12. Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14. Complete Works of Shakespeare
15. Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16. The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17. Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18. Catcher in the Rye - J D Salinger
19. The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger - Will Read
20. Middlemarch - George Eliot
21. Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22. The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23. Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy - Will Read
25. The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26. Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28. Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30. The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33. Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34. Emma - Jane Austen
35. Persuasion - Jane Austen
36. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini - Will Read
38. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40. Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41. Animal Farm - George Orwell
42. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44. A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46. Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47. Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48. The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood - will read.
49. Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50. Atonement - Ian McEwan
51. Life of Pi - Yann Martel - will read
52. Dune - Frank Herbert
53. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55. A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57. A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60. Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63. The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65. Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66. On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67. Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68. Bridget Jones’ Diary - Helen Fielding
69. Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70. Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72. Dracula - Bram Stoker
73. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74. Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75. Ulysses - James Joyce
76. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77. Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78. Germinal - Emile Zola
79. Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80. Possession - AS Byatt
81. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83. The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro - will read
85. Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86. A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87. Charlotte’s Web - EB White
88. The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90. The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92. The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93. The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94. Watership Down - Richard Adams
95. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96. A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98. Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

Hmmm - how many of them since I finished my Drama and English Degree back in 198mummble mummble? Not many! If I could include the ones I've started it would be a much longer list LOL

Fear Not the Fair Isle

2008-11-30T10:11:00.001Z

1akgloves 001
Originally uploaded by Jam_mam.

Mittens, mittens, they're everywhere and I love them.

I finished DD2's mitts and I am now planning a pair for the teacher for her hristmas pressy. Poor lass she shivers so on the playground at home time and I think a coat may take me until DD2 has left school LOL but mittens are 'doable' so I will do.

DD2 turned her hand over for you so you can see the palm.

I added her initials and will put a cord on them and thread it through her coat sleeves, in an atempt to stop them getting lost. Or if lost, to find their way home.

What are their chances, do you think?

Meanwhile in other news, I have been spinny spinny spinning with Sarah. Sarah? Yes, Sarah!

My new Majacraft Pioneer. Did I tell you about Sarah? Oh I did! Well, she's wonderful and we make beautiful yarn together. Photos to follow because some of it is secret. Shhhhhh! Don't tell anyone, promise? Good I knew I could trust you to keep a secret LOL

Happy spinning and knitting and lots of mittens to you.

xx

All the way from New Zealand

2008-11-27T17:05:00.001Z

1apioneer 001
Originally uploaded by Jam_mam.

May I introdce you to my Pionner by Majacraft?

When I bought Julia earlier this year what I really wanted was a Matchless or failing that a Majacraft - any of the Majacrafts would do, lovely wheels. But the price was out of my reach and I didn't want to wait and save up LOL so I got the Louet Julia instead and I am very hapy with her. We have tried each other out now and settled into a routine of reliable spinning and comfortable lightweight, I have plied and navajo plied and 3 plied and I am happy with how she spins.

So what did Majacraft do to cause me to buy wheel number two? The brought out the Pioneer, an entry level, no bells and whistles, basic wheel that is in my price range. So I bought one of those too and today we are a two wheel household.

I am keeping Julia, DH and I discussed the relative merits of selling on a used wheel and he persuaded me it would be better to have two. I do love that man!

I do realise, by the way, that is I had saved up since I wanted a wheel I could now have a top of the range Majacraft for about the same price as these two seperate wheels LOL but the what would I get if I won the lottery? Why, a Matchless of course.

There's no pleasing some people!

The Pioneer, as yet unnamed, are getting used to each other, boy the Majacraft wants that yarn badly, it pulls it out of your hand way more than the Louet, LOL but we'll get used to each other and just look at the size of the bobbins! Now I need time to spin up allllllll my stash.

Happy happy joy joy!

I bought the Pioneer from Designscape Concepts as it worked out cheaper to buy it in NZ and pay for it to be shipped here even when you added on the VAT duty slapped on by customs than it was to buy it here.

Finished and the Mitten Mania continues

2008-11-26T12:37:00.004Z

1amitts 001
Originally uploaded by Jam_mam.

I finished the pair and by doing the second one on the next size up dpns and blocking the first one HARD they fit. DD1 has swiped them and they are parading around school. I am a litle concerned she will loose them and be very upset, but at 15 yrs old she is probably too old to have them threaded through her coat on a cord. DD2 however is not! I have cast on for a pair for her and finished the bulk of the first one for her last night. I added a thumb this morning and it is blocking as we speak. I finally found a use for all the palstic inserts from baked potatoes that I have collected over the years, they're great for cutting up to block mittens. See! I knew they'd come in useful for something.

my swimming lesson knitting now that the FLS is off the needles is this shawl. It has an unusual construction, using increases along one edge only and then shrt rows to acheive a trangle with long wings which tie behind your back, great easy carry along project as its just gs. Miles and miles of gs!

I received the second part of my Zebisisdesigns fibre and spindle club yesterday - isn't that pretty :) Mmmmmm merino. I am having fun spinning n's fibre for this month too which is also merino. Not enough time to spin because I am knitting more again. But my new wheel is waiting for me at the parcel force depot - I got myself a Pioneer from majacraft and by importing it saved money, so it was a bargain, right? Right!

Meanwhile, if the Posh melee has meant you miss out on Posh Yarn then head over to Socktopus or Purlescence who are both stocking Cariad Yarns now, Posh's sister company, the blue skeins at the bottom of the photo were my consolation to myself this Sunday when I couldn't get any Posh :) the other cakes are from stash and I am going to make something wonderfully Emily, a cardigan, a throw, a wrap???? I don't know, what do you think?

Mad for mitts

2008-11-19T22:58:00.001Z

1aglove 005
Originally uploaded by Jam_mam.

I've done a tiny bit of fair isle knitting but never anything as 'difficult' as this, and I loved knitting it. Luckily the great pattern helped - here's the other side and the paw print and fish bones are just the best bits

I can see many more mittens in my future. This one (I still need to knit it's pair) used 13g of cream and 12g of black. It's a little small but I am going to block it hard and try to knit the other one more loosely. Only two evenings to do this so could have them ready for the weekend when snow is forecast. Brrr!

Mitts seem to be everywhere, Posh Dee has just sold out of her mitten kits and Natalie at the YArn Yard is on the verge of releasing her mystery mitten.

I am pressing on with my Tess d'Urberville shawl as it's all garter stitch and an easy chat and knit project. Did some moe this evening whilst educating 15 yr old DD about musicals - last week it was Sound of Music this week we watched the Wizzard of Oz and next week we have Oklahoma, lots of singing badly and pop corn :)

Giving makes you feel good

2008-11-12T17:06:00.003Z

As we approach Christmas and the nights have already drawn in I am beginning to wonder what I will get the gang for presents this year. Pausing to reflect how lucky I am to have my lovely family I also want to draw your attention to those who are not so lucky as ourselves. Natalie over at the Yarn Yard has had a brilliant idea that will keep on giving and giving I hope for years to come. Visit the information about p/hop here and think about making a donation next time you knit a free pattern. With so many areas in the world where doctors and nurses are in short supply and much needed, this is an excellent charity to support and following the example set my Stephanie, the yarn harlot, we can all say a little 'thank you' in a way that will have a positive impact, for the good fortune we have enjoyed and continue to enjoy in our own lives. So, a present for DD1 DD2 DH DS1 DS2 baby boo and one for MSF.

I am working on a pattern to add to the list of free patterns that are connected to the p/hop project and in the meantime have had the good fortune to use another free pattern to make DD2 a little hat to keep out the chills, using my hand spun too.

and I also finished my February Lady Sweater another free ravelry pattern

buttons are vintage glass ones from my button stash :)

I will be making a contribution to the p/hop in return for these two free patterns and the fun I had knitting them.

Finally another good cause that you just have time to support. Anne has been having an auction to raise money for a Cancer charity. The details are over on her blog go make a bid, you might just get lucky :)

lifelines in lace

2008-10-10T22:35:00.002+01:00

1antarcticlifelines 001
Originally uploaded by Jam_mam.

Once you get into the rhythm of knitting, the project grows and grows and then you begin to wonder if it is time to put in a life line. If you are wondering, then the answer is 'yes' and best to do it before you make a mistake that you can't recover by tinking as frogging lace back past a mistake and picking it up again is hard.

Maybe not impossible, but hard.

So what is a lifeline and where do you put one?

A life line is a thread or yarn passed through the stitches in a row of knitting which will stop the work unravelling if you need to take the knitting off your needles to pull it back to correct a mistake.

In a complicated pattern it is easy to loose your place and a lifeline will not only provide a safe place to frog back to, but will also help you find your place if you need to count up how many rows you have done. For a lifeline to work properly you need to keep a record of where you place it, write it down LOL

In the Antarctic pattern the wrong side rows are purled, as they are in many lace designs. This makes it relatively easy to insert a life line. It is possible to insert a lifeline on a pattern row but take care with yarn overs; actually this type of lace with pattern on all rows possibly benefits more from the use of lifelines.

Using a thread of a similar or lighter weight than the knitting yarn, take a sewing needle and pass the thread through each stitch on your needle after you have completed a purl row.

A contrasting thread is a good idea because you need to knit the next patterned row without picking up this thread with the stitches as you knit. Once you get the thread through all the stitches on your needle you can tie the ends together to stop the lifeline pulling out. Take a little care to make sure you don't miss a stitch or pick up the wrong row. If you have stitch markers in don't pass your lifeline through then too or you wont be able to move them until you take the life line out.

Ideal places for lifelines are before major pattern changes, adjacent to shaping changes (not applicable to this pattern but useful in lace garments) and before knitting a pattern repeat that you may need to pull out if you are not sure you have sufficient yarn, so that you can use the yarn for a border or edging.

My lifeline has gone in before the start of chart 2 :)

By the way, this yarn is really nice to work with and the knitted fabric is gorgeous, Natalie's colour is a delight too. Thankfully the cold virus has left me and I am clear headed enough to knit lace again. I'm still not sure this is the right pattern, I haven't enjoyed this first section much really :( the pattern is irregular/random and despite the warning not to worry about completing exactly as per the chart, I still don't like making 'mistakes' - I am looking forward to the next chart though as that is a 'proper' pattern which should be easier to follow :) Fingers crossed.

Bad Blogger

2008-10-08T17:45:00.001+01:00

1aspindles 003
Originally uploaded by Jam_mam.

I have been very lax :( But I will have a quick photo round up so you'll see where I am :)

and where I am is mainly spindling :)

I'm currently working on this

and navajo plying :)

I also made this with my Knitter's Loom

And, finally, can't believe I didn't show you how thw stole turned out LOL we tied the knot

and my Mum thought the stole was lovely

Phew! Glad that's all caught up them :) Hopefully I will be blogging a little more regularly as, now that the cold lurgy is receeding, I hope to be knitting more lace and blogging some techniques here :)

How is everybody? Long time no 'see'.

My Replacement Julia seems to work ok :)

2008-09-14T09:15:00.001+01:00

My creation
Originally uploaded by Jam_mam.

Having fun.

Antarctic Adventure - choosing a needle size.

2008-09-13T10:35:00.011+01:00

When Natalie at the Yarn Yard asked me to test knit her new laceweight yarn, Machair, I was delighted. I chose turquoise (as a rest from purple!) and she sent me a skein of the loveliest yarn. The Machair is 70% baby alpaca, 20% silk, 10% cashmere. 1200m/100g. Unbelievably soft. The kind of yarn you have to go back and stroke just to check it really is that soft. I checked several times, it is! I would it into a cake pretty quickly, I wanted to get this ~~crack~~ stuff cast on.

I cast on straight away for some swatches, with 1200yds per 100g I guess it's a 3.25 needle but it's a good excuse to get knitting so I did a 3.25mm and a 3.75mm just to be sure. Knitting swatches to choose needle size for lace is always involves a deal of personal preference. There really is no right or wrong size. You are looking for a balance between the openness of the holes and the denseness of the fabric stocking stitch sections of the sample.

After knitting the swatch it is important (but frustrating when you want to get started) to soak and block (stretch) the swatch in the same way that the finished piece will be soaked blocked. Wetting the yarn allows it to stretch without breaking (hopefully) and as it dries the shape and stretch is blocked in to the finished piece. There are differing methods of wetting the sample but I usually just chuck it in a bowl/sink and leave it for at least 20 minutes. If it were pure silk I might only pin it out and spritz it with a water sprayer to dampen the fabric but this yarn should block nicely by my usual soak it method :) The waiting is the hard bit.

After they dry and you unpin them they will probably shrink back a little but the 3.25mm size needles give a more solid background to the holes of the lace so I chose 3.25mm to knit this lace (the sample on the left in the photo below).

Actually I had already decided from the unblocked swatches that i preferred the 3.25mm test but blocking would just confirm this choice and also makes for better photos LOL

The Knit Picks needles are nice and pointy - I would actually prefer my Addi Lace needles but they're holding another project that is waiting for me to get around to finishing it. (sigh.)

After much indecision I finally chose Antarctic as my pattern, thanks to Steve for this suggestion :) I downloaded the pattern (available in English thankfully) and printed off my charts and instructions. So now I am all ready to go and looking through the pattern this is an ideal project for a lace novice as the cast on couldn't be more straight forward.

For most of my knitting life, best part of 40 years, I only knew one way to cast on, the way my Mum taught me. After discovering knitting on the internet I discovered there are many different cast ons but that the one I have been using all along is a lace cast on. It was meant to be LOL.

You are only casting on 7 stitches and it wont affect how stretchy the finished edge is you can use whatever cast on you are familiar with. If you'd like to learn the lace cast on it can be found here. Eunny's lace guide is excellent for all aspects of lace knitting, look here for everything. For the lace cast on scroll down about 1/3rd of the page.

So next time ... getting going and how to read charts :)

Why do that? Or DH says wouldn't it be easier to buy a jumper?

2008-08-27T08:54:00.008+01:00

What did you do last weekend?

I washed my Jacob's fleece

It started out looking something like this, and after a couple of baths in hot water with washing up liquid in it and several rinses in more hot water

it ended up looking like this

I wash it in these laundry bags so that it all stays together and doesn't wash away down the plug hole (I see a major plumbing emergency that way *shudders* LOL

Once it is washed (I divided it up into separate colours with delusions of being able to knit some kind of patterned jumper (shakes head at own naive optimism). Then it needs to be carded or combed.

I am using majacraft combs. Looking at the amount of fleece to be combed and the size of the combs I may have bitten off more than I can chew but I press on regardless. After combing it looks like this.

Now I use the Diz to get some sort of order into the situation, wonderful device so simple and so effective.

I end up with a long sausage of sproingy fibre which only needs to be lightly drafted before my spindle makes light work of it. I am keeping it aran/chunky size - it will one day be a jumper remember and I like to knit lace. Pressing that thought away I proceed with my fat yarn and make a grand total of 13 yards of this.

I think I may be some time.... But despite my fears that Jacobs might be a tad scratchy I am delighted with my tiny yardage of fat squooshy sproingy yarn. Now I just need to repeat the process ... oh ... several hundred times and them I will be ready to start knitting.

LOL Maybe DH is right, but I'm not listening.

Using Vintage Patterns

2008-08-20T09:40:00.004+01:00

We learn knitting at our mother’s knee and often have patterns passed down to us too. This legacy from our grandmother’s era and before can present a challenge. Yet there is something compelling about reinventing these vintage designs for use today and in continuing to have access to the huge resource that they represent. As well as personal archives you can find vintage patterns in second-hand bookshops and online booksellers. I bought the books in this photograph from Amazon market place sellers after reading a discussion on Ravelry. There is also a public archive at the V & A

The easiest patterns to reuse are those for gloves, socks, household items, children and toddlers. Old abbreviations may be confusing but good patterns will have a key where the antiquated terms are explained. Gloves and socks are often written to be knitted flat and seamed; you might want to transfer these instructions to knitting in the round on double pointed or circular needles.
Patterns for adults are a little more difficult. My first problem in choosing a pattern to update is in finding one that will fit. Our mothers and grandmothers were smaller than we are especially during the war and post war eras of food rationing. Vintage patterns are not usually provided in multiple sizes. Some patterns, often described as suitable for the more matronly figure, do go up to slightly larger sizes. I chose a design from page 65 of ‘Practical Knitting Illustrated’, by Margaret Murray and Jane Koster published by Ohams Press Ltd., 1940.

Firstly it is already in a larger size, 38” to 40”. I need at add roughly 10% to the chest size. It is knitted in a rib which will be a flexible stitch and forgiving of a little over and under sizing. The original is knitted in 3 ply with a tension of 32 stitches to 4” so I can substitute a 4ply yarn to get a larger size. Another way to make it bigger would be to use larger needles. A rib pattern is also easier to add additional stitches to than lace would be.
The length of sleeves and the body are straight forward to lengthen or shorten too as there are sections in both where there is no shaping to take account of.
Whichever pattern you chose a few basics will need to be considered.

Needle sizes are given in the old English sizes, many knitting books have a conversion table for these or one can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knitting_needle#Needle_sizes_and_conversionshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knitting_needle%23Needle_sizes_and_conversions.
Substitute a yarn for the one listed. Amounts are usually given in imperial weight, for my chosen pattern I need 10oz & 1oz contrast for the size given, as we’re knitting a larger size we need to convert to grams and add some to allow for the slightly bigger size so I am estimating 12oz or approx 350g so I would buy 400g of yarn to be sure I have enough. To check your own yarn requirements visit a site like this one for a weight conversion chart.

Most importantly knit a tension square. If you are replicating a size given in the pattern then you are checking to see if your substituted yarn will knit to the same tension. As well as the stitch count you should look at the drape and feel of the tension square. As I want to knit a size bigger than the pattern, I want my tension to have 10% fewer stitches per inch. If you wanted a bigger size difference you could also add stitches in multiples of 4 for the k2, p2 rib. By checking your tension with the substituted yarn on your chosen needle size you can work out how wide the back will be. Multiply the number of inches you want the back to be by the number of stitches per inch from your tension square and this will give you the number of stitches to cast on.

Don’t forget to add multiples of 2 to each of the front pieces as well. Or you could try a larger needle size to add more width to the same number of stitches, again you would need to do a tension square to check your adaptation.
Reading further on in the pattern there are a series of increases as we proceed up the back, we need to remember that changing the yarn will also have an impact on the number of rows per inch as well as the stitches per inch. Some patterns only give increases on numbered rows rather than giving the measurement but this one does tell us how long the piece should be by the time we are ready to start the armhole shaping so we can check that the garment isn’t coming out too long, if it is rework putting the shaping closer together.

Again check the shaping on the armhole edge as the increases may need to be worked closer together to account for the additional length caused by substituting the yarns. Remember to write down the adaptations you make so that you can replicate them for the other pieces of your project.

Other possible adaptations: working the cardigan in the round; adding the button bands by picking up the stitches with a circular needle and knitting them onto the fronts rather than knitting them separately and sewing them on afterwards.
Knowing which modern yarns will knit to the same tension as in the pattern and how to change to modern needles will allow you access to all those children’s clothes, babies outfits and accessories. If you want to try the fitted designs but don’t want to have the work of adapting the patterns to a modern figure there are people who have done that work for you and lots of beautiful patterns already converted. A quick search for ‘vintage knitting ‘ on Amazon.co.uk will show you a few.

getting there

2008-08-06T10:14:00.002+01:00

1wedding 002
Originally uploaded by Jam_mam.

if a knitter gets married she has to knit for the wedding, right? Not a great photograph :( but half way there with the knitting. I have to do 25ish rows a night if I am going to make my deadline and that doesn't leave much time for anything else :) So, thanks to the spindles, I am sneaking a little spinning in during the day. Spinning in Plessey Woods yesterday (much to DS2's disgust, apparently I am very embarrasing.)

Over at Fibre Dreams Laura is learning to love Posh, well, I'd say she's alreay learnt but she hasn't knit with it yet so there's even better to come :)

TdeF

2008-07-23T08:44:00.002+01:00

1spindle4 006a
Originally uploaded by Jam_mam.

My tour spinning is complete, but I have decided to add a final challenge, spinning laceweight on a spindle.

If you remember my first spindle spinning

it was soooo good (not) that I was doubtful about the wisdom of trying again. But, spurred on by the craving to take spinning on holiday, undaunted by the sending back of Julia (for repair - sob!), I decided to have another go. What had I got to loose? Natalie at theyarnyard is doing spindle kits so I sent for a new spindle. I was so impressed by my last attempt at spindling that I gave my spindle from Claire away. Ho hum.

Having had a wheel for a while I have learnt to predraft and this time I did much better with the spindle because of that.

I wound the centre pull ball

and plied this single on my spindle too

and I finished off with this

So my tour spinning has wheel spun on the Julia, spindle spun and plied and the yellow and green were spun on the Ashford Traditional.

Ravelry is a great resource and the support and encouragement there meant I decided to try a little finer spinning with the 'packing' which came with my spindle and, ta da, I made this

still a little thicker and thinner in places :) but lush and so very satisfying, and this means I can take fibre on holiday. Another thing Ravelry is great for is sharing your success. The non-spinners in my house just think I have really gone bonkers now and managed a patronising "yeh, well done, Mum" between the rolling eyes heavenwards and the 'what's the big deal' shrugs, but within minutes of putting the last photo on Ravelry the phone rang and Natalie was there to say 'well done' properly. Isn't the internet wonderful?

Meanwhile all of everything I post has already been on Ravelry these days and I am beginning to wonder if the blog is superfluous? What do you think? Did Ravelry kill the blog?

Linking

2008-07-16T10:30:00.003+01:00

Today I am sending you to read The Yarn Harlot's post on spinning - she says it so much more eloquently than I could!

My own productivity has ground to a halt as I have to send Julia back to whence she came for a little TLC :( this has rather taken the sparkle off my spinning but I lurve it still and we will be reunited once her wobble is fixed, hopefully.

Meanwhile I am cracking on with the wedding Stole and (tempting fate) still on target. This was greatly helped by having to spend hours and hours hanging around the RVI whilst DD1 had minor surgery on Monday. Hospitals have their own time zone where everything lasts longer and the clock ticks slower than in the rest of reality. But never mind it worked in favour of the stole and DD is fine :) I did manage to make it back for DD2's first ever parent's evening. She's in year 1 next year, I'm sure you already know this because she has made it her personal mission in life to tell everyone this fact whether they are interested or not :)

I went to my first Stitch 'n' Bitch last night and it was lovely. Starbucks in Borders at Silverlink, North Shields, good company and good coffee, and knitting. I rashly risked taking the wedding stole with me but it survived my inattention (I talk too much, don't I, I know I do, sorry?) despite a missed YO and a lack of k2tog which I found when I got home. A quarter of the way there now, roughly and my holiday knitting to come I am (foolishly?) confident LOL

School summer holidays begin today due to the council workers strike knocking 2 very valuable days off the end of the term, ah well!

This

2008-07-13T12:29:00.001+01:00

1aspin 037a
Originally uploaded by Jam_mam.

turned into

this

and I also spun this

and this

and this

and DD1 wanted a skirt so I made her this

Phew! I must blog more regularly, how about you?

Ravelry has eaten my blogging!

2008-07-13T12:24:00.001+01:00

1woolfest 003
Originally uploaded by Jam_mam.

Can't believe I haven't introduced you to Julia yet! You see I went to Woolfest and she came home with me LOL I also bought this little lot

so, as you can see, it was a good day out and I will be going again next year. Next time with more of a plan, I can't tell you how many stalls I made a mental note to go back and look at later but then didn't get time for. It was great, I needed longer, there was too much choice :)

Catching up with the morning surf

2008-07-13T12:20:00.001+01:00

1morningsurf 001
Originally uploaded by Jam_mam.

Did I show you my first 'mine' project?

I didn't feed or shear the sheep LOL but I dyed, spun (span?) and knitted the yarn. The pattern is in the current Spin Off magazine, Morning Surf, 200ish yards.

I'm keeping this one, it's all 'mine'.

spinning for Tour de Fleece

2008-07-13T12:16:00.001+01:00

spinning 010
Originally uploaded by Jam_mam.

Natalie at theyarnyard dyed us a special colourway for the Tour. Here's my asphalt spun to 4ply weight about 300yds and 150g 2 ply. Just need a great project now as I'm very happy with how it came out. I hope n will add this colour to her stock colours range as it is very satisfying to spin with and a good staple for male members of the family - I see scarves, gloves, socks and more all made from this fibre :)

1TdeF KAL

2008-07-12T20:16:00.001+01:00

1TdeF 003a
Originally uploaded by Jam_mam.

Progress thus far.

Do you think it will be finished by the 29th August? Because that's the day I am getting married :)

Tour de France & Tour de Fleece

2008-07-06T11:05:00.004+01:00

Bonjour!

Yesterday was the beginning of the real tour and the knitting/spinning ouns run (or cycle) along side). I watched the tour on ITV4 and was annoyed by the adverts every 2 minutes (or so it seemed) so for the rest of the tour will be watching the highlights :)

On the spinning front the fabulous fibre from theyarnyard arrived right on time and it's great. I had been planning to combine both challenges by spinning enough fibre to then knit a BSJ but the fibre changed my plans as I see it, especially the grey/back as a laceweight which will be a challenge in itself. So that is my project for the Tour de Fleece to spin a consistent laceweight.

I didn't want to knit BSJ in black or in laceweight so I thought I'd change my challenge for the Tour de France KAL. I have a project which could do with a serious boost as I am finally getting married at the end of August. I have a stole on the needles using the pink sampler pattern from VLT. It's in cream Cecilia form Posh Yarn and I need to knit at least 10 rows a day to stay on target for getting it finished. Easy enough you might think but I am already days behind LOL so I am using the KAL to get cracking on the stole. Climbing my own mountain as I am the Queen of WIP - if I do manage to get in finished during the tour I will move on to other WIP.

I'll add some photographs later today, baby wants me now :)

Hugs to all Tour Knitters and Spinners and 'Bon Chance'

Flowers in the Rain?

2008-07-02T10:59:00.004+01:00

The latest issue of Yarn Forward has my first published design in it.

There are two errors in the magazine.

the symbols in the key are reversed for the knit and sl2, k1, psso.

The empty squares are knit and the

_ symbol is the sl2, k1, psso

also in the mesh chart box it should read

lace charts are read from right to left on the right side rows and from left to right on wrong side rows

The design was originally intended for an earlier issue and has been renamed by YF. It was originally named 'Flowers in Sunshine and Snow' or FiSS

If anyone needs pattern support please do contact me here or on Ravelry as I would be very happy to help. :)

You could have knocked me down with a feather!

2008-06-30T20:09:00.011+01:00

Look at my wonderful stole!

Look at my wonderful stole!

A gift from David

Pattern: Dulcavina
Yarn: Posh Yarn Eva

Even the wrong side is beautiful :)

What can I say? It is wonderful, beautiful, gorgeous!

I am amazed, awestruck, aghast.

Thank you, thank you, thank you :)

Wow! I love it!

Woolfest? Ah yes, but you see ...

2008-06-18T15:51:00.007+01:00

I am saving for Woolfest, right?

but this posh stuff fell into my basket

and my Lace Club yarn came

and I spun this from n's batts I got 117 yds 93g in 2 ply and it'd BFL in floral colourway.

Now I really must be good because Janet from Threshing Barn is saving a Louet Julia for me to try :)

I am, am I?

2008-06-18T15:50:00.002+01:00

Your Personality is Somewhat Rare (ISFP)

Your personality type is caring, peaceful, artistic, and calm.

Only about 7% of all people have your personality, including 8% of all women and 6% of all men

You are Introverted, Sensing, Feeling, and Perceiving.

How Rare Is Your Personality?