I liked it so much I’m making another one….

Remember that blue hat I made?  The one I photographed down the woods with the help of Pebbles the dog…  Well I liked it so much I’m making another one.

Yesterday we had a road trip to Woodbridge in Suffolk.  A new yarn shop has opened up and naturally we wanted a peek…. Well wouldn’t you?  Unfortunately I forgot my camera so no shots of yarn shops for you to oggle at (I know I’m always oggling at photos of yarn shops on peoples blogs) but I can give you a link to their website.  It’s called Twist and we enjoyed looking at all the lovely yarn there.  They’ve only been open a week so I was a little disappointed as a lot of their stock such as Manos del Uruguay hasn’t arrived yet.

However we did get a peek at the room which is being kitted out for workshops at the back and given it’s not to far away I’m going to be keeping an eye open to see if there will be anything of interest going on.  I understand that there will be courses in the new year so hopefully not to long to wait.

We also visited a more established shop called Anjays which sold yarn and fabric.  It was a much smaller shop but one of those you can mooch about in (provided you can find the room).  I do love a good mooch….

So anyway I came home with two balls of Tapestry yarn by Rowan.  I’ve knit with this before and it’s a nice double knit.  I have mixed feelings about Rowan as so many of the balls I’ve had in the past have contained knots.  I know some knots are going to happen but with Rowan I find a lot more than I think I should.

Anyway those two balls are being knit together into another Weekender hat by Woolly Wormhead.

If this hat works as well as the last one then I’ll be a happy little knitter!

Unfortunately The weather cut short our trip to the woods today.  Once again I forgot my camera so it’s just piccys from my phone I’m afraid.  The scarf is made from yarn I bought at The Yarn Gallery a few weeks back.  I love the colours and I’m hoping that the new Weekender hat will work with it.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pebbles ran and ran and ran and ran around in circles.  I did take some video on my phone but as yet I’ve been unable to work out how to transfer it to my computer.  Maybe I’ll get it uploaded during the week……

Spin, spin, spin…. or not….

Well I’m starting to understand why so many people spin.  Even given my very basic novice skills I can feel how therapeutic this can be.  I’ll be honest and say the yarn is pretty ropey.  This is I’m sure to be expected.  However, I’ve plied some and we’ll see how it knits up.

Unfortunately the flyer has just snapped.  I suspect it must have been knocked in transit or something. It appeared fine when it arrived and I have done some spinning on it without problem.  However I finished the merino I was using and plied it so decided to get out one of the other little packets of fibre yumminess and start on that.  After a hard day at work I was finding it very relaxing. So out came a packet of Shetland fibre.

I drafted some of it and got myself comfy ready to start on the wheel again.  That's when it went pear shaped.  I tried in vain to tape it up but I knew it wasn’t going to work.  It didn’t.

So it’s the internet to the rescue….  Fortunately given this is a modern wheel I can buy a replacement.  But the bug has bitten and I’m not looking forward to having to wait for it to arrive in the post. Oh well, such is life……

While surfing for a replacement flyer I decided to change my desktop background and chose this image.  I took it on holiday last summer and it’s one of my favourite shots of recent years.

It’s here whoop whoop…..

I’m so excited.  My new spinning wheel has just arrived.  This is my first wheel and Jake was very curious as to what it was.
It’s a Louet which I have bought second hand from another user on Ravelry.

Fortunately it came with instructions and even given a pause for a cuppa tea after unpacking it was quickly put together.

Jake happily watched the proceedings, sniffing everything as a good dog should.  I’m not 100% sure exactly where in the cottage it’s going to live, but I am sure I’m going have fun with it…..

If you go down to the woods today…..

 

You may just bump into a mad woman with a tea pot!

Yes, you guessed it.  In the search for some good natural lighting to photograph the new teapot cover I took it down the woods with me.  The yarn is Araucania Pomaire Multy which I purchased from Ally Pally.  There was only one skein left in this colour way so it needed a small project.  I’ve got plenty of the yarn left though so I think it might grow some bits at the top.  Maybe a cord to pull it off with or something like that.  I swear it has more green in it in real life though.

 

I did feel a little peculiar wandering round with a Tesco’s carrier bag with a tea pot in it – complete with tea cosy. 

Since I normally only walk the dogs together and Jake has been injured, Pebbles has not been getting to go out as much as she’s used to.  So I decided to take her with me as well.  She thought this was fabulous and obviously wanted to help with the photos…

So not only did I end up being mad woman with tea pot, I was mad woman with tea pot and dog!  Naturally since I didn’t have a nice shot of my new hat (which I made to help keep my head warm at work), I needed to take one of that as well.  The yarn is Scrumptious by Fyberspates in DK which I used double to get a nice thickness.  The pattern is called the Weekender by Woolly Wormhead.

There was of course much mooching and running about by Pebbles and I just couldn’t resist taking some photos of her as well….

However as we walked back to the car I couldn’t help remembering a thread on Ravelry from a while back.  The person who started the thread was complaining about project photos including things such as cats when all she wanted to see was the knitting.  What on earth people would therefore make of a teapot down the woods with a dog I dread to think….

Testing, testing, 1, 2, testing…..

Ok then this is a test posting…  I’m trying out Windows Live Writer as I’ve heard it is much better than using the Blogger Dashboard.  So naturally I have to check it out.


Of course than means I need something to write about so here is Fire the cat.  Also known as Firekins or Baby. I have no particular reason for sharing this photo with you except I want to play with the settings on Windows Live Writer and I love my cat.  He’s a cream point Siamese and a Holy Terror when it comes to attacking yarns balls.  His favourite is when I’m winding a ball onto the ball winder.  If it’s dancing around the floor then it was obviously meant for him to chase…

Hmmm… I’m liking this Live Writer…  Right then must go and take some photos of yarn based projects so that I have an excuse to write another craft based post later hehe…

Going to the Dogs.....

Like many animals lovers I've spent this evening snuggling with my little furry beasts.  I don't normally need to do this as the barrage of fireworks doesn't normally bother them.  This year however has been different - Jake the dogs has a bad leg.  It's strapped up with a splint on it but he's feeling sorry for himself.  So I've spent much of the evening knitting with a large black dog under my legs, on my lap or flopped by my feet.  I would take a photo of this but Jakes not looking his best at the moment.  So instead here are some photos from earlier in the year of Jake and Pebbles (his partner in crime).

I'll take some photos of the projects I've finished this week and post them tomorrow (beasties allowing).....

You have to look for the silver lining...

I'm a great believer of looking for the silver lining.  It's not something I'm always good at looking for or finding.....  but life does tend to be a lot happier if you can find it.  So on Thursday morning after a horrid journey to Cambridge to drop my mam off for her coach home, I was in need of finding a little tiny silver lining.  Not a huge earth shattering one, just a nice little one to stop that sinking feeling that everything I touch that day will go wrong.

So on the way home along the A14 I took the advice of a friend and called into The Yarn Gallery which is just north of Bury St Edmunds.  I wasn't sure what I'd find but I knew a yarn fix would definitely brighten my day.

I'm glad I went......  By this point I had been up for almost 5 hours with no tea!  I don't do well without tea.  So when one of the first things they said to me was 'Would you like a cuppa tea?' I knew my day had taken a turn for the better.

It was a wonderful little place with lots of wonderful yarns to fondle and a variety of other things to dribble over.  Yup I spent money, well really, you didn't seriously think I wouldn't did you?

Rope - 70% Meriono, 20% Alpaca 10% Silk

This is called Rope and it'a a chunky which the label says to knit on 10mm needles.  I bought two skeins of this (65m each) which should be enough for a lovely hat or a scarf or something.  Something warm for the winter at any rate. 

I'm not entirely sure what this yarn was called but it's a Nylon Microfibre.  Normally I wouldn't go for something like this but it has the most amazing feel and there were some beautiful pieces of knitting on display which incorporated it.  I chose a colourway to match the Rope yarn as I'm thinking about combining them.

I also found a couple of skeins of a now discontinued yarn lurking in a corner.  Fab colours and again I feel they are destined for something warm for winter.  I'm not sure what yet but I'm sure they won't be in the stash for long hehe

The yarn was yummy but what really put a smile on my face was finding wooden dpn's in various diameters and lengths.  I bought loads... about 8 packs actually....  Cough cough..... Well they were a good price and I need them.....  I do honest!  You're not buying it are you?

So what am I going to do with all these dpn's?  Hmmm...  hats.... toys..... and first up is a Tea Cozy...

I love my tea pot.  It fits into my kitchen wonderfully but it's metal.  As such it doesn't keep my tea very warm for long.  Now what is the point of that I ask you.  I have smaller ceramic ones but this is the only one that will do a big brew.  So tea cozys it is.  The yarn is Araucania which I bought at Ally Pally.  Unfortunately the photo doesn't show it off well as there is a lot more green in there.

I've done a picot hem but I've not quite decided that the top will be like.  However one thing I am sure of is that it will help keep my tea warm as the weather becomes colder.

Hmmmm speaking or tea - time to put the kettle on........