Woollythoughts

And these are the reason I've been quiet for a while.

All designed by Pat & Steve from Woollythoughts. If you want to see them for yourselves (and Pat & Steve) come and say hello at the Knitting and Crochet Guild stand at the Knitting and Stitching Show at Harrogate.

All are made with James Brett Marble from RKM, pure acrylic, but nice to knit with (if that isn't a contradiction in terms)




Best of Both Whirls
















Cubism













Curve of Pursuit













Fibre-nacci












Tilting at Windmills sewn up differently (maybe)













Square to Eternity












Square is it ?

How many squares can you see ?










Roundabouts










If you want to see the other patterns have a look here.
Patterns are well written and enjoyable to make and I even enjoyed sewing them up even though it took me ages to get round to it !!

And when I have the time I do plan to make some of the others....

Tis the season

First I really must show some goodies that have arrived recently.

From my secret pal all the way from Australia - some wonderfully soft wool, sweetly smelling traditional soap, chocolate with coffee, and a bookmark of the Harbour Bridge as well as a sticker with a kangaroo.
And look at the bag they came in - why dont we have bags like that over here ?



And my pal also sent me a postcard of the sheep with lots of wool (memory not what it should be, cant remember his name)

And I got some other sheepy stuff for being a good girl and not going to Ally Pally.

You might need to click to read the card - so true !!

I've not grown the sheep yet, time and motion problems....


Thank you secret pal and not so secret friend (sock yarn was wicked, and will be on the needles before the end of the year...)


And now some season fruitfulness...

And while I was clearing up recently I found this - it still needs to be finished after several years sitting in a bag. It was going to be a cushion but now I need to do some more edging so it can be framed...

Designed by Elian McCready.







And the shawl from the last post was the Autumn mystery shawl from Goddess Knits.

Here it is sitting the churchyard, not easy to photograph as it's rather large...

Yarn is Colinette old DK in sahara colourway.



I've been busy since my last post, doing lots of knitting ans sewing in ends, all will be revealed soon.

I went to Get Knitted on Saturday and met Rain and Terri and sat and spun on Sue's comfy sofas for most of the day. Rain brought along her friend Steph who has only been knitting for a week and brought more yarn than the rest of us ! It was so good to see such an enthusiastic new knitter and I look forward to seeing her blog and what she makes with the pack of yarn she went home with !!
I was good and only came away with yarn with a purpose, which I'm not sharing as most were for presents...

Let it rain !!

Yesterday was dry and sunny.

I spent a lot of it on a ladder...


This is the state of the guttering - note the gap at the far end between the gutter and the house...



I didn't take that many photos during the day





It took me a while to tie the gutter to the house - it is/was cast iron and I wanted it where I could control it...



(My neighbours did think that I was madder than usual taking photos of what I was doing...)





And dangling in the air... while I tried to work out what to do next...



It did break into three foot lengths when I pulled and I didn't drop them - or fall off the ladder !!!







And the new guttering up.

What I didn't realise is that the back board (facia ?) was very rotten in places, so at some point it will all have to come down and go up again - but that will be a job for another day (month!)








And look it goes round the corner ... and more exciting the water does go into the new water butt...
I ache today !!!

But to prove that I have been having fun

Morris has been in action... this is the result of the tops that Ruth sent me a while back.. it still needs setting - not sure what it will be, probably a scarf ...

And I went on a outing last Friday and got some yarn with a purpose...

No pictures of the whole until tomorrow when It has finished blocking...

Until then here is a small preview - it ended up bigger than I thought it was going to be.. wonders of lace using DK

If anyone can guess what pattern it is they can have the remaining nearly two hanks - just leave a comment...

Things I learnt yesterday

Yesterday was my exam in the Blind College in Hereford. I got there early and sat and knitted outside watching and listening to the students.

I learnt that blind students tend to be loud.
White sticks have roller balls at their ground end.
Signs that say 'Silence Exam in progress' aren't necessarily able to be read by all....

Having said that it was an interesting place to spend an hour before my exam, there was a question asked by another student as we waited outside 'can they smell our fear?'

The time past quickly and as usual I've no idea how I've done, but think I've managed to get enough marks to pass. I was not my favourite course, I'm so glad to see the end of it !!

It's strange after all the study I've done in the last year not to have any books that I need to read and remember. I'm having a break from study until February and then it will be my first level three course (gulp)

And today I've spent listening to the rain and knitting. The guttering is not attached to the house yet, I'm hoping that it will be dry at the end of the week and then I can have a go at it - my main worry is how to get the cast iron stuff off without doing me or the house mischief... and is there anything I can tie it to so that it stays where I want it to be...

I'm off to try and finish a shawl, only 54 rows to go, problem is the rows are rather long... there maybe pictures in a few days...

Thank You Secret Pal

I'm easily pleased, just send me a New Jersey Cow magnet, a sheep notepad and throw in some Socks that Rock and some chocolate and I'm a very happy girl !!

The book is 70's fashion at it's best, luckily there are not many patterns (but I have probably got some originals upstairs...)

At the front are some ear rings, with little hands at the bottom which say 'hand made'

And for a clue as to where my pal is from some Vegemite....

Loopy loves Penny Lane !

For those that humoured me over the summer..

The most unusual place that Loopy visited was Penny Lane !!!

Behind the fence is my school playing fields - at the other end of the road is where my doctors was when I was growing up. My uncle was in a nursing home on the road as well so I dont think it is very unusual .....

So I win a Loopy gift certificate !!!

I'm a happy girl :-))

I think I might have a bit of a break from revision this morning, and the exciting thing I'm going to do .. go and buy some guttering and see if I can fix the drip above the back door... And dont worry it's only six foot off the ground so I wont have far to fall, just the interesting problem of how to get 8 metres of guttering in the car.... (Ok I do know that it comes in 2 metre lengths before anyone thinks I dont know what I'm doing !!)

Stress, Show, Shop

Only a week to go and I can read what I want to without having to pay attention and remember facts... I'm starting to get very stressed out by the whole thing, will I remember enough facts and dates. More random facts :

Spa towns were named after Spa in Belgium

Smallpox inoculations were introduced to Britain in 1717 by the wife of the ambassador to Turkey, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu.

There was no retirement age until the state pension was introduced in 1907.

The National Association for the Prevention of Tuberculosis became the British Heart Foundation.

I've only got one book left to take notes on and then I have to magic it all together and see if it makes sense...

So as a result of all the study I'm going to miss Ally Pally :-(

But I will make up for it at Harrogate at the end of November :-)

And I will be at Get Knitted, on Saturday 27 October, if anyone is around and wants to come and say hello and talk to me whilst I knit knickers and pretend that I'm at a knitting show...

Parcels and Purchases

These are my Rowan exchange presents, knitted by the lovely Carol.

A lovely sea lettuce scarf with matching lavender pouch, helping to keep me relaxed whilst studying.

And a sheep tape measure that I'm not going to let






Ruth (who sent this little lot) see....


This is a not so subtle hint for me to do some spinning.... And when I finish reading my books I'm going to allow myself half a day with Morris..









And I seem to be good at taking blurred photos at the moment...

I got some books at Exeter...

Hot Textiles is by Kim who shows at ICHF shows, and is on my wavelength....

Crochet toys - you need to look at it - there are lobsters, walrus and the cows drink milk...






And I've been wanting to buy some of these for a while...

From Jolly Red 'A Gardener's Bottom'

and ' Line Dried'

Very silly but had to be done...

The only yarn I bought was for a swap and to knit for a friend - how good is that !!

And I managed to confuse Anna on Web of Wool by buying lots of her clover yarn cutters... mainly for volunteers who thought they were wonderful.

And now I'm going back to my books - random fact of the day - plants can get sexually transmitted diseases...

WI Embroidery

Also at ICHF shows is a section with lots of WI embroideries some are modern and some are not - the earliest I saw was from 1919...

Queen is done in fillet crochet...















As I took then photos (badly) on Saturday night I wasn't paying attention to what they were...

So I think it is best to let the picture speak for themselves..




















































This one was old.... 1919 they think...






































And who wouldn't like to sit on this ?


This week they are in Harrogate with Gill
(who will probably have pins in her hands as I type !!)

Gingerbread House

I'm having a quick catch up - sorry lots of photos !!! But I think they are worth it...


A knitted gingerbread house...

It will be at all ICFH shows this season.

Knitted to raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital and The North Devon Hospice.






The windows all have sweets round them...

Everything is knitted or covered in knitting (the chairs)..











The walls are knitted, and so is the floor,


And so are the pictures and the clock.

The fire extinguisher is there because the fire brigade in Bideford said it was a fire hazard - how many woollen houses do you know spontaneously combust ?












There was someone in residence, looking very happy.

His breakfast was cooking on the stove, and his bed ready if he felt tired...
















Someone had been baking a cake...

and there were fresh flowers on the dresser...













For those that miss it there is a book available with lots of ginger recipes, the pattern for the gingerbread men, and some photos of how the house came to be.. I will try and find out if they are selling it mail order...

Home

I got home last night to a message from my neighbour:

Cats have been good.
They had a big rat.....

Does that sound like good to you ???

They did live it outside which was good, and she had been feeding them !

I will update with happenings of the weekend, and parcels that have arrived, need to find camera and some time....