Woolfest planning

We have a van to sleep in, but it is not very big so an awning has been purchased - it is huge (and so is my front garden luckily!!)

The dog seemed to like it as well which is good !!

The neighbours were a bit confused, but we were good entertainment for them on a boring Sunday afternoon :-)

I'm going to be on the Kindred Knitters stand at Woolfest.

One of the demos that I will be doing is shadow knitting.

It is not the easiest thing to photograph but hopefully you can see what is hiding in the scarf that is going to be in the sheep auction (a bit of a hint there!)

And this is a shot of them hiding..



My job for today is to finish the scarf - another three sheep required and then do a sample for the demo.





I'm starting my Woolly adventure tomorrow afternoon (once I've made lots of cake)

I've checked the space in the van and there is lots, and I get to sit in the back with my feet up and knit all the way north - not been able to do that for many a year !!



And if anyone wants to make a sheep while I'm gone here are the instructions:



Shadow Knitted Sheep.

Shadow knitting is an illusion effect where patterns appear when viewed from different angles. For each charted row four rows are worked, two in each colour.

Cast on 24 stitches in background colour, then follow chart below.
Each row on chart represents four rows as follows:

Knit all stitches in background colour.
Knit blank squares, purl X squares in background colour.
Knit all stitches in sheep colour.
Purl blank squares, knit X squares in sheep colour.

Cast off.

Notes:

All the counting is done from the wrong side

Each row on the chart represents four rows to be worked.

Row ‘sets’ and stitches are numbered on the chart.

(Hopefully you can click on the chart to make it readable - if not if you Rav or email me your email address I can email the full instructions on my return)

If anyone is at the show, please come and say hello - we have been promised lots of chairs so you can rest your feet at the same time !!

Still Alive...

..I think ;-)

In the last few weeks I've travelled from home to nearly Scotland and then back home before travelling down to nearly the south coast. I did remember what my name was but at one point last weekend forgot where I was or what I was meant to be doing...



The stand was very woolly (naturally) Daffy was joined by her cousin Rosie.

Thanks to all that helped and stopped to say hello, and made the show go well. I was suffering on the Friday from dehydration - I really should remember to drink when I'm travelling and enjoying myself with friends...





For friends that like steam trains, this is where we ended up in the drizzle....



We were in an closed carriage on the way up the hill (Ravenglass railway)



I've no idea what 'Boot' is but should probably look in the book of the history of the railway...



Rosie & I were brave on the way back - we were in a roofed carriage with open sides. Surprisingly we managed to keep relatively dry on the way back to the station.

We both found that taking pictures from a moving train was difficult - but I did manage to get a photo of these ....

And we passed another train at a station, luckily for us the school children got on this train and not ours....









There were lots of different types of sheeps living beside the track, these didn't seem to like the smoke from the train (or it could have been the rain...)






The Lovely Amber made me a new friend, isn't she great. She must have realised that I dont have my heating on much as she is modelling a thick coat ;-)









And look what I won in Sue's blog competition, made by Jan (from a pattern in her book)

Sorry it is a really bad photo, but a lovely shawl to cuddle up to in the cold - it might have to be my evening wrap...




And these are some of my purchases from Woolfest... two hanks from Krafty Koala, some braids of tops and cranford mitten kit from Yarn Yard.

I do already own the head at the right (or does he own me ?)

And the cone is some Wood & Milk lace weight from Uppingham yarns (might be a milk thistle at some point..)




And then there was some things to spin, and a bosworth purple heart midi to spin with....
(which I've just realised that I've cut off the photo...)

More batts from Yarn Yard, and assorted from nice people....



Last week was KCG AGM in Winchester, on the way down they played the Road to Hell on the radio, one lady couldn't get into her bedroom (the key she was trying to use had a honda fob), I was the youngest staying, I was also one of the ones that was running round trying to make everything run smoothly as possible...

And since I was made secretary I have been busier that ever since I've been home.

Sickly boy has got to have an operation on Wednesday to remove one side of his thyroid and have his teeth done - I'm hoping that it will sort out his levels, I'm thinking of starting knitting and spinning lessons for the rest of the waiting room in the vets...

And I'm trying to do some knitting with patterns from here
They are really well written and ended up buying lots of colours from here
They have the cheapest Cascade 220 I could find, and free postage and it arrived the day after I ordered :-)

Enough of my wittering, I thought I would share this, it made me laugh...how did they get it like that ??? And it made my local news...

Some thought it would never happen...

I have this throw, I cant remember how old it is, I did have it the first time I went to Harogate - which must be three or four years ago....


For those that looked they liked, but I didn't like them looking at the back








Well now they can without me feeling embarrassed... for yes Terri I have sewn all the ends in - you no longer need to ask people admiring it to sew some in for me (and she did at Bovey, one lovely lady spent a while dealing with my ends..)

(and this really is the back...)







And just how many ends were there ???


Quite a lot and I know they are blurred, but you get the idea...

So I have one item all ready to travel north - I'm hoping by the end of the night I will have all the stand packed away ready to go into the car...

Another busy day out and about tomorrow and then the journey north on Wednesday - I'm not really looking forward to the drive, I think it will take about 7 hours including stops... And I'm kidnapping friends on Thursday and taking them on a steam train... and then the 'fun' starts. Do come and say hello if you are visiting Woolfest - if we are busy and talking interrupt and say Hi :-)

Meet Rosie

I have been knitting like a madder than usual woman recently.

I thought Daffy was for the Welsh and as Woolfest is nearer Lancashire we should have a Rose for the stand.

I cast on on 11 June... 11 days later I cast off ...







It is getting a bit of a habit but I wanted to change her colour when I'd finished...

Lancashire Roses are red not pink, so into the oven she went... And before I get told Yorkshire also has a rose, I am aware but it is the wrong colour ;-)

And when she came out and I'd crawled around on the floor she looked like this !!







And a comparison of the colours - and it shows how little yarn I used for her. The cone is hardly touched...

She is smaller than she should be I stopped at round 103 instead of the 152 she should have been.

She is 28 inches in diameter.





And a close up of one of her petals

Very pretty even if I do say myself :-)





FOR THOSE COMING TO WOOLFEST, THE KCG HAVE BEEN GIVEN A FREE UPGRADE TO A DOUBLE STALL - WE ARE NOW NEAR THE WOOL CRECHE AND BLOGGERS CORNER - DO COME OVER AND SAY HELLO TO ME, AMBER AND ROSIE AND JANE AND MR MOG :-) and blogless Fran, Laura and Chris and anyone else that happens to be looking at my knickers...

If you have any oddments of yarn that you dont want we will gladly take them off your hands and put them to good use teaching finger knitting, knitting, crochet and anything else that we can think of ;-)

Woolfest

I'm back home after a big adventure, and a long time in the car !!

I met lots of people, including Ambermoggie, Badger, Alicat, Joy, Wormhead, with her Mum and Auntie, Susoolu, Carrie-Anne, knit-tigger Sarah Sarah Helen Alice Jane and Laura, Jo, the Cleveland Fibre artists, Pat & Linda from Down South, Doreen and her husband, and lots more people...



I didn't take as many photos as some, but here are some sheep waiting in a pen










And these were their friends in the next pen just after having a hair cut...

I wasn't paying enough attention on the breeds, all too exciting ....







Some black sheep with bracken attached










And some cute Alpacas...









This is the balled addition to stash - I got two packs of the wine from Jamiesons - it was rude to leave it behind at a bargain price.

The other ball is one of nettle, I blame Ruth Lee for that one....





And some fibre - the packs are going to go with the green that I have already spun (foolishly I didn't take a sample to match against so went for a contrasting colour)
The Merino & Silk came from Winghams, Ruth got them all out for me and then suggested which one should come home with me - sometimes it is not good when the stall holders know you !!!

And then there is a pattern for Sue the Ewe to please Susan.
Two packs of glove needles from Scottish Fibres.
And some Ashford Dyes from Winghams.

I also got some back copies of Interweave Knits and Spin Off magazines.

And then there were a few fleeces, an Organic Cotswold and a Hebridean, and one from Linda (which is already in a water bath...)

I'm booked in again next year, so see you then :-)