Thankyou and good night!

It's with regret that I'm signing off for the time being. I just don't have the time to devote to blogging at the moment.

I'm still knitting every day and you can find me as shawlrat on Ravelry - hope to see you there!

Happy knitting and thankyou to all my readers.

Stash enhancement and the credit crunch

Firstly apologies for absence - busy at work etc.
Now to business and a visit with the laydeez to Ally Pally Knitting and Stitching Show yesterday.
I managed to flash the cash and flex the plastic which could be construed as multi-tasking. In these hard times I feel it my duty to help small businesses.
Above is some of what I bought including Kauni, an Estonian yarn which I had heard about before; 4 Ply multicoloured wool which has a harsh feel but makes up into a much softer fabric. Inside the green exterior is a mix of browns and oranges. I got it from Scandinavian Knitting Design ( website of the same name )where they had some lovely yarns and samples.
It struck me that there were more beads and fabric this year and, although crowded, it was not manic. Speaking to Alice from Socktopus, she said they had a good show but she felt not as hectic as last year.
I also attended a seminar about knitting groups in schools with Erika Knight who is very passionate about reinstating craft work into the school timetable. Certainly food for thought!
We had a grand day out and thanks to Maggie for driving.

Ski scarf

Here is what I've been working on this week - easy knitting with a purpose! I bought one new ball of black tweedy aran to pull the leftovers together and this is the result.

Cast on 52 sts using 5mm needles. Work in 4 X 4 rib in random stripes for as long as you like - et voila! - a very warm scarf for outdoor pursuits and I've used up a lot of leftover yarns.

Currently planning my Ally Pally purchases, but when I get there the plan goes out of the window as I'm confronted with too many temptations!

Latest projects

This is my February sweater in progress - so called because it's based on an Elizabeth Zimmerman design from her Knitter's Almanac ( one of the best value knitting books ever ).
You can get the free pattern from www.flintknits.com where the site owner has upsized it to fit adults.

As you can see it looks like a rag, but somewhere in there is a garter stitch yoke and lace body and sleeves. When it's finished , I will post pictures. Clearly, I am not using the recommended yarn which is aran weight - this yarn is Colinette Parisienne mohair which I had been saving for just such an event. I even did a tension square!

There is a support group for this sweater on Ravelry. I recommend Ravelry - there are support groups for everything and you can really get organised with stash, books etc. There was a waiting list to join but it's worth it and I keep in touch with several old friends that way.

Also, I have been knitting some Noro Cashmere Island fingerless gauntlets which I can't show you because I left them at school. I've also started a scarf for skiing son based on leftovers from all the ski hats I've made him brought together with a base of Rowanaran weight tweed. This is in it's very early stages.

Finally, I have the germ of an idea for a freeform leaf scarf which I may well develop in the near future. The good thing about freeform is making small pieces at a time and using up oddments. Bizarrely, I'm feeling thrifty at the moment. That will all go out of the window at Ally Pally!

Advance warning

If you like Opal sock yarn and / or Harry Potter you'll love the new sock yarn due in Autumn. Go to www.opalsockyarn.com for a slideshow of the colourways - some very good ones!

I'm away for a few days next week on a trip to the French seaside, but not near a yarn shop. Who chose this holiday?

Bookworm

Most of you will know that I am a bookworm as well as a knitter and this is one of my latest purchases. It was something of an afterthought - I was ordering from Amazon and added it as an extra to make up to the free delivery mark. ( The fact that I would have saved more money had I not bought it escaped me! )

Anyway, it turns out to be one of the best knitting books I have bought for a while - "Knitalong"
celebrating the tradition of knitting together, by Larissa and Martin John Brown. There are sections on knitting groups, history, blogs, knitting cafe, swaps and charity knitting. Also, there are 20 patterns for interesting and usable projects which are suitable for group or individual knitting. A comparatively small book with a lot of content.

I had been thinking about using up my leftover sock wool for some time and this book comes up with a great project for this exact scenario ( see blanket on bed above ). Excellent!

Autumn shows

It hardly seems possible, but I'm already looking fwd to the autumn knitting shows. I just booked in for Ally Pally on the Saturday. This is not my usual day, but there is a class that I want to attend on that day. I've been asked to start a knitting group for students at the school where I work and there is a class at the show concerned with just such a scenario.

Also, I'm anticipating I-Knit early in September where I'm hoping that the Yarn Harlot from Canada will be as amusing as her blog.

Two opportunities for stash enhancement - woop,woop!