cosies

As it's Christmas, I thought it would be good to show you a couple of Christmas Cozies.



this is a jaywalker cosy for my brand new shiney camera.

I love the jaywalker pattern, it looks great and it's so easy.

I love point 5, too, it's knit so quickly and this tea cosy took about 2 hours. I made it ages ago but people in the shop love it. It would be nothing without the pompom.

p.s. thank you (and sorry) to those of you who have left comment. I had no idea that they needed to be verified before they would appear on the blog. We weren't ignoring you, we're just a bit tecno-shy.
Gxx

The best present

Thank you, Valerie, my mum was a bit upset but it really is the best Christmas present, ever.

I thought I was going to die

This is a picture of what I thought would be the cause of my death this Christmas. After a very relaxing Christmas, although my plan of sitting in front of the TV all Christmas was almost foiled by the crap that was on offer, we ventured into central London. We found ourselves in Leicester Square with a idea about seeing a film but we came upon a mini fair ground.

The fair is there very year and gets bigger each time. We decided to go on one ride. The ride had no queue (which later attributed that to the fact that it cost £5).

I've no idea what it is called but it looked great fun. It wasn't for me but Craig loved it. I just swore a lot. It was like a big spinning scales type of thing with 4 people at either end and naturally in order for 4 of those people to exit/enter the other 4 people had to sit a the top waiting. We were lucky as we only had this experience at the end of the ride but by that time I was actually shaking and I hink I even prayed! I've no idea how high it was but it was just higher than all the building in Leicester Square.

It took a while before my legs stopped quivering. I used to love going to the fair. I can't believe I got so scared, I'm getting old! I'll probably moan about the noise of the fire works on new years eve!

The views of London were amazing though, particulary as I spun upside down at the top end of the cycle.

As I said I just swore a great deal.



















We also visited a couple of music shops and we saw the second single from 586. I went to college with Deborah, the lead singer and we've been close friends since, If you haven't alreadyget the record, Money is the drug, now, you can even download it from iTunes!






















The shop was quiet yesterday, apart from the noise of the sewing machine - the river is almost twice the size it was when we took it to Jubilee Gardens. There are still thousands to sew together and we are using it in a stunt in central London in Febuary so the pressure is on.














This is from a school in Darlington. If it's not obvious, this role contains over a thousand squares, they very kindly sewed the squares into blankets which made it very easy for me to produce what you see above.

I got a camera for Chritmas, can you tell. From Craig, isn't he lovely.

Get 'em while they're young...

Hey Jackie, here's the pic as promised! We held a kids party in the shop last weekend (get 'em when they're young I say) and it was great. It was really inspiring to see them get so involved and take their knitting away home for more. Jackie helped out and took some stuff for her kids too (she nannies, not really 'hers' if you see what I mean) and here they are knitting away. Great stuff, I can see an owl already, the sky's the limit now. Thanks for the pic Jackie, and thanks for being such a big part of the knitting group this year....

And thanks too to everyone who has been to an I Knit London meeting, visited us at Spitalfields Market or popped into the shop. We've been encouraged by everyone's support, we've had a great year, some brilliant nights in the pub, we've learnt lots about running a business (and we're still learning) and we've knit quite a bit of stuff too - but most of all we've genuinely made some great friends and had a fabulous time. Awww. This whole experience would not be the same without all the I Knit Londoners who make it worth doing in the first place. We are gearing up for 2007 with more knitting, more club nights, more cakes, more drinks....

Crochet, Christmas, classic movies and Caroline or Change

It's been another busy week. The Wednesday meeting at the New Players Theatre was much smaller affair than usual but just as enthusiastic. They had the most amazing garlic bread with cheese I've ever tasted. There was a nice relaxed feel about it, even though there was a rush to finish stuff in time for Christmas. It was great to see Tom's huge scarf getting a public airing, it's so big I bothered that it might never get cold enough to actually wear it.

I'm getting there with the Tapestry hat for my lucky Secret Santa recipient. I was struggling at first but have got into the rib and it's going to be finished in time. Hurray! Unfortunately, out of all the people I thought I'd knit presents for this year the only one seems to be somebody from work. The family will have to wait til next year for theirs. There is such pressure to get everyone somehting knitted this year I just don't have the organisational skills to plan that far in advance. Not like Jon, his fabulous cardy for his mum was done and dusted weeks ago.

Gerard's crochet blanket is storming ahead though. Gorgeous Wensleydale pure wool, it's just perfect and his crocheting skills have usurped the knitting for now at least. I'm going to stick with the knitting for now and get more and more adventurous. it seems socks are the next thing cos everyone's doing them and I'm not.

We had some great news for the shop this week too - we got our premises licence. This means that we can officially supply alcohol to all those knitters who need some sustenance or just a relaxing glass of red over their knitting. Now there's even more reason to pop in and stay all day. We had a new face at last night's boys' night, and thanks to David for popping in at 2 in the afternoon and staying all night. We've also now got a licence to show films so we'll be having get-togethers in the New Year for a session with an old classic. It's taken an inordinate length of time to sort his out, what with

On the knitting group front, I've managed to grab a bunch of tickets for the brilliant musical Caroline, or Change at the National. On the 27th we'll be having the meeting there in the foyer and for those who want to see it there are some top price seats (£37.50) reduced to only a tenner. I first saw this show on bradway with Tom and loved it, and I'm so pleased we managed to get it to come over here. It's not your average happy-clappy musical though so don't expect any tap-dancing or jazz-hands.

Knitting with nets, secret Santas and the smoking ban pub crawl.

This knitting isn't good for the liver! We had a lovely Wednesday night meeting last night in the shop, mulled cider, choccy biscuits and Bing Crosby on the iPod. Ahh Christmas is here at last but we must be the only shop in the country that hasn't got a tree yet. Actually, Bing outstayed his welcome after a few numbers so we went back to shuffle. Nice biscuits though, and cider. Thanks to Jon for slaving over a hot stove with clementines at the ready and welcome back to Chris who hasn't been for a while but will always be welcome.

Work continues apace with the net curtains (started this months ago but as I do I put it to one side while I got on with other stuff) and it's taking on a nice shape. I left it unattended in the Pit Bar on Sunday night and it was vandalised with the addition of pink yarn and hideous acrylic spangly stuff...but I've kept it in as part of it's organic growth...and it looks quite good too. It'll be hanging up in the kitchen doorway soon, and I might just raid our stash and heap in a load of old yarn to give it a lift.

We also picked our secret Santas at (proper) work and the lucky recipient will be getting a stylish Rowan Tapestry hat...it won't really be a secret when he gets it but hey-ho. I usually end up getting someone I don't like (of course I like everyone I work with, who doesn't?) but this year I'm pleased and the hat will be lovely.

Gerard and I have been busy restocking after Rotterdam and we are wetting ourselves with anticipation at the gorgeous box of Tilli Tomas that's somewhere over the mid-Atlantic as we speak. There's also a box from Shetland winging it's way to Bonnington Square as well. I just love being in there surrounded by the wool and huddled around the heaters all snug like (and a mug of cider in one hand and a bit of knitting in the other - a bit tricky that). Speaking of multi-tasking I heard of someone who took up the needles to help give up the dreaded weed and has ended up doing both...at the same time. Can't quite work out where you hold what though.

Speaking of which, it's officially happening on the 1st July next year - that's no smoking in pubs no more! Hurray! We will be arranging for a very special IKL pub crawl for that day so keep your eyes posted on the website for further info. Perhaps we could link up with all the knitting groups in London and have a whole unofficial knit-in-the-pub Sunday? We'll see. We had a visit from the lovely Melanie who runs the East Dulwich knitting group at the weekend and we were inspired to celebrate the ban. Melanie's group have been lucky enough to find two non-smoking pubs already in the area so if you're one of those knitters who likes their yarn fresh after a hard day in the pub then go and see them on Sundays at the Herne Hill tavern.

Craig
IKL

A licensed pit of darkness, a trap of temptation, profligacy and ruin

So Charles Kingsley said of the Old Vic Theatre in the 1850s....and at the weekend you could add knitting to the list. We had a great time Sunday night at IKL's second club night for knitters. The Shellacs, Jodie Paxton, Gerard's rum n raisin n banana cake, beer, Lindy-hoppin' and loads of knittin' and purlin'. I've had a long day at workj today recovering from it, not least the bike ride home at 1am with a trailer full of yarn.

It was such a great do, and by midnight the knitting was still going strong. We had some non-knitting friends in who appeared stunned at the sight of a floor full of knitters and a floor full of dancing sharing the same space with three wind-up gramophones and copious amounts of alcohol. I'm still deciding whether to use the quote "It's the most surreal evening I've ever had" on our fliers in future. Thanks to everyone who came down, old and new and non-knitters alike, cake bakers and lindy-hoppers.



An especially big thanks must go to Jodie who tinkled the ivories in fine style and belted out 'Video Killed The Radio Star' like I've never heard it before, and the gorgeous Shellac Sisters who mustered up the wartime spirit and battled through a dodgy amp supplied by yours truly (care of the National Theatre).




The full photo gallery is now online at www.iknit.org.uk/photogallery-ikloldvic.html if you want to relive the soiree. We'll be doing it all again in a month's time so put it in your diary now and you might even get a seat next time.

C&G
IKL

what to do when the knitting's over?

After a long days knit we turn to www.reclaimyourself.co.uk

But the knitting should never be over, especially at the weekend! This weekend we will mostly be relaxing and knitting to the glory of the Shellac Sisters at The Old Vic Pit Bar, from 6pm on Sunday.

Apart from cake there will be drinking, dancing, singing, the river and lots and lots of hot needle action.

Time Out seem to like us, for obvious reasons! Knitting, apparently, is the new pomegranate. Check out this week's issue pages 132 and 133 - it's what Sundays were made for!

As if we needed to be told! See you on Sunday, and bring your knitted Christmas decorations!

G&C
xx