I Knit London Tweets

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Lil' Louis' Liverpool mittens, and hedgehogs dressed as postmen...

It's been a very long week. Thanks to everyone who has sent messages to both of us this week, me with my trapped nerve (not getting any better I must say) and Gerard on his new uncledom. G went home to Liverpool at the weekend for his first avuncular cuddle and took with him a bounty of knitted goodies. I couldn't travel so stayed in London, watched films ate pizza and chocolate. Here's some pics of little Louis' first gifts...


The hat has been around for while just waiting for a baby to be honest, but it's so adorable and has three cute little pom-poms on the top that just top it off perfectly. It's in Rooster DK. The mittens are part of a double act along with a pair of similar striped bootees in Liverpool Footbal Club colours - these are in Artesano's Inca Cloud 100% alpaca and are just so soft,

Louis will be snuggling up in them right now! And the second set of bootees... well, how cute? I think G is already on his third set of bootees, and has just bought Zoe Mellor's 50 Bootees to Knit book...so another 49 will be heading up to new nephew in the coming months. I do believe Louis will be the most spoilt (knitting-wise) baby EVER!
Edit - the pattern is Saartje's Bootees, I got the link from Brooklyn Tweed's blog.

Meanwhile, back on home ground we have been enjoying the last (first) of the summer's sunshine. A brilliant knitting group on Wednesday night at the shop, more knitting out in the square a) because it was a balmy summer's eve and b) because there was no room inside. Once again, lots of new faces, lots of cider, lots of banter. And, if we may big ourselves up a bit, we even have a quote for the billboards outside - "This is the only knitting group worth travelling across London for!" - aw, thanks. Honestly, and I know how cheesy this sounds, but, the knitting group only works because of the people who come, and maybe we just get the coolest, friendliest knitters at IKL...who knows? Anyway, I know we love our Wednesday nights and will continue to do so!

Tonight was the film night (we showed the original Hairspray) and, again, it was great. We finally met with Justine too, who has been organising, via the omnipresent Ravelry, a book club for knitters, which we agreed tonight we would host at IKL. Funnily enough we thought of hosting a book group last year just after we opened, but couldn't decide if knitters had time to read (!), and then once all our evenings filled up the idea waned. We were also slightly reticent to take someone's idea away, so it's not an I Knit book club, although it'll be here once a month, and the name will be decided soon. I'm actually really looking forward to getting into it. I haven't read a book in almost two years - shameful. But what with running the shop, full-time job, knitting dos and now Facebook and Ravelry I just don't know when I've got time! So, basically having someone organise for me what I'll read and when is brilliant. The first book is Patricia Highsmith's The Cry of the Owl and the first meeting is on 25th September. Can't wait!

One other thing this week which opened my eyes was the response to the newsletter. Knitters are a funny lot and I try my best to put as much in there as I can without becoming too boring and rattling on (like now). But we've started to feature, each week, one of the most exciting things we've had delivered that week to the shop - honestly, sometimes we even fight over which of us gets to open the parcels! Last week I finally managed to get stock of Jean Greenhowe's knitted dolls/toys books. Well, call me old-fashioned but I think they are genius...and the reputation of IKL was at stake choosing them over, say Rowan Magazine 42 (yawn). But, thankyou to all those who have shared their JG love. We ain't high-end down here in Vauxhall...and how can you resist a hedgehog dressed up as a postman?


5 comments:

scullyknits said...

i like the idea of making ahedgehog dressed as a postman, with a toilet roll holder- as that book is v good as well.
Thanks for another great film night.
Gerard- can you reveal where you got the pattern for the green booties please? I am thinking about them constantly..
Lynsey

magnusmog said...

JG also does the best easy christmas stocking patterns that can be knitted on two needles and any spare leftover yarn. Perfect for new nephews....

I got Rowan 42 and took it back to the shop to sway the next day - I wore enough of that stuff in the 80's. Never again :)

NigelG said...

My first comment on any blog ever in the whole wide world - could never see the point. At the moment I am still hoping to come up to iKL one night but working in Brighton and livng in Redhill.... (is just an excuse). Please take the following from from a chap who has no knitting friends to speak of (excpet my brother who started me off on this about 20 years ago and doesn't do much himself now) and I just love to chat knitting - loads of admirers and 'I'll commission one of your jumpers' type of comment all the time - you must know the sort of thing.

I just don't geddit but I cannot see the attraction of making toys which have to be stuffed and sown up. Maybe I'll be different when I have grandchildren and will start making bootees and hat(ees). Persuade me - no really.

I love taking on a REAL patterns especially if I am improvising the colours as I go. As for your comments on Rowan 42 - yes I admit the last 2 or 3 have been a bit of a yawn although I have done 1 or 2 out of each, but, for me, 42 is the best for a long while and could well keep me going for ages. The trouble is not talking to knitters. I am not in touch with 'what's going down on the street' What are you all thinking about what's going on? Yes I know, 'Come down one night' And I am a bit (a lot actually) of a Rowan snob - persuade me otherwise. Is Kaffe just passe or cool or Brandon Mably cooler - or not - I don't know - I just know that, without realising it until I had picked them, I have done about 4 of Brandons recently without consciously choosing his patterns. At the moment I am doing Great Plains from his Brilliant Knits in my own colours. If anyone knows it, the graph in my edition didn't match the wording or the pictures so I am having great fun every 2 or 3 rows having to make a creative decision on what colour to use next - FAB!. Anyway that's another chat.
It's been great!
Nigel

Anonymous said...

I was just wondering what yarn you used for those booties? I love the choice of colours!
Louise

Gerard said...

louise, these are donein Rooster almerino DK - colours caviar and...erm..a greeny one I can't remember the name of!