I Knit with Amy Singer

Amy Singer, editor of knitty.com, will be with us at the end of October to teach a few classes and to meet of few more British knitters. The classes, on 28/29 October, will be held at The Union Jack Club, just around the corner from the shop on Waterloo Road. This means we will be able to celebrate all weekend long with lots of tea and cake and knitting at the shop.
This is Amy with Jan and Coral the last time she was at the shop. Amy is really excited about her classes and can't wait to meet more British knitters so please feel welcome to visit the shop even if you don't get to a class. Amy is particularly excited to be teaching her beginners spinning on a drop spindle. The silk and the drop spindle will be supplied by Amy herself which really is an extra bonus! Ann Kingstone and Jan Curchin are also teach over the weekend.

You can buy classes here>>>

Saturday 29 October afternoon at the shop will give us a chance to knit and chat with Amy at the Crafternooon tea. There'll be lots of cake and tea and loads and loads of yarn!

I Knit or Dye, socks by Janet

My friend Lorraine sent me this photo by text message earlier today.

I love her legs even more than the rest of her now I've seen them clad in these fine hand knit socks! They were knit by her mum, Janet, in Cheshire using yarn dyed by yours truely! The sock pattern is also related - it's from my book, a pattern by Melissa! Her mum said that she loved the yarn. Of course she did! and she is now working on a scarf for Jane with some other I Knit or Dye yarn. Lorraine and Jane or very lucky Ladies!

I replied with a picture asking Lorraine if her mum needed any more yarn. Lemme know, Janet!

On a completely non knitty note I have recently made friends with someone who was a good friend 20 years or so ago. It's been very nice facebook emailing him - he also knew Jane and Lorraine. We were all much, much younger at the time.

Gxx

PS Amy Singer on sale tomorrow!

I Knit (not just) Sock Club, pt 2

The second part of the sock club went out last week. We've had lots of emils and calls to say how much it has been loved! The yarn is from Naturadl Dye Studio. The colourway is Sea Cabbage, which is not the colourway used for wither of the pattern you see below, it is a gorgeous green with light, almost yellow, spots.

The Sock pattern below is one of my designs and is called Twisted. I love the diamonds and even though this isn't the easiest sock to knit the raised single stitch cable is really effective against the reverse stocking stitch background, so it's worth it. The yarn used for the sock is an I Knit or Dye 100% merino sock yarn.This is a scarfusing and Estonian pattern that I really love. At the centre of the cross is a stitch that has a greathas a great effect.The ayrn used for the scarf, also designed by me, is another I Knit or Dye yarn, 50% merino 50% silk. It's really gorgeous!Thank you to Jan for being a gorgeous model.

Dry, my pretties, dry!

I am loving this dyeing business. even though it is quite a palava, I absolutely love it. I have a fab set up, if I do say so myself, but I've realsied that I don't need the drying room in the summer as the shop, some days, is hotter than the surface of the sun. Or there abouts. I'm sure a lot of dyers would say drying the yarn in the shop is a bit odd but they only come upstairs at night, they are dry (mostly) by morning.
I usually leave them hanging in the shop for a few hours after I've opened but that's because they are so pretty. This current batch is a 2ply lace merino and it's gorgeously smooth and scrumptious. I only managed three kilos yesterday as I got a bit distracted Rebeka Brooks on iPlayer.

The hank on the top far right of this picture is reserved for purchased tomorrow. That's just happened as I'm writing this and serving the odd customer at the same time.

There's a trio of very well behaved ladies in at the moment from Devon. I hope they didn't think I was mean by not making them coffee - 'only cold drinks during the day'. It was really because Ecco sells much nicer (real) coffee than I could ever make.There's been a lot happening recently and I wish I could show pictures of the patterns for the (not just) sock club but I think I'll wait until the end of this week just so the people outside the UK get their parcels.

Camp Bestival next week, can't wait!!!!!!!!!

I Knit Guernsey finalists chosen

I've just helped choose the five finalists for the I Knit Guernsey competition. It was very exciting to see all the entires and discuss what they qualities. I know a few people who have entered but the entries, brought over on behalf of Visit Guernsey by Sarah, were all nameless.

The winners will be contacted today or tomorrow, I believe, and the next stage is to knit your sweater. I'm soooo looking forward to seeing the real, live, knitted Guernseys. The five finalists we chose are all great but I know once they are knitted they are going to speak to us in different ways than the sketches, charts, photographs, etc did!

The Guernseys will then be shipped to Guernsey to half of the juding panel and then sent on to the other judges and there'll be a conference call to discuss the winner.

There will be an event to celebrate the competition and the winner and runners up some time mid October, during National Knitting Week so there will be news of that date very soon.

So, I'm excited by the conference call. However, I would rather there was a trip to Guernsey!!!!

Oh well, just because I can't go doesn't mean you shouldn't.

What are you waiting for, it's Summer! Visit Guernsey, NOW!

I Knit with Ann Kingstone

Yesterday was my birthday. I had a great day and the highlight was the fab afternoon spent at the shop with Ann Kingstone and other friends. Ann travelled from the north to launch her new book Novel Knits. We had a great time with lots of tea and cake and knitting and a light sprinkling of cider and wine. Below (sorry about the pictures but I had to use my phone as I left the camera sim card at home!) is Ann posing with her book and some of the garments that gorgeously decorated the shop for the afternoon.

Here is some of the cake. I attempted to pretend that I baked these two but I had to admit, eventually, that as I didn't have time I went to Konditor and Cook. Anyway, they were gorgeous, as were the home baked cakes from Liz, Maggie, Jan and Sevitry and thanks to Yvonne for the sandwiches. There was so much cake, as usual, that I have a bit of a sugar hangover today.
Anyway, the book! Novel Knits is fantastic and I'm so proud to know yet another fantastic British designer and I recommend this book very, very much. You can buy it from our online shop. Or if you prefer an electronic PDF version you can buy that from Ravelry! I believe that the US publication of the book is imminent, also!
This is Pemberley. It is inspired by Jane Austin's Pride and Prejudice. It is really stunning and I think when Ann visited us a couple of months ago, on the day of the first sock club party, she was actually knitting it.
This is Lissuin, inspired by Tolkien. Lissuin is a sweet smelling flower! This sweater is stunning, so much so that Sandra could not contain her excited so snatched it and ran to the basement only to return a minute later to model it for us.

There is so much in the book and they are all stunning, really. There are gloves inspired by the unbreakable curse from JK Rowlings' Harry Potter!

You should buy this book!

I Knit a shawl

I made a shawl. I love making shawls. I've been waiting to block this for a couple of weeks because I can't find my blocking wires. We sell wires in the shop but our suppliers have had a few problems with their supply so they've taken a few weeks longer to get her - they'll be here on Tuesday! Anyway, a friend brought some to the shop and I blocked!

This is Deborah, in a Gaga moment, wearing the shawl.

It's Sylvie Beez' Little Valentine. It's an easy knit. The chart repeats aren't that regular until the last section so I couldn't do anything without the pattern but I loved it, and I love the finished product.
Prince, Michael Jackson offspring or just plain crazy person? The pictures were taken in the shop and I think we annoyed/irritated/freaked out a couple of people. Sorry about that, although it was Friday afternoon!
This is my favourite picture. I made it with the I Knit or Dye yarn from the first installment of the I Knit (not just) Sock Club. The yarn is called Bachelorette. There is less pink in mine than in others I've seen but I still love it.

The second installment of the (not just) sock club is available tomorrow for those who want to pick it up at the shop. I hope lots of people bring in FO with the yarn from the first parcel.

I Knit or Dye

It was so hot in the shop yesterday that I thought rather than use the radiator in the basement I would simply hang the newly dyed, still wet yarn in the shop to dry. It dried in super quick time; it was at least 24 degrees outside so must have been 28 inside. Pan and I were almost passing out by the time Coral came in at 3pm, not second before, not a second after.
They look a bit sexier when the ties are taken off and the are twisted into hanks. The camera doesn't do the colours justice, I'm afraid.

This is for Coral. She loves the pink and purple together. She asked me to put green together with pink and purple but I haven't had the stomach for that yet. Maybe I'll do that next week!

This yarn is called Rubber Sole. It's 50% silk, 50% merino. I wasn't too sure about it until I knitted with it and it's amazing. I've just finished a xxxx with it. I can't show you pictures of the xxxx yet because it's for the (not just) sock club. I'll post pictures next week. Two of the below colourway, called I Would Die 4 U, sold while I was having a lunch break - before I had a chance to attach a label!

I Knit London, panoramic!

We had a visit from a google photographer this morning. He was taking shots of inside and outside the shop which will soon be available in google maps! The camera was quite impressive - I didn't take a good enough picture, though! The lens was massive and convex and it even caught the attention of a few people outside the shop.
I was glad my friend Deborah was her and I decorated her with a kidsilk shawl. I couldn't get her to knit, though. Apparently, our faces will be blurred out when the pictures go online.