I've recently added a few new colourways to the Ziggy Stardust collection. The speckled effect is really popular so I thought I'd have a go and base it on song titles from David Bowie's The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders from Mars album.

Below are the first four colours. There are four more to come, I just haven't been as happy with the colours as I'd like to be so I'm still working on them. I reckon I'll be happy by next week, though, and so they'll be ready and online for sale.

buy them now at www.iknitshop.org.uk

Lady Stardust

Soul Love

Five Years

Moonage Daydream

I Knit or Dye STRIPES

I've been dyeing sock blanks for a while now to offer I Knit or Dye self striping sock yarn. They are a bit messy and take a little longer but I love the effect. I love the way the colours interact with each other when the sock blank is re-knitted into socks, I call this yarn Lazaretto. The most popular colour has always been the freedom rainbow flag. However while the Lazaretto is fab I have always dreamed of doing some 'proper' self striping sock yarn.

A few weeks ago Catriona tasked me with dyeing her some self striping sock yarn, she wanted purple and lime. Cat was a volunteer for me at Bestival in our knitting tent last September and so I couldn't refuse, really. Or rather, I couldn't resist. It took a while to get the right colours but it took a little longer to reskein the yarn and dye it and then ball it up!

This is my first Grotbags colourway sock. Cat loves the yarn, btw.

It was a matter of moments before I thought about dyeing red and white to make my dad some Liverpool FC socks!!

But the main event is really the freedom rainbow flag colour way, Love Wins. This is a super duper duper set of colours and I love it.

All these colours, plus a couple more, are available in our online shop, www.iknitshop.org.uk 

Gxx

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!

zauberball

Just as the newsletter gone out the zauberball arrived.

I love this yarn.

I'm not a huge fan of variegated yarns, especially socks but it can get a little annoying doing a whole sock or glove in a single colour. I really like the self striping yarns, for ease and my favorites are the huge stripes, like the zauberball. Its a single, which makes me love it more. It's a 4ply weight so perfect for socks and gloves and anything else small, like baby clothes, to keep the stripe. It's 75% wool, 25% nylon so machine washable - even better!

We only got 1 kilo so I doubt that will last long, Vanessa had already pocketed some and come up with 15 patterns to make things as sample for the shop.

Hayley has also made sure to stake her claim so they are reserved but that still leaves loads and more has been ordered.

We also moved the shop around a little at the weekend. We moved the sheep, again, and covered it with colinette point five. It looks great, I think you'll agree.

a blog a day...

...well, I'm going to try anyway. I doubt it will last long.



Here are a few pics as I have Craig's camera! (I've lost my camera and the cable that connects my phone to the computer!) I think we are moving the shop around tomorrow - that'll be the second time this week - so I might find them both!


this is a picture of my favorite knitting at the moment. It's going to be a glove with Icelandic heart pattern from Hélène Magnusson's Icelandic Knitting. I was thrilled that Hélène came to our show the other week and I fell in love with her as I had fell in love with the book. Hélène wrote a special message to me in my copy of her book. Also, I'm really glad to say we sell the yarn used in the book, Lodband Einband from Istex, pure Icelandic single ply lace.

we got lots of Malabrigo last week. This is the lace merino and omg it's gorgeous. We have very little left, actually!this is the sock yarn. it's really amazing and it's been flying out. It's a 3ply superwash merino, kettle dyed, loads of colours.

new in this week is Woolcraft with Wensleydale which was also at our show the other day. I love this stuff. It's amazing. The sheen is extraordinary. It's pricey, mind, but there are only a few of the sheep left, especially the dark colours.

Guess what my Mum's getting this Christmas. If she's lucky!

Gxx

Knitting karma and Glastonbury stress...

I don't know about you but knitting seems to just be generally good for your karma. I take my needles everywhere with me and try to get a bit of stitching in when I can, and it just seems to make people want to talk to you (in a nice way). I was sewing up bits for the river in the canteen at the National Theatre the other day and I was soon chatting away to folk who just found the whole thing fascinating...then there was the unexpected celeb moment on the Tube on the way home from Dolly (see previous post)...and then tonight I was at the Donmar watching a dark and brooding Ibsen play (John Gabriel Borkman, which, incidentally, opens with Deborah Findlay crocheting a fetching shawl) so got my knitting out in the interval. Had a lovely lady sitting next to me who said it was so nice to see someone knitting. It makes me feel all warm inside, it surely does! Usually people won't talk to anyone in this city - so get your knitting out wherever you are and get busy making small talk, it's good for you!

Speaking of which, I wanted to mention the Stitchlinks questionnaire - get on their website and fill it out and show your support for those who have come through hard times, or beaten poor health with magic needles. They are hoping to present their anecdotal evidence for the therapeutic effects of knitting and raise awareness of just how good it can be for those in emotional or physical stress.

Talking of stress...the tank-top is coming along, slowly. I did hope to finish it in time for my birthday but as that was 2 weks ago and I've just finished the back I think maybe Christmas is more likely. Still, I ain't giving up and will start on the front (and do the neck, and then do the armholes)...soon. I've got my next project lined up and it's my first socks, using the gorgeous hand-dyed yarn from Jon...

I'm still emotionally distressed from the 3 hour ordeal of trying to get Glastonbury tickets on Sunday morning too! No luck...but all is not lost. I will see Dame Shirley if it's the last thing I do! Gerard is already there, backstage, working with WaterAid, so he may have to wheel me in in a suitcase...

Craig IKL

Gerard in the Lords and the death of morality.

Gerard called me earlier today from the House of Lords. He was standing in a room of that imposing building looking out across the Thames towards Guy's Hospital and said it was a strange feeling, gazing at a view that many of us will rarely see, despite our paying for it. He is visiting the Lords on behalf of WaterAid (his 'proper' job when not running a crazy knitting shop), but I'm sure he'll go into detail if he makes a new post later. This is quite a funny story though to go with his visit: last year Keira Knightley did some work for WaterAid and an email was sent asking if Keira would be coming along to the meeting today - an email from WA top brass said, "No, unfortunately Keira Knightley will not be coming....I will be coming along with Gerard Allt". How his star is rising. I suppose it's reassuring that they allow groups like WA an audience in the closetted House of Lords, and having a democracy is something to cherish. We are lucky, even if it does mean that having a democracy allows freedom of speech to those who in some respects we'd rather didn't have it - yesterday there was a demonstration outside parliament lamenting new laws to allow the gays more equal rights - a horse drawn hearse displayed the words 'a good day to bury morality'. I suppose their morality is different to mine, but I thought homophobia was a criminal offence these days?

Last night's knitting/birthday party petered out into a drunken karaoke mess, but those who stayed the course were treated to Jon's rendition of some random Shania Twain song I've never heard of before and my celebrated "Maniac" from Flashdance. I got some gorgeous hand-dyed sock yarn for my first pair of socks which will begin after the tank-top is finished. Pictures are coming soon....
Top pic is what was left at the end of the night...second pic is myself having a go at 'Scandalous' by Mis-Teeq. Oh dear.