Intermission

I know, I have been almost invisible these last six weeks. I would love to say that I have spent the whole time in the garden where the sun was too bright to play around with screens, but if you also live in Southern England you will know that's not true

Actually we have, despite the weather, had a lovely time welcoming old friends (and some of our regulars) to stay. So much so it felt as though we were running a pop up B&B

But I have managed to finish one or two projects 

There's a Bonney by Tin Can Knits in fabulous merino lace weight by the talented Caerthan Wrack of Treskelion Yarn

A very pretty cardigan for TLM, I can't show the full article as it will be the subject of a mystery KAL later in the year. It's knitted  in Spud and Chloe's Sweater the fabulous Aran weight yarn that I used for the Right as Rainbow cardi.  S&C Sweater is perfect for children, its wool and cotton mix makes it warm and cosy but totally non-tickly, and it machine washes like a dream too.  TLM is only just growing out of the rainbow cardi (I did add some sleeve inches after a while) and its been worn and washed countless times over the last two years

And a Pebble Beach in gorgeous Manos del Uruguay Serena a super soft baby alpaca and cotton mix, bought from Beaker Button.

My Pebble Beach was my FO for the Great London Yarn Crawl.  As last year I was one of the yarn guides, here is my lovely Team Cotton outside our second Stop The Village Haberdashery

I was specially excited this year to introduce my friend Julia (she's second on the left) to the knitting world.  Not that she couldn't knit but like me, study (we met as mature students at university in our early 40s) and work took over from gentler hobbies.  But recently she has decided it is time to take up her needles again.  I am always willing to introduce people to something that brings me such happy satisfaction and am very pleased to report that J bought two gorgeous skeins of yarn from Carmen of A Yarn Story in the Mini Market place (in Chelsea Old Town Hall, our stepping off place for The Crawl) and has already made one baby hat, teaching herself to knit magic loop into the bargain,  and is well underway on the second.  A friend having just given birth to twins.

Armed with my Yarn Crawl purchases, I now have big plans for my autumn knitting

I want to make a laneway with this beautiful  Shangri-La from i-Knit London

And with this Gorgeous Romney DK hand dyed by Rachael of Prick Your Finger, I'm planning to make Deco by Kate Davies.  The buttons came from the mini market place too, I couldn't decide which I liked best so bought both!

Having finished spinning the Porpoise-Fur fibre, begun on the Tour de Fleece, I'm planning to make Keith Moon, also by Kate Davies, striping it with more Porpoise Fur, Death to MRSA.

I have a sewing project in mind too.  Over the last six months JTH and I have been making some changes to our house.  Prompted in part by the departure to a home of his own of no 4 child.  This enables us to create two guest bedrooms (hence the pop up B&B last month).  Keen to make it modern and bright we painted one room all white with pale grey carpet and vivid turquoise curtains.  All very nice but the tiniest bit plain so I plan to make up this quilt as a wall hanging to go on the old chimney breast (the fire-place was removed long ago)

I am please to report that it will be made almost entirely from stash

Kitten no 2 surveys all the colours, bought from The Village Haberdashery on last year's Yarn Crawl

Quite a lot of plans, don't you think? But achievable as long as I keep at it and don't let my attention wander... Although I shall soon have to think about Christmas presents!

Do share your plans for Autumn knitting in the comments, or, have you introduced a friend to the lovely art of knitting lately?

xx

c

Tour de WHAT??

Tour de Fleece.  While the cycle race is on a large number of spinners (in teams) are challenging each other to spin the same number of miles of yarn from their (not inconsiderable) stashes of fleece as the cyclists cycle.  Watching Le Tour at the same time is optional.  I am in Team Porpoise Fur.  My main aim is to spin a sweater's worth (I'm planning to make this) from this gorgeous special of order Porpoise  Fur fibre in the Runner Bean colour-way.  The stripes will be in Porpoise Fur's Death the MRSA that I bought on the Bath (yarn) Road Trip

I have some watchers - 

Kittens Fudge and Toffee joined our household a few weeks ago and have taken up residence in my studio.  They treat my spinning wheel and associated paraphernalia as their climbing frames

 Before spinning the Broad Bean I limbered up with some other Porpoise Fur that I happened to have in stock, The red room

Gorgeous shades of red and dark turquoise, now plied and ready for ...  something, I'm not sure what yet

The Broad Bean is proving surprisingly popular with the new residents

I'm also experiencing some interference with my spinning, although it ensures I spin a strong thread

However, it's coming along nicely and soon I should have a couple of bobbins of singles ready to ply

xx

C

PS, I've been struggling over the last couple of weeks with some of those Grey Days I mentioned a couple of years back.  I hope I have not lost too many readers.  If you are popping by do say hi in the comments, it would be lovely to hear from you

The fourth Element

Who would have thought it? Radio four, the home of Serious Radio, The Today Program, The Infinite Monkey Cage, programs on science, outdoor pursuits, documentaries, finance, was appealing to knitters to post pictures of knitted items that represented their programs. And in January there were interviews and whole programs too - all about knitting. So much fun.

Now this brightens up a winter day, gorgeous Malabrigo on sale at A Yarn Story Bath

But is that all we knitters are? a bit of fun, a bit of fluff? Something to cheer the serious folk up, like clowns on a grey January day?  

Something that keeps me warm designed by Alanis Dakos knitted by me in delicious silk and Alpaca  yarn from La Drougherie

Well we got knitted vegetables, a Jenny Murray and the bull trampling poor old miserable Tony Archer. It seems this is R4's view on what knitting, if it is not 'granny knitting' is all about.  The items they added to their Pinterest board and their website  included a tiny bit of unraveled knitting (Loose Ends) and some slugs (Gardeners Question Time). As well as the whimsy there was a nod to 'grannies' who knit for their grandchildren and an interview on The Today program with an Artist who knitted provocative statements into her sweaters, a Grayson Perry of knitting if you like.

Wonderful Porpoise Fur Fibre in The Red Woman colourway

But there was something missing.

Where were the Indy dyers? The knitters who love hand-dyed specialist fires? Spinners who choose fibre by the breed of sheep? And designers and makers of truly wearable art?  In fact where were all those wonderful people out there who inhabit that space where craft meets art?  Now I have to admit I was miffed that the hat I designed was not featured but that's not the point really.  The point is there are so many people out there who would have followed a similar thought process* to me, and probably have posted similar knitted objects but None Were Featured

My Waterlily from Spring Pompom Mag in fabulous Islington from Kettle Yarn Co

So what is the difference between granny knitting (as defined by R4) and whimsical fruit, vegetables and slugs? By my lights both are fine, if that's what floats your boat.  But I wouldn't really want to wear the former or display the latter.  It's fine too to knit sweaters with radical slogans on them, though if I could afford it I would take a Grayson Perry piece instead, every time. But why do those who influence our opinions ignore those of us who knit something that is (to conflate Wm Morris a little) BOTH useful and beautiful?

something I designed (and knitted) earlier in Rowan Kidsilk Haze

I realise I'm talking to the converted here, those who read this blog are a kindly crew of non-knitting friends who like my work and knitters who also appreciate the Useful & Beautiful. But how about a new campaign for February? Most weeks the figures for hits on this blog reach 500, if you are reading this you can help, specially if you are on Twitter.  So if you would like to have some fun and join in a campaign to have people recognise what we do as something very special, here are a few suggestions...

On Twitter - Using two hash tags, #knitR4 and #beautyandutility and tagging @BBCRadio4, post photographs of fibres, yarns and knitted objects that illustrate  the fourth way. 

On your blog - If you blog write about something useful and beautiful and tweet the link with the hash tag.  You can also link to other knitters and dyers. The photographs I have used today include some of my favourite indy practitioners

In the comments here -  please give a shout out to your favourite indy crafter

Wonderful Countess Ablaze whose last years colours were inspired by the Twelve Caesars (this one  is Too Many Rulers Are A Dangerous Thing)

My promise is that I will visit your blogs, comment and retweet your tweets, let's make this big and make the media aware of the full picture

My Suggestions for #beautyandutility awards? - its all in the photographs (the links are there too).  And then there are Asa Tricosa and Kate Davies for their amazing design work.  I could go on... And on...

xx

c

At Prick Your Finger special purchases are wrapped in vintage paper patterns

*My process is just mine and not a set of instructions but here it is. 

1. Inspiration, person, poem, place

2. Deciding, what shal I make, shawl, hat etc. what do I want to say, theme, technique

3. Thinking, this takes almost as long as making

4. Designing

5. Choosing yarn ( unless this is the inspiration then it's at 1)

6. Begin to knit

7. Don't be afraid to change your plans as you knit

8. Take photographs

My Mother-in-laws go-to pattern for a baby shawl knitted in more grown up colours