Knitty inspiration

I'm off to lovely Wales for P3 at the weekend.  I'm afraid the course has been booked up for ages, but I think it will happen again next year so if you are interested you can keep an eye out by joining the ravelry group.  P3 stands for Plug & Play Pembrokeshire and is the idea of two lovely women Amy Singer, Editor of Knitty.com and Brenda Dayne of Cast-On.  who will also be our teachers.  I had such a great time last year  learning how to design and knit lace, I had to go again.  This year its all about texture and in particular the textures that are used in knitting traditional British sweaters.

I've been checking my welcome letter...

Making sure I have all the kit I need (this is like the first day at school!)

And diverting to Rokka Sheek on my way home from work to replace my lost 3mm knit-pros and medium length cable.  And there, in my 'near work' LYS is where I strayed from the path of fiscal righteousness.  

I have just returned from holiday, as you know.  Now Greece is very expensive, despite, or is it because, of their present troubles.  Lovely but expensive, especially when I just have to bring home delicious Korres cosmetics and pretty jewellery made by local craftspeople.  As part of my post-holiday austerity measures, I promised myself I would not buy any more wool.  After all I know at the weekend there will be lovely surprises in the P3 goody bag and a small but perfectly formed yarn market on Sunday with irresistible yarn from NiMu, Blue Moon and The Purple Purl to mention but three, so I should be saving my pennies.  But I do so want to make something like this (not a pattern that is available anywhere I know.  The picture is from a retail site but I will just cast on and knit, how difficult will that be?) 

(c) oleana.no

And many of you will know how easy it is to loose all will power in the face of soft yarn in perfect colours and the old story of  'it was a bargain' at £2.99 a ball.  The perfect yarn for the job - don't you think?

Soft grey, cream, lettuce and dusty pink in 100% wool soft as soft.

Now... when shall I find time to make the shawl?

xx

c

The LYS

With the very special exception of independent book shops, local yarn shops (LYSs) are The Shops where you find people working there who just love and understand what they are selling.  They often buy a lot from their shops too. At my LYS in the Hampshire Metropolis one lady shop assistant says her stash is spilling out of two large wardrobes into a third.

I wander the shelves stroking the yarn and soaking up the colours getting into conversations about this or that yarn, how it feels to knit, what we have already knitted with it - how long is the yardage?  And so often someone has to put down their knitting to serve which is the occasion to feel the knitting, remark on the colour and say how gorgeous it will be when finished (the knitting sorority  is nice like that)

I not only have a LYS where I live but one in the town where I work, its called Rokka Sheek. Situated in a shabby little 60s shopping centre that time forgot (used as a set in the fabulous film Made in Dagenham ) it is a real find.  The ladies in there might be mother and daughter, auntie and niece or friends but they both love knitting and often have something beautiful on the go and love to talk about their yarn and their own knitting projects.

Yesterday the whole of Croydon was in a festive mood, the sun was shining hotly and the Olympic Torch was in town.  Queue excuse for  everyone to be out, there were singers, dancers and face painting as well as The Torch.

what a difference a year makes

When I called in to Rokka Sheek on my usual short-cut to the station and home there seemed even more time to chat.  One of the ladies was knitting a sweater in some yarn that looks very like Noro, but a good deal cheaper - I only resisted buying some because she was knitting with my favourite colour (soft greys and greens) and there was not enough left for sale.  So we got talking,what she likes to knit, patterns and yarn and what I make (my handy app called Woolly stores all my ravelry projects for easy showing off).  I bought this...

Beautiful 100% merino at £2,99, how could I not? But what put a smile on my face was the lovely welcome and conversation.  If you knit and live near Croydon go and see them (49 St Georges Walk) they are going to stock Debbie Bliss and maybe Rowan too very soon

xx

c