Sock yarn leftovers

At last got round to using up the heap of leftovers - well, most of them. Two cushions in one day, moreover. Found the secret was to cut up long lengths of vefry plain or repetitive coloured yarns.

Where did October go?

Well, we did go to France for a couple of week's to cover my slightly significant birthday. I then nipped down to London again as Eirka's Obaachan was over from Japan, and we took what is hopefully a historical photo of her with her two grannies. It's only the second time Yoko and I have met. Erika now has her own passport and should be meeting the rest of her Japanese family in the new year. Finished sheep carousel tea cosy. Wonderful pattern November - Knitting History Forum, so down to London again, and this time tea in Fortnum & Mason with Erika. I gave a paper on the search for Eric Pasold's Frame - his interpretaion of what William Lee would actually have built in 1589, minus all the later additions. Think it went down well, ended on a laugh. The Science Museum can't find the darn thing, only the pix, so have put an "electronic note" on the record to alert me if it ever does coem to light. I am fairly sure they have photopgrapghed it upside down, it would never work in that position.

Knitting in September

I've just uploaded a couple of projects in to Ravelry. The very last two are delicate Victorian style crochet mitts and clumping welly toppers. This just about sums up the breadth of my knitting likes - one extreme to the other! Pictured here is the leftovers from the Epstein Afghan, as last made up into a cushion. It goes very well with the afghan, but that pattern would not have gone so well in it - and I think it would have been wasted as yet another bag. The sheep yoke jumper for Erika was a delight to do. My next challenge will be to see how I can scale up this pattern for her growing years, if she likes it as much as I do. I have bought the Meg Swansen book on knitting with two colours, which I think has schematics in it for knitting from the top down. I shall study this during our upcoming second hols in France next week. Weather promises to be up to 21 degrees each day on the long-range forecast, with only up to 35% chance of rain. We will be able to stick to our usual pattern of morning out, boozy lunch outside the gite, small nap, then trying out new knitting techniques. And starting on the Christmas presents! Bit stuck for ideas this year - they nearly all had handwarmers last time. I still have plenty of wool left over from the cushion, but the kids aren't going to want a repeat.

Erika

Boy, did I get it wrong! It's a girl, Erika, born this morning weighing 3.5kgs. What time does the woolshop open? Time to embroider pink flowers on the sheep yoke cardi!

Baby bibs

Went a bit mad on knitting baby bibs. Found out the Japanese for baby was "Akachan", but they are awfully fat letters so the bib is quite large. Still, it's all my own pattern. Not many days now until baby is born - fourth grandchild. Inbetween times, been doing more tuition at the museum, and it has got a new website www.rfkm.org, and we had a smashing Garden party there last Saturday. The rain held off until 6pm. Off to Winchester nest week for knitting conference Intheloop3.

For new baby

At last I found the crochet pattern I have been looking for over the past couple of years, since I saw a jacket in Monpazier. This in turn reminded me of a jacket seen on a market stall in Mansfield years agao - I really regret not buying that one! In Monpazier it was on sale for 22 Euros, and in two colours - still can''t see how they achieved that..It appears to be over 50 years old.

Matthew Townesend Junior

Introducing Matthew, a friend for Henry. Somehow he seems more laidback - it may be the ears!

Henry went to St Tropez!

Henry went on one of the last bmibaby flights to Nice, and was driven along the coast o St Tropez. He can be seen fully enjoying a very expensive Orangina in the cafe at the end of the harbour. Having forgotten his sunglasses, he didn't do any sunbathing so has come back the same colour as he went, plus a few insect bites.

Henry Griswold Jr

Based on Victoria and Enid by Helen at the museum. Henry has got braces.

A few little extras

Barley and lavender bag - saw a similar one in the chemist - all the stuffing pushed to one end, folded for packaging. So knitted a simple tube of 140 or so rows, grated both ends, half-filled with barley and lavender. Supposed to me microwaveable for warmth, chillable for a cold compress. Looks like an out-of-shapre beanbag! Swedish Dumpling doll - two rounds, or on the CSM, one tube, colour-change in middle. Facial features on top half plus a hat. Forgot to take pix before I put them in the museum. Also trying out the tomato wedge heel socks again.

Cyril the silly centipede

...or really, Damien the daft decipede

Body is one long tube, the gathering is done at the stuffing stage. Essential to use yarn with some nylon in it for this, which is why the "mouth" (which started as a red nose) has not come out right - the yarn broke at the gathering stage. I thought it looked funny, so just left it, Legs are tubes sewn, and split.

Going Round in Circles in Ruddington

What a fantastic event this was towards the end of March! 20 people and 22 machines packed into the Chapel of the Framework Knitters Museum, for a day of learning and fun. Any more people and we wouldn't have been able to move, so perhaps my initial aim of 30 was a tad over-ambitious. It wasn't the machines really that took up the room, but the size of the tables that people brought with them.

Still, the day has set the "seed" for a weekend event elsewhere in the country - I don't think many of the people at Rudd had been to the Bournemouth event in 2005, so this is all new to them. One think=g to come out of discussion was how machine prices have shot up for the £400-500 price range to the £650-850 in just a couple of years.

Something to sit on

At last, got round to knitting a cushion on the CSM. Three tubes, joined vertically, washed, stuffed and the colour change lines "quilted" down. I-cord trim and ties.

Took it for first day of the course, although it was still slightly damp! it goes very well with the Victorian surroundings of the Griswold Room at the museum, so will now live there. Mind you, at the temp went down to minus point five of a degree INDOORS, I may very well find it frozen to the stool next week ...

Another skoleppar cushion

At last finished the second one. The colours have come out a bit duller, but 'im indoors prefers this one. It's the one towards the back of the chair. As it is such a dull day here, they look pretty identical through the camera's eye. Thought I would give skoleppar a rest now as I have this pair of cushions, but an out-of-the blue email came from somebody who would like me to consider giving workshops for fairly new knitters plus herself, who she considers to be quite advanced.

As this week I have also finished a baby cardigan following Pat & Steve's schematics (woollythoughts.com), it might be a good idea to do Glorious Garter, and lead them up from dishcloths via shoe inserts and the scissors keeper. Mind you, it looks as though my local shop has finally run out of those folding scissors.

Plus a course at Ruddington is due to start early Feb - my part is to teach the techniques of the CSMS to five people one day a week for up to ten weeks - petrol expenses paid. Despite having notes from the one-day learners and the Uni students, I am still having to do some prep. A lot is going to depend on what they are like - progress is never faster than the slowest one in a group. One of them will be Judi, whom I have already taught - she might find herself promoted to Deputy Sheriff.