November

Made a mini jumper with Rudolph on the front for advent calendar pockets- but you have to be told it is a reindeer. Back plain,, knit tight, front far too loose. Need to address that if making more, perhaps different size needles, Whole thing bloomin' fiddly anyway, thinking about adapting pattern to kit all in one (but top of sleeves are shaped. Sigh.) Had been using Drops Flora wool/alpaca mix for handwarmers, four pairs. Enough left over to use all four shades to make a fifth pair, which will keep because it is so soft and warm. Drops is such an economical buy. These are pair no. 546 - isn't that remarkable? Had another stocktake from the museum today, sales going really well in all areas.

It's all go in Nottingham

Did Nottingham Yarn Expo on Sunday with the trusty team of Matt and Anne. Getting the big case there on the bus is no joke, I'll swear the street up the side of Debenhams gets steeper. All in all a good show, nice and steady, talked to a lot of people, handed out even more museum leaflets. Sold five of my items and two books, and Matt sold his very first pair of socks. With some museum shawls and Santa egg cosies, took about £200, of which I think £150 goes to the museum. Sent the rest of my handwarmers and heel-less socks off to the museum to catch the Christmas trade, and now I can can a short break from thrashing around making HW and HL for a bit. Celebrating 235 years of knitwear, John Smedleys put on a lecture at the Uni. Next Monday we are off to a visit to G H Hurts Shawl Factory in Chilwell, organised by Matt. At home, finished third of second batch of "retro" fluted tea cosies, and started on gloves using scraps. So long since I did any I had forgotten parts of the pattern!

First Frost

First frost this morning, along with some fog. Brrr! Made a long Victorian style nightdress with crochet trims. The wider trim is an elongated bookmark, the narrow trim is a treble foundation cast on with the same cream edging as the wider one.

Baa Humbug

What an easy-peasy pattern this is. On the circular machine, 60 rows, taking care to end a quarter of the way round. Then Kitchener grafting one end the usual way, the other end inside out to about three-quarters (because I prefer that!) then turning, stuffing and working out how to do grafting from the right side. Add a head and am I-cord or similar scarf and that's it. In other knitting/crochet news, I am sewing a nightdress which calls for a ribbon-threaded lace trim. Found a good crochet pattern on Rav, just got to work out how many stitches to start with as it's made lengthways. My tension is rubbishy slack as always, but it won't matter as it will be sewn down. In getting the cutting board down from the attic, decided to investigate the contents of three bags up there. One has produced a few items for the museum tombola, another bag is full with stuff for local jumble sale, the third was sorted and has gone in the bin. Is there any more up there? What do you think! I've saved a few pieces which might eventually make it into my knitted bunting, similar to the one I saw at Yaradale. It doesn't all have to be Fair Isle.

Bunnies everywhere

Using Skip the N=Bunny pattern after the Kegworth event.

After September Socks & Yarndale

September Socks a very peaceful event. Everyone loved the lack of pressure. All the newbies made progress, some astonishing, from a non-working machine at the beginning of the weekend, to a pair of socks by the end. Matt and I both tried the Noughts & Crosses pattern. But involving 4 needles in crosses on a CSM, while JUST possible, was a tad too far, and we don't want to take this experiment any further! The lovely Jill gave me enough yarn to make 32 pairs of handwarmers for the museum shop The following weekend I went up to Yarndale by coach. What a long haul. Total of 7 hours spent in travelling compared with 6 hours actually there. But it was good. Met up with some very, very, old friends, who had stands. Bought enough yarn to make another 22 pairs of handwarmers, new needles with better points for finishing the socks, and some deep violet dye, as I can never seem to get enough purple. Purple always goes first in the shop. Planning to do some spot dyeing on skeins instead of messing about with sock blanks, as I found the dyeing of these less than satisfactory last time. Only things I bought for myself were Christmas cards and a Herdy mug. I wold have liked to have been inspired by a kit for something colourful, but it was not to be. Vastly impressed by bunting made from Fair Isle on one stand, and will now dig out all my old machine knitting samples and see what I can do.

September Socks

Designed as an "in-between" event, I am putting on another weekend for circular sock machine knitters at local hotel. 44 booked, 6 cancelled, so a bit quieter event than in March, which had demonstrations, workshops and competitions. By keeping expenses down to just ink and paper, I have done a little better than breakeven, and of course it all goes to the Framework Knitters Museum. I don't think the fun will be diluted though! Usual aches and pains getting things down from the attic today and wondering where I put certain items after last time. 8 bags with handles, one crate, the rolling cart for the Cymbal, and my overnight case. Amazing how it all goes in a Toyota Aygo with room to spare, when some week's I don't think I can get the weekly shopping in. New this time - a challenge on how to do my teacosies with flatweb on a CSM, and we'll be looking at selvages from Kathy's book. As a diversion, have downloaded a pattern for Danish mitten cuffs and had fun with translating it. In doing so I found a better way of crossing two elongated stitches, except they are now right over left instead of left over right. Pattern name is Kryds & bolle which a Google translate says is cross and bowl, BUT a plain Google search says is Noughts & Crosses or Tic tac toe. The first one makes best sense!