A machination of machines

Okay, so I missed writing in August! It's been full of macine sales. Since the beginning of March, I have helped M and J sell 3 V-beds and 15 circular machines, most of them in working order. What a whirlwind it has been. The Framework Knitters Museum has also benefited, of course, and I have learnt a lot along the way. My reward has been an AKMC amchine, the one whose cylinders are on little legs. Now that new needles have arrived, I will be thinking of items to knit on it. possibly starting with a long hot water bottle cover now that autumn is truly here. Had the bottle itself since m March, and have a pattern written out, just not got round to it.

Sometimes, you don't get it right

Handspun, hand-dyed, handknit. When I gave up spinning a couple of years ago, I hung on to my last lot of stuff, wool spun with silk. notcall that wasy. so e was dyed with madder and two-plied, some plied as o e strand natural, one strand madder, and the rest left undyed. the plan was for a "last fling" cardigan in fan and feather stitch.. calculations wete made, progress was slow. today I slipped one quarter of the stitches onto a thread to measure it. Big enough to drown an elephant. back to the computer and a re-wind.

No hempen rope for me

today I was sworn in as a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Framework Knitters. this is the first stepping stone to gettingvthe Frredom of the City of London. That would then mean I could be hanged with a silk rope insread of a hempen one, could walk through the City with an unsheathed sword, and druve sheep over London Bridge without paying a toll. And, if found drink and disorderly would only be bundled into a taxi instead of being arrested ...

That Garden Party

40 minute queue to get in under shady London plane trees. 8,000 guests, hundreds of staff, sunny weather, stupendous gardens, dozens of soaring floral arrangements in terrificly long tea tent, exquisite tea. That pohoto is only the half of it as I had eaten the rest before finding somewhere to place it for the photo. The eclair is coffee, with coffee flavoured confectioners cream in side. On my! The whole afternoon was really lovely.

Thank Saturday it's Scrunchie day

Some of my older reader may remember the Cadburys ads from 1988 for teh chocolate crunchie bar. I've hijacked this - on Saturday at the museum I was asked if I could make a hair scrunchie on a sock machine. It was a quiet morning, so I did. One of the machines was set up with only half the needles (so half the work!). The girls in the cafe thought it pretty good, so I went on to make more

The invitation

Exquisite Bear

Following on from the wordless post of Keith's Cardi, just after his death,I asked my pal Helen at the museum if she could cut it up and make a photo frame for me. She did, and went one giant step further, and also made this bear. He has cardigan buttons for eyes and fastening his joints, plus a piece of button band was added down the front to give the impression he is now wearing the cardi. The head swivels, seemingly giving many different expressions. There is also a little tag with "K" on it. The bear is now sat on Keith's favourite chair, and makes me smile every time I see it.