Contrasting, coordinating and clashing!

Do let me explain..

The Sock Knitters Anonymous group on Ravelry has a challenge each month, and every other month the challenge is a mystery sock pattern.  4 clues, each released a week apart and this month it is slipped stitches in colour, aka mosaic knitting.  I haven’t done any colourwork socks, and I haven’t done any colourwork projects at all, come to think of it, since a jumper covered in Llamas that I knit in the 80’s that didn’t fit.  And so, in the spirit of challenge, I was up for it!

Here’s my first sock cast on and half way through clue 2, the leg.

Then, inpsired by some of the fabulous eye-popping combos that others were knitting, I decided I must have a bright purple/fushia to go with the bright sunshine yellow left over from the September mystery socks.  I hadn’t got any, so I had to dye me some!

And then..  I was so inspired by the contrasts that I dyed some Smoothie Sock in lots of opposites.  The combinations are endless, some bright, some more subtle, but here are some favourites..

and so they go on.  This latest batch would also contrast rather nicely with some of the blues and greens from the last Smoothie Sock installment.

I’m  also inspired to try Ysolda’s new mitten pattern in some of these combos – the fingerless version would be such a good way to use up sock leftovers too.  I’m suddenly finging myself interested in colourwork!  Who’d have thought it?

…..having fun!

Half term has been upon us – some pics in a minute , but first… I have been reorganising the Buttersoft, and adding a few more colours.  I have quite a few semi solids, and as I was sorting them out in the shop I noticed how good they would be for a bit of colourwork.  What says you?

You may find some colourwork inspiration on this lovely blog.

I’ve also been spinning.  (LOTS of fun!)   Here is a singles from a braid of merino I sneakily kept back for myself at Wonderwool!  It is my first proper spun-on-purpose single, about dk weight, and I have still to complete the second skein.  I’m pretty chuffed with it – I’m thinking slouchy beret..

Then there was Croome Park with lots of space for running around,

molehills to dig up,

and ladybirds to examine!

There were dozens of them.  Here is just one!

And, being autumm, lots and lots of leaves to throw at each other.

Then there was Halloween.   The hair started off all Morticia, but after 2 years in the dressing up box it’s definitely more Russell Brand!

Well, I think  that’s enough frivolity.  Back to work………. blues and greens Smoothie Sock to put up in the shop…..

Happy knitting xx.

Well, we all had a whale of a time!  The show was such fun and had a really lovely atmosphere.  It was set at Coldharbour Mill in Devon. My friend Joy, who very kindly volunteered to help me out on Saturday (which enabled me to not pass out due to lack of food/coffee etc!),  has some lovely pictures of the mill on her blog here.   Thank you Joy

Here is the fruits of our labours….

And my little itty bitty Sunday ‘helpers’…

…who, I have to say, were remarkably well behaved most of the time, and who got to do lots of other fun things..

though this bit wasn’t at the mill!  Just look at that little smiley face

Everyone has worked to hard to make the weekend such a success, especially John and Juliet , Juliet’s dad (we compared notes about names!), and loads of helpers around the mill, none of whom seemed to go home at all the whole weekend.  The caterers were specially wonderful and had we not bottled out of camping at the last minute and booked into a midge-free hotel who did breakfasts, all out meals would have been there.  They didn’t seem to go home either and stayed open from early breakfast to after-show dinner.

You all worked so hard for us, and kept smiling the whole time. Thank you.

I had the chance to catch up with people I have only met briefly before, and meet other lovely stallholders, customers I’ve had contact with through the shop, and lots of new people too.  Eirwen and Chris from the Knitwitches stand opposite us kept us laughing all weekend, and Eirwen even managed to bribe Anna May into behaving with a little skein of yarn.  Eirwen, can you come live with us ;p  It was lovely to meet Clare on another stall opposite us, who is Nimu, with Mr Nimu, baby Nimu and grandma Nimu, and to have some proper chats with Megan, who is The Thylacine, and Mr M.

Finally, I have my own haul of goodies:-

First a little 30g batt from Sarah’s Texture Crafts.  It was only £2.75!  I’ve already spun it into a singles, still on the wheel.  It’s my first go at an on-purpose singles…

Then there is this lovely braid from Megan, in the most gorgeous oatmeal BFL and silk in Cherry and Espresso.  I want to spin a sock yarn like Liz does here!  I think Megan’s really got something with these oatmeal fibres and yarns.  They’re really different and beautifully subtle and natural looking.

Then there is this lovely skein of Dollywaggon, a laceweight mohair from Nimu.  It turns out that Anna May had been eyeing this one up all weekend too.  I have plans for a Victiorian Lace Today stylee shawl.  I might have a go at making something up, as I am curerntly in love with shawlettes, rather than huge triangles or square/rectangular stoles.  I shall be poring over the design-your-own pages at the end of the book.  Kudos to Clare for managing to have a baby, get over that nasty flu thingy AND dye lots of yarn for the show all at the same time.

And lastly a spinning project!  This is about 500g of naturally dyed fleece from Artisan Threads.  They were next door and I had been eyeing up the lovely bags of colour all weekend. The provenance of the fleece is known, sometimes down to the actual sheep  Me, being a numpty, forgot to make a note of which little darlings grew this particular fluff. (I have 2 different sheep here!)   It’s still in the grease, so will be a new challenge for me.   I like new challenges   I would like to make a woolen 2-ply dk yarn.   I can see me stalking their online shop a lot   Just look at these colours…

We will be adding stock to the shop gradually over the next week or so.  I promised my children that I will not ignore them for the remaining 2 weeks of the summer holidays, so the updating will be going on in the evenings, and will include a brand new sock yarn

Juliet xx

We’re off to Fibrefest today.  Car one full of yarn, yarn, fibre, more yarn, oh and a bit more yarn on top of that.

Car two full of tents, sleeping bags, teapot, kettle and kettle heater upperer, lots of baby wipes, oh and children.

The shop has been partly destocked to add to the pile, but will be restocked next week with lots more goodies.  The KnitPro stuff will have arrived by then too, with more sizes of dpn’s, amongst other things.

I’ll leave you with a sunny yarny picture in the colour for Septembers Sockdown:Ravelry! 2009-2010 challenge.  A specially comissioned Nancy Bush mystery sock pattern in yellow!! Can’t wait to cast on!

PS.  There’ll be some in the shop next week

Here’s my little honey, plainly more interested in My Sims Kingdom than Ishbel!

Smootherino, making for a warm, springy shawlette.  BTW did I mention I am becoming slightly obsessed with shawlettes?

As yet unblocked Ishbel in the gorgeously soft Gleam lite silk.

And a half finished Damson in Smootherino, dyed in my favourite colour.

There will be lots of smootherino semi solids available in the shop next week, after Fibrefest, as I’ve given in to my semi-solid urge!

As we will be sunning (!) ourselves on the Essex coast next week, there will be no posting out of parcels.  The shop will stay open but the first day orders will be posted will be Monday August 10th.

I’ve googled wool shops and discovered that Clacton-on-Sea next door has a shop of woolly interest, but by far the most significant thing is that P&M Woolcraft is en route.   Oh, dear….oh very, very dear.  OK,  so I need a tensioned lazy kate.  No I do.  I wonder if I could get a Lendrum thrown in the deal, hmmmmm, <drums fingers thoughtfully>.  I’ll pop a bit of fluff in my handbag – there’s Majacraft to play with as well………….

Apologies for any inconvenience

We are goint to miss the Market this time,  on 8th August, but shall be back for the September one

I’ll be there.  Here’s a little taster of what I’ll be bringing……

GLISTEN (amongst other things, largely lacey)  and they’re ones that aren’t available in the shop yet.

Juliet’s down at Socktopus all day today and has taken alot of the stock with here! I’ll be doing a stock take on the rest of the yarn/fibre.

The KnitPro items are still for sale.

Sorry about this but we’ll be back up and running tomorrow!

Rick.

Alice at Socktopus in London had invited me to do a trunkshow at her shop on Sunday June 21st!  The skinny is,  I fill my boot with mountains of yarn and fibre and bring it down to London so you all can have a lovely squoosh.  I will bring a few things that haven’t had an outing yet, like the new Woolsilk laceweight, and some favourites such as Sweet Feet in new colours.  I’ll pop in lots of fibre too, for some fibre petting.  Can’t wait to see you there for an afternoon of yarny/ fibrey goodness and lots of cupcakes

Also on the horizon is Fibrefest, in North Devon, which will take place on 22nd and 23rd August.  I hope to have one or two new yarns there as well as my current  favourites.  Lots of fibre too, of course.  Yippee!