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!

I don’t do patterns, so I thought I’d show you some of my favourite pattern books, websites and designers who all do patterns suitable for your Artist’s Palette yarn.

Coming very soon when I can get lots of time to sit and link!

Just take a look at this!  It is Anne Hanson’s Fiddlehead Scarf beautifully knitted for me by the talented Linz in time to be displayed at Wonderwool.

It is knitted with just one skein of Glisten, and Linz went down one needle size in order to showcase the yarn rather than the lace pattern.  It is so beautiful and drapes like a dream.

Well, what a fantastic weekend.  I just have a few pictures of the stand.  I didn’t have time to get out and about until the end of Sunday, so I didn’t get to take any around the halls.

Here is a before and after -

and PING, almost finished -

If I can work out how to get emailed pictures on here, I will show you one of it in full swing!

My best bit was meeting people in real life whom I have only emailed, messaged, sent parcels to, chatted to on Ravelry and talked to on the phone.  I will only forget someone if I try and name you all, but let’s just say, you ALL made my weekend and made the very busy Saturday one of the most memorable and exciting days so far, ever!

Thankyou.  xxxx

Well, really.  There I am googling hand dyed yarn, and where am I?  Nowhere to be seen!  To put right this aberration and climb higher in the search engines, I’m going to unashamedly mention Hand Dyed Yarn lots!  There is some nice new Hand Dyed Yarn now in the shop, including Smootherino, at last.  Let me show you a picture of this lovely Hand Dyed Yarn.

The bottom one is a marl, and I have done these with lacey or cabley socks in mind.  This yarn lends itself to marling better that any of the others (it’s just amazing how differently similar yarns take dye) and I intend to do them in lots more colours.  I am just finishing the first of a pair of Cookie A’s Thelonious socks in the colour above, and I am really pleased with how it’s turning out.  The pattern calls for Louet Gem fingering, which is superwash merino like this one, so I think it is a good substitute.  I’ll put a picture up when it’s finished and I can get it on the blockers without first changing to a circular bendy needle.  About half way along the foot!

Oh, and… Hand Painted Yarn!!

xx

I’m not just taking the yarn to Wonderwool this weekend.  I think you deserve lovely things to knit my yarn with too, so I’m going to be taking all the KnitPro items I have,  leaving just a few of each in the shop.

The best bit is, I have lots more than there is in the shop at the moment.  I’ve got lots of the bits that are harder to find.  Here’s a list:

40cm cables

extra short tips in a couple of sizes to make really dinky circulars with the 40cm cables

cable connectors, to make not dinky at all circulars

2.5mm 250m long fixed circulars for magic loop

normal sized tips in 3mm and 3.25mm to complete the interchangeables set

view sizers, and last but not least…

sets of double ended crochet hooks.

I may have forgotten something, so there might be a surprise or two!  Phew.  And, never fear, for those of you not going to Wonderwool, it will all be going into the shop afterwards, in nice neat new categories.

I haven’t got any lovely colourful yarny fibrey pictures to show you, as I haven’t taken any!  But rest assured, you are in for a visual treat!  Here’s a little clue………”wall of colour”!

See you there