Last Tuesday I gave a talk at Reading Geek Night entitled “10 things you didn’t know about Wool.” Much of what I said in my talk will be old hat to seasoned knitters; you don’t need me to point out that shreddies are clearly NOT knitted by Nanas, nor that there are basic differences between […]
The past few months have been manic. Since my PhD studies came to an end and my AHRC funding ran out, I am relying 100% on my own wits and skills to make an income. I am trading as a self-employed artist, which is not the fantastically high-paid profession that one might hope. However, I […]
Mikal, doing some knitting amidst our afternoon tea! I immensely enjoyed organising Liz’s Hen Do. I have never been to a Hen Do before, so I was slightly unsure as to what would be de rigueur. The Internet cafe where I worked in my early twenties was frequently assailed on weekend nights by drunken women […]
I started knitting these fingerless mitts (Fresco Fair Isle Mitts by Pam Allen, Interweave Knits, Fall 2008) way back in October when I last visited with Brenda and Tonia. Casting these on represented the start of the ALICE STARMORE YARN MANIA (which has pretty much reigned over my knitting ever since) and I am really […]
When I visited Aunty Hilary in Hospital, I took some knitting with me. What I took was this hat – Harefields – which I was making for Mark. It is his annual Christmas-present hat, and it was completed for just after Christmas as is now seemingly an annual tradition round here. The hat is knit […]
The first things I did after moving in with Mark and redecorating our bedroom involved 1. creating a sock-knitting area in the bottom of my wardrobe and 2. curating a shelf-load of books on my side of the bed themed around adventures and journeys. I organised my books and my sock-knitting books/yarns etc. in tandem […]
A long time ago I wrote this post which touched on the idea of connecting places and seasons to specific yarn colourways. I compared some of the fabled WOLLMEISE to the distinctive steely blues and ragged yellow leaves spotted around Weymouth and Portland late that Autumn. Weymouth, October 2007 Much has happened since I coveted […]
One thing I learned from writing my thesis was that I find it really difficult to understand the shape and structure of a piece of writing which exists only in electronic form. It is a little bit like trying to walk inside a building that doesn’t physically exist. And since finishing the write up, I […]
The instant I saw Kate’s amazing hat – Tantallon (Rav pattern link) – I knew I had to make it! When I read the A.D.D. knitter’s post on the subject I am ashamed to admit that I immediately began to badger Kate about when the pattern would be available, when I could begin knitting it, […]
For further info, please do visit Mark’s Walk2012 blog, where he has written his own review of the custom-made Walk2012 birthday socks! Ravelled here. Also, for further wool/Olympics fusions, check out this petition launched by the NFU, calling for British Wool to be represented at the Olympics.
I posted a few months ago about the importance of Good Weekends and so far, that is what today and tomorrow are shaping up to be. Incidentally, the grunting pigs sound which I posted from Mudchute Farm on that post is now up on the UK SoundMap (my new favourite thing!) and The London Sound […]
Back in May I cast on the stitches for my Lyttelton in Blacker Designs‘ 4-ply, organic, pale blue Corriedale. This exact shade appears to be no longer in stock, but if I was knitting Lyttelton again, I’d stick with the Corriedale and maybe knit the design in blue denim, turquoise, or the beautiful olive green […]
Ah, fine, finished socks in Skeinqueen Blissful Yarn… how I love you. How I wish that my unsatisfying phone-camera photo could adequately convey your truly beautiful colours, which remind me of the wild plants crowding the verges beside the A4074, and all the greens I’ve noticed lately on my walks; Or the sweet detail of […]
Our Joey is big on sleep. I greatly admire how cute he can look when he’s asleep. Here he is on Mark’s lap (his favourite place for being cute) a few weeks ago. …and here he is, deciding that muck on his face can wait until after his nap for cleaning attention. Did I mention […]
The second pair of Swaledale Sonic Socks is finished! The first pair is described here, and my thoughts when I cast on the second pair in January, are here. The first pair had a very maritime theme, especially because of the beautiful swaledale yarn and its soft crunchiness, which reminds me of the sandy beaches […]
The LISTEN hatâ„¢ saga continues. Here is my first prototype, which I am about to frog. It ended up becoming awfully busy, as my child’s-painting approach to the exciting colours overwhelmed me and I decided to use ALL the colours, in very close proximity to one another, and in an ill-conceived dog’s dinner of a […]
Yesterday I had the amazing experience of talking to Dr Chris Holland of The Oxford Silk Group, for the forthcoming series of The Hub. Our series – starting on Sunday 11th April – kicks off with a special focus on Science to tie in with Science Oxford. Now ever since I first read about the […]
I had another look through the Sound Art To-Do-List and was gratified to see that I am (mostly) on track with various sound-related projects and jobs at the moment. The recent counting prevails with WW points, £-watch and some happy knitting maths. It turns out that a 15-stitch-wide S is not an easy thing to […]
Two of my favourite patterns; Wazz’s Woollen Winter Walking Outfit #1 and Jared Flood’s Turn a Square pattern, mashed up into one happy hat of joy, to be given as a gift to my Grandad – who I hope does not know about my blog. If you *do* read this, Grand Pappy Wilf, Happy Birthday! […]
This weeks’ numbers are all about generosity. Not only have I been generous to myself with my WW points (woops!) but I have also been given many things this week that have made me think about gifts and the role that kindness plays in material sustenance. For instance Liz turned up at Sticks’n’String this week […]
50g This is the amount of wool I carded yesterday at the excellent Prick Your Finger show currently showing at the Stanley Picker Gallery. I loved carding this wool and wrote as much on my labour report, collected by the office that is part of the exhibition. Unfortunately the machine that would let me work […]
Today when I switched on my computer I noticed that Google is using this image of a ewe and a lamb for Mothering Sunday. This reminded me that last week on Lambing Live I learned that the Swaledale Sheep breed is renowned for the good maternal skills of its ewes. Swaledales, it turns out, are […]
10 is today’s magic number, as I have now lost 10% of my body weight since I joined WW just before Christmas. To celebrate, I took all the clothes that I didn’t like which were too big for me anyway, and deposited them at the nearby charity shop. To mark this splendid occasion and the […]
I was extremely taken with the Maud when Kate posted about it originally, and immediately vowed to make one once I read her directions on this traditional garment. Additionally, I was struck by both Kate and Rachael’s posts about Harris Tweed, and decided my Maud should be made with this stuff. I went in search […]