More Yarn Will Do The Trick

Old friends

2012-03-08T11:40:00.000Z

Met two old friends for coffee yesterday in Aberystwyth. We don't see them very often but it's always like we saw them yesterday when we do meet up. In our early twenties we all lived together in a big old house in Brixton, London - a sort of early version of Friends, with two toddlers thrown into the mix. There was Marj writing her PhD and the rest of us trying to make a name for ourselves in the music world. Strange how life knocks us into shape, taking us all in different directions, but there are some people you never lose contact with.

Anthony Griffiths

One of my all-time best memories of Anthony was when he arrived at the hospital in Aberystwyth the morning after I'd given birth to my eldest son, Tristan. I could hear the nurses telling him only husbands were allowed in, but quick as a flash he replied I'm not her husband, I'm her lover!

I'm always amazed by what other people do in their lives. Marj is training hard for the London marathon next month and Anthony is as busy as ever with his music and photography. Although an accomplished blues and ragtime guitarist, his great love is to interpret and arrange Welsh & Celtic Airs - have a listen here to Truth From Above. He recorded The Spirit of the Celtic guitar in 1998.

Yesterday Anthony was showing me pictures of his first band at fifteen, The Shadrachs. He's had many musical reincarnations since then, including the acoustic folk duo, Windfall with Paul Darby,and session work with other great musicians like Christie Hennessy, John James, and Meic Stevens, the affectionately-called Welsh Dylan. We all served our time busking around Europe, playing around musicians like the legendary banjo picker, Derroll Adams in Antwerp.

Windfall

Anthony with Derroll and wife Danielle

Nowadays Anthony's still doing regular gigs and guesting on other people's CDs - a sort of musical well-kept secret. He's also busy taking photos of his beloved Wales. He and Marj are great walkers and there's always a camera to hand.

Rainbow over Morfa Mawddach from Fairbourne

Maen-y-Bardd - prehistoric burial chamber

His latest project is Elenydd - a gorgeous book of radiant images showing the beauty of the ancient heartlands of the Cambrian mountains.

It was SO good to see Anthony and Marj and a bonus to see Roachie, another old friend I hadn't seen for years. An ace singer songwriter - I still pick up my guitar sometimes and out comes one of his songs I used to sing, Cambridge Morning. As we were leaving Anthony was telling me his son, Dylan, plays bass in Barnum Meserve, a band playing orchestral, alternative rock in and around Nottingham. I'll have to save that for another post - this family's got too much talent!

Don't forget to follow the blog tour, today's stop is the ever-interesting Kate Davies.

Wed 7 Mar Jen Arnall-Culliford Knitwear Jen Arnall-Culliford

Thurs 8 Mar Needled Kate Davies

Fri 9 Mar Rock and Purl Ruth Garcia-Alcantud

Sat 10 Mar Woolly Wormhead Woolly Wormhead

Mon 12 Mar Yarnscape Alison Barker

Tues 13 Mar Confessions of a Yarn Addict Anniken Allis

Wed 14 Mar Joli House Amanda France

Thurs 15 Mar This is Knit Lisa & Siobhan

Fri 16 Mar The Knitting Institute Knitting Magazine

Sat 17 Mar Life’n Knitting Carla Meijsen

Sun 18 Mar ConnieLene Connie

Mon 19 Mar Just Call Me Ruby Susan Crawford

Tues 20 Mar Tiny Owl Knits Stephanie Dosen

Wed 21 Mar Ulla-Bella Anita Tørmoen

Thurs 22 Mar Heike Knits Heike Gittins

World blog tour kicks off...

2012-03-06T13:34:00.001Z

...TOMORROW! So excited to be introducing Sweet Shawlettes to knitters outside of North America, where it was published in January. The US blog tour was such a success that we decided to do another one to coincide with the UK and rest of the world publication date - March 7th.

We duly went ahead and arranged the world tour to start on that date, naively thinking that the big booksellers like Amazon would stick to it. How wrong can you be? The book has been available on Amazon UK since the 12th January, albeit low-key, as no-one actually knows about it.

Publication dates are paramount for promotion and it makes me angry that authors are not kept in the loop and consequently made to look like fools when the book is available unbeknown to them. There must be people who've bought the book on Amazon wondering why we've waited until March to start the blog tour.

As there are so many knitting books being published these days, getting them reviewed and noticed by the knitting public is a job which increasingly falls to the author. It's not enough nowadays to be good at what you do, it's now become equally important to be able to promote what you do. Many good books flop because of lack of decent promotion and conversely some (IMO) awful books hit the high spots because the author is media savvy. Anyway, will stop ranting before I really get into my stride and give you the dates. There'll be plenty of chances to win copies of the book, Q&As, reviews etc, and the blog stops are all stellar knitters whose work is inspiring. Also excerpts with giveaways in several leading UK knit mags coming up in March. So get involved!

Wed 7 Mar Jen Arnall-Culliford Knitwear Jen Arnall-Culliford

Thurs 8 Mar Needled Kate Davies

Fri 9 Mar Rock and Purl Ruth Garcia-Alcantud

Sat 10 Mar Woolly Wormhead Woolly Wormhead

Mon 12 Mar Yarnscape Alison Barker

Tues 13 Mar Confessions of a Yarn Addict Anniken Allis

Wed 14 Mar Joli House Amanda France

Thurs 15 Mar This is Knit Lisa & Siobhan

Fri 16 Mar The Knitting Institute Katy Evans

Sat 17 Mar Life’n Knitting Carla Meijsen

Sun 18 Mar ConnieLene Connie

Mon 19 Mar Just Call Me Ruby Susan Crawford

Tues 20 Mar Tiny Owl Knits Stephanie Dosen

Wed 21 Mar Ulla-Bella Anita Tørmoen

One final thing. I noticed a thread on Facebook yesterday about Pinterest. It caught my eye as I'd signed up a couple of weeks ago but hadn't pinned anything until recently. As usual there's always too much to do to read the small print, so I was interested to read the conversation, especially as it was initiated by Franklin Habit, one of the bloggers on the US tour.

Pinterest home page

As I understand it, he was complaining that he had signed up ( account entitled Don't Bother Following Me I Won't Be Posting Anything) as an academic exercise as he was writing an article. He hadn't pinned anything, but as soon as he pressed Go he found himself with 1200 followers, with no way of deleting any of them other than to make 1200 clicks. On looking around on Pinterest, he found many of his cartoons pinned indiscriminately on other boards without permission or credits - a gross infringement of copyright.

I signed up not to pin other people's images but to have an online repository for my own fave pics, so I could identify and access them easily. I was asked if I wanted to link to Facebook or Twitter, but being the suspicious person that I am, I declined and ended up having to agree to ten carefully chosen peeps to start following chosen by Pinterest.

However, after reading Franklin's thread, I'm confused. It brought to my attention that contrary to Facebook, the owners of Pinterest have covered themselves in the small print for any lawsuits relating to content on their site, the buck stopping firmly in the hands of the person who posted it, leaving the one whose copyright has been infringed in the difficult position of being the person to initiate a lawsuit if necessary. The ethics of the site are brought into question and I'm not sure whether I still wish to be associated with it, but feel there's just too much going on right now for me to find the time to find out more. That's why I'm interested to know what you think about Pinterest?

Franklin's post brought about a huge furore on said social media site - you can read the conversation here on his profile page - with many people deleting their accounts. A few stayed true and said they loved it, but obviously there is a problem here that hasn't been addressed by the peeps in charge. What do you think?

Meanwhile, for anyone who wants to keep their own intellectual property safe in cyberspace, here's a piece of code to paste into every page to stop images being pinned:

Happy pinning as they say!

PS Don't forget... if you sign up as a follower before the end of the month, you'll go into my draw for a free copy of Sweet Shawlettes.

Wedding bells and spanakopita

2012-03-03T14:39:00.000Z

Congratulations to Rowan and Nicky on their wedding yesterday. It was a lovely day enjoyed by us all, especially the two little girls who had been talking about our wedding since Xmas. The weather held fast and the cherry blossom appeared overnight to celebrate with us - natural confetti.

Signing the register

Sealed with a kiss

The girls with great-grandmother Lily

Congratulations Mummy from Ava

Ava

Isabella

Fun in the registry office garden

The spanakopita I mentioned a few days ago is one of Nicky and Rowan's favourites - it's a great standby that I often make for Sunday lunch - so as I said I'd post the recipe soon, thought this would be a good occasion.

Quick and easy, it's the perfect dish for throwing together in a hurry to feed six generously, or eight with average portions. There are other versions which involve eggs, but I'm not a great egg-lover so I've never bothered including them and as far as I know, no-one's ever noticed. Served with a big mixed salad it makes an excellent spring/summer lunch. Enjoy a glass of ouzo in the garden beforehand, crack open a bottle of Domestica with your meal and on a sunny day I guarantee you'll be transported straight to Greece.

Spanakopita - Greek cheese and spinach pie

You'll need:

1 packet of frozen filo pastry

2 packets of feta cheese, grated

1 kg packet of frozen spinach

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic crushed

optional sprigs of dill

salt and pepper

nutmeg

sesame seeds

Wide flat dish as in illustration

pastry brush

Defrost the pastry for a couple of hours beforehand. Heat the oven to Gas Mark 4/180C/350F, then warm 1 tablespoon of olive oil gently in a flat saucepan. Add the frozen spinach and garlic. Put the lid on the pan and continue with gentle heat until spinach is defrosted, then turn up the heat and cook quickly until most of the moisture has disappeared and the spinach is coated in a fine layer of oil.

Then comes the only mildly tricky bit. Open the filo pastry and lay flat on a tea towel on a cold surface. It's important to work fast as it dries out and becomes hard and unmalleable pretty quickly in a warm room. Don't stress though, if you do have to leave it, always cover with a tea towel.

Then using the other tablespoon of oil, brush the inside of the dish. Cover the base and the sides of the dish with the pastry, leaving some hanging over around the top edges. When you've covered it completely, brush with olive oil, then add second and third layers only on the bottom, brushing with olive oil between each layer. Then cover the base with half the feta cheese (1 packet), do three more layers of filo, each brushed with oil and not covering the sides, then add all the spinach. Season with salt and pepper to taste, add dill if required (I don't always use dill, but in Greece it's usually included - tastes good with or without) then grate some nutmeg liberally over the whole layer. Three more layers of oiled pastry as before, then another layer of feta cheese, then three more layers of oiled pastry, letting the final layer overhand at the edges. Fold together the base and top sheets around edges and you're almost done. Sprinkle the top layer with sesame seeds, which add a delicious nutty flavour.

Place in the heated oven for 40 minutes, where it will puff itself up into a crisp, golden concoction, et voilà... enjoy!

I'm celebrating the spring with a giveaway!

2012-03-01T10:58:00.001Z

It's St David's Day today and also the first official day of spring... wooooohooooooo, let's party!

Arlo basking the warm spring weather - oh for a cat's life!

To celebrate I'm giving away a choice of four patterns from Sweet Shawlettes. All you have to do is leave a comment saying which of the four designs is your fave and why (please include email address so I can send you the pattern). And there's more... if you sign up as a follower, I'm giving away of a copy of the book. The draw will be taken from all new followers at the end of March.

Ponchos and shawls are big news this spring, so we'll kick off with Enigma, an easy-to-knit layered shawl in diaphanous Rowan Kidsilk Haze. It's knit in stocking stitch on 4.5mm (US 7) needles.

Enigma layered look

One layer - a light covering for spring evenings

Single layer when you need to be a little more snug

Next up there's Treasure, a chic jabot trimmed with as many frills as you feel up to knitting. It's an ideal starter project for aspiring entrelac knitters, using luxurious Rowan Pure Silk DK on 3.75mm (US 5) needles.

Treasure Jabot showcasing entrelac and frills

Penumbra is a cool black and white cowl with a hidden zigzag. It uses the shadow-knit technique on 4mm (US 6) needles, with Rowan Wool/Cotton providing fabulous stitch definition.

Penumbra Cowl showcasing shadow-knitting

And finally there's Purple Patch, a modular pastel shrug, just the thing to keep you cosy on springtime country walks. Knitted in Rowan Milk Cotton Fine, a beautifully soft 4-ply yarn, this garter stitch knit on 2.75mm (US 2) needles is also a good stashbuster.

Purple Patch showcasing modular pattern and texture

Purple Patch back view

The four designs I've chosen are perfect fashion-forward accessories to strut your springtime stuff in! Shawls and neck wraps are right on trend and not only are they often quick-to knit, so perfect for a last minute gift, but portable too. They don't involve a huge outlay if you choose to splurge on new yarn, but they're also ideal for those absolutely fabulous balls in your stash that you just had to have, then wonderedwhat on earth you were ever going to do with them.

I hope you'll all join in as it's also a great way for me to get to know what sort of knitting you like to do. It also helps me with my next book which right now is wildly fomenting in my head, but needs to be pinned down poste haste for the impending first deadline.

Happy St David's Day!

Taking the leap!

2012-02-29T11:09:00.002Z

Well, it's a leap year when we're supposed to take a leap into the unknown and do something we wouldn't normally do on the 29th February. I've been wanting more and more to get back into playing music, I just don't do enough of it and it's one of the things that makes my spirit soar.

Last night I spent half an hour with my iphone recording a song I've written. I must have made ten different attempts to get a good take, but it seems if I get the voice OK the guitar is rubbish and visa versa. In the end I just had to accept that with my lack of practice there's no way I could ever get it perfect, so although it's not usually in my nature to accept second best, this time I allowed the pragmatist to rule. I wouldn't have had the confidence to do it at any other time but as it's a leap year... Long Distance Love.

The only other time the song has had an airing at Dartington Hall

It's often said that the best songs are written by unhappy people - Amy Winehouse immediately springs to mind. Though it's not always the case, it's true to say that hard times of heightened emotion are the bedrock of many good songs - Joni Mitchell's Little Green about her daughter who was adopted, or Fleetwood Mac's greatest album Rumours, a collection of fabulous songs about their troubled romantic relationships. Many of my own songs were written years ago when I had more things to work through, but what really kickstarted my songwriting recently was that someone close to me had been in a relationship that ended because of problems of distance and I found this so poignant I felt moved to write a song.

In another life I used to play in an acoustic duo called Scarlet Vardo. We played in folk clubs all over Britain and performing was second nature. We sang a mixture of our own songs, English traditional and blues and got a real buzz from playing live. I do miss it and have promised myself for years that I'd get back to music, but there's always too many other things demanding my attention, or at least that's been my excuse. Maybe by becoming a knit designer, doing lecture tours and writing books, I've sublimated my need to communicate with an audience - it sort of filled the void that music left.

One of my New Year's resolutions was to play a couple of songs at the local folk club, something I would never have thought twice about in my other life. I still haven't done this, but after today's post, maybe I'll feel more confident.

PS Didn't realise when I wrote it but my song has got a lot to live up to - there's another Long Distance Love by Little Feet!

Let there be light!

2012-02-28T13:43:00.002Z

Woke up to the most gorgeous spring day this morning. The light is amazing - clear blue sky with a large pale sun bringing colours and textures into focus and spotlighting tiny treats that I wouldn't necessarily have noticed - totally inspirational! It lifts my spirits every time I see the miniature rainbows dancing around the room from the recycled glass crystals hanging in the window.

Garden through a crystal

If you look closely you can see all the colours of the rainbow

Amazing how reflection creates colour!

Colours of the anemones brought into sharp focus

I'm an incorrigible Grecophile and this sort of day always reminds me of springtime there. The wild flowers in the Peloponnese will be glorious over the next couple of months, before the raging midsummer sun wipes them all out. A friend who has a house near Kalamata has just left to spend a few weeks there and I'm green with envy. We've spent many holidays in the Mani in April/May - there are so many things I enjoy about being there.

It's not always easy for travelling vegetarians, but in Greece there's always lots of feta salads, battered aubergines and courgettes (including the flowers), lentil soups, butter beans in tomato sauce, and my fave spanakopita, which I often make at this time of year to transport me straight back. My mouth is watering and I can even smell the oregano and thyme on the Greek mountainside as I'm writing. I'll make a note to give you the recipe, it really is as easy as pie so look out for it coming soon.

Spanokopita - cheese and spinach pie

At the other end of the day, sunsets are just as awe-inspiring. A few days ago, driving back from my mother's with Philip, it was as if the sun had put on a show specially for us. I snapped some pics through the car window as we sped along - totally different, but equally breath-taking kind of light. Whereas in the morning the spring light is fresh and crisp like a chilled chardonnay, in the evening its light can be moody, fruity and mysterious like a vintage red bordeaux.

Leaving my mum's

Looks like something's happening...

Light starts to change

Wow, the sky's on fire!

I'm thinking I'd like to paint it, so take more pics

Entering York with the floorshow hanging over us

Time for coffee now, love the way the light shines through the chinese rice bowl and how a knitted throw reflects its colours onto the steel frame of the cafetiere - magic!

Coffee time

Just one more pic to throw in, totally unrelated to anything about light, but I'm a total flitterbug when it comes to images in my head. Didn't get to celebrate Pancake Tuesday on the day with the grandbabes, so we did it last Friday instead.

Pancake Friday!

Although the girls are not keen on the finished product, there was much delight at the tossing of it. I was very proud of myself at being able to keep them in the pan, well more or less, so Philip insisted on trying to capture the moment.

Musical chalk and cheese

2012-02-26T13:11:00.003Z

I'm an avid collector of songs, in fact my head is chockful of songs I'd forgotten I ever learnt, all jostling for places and waiting to spill out when the right cue comes along. A couple of weeks ago I heard Love Will Tear Us Apart for the first time and immediately loved it.

Originally written and performed way back in 1979 by the British post-punk band Joy Division, its lyrics seem to reflect the troubled personal life of lead singer Ian Curtis, both in his marriage to Deborah Curtis, and struggling with depression in the time leading up to his suicide at the age of 23 in 1980. His widow poignantly had Love Will Tear Us Apart inscribed on Ian Curtis's memorial stone and the sad story is played out in the 2007 film Control.

The lyrics read like a wise and beautiful poem written with an emotional maturity which belies the youthfulness of the band at the time.

When routine bites hard,
And ambitions are low,
And resentment rides high,
But emotions won't grow,
And we're changing our ways,
Taking different roads.

Then love, love will tear us apart again.
Love, love will tear us apart again.

Why is the bedroom so cold?
You've turned away on your side.
Is my timing that flawed?
Our respect runs so dry.
Yet there's still this appeal
That we've kept through our lives.

But love, love will tear us apart again.
Love, love will tear us apart again.

You cry out in your sleep,
All my failings exposed.
And there's a taste in my mouth,
As desperation takes hold.
Just that something so good
Just can't function no more.

But love, love will tear us apart again.
Love, love will tear us apart again.
Love, love will tear us apart again.
Love, love will tear us apart again.

I heard the song while listening to the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. Here we had an altogether different, but nonetheless moving version sung by June Tabor and Oysterband, who between them won four awards - Folk Singer of the Year, Best Group, Best Album for Ragged Kingdom and Best Traditional Track with Bonny Bunch of Roses from that album.

I loved the song, lyrics, melody, the whole package, but thought no more of it until I realised a couple of days later it was playing on a loop in my head. My musical soundtrack is constant - sometimes one that I'm not particularly fond of that's wormed its way in because it's got a catchy tune - but this one was a welcome visitor.

I got curious and decided to do some detective work and in the process listened to Joy Division's version, and although I found the echoes of punk hard to listen to at first, after reading more about the background and listening a few times, I liked it more and more.

June Tabor & Oysterband's version is a totally different animal - emotional, haunting, musically a treat with cello and strong vocals. I read somewhere that they were the best pairing since Sandy Denny sang with Led Zeppelin and I certainly wouldn't argue with that. I'll always prefer this version as at heart I'm just an old folky, but I think it's a great tribute to Ian Curtis and Joy Division that the song is as relevant today as it was in 1979.

Designer to watch!

2012-02-23T21:14:00.000Z

I've been meaning to let you all know about a knit designer whose work I came across quite by chance whilst listening to her music - it's great to find people who express their creativity through several different media. Stephanie Dosen is a talented American singer/songwriter who until recently was living and working in London. I've been listening to her music on and off for the past couple of years since Felix sent me a track on Spotify.

Her ethereal CD, A Lily for the Spectre (2007) has her sweet and sexy vocals seeming to float along the top of some fine arpeggio guitar playing - a sort of latterday Stevie Nicks. I'm told there is another CD, Ghosts, Mice & Vagabonds from 2002 but I haven't heard that one yet.

A Spectre For The Lily

But what's the connection with knitting? Well, whilst researching the best blogs for Sweet Shawlettes World Tour - sounds grand I know, but couldn't think of any other way to say UK, Ireland, Holland, Norway and New Zealand - I came across Tiny Owl Knits and quickly clocked that it's one and the same woman as Stephanie Dosen, seen here modelling her designs. For me her work has the same quirky sensability and individualism as her music. Here are a few of my favourites - see what you think.

You can buy the patterns on Ravelry, Etsy and from her website, where every design has its own video with different views. I specially LOVE the tiny knitted rings, that could be sized up to become napkin rings too. Don't let all the fairy stuff put you off, I know you won't all be into it, but believe me, at the core of it all is one very creative spirit.

I didn't realise when I asked her to join the blog tour that Stephanie has now moved back to the US, but wherever she's living I'm sure that her joyous, playful outlook will add a touch of magic. Look out for her blog stop coming up on 20th March.

PS Couldn't help myself when I saw this video, had to share it straightaway - a really cool way of joining yarn in knitting or crochet.

The Botanic Gardens in Sheffield

2012-02-22T13:22:00.004Z

Yesterday was spent with Lyra, our youngest grand-daughter. As her parents live and work about fifty miles away from York, we don't get to see her nearly as much as we'd like to, so days when we do are always special. The purpose of this visit though was that they were moving house, which I seem to remember is one of the top three major stressors along with bereavement and divorce. So Philip and I went along to help out and I got the best job of spending both Saturday and yesterday with Lyra, who's very good company.

We headed straight off to the Botanical Gardens and once the rain had stopped had a lovely time consorting with the squirrels and friendly dogs on leads, plus the most adorable cat who looked like one of Arlo's cousins.

The Victorian Paxton Pavillions are the fabulous focal point of the gardens, which were a part of the original design by Robert Marnock(1800-1889). His plan had a strong T-shaped junction on a south-facing slope, ideal for a glasshouse so, as in many other grand gardens of the period such as Kenwood, the idea took root.

The restored pavillions in summer glory

The pavillions yesterday in the February sunshine

Robert Marnock was an illustrious garden designer who had worked previously at Bretton Hall, now home to the wonderful Yorkshire Sculpture Park, He won a competition to design the Botanics, and in 1834 was asked to implement his design, and afterwards curated the garden until 1839. He left to lay out the gardens of the Royal Botanic Society in London's Regent's Park, where he also became curator.

Herald of the spring, beautiful crocuses

His design for the Sheffield Botanics' nineteen-acre garden was revolutionary, displaying each plant either individually for its best attributes or grouped within organically-shaped geometric beds. This new style was known as gardenesque, pioneered by John Claudius Loudon. A major restoration of the gardens was completed in 2008, reinstating elements of Marnock's original design and the pavillions now house a fine collection of exotics.

Orchids

Cacti and succulents

Aloes

We had a lovely time in the pavillions, where there are plenty of seats to sit and peruse the plants - we didn't do much of that as little girls like to keep on the move - but we were both very appreciative of the warmth and colour of the glasshouses and loved playing peekaboo round the massive cacti and succulents and getting touchy-feely with the more user-friendly non-spiky ones.

On leaving, the teashop beckoned a few yards away and we settled in for a late lunch with a welcome bowl of broccoli and stilton soup, which Lyra declined in favour of a couple of sachets of her favourite Ella's Kitchen.

These look like pulmonarias but not sure, love the blue

Lovely camellias in full bloom, with no sign of frosting

Bare-wood blooms and spicy scent of Viburnum bodnantense

Bedazzling witch hazel

Sleepy cuddles with Lyra's fave Dogdog

Lyra fell asleep walking back through the gardens, so I took the opportunity to snap a few of the highlights. Unfortunately she missed the pungent scent of the ubiquitous sweet box, hanging heavily in the dampness - I later discovered that the garden holds the national collection of sarcococcas. Looking forward to visiting in the summer, when it must be glorious with everything in full bloom. Sheffield's Botanic Garden is a well-kept secret that's definitely worth knowing about.

Synesthesia

2012-02-20T09:55:00.000Z

The perception of colour is a very personal thing so I've never seen it as strange that for me every letter of the alphabet and also numbers have their own colour. Sometimes the difference between one letter and another is so subtle that I can hardly describe it, it's more of a feeling. The colours of the letters influence the overall colour of a word, which often takes on the colour of the most dominant letter.

One day a couple of years ago, son Felix had been reading an interesting psychology book, The Frog Who Croaked Blue, and gave a copy to Philip, who had always been slightly bemused by comments I'd sometimes make about the colour of words. Whilst reading the book he started to question me further about this and tada, everything fell into place. Apparently I am a grapheme-colour synesthete. Knowing this makes no practical difference to me, although it does sharpen my curiosity to find out more.

How letters and numbers may appear to a synesthete, although it's rare

that any two synesthetes will perceive the same set of color associations

Synesthesia is a sort of cross-wiring of the senses, where one type of stimulation evokes the sensation of another, as when the hearing of a sound produces the visualisation of a colour. Patricia Lynne Duffy says of it in her book, Blue cats and Chartreuse Kittens, Sometimes described as a blending of perceptions, synesthesia occurs when one of the five senses is aroused, yet two respond.

David Hockney, the Yorkshire artist, is a famous synesthete. While constructing stage sets for ballets and operas, he bases the background colours and lighting upon the colours he sees while listening to the music of the theatre piece. Also Norman Mailer described the condition beautifully in his biography of Marilyn Monroe – She has that displacement of the senses which others take drugs to find. So she is like a lover of rock who sees vibrations when he hears sounds.

David Hockney painting scenery

I must say though that the condition doesn't seem to be very helpful in choosing a new colour for our kitchen. It's been a very saturated bright yellow for several years and I really fancy a change, but I can't perceive of a kitchen that isn't yellow. So we've been trying out a few other yellows - what do you think?

Top left is Sudbury Yellow, top right is Indian Yellow,
bottom left Orangery (my fave) and botton right as is

Other famous cases are the artist Wassily Kandinsky, writer Vladimir Nabokov, composers Olivier Messiaen, Franz Liszt, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Sibelius, philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, Nobel prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman and Stevie Wonder.

Would be interesting to know what percentage of knitters are synesthetes - maybe we could take a sample poll?

Review of Rowan's new yarns

2012-02-17T10:20:00.001Z

Had coffee in the garden for the first time this year yesterday - it felt SO good to be outdoors again. The sun's shining today so with any luck I'll be able to do the same again. The hedge outside the kitchen window is buzzing with sparrows and blackbirds, all tweeting (the original kind, though other would be funny image) and nest building. I love this time of year with all the bulbs coming through, spring green, anticipation, inspiration from renewal. Also Rowan's new shade cards arrived yesterday...

Bell Organic Aran & DK by Amy Butler is new to me and could rival
one of my alltime faves - Rowan wool/cotton - can't wait to try it!

Maybe this could replace Lenpur linen? Good range of colours.

It's always exciting to see what's on offer from the premier designer yarn company. However, I was disappointed to see that several of my favourite yarns have disappeared - Pure Silk, Silk Twist, Mulberry Silk and Lenpur Linen to name a few. There are gorgeous new additions for us to salivate over though and lots of new shades in most of the stock yarns - I've already picked out quite a few for my next book.

Think this yarn will have fabulous drape and I'm looking forward to
trying it out for shawls, scarves and glam evening wear

Looks as if this may be great for getting the felted look without the
hassle of felting, but can't find any info on how this yarn performs

It's hard for us designers when a yarn we've used in a pattern is discontinued. Designing knitwear as an independent involves dedication and there's no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. If a yarn is discontinued by the time a new book is published, then it often puts us in a bad light with the knitting public - I can tell you I've had quite a bit of flack over this in the past. It also cuts down options for excerpts and yarn packs, and makes more work for the designer finding substitutes. It encourages a boring ethos of let's stick to the core yarns of any collection to ensure the longevity of the patterns. Of course ultimately none of us want to do that - what designer can resist trying out as many of the scrumptious new yarns as possible?

Chalky colours, love the way it's spun - this 90%cotton/10% silk looks like a winner!

Interesting yarn in saturated summer shades

Trying to keep abreast of the ever-mushrooming yarn lines can be a full-time job in itself, so when considering yarns for books (as against single patterns) I find it easier to use the devil I know. I love the idea of using yarn from many different companies in one book and have tried to do this on several occasions. But logistically this creates just one more mountain to climb. Tight schedules demand finished patterns and pieces up to a year before a book is published, so it's one less thing to have to think about if you can find most of the goodies in one fabulous basket. With Rowan there's the added bonus of them being just down the road. Unfortunately the discontinuation of yarns and specific colours is an occupational hazard for designers and no matter how hard you try, you can never guarantee that a new yarn will still be there on publication.

An aran weight has been added to the tweed family, fabulous range just
begging for an intricate little fairisle

This is a new addition under the already established 100% British wool umbrella
- a finer boucle quality, I can definitely feel a boucle moment coming on!

It's hard for yarn companies to know how popular a yarn will be until it's on the market and in today's difficult economic climate there's no slack for yarns that don't pull their weight. Unfortunately this applies to both the big companies and the smaller indie ones as they in particular can't afford to invest in yarns that may not sell well for whatever reason.

Yet another angle on the kidsilk haze craze

The final couple of yarns I want to show you are so new they don't have samples for the shade card, only the colours and description. Merino super wash wool and tussah silk sounds like a match made in heaven, so I can't wait to get some Baby Merino Silk on my needles. Another alltime fave of mine was Rowan's 100% tussah silk from years ago - I loved the way it took the dye to produce hues to die for. Adding a stripe to kidsilk haze gives another dimension to this now classic yarn, so I'm sure it'll follow in the footsteps of Rowan's previous kidsilk fibres in being mega-popular.

Baby Merino Silk DK

Kidsilk Haze Stripe

Rowan continue to inspire yarnaholics like me with both their yummy yarns and glorious colour choices. They obviously work hard on yarn development, producing contemporary and innovative fibres which play a big part in helping to keep knitting at the forefront of fashion. However, once more I find myself in the familiar situation where the most important factor in determining whether or not I use any particular yarn in my next book has got to be whether it's likely to make it through the next couple of years. Ah well, I might as well just take the plunge and start the horrendous task of trying them all out... what was I saying about designers having a hard life? :D

Happy Valentines Day!

2012-02-14T12:18:00.000Z

Knit your hearts with an unslipping knot - Wm Shakespeare

Passion Cape from In The Mood

Was meaning to have today off. A relaxed and romantic lunch with Philip was on the cards, but discovered last night that our main business email has been hacked into and all emails are bouncing back to senders... arrrrrgh!*!*!***

I was labouring under the misguided notion that Macs were immune to such things - silly me! So I'm sitting here running an anti-virus programme and seeing a whole list of Trojan infections which have invaded my laptop unbeknown to moi. Very annoying to say the least, just hope that it can all be resolved without the loss of my whole head of hair!

But back to Valentine's Day - I wanted to share with you my Albion Cushion. It's from World Knits, published more years ago than I care to remember, but still one of my favourites.

My well worn favourite Albion Cushion - front

Arlo loves it too! - back

Anyway a couple of days ago, probably because of the over exposure to all things heart-related recently, I suddenly focused on this cushion, which has been gracing our sofa for the past ten years. It suddenly came into focus again and I decided to put it on Ravelry - it can be downloaded here

In another more recent book, In The Mood, I did a whole section of knits inspired by love - all in beautiful kettle-dyed Araucania yarns.

Romance front

Romance back

Flirt

Obsession

Boudoir Socks

And finally, for serious chocaholics like me, here are a few pics of Bettys fabulously yummy chocolate hearts, snapped when we took the grandbabies to Harlow Carr the other day.

That's all for now, got to get back to my spy detecting...

February garden

2012-02-12T08:00:00.000Z

Was gardening all day yesterday. Yes, it was cold and damp, but as we're going back to York tomorrow it was a job that couldn't be put off. The dead stalks of last year's perennials had to be cut down and removed as the new shoots were already pushing their way through. I always leave this job till February, I argue for protection in the worst weather but also because I never get round to doing it before.

It's a fairly strenuous task and takes forever, well, not actually the chopping down but the clearing up afterwards, as the garden is large and rambling and it's always a long way to either bonfire or compost heap. However, I couldn't really complain as Philip was doing an altogether more taxing job. We have a hedge which has grown into a mini-forest and he was hoping to reinstate the hedge, which involved chopping down many trees - oak, sycamore, beech, rowan (very wary of this one as there's an ominous tradition around here that you've got to ask permission first or rowans have a habit of getting their own back).

It turned out though that we both had a good day and managed to achieve most of what we set out to do without major or even minor injury. I had my camera in pocket and made a note of the flowers in bloom as I went along. Before I started I looked out of the window and thought how sad everything was looking, but once I got in the swing, uncovering plants that hadn't seen the light of day this year, they all perked up enormously, the hellebores especially when relieved of last year's leaves. So here's the roll call of the plants in the spotlight this week. Starting with the hellebores as they're just spectacular right now.

Hellebore niger

Hellebore clump

Corsican hellebore

Lovely white/green hellebore hybrid

Lots of big fat buds waiting to open

As you can see there are lots of hellebores in the garden, especially close to the house as they have such a long flowering season - you can count on the flowers still being there at the beginning of May. Cyclamen coum is another favourite, the tiny flowers come out even before the snowdrops, so I make sure we have plenty in the front garden - they're so welcoming throughout the winter. The leaves are also very decorative, potential inspiration for a sweater pattern in fact, sort of paisley design.

Cyclamen coum

Note the fancy leaves

The snowdrops are coming out all over the place now - I uncovered many clumps around the garden which were completely hidden by last years fallen leaves. I love the way they huddle together against the cold - always cheers me up to see them tucked in under a hedge or snug on a mossy bank.

Two shrubs that add interest in their own special ways, one for its colourful bark and the other for it's long and lustrous catkins.

Red and green wands of dogwood

Garrya eliptica with its long silky catkins, which are actually flowers

Next some common or garden plants that you wouldn't look twice at in the summer, but in the middle of February they seem quite exotic.

Elephant's ears trying hard to be beautiful before they become raggedy

Wood spurge with its unassuming little yellow flowers

Mahonia in full bloom with heavenly scent

And finally two favourites - the humble daffodil, still not open in our garden, which is 600 feet above sea level, but in full bloom a couple of miles down the road. I'm not over fond of the big yellow ones, but despite many attempts to rid the garden of them, they always return so I've now given up. My favourites are the very pretty little white ones called Thalia. Because of the relatively mild winter we've had so far, the ornamental quince was covered in buds and a few were beginning to open.

Daffodils in bud

Ornamental quince

Off to soak the aching limbs in a hot bath now. Candles burning, glass of wine - I'll be dreaming of the summer when we'll be reaping the benefits of today's labour. Hard to believe there's only another couple of months before the garden starts feeling like a great place to hang out again.

When we got here last week there was a lovely card waiting for us in the post. It was from a friend and master gardener and I was really taken by one of the things she said. I don't think she would mind me saying that she has been an octogenarian for quite some time, but still tends her garden, including vegetables, every day herself. She said I have my garden which sends me weary to bed and gets me up thinking of the jobs to be done. When I'm tired and aching I tell myself that maybe this is the key to a long and active life?

Everybody's knitting!

2012-02-10T19:26:00.002Z

Here's the finished version of the little cardy I showed you a couple of days ago. I received a couple of suggestions, one to leave it as was, with just the shell stitch edging and another to add a rosebud on one sleeve. I myself had thought it would be good to omit the flowers and work a whipping stitch in the four contrast colours through the sleeve welts. In the end the sweater turned out to be a combination of all three, considering the alternatives was really helpful in the decision-making.

Flower, crocheted shell edging and embroidered whipstitch at sleeve welts

Close-up of shell stitch edging

Close-up of whipstitch on welts

Close-up of flower, shell stitch edging and whipstitch

Button

I think I like it!

All done!

I used Rowan Kid Silk Haze for the edgings and flower and Sublime Cashmerino Silk DK for the body of the sweater. It was a quick little knit that any competent knitter could dash off easily in a week. Don't ask why then did it take me six weeks...

Was browsing through some old knitting books a couple of days ago and came across this image. It could only be the 70s I thought and... it was. The book was Everybody's Knitting by Kirsten Hofstatter, published in 1977 and you can still get it on Amazon. It's packed with interesting Nordic knits and the images are a laugh a minute, in the nicest possible way - 70s style at its most outrageous! Just read the whacky text below!

Finally there was an interesting feature in The Guardian today about knitting. Here's an excerpt, you can read the whole article here.

A most surprising piece of information was given at the British Nylon Fair at the Royal Albert Hall this week: 'A recent survey has shown that two-thirds of teenagers are knitters, but only one-third of over-sixties ever knit'. Normally I am distrustful of market surveys, especially when their extent is not stated: but just for once we will take their findings on trust. Such splendid news about teenagers is most reassuring; although we must take into account that the increase of non-knitting over-sixties will cause a rise in the numbers of problem grandmothers.

The urge to knit is surely the most moral force in the world. Knitting is industrious, economical, virtuous, therapeutic, mildly creative (I have to interject here... mildly, how dare the writer, we knitters are HUGELY creative) and above all tranquillising. Research would show that knitting wives never become nervous wrecks, and that it is never knitting girls who break up happy homes. Conversely it would be found that the Other Woman never knits.

Bill Leader - folk revival giant!

2012-02-09T12:04:00.002Z

Listened to the BBC Folk Awards last night and it was great to see Bill Leader get the recognition he deserves. Bill was an engineer and producer of folk music records from the late 1950s. He worked at Topic Records, producing albums by such greats as Rambling Jack Elliott, Ewan McColl and Alexis Korner amongst many others.

Alexis Korner

In those austere post-war years pay was low, so at the same time he was having to supplement his income by working in Colletts, the renowned record shop on New Oxford Street, London, specialising in folk, blues and jazz. Later he collaborated with Nathan Joseph, who had set up Transatlantic Records in 1962.

Bill Leader, secretary Sue Sharpe and founder Nat Joseph in the
Transatlantic Records office in Hampstead in 1963 ©Brian Shuel

In the 60s he would often record artists in his own flat in Camden Town using a semi-pro Revox tape-recorder, reputably sound-proofing the room with blankets and egg boxes! The list of famous folkies he produced reads like the who's who of the genre - Davey Graham, Bert Jansch, The Watersons, The Young Tradition, The Dubliners, Matt McGinn, Billy Connolly, The Humblebums, Pentangle, Dick Gaughan, Gerry Rafferty, Nic Jones, Christy Moore - I could go on but suffice to say Bill practically recorded the folk revival single-handedly!

Nat Joseph (left) and Bill Leader recording in 1963
©Brian Shuel

By 1969 he set up the Trailer and Leader labels with his wife Helen. Leader was more of a folk archive with academic notes on the music, recording people such as Alan Lomax, the great American field collector of 20th century songs and folklore. Trailer was the label dedicated to the revival scene.

Bill has been and remains part of the bedrock on which the folk revival was built and we owe him a great debt. I couldn't be more delighted that last night at the Lowry Theatre in Salford he was honoured with the Good Tradition award, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the continuation of traditional folk music. Well done Bill, you've set the bar so high, but let's hope there are others ready to step up and continue your sterling work, bringing the music of the people to front of stage for many years to come. Here's to you Bill!

Warm and cosy in Wales

2012-02-08T13:14:00.001Z

Feels so good to be back in the countryside. I'm sitting here bathed in sunshine at the kitchen table looking out across the garden to the other side of the valley. The Rayburn is lit, kettle boiling, wood stove burning and I'm thinking it's the first time in days that I've felt warm. Several people in the US have asked me what a Rayburn is, so here's a picture. I love my Rayburn and have spent whole days in the coldest weather, holding onto the rail with my back against it keeping warm. Unlike Agas, the Rolls Royce of cookers, Rayburns can also heat the water, run radiators, and cook the food as well, plus the kettle's always on for tea and coffee. A real comfort blanket.

The kitties love the Rayburn

First time in Wales this year and the house was very sorry for itself when we arrived after being ignored for a couple of months. But we're old hands now at the get-in and within the hour we were warm and cosy with a glass of wine in hand and food in the oven, electric I might add, the Rayburn takes a little longer to get up to speed. We didn't arrive till five in the evening, would have been earlier but I love to stop en route at Lion Quays, a great place to break the journey. It's a super-duper spa, hotel, gym, restaurant complex, but they're perfectly happy for you to plonk yourself down in one of their comfy seats by the log stove, order a cup of coffee and read the papers, all for less than it costs in Starbucks. And in the summer you can sit outside and watch the narrowboats passing by or mooring on the beautiful Llangollen canal, a haven after two hours of hurtling down the motorway!

Lion Quays

Right now the snow at the weekend feels like a million years ago, not a sign of snow here, even though we're 600 feet up. The garden in York was still covered when we left yesterday, with the cats having quite different reactions to it. They're both under a year old and neither had seen any snow before.

Arlo takes cover

Curiosity gets the better of Django

Sunday afternoon was spent celebrating Izzi's 5th birthday. She wore her birthday outfit from my mother, her great-grandmother, and wanted me to take a picture of her doing a twirl, so apologies for the slight blurriness.

Happy birthday Isabella!

On Monday it was back to work in earnest for me as I've just realised there's a fairly imminent deadline on my next book. So there I was, lost in my own world in my office, when I heard something rustling in the corner. The projects from Sweet Shawlettes arrived back from the States last week and I hadn't got round to unpacking them. Django said I've been eying that box for days now, thank you very much for opening it for me before duly squashing himself down the side of it.

Django squeezes himself into the box of shawlettes...

... and takes a nap

Finally, you may have noticed I don't post many pictures of WIP of FOs. This is because although I consider myself a product knitter, I still find it hard to finish anything. Most of the things I'm working on at any particular time will be swatches for new designs and I tend to knit no-brainers to relax with. So I'm delighted (and slightly amazed) to be able to share my first FO of 2012, a little cardy for my one-year old grand-daughter, Lyra.

A rare animal indeed for me, a FINISHED OBJECT!!

However, true to form, I just can't decide whether or not it's finished. I do like it as is, but originally intended to add some tiny knitted rosebuds along the left front curving edge, with a single rosebud on the right sleeve in the contrast colours. So am now agonising as to whether that would be just too OTT and unnecessary or whether to just knit it and give myself the option. What do you think?

Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit's snowtime!!

2012-02-05T12:29:00.002Z

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr, beautiful here this morning, but cold. Don't really mind at this point in the winter, as it's the first blast of cold we've had and lets us know we do indeed still have seasons, that we've not been going through one long extended autumn.

View from woodland walk across the winter garden

Took the grandbabes to Harlow Carr yesterday, we set off in blisteringly cold weather, noticing halfway there that it had turned into a blizzard. Izzi and Ava were mega-excited and so on we ploughed, in fact we were driving behind a snow plough gritting the roads for some of the way... yay the penny has finally dropped in the UK that we can deal with a covering of snow without it becoming a national emergency. Good for you Harrogate council.

Tracks in the snow

When we arrived, we were practically the only people in the garden. Only a couple of other families were crazy enough to brave the snow, but we were all so glad we did. We headed straight for the maze with Isabella making zigzag tracks in the snow down the hill.

Can't catch me in the maze

The children were happy to be messing around in the snow and didn't need any other amusement, but we did have a pretend cuppa at the outdoor Bettys, which was of course shut.

Anyone for tea?

Home time

Bettys' glorious Valentine window beckoned as we made our way back to the car, so we rushed inside to warm up. Bowls of tomato soup and chips were ordered with steaming hot chocolate. Not flavours you'd immediately put together I know, but big fat chip butties definitely hit the spot on days like this.

Izzi in front of Bettys Valentine window

Valentines display

Harrogate looked magical in the snow as we drove home, the trees festooned with fairy lights, each tree bedecked with it's own colour of green, blue, red or silver.

Django watches as Ava sets a record score

Just enough time when we got back for Izzi and Ava to have a game of bagatelle, with the kitties looking on and doing their best to join in.

Arlo thinks he can do better!

There were two very tired girls for Nicky to collect, off to bed in anticipation of Isabella's birthday today.

Audrey-style free pattern

2012-02-03T14:05:00.002Z

Last night I noticed that Sweet Shawlettes was in the top 2000 books on Amazon - 1986 to be precise and I just can't tell you how thrilled I was. In fact I'm still buzzing this morning! So much work goes into a knitting book and if you're an indie designer like me, there's no spare cash to farm out the number crunching. So knowing that knitters like my work means a lot to me, it's valuable feedback that tells me whether I'm on the right track or not. The blog tour has been fantastic, such a great way to publicise the book - I'm overwhelmed by the fabulous reviews. Read latest review by the Underground Crafter.

There are many factors that contribute to a book's success and after the author, the next most important one is the publisher. In the past I've had my share of trials and tribulations with publishers and come to the conclusion that there has to be trust on both sides - trust from the publisher that the designer will deliver the goods on time in a professional manner and trust from the designer that the publisher will honour the contract, be true to the designer's vision in the making of the book, and lastly and very importantly, distribute and promote it well.

At this point I should say that I'm really pleased by the way things turned out with Taunton. They did a fabulous job and I can't thank them enough. I was given complete control over yarns, stitches, colours, styles, techniques - something I really value. I was kept in the loop about each process of the book's production, consulted on the book's design and to my utmost surprise and great relief the editors at Taunton actually listened.

However, in a previous hardcover book that shall for now be nameless, in the same situation I was treated like a jobbing author and ended up with a book I hated, where the images reflected completely different sweaters to the ones I'd designed. The book was supposed to have the title Audrey Style but no homework had been done and at the eleventh hour when I thought I'd sent the book on its way, the rug was pulled from under and all mention of Audrey had to be deleted. This was because the publisher refused to pay the five figure sum which the Audrey estate demanded for the right to use her name. I'm sure many other companies have gone ahead willy nilly and I'm not advocating or condoning this, I just think it's the publisher's job to be aware of these things before commissioning a book.

The publishers were obviously misguided in more than one way, as they didn't seem to trust the designer they had chosen, ie me, to come up with the goods. The designs were chosen by a committee of which I was not a member. I was asked to submit many sketches with suggested yarns and colours, then had to accept their choices and colours and execute the designs. I did my best and thought the book could still be a success but I hadn't counted on the way they photographed it. I'm sure technically it was spot on, but the languid ladies-that-lunch, dreary styling on models that were a million miles away from how Audrey would have looked wearing them, made me want to weep.

I remembered my original intro, full of references to Audrey, which of course had to be completely rewritten. Here's an excerpt:

Audrey! What can I say? Effortless style, charisma, coquettish charm, poise, timeless beauty, the perfect designer’s muse. From Hubert de Givenchy to Ralph Lauren, Audrey’s slender shape was an inspiration to artists, photographers, directors and designers worldwide for nearly half a century. She was the perfect clothes horse.

Photographed at 62 by Steven Meisel for Vanity Fair

When Steven Meisel photographed her for the cover of Vanity Fair, he was amazed to find her just as gorgeous at sixty-two as she was in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Obviously, inner beauty must eventually work its way out, and over time, her youthful dewiness was replaced by an assured radiance which in later years emphasized her loveliness.

I was delighted to be asked to design a book of sweaters inspired by Audrey. As Ralph Lauren famously said, Who wouldn’t want to drop everything and design for Audrey Hepburn? I embarked on some serious Audrey immersion therapy, devouring anything I could get my hands on about her – biographies, posters, quotes, websites and, of course, films. I settled into re-viewing them all, discovering that whilst she was not an outstanding actor, she exuded quirky Englishness, naïve sexuality and innate style, imbuing each of her roles with a piece of herself which was able to illuminate even the most mundane script.

Though tragically she died prematurely in 1993, her spirit lives on through her films and charity work. I hope that in this collection each of you will be able to find your own piece of Audrey style. To quote Stanley Donen, who directed Audrey in Funny Face, Audrey makes my soul fly. She opens me up to beautiful feelings. In this hectic world, we could all do with some of that!

Audrey with Humphrey Bogart and William Holden in Sabrina 1954

Sabrina

Chemistry!

Isn't this gown just crying out for a glamorous stole!

By this point I suspect you'll be wondering what's happened to the pattern. But what I'm leading up to is that I felt that the book, eventually renamed Contemporary Classics, was never the book I originally wrote and so I'd like to revisit a few of the designs over the coming months to give them a new airing in a different context. The images will still be the same but maybe you can use your imagination on how they might have been worn Audrey-style. Sabrina, below, is one of the more believable images.

With the resurgence of all things vintage recently, as well as my recent obsession with shawls, I want to start the ball rolling with a free pattern of the fifties-inspired Elinor, originally named Sabrina after the 1954 film of that name with Humphrey Bogart and William Holden.

SABRINA

SIZE
One size

YARN

Rowan Kidsilk Night (208m/227yds per 25g ball)

4 balls MOONLIGHT (608)

NEEDLES

One pair each 3.25mm (US 3) and 5mm (US 8), plus1 extra 5mm (US 8) or size to obtain tension, stitch markers

TENSION

22 sts. and 28 rows =4”/10cm using 5mm (US 8) needles in stocking st.

STITCHES

Slip the first stitch purlwise and knit intothe back of the last stitch on every row. This eliminates a certain amount of curland makes finishing easier as the resulting notches can be matched.

Stocking st – knit on RS, purl on WS rows

Rib - Row1 *k1, p1, repeat from * to end. Row 2 k the knit sts and p the purl sts.
Repeat Row 2 to end

Using largerneedles, beginning at lower edge of cape, cast on 278 sts.

**Beginning with knit row, work 13 rows st st.ending with knit row.

Row 14 Knit.

Row 15 Purl**

Then workdecreases as follows:

1st dec row k4, *k2tog, k10, k2tog, k2;repeat from * to last 18 sts, k2tog, k10, k2tog, k4 - 244 sts

Next row Purl

Next row Knit

Repeat from **to ** once.

2nd dec row k4, *k2tog, k8, k2tog, k2; repeat from * tolast 16 sts, k2tog, k8, k2tog, k4 - 210sts

Next row Purl

Next row Knit

Repeat from **to ** once.

3rd dec row k4, *k2tog, k6, k2tog, k2; repeatfrom * to last 14 sts, k2tog, k6, k2tog, k4 -176 sts

Next row Purl

Next row Knit

Repeat from **to ** once.

4th dec row k4, *k2tog, k4, k2tog, k2; repeat from * tolast 12 sts, (k2tog, k4)twice -142 sts.

Next row Purl

Next row Knit

Repeat from **to ** once.

5th dec row k4, *k2tog, k2; repeat from * to last 6 sts,k2tog, k4 -108 sts

Next row Purl

Next row Knit

Beginning with knitrow, work 13 rows st st. ending with knit row. Using double yarn for extrastrength, cast off loosely purlwise.

Finishing

Ties (make 2)

The wide purl stripesof cape are right side of work. With right side of work facing and smaller needles, pick up and k56 sts. along one side edge.

Row 1 *k2tog,p1, k1, p2tog, k1, p1; repeat from * to end of row -42 sts.

Work 2” [5cm] in k1, p1 rib.

Leave on holder.

Using larger needlescast on 111 sts.

Row 1 Knit. Mark centre 3 sts

Row 2 k1, purl to centre 3 sts, p3tog, purl to last st, k1

Row 3 Knit.

Row 4 Knit to centre 3 sts, k3tog, knit to end of row

Row 5 k1, purl to last st, k1

Row 6 Knit to centre 3 sts, k3tog, knit to end of row

Repeat rows 1-6 three times more then rows 1 – 4 once - 83 sts.

Divide these sts.on two needles (41 and 42) having bothpoints facing yarn.

Fold work in half withright sides facing (side with the 5 purl stripes is right side).

Cast off loosely withthree needles, knitting tog 1st. from each needle to join piece down centre.
Using larger needles, with RS facing pick up 42 sts along straight edge. Withright sides facing, work three needle cast off as before on larger needles over42 sts on holder and 42 sts of tie.

This design must not be knitted forresale. Reproduction in whole or part isstrictly forbidden unless prior consent has been given in writing.

Celtic Connections

2012-02-02T12:26:00.000Z

Been listening a lot to the fabulous Celtic Connections on the BBC Radio 3's Late Night Sessions with Mary Ann Kennedy. This is an annual music fest in and around Glasgow - folk, roots, indie, world and traditional music celebrating the links between Celtic music and cultures across the globe. There are ceilidhs, workshops, talks, dancing, art and a torchlit parade through Glasgow. I need to be there next year!

Ceilidh, just the thing to wear at Celtic Connections!

One of the highlights for me was Bring It All Home: Gerry Rafferty Remembered - a tribute to the work of Gerry Rafferty, Paisley-born singer/songwriter who sadly died last year. The concert was recorded at this year's festival, culminating in friends and family coming together to sing Stuck in the Middle With You. This was one of my favourite tracks from Stealers Wheel, the duo he formed in the seventies with Joe Egan.

Even earlier in his illustrious career he played in the Scots folk band, The Humblebums, with renowned comedian/actor Billy Connolly and guitarist Tam Harvey. Gerry's Baker Street must be one of the most iconic sax solos ever.

On a more mundane note, the logs arrived early this chilly morning, only just in time as the final log went on the fire late last night. Stacking is an interesting activity for the kitties, but this time Arlo had to take charge on his own, as the prodigal still seems to be somewhat freaked out by his recent ordeal. I think he must have lost a quarter of his body weight in nervous energy in the twenty-four hours he was locked in the garage!

Look who's in charge of the stacking

Trying to build him up again, but not easy as he's such a worrier. It's amazing in fact how different the two cats are. Django is aloof, introverted, looks dignified and intelligent, as if he's pondering some very important business (just shows you should never rely on looks :D). No matter how much food he eats he stays skinny - an ectomorph I believe.

Django's tail is fatter than him right now

Arlo is the clown, demands to be stroked as much as possible, very vocal and views any friend who happens to be passing through as a potential lap to sit on. He eats the same amount as Django but is the cat equivalent of a sumo wrestler - a mesomorph. I split them up so that poor Django can eat in peace as Arlo just doesn't understand why he can't eat two dinners.

Arlo lying louche on the kitchen dresser

Anyway, makes me glow to know the logs are now stacked and the weather can do it's worst. Stew with cheesy dumplings tonight I think, so I can throw it all in the pot and let it cook slowly all day. I'm usually at my most creative when the fire and the food are sorted. We'll see.

Latest on Django, plus beautiful turbans

2012-01-31T12:10:00.000Z

After all the dramas of yesterday, I'm feeling a bit strung out this morning and slow off the mark. The cat flap remained firmly shut overnight, so when I got up the two kitties were there as usual, pawing the kitchen door, eagerly awaiting their breakfast. However, I'm now really nervous about letting Django out again - I knew I had to so it was with some trepidation that I gingerly opened the cat flap and out he shot like a bullet as if he was on a mission.

Thoughts of I'll never see him again flashed through my mind, but by the time I was having my own breakfast he was back to share my morning toast. As I write this he's sitting plaintively on the kitchen table looking out the window, probably thinking don't know what all the fuss is about. Anyway so far so good, I'm hoping he's learnt his lesson, but sadly it's not for nothing that I call him a dumb blond - Django is just accident prone.

Last time we had to rescue him from 80 feet up a pine tree, after a neighbour's dog chased him - couldn't blame the dog as it was his garden! Only hours of coaxing got him down when we were on the verge of calling the fire brigade. Turns out yesterday he got into the garage by squeezing through a gap in the eaves, but once in couldn't find his way out again. Duh!

Starting to think we should have called him Gulliver, but don't want to tempt providence, just hoping he's had enough of his travels for now. His first birthday's coming up in a couple of weeks, so maybe after that he'll feel he's sown his wild oats and it's time to settle down. Fingers crossed.

Thumbing through Vogue Knitting yesterday I came across a page I just had to show you. Vintage style turbans, wonderfully styled. Love them. Have made a note to include my own version in next book, which I should have been starting in earnest this week... best laid schemes!

Thanks to Robbie Burns for this great phrase. It comes from his poem To a Mouse of 1786. As it's not long after Burns night, you may like his apology to the mouse, after he upturned a mouse's nest while ploughing a field:

But, Mousie, thou art no thy lane [you aren't alone]
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft a-gley, [often go awry]
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promised joy.

Was also the source for the title of John Steinbeck's 1937 novel - Of Mice and Men.

Meanwhile Arlo has just come to tell me that Django's gone out again. He's very vocal and stepping all over the fingerboard, his way of saying DO SOMETHING! Think it's going to be one of those days...

Django goes walkabout... again!

2012-01-30T13:58:00.002Z

Completely stressed out this morning. My mum has been quite poorly over the weekend so there's been much consulting with carers, doctors and the lady herself, trying to get things sorted. On top of this Django had been missing for 24 hours and when there was still no sign of him when we got up today alarm bells started ringing. I have a very fertile imagination and was imagining he'd been picked up and transported to some far flung place by cat slavers or worse still killed or injured on a road.

So first thing leaflet duly made, then posted through every letterbox in neighbourhood and all nearby sheds and garages checked. Was feeling very dejected when the phone rang with a sighting, albeit from yesterday morning. Django had been spotted on the roof of a nearby garage complex.

Rushed round immediately, only to find it was locked. Scream! Was turning to leave when I just thought I'd give the gate a little push and what do you know, it opened! Luckily the lock was for show and not engaged at all. However we found nothing inside the complex and turned round once more to leave. I don't know why, but something made me look up and what should I see but a plaintive figure of a cat yowling at a first floor window, in a workshop built on top of the garages. Yaaaay, we'd found him!

However, finding the owners of the workshop proved a little more difficult. After much Sherlock Holmesing we located where they lived but obviously as it was mid-morning they were at work. So plan B was put into place, a holding operation, where we threaded food and water through the sliver of space beneath the door. We could hear Django wolfing the food down, so knew he must be OK. After more detective work with help from kind neighbours, an assignation was eventually made for 4.30 this afternoon. Fingers and everything else crossed that he manages to stay put till then!

Staying close

Arlo's taken refuge in my knitting basket with some Araucania yarn

Can't decide whether or not Arlo has noticed his friend and mentor's absence. But just in case he has and is feeling even half as anxious as I am, he's getting a relaxing, if somewhat manic, stroke. I realise this is mainly to calm my own frayed nerves, which could do with a shot of horse tranquilliser or at the very least a stiff drink.

As there's work to be done strong coffee will have to suffice. I can hear you saying don't do it, reach for the camomile tea, but on the assumption it's impossible to get any more wired and also a bit of what you fancy does you good, I'm reaching for the coffee pot and a flip through the latest VK. More later when hopefully Django will be released and I will be a bit calmer...
ps just spoken to Mum's doctor who assures me she is perking up, maybe I'm on a roll here?

Long suffering with the ever assertive Arlo

Django latest... the dumb blond of the maine Coon world has now been rescued. The owner of the garage met us with the remote for the lock and of course Django immediately shot out with me having visions of him being squashed on the nearby road in the rush hour. However, Philip was too quick for him and rugby tackled him to the ground and placed him safely in the cat box. Whew! Meant to take pic of him at home post trauma (mine not his!) but he's sulking somewhere as the cat flap is firmly shut for now - enough dramas for today! Found this one taken a few days ago with Arlo sitting on top of him. Maybe he was just looking for his own chair?

What's new?

pps Just found Arlo sitting on top of Django again. I knew he was missing him, though Django's probably missing the peace and quiet of his own private workshop/garage!

Knitting On Circular Needles - Sweet Shawlettes

2012-01-28T10:44:00.000Z

Knitting On Circular Needles - Sweet Shawlettes:

'via Blog this'
I was over the moon when I read this review of Sweet Shawlettes. Linda was one of the winners on the blog tour - she won the book from Rachel Heron's post at Yarnagogo. Naturally I'm always pleased when a knitter loves my work, but Linda's post almost made me cry as she seemed to have a sixth sense about all the things I was trying to do into the book.

So thank you Linda for your generous and lovely post, I can't think of anyone I'd rather have won it.

LEEK POTATO & ROCKET SOUP
While I remember, thought I'd give you the recipe for the soup I wrote about the other day. Makes enough for six generous portions. This is a quick recipe, great for when friends drop by unexpectedly on a cold day. It will freeze, or keep for a couple of days in the fridge.

3 large fat leeks
4 cloves garlic, chopped finely
2 medium sized potatoes, washed but not peeled
packet of wild rocket
1 large stick celery, chopped roughly in third of an inch (1cm) pieces
tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 flat teaspoons vegetable bouillon

Slit the leeks and wash out any grit. then slice finely. Heat the olive oil in large saucepan, then add the leeks, garlic and celery and saute for a few minutes. Meanwhile chop the potatoes into rough 1 in (2.5 cm) pieces, When leeks are becoming translucent, add the pototoes, half of the packet of rocket, salt, pepper and bouillon and stir well, adding a little more oil if necessary to prevent sticking. Boil a kettle full of water and when all veg is hot and seasoned through, pour the water over the mixture. The water should cover the veg with an equal amount on top. Put the lid on the pan and simmer for half an hour.

Serve steaming hot, garnished with remainder of rocket, and enjoy with good bread (like these rustic wholemeal loaves Philip made the other day) with or without butter (you can be good, but I can't resist!). Enjoy!

The Medium is the Message

2012-01-27T10:30:00.000Z

There’ve been a lot of mentions recently in the social mediaabout the plight of the freelance designer. In fact only the other day I found eventhe mighty Panopticon, who rounded off my SweetShawlettes blog tour yesterday, bemoaning the fact thatsexism is rife in the industry, having just experienced a dose of it himself.

From what I’m hearing it seems that many designers arewracked by insecurity and self-doubt, convinced they are being ignored,overlooked or dismissed. Yet rejection is common currency in a freelancer’severyday life. You’re only as good as your last design and unfortunately there’salways another designer willing to work for a lower fee.

In my experience most knit designers are in the businessbecause they love the craft rather than to line their pockets. Many will workfor whatever they are told is the going rate, sometimes even just for the kudosof having their designs in print, which makes them vulnerable to unscrupulouscompanies who consistently undervalue their work. It’s virtually impossible tomake a decent living out of pattern sales alone, unless of course you are lucky enough to be thenewest darling of the knitterati.

Cover with original typo
which McLuhan asked his
publisher not to correct

Marshall McLuhan’s TheMedium is the Message is proving to be an amazingly accurate prophecy. McLuhan's observation that societies have always been shaped more by the nature of the media by which men communicate than by the content of the communication is undoubtedly more relevant today than ever before. Many skills aredemanded of today’s designers and it’s virtually impossible to do it all, havea life and not burn out. We are in thebusiness of innovation and creativity, but we’re expected to do the admin,promotion, marketing, web design, networking etc etc as well – it’s notpossible to get help as the money just isn’t there to support it. Therefore it doesn’t matter how good adesigner you are - if you’re not mediasavvy you might just as well forget it.

I’ve always felt here’s something intrinsically wrong thatdesign should come at the end of the line when the cash is being handedout. In the 80s that’s why so muchfantastic British talent went abroad, where there were companies that recognisedgood design and were willing to pay for it to set their products apart from therest.

It’s a tough old world and competition, rather thanco-operation, is encouraged to get the best product for the cheapestprice. There’s no union, and onedesigner is played off against another, generating an inevitable climate ofelbowing your way up the ladder. Insultto injury is added by the fact that it all happens under the cosy umbrella ofknitting, where everything is supposed to be in fine apple pie order.

Franklin and his many, many correspondents seemed to besurprised, indeed outraged at what happened to him. Whilst I understand the outrage, in an idealworld of course sexism shouldn’t exist, but knitting is a craft not a creed. SoI’m never surprised that there are sexist, racist and ageist bigots to be foundknitting away with the rest of us.

Like any other demographic, there’s bound to be a percentageof any ism you care to mention thrown into the mix. After all you wouldn’texpect every knitter to belong to the same political party, so why should theyall have similar views on any other topic. Wherever you are on the infinite human spectrum, you’re bound to bejudged negatively by some and there’s always going to be those who will allowthat prejudice to affect their judgement of your work.

I salute Franklin for bringing our attention to it, but feelthat beating oneself up about it is a total waste of time and emotion. As designers we need to toughen up, sticktogether and lead by example, in the hope that the majority of knitters willfollow in our footsteps, so that the industry might eventually recognise the truevalue of creative design.

Tues 3 Jan Wendy Knits Wendy Johnson

Wed 4 Jan Knitgrrl Shannon Okey

Thurs 5 Jan Yarnagogo Rachael Herron

Fri 6 Jan The Knitter Rosee Woodland

Sat 7 Jan Rhythm of the Needles Joanne Conklin

Sun 8 Jan Knit Purl Gurl Karrie Steinmetz

Mon 9 Jan Craft Sanity Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood

Tues 10 Jan Planet Purl Beth Moriarty

Wed 11 Jan Sunset Cat Stephannie Tallent
Thurs 12 Jan A Really Good Yarn Julie Schilthuis

Fri 13 Jan Knit 1 Chicago Lynn Coe

Sat 14 Jan Go Knit in your Hat Carol Sulcoski

Sun 15 Jan Redshirt Knitting Erika Barcott

Mon 16 Jan In The Loop Cheryl & Ellen

Tues 17 Jan WEBS Kathy Elkins

Wed 18 Jan Zeneedle Margene Smith

Thurs 19 Jan Knitspot Anne Hanson

Fri 20 Jan Urban Yarns Alexa Ludeman

Sat 21 Jan A Friend to knit with Leslie Friend

Mon 23 Jan Tentenknits Margaux Hufnagel

Tues 24 Jan Fancy Tiger Crafts Amber Corcoran

Wed 25 Jan Chic Knits Bonne Marie Burns

➤Thurs 26 Jan The Panopticon Franklin Habit

Cup cakes and leek soup

2012-01-25T11:59:00.000Z

Lovely afternoon yesterday with Ava. We made jammy cupcakes and there's nothing like cooking with a three-year-old to get you up to speed. The aim is to get to the end of the exercise before she loses interest - I often feel like that myself, but the beauty of being three is that you can actually abandon the task.

Slightly rustic, but still yummy!

So... it's plain sailing putting out the pretty cases, weighing out the ingredients, then mixing it all together in a bowl, but then we get to the sticky part - putting the mixture, with jam in the middle into the cases. Messy job is this year's understatement and Ava doesn't like mess. So we do our best with the first layer to cover the bottom of the case. Then comes the jam... well more tricky to get the runny stuff to sit in the middle and not slide down the sides, so Gigi (as all three grandchildren call me) helps a little, then we get at least half way through putting the top layer on before Ava decides she's had enough and skips off to join Philip in some shredding.

First camellia of the year!

Just managed to get the cakes out of the oven in time to collect Izzi from school, which is always a delight as she enjoys it so much. She's always smiling when I pick her up and this time, despite the rain, she danced all the way to the car. When we got back I noticed the first camellia of the year had opened in the front garden. Just fabulous! How can it look so exotic in cold, rainy January?!

Izzi, Ava think Philip's cushion hat is hilarious!

Had the house to myself for an hour after the girls had gone home while Philip was at his yoga class. I decided to make a quick supper for when he got back, reasoning that I could then also fit in time for a relaxing soak. So leek, potato and rocket soup it was - with a chunk of wholemeal bread, slathered in butter it's unadulterated cold weather comfort food. Will post recipe soon when there's a little more time. My brain had clocked off for the night when I took the photo, as I now realise it would have been much better on a different coloured plate, but never mind, you get the idea.

Leek, potato & rocket soup

When I say I was home alone, of course I meant except for the kitties. You may or may not know that Maine Coons are famous for loving water, so unless I lock Django and Arlo up nothing is sacred, not even a bath. Last night I was joined by Arlo, who sat observing the proceedings at the end of the bath, occasionally amusing himself by fiddling with my toes in the water. However, being a cheeky 7-month-old, his curiosity always gets the better of him so I was treated to a rather exciting floor show, which involved him precariously walking along the edge of the bath several times in the candlelight. So much for a relaxing bath!

Bathtime with Arlo

Tues 3 Jan Wendy Knits Wendy Johnson

Wed 4 Jan Knitgrrl Shannon Okey

Thurs 5 Jan Yarnagogo Rachael Herron

Fri 6 Jan The Knitter Rosee Woodland

Sat 7 Jan Rhythm of the Needles Joanne Conklin

Sun 8 Jan Knit Purl Gurl Karrie Steinmetz

Mon 9 Jan Craft Sanity Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood

Tues 10 Jan Planet Purl Beth Moriarty

Wed 11 Jan Sunset Cat Stephannie Tallent
Thurs 12 Jan A Really Good Yarn Julie Schilthuis

Fri 13 Jan Knit 1 Chicago Lynn Coe

Sat 14 Jan Go Knit in your Hat Carol Sulcoski

Sun 15 Jan Redshirt Knitting Erika Barcott

Mon 16 Jan In The Loop Cheryl & Ellen

Tues 17 Jan WEBS Kathy Elkins

Wed 18 Jan Zeneedle Margene Smith

Thurs 19 Jan Knitspot Anne Hanson

Fri 20 Jan Urban Yarns Alexa Ludeman

Sat 21 Jan A Friend to knit with Leslie Friend

Mon 23 Jan Tentenknits Margaux Hufnagel

Tues 24 Jan Fancy Tiger Crafts Amber Corcoran

Wed 25 Jan Chic Knits Bonne Marie Burns

➤Thurs 26 Jan The Panopticon Franklin Habit

A couple of iconic sweaters

2012-01-23T14:32:00.000Z

Sweet Shawlettes North American blog tour is in its final week now and it's been incredible to read all your comments. Wish I had a fraction of the number of comments that many of these stellar bloggers attract, it's phenomenal to see how each blogger has their own loyal fan base and so interesting to read the friendly dialogue. I've been putting the permalinks in place as the tour moves along, to ensure it remains easy to access. It'll be a great resource now that I'm about to embark on a new journey with my next book!

Philip's putting the final touches to the UK and Europe tour, which was scheduled to start on the UK publication date -7th March. However, I've noticed that Amazon and The Telegraph Book Store are already selling it, with publication dates of 12th and 26th January respectively. I noticed that neither actually have any copies yet, so I do wish they wouldn't jump the gun like this. It's not particularly helpful to anyone, certainly not to the author, trying to promote the book with unreliable publication dates, nor to the consumer, who is left with no realistic idea of when the book might actually arrive.

Bandol by Martin Storey, Rowan Magazine 51

The latest Rowan magazine arrived in the post this morning and my eye was immediately drawn to Martin Storey's Bandol, a restrained vintage-style design with a nod to the iconic Elsa Schiaparelli trompe l'oeil sweater. I'm a huge fan of Martin's work and delighted that he's agreed to do a workshop at the Rowan Mill on our upcoming tour of Lakes & York in May. His workshops are always popular, but we sometimes have a few places for independent participants, so if you too are a fan and would like to attend, get in touch, or better still register for the tour.

Handknit sweater with Bowknot, November 1927
in Black and white wool. Philadelphia Museum of Art.

There's much more on the Museum's site, here's an extract:

In the 1920’s, the sweater was an important piece of clothing for the modern woman whowould rather play a game of tennis than sit still in a parlour. But sweaters of the time tended to lose theirshape quickly which resulted in a sloppy appearance. In the Spring of 1927, Elsa Schiaparelli noticed awoman in Paris wearing a plain but unusually woven sweater, which didn’t seem to stretch and hadwhat Schiaparelli later described as a steady look.

Schiaparelli discovered that the sweater had beenknitted by an Armenian woman using a special double layered stich. Elsa soon recruited the youngwoman to knit several prototypes for her. Schiaparelli drew a white bow to look like a scarf tied aroundthe neck of a sweater on a black background and had the design knitted into the sweaters. The sweaterhad its public debut when Elsa wore it to a luncheon that included several leaders of the fashion world.The sweater caused a sensation. A buyer from Lord and Taylor ordered 40 copies on the spot. Althoughher first collection launched the previous year had been well-received, it was the bow knot sweater whichsecured her fame.

The Schiaparelli pattern can be downloaded on Schoolhouse Press website.

Tues 3 Jan Wendy Knits Wendy Johnson

Wed 4 Jan Knitgrrl Shannon Okey

Thurs 5 Jan Yarnagogo Rachael Herron

Fri 6 Jan The Knitter Rosee Woodland

Sat 7 Jan Rhythm of the Needles Joanne Conklin

Sun 8 Jan Knit Purl Gurl Karrie Steinmetz

Mon 9 Jan Craft Sanity Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood

Tues 10 Jan Planet Purl Beth Moriarty

Wed 11 Jan Sunset Cat Stephannie Tallent
Thurs 12 Jan A Really Good Yarn Julie Schilthuis

Fri 13 Jan Knit 1 Chicago Lynn Coe

Sat 14 Jan Go Knit in your Hat Carol Sulcoski

Sun 15 Jan Redshirt Knitting Erika Barcott

Mon 16 Jan In The Loop Cheryl & Ellen

Tues 17 Jan WEBS Kathy Elkins

Wed 18 Jan Zeneedle Margene Smith

Thurs 19 Jan Knitspot Anne Hanson

Fri 20 Jan Urban Yarns Alexa Ludeman

Sat 21 Jan A Friend to knit with Leslie Friend

Mon 23 Jan Tentenknits Margaux Hufnagel

➤Tues 24 Jan Fancy Tiger Crafts Amber Corcoran

Wed 25 Jan Chic Knits Bonne Marie Burns

Thurs 26 Jan The Panopticon Franklin Habit

Behind the scenes

2012-01-20T15:56:00.001Z

Yesterday an invite to the Modern Artists Gallery's new exhibition arrived in my inbox. I'm always thrilled to view the cutting-edge work from emerging artists that Peggy presents - she has an excellent eye. Their newsletter, Mag Rag is often inspirational - don't you just love the doggy painting by Paula Zimmermann The American Gothic Terriers?

If you live in the South and you're looking for a lovely day out, the gallery's located on the Oxfordshire Berkshire borders in the pretty village of Whitchurch-on-Thames - beautiful countryside and interesting shopping, what more could you wish for?

Tom Coomber of Artesano Yarns introduced me to the gallery some years ago when he suggested we do a shoot there for a collection I'd designed for him. It turned out to be the perfect location - Peggy was a wonderful host and very welcoming, allowing us access to both her gallery and home, which as it happened was full of even more wondrous works.

Entrance

Piano where we shot Ruby

Always loved Dennis the Menace

Interior

We had a very successful day there, so much so that we returned again to do a second shoot for a subsequent collection. It's a fabulous place for inspiration even if you're not in the market for buying art. It's been too long since I visited, must make sure it's definitely on my to-do list for this year.

Nico in front of New York Night

I rooted out some of the pictures Philip took during one of the shoots, not the real deal, the actual photography was done by David Hatful of Diem Photography, but will give you an idea of the fabulous ambience this place exudes wherever you look.

Ruby

Kiki Vest with Boho Beret

Yoko in the rain with Boho Hat

Yoko Colourway 2

Tues 3 Jan Wendy Knits Wendy Johnson

Wed 4 Jan Knitgrrl Shannon Okey

Thurs 5 Jan Yarnagogo Rachael Herron

Fri 6 Jan The Knitter Rosee Woodland

Sat 7 Jan Rhythm of the Needles Joanne Conklin

Sun 8 Jan Knit Purl Gurl Karrie Steinmetz

Mon 9 Jan Craft Sanity Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood

Tues 10 Jan Planet Purl Beth Moriarty

Wed 11 Jan Sunset Cat Stephannie Tallent
Thurs 12 Jan A Really Good Yarn Julie Schilthuis

Fri 13 Jan Knit 1 Chicago Lynn Coe

Sat 14 Jan Go Knit in your Hat Carol Sulcoski

Sun 15 Jan Redshirt Knitting Erika Barcott

Mon 16 Jan In The Loop Cheryl & Ellen

Tues 17 Jan WEBS Kathy Elkins

Wed 18 Jan Zeneedle Margene Smith

Thurs 19 Jan Knitspot Anne Hanson

Fri 20 Jan Urban Yarns Alexa Ludeman

Sat 21 Jan A Friend to knit with Leslie Friend

➤Mon 23 Jan Tentenknits Margaux Hufnagel

Tues 24 Jan Fancy Tiger Crafts Amber Corcoran

Wed 25 Jan Chic Knits Bonne Marie Burns

Thurs 26 Jan The Panopticon Franklin Habit

What goes around...

2012-01-19T14:15:00.001Z

Little actions that we may not even remember can have a profound affect on other people's lives - or so I've been reading a lot recently in the sometimes platitudinous banners that grace social media sites.

It got me thinking though, one can never know what's going on inside the head of another. A smile, greeting, or simply having coffee served by a friendly waiter can make a big difference if you're feeling low, especially as with the everyday pressures of life, people often have less and less time, making everything such a rush.

Where's all this leading, dear reader, you'll be wondering. Well... knitting has been very kind to me, allowing me to make a living from something I love. However, there've been good and bad times. In 1988 our production company went bust. We were squeezed so much by our clients that in the end we were making a loss, even though the order book was overflowing. We lost everything, even our cars, but by some stroke of fate managed to hang on to our home, allbeit by our bootstraps.

I was put in a position where I had to start allover again as an independent designer, without the cushion of guaranteed production, plying my wares on the open market. I needed to establish my own line again which had been seriously neglected while doing so much design and production for large international companies. It had been quite a few years since I attended the New York Pret. We were seriously strapped for cash and were debating whether or not we could stretch to the plane fare even. It was decided we could, but couldn't afford a stand or accommodation. So what to do next?

Here's a clue...

After a little deliberation it was decided I'd just get on a plane with some sweaters and walk the floor of the show, trying to get some business. I stayed with a friend of a friend and it was a far cry from the many other times I'd been to New York, when I was working with Polo/Ralph Lauren and other international luminaries and staying in hotels like the Mansfield.

This multi-coloured cable is another one...

Green and russet lattice...

Whilst doing the rounds at the show I ran into Susan Duckworth, who had a stand there. I'd met her on a couple of other occasions a few years before when BKEC (British Knitting Export Council) had sponsored our trips to the Pret. I'd always admired her work, she was a front-runner in the Brit knit revival and thoroughly deserved her reputation as one of Britain's leading designers. Browns, Whistles,The Beauchamp Place Shop, Dorothée Bis and Gudule were amongst her clients, as well as doing many one-off designs. I love her story of a couple of her earliest commissions. One was for a seven-foot American footballer, and another was for a dog - a tiny, pampered Yorkshire terrier that lived in Eaton Square. Sue says I made it a richly embossed padded and beaded winter jacket - but at the first fitting the poor creature collapsed under the weight!

Mint cable

Sue also makes fabulously whimsical toys,
including birds based on this design

We got talking and I told her what had happened and why I didn't have a stand and she immediately offered, without any hesitation, to give up a corner of her stand to show my work. I was absolutely flabbergasted and overwhelmed with gratitude, in fact even as I write this it's hard not to feel emotional after all these years. Such spontaneous generosity! From Sue's kindness, I got enough orders to kickstart the business again. I've never had a chance to tell her how important it was to me so I hope she reads this.

Unlikely coupling of roses and leopard spots

One of Sue's fabulous tartans

Our paths have crossed a few times In the intervening years and Sue has guested on our tours a couple of times. We also ran a week's knit retreat together in 2010 in the Charante Maritime in France. Sue is a true process knitter who personifies happiness through knitting. A womanof many talents, she also works part-time in a boxwood topiary nursery. Sue says ‘itmakes a good balance to be outside sculpting box come rain or shine and then workingon my knitting in my cosy workshop’. Sounds to me like she’s got the balanceright. All the innovative swatches shown above are on her website - pay a visit and view more of her gorgeous, often whimsical, ever colourful designs.

Tues 3 Jan Wendy Knits Wendy Johnson

Wed 4 Jan Knitgrrl Shannon Okey

Thurs 5 Jan Yarnagogo Rachael Herron

Fri 6 Jan The Knitter Rosee Woodland

Sat 7 Jan Rhythm of the Needles Joanne Conklin

Sun 8 Jan Knit Purl Gurl Karrie Steinmetz

Mon 9 Jan Craft Sanity Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood

Tues 10 Jan Planet Purl Beth Moriarty

Wed 11 Jan Sunset Cat Stephannie Tallent
Thurs 12 Jan A Really Good Yarn Julie Schilthuis

Fri 13 Jan Knit 1 Chicago Lynn Coe

Sat 14 Jan Go Knit in your Hat Carol Sulcoski

Sun 15 Jan Redshirt Knitting Erika Barcott

Mon 16 Jan In The Loop Cheryl & Ellen

Tues 17 Jan WEBS Kathy Elkins

Wed 18 Jan Zeneedle Margene Smith

➤Thurs 19 Jan Knitspot Anne Hanson

Fri 20 Jan Urban Yarns Alexa Ludeman

Sat 21 Jan A Friend to knit with Leslie Friend

Mon 23 Jan Tentenknits Margaux Hufnagel

Tues 24 Jan Fancy Tiger Crafts Amber Corcoran

Wed 25 Jan Chic Knits Bonne Marie Burns

Thurs 26 Jan The Panopticon Franklin Habit

Guitar and banjo pickers

2012-01-18T12:07:00.002Z

Short post today, my right shoulder has seized up and it's hell to type or even knit! Woke up this morning with it, funny how these things hit you when you least expect them - or not. Probably I sit too long banging the laptop keys, so maybe I've got a good excuse to do something else today.

Yesterday my friend, Joanne Conklin, sent me a clip of Jerry Douglas on YouTube. I'd been telling her about how much I love his dobro playing especially with Alison Krauss and Union Station. His collaboration with Aly Bain on the Transatlantic sessions was a must see for me - best of Nashville and Scotland!

Thinking about great pickers, my mind immediately jumped to Bela Fleck, banjo picker extraordinaire, and I was delighted to find this old video of them playing together.

The Sweet Shawlettes blog tour of North America is entering the final week tomorrow, but there's still a chance to win yourself a free copy. Just log onto one of the remaining blogs and enter a comment. I've loved reading all your comments and it's been a shot in the arm to know that this thing I've been beavering away on for so many months has not slipped unnoticed into the ether. Your feedback is valuable market research for future books for me and it's a bonus that the reviews so far have been overwhelmingly positive. My thanks to everyone who's participated.

Tues 3 Jan Wendy Knits Wendy Johnson

Wed 4 Jan Knitgrrl Shannon Okey

Thurs 5 Jan Yarnagogo Rachael Herron

Fri 6 Jan The Knitter Rosee Woodland

Sat 7 Jan Rhythm of the Needles Joanne Conklin

Sun 8 Jan Knit Purl Gurl Karrie Steinmetz

Mon 9 Jan Craft Sanity Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood

Tues 10 Jan Planet Purl Beth Moriarty

Wed 11 Jan Sunset Cat Stephannie Tallent
Thurs 12 Jan A Really Good Yarn Julie Schilthuis

Fri 13 Jan Knit 1 Chicago Lynn Coe

Sat 14 Jan Go Knit in your Hat Carol Sulcoski

Sun 15 Jan Redshirt Knitting Erika Barcott

Mon 16 Jan In The Loop Cheryl & Ellen

Tues 17 Jan WEBS Kathy Elkins

➤Wed 18 Jan Zeneedle Margene Smith

Thurs 19 Jan Knitspot Anne Hanson

Fri 20 Jan Urban Yarns Alexa Ludeman

Sat 21 Jan A Friend to knit with Leslie Friend

Mon 23 Jan Tentenknits Margaux Hufnagel

Tues 24 Jan Fancy Tiger Crafts Amber Corcoran

Wed 25 Jan Chic Knits Bonne Marie Burns

Thurs 26 Jan The Panopticon Franklin Habit

Harlow Carr colour inspiration

2012-01-16T15:34:00.000Z

Spent a lovely morning at Harlow Carr, the RHS garden in Harrogate, yesterday. This wonderful garden defies anyone who thinks that there's no colour in the garden in January. It was a crisp and frosty morning when we visited and the garden was looking glorious in its winter mantle.

View across the garden as you enter

The joyous dogwood walk

Bee sculpture lurking on top of the show hive,
where the bees are hibernating at the moment

I was spoilt for choice as to where to point my camera. Loads of berries, gorgeous tree bark patterns and even a few flowers like witch hazel, the plant of the month, in bloom, all glistening under a touch of frost.

Frosted berries

Witch hazel

Plane tree bark

Prunus serrula bark

The grasses looked fabulous, winter fireworks upstanding even though chilled to the marrow - a great advertisement for prairie planting. The sculptures are spectacular in the landscape, punctuating the garden and helping keep the interest going.

Frosted grasses

Steel sculpture

Hazel hurdles & green willow trellis

Frost graffiti

There are plenty of interesting places to sit, though we didn't do too much of that as we had to keep on the move to ward off the cold. Met with a giant snow shovel in the woodland area.

Philip sitting among upstanding grasses

Add caption

Giant snow shovel

Just as we were making our way back to Bettys, we noticed this poem inscribed on a fine piece of limestone

Brookside poetry

Bettys leaf mould teapot

Inside Bettys Cafe

Our table by the window

Got waylaid in the bookshop next where as well as a fabulous selection of gardening books, there are lots of lovely knitting books, plus the bonus of plump sofas to sit and read them on. We eventually did get to Bettys and a steaming cup of coffee set us up beautifully for the short journey back to York. Looking forward to coming back here with our visitors on our Lakes & York knitters' tour - if not before.

BLOG TOUR IN FULL SWING NOW!

Tues 3 Jan Wendy Knits Wendy Johnson

Wed 4 Jan Knitgrrl Shannon Okey

Thurs 5 Jan Yarnagogo Rachael Herron

Fri 6 Jan The Knitter Rosee Woodland

Sat 7 Jan Rhythm of the Needles Joanne Conklin

Sun 8 Jan Knit Purl Gurl Karrie Steinmetz

Mon 9 Jan Craft Sanity Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood
Tues 10 Jan Planet Purl Beth Moriarty

Wed 11 Jan Sunset Cat Stephannie Tallent
Thurs 12 Jan A Really Good Yarn Julie Schilthuis

Fri 13 Jan Knit 1 Chicago Lynn Coe

Sat 14 Jan Go Knit in your Hat Carol Sulcoski

Sun 15 Jan Redshirt Knitting Erika Barcott

Mon 16 Jan In The Loop Cheryl & Ellen

➤Tues 17 Jan WEBS Kathy Elkins

Wed 18 Jan Zeneedle Margene Smith

Thurs 19 Jan Knitspot Anne Hanson

Fri 20 Jan Urban Yarns Alexa Ludeman

Sat 21 Jan A Friend to knit with Leslie Friend

Mon 23 Jan Tentenknits Margaux Hufnagel

Tues 24 Jan Fancy Tiger Crafts Amber Corcoran

Wed 25 Jan Chic Knits Bonne Marie Burns

Thurs 26 Jan The Panopticon Franklin Habit

Spring is on the horizon!

2012-01-14T13:52:00.001Z

I get so excited when the sun shines in January, especially when there's been a frost the night before and the plants in the garden are all a-glitter. So just had to get out there this morning to do some long overdue clearing and tidying. Our back garden in York is quite protected and south facing, so by the time I started things were warming up, although the roofs all around were still sparkling with frost.

The first snowdrops came out yesterday - there's something about the appearance of these brave little souls in the middle of winter that flips a switch and turns on the new year for me. I do realise we've got a long way to go before spring, but it's a reminder that the world's waking up and the whole cycle's starting again.

Here are some photos I took this morning, proof that spring is definitely in the air.

Amaryllis has decided it's showtime

First of many snowdrops in the garden - yay!

Dilly looks on perkily while I work

Arlo has to be in the centre of everything

Cyclamen and stinking iris berries withstand the frost,
note the new bulbs are pushing through

There are three suns in the garden today

This is the second and the third is for REAL!!

Refections in a mosaic

The French lavender has survived - looking forward to the
strawberries that'll be grown in the next pot later in the year

Naughty boys ganging up on me on the counter
as I make coffee, saying feed us too!

Feeling smug now looking out the window over
coffee, admiring my work

There I was yesterday, convinced I had flu, then today the sun shines, and after a few hours in the garden I feel a million times better. There's nothing like a spot of gardening medicine to get the feel good factor going!

BLOG TOUR IN FULL SWING NOW!

Tues 3 Jan Wendy Knits Wendy Johnson

Wed 4 Jan Knitgrrl Shannon Okey

Thurs 5 Jan Yarnagogo Rachael Herron

Fri 6 Jan The Knitter Rosee Woodland

Sat 7 Jan Rhythm of the Needles Joanne Conklin

Sun 8 Jan Knit Purl Gurl Karrie Steinmetz

Mon 9 Jan Craft Sanity Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood
Tues 10 Jan Planet Purl Beth Moriarty

Wed 11 Jan Sunset Cat Stephannie Tallent
Thurs 12 Jan A Really Good Yarn Julie Schilthuis

Fri 13 Jan Knit 1 Chicago Lynn Coe

Sat 14 Jan Go Knit in your Hat Carol Sulcoski

➤Sun 15 Jan Redshirt Knitting Erika Barcott

Mon 16 Jan In The Loop Cheryl & Ellen

Tues 17 Jan WEBS Kathy Elkins

Wed 18 Jan Zeneedle Margene Smith

Thurs 19 Jan Knitspot Anne Hanson

Fri 20 Jan Urban Yarns Alexa Ludeman

Sat 21 Jan A Friend to knit with Leslie Friend

Mon 23 Jan Tentenknits Margaux Hufnagel

Tues 24 Jan Fancy Tiger Crafts Amber Corcoran

Wed 25 Jan Chic Knits Bonne Marie Burns

Thurs 26 Jan The Panopticon Franklin Habit

Ditch the diet, time for comfort food!

2012-01-13T11:19:00.000Z

First frost of the year today, maybe it'll help kill the bugs? I've been aching all over for the past couple of days, shivering one minute and flushed the next. Strange, but when I'm ill my thoughts always turn to food. I know, I know, feed a cold and starve a fever, Chaucer's old adage from Canterbury Tales is ringing in my ears, but although I don't feel much like eating, cooking always lifts my spirits.

So thought I'd share with you a couple of recipes which can be thrown together in no time at all, comfort food in cold weather and most importantly punch above their weight for flavour.

A couple of days ago we had some leftover rice and a few vegetables in the fridge and they formed the basis of supper that night which turned out to be a cross between a stirfry and a risotto - a stirsotto. This recipe is veggie, but omit the parmesan and it's just as delicious vegan. Will easily feed three.

Here's how:
bowl of leftover rice, I used organic long-grain but any will work.
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 medium sized onions
3 cloves of garlic
1 courgette
1 red pepper
1 small aubergine
6 chopped sundried tomatoes (the ones in oil)
1 can of cannellini beans
1 teaspoon of vegetable bouillon powder
salt and black pepper
teaspoon of oregano
grated parmesan

Chop all vegetables finely, then saute in the olive oil, adding the bouillon, oregano and salt and pepper to taste. When the onions have turned translucent, add the cannellini beans and sundried tomatoes and the leftover rice. Turn up the heat until hot, then serve immediately topped with grated parmesan.

The second recipe was last night's supper. Suffice to say I was not feeling up to taking pics so you'll have to take my word for it that it looks as good as it sounds. Makes generous meal for four.

half a pound of dried pasta. I used Seeds of Change organic spinach trottole, but any other pasta would be fine
1 lb ripe tomatoes
6 cloves of garlic
6 chestnut mushrooms
optional handful of pine nuts
half a jar of pesto
1 desertspoon capers
1 desertspoon split black olives
Third of a pound strong cheddar, grated
grated parmesan
extra virgin olive oil
balsamic vinegar
oregano
torn basil leaves
salt and black pepper to taste

Slice the tomatoes, halve the mushrooms and place in a flat dish with the unpeeled garlic and pinenuts. Sprinkle the tomatoes with oregano, then drizzle first a capful of balsamic vinegar then a liberal amount of olive oil over everything. Season to taste. Bake in a hot oven Gas Mark 6/200C for about half an hour till tomatoes are soft and squelchy. Follow the directions on the packet for cooking the pasta, timing it to be done when the tomatoes etc come out of the oven.

Then put the drained pasta in a large bowl and stir in the tomatoes, mushrooms, pinenuts, cheddar, capers, olives and pesto. Squeeze the garlic skin until the squidgy flesh comes out and mix in along with several torn basil leaves, adding some olive oil from the tomatoes (not necessarily all). Serve immediately with grated parmesan.

BLOG TOUR IN FULL SWING NOW!

Tues 3 Jan Wendy Knits Wendy Johnson

Wed 4 Jan Knitgrrl Shannon Okey

Thurs 5 Jan Yarnagogo Rachael Herron

Fri 6 Jan The Knitter Rosee Woodland

Sat 7 Jan Rhythm of the Needles Joanne Conklin

Sun 8 Jan Knit Purl Gurl Karrie Steinmetz

Mon 9 Jan Craft Sanity Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood
Tues 10 Jan Planet Purl Beth Moriarty

Wed 11 Jan Sunset Cat Stephannie Tallent
Thurs 12 Jan A Really Good Yarn Julie Schilthuis

➤Fri 13 Jan Knit 1 Chicago Lynn Coe

Sat 14 Jan Go Knit In Your Hat Carol Sulcoski

Sun 15 Jan Redshirt Knitting Erika Barcott

Mon 16 Jan In The Loop Cheryl & Ellen

Tues 17 Jan WEBS Kathy Elkins

Wed 18 Jan Zeneedle Margene Smith

Thurs 19 Jan Knitspot Anne Hanson

Fri 20 Jan Urban Yarns Alexa Ludeman

Sat 21 Jan A Friend to knit with Leslie Friend

Mon 23 Jan Tentenknits Margaux Hufnagel

Tues 24 Jan Fancy Tiger Crafts Amber Corcoran

Wed 25 Jan Chic Knits Bonne Marie Burns

Thurs 26 Jan The Panopticon Franklin Habit