What Katie Did

Woolfest 2008

The Wool Event of the Year has come and gone and did not disappoint the Wonderful Knitters of Hexham. Anne says that if you do something three times it becomes a tradition - so the raspberry porridge and apple pancakes at the Village Bakery are now part of a tradition.
This year, I think there was more felting than I remember from previous years with much more fibre for sale. Some of my old friends were missing - Pavi Yarns for example and Laughing hens and Web of Wool - all absent, but plenty to keep us all entertained nevertheless!

These Estonian Lovelies seen here showing their rare breed sheep's wool in an interesting way!
My hit of the day was the Natural Dye Studio stand. I really love the way all the colours blend together

so, after much deliberation, I bought some DK and signed up for their blanket project. I risk derision and ridicule from my fellow knitters, but I have plans to make something like this

but maybe with a green background and lots of pink. I love green and pink! And maybe not so big?
Yesterday was the last day of Art Tour in my shed and luckily, one of the visitors was able to help me decipher the pattern! It is a spectacularly easy pattern, but I was having a problem with half trebles and trebles. When you read a word often enough it starts to look unreal. This had happened with 'trebles'...treble treble treble treble ......and I stopped understanding! Help was forthcoming and I am back in the saddle so to speak! Watch this space for progress. I have to do it now that I have told all of you!
Lots of really lovely visitors to the shed yesterday including Ellie and her kids and friends. Ellie is a wonderful felt maker with an amazing house and workshop in the north Pennines. She does great courses too. And Jet and her kids who is about to rescue some battery hens so came to have a look at my girls.
I will miss Art Tour, though it will be good to have the shed back to a work space rather than a shop! I have plans to open the shed here in the virtual world, so another 'watch this space' project!
And here is another - knitted bunting - just the best thing!

The Wonderful Knitters Of Hexham!

Just when you think Tuesday Knitting can't get any better....it does. Today we had people who are still on holiday who can't usually come to knitting. We were quite a crowd. I was really good to see everyone's knitting.

And we have a secret project on the go. Lara's baby is due in two or three weeks and we are making a blanket (she doesn't read here so I can tell you).
We decided to knit three inch squares. I am always amazed by how people interpret a simple instruction like that! the end result is going to be WILD! I have done one edge thing and Pauline took it home today to do another. I think the end result is going to be exactly what Lara loves! Bonkers.

We have all had a go at sewing up and today Dorothy did another stint.
There is another secret bit of knitting on the go and Geoff doesn't read here either so I can show you this too

This is going to be a sleeveless pullover using all the blue and green double knitting I have. the needles are very appropriate for my wood-obsessed husband, they are circulars with ebony ends and they are a delight to knit with, so soft and smooth.  Although you can't see it very well, the rib has cables and I have always been a bit afraid of cables. Turns out they are easy after all.
Isn't knitting wonderful?

Wonderful Harrogate

where to start? fabulous fabrics

wonderful wools

beautiful buttons

errr ... ravishing ribbons?

fantastic fleece

sensational sock yarn

and so much inspiration...

below is the House of Hemp with such beautiful muted colours

batik is another of those crafts that I wonder about trying - but how many hours are there in a day?

loved these parrots - how about a bird cushion?

I have many more photos I could share with you - I really enjoyed having the chance to take everything in which two days allows you to do. Now I am going to the shed to unpack everything and take stock of what I bought. There will be some new necklaces and some knitting projects for the rest of my life the winter, an amazing piece of pink fabric for a shawl....
I bought some stunning yarn from Turkey sold by Parvi (no site) and began knitting fingerless mitts. Pictures to follow I promise.
Right now I have to go and unpack and thank Magrethe for her driving, her company and her organisation - great B&B! We have reserved our place for next year!

Look!

My Mum taught me to knit and all the time I was growing up, the sound of the needles gently clicking away was always in the background. She made so many Aran cardigans and jumpers, and other warm and lovely garments too numerous to remember.
But for the last several years, Mum has turned to quilting and needlework. She even gave me all her old needles and wool. But my Dad and brother now wear hand knitted socks and this chap emerged from the needles last week. He is going to be clothed I believe - and photos of his wardrobe will be forthcoming.

National Knitting Week

Tuesday is Knitting Day for me, and in this National Knitting Week I got a double helping. In the morning I was invited to go to the waiting room at the Cancer Outpatients Department in Newcastle. Ali and Rachel work there involving patients who are waiting for treatment in all sorts of craft activities. Ali had written up the weeks events and billed me as 'The Knitting Artist'  which is a very grand title and the nicest thing I have been called in a long time!
I had taken in a variety of yarns, needles, patterns and was wearing most of my favourite knitted clothes! I think I must have looked a bit strange in my collection of Kaffe Fassett carigan, Noro Silk Garden Clapotis, and Opal socks dragging a large wheeled suitcase and wearing my bright pink Crocs.

I had a really interesting time. People were reminiscing about their knitting triumphs, I got a pair of guys winding hanks of wool, we did a couple of squares for Wateraid and another two hats for the Innocent Bottles. And one of the people awaiting treatment was the father-in-law of one of the founders of the great Innocent dirnks people! We had a fine old chat!

it was a really amazing place to be - such a mixture of people with so many stories. I think the 'Room for You'  is a terrific idea.

I drove back along the A69 at a great pace to get to our weekly Knit-in at the cafe - we had such a good turn out and the local paper came for a photo and a story so we'll have a look at that on Friday!

Dorothy has made this for her daughter who teaches primary school.

and Annie made this for her daughter, modeled here by my dear friend Sue - the White Witch Of Haydon Bridge.

She usually looks much prettier than this! But she is completely mad so what can you do?

the total number of hats for Age Concern is now .......

                   twentysix!!!!!

I will send them tomorrow with the best wishes of all the creative knitters who were mad enough to make them!!

And finally - Owen is making crab apple jelly. Here is the start of it.



more on this story as the news breaks.

Silk Experiment

I have had this idea for a while and yesterday I tried it out. I go to jumble sales whenever I can and I buy every bit of silk I can find. There are always silk blouses for 20p or so in magnificent colours. I used some of them to make the hooky mat for the bed head (and foot) for Geoff's birthday last June - the amazing colours were just right for these anenomies.

But I have lots left. So yesterday I cut some narrow strips with the old rotary cutter, tied them together and knit with them. I am going to make a bag using THIS pattern from Knitty and here is the first of the four sections -

We went to have tea with Izabela and Richard last night and after the most sumptuous meal, we all sat and tied ends together ready for me to start knitting during the England game this afternoon (fantastic goal from Beckham)

But do you like the other side better?

votes please - I think I know which it will be - and I will be getting the opinions of the Knitters on Tuesday. Before you dismiss the messy side though be assured that in real life it is lovely and soft and textural! One pragmatic suggestion was to make it reversible!

Yes Annie, those are your scissors. I will bring them on Tuesday.

Owen is packed, ready, excited and off in the morning! He is taking the camera, so I have the challenge of writing this blog using photos I have already. There are millions, so I will treat you to some archive!

Knit A River

Imagine the squares are numbered from the top left
1 2 3
4 5 6 and  errr 7

1. Dorothy - ripples of water in a knit and purl pattern
2. Rene - diagonal garter stitch with an unintentional line down the middle which looks just fine (she was forgiven momentary lapses in concentration as this was her first outing without the baby!)
3. Mine - boring old garter stitch, back and forth, back and forth, but I liked the colour
4. Anne - she chose ripply yarn and then changed stitch pattern as she got bored, which was often
5. Annie - for some reason this got pulled out three times but the end result is perfectly lovely
6. Anne - very nice mohair cable. I couldn't work out why she had a sock needle between her teeth for the whole time until the end when the cable was revealed
and finally,
7. - Sue - what can I say. Sue lives life to the full and sees every opportunity as a chance to express her uniqueness. We love her for it.

This is just the start. the Hexham Wave will continue at Knitting on Tuesday and then we will send them all to Wateraid and wonder who is going to sew them all up?

We all started off with the same idea - knit a 15 cm square in blue. The end results are all so different - just like each of my knitting friends! Ahhh!

And finally - this one from Geoff is a work in progress

RSI

I have a deadline - tomorrow is Geoff's birthday and I decided weeks ago to knit some socks with some 6 ply Opal yarn in blue and grey. I left it to the last minute though and as you can see, I have another 20 minutes to go, but I have such sore hands after an afternoon of frenzied knitting at the Group today.

I have reinforced the heels and toes with another strand of 4 ply - I hope this is a good idea, I was trying to think of ways to make them last a bit longer. I hope he likes them - I think he will!

I have been thinking about this blog lately and about my reason for starting it. I had been enjoying other people's musings for ages and thought this would be a good way to share what I do - mostly with my far flung family. The last post made me smile so much - I mean the comments posted.

Firstly, its very gratifying to hear from people I have never met but who have happened by from their own blogging world. THANK YOU for your interest - you are all really lovely!

But also all three of my lovely kids left comments. Go and have a look! Martha is in Bristol - nice to know that she is sorting out her paid work. Owen lives here with us! but always good to discover new ways of communicating! John is coming to the end of a year of volunteer work in South Africa and we have all missed him SOOOO much!! We are going to visit him very soon and I for one can hardly wait!

I found this link yesterday and thought we could all have a go - Wateraid is such a good charity and how often do you sign a petition for something and then wonder what happened to the cause? Everyone at Knitting is going to have a go!

I don't usually do this many words. So here are some corners of my garden that have grown themselves without any help from me to leave you with.

packing to go to Bristol

I have decided to go and visit Martha in Bristol. It really is very easy. You just press the buttons and before you know it you have a flight booked. I can't wait!! Friday!
I am wondering if Easyjet will let me knit? I may have to phone? The sock needles are wooden and about 5 inches long but still very pointy. And in reality, I will only be flying for about 55 minutes so I think I may be able to manage not to knit for 55 minutes. But does anyone know?

I finished the zebra socks and they are very disappointingly not like zebra, but , as Geoff has decided - bar code. So here are my bar code socks

and I love them and wear them all the time.

I am knitting more socks because I always thought they were really hard and now I find that they are not. This is a wonderful revelation to me. I will take my latest sock to knitting today. Hooray for knitting!

Two of my three children have exams today, Owen has started his GCSE's and as I write this he is sitting in the huge exam hall eight miles away, and this afternoon, Martha will be doing the same thing in Bristol. So happy thoughts to them. John is blissfully unaware in some remote bit of South Africa on his Outward Bound Gap Year. And the next plane we get on will be in July to visit HIM!

Sock Knitting

What a fabulous afternoon! Janet came with her sock knitting machine, many of the Hexham Knitting Group turned up with plates of delicious food and we had a fine old time.

This is the machine - a British built thing of great age - the one you can see on the left of the picture is a Canadian one - a bit more flimsy according to Janet - but still very handy.
This is a picture of the ribber being hooked up.

then Janet whizzes away for hardly any time at all to knit the leg.

then she does a bit of cleverness with the needles to knit short rows to turn the heel, more straight for the foot then some more short rows for the toe to be grafted together at the end. 

Here it is on Ruth's foot. It was like magic.

Having vowed to buy NO YARN until some of my stash has been used up, I ended up with this which will knit up like zebra. We all had such a fun time we decided to have a Hand Knitting Sock Afternoon soon so I may find someone to help me knit some zebra socks with this. In the meantime, I have asked Janet to make some machine socks for me, I have much more chance of getting something wearable from her than from my efforts!

I have such lovely knitting friends.