Woolgathering

Sylvi by Mari Muinonen

Wow. I mean, WOW!!

Hmmm. I seem to be on a colour trip just now, don’t I?

I see that The Times Online featured Tresness recently. They won’t be helping to drive the price down for me

New Patterns | Knitting Daily Online Store Projects

Stacks ( I mean *stacks*) of newly available pattern downloads from old Interweave magazines. Some moderate amounts of temptation there, I can tell you…

’scuse me, have to fly, I am mid-blocking

Ropeknits -  Patterns     Kimono Style Sweater

What do you think  - could a fat bird get away with it?

Research has shown a paucity of available and affordable yarn swifts in this country. I do not want one of the metal umbrellas, which seems to be all I can find on ebay just now. The most affordable source of the Sunflower swift is all sold out. I can’t get one from the US because of the price - they will attract VAT and Import taxes, plus the heavy weight means that shipping will be expensive too.

I think I shall just have to get to work on the Hubby with immediate effect.

I fell across this while I was looking:Fig and Plum: Yarn Swift! (and Electric Mixer Yarn Winding Tutorial)

Rather tempting new pattern from Anne Hanson at Knitspot. These would make a good Socktoberfest project, methinks - especially if my Solids Club yarn from The Yarn Yard turned out to be sock yarn (if it ever arrives, which it has not yet - boats have been cancelled due to adverse weather and I fear my parcel is held up somewhere along the line)

winding diamonds | knitspot

Oh, my.

Just brilliant.

Announcing: A Fiber Tour of My Home Town

So, I was reading the Twist Collective Blog and giggling away to myself at the notion of producing a fibre tour of my home (distinctly-not-a) town. Then I thought on it a bit and, you know, it’s really not such a nonsensical idea. After all, we have Orkney Angora, as featured by Ysolda in her Rose Red beret. And there’s the Spinning Group, always happy to welcome a fibre-loving holidaymaker into the fold and offer them cake and coffee on a Wednesday morning, and the Sanday Craft Club would welcome visitors too, I expect. Then there is Ayre’s Rock, partnering with The Sanday Spinners to offer beginners’ spinning courses. Of course, Maggie will probably be more than happy to welcome knitting customers at her tea rooms and restaurant at Backaskaill… and so on.

But the temptation to stick a pin in the map for every field with a sheep in it would be enormous - instead of “Heere Be Dragones”, our map might bear the legend Heere Be Hebrideans, or Heere Be Jacobs and Heere Be Gotlands… even Heere Be Alpaca and Heere Be Angora Goats

It may be a small island, but it seems that we have plenty to offer to the holiday-making fibre afficionado!

Spin! Beth

I think that it has to be done, don’t you?

I’ve committed to Socktoberfest.

I needed to. We need socks, what with the price of domestic fuel heating oil an’ all… and I also have an ever-increasing stash of sock yarn that needs addressing.

So, I shall be banning the interesting stuff for a while and putting away the lace for a little sleep. For the whole month of October - it’s sockage. I shall be attempting to knit as many plain vanilla stocking stitch socks as is feasible.

I may go slightly cross-eyed in the process.

Perhaps by the end of the month I will have achieved a pair that fits Mr L to perfection.

(That’s if I am not a working girl by then. There’s always hope.)

This all means that I am going to knit like fury until the end of September and get myself a good lace fix The Blink is coming along nicely and is fast approaching the halfway line. I’d like to get the new Morning Surf off the needles by the end of the month too, and that Rainbow Swallowtail badly needs completing - if I can sort out the needle problem. Only, there isn’t much September left now, is there?

Tonight is going to be scary. I’m standing for election to the Board of Directors of our island Development Trust. I fully expect to receive null points. I’ll be the one in the back row, blushing furiously.

It’s not often I put my ahead above a non-blog parapet. I’m really very shy in real life. I fake it very well, though.