Lizard Ridge in the Sun

The minute the skies drop their leaden grey and everywhere is bursting with green, I am seized by the urge to declutter and wash everything in reach. This urge never lasts very long, so I move quickly before it fizzles out. These throws live in the busiest room in the house so were the first things to be thrown in the machine. Yes, I know they should be hand washed and carefully blocked. They were the first few times but now I know they will survive a cold wool wash in the machine using ecover's wool product. Careful matching of seams and pegging means they stay in shape and dry very quickly. The finishing touch is a thorough going over with my battery operated debobbler.

Laura Aylar's Lizard Ridge blanket appeared in Knitty fall 2006 and was based on a pattern by Barbara G Walker. I don't know anybody who didn't fall in love with her design, however, most were put off by the cost of buying so much Kureyon. When I visited Japan the following summer, the pound was very strong so I spent just under three pounds a ball. I also managed to track down twenty different colourways.

After the heat and humidity of a Japanese summer I always feel it is autumn when we return to London in August so I started knitting this project right away. I set myself the goal of one block a day and it flew off the needles. Knitting with Noro is wildly exciting as I can't wait to see which colour appears next. I had intended to sew up the blocks as I went along but quickly realised that the vast range of colours meant a more pleasing result would be gained at the end. For several days the blocks lay arrange on the lounge floor. People would drift in, swap a few around until I took the plunge. As I'd steamed each block into shape, the sewing together with mattress stitch was not too painful just time consuming. I loved the result and it really is a blanket;large enough for a single bed.

I knit the second throw because a Noro cardigan had developed a hole. I decided to recycle the yarn and alternated it with black aran wool. Instead of knitting blocks I knit strips which eliminated a lot of the sewing but was not as heavy as trying to knit the whole blanket on a long circular needle. I used the same method for the third throw which was made using all my left over green aran and Noro.

Knit Your Own Dog

As a present for her sister, Gillian knit the border collie from "Best in Show" by Sally Muir and Joanna Osborne. It turned out so well she decided it deserved its own sheep and set about designing one. The group were really impressed by the finished product. She is a talented lady.

Unravel Best in Show.

This amazing tea cosy was the winner of the Best in Show competition.It really is a work of art.

Raspberry Frappuccino

Another frothy scarf for a classmate of Akira's. Petra is a girly girl so the scarf had to be pink!

Frills and Frothiness.

Emily brought a wonderfully frothy scarf to the library group and showed us how it was made;knitting with a net like ribbon. Apparently, this yarn had been the big hit at Ally Pally last Autumn.
I decided to make one as part of a birthday present for Akira's classmate, Manuela. This was knit with CanCan by Rico designs which has 60m per 200g ball. This particular scarf is colour 010. It is just under £10.00 a ball but some of my group members have made two scarves from one ball. I preferred a wider and longer scarf. There are other brands around; somebody had managed to buy a much cheaper version at Lidl.A quick knit but I wouldn't recommend it for an absolute beginner.
I guess it's the closest a nine year old girl will get to a owning feather boa.

Unravel 2011

I enjoyed Unravel so much last year, I was a little worried I'd be disappointed this time. That I'd feel that I'd seen it all before but it was a fantastic day and well worth being at Waterloo before 8.00am! I was impressed that the organisers had not just rehashed last year's exhibits but had commissioned new items and organised new displays.


One of the main attractions of this festival is that there is so much to do and see. I begrudge paying for some knitting events as it involves paying a considerable sum just to buy yarn. The free talks are a major attraction for me.

This year I went to two; "Combing and Spinning the Hills" by John Arbon and "Knitting from 1800 to Today" by Joyce Meader. Joyce is hilarious and could be the world's first knitting stand up comedian. I loved the tale of a lady bathing in a knitted swimsuit and a young boy's observation that her lungs had fallen out!

Jen and I went to a workshop on how to make Dorset and bead buttons. Mary Brown, the teacher, was clear and patient so we spend a relaxing 90 minutes learning a new skill. The workshops at Unravel are realistically priced and prove that you don't need a knitting celebrity, just somebody passionate about passing on their skills and knowledge.


My stash has grown beyond amusing, past embarrassing, to the point where I start to feel sick with guilt when I think of how long it will take to knit up. Consequently, I had a strict budget and guidelines of what I needed to buy. Buttons for specific projects I got from Textile Garden and yarns for dyeing came from Fibre Harvest. I looked for purple laceweight for a 60th birthday later in the year, I didn't get anything on the day but will probably buy from Fyberspates. As I'm on a yarn diet,I allow myself to buy patterns so I bought one for a cut lace cardie from Debonnaire. My only splurge was a hank of both green and rose yarn (which at £2.99 each doesn't count) and a hank of Fyberspates Scrumptious Chunky to knit the Tamesis Cowl.

Visit from Amy of "Nest."

Amy came to the last Hendon library knitting group meeting with a sample of yarns and projects. She talked about her interest in knitting and how that had evolved into opening a shop. Although she had brought leaflets about Nest and their knitting groups, she wasn't pushy and happy to talk about anything related to knitting. The afternoon was a big success and we managed to recruit a few new members.

The group was asked to feature in one of the knitting magazines. As there was heavy snow on the ground only a few of us made it, so the photo looks a bit sparse,however, Lauren did a good job of collating our interests and histories. As a thank you we received a sack of yarn and patterns. I took two balls of a lurid fluffy pink yarn with gold thread for a schoolfriend of Akira's who is learning to knit. She was thrilled. I also took two balls of Foxy as Alan Dart's Christmas Gnome is one of the few novelty patterns I like and I need Foxy for the beard.



I went to Nest the next day to meet friends. I never seem to leave the shopempty handed. I bought Drops Delight to knit Pogoda by Stephen West and Drops Alpaca to knit the Chrysanthamum mitts in Knitty.

Tiger Bargain

Akira and I wandered up to North Finchley yesterday and popped into Tiger. This shop often has yarn, usually acrylic but occasionally wool, so it is worth checking regularly as stock changes weekly. At the moment they have Bumbo Mohair which is 51% mohair and 49% acrylic. Each 25g ball is 100m and a £1.00 a bargain. It doesn't feel squeaky like some synthetic yarns. the colours are warm not garish and I'm curious to see how it knits up.

Tiger have the traditional French knitting bobbins for a couple of pounds and the larger ones for three pounds. They also have bags of beads for £1, wood and plastic.

Cactus heart

After psyching ourselves up to battle the hoards at Wembley Ikea, we discovered the halogen bulbs we required had been discontinued ....a year ago! Dispirited we sought refuge in the cafe and consoled ourselves with Swedish apple cake and cinnamon buns. When we had regained our sense of humour, we ventured out and made Ikea an adventure; sat on every sofa, tested every bed, spun on each office chair, munched on biscuit samples, sniffed flavoured teas and coffees, planned kitchens , marvelled at wardrobe storage options and giggled at the hazard tape across the display toilets. Our expedition was halted by a call from Koji demanding we came home 'cos he was starving!

On the way to the checkout, we passed through the plant department. Akira has a fascination with cacti and was very keen to buy a three foot monster. After some gentle persuasion, he was thrilled to buy some lucky bamboo and a heart cactus.He read the care instructions and proudly put them on the fireplace in his room. It says a lot about this family's ability to nurture houseplants when he came to show me a chart he had drawn to record which plant died first!

On a crafting note, Ikea has some attractive embroidered cushion covers with a vintage feel. Of course, they are not the same standard as those you could make yourself but good value.

Knitty 34 Winter 2011

I've just caught the latest Knitty edition. My favourite is Cartouche, a shawl by Janelle Martin. It is so different to the many shawl patterns around at the moment. I love the intricate geometric shapes and the way the cable outline really pops out. Her instructions are very detailed and include useful photographs of techniques. This might just be my Japan project this year which is very apt as Janelle lists Japanese stitch patterns as her current obsession.

The name of the designer also made me smile; the only Janelle I've ever met was a friend of my housemate in Spain. She was a larger than life New Yorker whose enthusiasm for life was contagious. We'd all bounce around in the wake of her energy and good humoured irreverence.I remember her delight when in Gibraltar she discovered Sobranie cocktail cigarettes; bright pastel shades with a gold filter which she declared "fucking orgasmic!"

At some point I will knit Fleece by Kieran Foley. Of course, I just happen to have enough Zauerball in my stash.Palisander is worth a look as I like scarves which are patterned on both sides but is not on my immediate list. Whereas, I have already printed out Joanie but will have to do something about the floppy neck. The Sweetheart socks will be good for using odd hanks of light worsted which, hopefully,will mean they are a quick knit. The Chrysanthemums are gorgeous but will I really commit the necessary time to mitts I will leave on the bus? Shetlander, for me, life is just too short!

"Woven" Fingerless gloves

I've completed my first project from Sock Yarn One-Skein Wonders. I own the whole series but this book is the best yet. The Woven Fingerless Gloves are a quick, easy knit. The only change I made was to use 2.5mm needles. These were knit using the skein of Koigu I bought at All the Fun of the Fair. I have 10g left so I should have been braver and made the wrist ribbing a bit longer.

I always used to think that fingerless gloves were totally useless as it is always my finger tips that freeze but I find myself wearing them more and more.They are so practical when pegging out washing or cutting rosemary in the garden. I may knit a pair of pink 4ply gloves to wear underneath or felt some mittens to go on top.

The Observer Knitting Style

The style section of today's magazine features knitwear with the aim of avoiding bulk while keeping warm. The belted look is great on this model but just look at the jumper on the far left. It looks like it has been knitted from snowflake or teddy bear fur! I can't believe it is by Whistles! I hope it looks better in the flesh.

Exchange rate blues

During Hiro's business trip last week, I received the usual call from a store in Dusseldorf to talk me through the yarn. My kind husband has quizzed many assistants in shops all over the world;language differences and lack of knitting skills are no obstacle in the quest for new and exciting yarn. The pound is so weak at present there was no way I could justify more sock yarn when there are several kilos of the stuff hidden under our bed, so I told him not to bother. Instead he arrived home with a box of spring chocolates, a new leather handbag and one ball of yarn. Obviously the exchange rate doesn't bother him as much as it does me but I'm very grateful.

Tendresse aux pommes

In The Times magazine last weekend, there was an article about Christophe Vasseur and baking quality breads. It included a recipe which caught my eye because its chief ingredient is stale bread. We always have plenty of this because people forget/ neglect to put the lid on the bread box or tie closed the bagel bag. Another key ingredient is sliced apples. The boys take lots of fruit in their packed lunches but some of it makes the return journey, arriving a little bruised but good enough to bake.

I suppose Tendresse aux pommes is a kind of bread and butter pudding. The bread and dried fruit are soaked overnight in milk, then mixed with eggs, sugar, apples and rum, baked and dusted with icing sugar. I didn't have rum so I used brandy which always works for me. Cut into pieces, it makes an easy snack. As the bread I used is half rye, I can convince myself that along with all the fruit it is fairly healthy.

Diamond Geezer

These socks for Hiro were started a very long time ago but were quickly put to one side because checking a chart does not make relaxing TV knitting. Nothing wrong with the chart but variegated yarn meant I couldn't read my knitting enough to knit from memory.

The design is Diamond Geezer from Easy Knits and I used a sock flat by Flatfoot called Marine. I knit straight from the roll which didn't cause any problems with the tension. I think a monochrome yarn would be better as this doesn't do the design justice. Although I love intricate socks I'm still not convinced that an item which so few people see is worth all the effort. Hiro is very happy with his socks.

Kenobi Jacket

This weekend I returned to the Kenobi jacket and the tedious task of blocking. I never block before sewing up a garment but this project demands it. The strips of different stitches pull the pieces out of shape making them lop sided. It probably doesn't help that I used an oiled yarn from my stash which has no bulk to it. However, when I washed my swatch it fluffed up beautifully so I remain optimistic.

The Kenobi jacket is by Norah Gaughan and appeared in Knitscene Spring 07. This is for Makoto who resisted my knits after the age of eight. Adrienne gave him a jumper and some socks which he liked and has worn a lot. I knit him Skully and the Antler scarf from "Son of Stitch and Bitch" which received lots of compliments, so we have slowly won him over. A month before he went to college he went on Ravelry, selected four designs and asked if he could have them for the start of term!

Bad,bad girl.

Adrienne had mentioned bargains at "All the Fun of the Fair" in Kingly Court. So of course, when my appointment in town today finished earlier than expected, I just had to go and have a look. Luxury yarns at £5 a skein were too good to miss so I bought:
Drizzle 4ply Sock BFL
2 skeins of Smooshy Sock
Smooshy Baby Laceweight
Vancalcar Acres Flock Sock
Cariad merino and cashmere
Smooshy Classy worsted
Koigu KPPM

I also picked up some vintage ribbon, organza, some Christmas buttons and a gorgeous hand stitched tapestry pin cushion. Yes I've been bad but it could have been so much worse....or better!

Rowan No.49

The new Rowan magazine arrived on Saturday. I've been disappointed in recent years as I felt too many old designs were being rehashed in the latest yarn. I didn't even bother buying the last summer issue which is unusual for me. This edition isn't very exciting either. Of course the photography is good and the shoots are beautifully stylized but there are only a couple of knits that really interest me.

The first is Fancy by Erika Knight in Kidsilk Haze. The shape is simple but the stitch pattern is beautiful and true to the idea of a summer knit. I often wonder if Rowan work on the principle that if they include one truly spectacular design the magazine will sell no matter what else is featured. This design has definitely made it on to my mile long to do list.

The second design is Daydream by Marie Wallin in Purelife Organic Cotton 4ply. This is a stunning victorian feel design but will I seriously knit a high necked cotton jumper? I love the lace stitches so I think that this could be one of those designs that I knit even though I know in my heart that it won't suit me and will just end up cluttering my wardrobe. Dangerous!

There are other designs that I reserve judgement on until I see them in the flesh. Some of Rowans best deigns have been totally uninspiring in the magazine but wonderful knitted up.I'm wondering if I could add sleeves to Allure or if the whole garment would just sag and look shapeless. I like the cut out cable of Cicely and perhaps would use that to knit something else. Pimpernel looks wonderful on the model but I know it is not for me.

First Knit of the New Year

I've completed yet another pair of socks for Koji. This time I used Lion Brand Magic Stripes Brown/Blue Pattern colour 205. I think I picked up this yarn at one of Adrienne's yarn swaps. The yarn is 75% superwash wool and able to go in the dryer which makes it perfect for a teenage boy.

I followed the pattern for basic socks given on the ball band. The only change was using 3mm instead of 3.25mm needles. Of course I knit the foot a bit longer to allow for his rapidly growing feet.

These are slightly thicker socks which will be brilliant in his walking boots, especially if we are hit by snow again.

Whilst knitting these socks, I have been snuggled in one of my Lizard Ridge blankets sitting on a sheep skin. My father-in-law gave us two sheepskins when we bought leather sofas because he said they were too cold for the winter. At first we just humoured him but now I have to confess that there is always a tussle over who gets a sheepskin.

I've also been reading Agatha Christie which is a first for me as I've never really been interested in detective novels. This particular book was regarded as one of her masterpieces. It is certainly clever and a great read for on the tube or the beach when you need something easy to pick up.