… is poorly.
Too poorly to write, so he has audio-boo-ed. If you want to hear him, it’s on his blog.
n
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Look away now if you don’t like bugs!
Does anyone know what this is?
A bit out of focus.
It’s about a centimetre long, maybe a bit more with antennae and things.
And it was making a noise, a bit like a grasshopper. I don’t think it IS a grasshopper though.
I think it has wings and is really rather beautiful, plum, copper pipe and saffron.
Any ideas?
n
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Saturday scramble
I seem to have fallen out of the blogging habit. This isn’t intentional, it’s just that life has felt rather “scattered” of late and blogging has been the casualty of that.
In an attempt to make amends, this is a scramble of my weekend plans.
HOME.
Yesterday Fegrig had a near-miss accident at home. It could have been extremely nasty, but fortunately he had his wits about him and wasn’t hurt.
As you know, we have an Aga. One of the great things about these contraptions is that with a proper kettle, they boil water in no time flat. Granted they aren’t the cheapest or greenest things to run, but we knew that when we had it installed. They key to this fast boiling of water for a cup of tea thing is a proper kettle. Wide diameter base, machined so it’s totally flat. We also use the left hand “boiling plate” as our toaster, and it’s amazing how S L O W the kettle is with a few toast crumbs trapped under the base.
So, he was boiling water to rinse something in the sink. He lifted the kettle, with boiling water inside, and this happened.
The handle sheared off without warning. The kettle has never been dropped, or bashed about. He was pouring the water into the sink and the whole handle detached itself from the kettle and landed, with some force in the sink. He was wearing shorts and Birks, so it was really lucky it didn’t happen as he was walking across the kitchen, he could have been badly scalded.
So this afternoon we are taking it back to the shop. It has a ten year guarantee, so we’ll get a replacement. Scary stuff, though.
GARDEN.
The surfeit of rain over the last few weeks has resulted in the lettuces in the garden growing at a phenomenal rate. Now I like a lettuce sandwich as much as anyone. I really do.
Fresh bread. Proper butter. Lettuce. Sprinkling of salt. Perfect.
But even I can’t keep up with the lettuce patch. So I’m on the lookout for lettuce recipes. If you have any suggestions, I’d love to hear them.
KNITTING.
The Brasil stripey socks are finished (must take a photo), so it’s time to cast on for something else.
This is a yarn which languished in the shop for a while (I have forgotten the number it had), and which I have taken pity on and wound into a ball.
I’m feeling rather techy-brain-boxy because I have managed to make the PDF patterns migrate from macbook to the GoodReader app on my iPad and this means they are now both portable AND beautiful.
This is a Yarnissima pattern, available from her website here. Or on ravelry here. It’s only 2 euro, about £1.70 and I’m looking forward to casting on later today. Stocking stitch socks rule!
So, that’s my weekend, or part of it. What are you up to?
n
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I like Mondays!
To celebrate the fact that it’s Monday, I’m giving 25% off all the yarn in the shop.
Just type “monday” into the coupon code box as you check out.
Go on, you know you want to….
n
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Glasgow
Yesterday I went through to Glasgow. I spent my teenage years living in the suburbs on the outskirts of the city so it’s not unfamiliar, but not my usual stomping ground. I went through on yarny business – one “goes through” to Glasgow, not just “goes to Glasgow”, to the extent that the shorthand “Are you going through?” is enough.
I went to meet Antje, who is opening a new yarn shop in the west end of the city on Queen Margaret Drive. She is a German baker as well and the shop is going to be called The Yarn Cake. It will be a knitting cafe in the true sense of the word. Trust me, the cakes are awesome.
We are collaborating on some new ideas and I am delighted to say that The Yarn Cake will be stocking The Yarn Yard yarn, both Clan and the new Lace yarn which will be here in August.
At the moment this will be the only shop stocking YY yarn so this is a very exciting venture.
We thought this was worth celebrating, so we went to knit night.
And we told the knitters, who seemed happy about the plan…
And we ate cake. Not as good as The Yarn Cake cake will be, freshly baked in The Yarn Cake shop, but appropriate, nonetheless.
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Woolfest and Man Yarn
I have just realised I haven’t posted Woolfest photos.
Clan. Quite a sight, isn’t it?
As you probably know we have had some supply problems with this yarn because the mill where it is made is unundated with orders for all its yarns and working round the clock to fulfil them. This yarn was dyed in April before I realised there was a delay.
Even more spectacular close up.
Clan on the left and toddy on the right.
I try to keep the stall as uncluttered as possible and yarn at table height to allow wheelchair access.
Gavin couldn’t be there this year, but he was with me in spirit.
And I took a heap of Man Yarn with me as well.
This was pretty much snapped up and there wasn’t much of it to bring back for the shop, but what there is is now listed so feel free to visit and have a browse.
I think 1770 is my favourite.
Is there someone in your life who would appreciate something knitted from Man Yarn?
The shop is now completely updated with Clan, Toddy and Cairn and there is just a little laceweight left to be added.
And there are garment quantities of some colours, like 1758, not just ones and twos. So if you are thinking of a lightweight summer cardi, now is your chance.
See you tomorrow.
n
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Sometimes only a stripe will do.
I am a plain knitter.
Although I have conquered Embossed Leaves, my first love is stocking stitch. To me there is nothing better than stitchafterstitchafterstitch all the same. All equally important, none more beautiful than its neighbour.
I love hand dyed yarn with all its subtleties and nuances but sometimes I just need a stripe or two.
This is Regia yarn, in one of the World Ball colourways.
Each stripe is about 12 rows and to start with I wasn’t too happy because I had expected really solid colours and this has flecks in the yellow and the green. But as I knitted, I decided that the spatteryness is rather pretty.
It reads like a Who’s Who of knitting history.
Judy’s Magic Cast On.
Wendy’s Toe.
Priscilla Gibson Roberts’ Heel
And quite possibly, Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Bind Off.
I’ve recently discovered that the best circs (for me, I would not presume to dictate to anyone else) are not sock needles at all, but Addi lace needles. They are comfortable, not too slippery, but just slippery enough, and POINTY.
This is the Brasil colourway, and of course, they have just been knocked out of the World Cup. I have also indulged in Germany, so I hope this isn’t a sock-knitter’s curse. If they don’t make it to the final I would prefer that their supporters don’t find me out.
n
The yarn is from this shop in Germany (appropriately) and they have the needles as well. I got 60cm, but I think 80cm might have been better for Magic Looping.
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Woolfest technology
After much thought I have found a way to take card payments at Woolfest (and other places too).
I bought an iPad. It works on a 3G signal so I can take Paypal payments or regular card payments using my bank’s MOTO system which is designed for transactions by mail order or on the phone, but can also be used remotely. It’s secure and I’ve got it connected to a 3G signal so it can be used away from my home wireless set up.
So if you want to play / pay with an iPad, come and see me at the show!
Fegrig has recorded his observations of the apple-hunt on his blog. He views it a bit differently from me!
n
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This is really just in case any of you wonder why I don’t appear to respond to Facebook “friend” requests.
The Yarn Yard has a “place” on Facebook. It’s there solely to prevent anyone else using the name. For the same reason I have TYY on blogger, wordpress and just about anything else which is free and which could be inadvertently nabbed by someone else. It’s really about protecting the brand.
I don’t use Facebook. I don’t use it for work and I don’t use it privately. I use Twitter and ravelry and that’s enough really.
So it’s not that I am being horrible or incredibly rude, it’s just that there isn’t anything to see!
I thought I should mention it because I think I’ve had a dozen requests this week alone and I didn’t want there to be any misunderstanding.
n
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Unexpected
I have the opportunity to go to Knit Nation in London. It has all been arranged at lightning speed and I’m sitting here at eleven o’clock at night in my dressing gown with wet hair, nothing packed, nothing ironed, and a bag of Craisins for the train.
I’ll be away until Sunday. I’m not having a stand or selling yarn, I’m just going as myself.
If you’ll be there, do say hello. I’ll be helping on the p/hop stand from time to time, and I’m taking CookieA’s sock design class on Friday.
Planning is great, but sometimes it’s exhilarating to just do something at the last minute, isn’t it?
n