So I’m sitting and I’m knitting and I’m sipping, in front of a log fire. I hope you are too? Whilst we knit/hook, let me tell you a tale dark enough to be perfect for All Hallows’ Eve. May I please refill your glass whilst I talk? It concerns an ancient pub. This isn’t the first time that I’ve written about an old inn. (My post about the pub that was in our family for 300 years is here.) But today, we drove 50 miles just to lunch at a very particular pub that my dear father-in-law discovered on Continue Reading
Archives for October 2015
When Did ‘Doing Something’ Become Such A Thing?
So it’s our first ever school holiday, at the end of the twinnage’s first ever term of school, and the boys and I are embracing the gentle art of pottering. Unscheduled, routine-free time suits us far too well, and it’s entirely possible that I’ll forget to send them back to school next week. The only downside is that I can’t go running, because the Stoic Spouse is at work and the boys are with me whenever I’m not at work. But anyway. Tempting though it is to stay home and crochet whilst Continue Reading
The Crochet Cottage Bag Pattern!
Well, here it is, at last. The pattern. The pattern... for the crochet house shoulder-bag that I designed. It's been a while coming. Would you like to make one? It's not that hard, honest, just a little fiddly around the windows. But I've explained everything in the pattern. And if you run into any problems, you can always give me a shout. I'm really very, very excited about this thing. Sometimes a crazy idea in your head just works. And it's free! :-) So without further ado, shall we Continue Reading
What? Another Blogiversary Already?
...But just before I publish the bag pattern at last, another post has rudely sneaked in front. Because today is TheTwistedYarn's second blogiversary! Also, this is my 200th post. OK I confess, this photo is of the cake that the Stoic Spouse secretly commissioned last year, but it was so wonderful that I thought its picture deserved dusting off and airing again, one year on. Man, that cake tasted good. And as surprises go, this was an above-averagely wonderful one. It was made by some folks Continue Reading
How To Crochet The Brick Stitch.
Well, noble folks of a fibrous persuasion, I have good news, and I have... good news. Which would you like first? The good news, you say? OK then. Well, I've finally finished writing the pattern for the crochet house bag. Hurrah! I'm excited to share it with you (for free), probably tomorrow unless the universe maliciously interferes. I'm conscious that people don't want to download/print patterns with over a million photos, so the other piece of good (I hope!) news is that today I have put Continue Reading
Those Carrots
But anyway, back to the knitting/crochet. And also a little bit of embroidery, because working round the garden of that big crochet house-related project, I’ve realized that at this teeny scale, some things are just easier embroidered. Yep, despite taking on such a monstrously bonkers, months-long mega-project, I’m all for making things easy when I can. So. This garden is going to have a lot of veg. I’ve always preferred growing things you can eat to growing flowers, although let’s not discuss Continue Reading
On The Phone
Hello, fibrous friends. How's the knitting/crochet going? Whilst I endlessly crochet the tedious back panel of the secret-house-crochet-furniture-related-project, (trust me, I have precisely NOTHING exciting to say about this) may we please address the weighty subject of phones? Please? But I must preface this by saying that I am soooo not a techie person, and that this will n-e-v-e-r be a which-tech-device-to-buy blog. OK? Yes? You want to research the latest gizmos? Then look Continue Reading
When I’m Cleaning Windows
And how's a lass supposed to live her knitting life when "real life" (imagine me doing that exaggerated quotation marks thingy in the air with my fingers whilst pulling a disdainful face as I say those two words) keeps barging in and demanding attention? Forsooth, anyone would think that I had to work for a living and parent my children and put the bins out and even haul my idle rear out of this chair in order to chuck another log on the fire. Oh, wait... (May I just say at this point that I Continue Reading
It’s The Knitting And Stitching Show!
Wow, what a day. For those of you not in the UK, the Knitting And Stitching Show is the yarn-related event of the year in this country, held amidst the splendour of Alexandra Palace on a hill in London. It started today, and runs until Sunday. May I just at this point thank Stylecraft Yarns for my complimentary ticket - very much appreciated, you kind people. Settle in, my friends. This threatens to be a long post. With many photos. Help y'selves to some of that wine. There will be moments Continue Reading
Knitting And Walking
This is knitting/crochet-related, honest... Sooner or later, the Tyrannical Twinnage are going to grow up sufficiently to develop social sensibilities and notice what a colossal embarrassment their mother is. For now, they're young enough that I could, frankly, pitch up at school to collect them wearing full clown regalia* and they'd scarcely bat an eyelid. Long may these days last, because I fear that their teenage selves are going to be a bit less awestruck by the fact that Mummy (or 'Mum' Continue Reading