<<whispers>> I'm taking a risk writing this post, because it's about a gift that I'm knitting for a friend. I don't think Mary reads here - yarn is not her thing - but occasionally the most unexpected people fess up to following my blog, so you never know. So for reasons of secrecy, I'll keep my voice down. And if I suddenly change the subject AND START TALKING LOUDLY ABOUT HOW ISN'T IT A LOVELY DAY TODAY, AND OOOOH LOOK, A SQUIRREL! then that's because I've spotted Mary looking Continue Reading
The Wandering Cowl: A Shiny New Knitting Pattern!
Would you like a new pattern? Yes? OK then, read on... Twice a year, I head up to Stylecraft's mill in Slaithwaite, West Yorkshire, with the other Blogstars. In between gossip, trips out, wine, and knitting, we get to see the new yarns that Stylecraft will launch over the coming months. (Did I mention the brutally tough, lonely, life of a knit-blogger?) Back in February when we last visited, the yarn that caught our attention the most was Linen Drape, the DK-weight linen-viscose blend that I Continue Reading
Fancy Another Free Pattern?
Fancy another free pattern? Yes? OK, but before I reveal all, may I just thank you from the very bottom left corner of my heart for the generous comments that you left regarding the chair. However, I am deeply aggrieved that you've all sided with Stoic Spouse about whether or not anyone should sit in the thing. The twinnage certainly can't be kept away. Here's one young man and his car park:- In all the excitement of the chair, I didn't get a chance to tell you about another project - one Continue Reading
Autumning
Round here, nature is at last doing autumn properly, instead of lazily slinging a cloudful of water our way and calling it a season. Suddenly, it's cold. Whatever time of day or evening you venture out, you can smell the wood-smoke from people’s log fires, and see ambitiously-stacked spider sanctuaries log-piles leaning against the walls of thatched cottages. In the evening, I pour a glass of red wine and sit down beside our own fire. Then, – more often than not – I immediately shriek and Continue Reading
Time Travel
Good evening, my fine fibrous friends. I hope that you're so far ahead in your Christmas knitting/crochet, that you have plenty of time to read this post. And if you don't celebrate Christmas, I hope that your Thursday has nevertheless been filled with joy and productivity (and yarn - lots and lots of luscious yarn). Today at the Twisted Yarn, we're going to engage in a wee smidgeon of time travel. I hope you don't mind if I knit whilst we talk? I'm a little behind with the projects that I Continue Reading
Mostly Crocheting The Vegetable Patch
September. The season is on the swing, towards autumn here in the UK, but towards spring if you're in the southern hemisphere. There's a hint of chill early in the day, regardless of whether or not the later hours become warm. The logs are stacked beside the fireplace and the kindling bucket is full. It's so tantalisingly nearly time to light a fire. There are blackberries to be gathered from the hedgerows for crumble-making:- As the temperature falls, it's spider season, and those of us Continue Reading
Log Cabins in Yarn and Fabric
Now listen up, good people: this is serious. All your comments on The Icing On The Cake were lovely, thank you, but they're starting to go to the Stoic Spouse's head. He's even been overheard muttering the phrase 'fan club'. Ahem, we need to put the brakes on this before it gets out of hand. Anyway, while the Stoic Spouse keeps the home fires burning (literally: he's apparently shifted one tonne of newly-delivered logs from front to back garden whilst we've been away), the Toddler Twinnage Continue Reading
The Morning After The Cake Before
Well, friends and fair crafters of the blogosphere, may I confess to a certain feeling of fullness? The blogiversary cake was eventually cut and… well you can probably guess the rest. Let's just say that I won't be hauling myself out of this chair for another week or so. Those buttons on my waistband won't re-attach themselves, y'know, if I accidentally pop them. No I hadn't forgotten that this is a knitting/crochet blog, so here's a tiny bit of my semi-secret project, now finished and Continue Reading
Channelling Autumn
Autumn has definitely sneaked into our quiet little corner of Oxfordshire. And in its sneaky sneaking, it's brought a very familiar damp chill to our old house, as well as rich new colours to our surroundings, and some birthdays to be celebrated (not mine - I'm plenty old enough already and don't feel the slightest need to advance any further). Birthdays bring visiting relatives and peaceful times around the log fire. This time it brought a happy new novelty, too: companionably knitting with Continue Reading
Today We’re Mostly Pink And Orange
First, thank you all for your kind words about my risky felting, but to misquote a phrase, reports of the death of my washing machine are greatly exaggerated. After some enthusiastic but inexpert effort, I managed to unblock the beastly machine, and whilst it's still spitting out occasional gobs of pink felted fluff, it is at least functioning sufficiently to deal with the laundry generated by two potty-training toddlers. (We're talking a lot of laundry, here. Like, really, a lot.) Here's the Continue Reading