Gosh, that was over quickly: the giveaway, I mean. (In case you didn't see, the Knitting And Stitching Show has very kindly donated five pairs of tickets to be won by you lovely lot.) I'll announce the winners later in this post but first, whilst I've got your attention, may I be serious for a rare minute please? Please? It's not even yarn-related, but it involves punching cancer squarely on the nose, a subject close to the hearts of far too many of us, unfortunately. OK, listen up:- Last year Continue Reading
It’s The Knitting And Stitching Show Giveaway!
Would you like to win free tickets to the Knitting And Stitching Show? And even if you don't win, would you like a nice chunky discount on your ticket price? (Clue: the answer to both of those questions is a big fluffy YES!) I know, I know: a fair few of you would need to zoom through the sky inside a long metal tube in order to attend. (It'd be totally worth the trip, though.) But for anyone who can get to London, the show will be on at Ally Pally from 11th-15th October, and I have in my hand Continue Reading
Knitting: It’s A Marathon, Not A Sprint
(We have a giveaway winner: more on that in just a moment.) Hello from a splendid hotel in West Yorkshire! I'm 200 miles from home, attending the twice-yearly gathering of the Stylecraft Blogstars at the Stylecraft woollen mill in Slaithwaite. But I'll tell you about that properly in my next post, because there is so very much exciting loveliness to show you. I love these weekends. (In case you're newish to these 'ere parts, I've written before about jollies such as touring the mill, and Continue Reading
Want To Win A Marvellous Noro Book? Yes?
Have you ever knitted (or hooked) with Noro yarn? If not, then this unique Japanese producer should be on your fibrous bucket list. You might love Noro, you might hate it, but you're unlikely to be indifferent. A quickish guide for the uninitiated: Noro produces s-l-o-w-l-y colour-shifting self-striping yarns in various combinations of wool, silk, cotton, and alpaca. Here's a very old and dodgy photo from my little-more-sophisticated-than-a-chap-sitting-inside-my-phone-drawing-a-sketch phone Continue Reading
SereKNITy: A Review And A Giveaway
Morning, all. Shall we have another giveaway-review whilst I put the finishing touches to the cowl pattern? Yes? There’s a new book that may well be right up your street. Or it might not. Hopefully after this review, you’ll know either way.* Introducing the quirkily-monikered Sereknity, by Nikki Van De Car, published just this week by Running Press. And if you’re thinking, ‘Hang on, I definitely know that name from somewhere’, I’ll save you the brow-furrowing by reminding you that Van De Continue Reading
Painting By Numbers. Also, A Giveaway Winner!
Hello blog, my fine friend. I've been working on the crochet version of the Hiking Reindeer Cowl. No longer are the trees listing drunkenly to the right. But something in the switch from knitting to crochet appears to have translated the reindeer into a moose. I'm not sure what a moose is doing in the southern English countryside on which the scene is based: it must have been hiking for some time. But the pattern will be done fairly soon, at which point I'll publish it on this site for Continue Reading
An Over-Excited Book Review And A Splendid Giveaway
Since it's a dull Monday, shall we have an over-excited book review and a giveaway? Yes? OK, here goes:- Somewhere in Greenland, there are small birds living in more luxury than you do. See this nest? It's lined with pure qiviut - you know, that crazy-expensive luxury fibre from the tummy-fluff of the musk ox. Lucky birds. That said, after such a pampered start in life, the chicks will probably grow up completely unable to cope with the harsh realities of the world. You and I would have to Continue Reading
And The Winners Are… Also, Will You Look At This Patchwork!
Wowzers, that went quickly. A whole week has galloped past, and the Stylecraft voucher giveaway has closed. A huge thank you to everyone who entered, and to the generous folk at Stylecraft for providing the prizes. So shall we find out whether you've won? Oh, and may I just thank you for your kind comments (and name suggestions) for the sunset cowl. I've finished the knitting, and I'll be posting the finished thing with a free pattern - and a name! - within the next week or so. :-) But let's Continue Reading
Giveaway! Yarn Review! Also, Worms And Moonlit Eunuchs, All In One Post.
Buried somewhere in this blog post are a giveaway and a product review. It's been a week of minor frustrations. Nothing catastrophic or blogworthy. Nobody has been squished by a falling grand piano, and nobody accidentally clicked 'Delete Entire Database' during a meeting at work. Just lots of trivial challenges. On the bright side, I have learned how to re-programme a car key, I have ordered the reclaimed Victorian bricks for this project, and the twinnage have adopted a pair of worms - Continue Reading
So Have You Won? Take A Look!
Aaaaaaaaaaaand.......................................time's up! Put down your pen and face the front. No talking, please, because the Edie Eckman giveaway is now closed. (I should clarify that we're not actually giving away Edie Eckman - her friends and family vetoed that idea - but through this blog, Storey Publishing is giving away a hefty chunk of Edie's crochet wisdom, distilled into one marvellous new book.) Before we find out who's won, I want to say a huge THANK YOU to each and every Continue Reading