Would you like to see around a really old woollen mill? Step this way. And yes I know; there's been a wee bloggy hiatus, caused by us spending a week scrambling through the forests and mountains of Snowdonia*... ...plus taking the twinnage down to Pinewood Studios to get fitted for costumes for a small non-speaking part in a major feature film. The film thing is something of a surprise because amongst the things that we Twisteds do each day - step over casually abandoned piles of yarn and Continue Reading
Comfort-Knitting
Sometimes, you just need a mindless comfort-knit. This fellow is going to be a cardigan, worked in 'Nepal', a wool-alpaca blend by Drops:- What I was too ashamed to tell you in my last post when I showed you this lovely new yarn I'd bought... ...was that in a moment of financial insanity, I actually bought three different bundles of yarn, to make three different cardigans. (I'm always cold. As is this house. The cardigans will at least get a great deal of wear.) The Drops Nepal is well on Continue Reading
A Quick Poll
Why, thank you for your generous comments about The Hiking Moose (crochet) Cowl, you lovely lot. Having published the knitted version as well as the crochet version, I was wondering more than usual how many of you are knitters, how many are hookers, and how many are bicraftual. Would you do me the honour of answering this quick one-question poll, please? Just click one of the following circles and then hit the 'vote' button... Thank you. Meanwhile, tomorrow (Saturday) is Yarn Shop Day, at 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
Free Pattern Alert! The Cowl Is Done!
I've been in a bit of a frenzy to finish designing and making the fiery sunset cowl, since so many of you said such kind things about it. I knitted round, and round, and round, so very fast that I was almost flung backwards across the room by the centrifugal forces. Anyway. It's done. And I've typed up the pattern for you. But first, a message. Mother Twisted was enormously touched by all your lovely comments about her cathedral window quilting, and she sends you heartfelt thanks. I think 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
Technology
Technology and I have had a little falling out. The laptop in this house knows full well that I'm a pen-and-paper lass at heart, and so it taunts me with nonsense such as "The file you've been working on for three hours without even so much as a loo-break is no longer available". You can't go wrong with pen-and-paper, though. I even draft this blog on paper:- I like to design stranded/fair isle motifs on paper, too, but then I have to type them up. And that was the origin of the problem Continue Reading
Every Which Way Crochet Borders By Edie Eckman: A Review And A Giveaway
This book review is part of a blog tour* to celebrate the publication of Edie Eckman's new book: Every Which Way Crochet Borders. Waaaaaaaay across the Atlantic in the US, is a woman who likes to live life on the edge. She's based in Virginia** (which is on the edge of the US, you'll note. Coincidence? I THINK NOT.) And this month, she's brought out her second book about ornamental crochet borders. Y'see? Life on the edge. This woman adores borders. Can you imagine living in her house? Borders. Continue Reading
Stylecraft Blogstars Meetup, aka Not Too Shabby A Weekend
It's much easier to write blog posts when things are going wrong, or when nothing much has happened. Comic anecdotes come more readily when you've mistakenly put your husband out for collection with the recycling, or when you've spent an insomniac half-night pondering a mysterious chicken-shaped splodge on the bedroom ceiling. Unfortunately,* things have gone catastrophically well this weekend... which was immensely fun to experience, but isn't very funny to describe. I have lovely Continue Reading