tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4590112510963758892024-03-13T18:03:04.149+00:00OwlPrintPandaKnit, bake, spin, coffeeAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852934616940969927noreply@blogger.comBlogger231125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459011251096375889.post-32102238295547188712017-05-26T03:54:00.000+01:002017-05-26T03:55:36.439+01:00New Pattern: Tangence<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's here! This lace top has been in the making for many moons now, and today is the big one - out into the wild it goes!<br />
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Though winter is edging it's way into my life here in New Zealand at the moment, I'm thoroughly enjoying all your lovely sunny photos from Scotland. Now seemed the right time for the summer top to come out to play. Saying that - it was still warm enough here this week to model a lace top!<br />
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Tangence is part garter, part lace. Worked from the back, over the shoulders and down the front this top is interesting and relatively quick to knit. Seamed with a three needle bind off and finished with applied i-cord, there are also a few very satisfying finishing touches which introduce ways to customise your own creation. </div>
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Yarn is merino/silk from The Wool Kitchen, which was wonderful to work with - it's shiny and drapey, and the Punch Drunk colour way is just... amazingly orange. </div>
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<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/tangence">Head over to Ravelry for the pattern and more details</a>, and hit <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/Thewoolkitchen">The Wool Kitchen for your yarn</a>!<br />
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Until the end of 27th May, you can use code 'Orange' on Ravelry for 50% off :)</div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhSWCwYuFxOCyP3BXdG1wJbWAi_grvt-RIlSn03Nato-_L41kkfm7MI5MmBbA1fesFhhC07RnNDTmgWPD-t2yav1QbIR0UWgKQ6DVQK-kVg_CfAWPssLk-lyYPjwjxgwgoRZlSxR2y-gdY/s400/topfronts.jpg" width="265" /> <img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1063" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX3wNHP_T54dxo9HrsvYF8Bn06JU98zgquLZTJ4NPXVRJnRXxFiQM2GIv2KWnisNdr6ueHDgEBBzhi9Q9OzwKBekeopQLdPtbmyJjBqKqhqawX3nbszbsbN6M6r2HBkMeYDOPg4iNF4tcL/s400/top+side.jpg" style="text-align: center;" width="265" /></div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheqdh3osZyqLGgidAwbMT-ctNoeVcJrihc4hVYWg6KF2-RH6mDzTP4huepquifvB4O55DumGnrhZ2FqjCtoFWZSDcOfnyhhXnR6zViKkkGMfnjHP7Shjzvma88KTCvldPD3760c35EToEC/s640/topback.jpg" style="text-align: center;" width="640" /></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852934616940969927noreply@blogger.com39tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459011251096375889.post-36881109392560852532017-01-24T07:11:00.001+00:002017-01-24T07:11:17.434+00:00On the Needles: Ginger Twist Yak and Circled #2 by Woolly Wormhead<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<img alt="on the needles @owlprintpanda.blogspot.co.uk" border="0" height="443" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl5Nx7JMWO2xva4_aPxNwCtH0IdWnNsjwiamQ8W5TJr91b0W63zGOKNYIgC7TYom_n8mmBvWvVDAJtfCUyCm7PUHddxNNStbIcCEq9tYSobnKoxkKlRWLAOmHsYI3sSOdEpN5uaYRt0Fuq/s640/OwlPrintPanda+Yakety+Yak.jpg" title="on the needles @owlprintpanda.blogspot.co.uk" width="640" /></div>
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Today my knitting lovely for several reasons. First, and most excitingly, it means I've finished the knitting for my upcoming project with the wonderful Clare Devine. Patterns are in the process of being sent to an inspirational tech editor for checking, and knits are off to a magnificent lady who is going to take beautiful photos back in the UK. Second, I'm working with both a new yarn and a new (to me) pattern designer.<br />
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Both yarn from <a href="http://www.gingertwiststudios.com/">Ginger Twist Studio</a>, and patterns from <a href="http://woollywormhead.com/">Woollywormhead</a> have been around for a wee while, but I've just not had the chance to indulge! Not that I haven't worked with yarn from Jess before (I have, lots), but this particular yak blend has been sitting atop my pile of favourite yarns since it arrived in a mystery parcel from The Golden Skein more than a year ago now.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="on the needles @owlprintpanda.blogspot.co.uk" border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNbL7Cr3xuO_CWpnKQSTs3N3iOscN62svEuGD2bEdxVNocsT62CQbsvpzQe4-omaBPo75xUsXqfcGpTpM56EM58CZSEkOuHd0JOVqFkBr2XwuFeekZ-HQMHt3TnTf2oBPrxVfA0iDKMuzO/s400/Face_over_the_Forth_medium.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;" title="on the needles @owlprintpanda.blogspot.co.uk" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inspiration photo for the yarn!</td></tr>
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The yarn is 'yakety yak', a blend of 60% Merino, 20% silk, 20% yak. It's soft but with a relatively high twist feels relatively durable too, so will be ideal for this project - a hat for me! <br />
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Now, I'm not saying it's entirely unusual, but I certainly don't manage the time to fit in all the knitting for all the things I'd like to wear! (And none of this 'selfish' knitting nonsense, it's not selfish if it's your own hobby. I don't need to have this rant, Jo over <a href="https://twitter.com/Shinybees">@shinybees</a> has already got that <a href="https://www.acast.com/shinybeestheknittingcomedyandyarnpodcast/episode-104-your-permission-is-not-required">covered for me over here</a>). <br />
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The pattern is new - 'Circled #2', by <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/designers/woolly-wormhead">WoollyWormhead</a>. It has very interesting construction, which is what initially drew me to the pattern! It uses a couple of techniques I tend not to use very often, so it was a good prompt. Woolly has created several very useful short videos with grafting techniques too, so it'll be interesting to try these out at the end of the project - pain stockinette or garter are my usual.<br />
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The first photo in the post is my hat about 1/5th of the way through. It's all knitted flat with short rows for shaping, then seamed up and tidied together at the end. So far, it's easy with enough interest to keep me entertained, so will let you know how it goes!<br />
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<img alt="on the needles @owlprintpanda.blogspot.co.uk" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv_1aXfEVZcZMiY2fyfFPevAHxc4DBiXFpGCWuVBpDyQgbJntZ7iF-azvzKh0_umPJ6z3lDmbGclZ0qmc_Iu34Yq6hEoulA3HWcW16TWkMx57syVyZ4NC2vRFMHXoDkZXdH_FyRBh19Wts/s400/Circled2.Collage.4_medium.jpg" title="on the needles @owlprintpanda.blogspot.co.uk" width="400" /></div>
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On my search for better provisional cast on technique, I <a href="https://www.purlsoho.com/create/2015/04/03/provisional-cast-on-video/">found a great tutorial</a> for the one-step provisional cast on too. <br />
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What are you making currently? Do you have any new skills you've learned recently?<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852934616940969927noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459011251096375889.post-80581416682524278652017-01-19T01:48:00.000+00:002017-01-19T01:48:23.886+00:00Wool Tribe 2017 & Edinburgh Yarn Festival<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<img alt="Traquair Hat & Mittens, by Amanda B Collins @OwlPrintPanda" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjorL7Wxn16i8UEF3UZ9XpdaGMtNz6EjaBCIMx_xuqqr2H_EBj_CtAJSJG1lqPOSL9Ib9_LWnb108-owf7IFvGgWKQj-vAiInJ1ctxF_eol52YfGn5k8or_BLpQ50MryO_RdcUB5S8otatQ/s640/Cover_single_page_medium.jpg" title="Traquair Hat & Mittens, by Amanda B Collins @OwlPrintPanda" width="452" /></div>
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It's another lovely week in New Zealand, and there's some very exciting news from home in Scotland too! Today pre-orders are live for <a href="http://www.edinyarnfest.com/wool-tribe-2017-preview/">Wool Tribe</a>, the Edinburgh Yarn Festival guide. Whether you're going to the festival or not, there are some truly beautiful patterns in this little book, which yours truly was lucky enough to be a part of!<br />
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My pattern is <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/traquair-hat-and-mitts">Traquair</a>, which is a hat and mitten set. The yarn is from SkeinQueen, a very firm favourite. (I'd highly recommend her club, if you're looking for some very smooshy yarn deliveries! Each months yarn is based on a book, which does add a nice depth to the club. I might have had a medium sized purchasing accident in the SQ shop update earlier...)<br />
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<img alt="Traquair Hat & Mittens, by Amanda B Collins @OwlPrintPanda" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK8yjM9qdla8gZAZsqt_vBfReswyU6yjQRqx2i887QULdtGT4beHomlMauXmkPg9nbAp-hzvCFIAWvYAMIX8OBq365VGJf74hDVom7-ujUINBtAWEOpKZWXmRV5u201aKUEV0y1jyv0T5q/s640/WoolTribe2_Hat%2526Mitts_LOWRES-2.jpg" title="Traquair Hat & Mittens, by Amanda B Collins @OwlPrintPanda" width="426" /></div>
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<img alt="Traquair Hat & Mittens, by Amanda B Collins @OwlPrintPanda" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibs-XDXkeMkGkAZlOwVc65bdbQHFW1PaHrChpXdyWwcF0AVWSHdDm2xxJWXdpZfOzNgvowrVhQoa2StYdcrlIBceXwFHG3NO0mTQvmVUhVUXEPe8U1RfCW8oCBjF7RuW7SzAp49W_qJvYB/s640/WoolTribe2_Hat_Mitts_LOWRES-4_medium.jpg" title="Traquair Hat & Mittens, by Amanda B Collins @OwlPrintPanda" width="426" /></div>
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All the patterns can be viewed on the <a href="http://www.edinyarnfest.com/wool-tribe-2017-preview/">Edinburgh Yarn Festival website</a>, where there's lots more information about the festival too. Unfortunately I won't be able to make the festival in Edinburgh this year, but I'm very much looking forward to catching up with everyone who goes!<br />
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You can already hop over to the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/sources/wool-tribe-2017-festival-companion">Wool Tribe Ravelry page</a> to get liking and queuing your favourites, all lined up and ready for knitting! <br />
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Are you going to EYF? Have you planned projects to wear at the festival?!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852934616940969927noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459011251096375889.post-50602864572395309492017-01-06T07:43:00.004+00:002017-01-06T08:16:39.637+00:00Exploration, & Radio Silence<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Exploration @owlprintpanda.blogspot.co.uk" border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn3MJo_j4VRSnqRnch12p8GJBIvYwErceq9XhdJpFL7Gs-IyLXXq3Fdi5_2fNQDHuM5aPB-QUdWU4iVtya4X_S-hGmXpqMLeNjFlDyEnqbJM2xo9DAxNQVnYSa4KZIZ8zQXIEaexW7fBgZ/s640/File_000%25281%2529.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Exploration @owlprintpanda.blogspot.co.uk" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Best of Yarn' Compilation</td></tr>
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I can make as many plans and lists as I like, but I certainly didn't think there would come a point where I hadn't managed to blog for almost a year. A year! It certainly doesn't feel like so much time has passed, or like I've been idle in the interim.<br />
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It would be too much to hope to catch up with all the lovely experiences I've had over the past 8 months, but I shall try to give you an overview: There has been travel, living in campervans and exciting adrenaline activities. New places, new scenery, new languages and ways of living. There have been (and are) new people, both those met fleetingly, and those whom I now work with. People who have taught me to embrace the joys in life, small treasures and simple pleasures, and also the inherent traits of those who I'd like to hope I would not emulate. New studies, moving onto the next part of my diploma. New work, settling into a new environment and way of thinking, new colleagues. Last but not least, exciting knitting projects.<br />
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It is this last thought which finally prompted me to return to blogging. I was listening to Jo (of <a href="https://shinybees.com/">Shinybees</a>) on her podcast earlier whilst knitting - though we shall save *what* I was knitting for another post, hmm?<br />
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Jo talked about organising your stash when moving house, and shared her idea of 'Active Stash Exploration'. When moving from Scotland in September, I rummaged through my stash. I organised it, re-organised it, split it into purposeful piles and mixed it up again. I carefully laid some yarn in storage bags, other skeins were gifted to friends. I organised and re-organised the stash again. The photo above is the final take. My half-a-suitcase of yarn (plus 4 balls and 6 skeins bought on my travels...).<br />
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Active Stash Exploration (according to Jo), is the act of going through what you have, and appreciating it. I feel I happened upon doing this by accident, but didn't think about it at the time - hearing Jo chat really rang bells with me. I thoroughly enjoyed sorting my stash, and whilst I felt a small regret about having to leave most of it behind, I certainly brought more than enough... And it's my favourites, it's the ones I have plans for, and the ones I might *actually* knit over the next 12 months or so!! It's a 'best of stash' compilation, if ever there was one.<br />
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I realise all the labels aren't visible, but the pile includes Dye For Yarn silk, Eden Cottage Titus, Baa Ram Ewe Titus, Unicorn Tails from MadelineTosh (gifted to me by the beautiful Lauren @walkyouhome), Rainbow Heirloom, Skein Queen, La Bien Aimee, some glorious yarn from Iona where I went with my mummy before I left Scotland, some handspun, Triskellion, and lots of 'souvenir' yarn from my driving around NZ.<br />
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Currently, I'm seaming together something special for a wonderful collaboration with Clare (@<a href="http://knitsharelove.com/">knitsharelove</a>). This wee project is extremely exciting and I can't wait to share it with you!! For the time being, I'll share this little sneak preview with you :D<br />
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<img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqgIdrOnNkgxDqSD6vBhbZp2EPGOHEEv8UWLDpW-3XBzGbQc_cfKn2-vyrQLoYI289jFAXCUuoyKN-ACLveRtfcjwOJJP7VDu9q5T4FpqZB1kBABjfA4wIvmsPdu8zvX5mJJN0l8TUPUtO/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-01-06+at+20.25.08.png" width="320" /> <img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPY8d9LjFx6HnnkHLGggH8h3R0WJHAn9dk06NihnJhp9JdHXEpybk37UHDmzOnMGlR0Ap175f9CWreqKYaeCfWz4Jjsymjj3z6UCOMu8xlyMRMHKzhBeXaSjZN2fNom6YE03HgdkdrbuRw/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-01-06+at+20.26.16.png" width="319" /> <br />
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This magnificent shade was created by Helen (@<a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/Thewoolkitchen">thewoolkitchen</a>), and as far as I understand, she has quite an exciting shop update coming tomorrow with lots of one-of-a-kind skeins!! Due to moving countries I'm not currently able to indulge, but will definitely be sending someone with a shopping list to her stand at Edinburgh Yarn Festival!<br />
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What are you currently knitting? Have you taken a new approach to your stashing recently? <br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852934616940969927noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459011251096375889.post-72175754621207534302016-04-29T11:12:00.000+01:002016-04-29T11:12:21.001+01:00Wuthering: New Pattern<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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A fair while ago now, I had a reather exciting chat with Helen of <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Thewoolkitchen">The Wool Kitchen</a> (who is amazingly lovely). The result is <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/wuthering">this scrumptious cowl</a>, knit with two skeins of one of my favourite semi-solid colourways. </div>
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<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/wuthering">Wuthering</a> is knit in the round, and travels through several stitch patterns. Nice and simple! Back to my original pattern philosophy of 'less complicated than it looks'. </div>
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<img alt="Wuthering Cowl Amanda B Collins OwlPrintPanda" border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfcT8cbvqqxqLuA0vna2C24DrrRVzmjcYDj1KtGntDNrutf9_D4WsrTWXVaX6PCHSXlZe_HM3lR-a63mn7LxQ-2dAafMRse5guwxjPVcQFw-vRpYpbGRY9aGxh5A1W2etakowyrODwgrgs/s640/Wuthering+Amanda+B+Collins+Owlprintpanda+4.JPG" title="Wuthering Cowl Amanda B Collins OwlPrintPanda" width="640" /></div>
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Apparently the most popular photo from the entire shoot is the outtake which caught me trying to fit bodily into the cowl. I'd like to argue that I was demonstrating the extreme smooshyness of the cowl/yarn combo, but I was just being ridiculous.<br />
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<img alt="Wuthering Cowl Amanda B Collins OwlPrintPanda" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR84ML8K-KJjCvChX7Zum-8iFlyP_vzDuu50dipG_r4U9qtaBtr_ZqCfgPHTbsDNeXTg9Zy3MN3roSF-Jiw20cvtKk1Lafk-Sdxqs47baizdc4VfB1ODTgJdoC-FErV2fwnS_9bSWnZ0b5/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-04-29+at+11.04.02.png" title="Wuthering Cowl Amanda B Collins OwlPrintPanda" width="638" /></div>
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<img alt="Wuthering Cowl Amanda B Collins OwlPrintPanda" border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGl8hBLwMzljmH0xjHyBtaAorQ-aCN0dolOIRpwGj4FTuIvNcicezSWip7TbK5XSJ_j-i0HWY6x5bCyti7t9k-sbE_FUTWDk9wuC7ip0qKth0nh8jfe7cAi-MEnLLh-F8_TDSrliEW2T7y/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-04-29+at+11.04.21.png" title="Wuthering Cowl Amanda B Collins OwlPrintPanda" width="320" /> </div>
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My patient friend Lauren helped me with the photos above, and I bothered the boy into helping me take some during one of our Scottish castle trips! </div>
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The cowl itself was thought up on one of these trips - inspired by those hardiest of plants who manage to thrive despite the
wind and rain on the precipice of mountains, cliff-tops and
long-neglected gardens. Delicate yet resilient, these admirable little
plants are represented in the ‘rocky’ lace and floral patterns of this
cowl.</div>
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<img alt="Wuthering Cowl Amanda B Collins OwlPrintPanda" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfV3bpeGlOq10MHWOLALc3_46HlswJavEYXf70R4EbMs84_PraP-sjyRoSCHh93LG7ldgnxLdYCqLLyp3aHXYNGpDDgBxWMSgVFWLmpfa_SbcDbo8pipXA9RjwIJwlfkFwtLJwdeVwp6XL/s640/Wuthering+Amanda+B+Collins+Owlprintpanda+1.JPG" title="Wuthering Cowl Amanda B Collins OwlPrintPanda" width="640" /></div>
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<img alt="Wuthering Cowl Amanda B Collins OwlPrintPanda" border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc0KpCmLq6Ac-8gk39CUiWIp8Bu-UmQNhUZZLkJrXvQ21n5PElBu16CtHdIk4_kOrUNs2COj9CEZcfnXYjpcVLll5o7TIhGsKdCE5aNnk2a1wn4d8swWymOw22dBeZHbDzWy104n7jjBT1/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-04-29+at+11.04.31.png" title="Wuthering Cowl Amanda B Collins OwlPrintPanda" width="320" /> </div>
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<img alt="Wuthering Cowl Amanda B Collins OwlPrintPanda" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhml74jnCIKe2nESI1eLEyzdSPJ_sz_Y_RPu9j81VdpFhAw97qTvE_bdES16-tyPNoNgYdMtGUPkiSdPIs8ll3cA-qr08A36r41xdXIhFvjGTaMqE_aMS9vyV_4NWbZBxU7VIZsLkq6SMX9/s400/Wuthering+Amanda+B+Collins+Owlprintpanda7.JPG" title="Wuthering Cowl Amanda B Collins OwlPrintPanda" width="266" /> </div>
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Yarn: The Wool Kitchen DK in colourway Wuthering. 2 skeins (400m).<br />
Needles: 5mm (UK)<br />
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Find Helen:<br />
Etsy: <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Thewoolkitchen">https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Thewoolkitchen</a><br />
Twitter: @thewoolkitchen </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852934616940969927noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459011251096375889.post-62873282363972944002016-03-27T11:31:00.000+01:002016-03-27T11:31:17.025+01:00Edinburgh Yarn Festival 2016<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Once again, Edinburgh Yarn Festival was incredible.</div>
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I'll try not to gush too much about all the beautiful, intricate and amazing items I spotted - so, as you read this, just keep a general feeling of yarny awe in the back of your mind to create the best sort of woolly mental atmosphere. </div>
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As with last year, the Edinburgh Yarn Festival was held in the Edinburgh Corn Exchange. It's a great venue, and was a pleasure to visit again. </div>
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I trundled through from Glasgow in my little yellow car with a few friends, arriving at 09:50 for doors at 10am, and miraculously found a nice wee parking space across the road from the main entrance. It was so good that Pip had doubts about whether I had parked illegally - I definitely wasn't, but the lack of a ticket on the car when I returned at 5pm confirmed my wondeful parking luck. </div>
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First stop - coffee. The EYF entrance hall is lined with stalls and coffee. There was some sort of crazy order in which to ask for/buy/pick up coffee so I was rather confused for a while, though blame that on the decaffienated state in which I stared my day.</div>
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Now, I entered EYF quite tired and with an idea of what I wanted before I started. I thought this might save my bank account. It sort of did and sort of didn't. My aim was to buy things I can't usually get elsewhere, so let's see if I stuck to that :p</div>
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On one hand, I have yarn which I have intended projects for, each with a lovely bag, and the combination of which I adore. On the other, good intentions do not make anything cheaper.</div>
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In the top picture, is two skeins from <a href="http://www.labienaimee.com/">La Bien Aimee</a> - this was a stall I had wanted to visit because I've never smooshed this yarn before! As per another promise to myself, I'd only buy a minimum of two skeins which are either the same or matchymatchy - no more one skein 4-ply stashes for me. </div>
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I've yet to decide but these two glorious merino singles 4-ply skeins are destined for a summer top or cowl, I'm sure they'll let me know once they've been knit into swatches. </div>
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And the pouch underneath? The glorious, herrinbone tweed, pocket of sheer perfection? It's a little project bag from <a href="http://www.woollenflower.com/">Woollenflower,</a> whom I adore. I've been eyeing these little bags and hoping quite a lot for a herringbone one, so when I spied this lying on the table I couldn't help myself. </div>
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As I say, everything I bought this year appears to be a complete project (bag included). So second purchase was from <a href="http://kettleyarnco.co.uk/">Kettle Yarn</a>. Linda has recently released a new line of yarn named Baskerville, which is 60% exmoor blueface, 25% gotland and 15% silk. As will all yarns in the collection, quality is guaranteed, and I'll admit I'm very curious about the process of indigo dyeing! </div>
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Linda was lovely, and whilst I was heading to her looking for some Baskerville (because this purchase was planned!!), I also spotted this incredibly cute little forrest cabin pouch, and picked that up too. </div>
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Next, I popped into the <a href="http://www.easyknits.co.uk/">Easyknits</a> stall and was caught unawares by some 'Mochoo' - mohair. Who knew I liked this, because I didnt?! Though I'll admit, I left this behind initially as I had no plans for it - look how good I was being!</div>
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Jess of <a href="http://www.gingertwiststudios.com/">Ginger Twist Studio</a>, an adorable little yarn shop in Edinburgh, was always a joy to see, as ever. Her energy is infectious and after several moments squeeing over my favourite yarn (the <a href="http://www.gingertwiststudios.com/product-category/gingers-hand-dyed/4ply-and-sock-weight/splendor-4ply-merino-silk/">Splendour 4ply 50/50 silk blend</a> in the Hocus Pocus colourway - have a <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/OwlPrintPanda">look at my project page on Rav</a> and you'll soon see what I mean), I ended up with two more skeins of the stuff and a round trip back to Easyknitter to pick up that mohair. A plan was born - I was going to knit a boxy with 4-ply splendour and lace mohair held together on 5.5mm needles. It is squeeful and I terrified to admit, but since then (5 days ago), I have finished and am wearing my boxy. I will devote a separate post to it, as it is amazing. My wrists hurt. </div>
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I met several amazing people throughout the day, and will no doubt forget to list some, so I won't name you all! <br />
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Bumped into several of my facourite podcasters: Louise of <a href="http://caithnesscraftcollective.podbean.com/">Caithness Craf</a>t, Louise of <a href="http://www.knitbritish.net/">Knit British</a>, Jo of <a href="https://shinybees.com/">Shinybees</a> to name a few! I had a lovely long chat to them whilst hosting my little pop-up stall in the podcast lounge, which was lovely. </div>
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Last, but obviously not least, I returned to La Bien Aimee for a cardigan quantity of this yarn...<br />
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The dates for EYF 2017 have even already been released! It'll be the Corn Exchange again, on 10th / 11th of March.<br />
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What did you purchase? Did you miss EYF - what did you do instead?? </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852934616940969927noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459011251096375889.post-65873573784644437022016-03-13T10:24:00.001+00:002016-03-13T10:30:48.484+00:00Blackers New Yarn<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As you've probably been able to tell, I've been on a little bit of a swatching binge recently! This was precipitated, in no small part, by some very lovely yarn samples I was sent by Blacker Yarn.<br />
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They have a new yarn coming out shortly - Tamar.<br />
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Sue Blacker recently posted on the <a href="http://www.thenaturalfibre.co.uk/blog/tamar-river-and-tale-yarn">Blacker blog about this yarn </a>- I do love a yarn with a story!! Basically, it is named after the Tamar river between Devon & Cornwall (in England). It's an homage to the watery hills and valleys of the area, the history of the people and their beliefs throughout time. There's a beautiful fairy tale accompanying this yarn, and I'd highly recommend heading over to the <a href="http://www.thenaturalfibre.co.uk/blog/tamar-river-and-tale-yarn">blacker blog</a> for a wee read.<br />
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I could ramble on about this yarn for ages, because it's great, but I'll try to summarise into something sensible:<br />
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<b>Composition</b>: spun from British rare
breeds, including Teeswater, Wensleydale and Leicester Longwool<br />
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<b>Yardage</b>: 4ply - 350 m / 380 yds. DK - 220 m / 238 yds.<br />
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<b>Practicalities</b>: cool handwash only<br />
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<b>Handle</b>: despite feeling fairly 'rustic' due to the longwool used, this yarn is easily next to skin soft. The longwool also affords it a weight and drape which would be beautiful in accessories and garments alike. I can see folk thinking it's not soft enough, it doesn't compare to buttery merino, but I imagine it would last significantly longer.<br />
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<b>Stitch definition</b>: despite the halo (which is very attractive and, not to forget, warm!) the stitch defition is very clear, I've worked up a wee lace sample which turned out beautifully. <br />
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<b>Range</b>: available in 4-ply and DK, this is suitable for a wide variety of projects. The colour palette is also <b>amazing</b> (as below!). <br />
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<a href="http://www.blackeryarns.co.uk/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/08070900a325580bc5463488830149c6/_/s/_smm0663.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.blackeryarns.co.uk/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/08070900a325580bc5463488830149c6/_/s/_smm0663.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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All in all, I adore this yarn, and hope to work with it as soon as I'm able! Have you tried it yet? What are you knitting with at the moment?</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852934616940969927noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459011251096375889.post-36117956937008925072016-01-16T09:31:00.001+00:002016-01-16T09:31:15.550+00:00New Pattern: Syne Shawlette<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Just in time for the weekend is the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/syne">Syne shawlette</a>!</div>
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It's inspired by fireworks at New Year, which are
particularly beautiful when viewed over the castle in Edinburgh. This
shawlette is a one skein knit, inspired by those most giant of
explosions which radiate outward to end in further noise and sparkles. </div>
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The yarn! Oh goodness the yarn. It's the Lush Light base by Rainbow
Heirloom, which is made up of alpaca, silk and cashmere. It's the most gorgeous shade of green as well, I really fell in love. </div>
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Given that you’ve been knitting for others all through December, January
might be time for a little something for yourself. What are you currently making for yourself?</div>
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Similar to my previous shawls, it's semi-circular shaped, beginning with a garter tab at the centre top, increasing as you knit down toward the lace border.</div>
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You can <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/syne">find Syne on ravelry here</a>. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp9mK6-o0dmZQq8Xh6NqM0R5Oc6mRxwCotIEzkNJ1rC_RSFoZa_XLXJTW7ZKeEi2i9eTHgHkf-JF9cMvCjZ3Po0wXi2jDuOsUWHSbaOgMVNupsNIfNVj_feQDaQ86oKKvSbk41wtc-H6vB/s1600/image%25281%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Syne Shawlette by Amanda B Collins" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp9mK6-o0dmZQq8Xh6NqM0R5Oc6mRxwCotIEzkNJ1rC_RSFoZa_XLXJTW7ZKeEi2i9eTHgHkf-JF9cMvCjZ3Po0wXi2jDuOsUWHSbaOgMVNupsNIfNVj_feQDaQ86oKKvSbk41wtc-H6vB/s640/image%25281%2529.png" title="Syne Shawlette by Amanda B Collins" width="512" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(c) Rainbow Heirloom</td></tr>
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<img alt="Syne Shawlette by Amanda B Collins" border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV6lRlAjHQpUPVYHAg5iMwlFYis5orRQz4gblFLKBqAujdd287Of56Tdc_EqHXqSWhWWmu_1Qrmxwkjf4AnYxNgO4s9_LH9r5nzzs9XeN3TEqPTRCgB0gqV0PpY84Y7M9Kou2rhHMnFDP_/s640/IMG_0442.jpg" title="Syne Shawlette by Amanda B Collins" width="640" /> </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg14aJwOyHqAZAblSYE67Iz58c3fVhRi-xRgwDpkcFWrVwejfzwGIcrLaiby6ZhKDUzJ6qJyRFCtlioRcTBi-IB9JjA6OaqpUjfCtKwVSxNDDtpfgm-BI2cS52eS2XbNaVGRBtSgX0HGdY5/s1600/image.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Syne Shawlette by Amanda B Collins" border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg14aJwOyHqAZAblSYE67Iz58c3fVhRi-xRgwDpkcFWrVwejfzwGIcrLaiby6ZhKDUzJ6qJyRFCtlioRcTBi-IB9JjA6OaqpUjfCtKwVSxNDDtpfgm-BI2cS52eS2XbNaVGRBtSgX0HGdY5/s640/image.png" title="Syne Shawlette by Amanda B Collins" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(c) Rainbow Heirloom</td></tr>
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<img alt="Syne Shawlette by Amanda B Collins" border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCXmPJSAM2RNz31KfXaZs3D_C546JK20wpw96WJaxZHfMcnhrqzRsId_RkBAFBBG_kL-eO6ipmWv0LbjNMIrFoVV_UclJK7eIpRI5xp3Ya5TXodT7VxJRIN0xAgKO_qp8vQCVtIPm51Vao/s640/IMG_0419.jpg" title="Syne Shawlette by Amanda B Collins" width="640" /></div>
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<img alt="Syne Shawlette by Amanda B Collins" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbcWAfk4kVC0dcLPjI01llOJ6hhW5nxhRNYi26fZedLP4SQ2YJfI3lc18JEfYX6MO2_uHLeYAvSZyx6-avozKhH1u1FOo4Qf_GPC5h__yWEBu_YHNnSmjwPCe_wkOxLtfoiMHv_r80qaaM/s640/IMG_0426.jpg" title="Syne Shawlette by Amanda B Collins" width="426" /></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852934616940969927noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459011251096375889.post-56758465820549765162016-01-13T20:49:00.002+00:002016-01-13T20:50:09.915+00:00They're Ready, But I'm Not<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Very frequently, when I sit a lovely old lady or gent down with the purpose of breaking some bad news, it culminates in them letting me know, calmly and reassuringly, that they've been ready for this for a while.</div>
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And not resigned to it, no bravado or over-exuberance, no shadow of a doubt. Genuinely ready for it.</div>
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There's the brevity of 'well I've had a good run!' - to the genuine, breathtaking calm of a very old man who tells me that:</div>
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<i>'life is good and bad, feels short then long, you forget more people than you remember, and if all I have left at the end is my marbles and my family then I'll thank my good luck. You young folk can't understand yet, but one day you will. My wife has her marbles, and we have each other, but we are both quite tired now'</i></div>
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He jokes to his wife ("of 69 years and 8 months, since you ask, young one") that <i>'at least you're leaving before you get fed up with me!</i>'. </div>
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His eyes are welling up, and hers are too. She calls her family in to say goodbye through her oxygen mask before I've even reached a similar final conclusion, nevermind decided to talk about it with the lady or her family. </div>
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And it's sadder than the saddest song, and sweeter than the sweetest of chick flicks, and more heartwarming than a million fireplaces, knitted stockings, kittens, hot chocolates, children playing and all the 'hygge' in the world combined. </div>
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I hope he doesn't mind me remembering his wife, or that I'm passing on his marble filled brand of wisdom about life and death and love. I was a bystander in a very private moment, and I am privilaged. </div>
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I'm often scorned by friends because I refuse to watch a sad film, read a book about tribulation and death, engage in deep discussion about troubles around the world. There is enough sadness, enough death and enough trouble from those I have personally met to keep me occupied for quite some time. And with this, with the sad parts come the most beautiful insights, rays of incredible joy and kindness, wisdom, bald truth, bright young eyes in old faces. Incredibly personal insights into how amazing people can be, how deeply we can love and hurt and live and need. </div>
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And I'm not as ready for it as my old gent is.<br />
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Occasionally my blog posts take a little slide, and I'm not posting quite as often as I do at other times. Usually, it's because there's this. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852934616940969927noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459011251096375889.post-52186450186687107842015-12-19T12:53:00.000+00:002015-12-19T13:08:50.410+00:00From Fibre to Finished Object<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Very excited to share this little scarf with you. Recently I've completed next to no knitting for myself, so when I spotted a little gap in the scheduled knitting, I grabbed my handspun polwarth skein from <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/FiberArtemis">FiberArtemis</a> which has been sitting in pride of place on my desk for quite a while now.</div>
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I've posted about it <a href="http://owlprintpanda.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/spinning-un-broken-phones.html">here</a> before (and on <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/people/OwlPrintPanda/handspun/fiberartemis-polwarth">Ravelry here</a>) - the fibre is 100% polwarth from <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/FiberArtemis">this lovely etsy shop</a>. It felt dense yet soft, and drafted beautifully. There's a polwarth/silk mix in my stash from this shop too, so I might make a little time over christmas to spin it up a little finer for another shawl... </div>
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Since I'm being good (and have spent all of my pennies on presents), the pattern is also one previously purchased on Ravelry - this is <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/OwlPrintPanda/artesian">Artesian by Rosemary Hill.</a> </div>
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The pattern was very easy to follow, employing short rows for shaping. The chart is laid out in a way I've not used before, so I used the written instructions, which are nice and easy to follow. </div>
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And the yarn? Oh dear, I loved it so much. It's all smooshy and soft and, dare I say it, relatively evenly spun and plied throughout... (not that the garter stitch and yarn over pattern would show if it did!).</div>
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This is what the lovely fluff looked like when it arrived, and after spinning. What are you working on at the moment? I have something quite exciting to show you in a couple of weeks, but it'll have to stay under wraps until then :p</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852934616940969927noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459011251096375889.post-1418787993411559392015-10-13T00:18:00.003+01:002015-10-13T00:18:59.601+01:00New Collection: As Autumn Falls<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Autumn is my favourite season, and October one of my favourite months. I adore the changing colour of the trees, the rapid change from peaceful green to burning reds, oranges & yellows. As I've mentioned before, we chose our flat because of how close to the Kelvin & botanic garden it is, a lovely river which flows almost unnoticed in the west end of Glasgow through leafy green avenues, passing by a wonderful arboretum. <br />
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I'm not sure if people really realise the arboretum is there, it's always lovely and quiet, even on the warmest of sunny days, tucked away across the road at the back of the botanic gardens.</div>
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It's from this changing of seasons, from the turning of the leaves and the crispy drop in temperature, t<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/sources/as-autumn-falls">hat the Autumn collection is derived</a> (<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/sources/as-autumn-falls">here on rav</a>). <br />
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<img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz8WYMM3LP8WH8mSuxJkY5LtruByklbZauGDnyZab1-uR345fNjRvAhA8skMCh2Mgtqk873Cgtfzi399mqz1obUnuGRldEidimzi9qeMBlLa-LjnTcODWgE8qK6tIPbjiY9Jdi2ewVMC-3/s640/IMG_8949.jpg" width="640" /> </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPq1EJiqeCmCG9vZDotfuAij5POVjNgXUhEncqbFbB3PfTpXEekXWUW9Fjj00EHhiXMI_ew2QHL7HB8LT_WSLFdeDJcFIx7f2QECnqyur_TNmaJZ3Lw8Z3_YucIvv74Uaiqg1YYGstDfc0/s640/IMG_8988.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front centre of "Baile" cardigan, as below</td></tr>
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Comprised of a golden brown/orange cardigan - Baile, two gorgeous hats inspired by hay bales and golden twigs - Bulgurwheat & Slipthatch, and last but certainly not least, the Emmer shawl - a slightly more sombre pink/brown shawl, inspired by empty stalks and leafless branches. </div>
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The <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/sources/as-autumn-falls">entire collection</a> is knitted in beautiful malabrigo yarns; a super soft merino for the shawl, superwash merino for cardigan (sensible), and silky soft merino/silk for the lighterweight hat with a single spun worsted beauty for the heavier weight hat.</div>
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<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/emmer-3">Emmer</a>- I wanted emmer to be loghtweight but warm, so used twisted stitches and occasional yarn overs to add detail to this delicate but robust shawl. Using 150g of 4ply, it's just the right size for wrapping around your shoulder when those cold October winds begin to blow!</div>
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<img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFM0G_SArLGLvnJNPN6NB0T9VpImBTdFmbzCr7Nie3sqSTZDXbYYKOMAwAChVcdaM6YzvuiEKDtFOPWh1rTlWaUreafsUFDtGn1G31GCy5i9y7vff8pOLvqLaMXRac0SLXqT_yVe4wKS83/s640/IMG_8013+-+Version+2.jpg" width="426" /> </div>
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<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAIFDEL_sUIYUmr48LjauI9dvwcgiq-oWdh53gbxiPqb2kzb9jBsq8ZoNyZITrLCTxHWtgYnfMk5xi0848VnXF2BKAPNeqGx5DztFy3sXRe7AMBzWwD60Lhw7E8eJSHxpFXsyewE1VJZOY/s400/IMG_7915+-+Version+2.jpg" width="266" /> <img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRGieVXyJg-GvImQgAQAVHVgYP3P48j8TApoW005Pl7hvWuteylZcUDSK1bwv7VLei5flzrIHsf56r_RURdOApqghHjrHSK8vW_Ozwyyc-mNBowGNT5aIxqyWXu7IRLN_LggucNgubXoux/s400/IMG_7939+-+Version+2.jpg" width="266" /> </div>
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<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoLBzEA6Z1Ngh5NRUfW8ybfzCsthKekyxIvuz9kEvdldUhWRwoYJXLrNf7cQ6jIB5z-EPEt3NzPKaqKwm3hYMYTX0YVsaXU_bAWFWENWJ5jQcu2z_Fd0cxBey_G7MMR2pGID8ElbyPN5y7/s400/IMG_7992+-+Version+2.jpg" width="266" /> <img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBlGCwP0fhdvUmRNjy-mQB5pWbBzuuQ_AYAWIyL1KDniWrayqh6AQkIfQ4tsGqlNkQAGfX56HO2-VbSRbLGAkIefg37MGKDypiUNTOoYuF9aL9lxTJWdynZBbFjKbVNq5wiqr1VCGCsYpn/s400/IMG_8022+-+Version+2.jpg" width="266" /></div>
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<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/baile-3">Baile</a> - I wanted this cardigan to look complex whilst being very simple to knit, and think we've managed! The front panels are a short repeat, easily knitted with only basic knowledge of ssk, k2tog and yo. </div>
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Charts are written out as well, so if confused you can always use both! </div>
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<img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKSNMjPBPOxLziDjuCfn4NkClGMkVNEKBun1KRrttllY2_MFnvq_rUYqp4QRUxjv91aWLxL-53YPUJawKWnGzCVDBr0g8xZy4q3ziIrNyDtRCCoYCQ1QETchMrbEmieXC0nigrU2PHjE0_/s640/12106250_835585599892951_1736659411_n.jpg" width="640" /></div>
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<img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK-dRkrj9_sbr_ws5v5qP2eCkEEtYKSaioeQoHEIZH0j9GPUOkr1jxZ5YrV0rPNmP8knGvXpL48G0RJEnQJUXA1FPCnBS4enr9mp5LrTb48xL9HKoZ0-b8sUigG8dzMoJ29FKoA1eKKnFO/s640/IMG_8882.jpg" width="640" /></div>
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<img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwmKjrUNcWeHu13lzyT3kj7zVxZhFD0OTeSxnGYdemhD9DbLkkL4aZRCDV0b87h_4m2P1nKBZ2uizlaRYijRWw0E45cB5_-pKNZbCAuGr9khLbDOxEhOLljPfsrQGVqBmYpnHaIdoFp7NM/s640/IMG_8929.jpg" width="426" /></div>
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<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/slipthatch">Slipthatch</a> - this hat blocked beautifully. The woven stitch creates a dense fabric in this worsted yarn - this hat is toasty!! It's inspited by hay bales and thatched rooves and warm autumnal fun. </div>
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<img border="0" height="486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh14tczrRF-h9rhUL4gZsb8putLglrmgXCzvhJDG8C5__IpetZqYsHjEgGtZu5f0gVer6hqK0KiAqMt9zeoW_Zj34me0NfNnWTLQ7eXzU5gFhdD5eAg_pBi6E9QMyzNPqY8ypcTNAw-J6m_/s640/IMG_8779.jpg" width="640" /></div>
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<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/bulgurwheat">Bulgurwheat</a> - after that toaster of a hat I needed something more delicate - how about one which reminds me of bare stems and golden stems of flowers long gone? </div>
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<img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfgNebw1z3JeCz5yq8Bl-7ktI7pXCr4QXQ2U9qBcdACzQSsXTKXQVZMmuLP-ctC6QX8nd7QxivaX43yDxnZBTeY3-A4anU6Dcz5S0qXOzgWwZCgcZdEK8hm7g9iEun9emOrtVAxlF2pjOk/s640/IMG_8758.jpeg" width="426" /></div>
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On Ravelry the patterns are individually priced. £9 for the 4-piece collection - I think ravelry adds tax to this depending on where you are! </div>
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If there's enough interest, maybe we could run a wee knit-along in the Ravelry group? <br />
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Which new item is your favourite?? What's your favourite time of year, and if it's Autumn, is it for different reasons to me?</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852934616940969927noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459011251096375889.post-20084071690553241662015-09-04T19:49:00.001+01:002015-09-04T19:49:25.399+01:00DIY: Kitchener Stitch<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Kitchener stitch is a method by which to join two live edges of your
knitting. It's particularly useful for top-down socks, because it
doesn't leave a bothersome seam at your toes. I also use it at
shoulders, because this technique gives an almost invisible finish,
making the shoulder look like one continuous piece of knitting. It's
not the strongest seam, but I've yet to have any issues with my
shoulders unravelling...<br />
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To do this technique, you'll need to get set up with:<br />
tapestry/yarn needle<br />
two sets of live stitches on their respective needles, wrong sides facing, with needle points facing the same direction<br />
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The
first few times you use kitchener stitch you might feel like the
tension is completely off, or that it's incredibly uneven. This will
probably just improve with practice, but a good tip is to remember not
to pull your stitches too tight - there's a great draw to do this, but
don't give in!<br />
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Starting - for the first st on each side you want to do the following:<br />
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Hold your wrong sides together, with needle points facing the same direction.<br />
1. pop tapestry needle through 1st stitch on closest needle, purlwise. Pull needle and yarn though, but leave the stitch on the needle.<br />
2. pop needle through first st on back needle, knitwise. Again, leave st on needle and pull yarn through. <br />
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Continuing - for the rest of the stitches until the ones on the end, you'll want to do this:</div>
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1. Needle into first st on front needle, knitwise. Slip stitch off needle. </div>
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2. Needle into next st on front needle, purlwise. Don't slip stitch off needle. Pull yarn through. </div>
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3. Needle into
first st on back needle, purlwise. Slip st off needle. </div>
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4. Needle into next st on back needle, knitwise. Don't slip stitch off needle. Pull yarn through.</div>
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Repeat until 1st remains on each needle. </div>
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As you knit, your work will start to look like this in the image below - with a little practice your seam should look like just another row of knitting. Pause every so often to adjust tension in your stitches, you can always do them loose individually and tighten them at regular intervals by pulling on your working yarn as required.<br />
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You want to keep kitchener-ing until you have one st left on each needle. <br />
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<br />For your final stitches, you want to do step 1, then step 3 above. <br />
Now you have all the joy of sewing in your ends left.<br />
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Hopefully this was helpful!<br />
I have a new DK cardigan pattern coming out on 1st October which uses this technique - please let me know (owlprintpanda@gmail.com) if you'd like to test-knit!<br />
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What have you been knitting recently? Any favourite seams?<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852934616940969927noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459011251096375889.post-41597563454485755072015-08-28T19:06:00.000+01:002015-08-28T19:10:28.455+01:00Tea-riffic Night Out<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I can only apologise for title-punning, but I'm really rather excited about an upcoming event which I wanted to share with you!!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://images4-d.ravelrycache.com/uploads/knitsforklipskaap/265592949/DSC_0698_medium2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://images4-d.ravelrycache.com/uploads/knitsforklipskaap/265592949/DSC_0698_medium2.jpg" height="427" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pictures (c) Clare Devine</td></tr>
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Last year, <a href="http://www.yarnandpointysticks.com/tea-party-tickets-on-sale/">Clare Devine </a>launched a '<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/sources/the-tea-collection">Tea Collection</a>' containing several yummy hats. This autumn she plans to complete the collection with some new hats, which are created in beautiful yarn (as always) hand-dyed by Jess of Ginger Twist Studio in Edinburgh. </div>
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The pair are hosting a Tea Party at Pekoe Tea in Edinburgh. It'll apparently involve tea, tea cocktails(?!) and nibbles. The owner of Pekoe tea will be telling everyone about the tea, where it comes from, interesting things etc. Yarn wise, there'll be lots of hat samples, yarns and patterns to play with!</div>
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There are two options to attend, the 'with yarn and patterns & baggie' version, and the tea only version. I'm tempted to tell you not to be mad and that the second isn't a real option, but in the spirit of equal chances and all that, the two tickets are as follows:</div>
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Without Yarn:</div>
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“Tea Tasting Experience” (or a Tea Cocktail of your choice)
and plenty of chance to chat to Jon about the magical world of tea.</div>
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With Yarn: </div>
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<li>Your choice of pattern from <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/sources/the-tea-collection">The Tea Collection</a> (or another of Clares patterns if you have it already)</li>
<li>A fabulous skein of yarn from <a href="http://www.gingertwiststudios.com/product-category/gingers-hand-dyed/">Ginger’s Hand Dyed</a> to knit your very own “Tea Hat” - you can read more about the <a href="http://www.yarnandpointysticks.com/tea-party-tickets-on-sale/">skeins and colours available over on Clares blog</a>. </li>
<li>A Neighbourhood Sheep Society tote bag</li>
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The Tea is between 7 and 9pm on the 17th of October, and tickets are available via the <a href="http://www.gingertwiststudios.com/product-category/events/">Ginger Twist website</a>. If you'd like more details about the event you can find a l<a href="http://www.yarnandpointysticks.com/tea-party-tickets-on-sale/">ovely blog post by Clare</a>. </div>
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I'll need to make sure I clear the needles before the middle of October... </div>
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Is anyone else going??</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852934616940969927noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459011251096375889.post-38304604173632680692015-08-22T09:39:00.000+01:002015-08-22T10:13:04.668+01:00Book Review: Sockupied Fall 2015<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/link?id=S*fW2Bp*aJ0&offerid=266289.17327&type=2&murl=http%3A%2F%2Flink.mercent.com%2Fredirect.ashx%3Fmr%3AmerchantID%3DInterweave%26mr%3AtrackingCode%3D8B9D740F-4940-E511-80F1-005056944E17%26mr%3AtargetUrl%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2FInterweaveStore.com%2Fsockupied-fall-2015"><img border="0" src="http://cdn.fwmedia.com/image-server/500x500/media/catalog/product/E/P/EP13301.jpg" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Despite being woken up at the crack of dawn this morning (why are the seagulls in Glasgow? there's no sea here, gulls), I've ended up having a very pleasant morning reading through the <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/link?id=S*fW2Bp*aJ0&offerid=266289.17327&type=2&murl=http%3A%2F%2Flink.mercent.com%2Fredirect.ashx%3Fmr%3AmerchantID%3DInterweave%26mr%3AtrackingCode%3D8B9D740F-4940-E511-80F1-005056944E17%26mr%3AtargetUrl%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2FInterweaveStore.com%2Fsockupied-fall-2015">newest copy of Sockupied</a>. I bagged a chance to review this recently (courtesy of Interweave) and have been looking forward to sitting down with a cuppa & reading it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I've been doing a lot of sock knitting recently, and it's always interesting to see what people are making, how they're doing it and what the effects of different techniques are. Usually I browse the pretty pictures on Ravelry, but a magazine is a welcome change! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Having never really browsed through Sockupied before, I sort of wonder why! It has been around for a few years, I've obviously been missing a trick. Overall, I'd say this is a good issue and definitely worth a look - and I *need* those cover socks. </span><br />
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<u><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Summary</b></span></u><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>What it is</b>: a good, solid collection of socks. Provides variety and nice explanations. Very reasonably priced at £1.27 ($2) per pattern - $11.99 total. Well laid-out. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>What it's not</b>: an instructional handbook. not for beginners. no standard sizing. </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">not sock theory.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sockupied is an e-mag, which was initially created in 2010 for interweave. I have the PDF version, but when bought through the interweave site/i-store or similar online mag platform, it also includes interactive videos etc. too. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Fall 2015 edition, as with previous issues, contains 6 sock patterns and a couple of nice articles/interviews. The articles are interesting, and I particularly liked the first one from Debbie O'Neill with some sock tips. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The sock collection in the book mainly consists of the top-down variety - though the construction varies considerably from your 'standard' top down sock, to ones which are knitted all the way down the back and picking up stitches to work your way from the toe up the front to cuff again. There are a couple of stranded colourwork projects, which could be challenging for some knitters, but these are interspersed with relatively simple sock patterns, so there is something for most abilities. Importantly (or maybe not, if you like your books on a strong theme) there's a good variety of styles, good for gift knitting or if you're not sure which kind you like to knit!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sockupied is well laid out, with clear transitions from item to item, and clear subcategories. The text is easy to read, and the photos are, for the most, attractive and informative. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Hominy sock photos are unfortunately not very clear - I can't make out the pattern - and come only in one size, so they're my least favourite of the lot. I wouldn't ever chose to knit these, which is a shame, because maybe they're nice. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My personal favourite socks from
the collection are the ones on the cover (though my loves of both
orange and grey are probably clouding my judgement). They come in many sizes, and both foot and calf circumferences are given, which is useful for knee-high socks! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As much as I've noted that there's no standard sizing, this can be incredibly difficult with socks due to lace / colourwork repeats, especially when many different designers are involved! What could perhaps be standardised is whether the 'to-fit' or 'actual' measurements are used. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There is a nice section at the end explaining common sock starting/finishing techniques, which may serve as a useful aide-memoir to readers, and explains some of the trickier / more unusual techniques in the mag. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In particular, I do adore that
the photoshoot was carried out in the LYS - for some reason I feel
closer to the idea this way, lets face it, most of us can't afford to go
on a nice beach holiday to photograph our socks...</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Have you been knitting socks recently? What resources have you been using?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I worked on a <a href="http://owlprintpanda.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/knit-short-row-toe.html">short-row toe video</a> recently to accompany <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/designers/amanda-b-collins">some of the sock patterns</a>, did you find it useful? </span> </span></div>
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:D<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852934616940969927noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459011251096375889.post-24017555905827785562015-08-15T17:35:00.002+01:002015-08-16T09:44:13.696+01:00Many Knitted Things<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I haven't had much knitting to show you lately, because it's all supposed to be secret! I've also got to get a move on, because it's all supposed to be out soon. Since I can't show you exactly what I'm knitting, perhaps I can bleat on about the yarn a little :D </div>
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Above, in glorious orange, is Malabrigo Rios, which is a superwash DK, in colourway 'sunset'. It's very soft, very shiny, very smooshy. There's ~190m per skein, and it is listed on Ravelry as a worsted weight yarn. Currently I'm knitting it on 4mm needles and it's making quite a nice fabric in stockinette. It's ~£11 per skein so doesn't break the bank, and is 100% superwash merino wool. <br />
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Below is The Knitting Goddess Britsock - it's so soft! The pattern for this yarn will be appearing around March, so quite a wee wait, but I can promise it'll be worth it (and well worth getting the yarn too...). This is 400m per skein, made up of 40% BFL, 20% wensleydale, 20% nylon & 20% alpaca. It's high-twist to make it ideal for socks, and comes in some lovely hand-dyed shades. It's £15.50 from the <a href="http://www.theknittinggoddess.co.uk/ourshop/prod_3831014-4ply-BRITSOCK-Semi-solid-turquoise-15O.html">Knitting Goddess website</a>, which seems very reasonable for such a yummy hand-dyed skein. <br />
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More even than knitting (shock horror), I've had quite a lot of fun putting the photos together. There was a post recently on the <a href="http://www.aplayfulday.com/">A Playful Day</a> blog about taking time to enjoy taking photos, which I can definitely agree with!<br />
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What have you been knitting lately?</div>
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For more sneaky peeks and snippets of yarn I'm currently using, I tend to pop projects onto <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/OwlPrintPanda">Ravelry</a> under something conveniently ambiguous such as 'secret socks' or 'coming soon cardigan'. </div>
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At the moment I also have a couple of test knits on the go for an upcoming collection, there's a shawl, cardigan, and two hats. Do get in touch at owlprintpanda@gmail.com if you'd be interested in any of these:</div>
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Hat: 1/2 x skein DK<br />
Hat: 1 x skein Worsted<br />
Shawl: 150g 4-ply<br />
Cardigan: approx. 300-400g DK<br />
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Also this week, I've started a postgraduate diploma in Medical Education! Quite looking forward to being a 'student' again, not least for the 15% discount at Office. It's a distance learning course from Dundee (though maybe I'll need to find an excuse to make it less 'distance' and pop into <a href="http://www.fluph.co.uk/">Fluph</a> more often). If you've never been to Fluph, I'd definitely recommend a visit.<br />
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We're also ALMOST over the flat-upheaval, and the only person we're waiting on is the tiler!! The kitchen is done, the new shower is done, I've painted all of the windows and doors and cleaned all of the flat (boy helped yesterday, very much appreciated help). We'd be tempted to leave the plaster bare but unfortunately it only covers one wall and some choice hole repairs so we'll also have to get choosing some paint!<br />
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So what are you up to? Exciting weekend plans? Much knitting? No knitting at all?</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852934616940969927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459011251096375889.post-76499047442099590522015-07-28T10:33:00.001+01:002015-07-28T10:35:10.532+01:00Road Trip! Crieff Is Nice<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I'd be surprised if I haven't already told you, but I passed my driving test a couple of weeks ago! Yes, I'm a little late to the party, but I was just never interested in it before. </div>
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Obviously, the next thing to do is go buy a car. Quite a few people had quite a lot of advice on buying your 'first car'. It seems sensible to choose an older car in case you bump it, a cheaper car because of the expensive insurance. Of course I ignored this and popped out for a bright yellow Fiat 500 Lounge. I wanted the shiny wheels, blue-tooth & sun roof, what can I say? </div>
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Since the obvious thing to do with a new car is go on a road trip, this is what we did. With no fixed plans (except to end up in Crieff) we set off, vowing to follow those brown tourist board to things which appeared in our path. </div>
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The first to appear was the Falkirk Wheel. We found this sign by accident after scooting off the motorway mainly due to a huge queue we spotted building up! Pulling into a little village from the motorway, some nice brown signs led us straight to the wheel. </div>
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It's far bigger than I though it was, and I realised that, far from being moved sideways (which is what I always believed to be happening when looking at pictures) the boats are hoisted many metres into the air and plopped into a runway of canal which looks like it wouldn't be out of place in some sort of raised level airport. </div>
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The weather was a little (read: very) rainy, shall we call it atmospheric? But there's a great wee mini-museum and cafe near the wheel to watch it turn around. </div>
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It wouldn't be a weekend away with the boy without some sort of outdoor activity, so we decided to do the <a href="http://www.crieffhydro.com/meetings-and-events/aloft-treetop-adventure-experience/">treetop adventure</a> course which is up on the hill beside Crieff Hydro. This was quite a lot of fun & I'd highly recommend it. The staff were lovely, and the sun even came out for us!</div>
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After all the outdoorsing, we arrived at our hotel, which was very pretty. We stayed in <a href="http://www.knockcastle.com/">Knock Castle</a> in Crieff. It's small(ish), warm and welcoming, and had a beautiful pool in a garden house in the grounds! Sadly the only dinner time available when we arrived was 9pm, but we had a very lovely dinner in Crieff instead. <br />
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On the second day, and our return to Glasgow, we happened across several more touristy places. First was Drummond Castle Gardens in the morning. The drive up to this castle is several miles of tree-lined forrestyness (I really did begin to wonder when it was going to end), opening out to these perfect gardens! Apparently they're arranged in the shape of the Scottish Saltire, with the different colours representing the families coat of arms. We were provided with a wee map which told us what all of the different kind of trees were, though I'm terrible at remembering these things. </div>
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Last but not least, we spotted signs for Stirling Castle. I've not visited here since I was quite wee, and the boy has never been! So, in true road tripping couply style, we signed up for a Historic Scotland membership. As you do. Because we're cool & stuff. I'd also like to point out that the boy is wearing the socks I knitted for him. Sock knitting win. </div>
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Rather upsettingly, due to a combination of lots of 12 hour shifts at work with this lovely little trip to Crieff on my two days off, I've accomplished virtually no knitting over the past two weeks!<br />
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The flat is in quite a mess due to kitchen and bathroom works, so I'll tackle that today, but I'll try to have some knitting to show for next week :p<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852934616940969927noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459011251096375889.post-8431209092710150092015-07-18T08:43:00.003+01:002015-07-18T08:51:14.467+01:00Guest Post: Louise Tilbrook Designs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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After the blog post on relaxation, knitting and '<a href="http://owlprintpanda.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/what-is-mindfullness.html">What is Mindfullness?</a>' last week, there was a bit of chat in internet-land about what each of us do to unwind. </div>
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Louise (of the very lovely <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/people/LouiseTilbrook">Louise Tilbrook Designs</a>) shares her view of calm & crafting, and I'm sure it resonates with many of us. She is a sock knitting queen! And creates some really very beautiful sock patterns which are <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/designers/louise-tilbrook">available on ravelry</a>. </div>
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<i>"Crafting for me has become such an integral part of my life that I've almost forgotten why I craft in the first place - it's like breathing. I craft therefore I am. Knitting was and remains my first love. I knit for many reasons but if I had to pick one, I would say for relaxation. My husband might dispute this as he watches me try for the third time to execute a long tailed cast on over 300 stitches, but the rhythmic, repetitive act of knitting soothes and calms me more than I can say.<br /><br />Obviously, not all knitting is created equal. There are times when my poor frazzled brain craves nothing more than a simple garter stitch blanket. At other times, the focus needed to work out a tricky heel turn or to follow a complex lace chart are just the kind of distraction needed from some external source of stress.<br /><br />And, invariably, knitting is something I also do whilst doing other things; watching TV, reading, listening to podcasts, cooking, watching offspring at sporting events - the list is endless. The one thing I never do is knit and drive, but I do pack spare knitting just in case of long motorway delays.<br /><br />Recently I have started spinning using both a wheel and a drop spindle and interestingly I had found that when I spin, it's all I do. I don't feel the need to pop the TV on or catch up with a podcast. It's just me and the fibre - soothing, meditative and yet stimulating at the same time.<br /><br />I used to think that with knitting and more recently with my design work I had no time for another hobby. But increasingly I am aware that there is a place in a life for both - each just fills it's own niche perfectly."</i></div>
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You can find <b>Louise</b> on </div>
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<b>twitter</b>: https://twitter.com/Madmumknits </div>
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<b>blog</b>: http://www.louisetilbrookdesigns.blogspot.co.uk/</div>
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<b>ravelry</b>: http://www.ravelry.com/designers/louise-tilbrook</div>
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And some of <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/silver-birch-3">my favourite socks from Louise</a>, which were published in the Pom Pom Magazine!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(c) Juju Vail (for Pom Pom Magazine)</td></tr>
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What do you think of craft & chilling out? Or about the mindfullness movement?</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852934616940969927noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459011251096375889.post-58197515513375445362015-07-10T18:00:00.002+01:002015-07-10T18:06:10.226+01:00What is Mindfullness? On Knitting, Crafting & Chilling Out<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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There appears to have been a huge upsurge in the popularity of 'Mindfullness' as a concept. A quick browse through the top 100 books on amazon is filled with both self help books and a strange new breed of book - the mindfullness colouring book.</div>
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Now, I am not one for the self help book. I understand that (much like religion) they are of immense value to those who can believe in and act on what is read. For me, speaking with the authority of one who has read half of two self-help books out of interest as to why they are so popular, I find them obvious and annoying. I fail to see why the writer feels they have the authority to tell other people how to live their lives. To essentially impart common sense. To be fair, I suppose common sense does sometimes need a little top up. </div>
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These books all seem to have at least 4.5 stars on amazon, which does sometimes make me feel like I'm missing something. They include titles such as 'Sane New World' by Ruby Wax, 'The Little Book of Mindfullness' by Patrizia Collard, and 'The Mindfullness Journal' by Corinne Sweet. The common theme is essentially to explain that you're not crazy, and that you should take a wee five minutes to yourself to calm down. Which is all very sensible and does seem reasonable. </div>
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However. Having said all of this about mindfullness books. You want me to chill out whilst colouring in tiny intricate pictures? Yes, ok. Why not? I'm sold. </div>
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After toying with the idea for a little while, I finally purchased a couple of books. And a new pack of pencils, because there's no way I have enough of those already. It feels a little like lazy creativity. The creation of a beautiful thing without having to think about what it should be, how it should be constructed, or worry about the quality of the end product. I suppose that's not necessarily any different from knitting from a pattern, but it's simpler than that. <br />
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Today, I've engaged in a little 'Mindfullness' colouring, some easy knitting from a pattern (<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/OwlPrintPanda/tambourine">Tambourine</a> by Julia Farewell-Clay), and working on a chart for an exciting collaboration coming out later in the year. Though relaxed almost to the point of napping by the colouring book, I felt no sense of achievement, and moving onto my chart again seemed to cheer me up more. <br />
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The pictures in the book (I'd highly recommend Animal Kingdom by Millie Marotta) are beautiful. The ones in 'The Mindfullness Colouring Book' are more basic, and I admit I'm unlikely to engage very much with that one. I will enjoy spending a little time colouring in. Is it going to change my life? No, but then again we always knew I was a cynic.<br />
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Knitting calms me, occupies my mind and a little simple knitting will de-stress. Crafting in general will usually cheer me up on a bad day and even rifling though stash if short of time will usually work the trick! No, I wouldn't be able to accept a book telling me to 'take five minutes to myself', but maybe that's because I already do.<br />
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How do you de-stress? What is crafting/knitting to you? And what do you think if the 'Mindfulness Movement'?<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852934616940969927noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459011251096375889.post-20248655154568988312015-07-03T12:09:00.003+01:002015-07-03T12:22:25.654+01:00Indie Burgh Yarn Crawl & New Socks<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Oh I've had such a wonderful, wooly week to remember during this stressful week! Recently I attended the second annual Indie Burgh Yarn Crawl in Edinburgh. This ran over Saturday & Sunday, with a party on Sunday evening which I, unfortunately, couldn't attend.</div>
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Three yarn stores in Edinburgh take part: <a href="http://www.gingertwiststudios.com/">Ginger Twist Studio</a>, <a href="http://www.kathysknits.co.uk/">Kathys Knits</a> & <a href="https://beinspiredfibres.wordpress.com/">Be Inspired Fibres</a>. The aim of the game is to trail around the different shops, collecting stamps on your crawl card (& yarn, & needles, & notions) as you go. It's very friendly, each of the shops stock quite different yarns so it really is a worthwhile wander, and it's a good excuse for a day out!</div>
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I arrived bright and early before the crawl for exciting yarny chat, then proceeded to buy the first skein of yarn I managed to lay my hands upon in Ginger Twist Studio! It really couldn't be resisted, because it was a one-off yarn crawl colourway on a very smooshy sock base.</div>
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The yarn is hand dyed by Jess, proprietress of Ginger Twist Studio. It's a wonderful purple, and due to the nature of hand dyed, I picked out a more uniformly dyed skein from the pile (I'm such a fan of those semi-solids). The base is Swell Ewe Sock, which is 80% superwash merino, 20% nylon. </div>
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Also hidden away in a corner of Jess shop was the lovely <a href="http://www.yarnandpointysticks.com/">Clare Devine,</a> who was launching her <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/sources/sock-anatomy">new Sock Anatomy book</a>. It's filled with simple yet effective socks which use a variety of construction methods, explaining the rationale behind each method, when to use it and why. Each sock also comes sized from baby to giant so will fit everyone! Maybe you could even knit a you and tiny size for matching sets...</div>
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This wonderful combination of ladies couldn't be passed up, and I quickly cast on some <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/OwlPrintPanda/tarsi">Tarsi socks</a> from the book with my new yarn. My poor friend Cia ended up playing at skein-winder-<span data-dobid="hdw">extraordinaire on the train home because I simply couldn't wait to cast on :D</span></div>
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I've been wearing these socks ever since they were finished, and am loving them. I knit the XS size and did worry part-way through that they'd be too small but they've turned out wonderfully. They've been keeping me very comfortable during what has otherwise been a very stressful couple of weeks. My grandmum had been quite sick for a couple of weeks and passed away last Wednesday, so this week has mainly been attending her funeral, which was remarkably lovely, and sitting the two day exam you've probably noticed me moaning about lots. </div>
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It feels like a strange thing to say, that a funeral for a loved one was lovely, but there really is no other way to describe it. If there's a way to be sent off, that was it. I couldn't have asked for more, for her or for my family, and that makes everything feel a little easier. The strange thing about funerals is that, whilst saying goodbye to someone you won't see again, you also end up seeing lots of people you wouldn't see otherwise. It's an odd sort of symmetry.<br />
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The evilmassivestupid exam is now over too - it was 8 hours on Wednesday & 4 hours on Thursday. I won't find out the result for four weeks, but it's a massive weight off my shoulders.</div>
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However, I appear to have broken myself slightly! It's very lovely and sunny outside, and my mum has offered to pick me up for a barbecue in her garden before my night-shift tonight, so I think I'll take her up on that :) </div>
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There are quite a few work emails to reply to which have piled up over the past few days, and some wonderful knitting ones which have waited slightly longer, but I'm afraid they'll have to wait another day or so. </div>
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Sometimes, perhaps, it's braver to accept that you're only mortal than to plough on regardless. </div>
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As an aside, it looks like this little guy is going to flower soon :D </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852934616940969927noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459011251096375889.post-85033158623373430322015-06-22T22:23:00.001+01:002015-06-22T22:48:21.197+01:00Inspired by: Rainbow Heirloom<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.rainbowheirloom.com/">Rainbow Heirloom</a> yarn is dyed by Emily Wessel (the lady who brought you half of Tin Can Knits) & it is glorious. I'm particularly excited, though, because Rainbow Heirloom has launched a yarn club.</div>
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It's called the <a href="http://www.rainbowheirloom.com/product/nostalgia-club">Nostalgia</a> club; inspired by fond memories and important moments. The Tin Can Knits books are among my favourite, and it's down to the little details - the pretty family photos, the well thought out inspiration essays and the simple yet very pretty knits that the pair produce each and every time. For the same reasons, this club has really grabbed my attention. </div>
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Every time I attend a yarn show at which Rainbow Heirloom has a stall, I melt at all the brilliant colours. This time, as they're accompanied by stories, I simply couldn't resist having a good look. Each month is a unique colour, on a different base - so lets you try lots of different kinds of Rainbow Heirloom yarn!</div>
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If you're signing up before the end of June for the whole <a href="http://www.rainbowheirloom.com/product/nostalgia-club">9 month club,</a> it's 20% less than you'll be paying later, so something to think about :p </div>
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Junes yarn is already here - meet Verdant DK merino. It is LUSH, I can almost feel the forresty places used inspiration for this one. The other thing I find appealing about RH yarn is that all of their one-off 'experiment' yarns are also for sale in the shop, so you can find truly wonderful one of a kind colourways floating around in amongst the reproducibles. </div>
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Last month I listened to Emily talking on the Shinybees podcast, about her yarn journey and how she began designing patterns. It was all very interesting, and such a pleasant chat. You can hear how much she adores creating beautiful yet functional garments and accessories from yarn, & I suppose that's why her knitting patterns always look so wonderfully simple yet interesting.<br />
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In my own patterns I often aim for the 'pretty yet practical' look, and sometimes worry that I'll never quite get there! Each new pattern is a wonderful experience but also carries all the innate stresses which probably cross the minds of most knitting designers. Will people like it? Is it clear & concise? I hope it fits the way it's supposed to! And a million, million other thoughts. <br />
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But what's to gain if it's too easy, eh?! Maybe there'll just have to be a little creative venture with some of this yarn in future :p<br />
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The yarn story aspect really appeals to be because of my love of a good tale! My happiest knitting is spent listening to audiobooks. </div>
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Most recently, I've been listening to Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch. It's about a London copper who discovers magic whilst trying to fight crime. Yes, yes, I realise this sounds ridiculous, but it's really good! This is the 5th book in the series & I'm hooked. Also, I ADORE who they've cast to read the story for the audiobook. I read the first book whilst on holiday a couple of years ago, and have listened to the next 4 on audiobook. The directors have completely captured who the main character is. The narrator just sounds exactly as I had imagined the main character to sound; accent, inflections, sarcastic tone and all. I hope I never see a picture, because I've decided what he looks like in my head and don't want that taken away!</div>
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What yarn have you been coveting recently? Do you have any good book recommendations for me?!<br />
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'Inspired by' is a new blog section, in which I'll try to feature a yarn or designer once a month who really inspires me to knit & design. Who do you feel inspired by?</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852934616940969927noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459011251096375889.post-9392205029721424222015-05-30T12:28:00.002+01:002015-05-30T12:53:49.312+01:00Spinning & Un-broken Phones<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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As a method of procrastination, I appear to have spun all of the things. Summer is here, I bought new oil for the old wheel, I've got better things to do - so obviously I'm spending hours with the wheel!</div>
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The steady trundle of my old wheel is hypnotic, & the small pleasure of seeing the bobbin of yarn grow as it fills with yarn is addictive. </div>
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The yarns this month are a wee mixture from a stash that has been slowly building. It'd be great to say that I'm implimenting a 'one in-one out' policy, if not 'all out', but I don't really trust myself. </div>
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Another
*very* exciting event this week is that I had my phone screen fixed!
Once the initial barrage of glass splinters had passed, I had largely
grown to accept the dilapidated appearance of my phone. Yes, there was
tape over the top holding the pieces in, but it worked, and I was ok
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I have a rant but, long story short - friends & family teasing about state of phone / concerned about my delicate wee face = not a problem. Ladies at work implying at the condition of my phone reflects my lifestyle choices and how dilligently I'll do my job = not ok. It's fixed now, but for the wrong group of people. </div>
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On to the yarn! (you can also see all of these in my <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/people/OwlPrintPanda/stash">Ravelry stash</a>). After my <a href="http://owlprintpanda.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/glorious-gradients-roundup.html">ravings about gradient yarns earlier this month</a>, I couldn't help but spin up all of the gradient braids I could lay my hands on. </div>
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I have no preferred method for spinning gradients, I'm aware that many people like to chain ply to preserve the gradient to it's best, but I quite enjoy the overlapping effects achieved by splitting the braid into two, & just seeing how the two halves marry up when you ply them.</div>
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In this case, with the polwarth, I left a lot of black on one half & a lot of blue on the other, so the marching is dubious but has resulted in wonderful short-ish runs of 'barber-pole' effect, which worked really well!</div>
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This lovely grey skein is a sample from <a href="http://www.sarastexturecrafts.com/">Sara's Texture Crafts</a>, (who dyed the beautiful yarn used in the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fearlas-mor">Fearlas Mor</a> sock pattern). </div>
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It's made up of Alpaca, BFL, Merino & Silk. Is is light, very easy to draft and well blended. It's <i>dreamy</i> and I think I might have to find some more of this beautiful fluff. As it stands, I see a little pair of wristy/mitts? We shall see. It ended up at 88 yards of... probably DK. </div>
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Polwarth from <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/FiberArtemis">Fiber Artemis</a>. This one was good. The fibre itself feels so smooth, and as such feels a little dense so I worried about how easy it'd be to spin, but this was wonderful too. So even with minimal effort. The gradient is lovely too - I'd usually go for a more prolonged gradient, in that this one changes colour <i>relatively</i> quickly, but we'll soon see how it knits up!</div>
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I've noticed that in this etsy shop, you're allowed to chose which base you'd like the colour dyed onto, which seems like a very nice option! I have another braid still to spin from this dyer, this time a mix of polwarth & silk, so very intrigued to see how that goes!</div>
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Last but not least, Merino/Seacell/Shetland from <a href="http://www.hilltopcloud.co.uk/">Hilltop Cloud</a>. I love how the seacell pops through this yarn a little bit, giving little runs of pearly white through the warm berry shades. This is another gradient braid, which changes gradually from purple, then pink, through orange to yellow. Yum. It's like a fruit pastel roll.<br />
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As ever, fibre from Hilltop Cloud is never difficult to draft, and spins up easily. This lot has ended up around a DK, so I'm thinking a wee cowl might be in order!<br />
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That's my lot, I'm off to a BBQ now for my grandpops birthday! What do you have planned for this weekend?<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852934616940969927noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459011251096375889.post-16310679296653028092015-05-26T12:53:00.002+01:002015-06-01T16:46:30.710+01:00A Protracted Yarn Hunt & A Trip To London<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">my (very restrained) haul</td></tr>
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By recommendation (and due to limited time), I visited two yarn shops in London. The first was <a href="http://www.loopknitting.com/">Loop</a>. This was a beautifully appointed, two storey shop on a very sweet street. It's filled from top to bottom with shelves upon shelves of beautifully curated yarn.<br />
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Downstairs was filled with yarn, accessories & a beautiful window. The button collection was adorable, and sat alongside threads & knitting accoutrements. Squeezing up the tiny back staircase, you emerge into what looks like a yarn-collectors living room. There's a large dining table covered in all kinds of yarn books, wool-filled shelving around the walls. Over by the window, a cute little couch beside which stands a very well dressed mannequin sporting the sous-sous sweater. I became very excited when I spotted a little pile of 'dyed for loop' angora/wool, which is the little yellow cake of yarn I ended up leaving with (along with a handful of wooden duck buttons!). </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loop upstairs</td></tr>
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Second, was <a href="http://www.wildandwoollyshop.co.uk/">Wild & Woolly</a>. This little shop was incredibly welcoming, & I spent a very happy morning having a good nosey at all of the yarn! There's a great range, including a beautiful 100% linen yarn (I think there's something similar at Ginger Twist now, too). The shop displays some beautiful samples, & has a great range of classes which you can browse on <a href="http://www.wildandwoollyshop.co.uk/">the website</a>. <br />
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There were some brilliant shelves of travelknitter yarn, & I simply had to leave with some. Orange, of course. I'm beginning to wonder if I should've bought two for a nice squishy shawl, but there we go, I'm sure I'll find a use for it :D<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wild & Wooly samples</td></tr>
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Also! You can now buy my stitch markers at Wild and Wooly! She now has beautiful denim project bags, which I am *very* tempted to make a return trip for one day. If you can't make it there, the markers are still available in <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/owlprintpanda">my etsy shop</a>. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the buttons & yellow yarn from loop, travelknitter from wild & woolly, & bag from fluph</td></tr>
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Around marathon-ing & yarn-ing, we managed some general wandering around London, & decided to visit the site of the Olympics. This red fiasco is some sort of giant olympic tower construction with upside-down mirrors at the top. It was a dreary day so no spectacular photos from the top, but the boyfolk couldn't resist interfering with the metalwork. <br />
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On the morning I visited Wild & Woolly, I travelled with the boy (man? boyman? partner? 26 yo companion?) to his station on the marathon trail, then left in an endeavour to find myself somewhere to sit with a coffee & a bit of knitting before I headed on a yarn trip.<br />
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Being very early, everywhere was closed, my phone was dead, I walked for miles, they started shutting the roads, I still couldn't find coffee, I needed to pee, the one place I did find was full *deep breath* - long ramble short, I wedged myself into a little seat in the window of a tiny coffee place & bought a coffee (mainly to use the facilities) only to discover that the coffee was great and that I had positioned myself right on the edge of the race road, as I realised once wheelchairs started whizzing past. <br />
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Croissants were also 40p. Really couldn't complain. I'm a bit of a worrier.<br />
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Having not learned any sort of lesson, I then proceeded to tweet about how lost I may or may not be on my way to the yarn shop. I did get there in the end (as evidenced by yarn purchases). <br />
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The marathon really is such an undertaking, the sheer amount of people flocking to the race route in the morning is enormous. Each mile there's a first aid station with lots of staff, police along the whole route, volunteers pointing onlookers to mile markers as they desperately search for spots to wave from somewhere vaguely matching where they had discussed being in pre-race waving-to-runners planning. Volunteers in all of the subway, train & bus stations. Marathon t-shirts everywhere. </div>
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Outwith the ridiculous hustle & bustle of London, I visited Leona at <a href="http://www.fluph.co.uk/">Fluph</a> in Dundee! Leona is an absolute gem, & I ended up spending several happy hours chatting & eating pastry from the local bakers. Her shop is lovely, her puppy dogs very sweet & her friends who popped in were amazing too! Apparently she has a trunk-show event happening on Wednesday the 27th with Yarns from the Plain, which should be interesting, if any of you live closer.</div>
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As an aside, I spent a wee bit of time watching Craftsy classes during my time off, and there's currently a sale on the classes during this bank holiday weekend. I've found them pretty useful, and they might be worth a nosey :)</div>
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<a href="http://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=631743&u=741487&m=29190&urllink=&afftrack=" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://static.shareasale.com/image/29190/free_knit_468x60_affiliate_0714.jpg" /> </a><br />
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Did you visit london for the marathon? Or have you been to any great yarny places recently? DO share :p</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852934616940969927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459011251096375889.post-32334589982882087112015-05-20T10:45:00.001+01:002015-05-20T10:51:25.718+01:00Stitch Marker Giveaway & Prospective Job Pondering<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Good morning!</div>
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This fortnight, the lovely Corrie of <a href="http://ww.plutoniummuffins.com/">Plutonium Muffin</a> Podcast is running a giveaway for a set of my stitch markers. To enter, you pop on over to my shop <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/OwlPrintPanda">here</a> to see which set if your favourite, and post that along with your email address or ravelry username on <a href="http://www.plutoniummuffins.com/giveaway-owl-print-panda-stitch-markers/">Corries blog post here</a>. The giveaway closes at 5pm GMT on 31st of May. </div>
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I'm having quite an exciting day myself, because I just received a phone call letting me know I've been short-listed for a medical teaching job which I'm very keen on. The interview isn't for two weeks, but I know you'll all be crossing your fingers for me until then :D.</div>
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Our job track is always set out in segments, which last a set amount of time. For example, everyone starts on a two year 'Foundation Year' track, which involves six 4 month placements, spread across medical and surgical specialties. After this you need to re-apply for the next segment.</div>
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It's a little bit of a pain a lot of the time, for example - we are technically on a series of temporary 4 month placements, due to this estate agents don't recognise that we have a permanent job & we needed my partners mum to be a guarantor for our rental flat last year.<br />
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(Just to clarify, because I understand I don't usually talk about work - I'm a doctor, have been for two years since graduating at Edinburgh University with a medical degree in 2013). </div>
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I'm now finished the two foundation years & am in the process of applying for the next segment. This is where it gets overly complicated, and competitive! You can choose from several 'core training' tracks, which are very general; e.g. medicine or surgery. If you know what you want to do, you can start down a specialty track instead - obstetrics, psychiatry, A&E, many more. </div>
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Some specialities can be reached via more than one track, some are more competitive than others either due to the work/life balance it provides or due to the reputation of a speciality. Similarly, location heavily influences how competitive a post will be - is it a large teaching hospital with lots of support and opportunities for research? If so, this will be more desirable than being left to your own devices in a district general. </div>
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Personally, I've applied to core medical training, which will be one of 50 jobs spread throughout the west of Scotland, anywhere between Glasgow down to Dumfries. I'm crossing my fingers that they won't post me too far away from my flat in the West End of Glasgow, because I really don't want to live in temporary accommodation :/. </div>
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The job I mentioned above is a single clinical teaching post based near Glasgow, which involves working out of hours shifts in hospitals when not teaching undergraduate medical students from the university and junior doctors from the hospitals. I'm very keen on teaching, so it would be wonderful to be able to apply myself to that for a year! There's a real sense of accomplishment when you get to the end of a tutorial & know people understand more than they arrived with - and if they don't? That's your challenge - to work out what they don't understand, what base knowledge they need to understand the next part, why it isn't making sense & if you can change the mode of delivery or approach to the topic in order to better facilitate learning of this particular subject to this particular group. It's a dynamic process of mutual understanding which won't work if either the teacher or the student isn't engaged, and it's also a good tutors job to get everyone engaged in the first place! Also, it really helps me consolidate my own learning when I teach. </div>
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I'm sure if I don't get this job you'll all know due to the vast amounts of twitter grumbling that'll be going on next month. If I go in and say all of that, will they give me the job please? </div>
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Now I've built it all up. Crumbs. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852934616940969927noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459011251096375889.post-4046923243583634542015-05-16T15:35:00.001+01:002015-05-18T13:40:19.059+01:00Talavera; new pattern in PomPom Summer!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It's rather exciting - I have a <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/talavera">new pattern</a> released, which is published in this quarters <a href="http://www.pompommag.com/">PomPom</a> Magazine! I've always loved this little mag, & I am guilty of repeatedly flicking through drooling over all the pretty patterns, pictures & articles.</div>
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The other evening in the Dumpling Monkey (yes, this is the name of one of our favourite restaurants), we had a lovely evening - each of us having gained something this week, whether small or large, which made us feel a little sense of affirmation about what we're doing. </div>
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<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/talavera">Talavera</a> is a lace top, knit in the round on 4mm needles. Its easy peasy, and a quick, lightweight knit for summer. I promise: knit in the round to the underarms, knit the front flat, knit the back flat, join the shoulders, knit the collar in the round as you've just knit for the body. Done. </div>
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It's inspired by outdoor summer strolls, by delicate stems & that rich green which only appears in full bloom. For me, this season is nothing if not time to get a little obsessive over green yarns & gardening. I live near the river Kelvin, which bypasses both tree museums & artisan pubs, so you'd likely fall in love with it too. </div>
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It is often difficult to decide what to knit in summer (do you really need chunky sweaters, right now?), and my go to is always an openwork project. Given that I wear more lacy tops than shawls, this was bound to happen. </div>
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<a href="http://www.pompommag.com/">PomPom</a> is a great publication (with an awesome <a href="http://www.pompommag.com/category/podcast/">podcast</a>!).
Set up in 2012 by Lydia & Meghan to fulfil their knitting vision,
which they've certainly achieved. You can read more about them <a href="http://www.pompommag.com/story/">here</a>. </div>
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The yarn, from <a href="http://www.kismetfiberworks.com/">Kismet</a>, is *beautiful*. I really can't express how lovely this was to knit with. Their camel/silk blend was both soft and light, but still hung wonderfully in the garment. They have lots of great colours, & their studio is incredible! (They also do some <a href="http://owlprintpanda.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/glorious-gradients-roundup.html">great gradients, which I chatted about before</a>)</div>
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<b>Sizes:</b> 1 (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)</div>
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<b>Finished bust:</b> 88.5 (98.5, 108.5, 118, 128, 138) cm / 35 (38¾, 42¾, 46½, 50½, 54¼)” – to be worn with up to 7.5 cm / 3” positive ease.</div>
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<b>Yarn:</b> Kismet Refuge (4ply/Fingering weight; 50% baby camel, 50% silk; 401 m / 438 yds per 100g) <br />
Shade: T-Rex; 2 (2, 2, 2, 3, 3) skeins.</div>
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<b>Gauge:</b> 16.5 sts x 28 rows = 10cm / 4” over lace pattern</div>
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<b>Needles:</b> 4 mm / US 6 circular needle, 60-80 cm / 24-32” length <br />
4 mm / US 6 circular needle, 40 cm / 16” length for neck and 3-needle cast off <br />
Always use a needle size that will result in the correct gauge after blocking.</div>
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<b>Notions:</b> stitch marker, stitch holder or waste yarn</div>
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<b>Notes:</b> Talavera is knit from the bottom upwards in
the round to the underarms before splitting and working flat. Shoulders
are seamed using a 3-needle cast off and the lace pattern is continued
in the round for the collar.</div>
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For more information, see <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/talavera">here</a>: <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/talavera">http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/talavera</a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852934616940969927noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-459011251096375889.post-90506925094647713512015-05-08T11:54:00.000+01:002015-05-08T20:51:00.316+01:00Glorious Gradients Roundup<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Recently I've found I just can't get enough of gradient yarns. </div>
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1. <b><a href="http://www.theknittinggoddess.co.uk/ourshop/prod_3795779-mini-skein-set-shades-of-green-15K.html">Knitting Goddess</a></b> - I first found these beautiful little packs of yarn at YarnDale last year. Composed of 75% superwash british wool, 25% nylon, they'll suit most projects. Pictured above, these packs come in sets of seven 10g mini-skeins, each a slightly different shade from the last. I've split each in half because I plan to knit little mittens out of this set, and they're knitting up wonderfully. </div>
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2. <b><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/namolio">Namolio</a></b> - these cakes were found at a yarn festival, but Namolio also has an online shop. The yarn is simply stated as 'wool', so I'm not entirely sure how it'll knit up or behave. The colour changes are nice & gradual, and the yarn does feel nice - I imagine it'll soften even more with washing. It's approximately 4-ply / DK, and I do look forward to knitting with it, though haven't found a perfect project yet!</div>
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3. <b><a href="http://www.easyknits.co.uk/sushi-rolls/">EasyKnits Sushi Rolls</a></b> - I adore these. My roll is in the Peach Pie colourway. These sock blanks are dyed symmetrically by Jon of easyknits, and unravel as you knit. I'm planning on making some socks, knitting from both ends toward the middle to make use of as much of this yarn as I can, would be a shame if any of it went to waste! </div>
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4. <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/212026032/lucky-penny-gradient-kit?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=gradient%20yarn&ref=sc_gallery_2&plkey=1c3c27a72ca9945a399873546a6241c42dd49793:212026032"><b>Kismet Gradient Packs</b></a> - these are big packs! They're made up of 5 skeins of 50g each, meaning you can make a significant project out of these little beauties and composed of superwash merino & nylon, so would suit a range of projects. </div>
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I've used Kismet yarn recently in my <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/talavera">Talavera</a> pattern published in this quarters Pom Pom Magazine, and it was a delight to knit with. The t-rex colourway is SO GREEN, the depth and consistency of colour is absolutely marvellous. so a set of these pretties might just have to find their way to me too.</div>
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<a href="https://img0.etsystatic.com/058/0/8302369/il_570xN.685769050_gmmc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://img0.etsystatic.com/058/0/8302369/il_570xN.685769050_gmmc.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div>
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5. <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/Wollelfe"><b>Wollelfe</b></a> - having never ordered from Wollelfe myself I can't describe the yarn, but they do look pretty. My favourite from the etsy shop is this 'Granny Green', which would make a beautiful summer shawlette. Most of these gradients are in superwash merino but there are some other fibre types available. </div>
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6. <b><a href="http://www.countessablaze.com/">Countess Ablaze</a></b> has some amazing sock rolls, but unfortunately they disappear in minutes, so I can't find you a pretty picture :( Her website is <a href="http://www.countessablaze.com/">here</a> regardless - you can sign up to her newletter to find out when the shop will be restocked. </div>
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7. <b><a href="http://natalistewart.co.uk/">Natali Stewart</a> </b>- whose stall I noticed at the Edinburgh Yarn Festival. It was filled with beautiful silks, and the cakes are no exception. Being silk they aren't cheap, but most are also laceweight so will go a long way. I'm very tempted to move into the realm of laceweight knitting just to make use of a yarn like this one. </div>
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<img alt="Gradient Dyed Silk Yarn 16 2 NM GS 25a" class="attachment-shop_single wp-post-image" src="http://natalistewart.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Gradient-Dyed-Silk-Yarn-16-2-NM-GS-25a-445x445.jpg" height="400" title="Gradient Dyed Silk Yarn 16 2 NM GS 25a" width="400" /></div>
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8. <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/SarasTextureCrafts">Saras Texture Craft</a> - last but not least, I've knit with this lovely yarn before too, and it made a <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fearlas-mor">yummy pair of socks</a>. Sara has now begun dyeing gradient cakes, and they're good. </div>
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As for fibre? I adore the gradient fibre from Hilltop Katie. For example, this gorgeous braid, which I spoke about in <a href="http://www.owlprintpanda.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/interactions-community-love-your-blog.html">this previous blog post</a>, and am spinning up today (it's currently soaking, but I'll keep you updated!). </div>
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What's your favourite gradient yarn? Have you managed to knit anything with it yet or is it still sitting as a squishing ball on your desk?</div>
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