Yarndale 2016

The beginning of Autumn...shorter days, falling leaves, cosy days curled up on the sofa...AND YARNDALE!!

I once again took advantage of the fabulous Knit Nottingham coach trip up, staying overnight in Nottingham with C - which of course meant being completely knackered (as much from lack of sleep as from getting up at an obscene time that started with a 6!)  I also accidentally dropped one of my Venti Starbucks just before we got to the coach stop which thankfully wasn't a bad omen for the day although I did also pull a hole in my Avalanche sweater shortly after arriving at Yarndale too but that's now fixed!

Like last year I took absolutely no photos as I am useless!!  I also went with no specific shopping list this year apart from a Spin City Drop Spindle and being determined to buy something in a different fibre and colours to my norm (no pink or lime green!) If nothing else, the atmosphere of Yarndale and just being surrounded by SO much gorgeous yarn, fibre and related items as well as a huge amount of knitters/crocheters/spinners is amazing with or without buying lots of new fluff (and that's coming from someone who hates crowds and is painfully shy!)

On to my new acquisitions then!

Spin City was a must stop stall for us as both myself and C wanted a Drop Spindle.  Louise makes absolutely gorgeous resin drop spindles and obscenely floofy batts in quite possibly the BEST colours ever!  This is my new pretty...

Next up on the "completely necessary to visit" stalls was Easyknits.  Jon is one of my go to Indie Dyers in the UK as his colours are so beautifully saturated and his solid colours tick all my boxes! I've had a bit of an itch to buy blue yarn just lately - which is odd because despite blue and purple once being my favourite colours I never knit with them!   I was drawn to a skein of Deeply Wicked in Aquillian and then found a perfect match in a skein of Dusted Dreams Galactica.

My other completely "need to visit" stall was WooSheeps.  I only discovered WooSheeps at Yarndale last year and highly recommend them!  Neil dyes such epically fabulous solid coloured skeins on very gorgeous bases...and with the most hilarious names (anyone for a Pink Big Dick?) and Sue is just fabulously lovely in every way!  I was extremely restrained and left the Dick alone (not often I can say that!) but did succumb to a decadent skein of Ken in Imperial Purple - a merino, silk, yak blend which I think needs to be knitted with a lime green to make the colour pop even more!

Next up was Five Moons who again does a huge range of solid colour skeins in a rainbow of fantastically saturated colours.  The 50g skeins are ideal for me as they are perfect for hat knitting!  I've been hankering after a skein of something autumnal for a Woolly Wormhead Cannetella and not only did I find the perfect skein of Pumpkin Luna 4Ply but there was even a sample of the Cannetella in a similar tone (as well as other WW samples YAY!  I think I'm experiencing a bit of a fangirl moment over the fabulous WW!)   I've already caked this and started the cast on - I'm thinking of beading it too for a change!

My last yarn purchase was 5 skeins of Undyed Superwash Merino Sock which is destined to be dyed in a deep fuchsia to make a cardigan - I'm thinking the Solstice Cardi as the simplicity really appeals and will suit my style although I'm also thinking a bit of lace on the back may be nice!  Who knows just yet - I have lots of other must make projects before I start this (and I wish I'd picked up another pack of these as I still REALLY want to dye ALL the yarn!)

So that sums up my very restrained purchases!  I was also won over by the travel coffee cup so that and a pen were my last minute buys - here's my Yandale 2016 Haul Picture.

My only regrets are that I didn't say hi to more people I recognised (or for that matter arrange to meet any IG friends!) That and not taking lunch again LOL  By the time I got home just after 8pm I was painfully exhausted and it's taken me a couple of days to recover.

Back to the usual day to day activities now though and bad timing meant that last week actually marked the start of t'husbeast opening his new business so it's all very busy and a tad stressful here which is very much meant a lack of blogging (or knitting!) so I shall endeavour to do an update post soon!    

Waffle and a Project Wish List Update!

It's a busy time for us all here at the moment - The Curly Girl is fast approaching her 10th birthday and her main birthday present (apart from the piles of books) is an Iron Fist Rucksack which she coveted in our local Asylum Industries shop...I have to say I am quite jealous!

That said, I have had a new lovely bag of my own - another belated pressie from Lee.  I've been lusting after a Dr Martens Slouch Leather Backpack for the last year but seriously cannot in any way, shape or form, warrant (or afford!) a £200 bag!  I was therefore super excited to find the small slouch at more than half price and in reality it's a much better everyday size!  I gave it a fabulous first outing to the Harry Potter convention in Nottingham the other weekend, where I had a lovely day mooching around the shops with Carla, a nice pub lunch and a rather large amount of Pokemon Go-ing!

Right, on to much more important and less materialistic things - knitting!

I'm currently trying to finish my Semele Shawl which I'm now more than halfway through and should be able to finish by next week (I average a chart repeat a day - it's very much need to concentrate knitting!)

I'm already very much in love!  Fingers crossed my calculations are correct and I don't have to play yarn chicken - although I do have another skein of the Wollmeise Wasabi Pure stashed.

Once that's finished I'm going to work on my abandoned Aisling - again, I average a chart repeat a day and only have ten to do (I think!) 

After that I think a new hat and gloves are in order, whilst working on my Doodler (which is an ideal Friday project)  I'm really hoping to cast on a new sweater too as I love my Avalanche!

I'm still attempting to sell all the things to ensure I have lots of spending money for Yarndale which means I am starting the hideous task of clearing the hoarded clothes etc in the garage.  After playing with Carla's drop spindle, I have caught the bug (I never enjoyed spinning on mine!) so am thinking I need a new one from Spin City!  My Yarndale wish list is actually rather none existent still so I should probably have a think what I need/want before I go!

Aptly named!

Today is really rather grey, drizzly and miserable.  I have one of those dull headaches that can only be blamed on the weather (and also slightly on the bickering children and very severe lack of sleep!) 

As such, today is very much fuelled by coffee and yarn cakes...

This has become my new easy knitting project and is the fabulous Westknits Doodler in Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light.  

I've also been knitting away on my Yarndale shawl - Semele in Wollmeise Pure "Wasabi" - and am on the last increase repeat (about halfway!)   No pictures though as the lace looks as ridiculously naff as all unblocked lace does!!  

On a completely none knitting related post, I received this gorgeousness in the post today.

It's a belated gift from the husbeast as, after what is now 6 months waiting, it seems like I am not going to be getting the yarn winder I ordered for my birthday/anniversary/mothers day gift.  I have been lusting after some Mary Greenwell perfume for ages and actually went and got some for myself last month.  I have had a bit of a thing for scents since I met DH, who started it all by buying me my first expensive perfumes!  My tastes have changed significantly since the 90's though and nowadays I tend to stick to just a few different scents and like my winged eye liner, I wear perfume every day.  I initially really wanted the Mary Greenwell Lemon but was really underwhelmed when I tested it - I wanted in your face citrus but didn't get it.  Cherry however was love at first sniff!  Plum was a close second so I'm so pleased to add this to my collection! 

FO Friday

It counts if they have been finished for a while but I just haven't got round to photographing them, right?!

My Pebble Beach Shawl (by Helen Stewart/Curious Handmade) was complete ages ago, however, I have yet to find anywhere in this garden to use for photographs so it's sadly been sat here, loved but undocumented!  That and the fact that the Merino/Silk 50/50 blend I dyed in HOT HOT pink is a complete arse to photograph!

This is the medium size and took 488m of fingering weight yarn.  It's such a simple yet stunning shawl which really works well to showcase beautiful skeins of yarn!

I also FINALLY completed my Avalanche Sweater!!  I rather aptly renamed this the Friday Sweater as it became my "knit whilst talking/drinking/socialising" project and was generally only worked on on a Friday.  After completing the body with an icord finish I was really worried that the rolling would reduce the length too much as I had adapted the pattern to an a-line body with a straight hem that hit at the belly button/hip.  Thankfully blocking has eliminated the severe roll it was exhibiting and I have to say I LOVE IT!!  Even in my current fatter size it still fits perfectly and the knitted fabric feels divine - I could do with an entire wardrobe of these!  No action shots as yet (although I already have the most perfect full circle black skirt to wear with it) so these very poor hanger shots in the garden will have to do - I think I need pretty wooden hangers if I'm going to make any more garments...or a dress form!

Hmm, what else have I been up to?  Very little yarn buying as I am still on my Pre-Yarndale Yarn Diet.  I did succumb to buying a gorgeous skein of Hedgehog Fibres Sock in Jelly from a Ravelry Destash last week but otherwise I have been very good on the yarn buying front!

At the beginning of the month I finally got my nose pierced - something I've wanted to have done since I was 17!  I was always very much restricted by work though and whilst I have had numerous other piercings and tattoos, I haven't had anything done since I was 21.  I have to say I was more nervous of being completely out of place, getting a piercing at my age than anything else and it was, as my other piercings all have been, a piece of cake (now what else can I get done?!)

Back to the knitting front, having cast off my Avalanche, I started on my Semele Shawl which is also for wearing at Yarndale.  I've made a Semele previously as a 60th birthday present for my mother-in-law, so knew how stunning the pattern was.  I've gone for Wollmeise Pure in Wasabi which should contrast nicely with the colour of the Avalanche - and I also oddly, have no other green shawls!  I've completed two repeats of the leaf increase chart so far and will be aiming for 4-5 increase repeats I think before the centre repeat and then an equal number of decrease repeats. I did three repeats last time and used around 80g of a 400m skein of sock yarn so have significantly more yardage to play with this time.

I was also hit with a spot of castonitis and in need of a simple project for Friday's again - so cast on my Westknits Doodler in a combination of stunning neons and black skeins of Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light (Fluro Rose, Edison Bulb and a skein of Twig I overdyed black) Excuse the rather washed out phone photo!

Right - I think that's me up to date!  I'm off to do a bit more knitting whilst avoiding the fact I need to drag a super king size mattress down two flights of stairs - our new mattress was delivered this morning and I'm looking forward to a much better nights sleep - from exhaustion if nothing else!