Ally Pally

I had a fantastic (and exhausting) 4 days at the Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace last week. I was there with Rowan, signing copies of my new book.

I met so many people, caught up with some friends and marvelled at the fantastic clothes many of the attendees were wearing, knitted, crocheted and sewn - the creativity was extraordinary! I started and finished one sock and made a start on the second of the pair during the show:

(Photo belongs to @rowanyarns)

I'm making myself a pair of Mixalot Socks with the leftover sock yarn from the book, I love stripy socks and these are no exception to the rule, I'm looking forward to wearing them.

I spent a LOT of time on the Rowan stand planning what yarns and colours I am going to use to knit most of the garments in this book. I did a little bit of shopping;

Some buttons from Kate Holliday:

Some chunky alpaca from Toft (who are crocheting in the window of John Lewis on Oxford Street for Wool Week):

And a skein of the very lovely Breathless by Shalimar Yarns from the Loop stand, this is one of my very favourite yarns, I have used it in a few designs and it is ALWAYS a delight to knit with. I chose (after a long deliberation) the Silver Sage colour:

Thanks to everyone who came to see me, see you there next year!

Out and About

I had a great time at both Fibre East and Yarndale this year, thank you to everyone who came to see me at either of those events!

It's always great to see everyone at events, both people who come to shows to shop and chat and the other stallholders, here's me and the lovely Debbie from Skein Queen in our matching dresses:



Next week I'll be at Yorkshire Wool Week, I'm teaching a workshop at Armley Mills Industrial Museum on the 17th October - all the details are here. Then I'll be at baa ram ewe Headingley for a trunk show and book signing from 6pm-8pm it is a free knit night event, all welcome- no need to book (Bob the Sock Peacock will also be in attendance).

On Saturday 19th October I'll be at The Knitting Goddess open studio, this will be great fun - keep an eye on The Knitting Goddess blog and newsletter for more details.

I've got my bags packed for The Knitting and Stitching show at Alexandra Palace starting tomorrow, I'll be on the Rowan stand - if you're coming to the show say Hello! (and read this blog post for great tips on how to have a great day)

The Knitter's Curiosity Cabinet Volume II

When I went to TNNA last Summer I met lots of people, one of them was Hunter Hammersen. She's a lovely person with a beautiful design aesthetic and her self-published books are extremely deserving of a space on your bookshelf.

She was nice enough to give me a copy of The Knitter's Curiosity Cabinet Volume II to give away, if you'd like to enter the prize draw to win a copy leave a comment on this post telling me what your favourite pattern from the book is and I'll pick a winner on 16th October.

The book has 18 patterns, a mix of socks and other accessories, all in beautiful yarns. The patterns are all inspired by vintage prints which are included in the book:

I grew up with some botanical illustrations on the walls, the skill and artistry that went in to these prints is overwhelming, they truly are treasures.

Maybe because it's Autumn and the weather is getting colder, my favorite patterns are these 2 hats:

This is the Delias eucharis hat, that little bit of slouch is perfect and even though this is knitted with a lace patten there is no way this hat isn't going to keep you warm.

I love the photography in this book as much as I love the pattern - the styling and the models are great, I'm a big fan of the happy photo. I think it's a nice juxtaposition to high fashion which quite often seems serious and miserable. As and example of this I show you exhibit A above; the Erasmia pulchella hat. It's an unusual brimless construction, the sample is a beautiful yellow (you know how I feel about yellow) and the model looks like shes having fun!

You can get the book here or the digital version here.

Van Gogh Socks - update 2/8 FINISHED!

At the end of August I went to France, there was a lot of driving involved. We went on the Euro Tunnel and queueing in a line of cars to get on that train was quite surreal, the landscape is bleak and stark, the train is huge and very industrial looking, it really felt like we were leaving the planet (maybe I've been reading too much dystopian teen fiction).

Early in the journey I realised I hadn't brought enough knitting with me. That's not quite right, I had LOADS of knitting with me but not enough plain going-round-and-round on a sock knitting suitable for a person who gets travel sick doing anything else. I realised when I had turned the heel of the second in a pair of socks when we stopped for coffee before we left England (I had started them ages ago and grabbed them on the way out of the door), after those were finished I had the second Van Gogh sock to finish and the heels to put in and that was it.

What have I done to ensure this doesn't happen again? I've put a skein of yarn and a set of needles in the car next to the spare wheel and the first aid kit. I really feel as if this should be some sort of legal requirement to prevent boredom and fidgety hands.

Needless to say the Van Gogh Socks are finished, this is the second of eight pairs and although I'm woefully slow working my way through all 8 shades, I am getting there.



I put afterthought heels in this pair, I used what is call a hat heel - with decreases like the crown of a hat rather than like a toe. I used the same heel in Carlottina and Paignton, I find it fits me better than the other type of afterthought heel.



I have started the next pair, the yarn is doing it's thing, being beautiful:



I'm going for a heel flap and gusset for this pair - that's three pairs and different heels, I'm not sure I can (or want to) carry on that trend. I just want socks that fit really well, I love these yarns and want these socks too much to experiment too much.

A Knitted Sock Society

My brand new book 'A Knitted Sock Society' has been published!




I'll be back to tell you all about it and introduce you to all the patterns soon. You can order the book here and see all the patterns on Ravelry here.

Wonderwool Wales

Wonderwool was amazing this year, it's one of my favourite shows - the people are lovely, the venue is clean and spacious which means even if it's busy (and it really was!) it's not uncomfortable, everyone has plenty of space to breathe and take in all the woolly goodness.

I was selling books on the Fyberspates stand. Jeni brought this rather magnificent Sock Peacock for me to display the samples from the book on:



He was made by a company in the US and is now discontinued but she was lovely enough to let him come home with me, if you see me out and about in the future you'll probably see him!

I spent the weekend in front of this wall of wonderful yarn:



And inevitably some came home with me....



This is Twizzle 4ply, it's a single which is dyed in lovely intense colours, mine will become socks but it would also make really lovely shawls.

The stand opposite was Felt Studio UK and on Saturday I saw Danielle braiding something beautiful:



It turned out to be baby camel and silk and feels like clouds so that come to live at my house too.

My final purchase was from Eden Cottage, some lovely BFL sock yarn in Hazel and Steel:



The Willowherb & Saltburn KAL is going strong, lots of lovely yarns have been chosen - I've knitted a cuff so far, I'll be back to show you shortly...

Lets talk about Lauren

If you watched the Great British Sewing Bee you'll know all about Lauren, she was a brilliant contestant and she's just opened a haberdashery in Birmingham - Guthrie Ghani. The shop is beautiful, lovely products, huge windows and lots of space, I went on Friday night for drinks and nibbles before the big launch on Saturday (which was a massive success, there were queues to get in)

They have yarn:



And lovely fabric:



Pretty shop fittings:



You can even buy a copy of the Sewing Bee book (and I'm sure Lauren would sign it for you)



Next Thursday 9th May I will be there for my book launch, I'd love for you to come along, see the socks in the book and chat to me! You can buy a book on the night, I'll sign it if you want me to, much fun will be had by all!

I'm also teaching two workshops in the lovely workshop space upstairs:

Beginners Sock Workshop at Guthrie Ghani 14th May

Advanced Sock Workshop at Guthrie Ghani 2nd July

If you want to try knitting socks but you don't know where to start or you'd like to learn a few more sock knitting techniques, these workshops are for you.