Goodbye old friend

Twas a sad day today as I had to take Jock the cat to the vet as he'd lost a lot of weight over the last week or two and turns out he had bowel cancer and the vet said there was nothing that could be done and it was kinder to put him to sleep.

He was a good age for a cat - we got him and his brother, Paddy, when they were kittens fifteen years ago and Jock was always the shy one. He was a quiet soul and liked his peace and his routine and he looked with disdain if anyone called him Jock McSprock!

As Skein Princess says, it won't be the same life without him.

Stacks of coral in Newbury

Huge congratulations to Sue from Knit Happens in Newbury knitting group who teaches textiles at Park House School and who organised a workshop last week and got loads of interest. Check out the video link of the press coverage. I'm not sure how long the story will stay there, so worth a look now! Fantastic effort and enthusiasm, I say.

Royal workshop progress

As you may be aware, work has come to halt on the royal estate for the time being as the new workshop is being constructed. Tis neither a shed (pah!) nor a listed building (as some have suggested), but a humble garage or gar-age as my grandmother who spent most of her married life in India would have said (it would've been her birthday today, so I'll sneak in a crafty mention).

Let me show you the veritable dump I used to work in - now be prepared, it's not a pretty sight and is somewhat embarrassing.

OK, so those two wardrobe doors weren't always there in front of my dyeing paraphernalia, but you get the idea - I had to jump over bikes, barbecues, cardboard boxes etc.

And no matter how I tidied it, by the following week, it was back in the same state.

Well, now, thanks to the lovely Nick and Mick of Wildwood Carpentry, the transformation has begun:Check out all that insulation - it's going to be a lot more snug than dragging all the dyeing stuff from the garage to the kitchen in pouring rain.

I did have Nick and Mick all posed and looking busy, but for some reason, the camera didn't work at that precise moment - I'll have to ask them again tomorrow. They were a bit shy about it! But I must say, I'm usually not good with having workmen in the house. I never know about the cups of tea timing scenario and what biscuits to offer etc but these guys are just getting on with it and making their own. I'm a rubbish client!

If anyone in the Berkshire vicinity and surrounds is in need of an electric garage door unit with remote control, I can do you a very good price on a second-hand one in full working order.

Speaking of birthdays, our trip to Sherwood Forest Center Parcs for mum's 70th was lots of fun.

The birthday spread - my sister made the cake.

My mum

We were doing so much cycling, swimming, table tennis, pool, pottery painting, high wires, eating and drinking that there was not a moment for knitting.

However, I gave mum the Branching Out scarf I'd made out of half a skein of SQ Wisp.

And Skein Prince gave his two-and-a-half-year-old-cousin this cat and mouse he'd designed himself:Progress so far on the Retro Rib socks in SQ Blush using Reykjavik colourway:



Did I mention Dad's birthday was back in June? Oh well, they might be ready in time for Christmas!

Slightly sidetracked from Center Parcs - check out the Skein Prince on the high wires:

That tiny blob in the top right-hand corner - that's him! Braver than me.

I fancied myself as a bit of a wildlife photographer while we were there - don't think they're quite good enough to make the Countryfile calendar though!

A haughty duck (I feel a colourway name coming on)

Fluffy Tail

Oh, and if anyone's ever fancied a go at dyeing yarn with Kool Aid, there's quite a good article in the summer issue of Yarn Forward magazine by yours truly:

That's my kitchen, that is!

It's how I got started by following instructions for Kool Aid dyeing by Debbie Tomkies in a Simply Knitting article, so if my article inspired anyone at all in the same way, well, it would more than make my day.

I'm hoping to dye up custom orders due for 11th July early next week (back in the kitchen, luxury workshop won't be ready.)

And finally, a very Happy Birthday to alabamawhirly for tomorrow. I will be catching you up very, very soon... have fun. x

Shop update preview

Something for everyone. I plan to start listing tonight from around 9pm GMT and continue tomorrow evening. (Update: I got everything listed last night - there is no more for tonight). Please bear with me as this is the largest shop update I've done. If you are tempted to order anything tonight, it will be posted out on Thursday. Then I will be on holiday from Friday until Monday 30th June.

No updates next week due to construction of new luxury dyeing workshop and visit of the royal parents.

In no particular order:

Dragon Bird in Endure (merino/nylon)

Quirky in Blush (merino/cashmere)

Summer Berries in Plushness (lambswool/angora/cashmere)

Seaspray in Plushness (lambswool/angora/cashmere)

Ruby Ruby in Entice (laceweight merino)

Tiger Lily in Blush (merino/cashmere)

Reykjavik in Endure (merino/nylon)

Purple Turtle in Endure (merino/nylon)

Reykjavik in Plushness(lambswool/angora/cashmere)

Phoenix in Plushness (lambswool/angora/cashmere)

Parapluie in Blush (merino/cashmere)

Oberon in Plushness (lambswool/angora/cashmere)

Aubergine in Opulent (cashmere)

Moody Mermaid in Blush (merino/cashmere)

Medusa in Endure (merino/nylon)

Lalique in Plushness (lambswool/angora/cashmere)

Kingfisher in Endure (merino/nylon)

Jungle Fever in Endure (merino/nylon)

Medieval in Opulent (cashmere)

Gingham Roses in Plushness (lambswool/angora/cashmere)

Gaelic Green in Plushness (lambswool/angora/cashmere)

Dragon Bird in Blush (merino/cashmere)

Candy Shop in Plushness (lambswool/angora/cashmere)

Butter Cream in Blush (merino/cashmere)

Blue Champagne in Wisp (cashmere/silk)

Candy Shop in Lavish (cashmere/silk)

Blue Champagne in Plushness (lambswool/angora/cashmere)

Blueberries in Plushness (lambswool/angora/cashmere)

Apple Cider in Endure (merino/nylon)

Blue Champagne in Blush (merino/cashmere)

Happy browsing x

Knitting Hen Night and other stories

Ever been to a Knitting Hen Night? No, me either. Still it made a welcome change from the usual fare of L plates and cheap veils and was incredibly civilised. It was in a fantastic old crumbling red-brick house with fabulous architraves and fireplaces. Ella (fellow outcastian) made us feel very welcome and loads and loads of knitters turned up.

I was a wee bit tired from having been up til 1am the previous night making this for Ella:
Tricky to see, but it says LOVE x on the grey side and is filled with lavender so she could use it as a stash protector, though it also came out much larger than I intended. Maybe I should've made her a scarf instead! Or a knitted L plate! Anyway, I wish her and her betrothed all the best for the Big Day.

Myself and the Skein Princess knocked up this last night:

So much easier for when I'm adding labels to the yarn. Amazing what you can do with a bit of bamboo cane and some cup hooks while Skein King sleeps on the sofa!

Not quite in the league of my mother-in-law's sewing station below:

Loads of knitting done this week. I finished mum's Branching Out scarf after I dyed up some Wisp in Caran Dache mint greens and pale blues. I'm just in the process of blocking it. Then I dyed up some Blush in Reykjavik and cast on some Retro Rib socks for my dad. Oh, this yarn - it's a dream to work with. I highly recommend you go out and buy some right now (or as soon as I get the shop updated next week!)

Speaking of next week, we're off to Center Parcs to celebrate my mum's 70th birthday. Skein Prince knitted her a little something to give from him.
It's Rocking Horse Washcloth by Knits by Rachel. We sent off to Canada for the pattern for a dollar or two and were sent the pdf within minutes and he'd finished it by the end of the day. He used SQ Lavish - you may recognise it from a couple of posts ago - it's one of the frogged Branching Out scarves. I have now spoiled him letting him use cashmere/silk - he'll never go back to his pile of acrylic now.

Last week was incredibly busy with getting out custom orders, Sock Club packages and a shop update. Let me show you some custom orders - Squee if you see yours :)

Sunset Tango, Plum Betty and Rose Red in Endure

Sunset Tango, Croc Socks and Mock Turtle in Plushness

Sunset Tango in Plushness

Honolulu Baby in Blush

Moneypenny in Divine

Aubergine in Plushness

Bluebird and Heatherberry in Wisp

Emmeline in Mellow

Next, a bit of stash enhancement - I took it upon myself to order some mini skeins from Sunshine Yarn Anyone else succumb to a drop of Sunshine this week? Huh?

And some Noro Sock Yarn from Yarnbox:

As it's rainy and gloomy this weekend, here's a couple of photos from when I took Skein Princess and her friend to The Vyne earlier this month to remind us that of what hot, sunny days feel like:Tiptoe through the meadow

The Vyne

Swans at The Vyne

Weeds from below


Look how big Honey (aka Smitten or now Smooshy Smat - stop cringing!) is getting. The kids have taken to making little two-storey dens for her and she loves it!


I'm planning a biggish shop update this week with preview on website or blog 24 hours beforehand. Hope to see you then. SQ xx