Seasons Greetings

One of my little Christmas traditions is making paper snowflakes - I love the fact that each one is unique and when you are cutting them you are never entirely sure how they are going to come out Despite my years it never fails to excite me to see how they turn out.

Here's one I prepared earlier :-)

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Creative 2015!

Finding Design Inspiration

Finding inspiration for your next creative project can be a real challenge and when faced with a blank sheet of paper/canvas/piece of fabric we can feel truly daunted and find it find a starting point. And there is no single definitive process - this can vary from person to person, but also from project to project. I  always find it fascinating how people's processes can vary, and thought I'd share with you the sort of approach I have when working creatively.

Inspiration can come from many sources, and sometimes unexpected, however it is extremely rare to have a bolt out of the blue fully formed idea, and most ideas come from a process of adjustments, corrections and further ideas generated as we actually do the work. Some folks seem to get down to that work almost immediately, but I tend to need to do a lot of 'mulling over', and it can feel like an age has passed before I can actually start to move forward.

Each year Stitches Coven, a creative textiles group I am a member of, put on an exhibition on an agreed theme. Next year's one will be on the theme of Memories. I have been letting this 'percolate' in the background for a good couple of months as it is a fairly abstract & conceptual topic, and I want the resultant work to be really personal to me. I still hadn't come of with a suitable 'hook', but a recent trip to visit family in Poland has unexpectedly provided me with a great source of design inspiration and will allow me to express a personal story.

My family on my mother's side are from Szczawno-Zdroj, a small Spa town in the South west of Poland, which has a long tradition as a health resort for healing, convalescence and rehabilitation, and boasts a mineral water pump room which dispenses naturally carbonated spring water.

Pump Rooms at Szczawno-Zdroj

There is also a Spa park which is great for recreation, plus some plants & trees are grown that are considered to have medicinal qualities. We took a stroll around the pump rooms and grounds with my family  including my aunt, an ex-teacher who is suffering with dementia. As is often the case for this condition, her long term memory remains strong and she is able to recall and impart information well - it's a pity my ability to understand her 'teachings' was not so good due to my limited polish, but as we walked through the park she pointed out a gingko tree and tried to explain how this was considered to have medicinal properties which were good for memory. She picked up a few leaves for me to take with me, and this was a lighbulb moment for me  in terms of design inspiration.

I love nature and especially forest & woodland - my earliest memories are of trips to the woods where we used to live at that time, and trees feature prominently in my memories of visits to Poland. The gingko leaves serve as a personal and poignant memento,  as their association with memory and my aunt's dementia strikes a deep chord from me. Thinking about memory also makes me consider how I experience being born in the UK but with family in Poland - in the absence of regular day to day contact, much of the 'relating' feels like it based on memories rather than the present. Whilst I have a deep desire to keep these relationships alive, I also fear that without taking due care to ensure this, they will fade like memories over future years.

So, a quick stroll around the park has given me plenty of food for thought, and a great starting point. The gingko leaves look attractive too, and are a great motif to work with. On my return home I quickly did some gelli printing with them, making numerous prints onto paper and some fabric - this will provide raw materials for developing further. I've no idea at this moment what direction it will take or what my finished piece of work will look like..................but it was great fun making the prints!

all set for a printathon!

the actual leaves with lots of paint and pattern on them from printing

a stray mulberry leaf

Gingko with dill and sweet chestnut leaves

So that's a little glimpse into how I approach a creative project, at least this one as it varies. I'd love to here about how you find your inspirations, or if you have any good tips on finding your inspiration and getting started, so do leave a comment below.

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News for 2015

I know it's only the end of September, but I've been busy thinking ahead to what exciting plans I have for you for 2015.

2015 Programme of workshops at Hazel Court, Swansea.

 

I've been busily compiling the 2015 programme of workshops at Hazel Court, Swansea which are now available to book here. There are a few new subjects for next year as well as some 'staple' ones that continue to be in demand,  so hopefully there will be something of interest for you all. I'm particularly excited about Lavish Lace, for developing your lace skills further - this is ideal for those of you who will have attended  An Introduction to Lace Knitting, but don't worry if you missed out on that - if you can knit and purl and follow a simple pattern you will be able to undertake this class.

As many of you may know, I love colour so I'm really looking forward to  Fathoming Fairisle which will provide you with a solid introduction to this popular technique.


I'm sure many of you will be delighted to know that the lovely Alison Crowther-Smith and I will be undertaking another 'foreign tutor exchange' scheme where we cross the border to teach a workshop at each others' venue - This year I will be teaching Intermediate Crochet on 21 February at Alison's wonderfully cosy Somerset studio, and Alison will be joining us at Hazel Court for a frill bonanza with Frill Seekers on 21 March.

All workshops (excluding those with a guest tutor) are available to book at the 2014 price of £30 if booked by the end of this year.

New Workshop Loyalty Reward Club

 

As a thank you to those of you who regularly attend workshops at Hazel Court we now have a Loyalty Reward Club where if you attend 3 or more fyberknitics workshops over the course of a year you'll receive a £10 voucher to spend at workshops or in the fyberknitics online shop. Don't worry I'll keep track of this for you and make sure you get your voucher after attending your 3rd workshop of the year.

We've nearly completed the second year of fyberknitics workshops and I am grateful for the support (and banter) I have received from  those who have attended and made the workshops such a success - so I'm going to start the Loyalty Reward Club retrospectively  and  if you  have attended 3 or more classes this year, you will receive your voucher very soon.

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New Knitting Design from Start to Finish

Meet 'Marilyn', my latest knitting design which I created especially for my workshop Cables & Bobbles & Beads, Oh My! According to this cowl’s namesake, diamonds are a girl’s best friend, and this cabled cowl with bead-jewelled diamonds will certainly add a touch of glamour to your wardrobe.

Marilyn Cowl by fyberknitics

I thought I'd share with you the design process for this project. First I had a rough idea that I wanted to make an item that used these particular techniques - my starting point for a design will often differ from this, but as this piece has a  specific purpose, i.e. to consolidate new skills and techniques learned at the workshop, this was an appropriate jumping off point.

I played around with some ideas on paper to start, with some very rough working sketches giving me an idea of the dimensions etc I wanted the cowl to be. I also made a decision about what yarn to use which I posted about previously here, plus I had chosen some lovely buttons already. Having decided on the type of yarn I then fine tuned my ideas with a generous swatch before charting the stitch pattern properly, and writing myself a rough pattern.

Although I'd swatched in a lovely teal colour, I opted for  purple in the end as I really like the zing of the yellow buttons against this. Then of course came the knitting which I thoroughly enjoyed as cabling makes for an interesting knit - and in fact got a bit carried away with as it was too long for what I had in mind. So after some pulling back a good chunk of it and finishing off, the cowl was ready to block. Here it is pinned out on my ironing board.

With the addition of those lovely yellow buttons Marilyn was then born.

Cable knitting has a long tradition and its enduring appeal never seems to fade, and indeed we see a wealth of attractive and fashionable designs available at the present time. These can seem very highly complex, but are in fact made using of a few simple techniques which  can be easily mastered. My workshop provides a thorough introduction to using and combining these techniques for great textural effects, and improve your confidence in undertaking such a project. I'll also be showing how you can make some quick fixes if you should make a mistake - and as a gal who makes a lot of mistakes with my knitting I love a few good quick fixes!

If you live in the Swansea area, I am offering this workshop again in Oct 2015 and still have just a couple of places left for the workshop which you can book here.

The Marilyn Cowl design has now been professionally checked and is available to buy as a PDF knitting pattern in my shop or via ravelry. Alternatively watch this space as I will be providing an online course which I hope to launch in spring/summer 2015.

Over to you

Have you done any cable knitting? If so how did you find it? Have you seen some of the lovely new Autumn Winter designs featuring cables - which is your favourite?

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An Overdue Studio Tidy Up

I know I'm not the only one who tends to be a messy worker, particularly when doing anything creative - Lincoln based textile artist Hilary Beattie for one is a gal after my own heart when it comes to creating chaos, and like me she has no shame in showing you the full glory of her unbridled messyness - see here for her recent reveal.

The thing is, worrying about keeping everything tidy as you go along can really disrupt your creative flow, and as time can be so pressured this means there is often a direct choice as to whether you create something or just tidy up - and I know which of those  I prefer to spend my valuable life seconds on! However, this has to balance against the need for some sort of order too, so you can actually function, and every now and again a major mucking out is required - and that's exactly what I have just spent a number of days doing.

So, brace yourself for this spectacularly shambolic 'before shot' - and if you are of a very nervous or mess-phobic disposition I would strongly urge you to look away now and skip ahead to the 'after shot'...so here goes:

Yes it's true, I have indeed got a bad case of interior shed syndrome going on in that loft of mine, and I think I'd really outdone myself this time. So after spending rather a loooooooooooooooong time undertaking a major excavation, general scrubbing, and being sidetracked by amazing finds of stuff I'd forgotten I had (like a table - who knew?), it now looks like this:

It was long overdue, and I needed to reclaim my studio and return it to a usable state. It's now such an inspiring room again I can't wait to get creating (mess) in there again - hurrah! Having a pleasant space of my own to work in is really important to me and was the main motivation for the serious mucking out, but there was another reason for this which I'm looking forward to sharing with you another time....am I a tease or what??
 
In my previous post I talked about choosing yarn for a new cable knit cowl and  promised to show you how it progresses,  so here it is:

I'm afraid the photo hasn't captured the colour very well which is in fact a lovely soft teal, but it does show off the stitches quite nicely. I've planned the stitch pattern and made a swatch, though I've also decided to knit it up in the Bilberry  after all,  as I think those yellow buttons will sing out beautifully against the plummy coloured yarn.

Well, I'd better get on with knitting it now hadn't I? Tootle Pip til next time!

PS - I'd love to know if you are as messy as me - or are you super neat and ordered? Leave a comment below if you feel like confessing any sinful stash habits...

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Choosing the best yarn for the job: Cables and fancy stitchwork

Decisions, decisions....

When designing and/or knitting an item it's important to consider what type of yarn is going to be most suitable for the project you have in mind. Getting this right means an enjoyable and deeply rewarding knit. Getting it wrong, however, can be a truly disheartening and costly experience in terms of the time and money you'll feel you will have wasted. There is such a plethora of different  yarns  available out there to choose from, but how do you go about choosing the one that's going to work best for your project?

The key is to consider the different characteristics of the yarn which includes the weight (i.e. thickness or fineness), texture, colour, fibre and handle. I touched on  some of these previously in my tutorial on substituting yarns, but here I'm going to talk you through a specific example.

Tip:
I think it is a good idea to consider this before you start looking at the yarns, otherwise you will not be focussed on the job in hand and, once surrounded by all that knitterly loveliness, you will be seduced by whatever most catches your eye and pay less attention to your mission - which is to ensure a wonderfully successful and satisfying result for your intended item.

 

What is the brief?

If you are designing you will have some ideas in mind, but even if you are knitting someone else's pattern it is helpful to consider the following questions: Who/what it is for? Will it require frequent washing? How hard wearing does it need to be? Any relevant factors about the wearer - do they have a wool allergy for example? What season is going to be worn for? These are by no means exhaustive, and you may have other questions or considerations of your own.

So for my brief, I am looking to make a women's neckwear item for the early autumn. As it is worn around the neck it can't be 'scratchy' as your skin is very sensitive in that area. Also it will probably be worn very regularly so will need to wash well and easily. I intend to have plenty of stitch detail with cables, textured stitches and maybe some beads to boot. A good range of colours is always a plus so you have plenty of choice, and I like my colours to be rich but not harsh. I always like to use a quality yarn if I'm investing all those valuable life seconds into something, but I'm not looking for anything too luxurious. So putting all that into the equation, I've plumped for Rowan Wool Cotton. A staple and real workhorse of the Rowan range, this yarn's characteristics and reasonable price make it an ideal choice:

Weight: A DK yarn knitted on 4mm needles, this won't be the quickest knit, but is a great weight for showing off detailed stitchwork such as cables. The thicker the yarn, the bigger the scale of the cables, and as this is for a relatively small area I need to keep it to a pretty small scale.

Fibre & Handle: 50% wool and 50% cotton makes for a very soft, non-scratchy feeling fibre. With some of the  the plump springiness of wool but with the coolness and drape of cotton, this is a great choice for early Autumn wear

Texture: The smooth texture and high twist spin of the yarn makes for excellent stitch definition which is hard to be beat - great for showing off all that lovely cable stitchwork

Colour: Wool Cotton comes in a wide range of delicious solid colours, ideal for showing off detail and  stitchwork which would be obscured by a fancier colour treatment. With 20 shades to choose from, there's bound to be at least one colour the intended wearer is going to love.

Aftercare: Machine washable at 40% this yarn washes exceptionally well, softening even more in the process.

So now I've come to a decision on the type of yarn I just need to make a decision about the colour - now that is a tough choice to make but I've got it down to either of these two - which one do you prefer?

Ship Shape

Bilberry

Cables and textured stitches can seem really complicated, and certainly look the part, but they are surprising easy once you know how. If you haven't tried it yet, it's a great string to add to your knitterly bow. If you live in the Swansea area you may be interested in my September Workshop on the subject. I'll be making a design as per the brief above and I'll show how this progresses in future posts. The plan is for this be offered as a free pattern to all those that attend the workshop, and will also be available to purchase on my website and via Ravelry at a later date.

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Jam-packed July

Well I think you will agree we have had a surprisingly summery summer so far, and I don't know about you but this has increasingly become one of the busiest times of the year for me, and this July has been particularly busy. As well as going to Stitch Camp earlier in the month, I did the 10k Cardiff Race for life which proved to be a great day out. Here we are with the finish line in view (actually the real finish line was the pub afterwards....):

Next on the agenda was a long weekend at Warwick Folk Festival. As well as enjoying some great music and festival fun it was a great opportunity for me to meet up with my family who live a fair distance away. I volunteered as a steward which I can recommend - not just because it pays your ticket, but it is an enjoyable experience to be part of the event and supporting the organisers to make it a pleasurable and relaxed experience for everyone. It's also an opportunity to give Betsy (my tent) an outing - Betsy is very popular with other campers and I reckon she has her own fanclub. Quite a few folks were taking pictures of her so I dare say she's doing the rounds on the internet.

It was a real roaster of a weekend so I was glad to be pitched next to the fire buckets!

Then, before I'd finished unpacking from the weekend, it was all systems go setting up the Stitches Coven creative textiles exhibition, followed by our  launch event the following day. This year's work has been inspired by architecture, and here's a picture of our group installation of doors within a door - I'm afraid it's not the best photo so do urge you to pop in to see it and all the other pieces in the flesh at Swansea Grand Theatre (1st floor, white room). The exhibition runs up to and including Fri 15th August - if you are able to go, do leave us a comment/message in the comments book -  it would be lovely to hear from you.

Group Installation, Doors

One of my offerings, called Bridging

And if you fancy seeing more textile creations (you can't have too much of that now, can you??) why not go along to see the Dylan Thomas inspired exhibition by 'big sister' group, Itchy Fingers. This will include the show stopping Llareggub Village Installation Piece, a miniature manifestation of this imaginary village in textile form - definitely not to be missed. “Dylan in Stitches” will be showing at the Taliesin Art Centre, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea. SA2 8PZ. Our private view will be on Friday 15th August 2014 from 6-8pm. Sarah Hopkins will be opening the event and you are invited to what promises to be an exciting evening. The exhibition will run from 15th August until 20th September 2014. 

Well, with all this going on you may not be surprised to hear that after some early enthusiasm my garden has been languishing somewhat from neglect! - But I have had the beginnings of a runner been harvest - whoooop!

Over to you

Well that's it for now - I hope you are having a lovely summer. Have you been busy too, or are you wisely taking time to relax in the glorious sunshine we've been having? Let me know what you've been up to by commenting below - I'd love to hear from you about your summer frolics.

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Stitch Camp 2014

I had a wonderful time away with Sian Martin's Distant Stitch Summer School at Farncombe Estate near Broadway in the Cotswolds. This consisted of a long weekend with one of 2  accomplished artist/tutors where we were immersed in textile art & Design for the duration. Distant Stitch is an online 'school' for people to learn textile arts, and is a great option for those who need flexibility, but also those seeking to undertake City & Guilds courses which (sadly) are now rarely available as  local courses you can physically attend. As well as having ongoing support via email etc, each student has the opportunity to attend the Distant Stitch Summer School.

I find the most challenging aspects of creative textiles is getting started with ideas and interpreting them into textile art pieces, so I opted for Rosemary Campbell's class which  focussed on this very  topic.This was the first Distant Stitch outing for me, and I had a lovely time meeting fellow students as well as gaining inspiration and learning by the bucketload!

The weekend ran from Fri pm to Mon am and was really intensive, with long days in the studio running from 9am to 9.30pm - hense the term Stitch Camp! You could take time out whenever you wanted but, like most of the students, I wanted to make the most of my time there, immersed in all that creativity. This was made all the more possible by the fact you didn't have to consider anything else - all meals, refreshments etc were provided and the accommodation was great with fabulous grounds and breathtaking views.

Farncombe Estate

Rose proved to be a fantastic tutor - positive & encouraging, but also pushing us out from our comfort zones to help us move forward on our individual creative journeys. A mine of information and inspiration about textile design & composition, Rose walked us through the process of coming up with strong, developed designs that take several steps along from, but still relate to the original source of inspiration. All heady sounding stuff, but her delightfully wicked sense of humour and relaxed approach made this great fun.

Here are my efforts - I looked at 2 subjects - the New Birmingham Library which I'm currently fascinated by, and the Chelsea Hotel in New York.

These working designs will I think be great starting points from which to develop into textile pieces, and I'm fired up now with loads of tips and ideas about how to use these in compositions and carry them forward.

You can see what the other students got up to on the Distant Stitch  Facebook page - I'm sure you'll agree they're a talented bunch.

This was my first Distant Stitch Summer School, but not my first Stitch Camp. The last couple of years I have attended the TSG (Textile Study Group) Summer Schools which I would also highly recommend - if you are lucky enough to get a place. These provide ongoing creative development for artists and tutors but  they are open to anyone - less accomplished stitchers are welcome, and I found everyone to be friendly and encouraging. Although they are a fair investment they offer excellent value and attending a stitch camp can really help boost your knowledge, skills and individual development. All in all I have found they provide a great opportunity for touching base with your passion, resetting your compass and planning the next steps of your creative journey, as well as meeting others who share your interest in textiles.

Over to You

Have you attended a stitch camp or similar such as a residential course or retreat? If so, did you enjoy it and find it a valuable experience? If you haven't attended, do you think you'd be tempted in the future?
 
By the way, for those of you who live in the Swansea Area, local textiles group Stitches Coven are putting on their annual exhibition at Swansea Grand Theatre from 29 July to the 15th August. If you are in the area do come long to our launch evening on Tues 29th July, 7-9pm.

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Want to get started with Crochet?

Crochet seems to be enjoying a real renaissance at the moment and granny squares seem to be everywhere. With so many gorgeous yarns to choose from these days too, crochet is shaking off its fuddy duddy image with some stylish contemporary designs, and there are many advantages to crochet.

It's quick, portable and you can plan as you go: Crochet grows quickly and you can make a small project in an evening. Unlike knitting you don't necessarily have to have your project mapped out in detail to start - as you only work on one stitch at a time you have more freedom to move around with your crochet, adding bits and hopping across to join onto other bits as needed. It's also highly portable - just yarn and a hook, plus you don't have to worry about dropped stitches.

It complements knitting beautifully: If you are a knitter, crochet is great for adding decorative finishes to knitted items, and crocheting on an edging can feel so much easier than picking up and knitting a load of stitches along hems and edges.

It's great for colour and using up stash: Using colour in glorious combinations is relatively easy with crochet, and you can make beautiful items made up from the smallest of yarn left-overs you may have in your stash.

I receive many requests for people wanting to learn crochet, and my beginners workshops are usually oversubscribed. Of course face to face workshops are always best for learning practical skills, but where this is not possible for whatever reason, then I think other resources such as books, blogs and video can be very helpful. It also helps to find a friend or local group of knitters/crocheters too for ongoing support and sharing of ideas.

There are plenty of books out there and I'm sure you can find something suitable at your local book shop or on Amazon . However, I appreciate not everyone finds it easy to learn a practical skill from a flat written page, so you may find video is more helpful. Designer Joanne Scrace of Not So Granny has a great blog here and she also has a few beginners videos to help you get started. You can also search YouTube, but bear in mind US terminology differs from UK. You will need to know how to hold your hook & yarn and make a chain, and how to do double crochet and treble crochet stitches (or single & double crochet stitches if you are from the US).

I'm thinking of making a few videos on this myself to make it easier for you folks. Before I do though I'd love to know if you have looked at any crochet (or other craft) 'how to videos' on Youtube etc, and what you think to them? Have they helped you to learn? If not, why do you think that was? What was missing?

If you have managed to get to grips with the basics and working in rows (well done you!), it can be a challenge to know how to move your skills on so you can start working in the round to make interesting shapes, motives and the good old Granny Square. Again a workshop can help here, and as it happens I have just a couple of places left on my Next Steps with Crochet workshop at Swansea on 21 June 2014 :-) Click here to find out more.

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Wonder Wool Wales

I went to Wonderwool Wales at the Royal Welsh Showground the other weekend and am only just now getting round to telling you about it. If you've never been, be sure to put it in your diary for next year - if you love artesan yarns & fibres it's really not to be missed.  There is so much to see and do, and of  course buy! I thought I did pretty well on the self restraint front only coming away with this little bundle of hand dyed yarns.

The lovely sunset colours in the bag are Dazzle 4 ply (bluefaced leicester) by the Natural Dye Studio, and the gorgeous golden yellow skein is by Easyknits which has a bit of spangle in it and is appropriately named Twinkle - I have a very good idea what it is going to be when it grows up too..............

Did any of you get to Wonderwool Wales this year? If so what caught your eye, and what temptations did you give in to?

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Knitting Tension (Gauge) for the Terrified: Part 1

So you've spent hours seeking out the pattern of your heart's desire, you've found the perfect yarn to knit it with that you makes your heart sing (and your mouth water!), you've snatched the size needles recommended in the pattern from your stash, you sprint over to your fave knitting seat and just are about to rip that ball band off in joyous frenzy- STOP RIGHT THERE and read on !!!

I know I touched on this subject in my how to substitute yarns of a similar thickness tutorial, but as tension really is the keystone to knitting designs I feel a more in depth forray into this topic is warranted.

A surprising number of knitters skip the vital stage of swatching their tension before embarking on their knitting journey for a number of reasons:

• they are impatient to to start knitting the actual project
• it seems to be a mysterious and unfathomable process
• they are not sure how to go about swatching for and measuring tension - knitted fabric is pretty wriggly isn't it?
• they believe there is a RIGHT or WRONG tension, and feel defeated if theirs doesn't match, so if they don't swatch then they don't have to feel bad about their knitting ability
• it can seem tricky to match the tension exactly and feels like they are fumbling in the dark.
• they are worried about 'wasting' yarn, or running out of yarn if they've used some of it on swatching.

I'm sure you can think of  more reasons why folks avoid the tension swatch - if so, do share by making a comment below.

I can relate to all the above, and confess that in the early days of knitting I never swatched, and sometimes this works out just fine for simple projects, but it often leads to some disappointing results such as:

• it comes out too small or too large
• you can't get your head through the neck opening
• the pieces don't fit very well together when you come to making a garment up
• the resulting knitted fabric 'drops' because it is knit too loose
• the resulting fabric feels stiff because it is knit too tightly
• you run our of yarn before you finish and can't get more in the same dye lot
• the yarn you chose doesn't actually look that good knit up to that pattern afterall.....

After weeks of slaving over a hot pair of needles this can feel disastrous, and all that hard work (and costly yarn) ends up relegated to the back of your wardrobe which is such a shame. For the sake of a couple of extra hours, the outcome could be very different, and a couple of hours seems a small investment of time  to make before committing to all those hours it will take to knit your project.

Now I know that some of you die-hard non-swatchers have heard all this before, but nothing convinces as much as a real example -  seeing really is believing. These two samples were knit with the same yarn and same number of stitches – the only difference was the needle size used – the smaller sample used 2.5mm, and the larger used 4mm. As I hope you can see this has made a huge difference to the dimensions of the finished samples, and should hopefully persuade even the most resistant amongst you to take the time to do that tension swatch.

Next time I'll show you how to measure the tension of your knitted swatch and, more importantly, what to do if yours doesn't match what the pattern is asking for.

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Dyeing Can Be Easy Workshop - 17 May 2014 at Gorseinon with Stitches Coven

If you've always fancied having a go at colouring up your own fabrics but weren't sure where to start,  then this is a great workshop to get you going - click here or hop across to Stitches Coven's blog  for more information.

Unravelling Intarsia, and exciting news from Rowan

I absolutely love colour and am fascinated with different colour combinations and how colours play against each other for different effects, so I was in my element last Saturday with my Intarsia Unravelled Workshop. We had a great time getting to grips with yarn bobbins and the like, and the group were a lovely bunch so there was plenty of fun and banter to be had too.



 


And talking of colour, Rowan have recently launched Pure Wool Worsted, 100% superwash wool which comes in an amazing 50 different shades. To celebrate they are also about to launch their first global Knit Along to make a fabulous mystery Afghan designed by the wonderful Martin Storey - you can see a video about it here. The knit along starts on 21 April and you can find out more about this on Knit and Purl Garden's Blog,  the Rowan website and on Ravelry