It had to happen one day!  Thought I had missed the bug but it kind of crept up on me!  Now I am hooked and planning sekku two for the Almanac Knit A-long in July!  The first one I made in the hot pinks, cool greens and zesty lemons of colourway no14 - its really fab and I am so pleased with how it turned out!  Not instant knitterly gratification but almost as after just a few evenings of knitting - hey presto beads were on and it is finished!  I have worn it lots already as in this changeable weather it is perfect for a little extra warmth when needed but it’s one of those curious yarns that acts cool when you are not!  So, unlike with a cardi, I can put it on and forget I’m wearing it!  The bright combination of scrummy colours means it will go with absolutely everything.  Yes, you can probably tell I am really, really pleased with it and am looking forward to knitting up a second one.  I just can’t decide whether to go ahead and knit in another sekku colourway - marine blues and purples with blue beads, or perhaps do it in a 4ply sock yarn on 4mm needles and see how that turns out!  Or, I think it would work beautifully in one of the subtle but very yummy Manos lace colours ….   it was so quick to knit up that I may even do one of each!  I may make some for gifts and get the sekku shawl out of my system, though I think this is one bug that I may not (and don’t really want) to shake off any time soon!  I ought really to be knitting a hat for the Almanac K-A-L  but I’m just not feeling the inspiration for that project like I am for the shawl.  I suppose if I do the hat in something chunky ( I love all the colours and softness of Cocoon by Rowan or one of the Noro self striping yarns) it should be quite quick to do and that would then mean I could knit another shawl in June and start number 3 in July!  Oh dear, this is now looking more like a serious addiction than a mild bug! 

The felted tweed mittens-for-May have turned out well!  They have been tried on by various family members and now I have been asked to make some for christmas gifts!  I really enjoyed knitting them and I am tempted to make more,  though I think if I do I will knit them plain on the outside and use two different colours of kidsilk haze for the lining to add a little va va voom!  This will greatly speed up the process of knitting them.  I don’t know what it is about my family but they see me using a colourway chart (more complicated the better) and immediately can’t think for themselves!  Their interruptions were so frequent that I would find several hours of knitting resulted in a meagre two or three rows of progress so I would resort to some sock knitting to remind myself I could still knit and quite a bit faster when not dealing with allsorts of silly enquiries!!   Perhaps they see a chart as competition for my attention? 

Well, even though the weather forecast suggests that I may appreciate a hat by Wimbledon week (!), I am off to look for some nice needles (knit pro interchangeables probably) and a bit of Manos lace to start Sekku 2 the sequel!

Did you see us at the Malvern Quilt Show last weekend? If you did, you’ll have seen the beaded shawl (a pic of it is in my last blog post) in the flesh and going by the amount of yarn we sold, you might be knitting it yourself! Fans of the shawl will be thrilled to hear that we have managed to secure 2 shades of the Noro Sekku laceweight yarn. These are the only 2 shades available until July/August so get it while you can! We will still be sending out a free copy of the pattern with every ball of Sekku while stocks lasts.

March went by in a fast but happy blur of doing things other than almanac knitting!  I think this was the first project of the Knit Along not to stall for me with copious amounts of ripping back!  I was okay with the colourwork cushion and got it finished in the first ten days of March!  WoooHooo! The black trellis pattern over two different shades of escape was quite stained glass like in effect which was the aim!  #2 daughter saw the cushion and asked if it was up for grabs so it will go to a good home later this month as a birthday gift!  

This meant that I was free for a over a fortnight to knit the silk garden Noro tunic that had been on the back burner (though this started with me ripping it right back to the beginning - dont know what I was thinking but it was twice as long as I needed - well thats a slight exageration - the neck and shoulder shaping came up to over my head)!  It is such a lovely yarn to knit with that I forgave it, cast on again but with a couple of small alterations to the pattern and now I am knitting it in the round and am almost to the smocking part which is the really exciting bit!  Its Noro  book 24 the swing tunic with smocking detail. Knitting it in the round makes the stripe effect of the Noro really pleasing, on some rows there is just a hint of a new colour and sometimes just one thin line interspersed with the other shades. 

I made lots of dishcloths and face flannels too from the gorgeous peaches and cream cottons for some last minute pretty and practical gift giving!  With a fair wind I can churn out a couple of those in an evening. The finished gift is always so well received when wrapped up with a funky bar of soap that it makes it a pleasure to do.   

April, for anyone knitting along with the Almanac, is baby blanket knitting and a lot of grafting or weaving (kitchener stitch I think).  I have done two squares now and it just isnt grabbing me :(  However, my plan will be to make another cushion using the same countrystyle dk in black for the edges and same escape for the blocks as I used in March’s project.  Ive completed two blocks and with a bit of luck may get this one sewn up in time for the birthday girl to have a pair of cushions for her birthday! 

While Aprils project hasnt really “done” it for me, May just cant come quickly enough and I have been and bought the yarn for it already.  Details to follow but my project involves some gorgeous Rowan Felted Tweed and some divine Rowan Kidsilk Haze!  These are my two favourite yarns and anyone who knows me will realise how very, very happy this has made me!  All the warm and lovely sunshine means happy days too!

We have a new Twitter feed on the bottom of this page. Start following us to be the first to know when new stock is in, what is hot and special offers which will only be publicised via our tweets!

The hottest seller in the shop this week is Noro Sekku, a self-striping laceweight which Pat used to knit this beautiful mini shawl. So you internet shoppers don’t miss out we will send a free copy of our pattern for the shawl out with every purchase of Noro Sekku until the end of April. It is the perfect knit for spring and you can add beads, or not, to the cast off edge for a bit of extra knitting excitement.

Our almanac knitting is going pretty well. We have all started the March project even though some of us still don’t have January nailed… I am looking forward to knitting the blanket in April as it will double as baby knitting for my sister-in-law, as February’s did.

So maybe not quite into summer yarn knitting yet but there are some lovely ones around. The Sirdar Simply Recycled is a really good buy and their Summer Stripes has been really popular too.

I think I got myself overly excited and a bit carried away with the prospect of knitting the Hermione scarf!  It is a must make and cant wait project for me but not really right for almanac knitting in March: I have come to my senses!!  I really love this scarf dont get me wrong - but  attempting to knit this some two meters of 35cm wide pure loveliness in one month is delusional (though if possible it would have been within the loose rules - I checked with Ruth)!   I now realise that it would take a huge knitting miracle (or huge tear in my time space continuum) and no cooking or cleaning for the month to find the time to finish it by the end of March and then I probably wouldnt need to wear it until maybe September or October! The pressure of trying to knit it within the month may well have spoiled the fun too -so what to make instead now? 

Vicki suggested that I make the scarf anyway, but like a background project just a few rows now and again - soothing like sock knitting!  That way I will enjoy the project far more especially putting the colour scheme  together and I can then just knit a bit when the mood takes me with no deadline other than the changing seasons! Really sensible idea!

 I have been flitting from one possible project to another and have found myself dithering between many possibilities but as tomorrow is 1st March  I dearly wanted to make a decision today so I could get the yarn and at least cast on tomorrow! (I probably wont be waiting up until midnight this time as that just spells a possible re-run of the ripping back aran fiasco of January!  I really dont think it was the champagne then just tired non - thinking brain)!

So having fluttered between  a few possibilities I find myself contemplating again one of the first projects that I thought of a couple of weeks ago - a cushion cover!  I could use Elizabeth Zimmermans chart in the almanac as the basis of the pattern and knit it in the round as per the colourwork sweater. I  could use sirdar escape in bright colourways and black countrystyle (both dk) in the hope that the finised article will look like some of the quilts in the 3 counties quilt shows which look like black ironwork gates leading into bright gardens or like a stained glass window.  It would be much smaller than the sweater so a big possibility I could have it completed within the month.  

 So  ……..   now I have settled on the idea I am feeing quite a bit happier.  I bought some escape and country style this afternoon in readiness so I am sort of committed to the project now and I am looking forward to casting on tomorrow!  I can take my time to put together the colourscheme for the scarf later this week and see if there is anything in my stash!  Happydays!

I am delighted to say that this months almanac knitting went quite smoothly for me!  There was a little ripping back in parts but I havent done a top down sweater before this one and I am a convert now!  I did an adult sized garment this month as I did a little person aran last month and wish to stay in the “rules” of the group! Thankfully they are very loose rules!  The beauty of this sweater is the lack of making up at the end!  No sewing up just some weaving in of ends!  The gull lace pattern is such an easy repeat and in an aran weight yarn (I used the Amy Butler aran that I ripped back from a midwest modern kimono wrap that i had made and never worn) it was a really speedy knit!   This one is really “me” and I think I will wear it lots! I had some lovely heart shaped buttons as a gift a while ago that I was keeping for something special and they tone in so well I have to say I am delighted with the finished article! I wore it today and I am very “in like” with it!

I am knitting some socks while waiting for March 1st to cast on for the colourwork project - though I have to say I dont think I will be doing the sweater as in the almanac (my personal time space continuum wont stretch that far Im afraid…..). 

I am going to check with Ruth and see if a Ravelry scarf pattern will be allowed  in the spirit of the knit-a-long!  I am quite a Harry Potter fan and have just managed to track down a pattern for the scarf Hermione wears in the Half Blood Prince.  I will tweak the colours a bit but it will essentially be the same as the one Hermione wears on her return from the three broomsticks when Katie Bell gets cursed by the  necklace intended as a gift for dumbledore.  (gosh thats sounds seriously geeky I need to get out more I think!)!  Its a fabulous fairisle colourwork longish scarf knitted in the round - I do hope it will be allowed as I cant wait to start it now.  I love the planning of a new project possibly more than finishing something sometimes dont you?…