Internet access is very patchy, so I’ve not been able to post much.  But the conference so far has been funny, inspiring, enthralling and educational.  What more could you ask for?  Ah yes, a visit to Jamieson’s mill!  And even that is on the cards, so I’m a happy knitter right now.

My Manu is finally complete – well, almost!  I’m not happy with the buttons:

I spent ages choosing them when I was in Tain yesterday (while my little yellow car failed it’s MOT in spectacular fashion!).  Part of the problem was every single tube that I thought held the perfect match only contained one or two buttons, and I needed 5.  So in the end my choice was limited, and I settled on these.  And while the colour of the buttons is good, the size is all wrong.  One of the reasons I don’t have a modelled picture is that the cardigan won’t stay shut with the buttons I’ve bought.  So I’m hoping to find somewhere in Lerwick that sells buttons.  If you know of anywhere let me know and I’ll head there between lectures at the In the Loop 2 conference.

I didn’t make many modifications to the pattern.  I decided against doing pockets (although I may still change my mind on that point) as I felt I was likely just to stuff the pockets with rubbish and it would pull the cardigan out of shape.  I also didn’t do the i-cord cast on.  I couldn’t get it to look neat enough.  I did do the i-cord cast off and it gives a beautifully neat edge.  And the buttonholes look really good using the i-cord method.

So Manu is complete.  And on the whole I’m pleased.  I think I did a size too big for me, and I also think I could have increased the number of rows I did on the yoke, but it will get its first outing in Shetland nonetheless, and I’m hoping the comments are favourable!  I enjoyed the pattern, but I was pleased to get it finished.  I’m going to relax, now, with two lace shawls on the needles already.  One is Haruni designed by Emily Ross (I apologise for the Ravelry link but I couldn’t find a non Ravelry link to this pattern) and the other is Aestlight – appropriate for Shetland I thought given it is designed by Gudrun Johnston, aka The Shetland Trader!

You may recall the post I did about the Ishbel Beret which was also too big for me – well I’m pleased to say that Ida was chosen as the recipient of the beret.  Ida, if you’re reading this, please get in touch.  I did drop you an e-mail but I’m not sure you received it.  And Susie, I’ll knit you one!

This is one such hank:

I started trying to wind it off the hank, but to be honest I don’t have the patience that allows me to do this.  And I’m also short of time right now.  So here’s the deal.  If you are the sort of person who is patient and willing to be gentle with a hank that clearly needs a firm hand, then the hank of merino/silk laceweight is yours for the cost of posting.

I can’t bear to just throw it out, but I also can’t really charge anyone for it as it may take them as long to wind it off the hank as it will take to knit it up  into something stunning.  You can see the colours in the pictures above.  I have made a start, but I’ve not got far!

So the first person to leave a comment saying they want it – it is yours.   Who is brave enough?

ETA the yarn has now found a good new home with someone who will give it the attention it deserves.

Yesterday we had a beautiful, sunny day.  Now weather doesn’t really bother me as it does some, but even I would have to admit that we’ve not had the sunniest or hottest or driest of summers this year.  But do you know, when we get days like we had yesterday you kind of forget about the grey, drieg days?  So once we’d both finished our work for the day we went for a short walk.  Lexie loves her “looking out” spots, and she is quite fond of this one overlooking Stoer bay:

This photo doesn’t really show it, but it was a very low tide yesterday and the Western Isles were quite clear and pronounced.  And the sea was such a flat calm that it is hard to believe the Minch can have such a fearsome reputation, but see it on a stormy day and you’ll understand why.

After Lexie and Peggy (and Stevan!) had walked through a bog I sent them all to the burn to get clean:

There was only mild grumbling from the 3 of them.

Shop News:  The shop has been updated with alpaca/silk/cashmere laceweight as well as the silk/merino laceweight, and silk/merino 4ply yarn.  The latter yarn is beautiful to work with, and is very popular, especially for some of the smaller shawls that so many designers are designing at the moment.   I am working my way through photographing all the yarns, but the next to go up will be the new bulky yarn which is wonderful.  I am also finalising a “3 Hour Hat Pattern” which will go with the bulky yarn and is ideal for that last minute gift.  This is the sort of yarn that is ideal to keep in your stash for emergency gifts – a hat, or a pair of gloves, or perhaps a neckwarmer?  I’ve made two hats already, one of which Stevan has already claimed as his own for winter.

He seems pleased with it:

This really is a very, very simple pattern, done on 7mm needles to give you a nice, firm, dense fabric.  Stevan wanted something colourful (he’ll stand out in the hills, let’s put it that way!), but some of the other colours that I’m dyeing are more muted.  Once I get organised there will be a special offer on 2 hanks of yarn plus the pattern (which will be free) for the hat.

And finally, I’m off to Shetland next week.  I’ll be at the “In the Loop” conference being held in Lerwick.  I’m very excited about it, but it does mean this blog may be a bit quiet unless I manage to find an internet connection while I’m there.  Stevan will be manning the woolly shelves to send out parcels, but I’ll have to suspend the “Rewinding Service” while I’m gone I’m afraid.  I do apologise for this but Stevan is already employed on a full time basis, so to add this to his workload would be taking advantage of his good nature.

Oh, one last thing.  I intend starting a new yarn club.  This will be for the merino/silk 4ply yarn which has proved so popular.  Details have not yet been finalised, but I envisage the club being run on similar lines to the other clubs, so if you think you’ll be interested in joining this club, please let me know.  The club will start in November, so perhaps if you fancy a Christmas treat you can drop a few hints to those concerned.

I think what I admire most about Rowans are their tenaciousness.  They remind me of terriers, and as you probably know if you read this blog on a regular basis, we’re terrier folk!  No matter how tough things get they hang in there.   This particular Rowan has precious little earth to put roots down into, as you can see here:

It is wedged between two rocks, and is currently looking very spindly, but I’m hoping it survives and grows stronger every year.  I’ll go back to check on it from time to time.  I suspect that this one started growing after a bird dropped a berry down between the two rocks.

Which reminds me …. does anyone have a good recipe for Rowan Jellly?

This platform was suspended from a giant crane, and apparently it was free to go up.  The view must be spectacular, but I think I would be nervous if there was the slightest breeze.  It was very high!

Coming down to the south last week I got stuck in a traffic jam on the Forth road bridge, and it wasn’t the most pleasant of experiences.  Sitting in the car was pretty nerve-wracking as the bridge creaks and groans and shudders beneath the car.   And trying to distract yourself by looking around only adds to the nerves when you realise just how high up you are.  So I wasn’t thrilled to see this sign as I approached the bridge yesterday on my way back up …..:

Knowing that there are “emergency repairs to the carriageway” does not inspire confidence!  It is a bit like being told that there are emergency repairs to an aircraft before you take off on a long flight – it isn’t what I want to hear.  But it did give me the opportunity to take a photograph which shows the curvature in the bridge pretty well.   When driving over the bridge you don’t really notice that you’re going uphill, although I’m sure you do if you walk across the bridge.

And while it was good to take in the sight, and sounds of the city for a few days, it was lovely to get back to the relative tranquillity of home again and to take in the sounds, textures, colours and smells that provide so much of the inspiration for my dyeing.

Home!

Peaty Pools

Rocky Textures

Peaty Burns

Katherine had made a lovely display of the Maia Wrap and Alina Shawl which Polly had knitted in Ripples Crafts yarn in the window:

If you’re passing – do pop in and say hello.

I’m staying in the Borders with friends, but I’ll have a couple of hours free on Friday, so if anyone fancies a coffee on Friday do you want to meet up?   Marmions?  If you do, get in touch.

Saturday and Sunday will be busy days at K1 in Edinburgh where not only will I have a wide selection of yarns, but I’ll also be giving short workshops in lace knitting.  I think most of the places are full now, but if you do want to attend it is worth checking with K1 to see what is available.

Despite the frantic atmosphere hanging over Tigh na Creag at the moment, we did manage to get some R&R in the lovely sunshine over the weekend.  We headed off to Stoer beach, where Peggy was more than happy to go paddling with Stevan:

Lexie, on the other hand, wasn’t so sure:

She seemed to prefer the safely of the beach to the waves.  She said she had forgotten her Bentley Belt – an item of swimwear that I think is peculiarly South African!  It consists of a kind of rubber vest with a built in inflatable tube – very chic!

Now I know many people who read this blog have connections to Assynt, and so I’m putting an appeal on here in the hope that it reaches some who may have known MacCaig or have memories of him.   If you have any old photographs, reel to reel tape recordings, film or video footage of MacCaig during one of his visits to Assynt, or if you have any personal memories of the man, could you get in touch with me?

Now …. to completely change the subject …. I fell in love with the new silk/merino yarn as soon as it arrived in my shed, and I couldn’t wait to knit something up with it.  One of the first colours I dyed was Electric Blue – a stunning blue.  This is such an interesting colour to dye.  When I add the dye to the water in the pot it looks really weak.  Really …. it is just a pale, pale blue.  But as I gently heat it up it gets darker, and darker, and darker until the yarn takes on a fantastic intensity.   I needed a pattern that would knit up quickly, as it feels like ages since I actually finished something, so I thought I’d do an Ishbel.

When I first encountered the smaller “shawlettes” I wondered just how practical they would be.  But now I’m building up quite a collection, and they’re ideal to tuck under coats in winter, or simply wrap over your shoulders on a chilly summer evening.  If you’ve never knitted lace before then there are two patterns I’d really recommend.  One is Ishbel, and the other is Brandywine, a pattern by Rosemary Hill.  Both patterns are a great introduction to lace knitting.

It turned out so well I just had to do the Ishbel beret to match:

Now, I’ll let you into a little secret – I overestimated the size of my brain!  Or rather my head.  I remember when I was at school how my mother always had to buy me school hats in a size that always seemed to be much larger than everyone else’s.  So I made this one in the size I thought would be suitable for my head, but it’s a wee bit too big for me.  So, what I thought was if you all measure your heads, and if you come up with a size of  around 56cm then let me know.  Measure from the nape of your neck and around your forehead.   I’ll put all the names into a hat and I’ll get Stevan to pull out a name and the Ishbel beret is all yours.   So get measuring.