Wow! What a Wonderfully Woolly Weekend - Woohoo!

I am sitting surrounded by boxes and bags left over from the weekend - what weekend do I hear you say - where have you been? Under a rock!!   Yarnival of course.

I am so pleased/relieved/delighted/exhausted/numb/chuffed/tired/stiff/inspired in fact I am all of those and much much more.

The day started the night before - actually it started in August last year when I went to a wool-fest up in Coldstream, Scotland and thought - I want to do this!  - Fast forward to last Friday night..... having had endless knit-fuelled meetings, crochet-powered discussions and tea - lots-of-tea since September...... and we were putting out chairs and tables for the stall holders and hanging bunting and posters and sorting out the cafe in preparation for the next day.

It was after 10.30pm before I got home feeling absolutely exhausted and starving - I'd not eaten since about 3pm - just working on nervous energy. I was so ready for bed......however....as tired as I was, my brain was up for a full-on high-powered meeting with itself and would.not.turn.off....

Good grief - *yawn*

Any hoo, bright and very early (got up at 2 for a cup of tea to see if I could settle the meeting going on in my head and again at 4am as was still awake and did some sewing) the day dawned and we began yarnbombing in earnest.

Trees were dressed, signs were covered, gates were adorned, railings dollied up and even the toilet signs were not immune to a little bombing!

We were delighted by the fact that we had OVER 350 visitors through the very busy 5 hours we were up and running - running being the key work!

The team managing the cafe - my Mom, friends and work colleagues - worked their butts off - non-stop serving of teas, cakes and lunches - they were nothing short of magnificent! I am in awe of their incredible efforts!

My wonderful sister inlaw in the knit and natter corner, patiently showed all ages (and sexes!) knitting and crochet tips. A highlight of the day was when two chaps sat learning to knit with such wonderful expressions on their faces and I have it on excellent authority that they continued to knit when they returned home and by the end of the evening had knitted a dish cloth between them and joked that it would have to be preserved in a glass case as a family heirloom! What a success!

I met fellow bloggers and chatted happily with Padiham Knitter who had cycled over to the event - she has blogged about her day here.


Although I had emailed and spoken to the stall holders, meeting them on the actual day was lovely. Such a wonderful crafty bunch - all expressed an interest in returning for another festival....oops what have I let us in for?!

Our 'bouncer' at the door had our visitors chuckling as they came in with his 'meet-n-greet' patter, apparently he enjoyed his day too, and as the only person or item not covered in some sort of yarn bombing, showed his talents lay definitely in his charm!

There is so much more I could waffle on about - as you well know I shine at waffling! But I must get on and rediscover my house and begin crafting again - oh and ordering wool and buying yarns and making string bags and bunting as commissions - the list goes on and I am Not Complaining!! Happy days :)

For another angle and more photos - pop over to a life of felt and read here and here


Ps - just heard that the green tie on the sign for the gentleman's loo was removed from its official dangly place and lowered a centimetre or two to a rather naughty position - where was my camera when I needed it!!!

Breathing

Life seems to have sped up suddenly - my post-surgery time off runs out today and Yarnival is next Saturday (only 5 days away - five as in FIVE or if it is any easier to see - 5)  and I don't feel to have completed all that I wanted.

I have been busy yet seem to have achieved little.

Leading up to surgery (over 5 weeks ago) I gleefully rubbed my crochet hooks together thinking about all the enforced crafting time I was going to have to endure (oh yes please) however those precious crafting hours have evaporated and in 4 hours time I will be at work - can you hear the excited anticipation in my voice? - Yeah me too). Any way, enough wallowing in self pity....

Has anyone else noticed those first gorgeous signs of spring? The early warm sun on your back, the crocus and the celandine glowing like little jewels. Fields are filling up with lambs and our hens are producing eggs with such regularity and number that the boys have been forced to take up baking in a grand way - such a shame!

I suspect the blog will be quiet for a few days, need to get ready Yarnival and get my head back around actually being at work. I will be back and have lots of lovely photos from Saturday - I promise!

Madness is a state of mind - and yes there is a lot of that sort of state going on here - and I do mind!

As some of you already know, I have another blog called, Kyōyū kyōyū - share, where we knit and crochet squares for blankets as well as make toys for children and send them to Japan.  It is coming up to one year after the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster and this has brought back to the surface that people are still suffering and are still homeless or in temporary shelter.  I have been linked up with another blog called Japan Alive. They have just been featured in The Wall Street Journal and on the video our blankets are there being unpacked and shared with the women who now use knitting and crochet to keep themselves occupied and keep themselves alive. I just had to share - I am so proud of our ladies that have spent time and effort to help across the miles - thank you xxx

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Yarnival - why oh why do I start these things!! 

It always starts off as a good idea....'I know - let's have a fibre festival'.....as if I know anything about fibres OR festivals, never mind the two of them together. 

It is NOT HELPED by the like minded and easily led astray friends who say.....'Yes! what a good idea - yes!! let's have a fibre festival'....

When really what they should have said to me was....'NO-OOOOO..........put the thought down and step awaaay from any more DANGEROUS thinking like that'....... 

But no, they ENCOURAGE me! What sort of friends are they!!!??

Now, many sleepless nights later (and I am sure twice the many grey hairs too) I now have concrete butterflies skipping a merry dance in my stomach.

And...AND....AND what is worse (how could you!) there are voices mentioning things like...when we do it again next year... (WHAT!?!) 

So - to keep sane (well trying to make some attempt at sanity) I am crocheting.....knitting.....blocking....and drinking far too much tea

I have started using wooden needles - lovely to the touch - hand made, smooth and polished***

And rather large................ 'thank you' to my two assistants for demonstrating the dimensions of my knitting

Oi you two - gerrroooffff me knitting!!!

***thank you to Mr Threads through my life for making these needles for me :)

I would like to say that normal transmission will resume shortly but seeing that most of my life has been a bit, lets say, haphazard - fat chance.....

Headless chicken moi?

We are still planning our Yarnival and in between writing and testing patterns, making bunting (commission), emailing stall holders, copious amounts of paper work (good grief - whoda thunked it that a fun day playing with wools and yarns would be so grown up and include insurance, risk assessments and health and safety forms - gah!) ordering and unpacking the most delicious alpaca yarns - I decided that I didn't really have enough on my plate so started this.....

Poor old Eldest, he was at home while his younger brother was off out on a jolly with a mate, so he was press-ganged invited to help - you should have seen the world-weary teenage-look he gave me as I tried to explain that I wanted to turn this unpromising looking unit into a something I could use on my stand at the Yarnival festival.

Any way several coats of paint later (and mugs of tea and chocolate for bribery - him and medicinal purposes - me...... you understand of course.....erhem) it was finally done.

Well - what do you think?? I am pleased with it and it holds some of the wools and yarns I am selling - now need to sort out the rest of my stand.

Oh, and in between all of the above, the catlings had to go to the vet to be speyed - so they are now sporting the clipped-on-the-one-side-look, I had to go to the doctor for a check up on my grumpy knee (verdict? - yes it is still grumpy) and now I have to take the knee off to physio. Fortunately my folks have stepped into the breach and are driving me all over the place - I still can't drive! ***I will be so glad when my knee is less grumpy and more co-operative***

Any way - must dash - lots still to do but thought I would leave you with this happy image of my two catlings before their 'close-shave-at-the-vets-that-meant-no-food-passing-their-lips' a story I will share with you - I promise!

Hope the beginning of your week was as happy and carefree - love and woolly thoughts - hawthorn xxxx

errare humanum est ummmm.....

Back after a short break, I know its only been a few days, but after a stint of writing a themed post for the last 21 days, I suddenly had had enough of being a mouse potato (huh?)***

It's been rather hectic around here recently. Our Yarnival plans are going full steam ahead and some days I feel that I can not keep up with all what's going on. Don't get me wrong, its all exciting and positive stuff and I am not a laggard but wow some days my feet (foot) hardly touches the ground (metaphorically speaking seeing I still have the gait of a one legged pirate on the deck of a ship).... but I digress.

I have, my dears never fear, had some excellent hooky time with string bags flying off my hook. I am also writing the pattern for them and testing them out to make sure all errata are eradicated (ooh a bit of alliteration, gosh my brain is all a whirrrrrr) *note to self - drink less coffee first thing in the morning and drink more tea instead*

I found it really easy to make the bags from the recipe in my head, it was only when a friend asked for the patten back in December that I started to have difficulties. Easy peasy I smugly thought as I quickly wrote down the instructions. Umm, I read through it and realised that I better make the bag following the written words rather than what was floating around in my head.  A rather wonky bag began to appear.
Scrap that. Start again.
So, this time, as I went along, I wrote down the instructions. Feeling a little better about it, I typed it out and with a few drawings to illustrate the steps, I handed over the pattern feeling rather happy about it.  Until I was asked for the pattern by another friend, easy peasy again I thought (think I should stop using that phrase - coz it usually ends up being far from it!) and printed out another copy. Said friend sat down immediately with me and started to make the bag.....uh ohh, I could see an issue happening. So using her as a test pilot (had to give her incentive to continue) and plying her with a mug of tea (nothing stronger as I needed serious test flying with this hooky pattern) we went through the pattern again.
Ah Ha! Sorted. She went back home (mind you - she's not reported back if she finished the bag....) and I continued using the now modified pattern (stored in my head - not good)

Now..... I am trying again, to write the pattern in proper terminology, with photographs and easy to follow directions - why? Coz I want to be able to sell a kit complete with yarns and instructions for people to buy at the Yarnival - easy peasy. Why do I set myself these tasks??

All my test bags are finally coming out the same and I'm love loving the jumblement of colours and yarns

The obligatory brew without which, all is lost - oh by the way - did you know I was a tea drinker?

Hmm, needs two grams more then it's correct! Told you it was a 'recipe'!

Well, better get on, have loads of ends to weave in and labels to stitch on, easy peasy! (Oh - hang on, also have to weigh balls of wool, type in correct version of pattern,  take and insert photos as I go along, match colours, bag up and label - err..... easy peasey!)

Ooh almost forgot ***mouse potato? Well - you have heard of couch potatoes - yeah? Well, a mouse potato is someone who is permanently attached to their computer or laptop and today that is certainly me! You heard it here first :)

Wow! For me?? Thank you!

Looky Looky! A subject close to my heart❤❤

knitted hearts❤❤

...........err - try again

Looky looky, two subjects close to my skippity happy heart❤❤

hand-knitted hearts❤❤ made by my by sister in law

...........err, umm

Looky look look - three subjects close to my very happily skippity heart❤❤

hand-knitted hearts❤❤ made by my sister in law for me

Aaaah - they are sooo-oo cute!

And now they are nestling in between flowers

Floating happily with birds

Flying free with butterflies

Thank you dear, dear fave-sis-in-law - did I mention 'wow' and 'for me?' and 'thank you' enough times on Thursday? If I did not - here they are again.......

Wow!

For me??

Thank you!

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

Ps - did you hear the article about the Graffiti Grannies of Cornwall? It's all about yarnbombing -  listen to it here - courtesy of Radio 4, you will need to fast forward to 0:40:39. Inspired by their name I wonder if we should be called the Knitting Knijas for our Yarnival ! 

Hearty❤ happenings and Yarnival preparations update

A quick heart posting today, I have about a million little flowers** to make! No, not really but I do have to get on and crochet like mad.

Today's hearts❤are very kindly supplied by a work colleague who sports them on her feet - thank you H.

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**About those million little flowers - our Yarnival preparations have been going full steam ahead and this weekend we put our display out in the Post Office window. Our local library has also kindly agreed to let us display some woolly goodies. Our Post Office is on the main route through the village and a rather busy little place, the lady who runs it has themed displays in her window regularly through out the year so we are really chuffed to be allowed a slot leading up to our woolly festival.

Any hoo - last night I was (despite a heavy cold) crocheting up a storm making butterflies - they are so easy to make and so-oo cheery and so-oo happy and I am so-oo-oo in love with them! They are to be displayed on a 'topiary tree' (also crocheted) along with some wonderfully crocheted birds (thank you dear sis-in-law).

And one last quick photo - just look at little miss snooty

I suspect we have just disturbed her beauty sleep .......

Sock♥♥ it to ya baby...... And sky scarf reveal!

Today's hearts♥♥ are very kindly 'sponsored' by our young friend Tash in the form of her rather appropriately adorned feet .....

 Thanks Tash!

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 I have been playing nicely - looky looky! My first baby steps in returning to knitting (last did serious - if you could call it that - knitting when I was still at school)


My sky scarf - each month will be a different stitch and as I go along I intend to get braver and attempt more complicated patterns.

I am having such fun firstly doing the recording of the sky colours - I am keeping an eye over the whole day which is why there are so many colour variations and then translating my colouring into knitting is actually good fun. 


I suspect you 'proper' knitters out there have noticed the fringe on the left of the scarf. This is my second attempt, the first only being a one row per day meant the final scarf would only be about 75cm long so I ditched it. However, with my first attempt I wove in all the ends, when I started this one I decided that I actually liked the fringing along the edge and am deliberately leaving a length of yarn. Once I finished the whole project I will trim them neatly.. 


Before I go - a sneak preview - just look at what my mom knitted for me!

How brilliant is that?! Oh - notice the little stool I'm standing on? Well she did that too! The socks however are the model's own (hahahaha) and yes I do deliberately choose to wear odd ones - it makes me happy :)




Pop over to the Yarnival page - it's about to be updated 

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Surprise Hearts

Some hearts are collected through out the year and some hearts appear out of the blue. This is one such heart or group of hearts in this case.

A small gift left for me at my back door with a beautiful get well card. I have had some really pretty cards. How lucky am I? (please excuse the furry face - it seems to get into EVERYTHING at the moment...) At this very moment she is sitting next to me purring like billy-o!

Thank you dear kind people - thank you xx

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I am using this time at home (cosily wrapped up under my ripple blankie with the fire and the catlings for company) to crochet madly and organise our Yarnival fibre event.
After yesterday's little preview, thought I'd share some more snippets except that these snippets are a little more less obvious as to what they will end up as!!

Any Guesses??

Just look at all those ends I need to weave in! 

gah.

Any ideas yet?

Hehehehe thought not!!

box of various shades of green

rigged up yarn feed

direct to my waiting hook

to make.....

this......

it is only about a quarter it's finished size, 

so better stop blogging and get hooking!

I can't wait to share and show what we are making and doing for the fibre event, it is so exciting!!


ps - added later - I've just realised this is my 500th post - wow! Whoda'thunked it!