Happy St Andrews Day to all around the world who share this Patron Saint!
Scotland is going St Andrews mad today , school has dress down and wear something Scottish (never seen so many wee boys in kilts and C U Jimmy hats , and never seen so many tartan ribbons and dresses either!) The music on the radio was all Scottish bands this morning , but no "White Heather Club" or Jimmy Shand and his (accordion) band!
This year is the 250th anniversary of the birth of the poet Robert Burns , Scotlands National Bard , so all this year Scotland has been celebrating "Homecoming" , a call for expat Scots , or those of Scots descent to visit and enjoy all things Scottish . My pal Lilith has her "Homecoming" yarn collection which finished at the end of the year , so have a peek and buy before it all goes !
And I have been a wee bit busy , here are some (blocked) knitted items , they may be gifts !
Here is my Icing Swirl Hat , blocked and much slouchier , I should really sew in the loose ends though , finishing never was my strong point!
And here is my second Ishbel , knitted in Old Maiden Aunt "Ysolda" colourway , alpaca/silk fibre mix . It is such a delicate beautiful shade ,reminds me of fine bone china .
And talking of Ysolda , here are some more photo's from Saturdays visit to Once a Sheep !
Here is Anne looking swell in an Ishbel Beret and Damson shawl/scarf !
This lady thought she didn't suit hats , I think not , Snap-Dragon Tam looked perfect on her!
And here is a Stitching Time Bletherer , the lovely Liz trying on the snap-dragon flip-top mittens , try saying that after a few Islay Malts , eh!
On the subject of mittens , I have lost one of my beautiful handspun hand-dyed , hand-knit mittens ! Sob ! So I will have to knit another pair tonight as it is so cold .
Anyway , wherever you are , whatever you do , have a wonderful St Andrews Day !
The pictures tell the story , I have quite a few more photo's which I will publish tomorrow !
These two lovely ladies came to visit today , Ysolda and Sarah ! Ysolda is wearing her Vivian design jacket , and Sarah is wearing a gorgeous knitted dress , pattern called Noyaux by Cirilia Rose .
They brought all these beautiful samples of garments and toys knitted using Ysoldas' patterns from her Whimsical Little Knits and Whimsical Little Knits2 books . The books "went like snaw aff a dyke" , and we got our books signed by the designer herself!
Irene got to try on the Peak Island Hood ! That's Karen and Ysolda laughing along with her !
Kimmie got to try on the Emily capelet , it is so very her ! I can see one being knitted soon .
There was tea and cake and lots of people buying books and yarn , lots of chatting and laughing and trying on things .
Liz got to try on the flip-top snap-dragon gloves (matches your Rav name Liz!) , Anne got to try on Damson shawl and Ishbel beret which really suited her . I didn't catch the ladies name who tried on the Snap-dragon beret , but it really suited her .
It was a lovely day , met so many folk who are on Ravelry too . Thank You Karen for being such a generous host , and Thank You Ysolda and Sarah for visiting us !
Well , I did finally make it to the Once a Sheep preview night once the weather (and the removal of an upturned car) calmed down a bit.
It is all so lovely , the yarn , needles , spinning wheels and supplies..........sigh !
The official opening was yesterday , and what a grand day . Tess came down from Johnstone , and Angela came up from West Kilbride . And lots of the knitting group and locals showed up too . There were gifts and cards handed in , and the lovely Yvonne sent Karen some flowers !
The weather started to misbehave , but not before my sister treated herself to some gorgeous Manos Wool classica , and my Mum bought a wonderful Noro pattern book (which I will borrow at some point in the future !)
And next week Ysolda is visiting with her Whimsical Little Knits 2 book . I have the first one, bought back in September , and have knitted at least three items from it (4 if you count my latest project , the lovely Ishbel beret)
I love Ysolda's designs , they are very "knittable" , well written and look great . I practically live in my Ishbel shawl , and will be knitting a few more of these for gifts too.
Finished another one for my Mum , and will be casting on another soon , after I've finished my Ishbel beret . I bought some gorgeous Jamie Possum Handpaint yarn for this project and it is knitting up a treat.
Will need to get some more photos up soon , my camera has finally give up the ghost, time for a new one I think!
I am in a very grumpy mood ! Its to do with the weather , or rather the gales and rain , LOTS OF IT! It is disrupting everything ! DH is stuck in traffic jam a mere mile and half from home .
AND tonight is Preview night at Once a Sheep , my good friend Karens' new yarn and spinning supplies store . WEATHER IS KEEPING ME FROM YARN! Bother!
Rant over , anyway , did take a wee peek in today and WOW! its looking good , lots of lovely Debbie Bliss , Noro , Natural Dye Studio , Manos del Uruguay...... AND the needles , gorgeous knitpro wooden needles , a lovely Joy spinning wheel , soe gorgeous spinning accessories .....mmmmmmm .
Beginning to get annoyed that the weather is keeping me away from all this , humph!
The weather and I will report back when we are both in a better mood!
Well , its been a busy few weeks since I last posted . My good friend Karen is "bizee" getting her shop all ready for its grand opening in December , my other good knitting buddy Carrie is now Stateside in Seattle (remember the second "t" !) and I've been helping out at school on their "Room on a Broom" themed project .
We had two "Goodbye" evenings for Carrie , one at her house where we presented her with our gift of an Ashford Traveller Spinning Wheel , and another at the Tontine Hotel where we all had a lovely meal and signed Carries Treadles for her to keep - and we were naughty at both! lol
In between all this , Karen and her family and a few volunteers have been busy painting , laying floors , sorting leaks , ordering yarn .......oooohhh more yarn soon! And , her poor Dad has been in hospital too ! It is so exciting , and I can't wait for the shop to open at the beginning of December .
In the meantime I have managed to finish my Ishbel in Knitwitches Silk and Mohair , colourway Delphiniums . It is actually the small size but I used bigger needles , and voila , a large one ! I still have quite a wee bit of the yarn left .
Here is a dreadful photo courtesy of photobooth on my mac , camera is on the blink!
It is so warm and soft .
And comes at least halfway down my back .
It can be worn over the shoulders like this .
Or just hanging nicely over the arms - here is my lunch a bit of a made up recipe , and it turned out tasty!
Salmon and Beef Noodles
Ingredients :- Green pepper , spring Onions , mushroom , ginger finely chopped (or ground ginger from a jar) , sweetcorn off the cob , Straight to wok noodles , beef stock , soy sauce , oil.
Fry the onions and pepper in the oil and soy sauce (a good dash) , add a little water then add mushrooms and ginger and fry for a few mins . Next add the noodles and beef stock (as much as you like, or as little) , then add the sweetcorn that has been cut off the cob. Cook over a high heat for five mins , the take off the heat. Add some broken up poached salmon , mix ,then serve in a large bowl .
Eat as a soup or a stew and with toasted wholemeal bread! Mmmmmm!
Mum was right , Hunger does make a good kitchen!
