WE COULD HAVE DANCED ALL NIGHT!

Thank you to Susi Joel for bringing such a delightful bunch of people to her private view at PYF, we loved meeting them all. We are finding the company of her work very peaceful and happy. 

Thank you also to Rachel Smithies for making these garlands for our birthday. That was a lovely suprise!

For those of you who asked why the cranberry cocktail was so delicious, it was because it had tonic water and lime in it. 

NOW WE ARE BIG.

Shortly after we opened our shop, Susanna Edwards wrote in 'Design Week' magazine about our hand knitted sign. 

"an example in the whispering category of typography, Prick Your Finger is a contemporary haberdashery in Bethnal Green......It's signage is innovative, yet quiet in its content, process and display. Hand-spun typography has been made from the wool of Rough Fell sheep, the sturdiest mountain breed in Britain. Too rough a material to wear, it has been spun un-washed to produce typography that is full of lanolin that makes it waterproof.  It is homemade: only a spinning wheel and a crochet hook was required, and no sign writer or manufacturer was required.  Even the name "Prick Your Finger" pertains Sleeping Beauty falling asleep."

Our sign was also quiet because I knitted it the night before the opening! 

One year on and Rosemary has had the task of knitting most of the new typeface. It is knitted in Swaldale roving, and soaked in vegetable oil to replace lost lanolin.

Needing a tall man with a ladder, Louise went to our pub, the Florest,  and Bob was just knocking off sick. Fortunatly Bob wasn't that sick, and spent the next hour putting up our sign, for which we were most gratefull.

The letters were a tight fit, but as Louise handed Bob the nails, Rosemary looked on ernestly, and shouted 'left a bit, right a bit,' until we all, along with the people having their lunch in the Wild Cherry over the road, agreed it was perfect.  To thank Bob for his time, Louise darned one of his cashmere jumpers. 

We hope you like our new sign.

SILK IS STRONGER THAN STEEL.

Museums Sheffield are currently hosting the Vivienne Westwood exhibition, which was originally shown at the V&A. We like Museums Sheffield, because they had the bright idea of making an exhibition about knitting to run along side the Westwood show. I'm really chuffed because Vivienne Westwood 'told' me to knit when I was a child, so I shall be goggling at those jumpers.

'Get Knitted' opens on July 10th and it will feature the Cast Off Knitting Club back catalogue of films and patterns, and some brilliant public work by brother Shane Waltner, amongst others. 

Sheffield has a heavy history of Steel, so I knitted them some knives, forks and spoons in silk for the exhibition catalogue, because silk, is of course, stronger than steel.

The pattern for this friendly cutlery will be printed in the catalogue.

WE ARE ONE.

Tomorrow, we would like to invite you to Susi Joel's private view at Prick Your Finger, but we are also one year old, so please come over for one of our unique cocktails served in yellow teapots.

SHEEP OF THE WEEK

Sheep of the week is the Ryeland, as mentioned in the Monmouth Cap post, below.  They originated in Herefordshire  and became known as Ryelands because they grew up in the rye growing areas, where they would graze over the emerging plants, thickening them up. By the early 20th C. they had almost died out, and the Ryeland Society was set up in 1903, to protect them.  They are popular for small holdings because their wool has exceptional felting qualities, and is good for hand spinning. Thank you to this Scottish farmer for his delightful video.

MONMOUTH CAP IS BACK!

Fluellen, Henry V, Act IV, scene 7 reads...

"Your magesty says very true: if your majestie is remembered of it, the Welshmen did good service in a garden where leeks did grow, wearing leeks in their Monmouth caps; which, your majesty knows, to this hour is an honourable badge of service; and I do believe your majesty takes no scorn to wear the leek upon Saint Davey's day."

Stephen doesn't have a leek in his Monmouth cap because he is not Welsh, but Louise is Welsh, and she has just made a pattern for one in PYF Black Welsh Mountain DK.  

The Welsh town of Monmouth lies on the River Wye, not far from Archenfield, a region noted for it's Ryeland sheep. Ryeland produces wool which is great for felting.  Being near the river for easy distribution, and near the sheep for wool, Monmouth was perfectly situated to become a centre of a knitting industry. 

The industry produced several kinds of knitted goods, but became best known for it's caps, which they couldn't stop making and exported across England and Wales and the continent. The Monmouth Cap was at it's trendiest in 15th and 16th centuries, when we simply adored them. In 1488, Henry VII made the Cappers Act, which imposed a fine for the wearing of foreign- made caps. Why should we wear other caps, when we were so proud of our Monmouth knitters.

 Elizabeth I, in 1571, still loved the caps and made a statue "An Act for the Continuance of the Making of Caps," list 15 crafts related to their production, and it required that "...all males above the age of six, except some of certain state and condition, shall wear upon the Sabbath and Holydays, one cap of wool knit, thicked and dressed in England, upon the forefeiture of 3s 4d...." Wives "were constrained to wear white caps of woolen yarn, unless their husbands were of good value in the Queen's book or could prove themselves gentlemen by descent..."

the Monmouth cap was nearly always brown, with a button on top and a tag to hang it up, but there are some records of them being red.  Ryeland fleeces became much sort after and caps started to be made from other sheep breeds.  They became so fashionable that people started making them everywhere and the term 'Monmouth' refered only to the style, and not to the place of origin. This cap was made at Prick Your Finger in London, and the rest of the information on this fascinating subject, including the Monmouth caps sailing to the new World, can be found in the essay "A Short History of the Monmouth Cap" by Jennifer L.Carlson,  www.personal.utulsa.edu/~Marc-Carlson/jennifer/Monmouth.htm from where this whole post was lifted.

PYF ON THE HIT PARADE!

We were delighted to discover this lovely new song "Cryptorchild" by Maralyn Manson, that seems to be about us!

Prick Your Finger, it is done, 

The Moon has now eclipsed the sun,

The angel has spread it's wings,

The time has come for bitter things.....

Except I think he meant to say 'better' things!  Oh well, anyway, thank you Maralyn, we do appreciate it!