ALWAYS PACK YOUR FLAPJACK!

At Prick Your Finger we have so much on that when we actually want to sit down to some knitting, space is a little thin on the ground.  If using a knitting machine the problem is made much worse by protruding tension wires and a cumbersome bed of hundreds of needles...a thing better NOT seen and only heard muffled from behind a door.  On Tuesday the 18th of November I was sent to knit in the cupboard out the back with nothing but the hoover or ironing board for company and with my suggestions of possible tea breaks met with little optimism. Feeling a little lonely and Harry Potter-esk I hatched a plan on Tuesday night for a bid for freedom and baked a batch of flapjacks with a secret but delicious layer of apple in the middle. 16:15, Wednesday the 19th of November and my brain being a little yarn crazy I opened the door a fraction and made mention of my bargaining tool.  Unable to resist Rachael and Celia insisted on my release and even offered stretching advice.  If you ever get trapped in knitting confinement, be it physically behind a door or mentally imprisoned by your misbehaving stitches I recommend baked goods as an excellent problem solver!

Love from Rosemary xxx (first time blogger)

 

ENERGY CAFE UNDER CONSTRUCTION.

Amy and Ella are launching the world's first 'Energy Cafe' from a horse box in Gunpowder Park. You are all invited to visit and lend skills, materials, company and ideas. 

Energy Cafe will run from food and energy found only within a six mile radius. 

As well as cooking, farming or building skills, they need experts in textiles.... to keep everyone warm in this wide open space! We are thinking of building looms, which can stay outside.

If you are craving fresh air, wide open space, hunter gathering, new friends, and a mission, this could be the project for you to get involved with! The local council are being very lenient on Health and Safety, so anything (within reason) goes. 

Their blog is at www.energycafe.wordpress.com

TIKA'S SOCK PROGRESS!

Tika is doing well with her socks. She's turned the heals and is on her way to the toes. The knitting is fine, but she hadn't recognised that one ball of printed sock yarn was DK and the other was 4 ply. One sock is much bigger than the other. Whoops. Tika thinks it will be fine, she'll just have to knit four socks instead of two, and then one pair can be for her boyfriend.

CUSTOMER OF THE MONTH NOVEMBER 2008!

Jane just quietly gets on with everything!  She's knocking out knitted carpet yarn bags for friends and caffetiere covers to keep the coffee warm down the allotment.  In between all that, and reaping a harvest, she's created this beautiful scarf in Shetland red and yellow woven stitch. Jane pointed out that as well as being a 'textile piece' it also doubles up as a pantomime costume to wear in the school playground where she works.  Well done Jane!

HAIR EVERYWHERE.

Congratulations to Pauline and the Knitchicks, who made a hairy, soapy, felty, knitting circle at the Hair exhibition at the Wellcome Trust last Friday. By adding water and friction, hair is proved to be natures most high-tec fibre because it felts! Annie invited everyone to felt balls of wool with soap and bubbles, and the gathering almost resembled a dance floor. The knitters looked on, chatting about hair. We thought about all the different hairstyles we could have, and how different we all are.....

...And how different all our dogs are.  Anne had knitted a gorgeous cardigan from her five Golden Retrievers. It had the feel of Angora, and the glow of a sunset walk on the South Downs where she lives.

Wigs from Ede and Ravenscroft, take a full eight weeks to make. White horse hair is looped into a bouqlet yarn before being stitched into rows of curls by hand, over a mesh. I forgot to ask how much that costs.

Louise and I have completely different hair, but the structure of it is the same. A bit like this...