ZARAH'S 'EEEK!' JUMPER.

Zarah learned to ride a bike specially for our trip to Shetland. She also knitted this jumper which has lots of holes knitted into it and a big pair of black scissors and the word 'EEK!'
Marvelous.

ZARAH REPORTS EPISODE 2.

Here are more of Zarah's Shetland reports, drawn on her raincoat. You can see sketches of Deirdre Neilson's gin socks, which demonstrated how much gin you could buy for the amount of money you get from knitting socks. Then Annemore's knitted woolly pants which keep you very warm and only itch for the first two months you wear them. Then there was a lecture that Zarah really wanted to see because it was called knitting with attitude - except it wasn't it was knitting with altitude, about some knitters on a mountain in South America.


There were a lot of custard creams.
That's me giving my presentation (on the UFO Project Administration Service) and people clapping and knitting at the same time.
More Shetland Reports on their way.

TAEKO LEARNS TO KNIT.

Last week, Taeko came to visit Prick Your Finger.
She started knitting, and couldn't stop.She knitted and knitted, and it got way past closing time. Her eyes went droopy, and she still couldn't put her needles down.Her parents asked her to stop, but she couldn't do it.Finally she finished the ball and went to sleep on a sack of wool.
Her parents waited until the sleep was deep and then carried her home.

AUTUMN EQUINOX AT PYF.

Our friend Theodore is from Georgia, where there is a great tradition of balancing eggs on the equinox. It works because of something to do with the earth's magnetic force. It takes a while and then they just stand up! The customers were most vigilant and walked around the eggs.
Mrs. G. our tea cosy was worried about the eggs falling over and breaking, so she kept two behind.

KATHYRN'S FIRST PROJECTS.

Thanks to Kathyrn, who has sent us photos of her first giant leaps in crochet.
Kathryn came for a class last Halloween, and since then she has not looked back.
Kathryn said, "I didn't believe you when you said I could learn the basics in just 2 hours, but you were absolutely right, and I thought you might like to see some of the things that I have made in my first year of crocheting."
Kathryn clearly has plans, she explains,
"I've totally fallen in love with crochet and its many possibilities. I especially love the freedom you get with crochet and am about to start my first ever freeform scarf (oh, and a blanket, and a multicoloured granny shawl, and some fingerless gloves, and a beret, and a hand puppet, and a cushion cover, and a toy dragon, the list goes on and on...)"

Well done Kathryn, we are delighted for you. Love PYF x

FLOCK OF BENCHES.

Trevor Pitt of Pod Projects would like to invite all the makers of the knitted salon benches and their friends to a celebration of 'Flock of Benches at,
NEST, BIRMINGHAM
321, Bradford Street
B5 6ET
on TUESDAY 28 SEPTEMBER, 6pm
Zarah, pictured here putting our bench together, is talking about how the London bench was made, in all it's Herdwick glory, by so many of you.
It will be a wonderful opportunity to meet other knitters of planks from all over the country and have a good old chat.

THE EAST LONDON TEXTILE ARTS SHOW AT PYF.

We would like to congratulate Celia Ward and East London Textile Arts for their touching display in our window. Women from many different faiths, joined together at St. Barnabas Church, to embroider alphabets and animals. Women who couldn't make it to the church, were visited by an out- reach worker, who delivered sewing materials. That even included women from Malancrav, a small village in Transylvania who have their own alphabet!
On the wall is a large hanging showing some of the animals which have been lovingly stitched.
We love this community's work because they have pro longed and enhanced the life of their embroidery by photographing it and reproducing it by making decorative papers and greetings cards on a desk top printers. All the cards and papers are for sale and the money goes back into the community fund. They have designed charming repeating patterns and packaged everything beautifully. The papers would be lovely for wrapping presents of covering books.
To learn more about this project visit www.eastlondontextilearts.org

COMMUTING IN SHETLAND.

In the Loop 2 knitting conference was held in Lerwick, but we chose to stay on the neighboring island of Bressay, at the lighthouse. This meant that we could get lots of fresh air before and after the lectures.



We loved traveling on the ferry twice a day. Celia Pym took all these romantic pictures.


Most evenings we cooked at the lighthouse, but one night we dined out on chips.

Left to right, that's me, Trevor (Treasure)Pitt, Katy Beven, Louise, and Our Zarah.The ferry was quieter at night, and then we would cycle home in the dark. We didn't have lights on our bikes, (there were very few cars), and when it got really black, the light from the lighthouse would come every half a minute or so, and light up the way ahead, and then we would have to remember which way to steer. So much fun!

ZARAH SHETLAND REPORT EPISODE 1.

We bought Our Zarah a plastic cape, in case it rained whilst riding our bikes in Shetland.Of course it didn't rain, so she documented the whole trip on it instead.
Read more about our trip to Shetland, in the next episode, to be published soon.

NEW IN STORE!

The whole place feels new,
but there's great potential,
in fabric glue.
£2.50 a bottle!

IN THE LOOP 2 - SHETLAND / FURY GABLES.

...and here is another reason why I haven't blogged for ages! We were blown away in the Shetland Islands. We went for In The Loop 2 Knitting Conference at the Shetland Museum in Lerwick, where I was speaking. We took our bikes and one day I bunked off to photograph fury gable ends of deralict croft cottages, which turned me on for many reasons but mostly because I am knitting a grey Herdwick raglan pullover.More Shetland anecdotes to follow soon.

SHOP RENEVATIONS / THE DRESSER HAS MOVED!

There's new paneling, (read about below) and the dresser has moved into the second room. This means the front of the shop is purely yarn and darning and the second room is embroidery, haberdashery, books and suprises. It is much cosier and brighter.

SHOP RENEVATIONS / RESPECT THE SPINDLE SHELF AND FLEECE CORNER.

The drop spindles have finally got the respect they deserve! Only £4, this ancient tool, with it's own shelf, has been a top seller this week.
Underneath the spindles is the fleece corner, the home of Prick Your Fingers M25 Fleece Orbit, which is mostly Romney and Oxford Down, washed and yours for £3/ 100g, fiercely guarded by Lorna's denim Barbora Bears.

SHOP RENEVATIONS/ FRONT UNITS.

These are the new front units, which I built out of the doors which used to panel the second room. They are not totally full yet but are designed to house our new range of coloured ropey.
That's Aska winding yarn in the window - she's our new Saturday help, and she makes fantastic shortbread. Hopefully you will be seeing more of her!

SHOP RENEVATIONS / TOP SHELF.

Top shelf is where the tops in moth proof sweetie jars live, ready for hand spinning.
Didn't bother sanding too much, because I was hoping no one would look too closely.

SHOP RENEVATIONS / STEP.

Ever since I knocked down the partition wall, into what we call 'the library' (where we work and hold classes) we've been saying "Mind the step!" because there wasn't a step there to mind. I filled the gap and built one, so we don't have to take giant leaps to serve customers or answer the phone.

SHOP RENEVATIONS/ WALLS.

Walls have feelings too!
We have paneled the second room in ply wood, for a warmer feel. All our building materials are found disguarded - that's our rule.
The ply wood had been left for dead, after being abused by a building site just around the corner. Used as a fence around the site, the other site was painted in purple gloss with QPR graffiti in yellow spray paint. Each sheet had been attacked with a glue gun, and stuck to another piece. Then, as all the sheets were brutally pulled apart, the thin wood layers were ripped, leaving darker red layers underneath.
We spent two days, drilling around the wounds, sanding away the splinters, darning with linen and Herdwick, and cutting the sheets into 12" panels.

POST.

Hello everyone!
I haven't posted in such a long time because I'm still making sawdust in the shop 24/7.
Thanks to Rocky, who has made the first post for me.