TINA TURNER, WE DON'T NEED ANOTHER HERO.

But we do need shoulder pads. Back in fashion and now in stock at Prick Your Finger, £3 a pair.

IN THE BLEAK MID WINTER, WE SEND YOU LOVE AND A CHALLENGE.

Season's greetings to you all!
Here are the first and last verses of Christina Rossetti's 'In the Bleak Mid Winter,' knitted in a word search, for you to puzzle over through the longest nights. There are clues to the words too, listed below, and the little words like 'in' are all present.
I am fully aware that it is impossible to do this on a computer screen, and it is meant as your Christmas card, so if you require a larger version to print out, please e-mail info@prickyourfinger.com and I shall e-mail you a copy .

1. Charmless, inhospitible and dreary.
2. Half way through the coldest season.
3. Popular snowman in children's song.
4. Experienced after eating too many sprouts.
5. Another way of spelling 'maid'.
6. Noise made with pleasure or pain.
7. The planet we live on.
8. Up right on both feet, past tense.
9. Not soft.
10. Used to flatten creases.
11. We are advised to drink 8 glasses a day.
12. A rolling _ gathers no moss.
13. Atmospheric water vapour, frozen into ice.
14. Not recently. (4,3)
15. To be generous.
16. Lacking in money.
17. Tender of sheep.
18. To take along.
19. Baby lamb.
20. Learned.
21. Male.
22. My share. (2,4)
23. Pumps blood around the body.
24. _ from grace.

In the bleak mid-winter,
frosty wind made moan.
Earth stood hard as iron,
water like a stone.
Snow had fallen,
snow on snow, snow on snow,
In the bleak mid winter,
Long ago.

What can I give him,
Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd,
I would bring a lamb,
If I were a wise man,
I would do my part.
Yet what can I give him?
Give him my heart.

BUST CRAFTACULAR.

In the minutes leading up to the strike of mid day on Saturday last, queues started to form outside York Hall, Bethnal Green, for the one and only Bust Craftacular.
The first one hundred customers received a PYF, hand printed goody bag, which we made in the shop last Monday.
Some were red and some were pink.
We were teaching people to knit in the bar, and our stall was set up on Louise's laundry rack.
I've not seen so many crafty feminists in one place for a long time. They all bustled around Tatty Devine's Christmas Tree Tombola.
We laid a wool trail between York Hall and the shop, which proved good for our business.
We taught lots of people to knit, and had a lovely day but by twenty past six we had done too much talking and were ready for chips.
Thank you Victoria for organising such a brilliant event and to Mrs. Higgins of Tatty Devine and Zarah for the photos.

SPARK PLUGS.

We are delighted to announce that we are the proud receivers of a Crafts Council 'Spark Plug Award'. This means that we are becoming curators.
It is all due to Mr. Trevor Pitt, who in coming all the way from Birmingham to deliver his 'Soft Bench in a Hard Landscape', stopped for a cup of tea, looked around and suggested I applied for the award.
Taking everything Trevor says seriously, I wrote all weekend, as the deadline was only 3 days away. Ella Gibbs drove over to have dinner and read what I wrote and the Spark Plugs failed on her car. The AA man said that was pot luck, and that they weren't earthed. He had to come out twice, so I hoped my application would be successful. With about 5 hours to go, Louise gathered images and fixed the printer, Trevor juggled the English and I hand delivered the envolope.
Trevor was right, Louise and I are developing a show, which we are passionate about. I shall write more about it in due course.

BUST CRAFTACULAR.

Please come and visit us and lots of other crafty people at the BUST CRAFTACULAR st York Hall this Saturday. We will be near the bar, ready to help you with any knitting or crochet enquiries, and there is a free Prick Your Finger goody bag for the early birds. See you there!
For more info go to http://www.bust.com/craftacular/About-London.html

POSTCODE SOCKS.

Serious second sock syndrome with this pair! I started them during the Men's Wimbledon Semi - Final and finished last weekend.
The postcode socks are incredably warm, in Wensleydale 4 ply, and contain postcodes of my loved ones, so should I ever be washed up or lost on an adventure, I shall be returned to somewhere familiar.
The second sock was harder, because after my family, there are so many postcodes and places and loved ones to choose from.

KIKI BEDDING.

Thank you to Bev, who brought us this wonderful package in Spain.
'Kiki, Pelo Especial Para Nidos' is luxury bedding for baby chicks.
It is just rough goat hair sold in a beautiful packet.
Genius.
Why can't all packets of things be this cool.
Bev has a shop on Columbia road, and she makes fabulous clothes, and witty bits and bobs. Do pop in if you are passing.