First Yarn-Bomb Location: Identified

I'm temping this week at an agency where it's safe to say I'm a regular. I work with one of the two receptionists (blog-names: Showgirl and Tats) each time and they are both equally amused and interested by my current knitting projects and always ask for updates.

Last week I was talking to Showgirl about my upcoming yarn bombing plan and she was intrigued, we ended up looking at various yarn-bombing websites and images together.  This week she's on holiday and so I am covering her. This morning I found she had left me a note asking if I had achieved my yarn bomb yet.

Tats brought it up too, turns out Showgirl was telling him all about it and he too is intrigued. While talking about it, he had a truly fantastic suggestion - yarn bomb her desk for her return from holiday! I was excited, what a brilliant idea - I will yarn-bomb the leg of the desk she shares with Tats and I think she will love it!

It's a creative agency and the desk leg faces the studio not any incoming clients so I doubt anyone will mind...we'll see!

The YARN BOMB TARGET...with a bit of Tat's tatted leg.

Of course this won't exactly be anonymous but there's time for more risky pieces later...let the measurements commence!

“Why do you have a cigarette lighter in your glove compartment?" her husband, Jack, asked her. "I'm bored with knitting. I've taken up arson” 

―Audrey Niffenegger, Her Fearful Symmetry

Streets of Colour

I have been considering having a go at yarnbombing for a while now, looking at images like these has inspired me. I'm going to do it! Watch out London I've got my crafty eye on you....

c/o History to the People

c/o Stickluben

c/o Illusion

c/o Flickamag

c/o Design Drool

I will document my yarnbombing adventure on here, first thing's first I need to select a spot to yarnbomb....

Excitement!!

“Art is an evolutionary act. The shape of art and its role in society is constantly changing. At no point is art static. There are no rules.”
― Raymond Salvatore Harmon, BOMB: A Manifesto of Art Terrorism

Peek Into My Yarn Stash

I recently-ish went to Wonderwool in Wales and treated myself to quite a lot of sock yarn. It was too beautiful to not indulge, the successful heel turning of knitting a sock too addictive, full of way too much satisfaction.

I spent about £50 on various sock wools, one lovely lavender grey Gotland skein specifically for The Big One. He is yet to fully understand and therefore appreciate the world of handknit socks but I think he will be pleasantly surprised...he certainly likes the pair I finally finished for myself.

Here are some of the others I invested in, at last my black sock collection is under threat, there'll be some new kids in town...eventually!

Krafty Koala Mockinjay Butterfly Yarn

Krafty Koala Neon Lights Puffin Yarn

Tall Yarns and Tales Soliloquy Sock Yarn

Koigu Painter's Palette Premium Merino

What do you think?

“His socks compelled one's attention without losing one's respect”

-H.H Munro

Wonderwool? How Wonderful!

Yesterday I booked tickets to attend this year's Wonderwool in Builth Wells, Wales! I am so excited, it's my first Wonderwool and it's very close to My Lovely Dad and his wife M's gorgeous home and B&B The Rhedyn so we get to visit and stay with them. It was his wife M (a fellow crafty) who told me all about it when we were last there for Christmas. She told me there are sheep being sheared and demonstrations about how the fleece is spun into yarn....how exciting is that!?

I also know that two of my favourite yarn suppliers will be there, Toft Alpaca - who are bringing some of their Alpacas (soooo excited) and Tall Tale Yarns who I recently bought gorgeous Canadian Koigu yarn from.

The Big One is coming with me and I am really looking forward to sharing my excitement with him, I wonder what he'll make of it all!

Prepare yourselves - there will many pictures!

"A hobby a day keeps the doldrums away."
- Phyllis McGinley 

Have You Met The Angry Stitch?

You may know that I am now the proud shop owner of The Angry Stitch Boutique, a bespoke cross stitch and knitting service. I design and hand-stitch contemporary samplers and frame them in vintage inspired frames. 

A modern take on a traditional craft. Here are a few currently available to purchase in the shop:

I have stitched many Angry Samplers for various private commissions including the backstage VIP area of The O2 Greenwich and the highly rated Rhedyn B&B. 

To see my latest projects including my handknit pieces like The Goldie Looking Chain Cowl (available in Silver, Gold and Bronze)...

...check out my Angry Stitch blog where all commissions and items available in the shop are regularly posted up.

Angry Stitch, Vintage Stitch...never just cross.

I got a new Persona!

First set of resolutions complete! 

In other circles I am now known as Ms.Stitchx with my bespoke knitting and cross stitch Etsy boutique, The Angry Stitch which features all sorts of stitched treats for your bonce, your home and your friends.

Got something stitched, urban and sarcastic that you want to say, well The Angry Stitch is the place for you!

Consider this a specially stitched invite - come see my new crafty party!

Currently Knitting...

Do you remember that I decided to learn Scandinavian/Fair Isle style knitting? Well I started over the Christmas holiday and am utterly De-LiGhTeD with how it's looking!

The scarf is knit in the round so will be super cosy!

It's considerably easier then I thought and yet the results look so impressive! I think I'm going to change the colours gradually in different sections and am very excited about designing my own patterns eventually! I've already had one order for a scarf in this style so I may be very busy click clacking for a while!

"If the knitter is weary the baby will have no new bonnet." 

~Irish Proverb

More Christmas Knit

I can now share with you the hat I knitted for My Lovely Dad for his Crimbo pressie, it was knit with a bulky alpaca and felt lovely and cosy.

A chunky man hat! 

He seemed to like it.

"And all your future lies beneath your hat."
- John Oldham

Red's Christmas Knit

I saw my sister Red and her boyf Berlin yesterday for a very short lunch, the only time will we see each other this Christmas so we exchanged gifts and now I can finally show you what I made for her..

It's a turban style headband to warm the ears with a bow to dazzle. She seemed to love it and certainly wore it well, which I knew she would. When I started it she dyed her hair from pink to blue and I was concerned I'd make my trendy sister look like a Blue Lagoon cocktail but luckily she soon changed to brunette so it works well!

She and Berlin gave me a lovely canvas bag with this perfect print on it - 

Along with a mix CD for The Big One and I called The Sounds of Berlin and a lovely print from a Berlin photographer. All the presents were so lovely but my favourite was getting to see her for even just a lickle bit.

I will next see her in Berlin when we go to visit, which we hope will be sooner rather than later!

"Christmas isn't a season. It's a feeling. "
- Edna Ferber

Inspired

I was just having a wee peruse on Ravelry when I came across the wonderful Kate Davies, a knitwear designer whose colour work designs are so beautiful that I have made up my mind to develop my knitting skills and try some colour work, that way I can eventually attempt her designs.

All these stunning designs are available via Kate's Ravelry page or her blog Needled.

Boreal

Funchal Moebius

Paper Dolls

Amazing aren't they!

So some beginner colour work patterns to get me brushed up and ready? I think I'll start with  Laura Cahu's Beauchamp Cowl

Or maybe Elinor Brown's  Min Ulla Scarf? Looks incredible but is apparently not too difficile...

We shall soon see!!

"There is nothing so difficult to marry as a large nose."

- Oscar Wilde

A Yarn Round Up: Perth

I cannot let 2011 come to an end without finally blogging about the incredible Elena Costello Yarn & Fibre Studio in Perth Scotland. You may remember I was performing in Perth in September, well amongst my wanderings I found this beautiful treasure trove of yarn. I had meant to blog about it at the time but with the transfer to London, getting ill etc it got lower on the list...til now!

I met Elena herself in the shop and she kindly let me take pics of all the delicious delectables she had on offer,  she even showed me around personally and answered all my questions. She explained that the shop had been flooded and severely damaged only a few months after opening and that it had only  really just been restored to working order by the time of my visit. It looked pretty good to me!

Elena was lovely, really warm and welcoming and if it was closer to London then I'd be in there all the time! If you're in the area, (Perth is incredibly beautiful so well worth a visit) I highly recommend a 'pop-in', you won't regret it - your purse might, but you will skip away with a fabulous recycled paper bag of buzzing excitement just like I did!

See  - even the bags are cool!

Some DK for my afghan of travels and some yellow fun!

Thank you Elena for giving me so much of your time...and your great taste in yarn!

“...the number one reason knitters knit is because they are so smart that they need knitting to make boring things interesting. Knitters are so compellingly clever that they simply can't tolerate boredom. It takes more to engage and entertain this kind of human, and they need an outlet or they get into trouble..."

-Stephanie Pearl McPhee

Just Cast Off

Bought this as a kit at the Knit & Stitch show at Alexandra Palace back in October (a belated post yet to come). The kit came with the pattern and 2 balls of Toft Alpaca Fingering yarn.

It was a fiddly pattern, not the easiest to figure out but certainly not the hardest. ANYway I finally finished it today and was so pleased I popped it straight on for pics before ironing...

I am delighted with it and will be wearing it out tomorrow...after ironing it. Aaarrrgh I hate ironing!

"I buried a lot of my ironing in the back yard."
- Phyllis Diller