Blocking and Elegance

I finally decided on a name for the new scarf in the previous post. I had an idea for a  name early this morning and I was sitting here knitting and thinking I should write it down. But ofcourse I didn't. By lunchtime when I was finishing the pattern and desperately needed a name, I couldn't remember it and decided on 'Elegance' as I find the stitch pattern incredibly elegant. I just love the lines of this stitch pattern. I've kept looking at the photos all day. In the last post I posted some edited photos which had been 'improved' in Paintshop Pro. This morning I tried priting them on my brand new, fabolous, all-singing, all-dancing printer and I wasn't happy. So I tried the un-edited photos and they printed much better. below are the unedited photos (just slightly cropped) and in the last post are the edited photos. What do you think?

 I listed the pattern on Ravelry this afternoon and it's already been favorited by 130 people which is a record for me I think. I've never had so many people favorite my pattern in such a short period of time.

Last Friday I went to a yarn tasting at Hulu Crafts in Devon.  I think I mentioned it in a previous post. While there I picked up a new blocking kit. My old wires are so bent that getting straight lines is becoming impossible. I got the de luxe kit which has more wires. it also comes with some shorter bendy wires (for necklines etc), a yard stick and some t-pins. it all comes in a useful storage tube. Loooking at the blocking page in the Hule shop I see they have some other interesting blocking tools. I may have to take a closer look next time I visit.

I won't have long to wait as I'm teaching a 'Professional Finishing Techniques' workshop there on 2 November. Click here to see details and to book. Most knitters hate sewing up. Since learning mattress stitch I quite enjoy it. Proper finishing is so important and this workshop will teach you how to press your items, seam them using matress stitch, work short row shoulders and join your shoulders using 3 needle bind off, proper shaping which makes sewing up easier and how to set in a sleeve cap.

One of my plans this week was to do some swatching for new designs. Because I've been feeling so unwell - had a bit of a cold, in agony with my shoulder and neck pain, extremely tired and very down - I've not felt very inspired. But yesterday afternoon I was desperate to start swatching for a pattern I started planning a few weeks ago. I did orginally swatch in a laceweight yarn but it wasn't right and I decided the pattern needed a bouncier yarn. I was thinking about trying the new Twinkletoes Sock or Fairytale Sock but they've not been dyed yet (will be tomorrow) so I grabbed a skein of Merino Plus TWIST. I've been desperate to knit with this yarn all week but been in too much pain to even think about knitting socks. It's gorgeous to knit with and very well suited for the stitch pattern so much so that it turned from a swatch to the start of a shawlette. Here's what i did yesterday? (testing out my new blocking wires).

 I also tried my blocking wires out on a Trinity Shawlette. This is the Bambino Sock version. I blocked a blue version too. One of them will be sent off to MSF p/hop HQ tomorrow as they needed another sample.

 Trinity is my most popular pattern on Ravelry and would be perfect in one of my new sock yarns.

 My blocking wires will get used again tonight to block a shawlette I designed almost a year ago I think. I had planned to use it for a book proposal I changed my mind about and I think I may add it to my Easy Lace Collection. Pics next week.

Last Sunday I attended Ktog in Ashburton. Organised for the fourth year by Terri and her team of Devon TeaShop Knitters (at least I think that's what they're called), it was a great afternoon. Joyce from Spin A Yarn (seen in front of the window with customers browsing before the show had even opened) were there.

 And so were Vicky from Hulu Crafts (on the left) and Claire Crompton (and her Mum) on the right.

 Clare is the author of the Knitters Bible series of books and have another book due out soon, this one is a stitch dictionary. I had a quick peek through it and it looks good. Claire is also promoting a new initiative called 'Give a fleece a chance' which aims to promote British sheep and in particular wool producers from the south west of England. Read more here.

Here's my stall. I only took 4 baskets of yarn and some patterns.

I'm hoping to post the Easy Lace Club parcels tomorrow. I started packing them up earlier but had to stop due to pain. I'm going to try to do a little bit more now before I go to bed and hopefully I'll get the rest done between ballet runs tomorrow (both girls do ballet and I drive back and forth 4 times between 9.30 am and 1pm) and still manage to get to the post office by noon.

I'm planning a weekend with yarn dyeing, swatching and printing patterns for Fibre Flurry.