So apparently HRH Prince of Wales* is trying to encourage people to wear more wool, as it's a sustainable material.
I can't say I'm going to argue with that! I don't think I can claim any personal endorsement from him, but still it's nice to have influential people on side.
There's an interesting slideshow on BBC News here. Much as I love knitting, I'm not convinced that eyewear is the way to go, however.
*I met him once. He was shorter than I thought he would be.
Tuesday 26 January 2010
Sunday 24 January 2010
New listing - more stripes!
So I seem to have a bit of a thing for stripes at the moment. I really enjoyed making this beret:
The purple stripes are made from pure wool and the lilac from Cashsoft Aran. It gives an interesting textural variety to it - a little like patchwork. I might do a bit more stripy work in the future, although I'm currently busy with a custom order so it'll have to wait a little while!
The purple stripes are made from pure wool and the lilac from Cashsoft Aran. It gives an interesting textural variety to it - a little like patchwork. I might do a bit more stripy work in the future, although I'm currently busy with a custom order so it'll have to wait a little while!
Tuesday 12 January 2010
New listing - pink and purple scarf
So my latest creation is.... not a hat! How revolutionary is that?!
I decided to branch out from the circular to the linear for a number of reasons. Firstly, one of the lovely folk on the Folksy forums suggested that perhaps my shop could do with a bit more variety in terms of stock. I agree entirely, although I do rather love hats. Secondly I had a crazy impulse buy of some Debbie Bliss Como wool which is the most gorgeous, snuggly wool I've ever worked with(90% merino, 10% cashmere).
Financially it wasn't the smartest of moves because the wool alone cost nearly £20 which isn't great for a hand knitted accessory (people do seem to be expecting high street prices despite the fact that (i) mass produced accessories are often machine knitted so there is considerably less labour time (ii) synthetic materials are cheaper than those with a high wool content (which is what I almost always use) and (iii) even if the materials on the high street are good quality there are various economies of scale with which I can't compete) but I just thought 'what the heck' and went ahead anyway. I don't know if I can justify the expense on materials again though, so perhaps this will be a one off!
One problem I did have was trying to photograph the thing! Hats are a lot more manageable in that regard - they tend to sit still - whereas the scarf kept fighting back. I also had trouble finding a way of arranging it to get as much in as possible. Here are a few of the ones that came out reasonably well (Folksy only let you have 3 and I felt I could have done with more on this occasion!)
What do you reckon? Should I make another one sometime? I have to admit if the weather doesn't perk up a bit soon I might be very tempted to keep it for myself! So if you want to get in first, have a look at the listing here.
I decided to branch out from the circular to the linear for a number of reasons. Firstly, one of the lovely folk on the Folksy forums suggested that perhaps my shop could do with a bit more variety in terms of stock. I agree entirely, although I do rather love hats. Secondly I had a crazy impulse buy of some Debbie Bliss Como wool which is the most gorgeous, snuggly wool I've ever worked with(90% merino, 10% cashmere).
Financially it wasn't the smartest of moves because the wool alone cost nearly £20 which isn't great for a hand knitted accessory (people do seem to be expecting high street prices despite the fact that (i) mass produced accessories are often machine knitted so there is considerably less labour time (ii) synthetic materials are cheaper than those with a high wool content (which is what I almost always use) and (iii) even if the materials on the high street are good quality there are various economies of scale with which I can't compete) but I just thought 'what the heck' and went ahead anyway. I don't know if I can justify the expense on materials again though, so perhaps this will be a one off!
One problem I did have was trying to photograph the thing! Hats are a lot more manageable in that regard - they tend to sit still - whereas the scarf kept fighting back. I also had trouble finding a way of arranging it to get as much in as possible. Here are a few of the ones that came out reasonably well (Folksy only let you have 3 and I felt I could have done with more on this occasion!)
What do you reckon? Should I make another one sometime? I have to admit if the weather doesn't perk up a bit soon I might be very tempted to keep it for myself! So if you want to get in first, have a look at the listing here.
Friday 8 January 2010
Folksy Friday - Snow Day
Returning after a bit of a hiatus (sorry about that) this week's Folksy Friday has a snowy feel. Lest anyone should think I am overly pre-occupied with precipitation, I should point out that everyone's talking about the snow.
Firstly, to help you describe the current weather conditions in any French tense:
In case you've forgotten what a snowflake looks like:
If you feel like staying in, knitting is a good way to pass the time:
If you're thinking of braving the outdoors, make sure you're appropriately decorated:
This might inspire you to get out and about:
But watch out for Yetis!
Firstly, to help you describe the current weather conditions in any French tense:
In case you've forgotten what a snowflake looks like:
This might inspire you to get out and about:
But watch out for Yetis!
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