Well, I'm getting back into my term-time stride again: I've caught up with the washing, tidied up the house from the Christmas bits, started bunny making again in earnest and am now feeling settled after the flurry of unsettledness that dominates during school holidays. I'm also feeling excited at the thought of some new things that are happening here this year. We are planning big changes to the garden which will hopefully make family life a lot easier when Toby is having meltdowns, but more of that another time because today my head is full of thoughts about workshops.

 

Towards the end of last year a wonderful new craft shop opened in one of my local towns and after chatting with Angela the lovely owner I am now going to be teaching a couple of workshops there. I'm really looking forward to passing on some of my tips for neat finishing techniques. I know I'm a bit unusual in loving seaming and the like but hopefully some of my enthusiasm will help others to enjoy the more fiddly bits of knitting.

 

 

The Creative Sanctuary, Hertford, SG14 1AS

 

My first workshop is on Tuesday February 5th and will be a 3 hour
session making mini bunnies*. I'll be covering various finishing
techniques including mirrored/paired decreasing, mattress stitch
seaming, i-cords and anchored french knots and hopefully everyone will
go away with a finished mini bunny ready for Easter. If you are
interested in booking a place the link is here: Finishing techniques workshop.

 

 

The next workshop is in March and I'm planning to make knitted Easter eggs and there will hopefully be a hedgehog workshop in May, but I'll post details about them nearer the time.

If you are in Hertford any time please pop into the Creative Sanctuary and say hello to Angela. She's so knowledgable and entusiastic about crafts and always gives a very friendly welcome to any visitors. You may even bump into me browsing yarn or buying new needles!

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*  My free pattern for a mini bunny is here and if you use different weights of yarn and needle sizes you can make a family of different sized ones. The three above were made from chunky yarn on 4mm needles, DK yarn on 3.25mm needles and 4ply yarn on 2.25mm needles.

 

 

the bright, clear light of a cold winter's day,

smelling the woodsmoke from the fire in the stove,

knitting up a pattern that is well written and clever*,

 

listening to Chill on my radio

eating hot buttered toast with tangerine marmalade

and drinking a good strong cup of English Breakfast tea, with one sugar please.

 

Added together, these equal a happy morning for me.

 

What are the things that add up to equal your kind of happy?

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* The pattern is Alfredo Gloves by Suzanne Stallard and with its well positioned thumb and neatly integrated shaping it's the nicest pattern for fingerless gloves that I've knitted.

PS: the pattern is written for knitting in the round but I much prefer knitting things flat and seaming them with mattress stitch afterwards, so if you're a clever in-the-round knitter please don't let my pictures put you off giving a lovely pattern a go.

PPS: the yarn used for this pair was Madeline Tosh sock yarn in 'mare' and 'smokestack' full details on my ravelry page.

 

 

Well, the last batch of little cotton rabbits (and friends) for this year are being bedded down in their tissue paper and wrapping and getting ready to be sent off to new homes.

 

I think the annual Christmas batch with their nordic clothing are the ones that I most enjoy working on and I really like playing around with new dress designs. This year my favourite is the dress with the little robins – it was a bit fiddly to knit but I'm quite pleased with how it turned out. I'll also find it hard to say goodbye to Henning with his fat tum and baggy shorts – he reminds me a little of Toby!

 

 Anyway, if you're interested in rehoming any of these 8 animals then please pop on over to my 'shop blog' and leave a comment on any that you like. I'm closing comments and using the random number generator on Thursday morning.

Then I'll be taking a wee bunny knitting break (I'm a little bunnied out) and instead I'm planning on making more wristwarmers. I've just cast on yet another pair, this time using a lovely pattern from Suzanne Stallard, but more of those another time.