Shipston Wool Fair

We had a lovely day in Shipston on Monday at the first annual Shipston Wool Day. This idea was dreamed up by a woman who has twice been mayor of Shipston, in order to celebrate Shipston's history as a wool washing town. The sheep were driven into the river on one side, where the bank slopes gently down, and made to swim across. An elaborate system of hurdles stopped the sheep escaping up or down the river. Out they popped on the other side, nice and clean.

There were sheep:



This is a Herdwick, I think.

There was the biggest sheep in the world (that's not the Guinness Book of Records speaking, it's just what it looked like to me) weighing in at 18 stone (252lb/114.3kg):



That's her head and this is her back:



As someone remarked, "She's got a centre parting."

There was sheep shearing:



These are done, and look very naked.

I'm sure this one is saying, "I'm a bit chilly":



There was knitting:



These are the WI ladies (known as the Shipston KnitWIts). I had a nice time knitting with them. I was knitting a sock on five needles (mostly for effect - I usually use two circulars or magic loop for socks).

These are the socks I was knitting, back on the trusty Hiya Hiya needle:



Toe up Monkeys, based on Cookie A's pattern. I didn't do the conversion myself (though it wouldn't have been all that hard) but used this pattern from Knitting Sutra.

Here's a close-up of the pattern:



The yarn is KnitPicks "Dancing" (41% cotton/39% wool/13% nylon/7% elastic) sent to me by my knitbud, MA from PA. Considering we have never met in the flesh, I was astonished that she managed to choose the very colourway that I would have chosen myself - I truly think we were separated at birth. I can't seem to find this yarn on the KnitPicks site, so it must have been discontinued. It's coming along very nicely, though I do say so myself.

We had lots of interest from passers-by and I even taught two people to knit. Many people said they used to knit but didn't anymore. One mother wanted a refresher so she could teach her daughter to knit so here they are, knitting together:



There was yarn:



This is Jo's stall. Jo is organizing the UK Ravelry Day and informs me that my lace knitting class is sold out, (so that's another 10 knitters lured over to the dark side.)

Jo very generously gave me a skein of her handpainted yarn:



Here's the pink and purple bit:



The yarn is currently sitting on top of the monitor, while I wait for it to tell me what it wants to be.

There was spinning:



although here it looks more like drinking coffee.

There was cake:



from the local baker's.

All the local shops got in on the act:



Gingerbread sheep in the deli:



I even lent roving and my spindle to the florist's (where #1 son works on Saturdays.)

Sadly, Angela, who had the idea in the first place, died two weeks before the event, so never got to see the triumph that it was. At the end, Angela's husband, Alan, the present mayor of Shipston, announced that this was to become an annual event and that the second Shipston Wool Fair will be held on May 31st, 2010.

I, for one, can't wait - I'm sure it will be even bigger and even better next year.

I'm sorry I haven't been diligent with the blog of late but there has been a lot of prep for the lace knitting class which I can't really talk about here in case the students are stalking me.

I'm reading Alan Bennett's "Untold Stories" at the moment and he says, of writing a diary, "What I do always dislike is not having written anything for a while and then finding I have to catch up." Couldn't have put it better myself.

I'll have to start the catching up tomorrow.

Could do better

The most delightful cardie came to my attention. It's called the Botanica Medallion Cardigan and is featured on the front cover of the latest Vogue Knitting. There's a good picture of it on the Blue Sky Alpacas website here, or an excellent video on VK's site here. (You need to click on "The new naturals" and it's #4 - you can click on the thumbnail at the bottom to go straight there).

Naturally enough, I don't have the yarn called for (Blue Sky Alpaca Skinny Dyed Cotton) and I'm not going to get it either. I searched about in the stash and came across seven balls of this:



A 60% cotton/40% linen blend that I've had for ages. I thought it might do, so I started with the medallion:



There it is, unblocked, looking as sad as unblocked lace usually does. It needs to be 16 inches in diameter and I think it will probably get to that size but I'm a little concerned that the fabric is too floppy (technical term).

Then I started on the outer band, which uses pattern stitches with differing row gauges to shape the circle. Very ingenious.

Here's the lacey cables, obtained by wrapping the yarn three times round the needle on one row, dropping the wraps on the next and performing a six stitch cable on the elongated stitches:



Spider's web? Dog's breakfast, more like. This is just so not the right yarn (especially after I saw that video). It needs to be heavier; it needs to have better stitch definition; it needs to swing more (rather than float). Just to hammer the point home, here's the little cable that really should be more visible:



So. Not. The. Right. Yarn.

So now I'm casting about for something else that will do and trying to avoid buying anything (having returned from SkipNorth with less yarn than last year but having spent more money. How did that happen? I have no idea.)

The original yarn is in a strange put up of 65g/137m so we are looking for about 105m to 50g.

I've got some soft, shiny cottony stuff:



It's actually lighter than this in the flesh. No ball bands, of course, so no idea what weight really.

Then there's some Debbie Bliss Wool/Cotton:



Pictured here when I first bought it, years ago. There are quite clearly four balls of each colour. Strangely, though I can't remember using any of it, I can only find three balls of each at the moment. I'm thinking the central medallion in the purple (yes, I know it looks blue but it's purple, trust me) and the outer band in the pinky colour. Weight? 115m/50g, so in the ball-park. But is there enough yarn? The pattern says 1050 yards (960m) and I've only got 920m. That's if I use every scrap of yarn and if I can find the other two balls. There's the answer. No, there isn't enough yarn.

I think I'd better start on the outer band with the white cotton and see how I get on with the cables in that.

It's all a bit frustrating - makes me want to go and knit some lace - it's easier.

Just because you haven't had one for a while, here's the back field. Though there are no sheep visible, there are sheep in the field. Really.

Done (and more yarn).

I got to the end of the Soay Aran, and, though I say it myself, it is rather splendid. Thankfully, the recipient thought so, too:



There she is, in it. That small, brown blob in the background is one of the yarn donors. There are lambs - more yarn is in the offing.

Here is another view, languishing in my garden:



The honeycomb panel in the centre turned out better than I could have expected.

Next up is a similar (but not the same) man's version.

Did I mention more yarn?

This is still from SkipNorth:



I did the Kool-Aid dyeing workshop with Lixie. This is what my sock yarn looks like in the ball.
I don't know what it's going to look like in the sock (or sock yarn blanket). Watch this space.

This little delight is another generous gift from Sue:



Lovely colours. I think it's Margaret Stove Artisan Merino laceweight, though I'm not sure.

There's more laceweight joy here:



(also from Sue). What is this going to turn into? Maybe something from Evelyn Clark's "Knitting Lace Triangles" (or possibly something out of my own head).

Lest you think it's all been scrambling to finish the Aran and gloating over new yarn, let me finish with Ann-at-someone-else's-work's birthday cake:



Yarn? A little Cascade 220, some pink stuff and a bit of Appleton's crewel wool (for the cherry). Pattern available here - go on and make one, you know you want to. Go on.

Even more yarn

You saw some of my haul in the last post but there is more.

The ever-generous Sue gave me some skinny stuff:



I don't quite know what that's going to turn into but something will present itself.

There is some Shetland cobweb (aka very, very skinny):



170g, only £5. I'm thinking I might have another bash at the Wedding Ring Shawl now that the trauma of having to frog the first one has abated somewhat.

I got this cone of unknown green stuff:



from the yarn mountain at KCG. I don't know what it is, apart from that it's two different green yarns wound (not plied) together and it only cost £1.

I'm supposed to be knitting on the Soay sheep jumper (of which more later) but I want to be knitting lace.

I'm weak, what can I say:



This is the beginning of Peacock Feathers from Fiddlesticks. I have knitted this once already but it wasn't the right yarn for the job and it sat, unloved, until a m**h got it. It really was only a small bite but I had never liked it and I threw it away. Yes, right in the bin. Out it went. This is going to be much better.

I am knitting on the Soay jumper. I am. Honestly.

The owner of the sheep (and hence the yarn) wanted me to knit Alice Starmore's St Brigid. It's a pattern that I really like and have in my mental queue but, after some swatching (yes, you heard) it became obvious that this is not the yarn for it.

We have a revised plan - the big, fat plait from St B, a honeycomb panel in the middle and all based on Janet Szabo's Son of Aran.

I did the maths. I swatched. I have something resembling a jumper.

You start with the saddles:




Here's the fat plait, which I have bordered with a simple four stitch twist:




and this is the honeycomb panel:



Even though it's not St Brigid, we still wanted to retain the cable round the neck:



and that's exactly what I did. I haven't added the ribbing as AS did because I don't think it's needed. I shall have to consult with the wearer, of course.

The whole thing needs to be 27" long. At present it's 22" and it's not going to get any bigger unless I stop messing with the computer and start knitting.