September 2010

I am really excited about the Perth shop these days..lots of lovely J C Rennie yarn, Colinette and Adriafil yarns and we are really hoping to stock Artisanyarns this year too. Welcome too to Mandy who is joining the team on fridays!

We are now open every day apart from Sunday and Wednesday is a half day …1-5.00pm . Hope to see you there!

Knit club is fab at the moment with loads of great members and lots of interesting projects on the go…must not forget to say how brilliantly Tilley is doing with her knitting….designing her own bag and scarfe and now creating a doll with pinafore etc…lots of you have been knitting the ‘royal roses’…so I must get on and make something new for Christmas ….my friend Graham (in photo) is wearing a jumper I knitted about 25 years ago!!!!which he won in a raffle on Skye at the local Agricultural Show….his secret to keeping it looking so good ” well I remembered what you said Di about rarely washing wool…so I just haven’t washed it in 25 years! just hung it on the line for an airing”  wow!

after the most wonderful spell of weather I woke up to torrential rain and wind…so much for bringing on autumn….it feels as if we have leapt into winter!

Anyway, I don’t mind because I have been working with the most fab new fibres…from Artisan yarns…which I  am hoping to stock this year..

I have been sampling for the new book and really enjoying getting down to work with some of the best small producers in Britain…more on this later

This is the first photo of new design for the autumn…hoping to photo lots at the weekend up north whilst learning how to hunt for chanterelles with my friend Graham and his girls. This design is semi felted and knitted in pure British Jacobs yarn, which I used for the Cabbages and Roses commission….It’s a great shape with saddle shoulders and side panels……lots of you at UK Knit camp loved it, which is wonderful…the pattern will be ready by the weekend for those of you who have already bought the yarn…….thanks ..can’t wait to get feedback on the design!

Gooseberry and elderflower for Natascha

Here’s something we made earlier!

Now onto the rowanberry jelly!

This is a great recipe from an old friend on Skye…Ros Burgess…she wrote a great book about countryside and island cooking and making…the berries are ready Right Now…so for those of you who want to have a go this is what I do. Ros’s book is called ‘Notes & recipes from an Island Kitchen’..with fab illustrations from Judith MacLachlan.

Rowan Jelly

1.4kgs(3lbs) rowan berries

6 cloves (which I miss out)

450grs cooking apples – bramleys

1.1L (2pts) water

1 lemon rind (I used lime)

White sugar

Pick your berries (best right now before a frost and the birds have got to them) Take them from their stalks and put into the preserving pan with the chopped apples. Add the lime and the water. Simmer gently for an hour or so until the fruit becomes soft. Strain through a muslin bag or pair of (clean) tights over night and squeeze out the juice into the pan. Add 450grs(1lb) sugar to 600ml(1pint) if juice. Stir over a gentle heat till the sugar is dissolved. Bring to the boil and boil for 10mins. Keep testing till jelly starts to set. Pour into jars which have been sterilised and are warm. Cover, seal and enjoy! Great with cheese or with winter root vegs, meats or in sauces…..

This summer has been pretty wild really …not windy or wet but definately STORMY.  I can’t believe it is now September, but it is and I am so happy…autumn is coming and I love it!

I’ve really enjoyed writing up my notes over the past months but this summer I experienced how powerful this medium is for causing caos and unpleasantness. My dear friend Annie Modesitt experienced some horrendous bullying on the net, the storm which errupted over the UK Knit camp and the Ravelry group steering clear of Stirling …all really horrid stuff. I must admit it has taken me a few weeks to pluck up courage to continue with this journal but a light went on in my sleepy brain this morning and I realised what was important….

I love knitting and I love each single stitch that I knit….

What else is there to know…knitting shows me how to love..it opens my heart and allows me to share what I learn…that is what this diary is about. Knitting, sharing and finding joy in every stitch. The way to happiness…and when you find happiness you find love…

for all the bullying bloggers … hope you find happiness through your knitting , you will certainly not find it in angry words…..

So here I am at home….with dog, cat, son, garden, studio and lots of knitting to do and to write about..

dixx