Musings of a Knitter - Di Gilpin's blog

Hi everyone,

Di has some gremlins that have been misbehaving with her internet access for the past couple of weeks making it difficult if not impossible for her to get online and keep in touch with you all, in the meantime she’s asked me to post a message to keep you all up to date until she can get the problem solved.

It will surely come as no surprise to learn that the weather has been causing more than it’s fair share of problems too. Sadly the Extravagansey event last Thursday was cancelled (hopefully to be re-scheduled), the Perth shop was closed all of last week because the staff were unable to get to the shop, the Knitclub at the Bothy was cancelled and last weekends workshop had to be cancelled at the last minute when the weather and travelling conditions hadn’t improved.

Di has decided to re-schedule the Creative Colour Workshop to this Sunday 12th from 12-4pm (weather/travel conditions permitting) to give you a chance to have a bit of woolly fun making some Christmas decorations and experimenting with color. Do come along if you can, it will be such good fun.

The weather is also having an effect on the postal service both in terms of Di being able to get to the post office and deliveries; she’s doing her very best to get orders out as quickly as possible but please be patient. Sallie, Di’s administrator, is checking her emails regularly to help keep everyone updated.

Finally, we’re really sorry if any of these difficulties we’ve been experiencing have impacted you over the past week or so, please know we’re doing everything we can to keep our woolly world ticking over but sometimes you just can’t win!

I hope you’re able to find time to enjoy this winter wonderland, if nothing else it’s a good excuse to sit by the fire and knit!

Mandy x

Great knitclub last night! Karen brought the wonderful ganseys her granny had made in Flamborough for her family…they were magnificent! We also had new folk joining us and Flik and her friend came over from Edinburgh during the afternoon…really looking forward to hearing how she gets on with the fab sari ribbon she bought!!!

Really busy today getting ready for saturday and  our special fashion event….we are hosting a range of Fab French clothes, all very reasonable and truly beautiful so hope lots of you can make it to the Bothy between 11am and 4.00pm for a great day out!!!!

Bring your knitting and have a play with some of our fab ribbons…I will be showing everyone ways to incorporate them as embellishments!!!

I will also be showing the fab new range of yarn from the Humbie Knitting Company…wensleydale  hand dyed  and hand spun yarns! We are working on a pattern range for the company and knitting kits and I am really excited because all the yarn is created from Hilary Menzies wonderful flock in the Lammermuirs, spun and dyed in Scotland with a carbon footprint of less than 100 miles to my door! I love it!

New Autumn design! I am back on loving colour work so lots of new patterns coming up in Fair Isle and intarsia. Try your hand at this great new patch pocket cardi…..pattern available on the shop site too! Or kit available in lots of different colours…….

pocket detail

Hey everyone, forgot to mention at knitclub last night the opening of Extravagansey at The Fisheries Museum in Anstruther yesterday…I am going to the talk tonite by Deb Gillanders on Ganseys from Whitby and Filey (my home territory)…hope lots of you can make it down there too and maybe have a wee glass at the pub afterwards!

Edith Rattray from the Moray Gansey project is teaching gansey techniques on saturday too at the museum…not to be missed!

See you there!

Thanks to everyone who came yesterday for knitclub…specially Suzie who has been away for  a year…great to have you back! Also fantastic that Sam and Paula dropped in during the afternoon…what a wonderful surprise…hope you enjoy the jam…. 

Fabulous Eriskay Gansey

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

There are a lot of fantastic creative makers and designers who are frequent visitors to the Bothy Studio, and it has been such a pleasure to meet them all! One of the loveliest designers (aside form Di, of course!) I’ve met since I’ve been here is Dorothy Wood. She is truly a crafty renaissance woman – she designs and creates beautiful Art Cards, knitting patterns, and jewelry, has written loads of books and is regularly published in magazines.

She’ll be teaching another series of workshops at the Bothy this Fall…for more info click HERE

Here are some fabulous photos of some of her gorgeous designs…aren’t they lovely??