Beaker Button Blog

I have been having a whale of a time with my Fair Isle project.  I'm finding that knitting with two strands in your hand is easier than I thought it would be, and there is a little frisson of interest every time you have to change colour (yes I know I need to get out more). I've even experimented with having the wool in either hand although I find that my left handed knitting technique leaves a lot to be desired and the tension is tighter for the left knitted stitches.  At the moment I prefer holding the wool in my right hand with the first colour over my index finger (this is the purling finger for me in rib) and the second over my middle finger.  My tension appears even and all is looking good.  And then, 10 rows in, I realise that the twist in the work isn't the normal twist you get when there are only a few rows on the needle.  It is in fact a twist!  I am knitting the Mobius Fair Isle Slipover.  After much deliberation, and swearing...

This is a brief post but I wanted to show you all the fabulous yarn that my friend Natalia made.  She bought a wheel from another friend recently and asked me to show her how to use it.  I say show her how to use it because you don't really teach Natalia, you show her and she teaches herself.  Usually with a lot of comment!  I was very impressed with her work here and her dedication to her new hobby.  Long may it continue. preparing the fibres spinning away (very fast, can't get her to slow down) finished silk/merino mix

There is a Viking long ship with four Vikings on the river in Andover. They are there to commemorate the  founding of Andover by Vikings in 950 AD, when a Viking King built a hunting lodge at the site.  Another Viking connection is that King Olaf was baptised a Christian in Andover.  He later took Christianity back to Norway.  See here for a little more detail about Andover and it's Viking roots   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andover,_Hampshire#Early_history . I've always loved the statues (erected to celebrate the Test Valley in Bloom Millennium Celebrations), with their Noggin the Nog faces and their bright colours.  So when we Spitfire Knitters planned our next bout of anarchy they seemed like the logical target.  Besides, we were concerned that they would freeze in the coming snow.  So we made them woolly hats and scarves. The only problem is, they are too far away from the bank to get to them.  So I had to wade ...

So my challenge for this year is to teach myself how to knit fair isle.  I picked the book I'm going to start with, The Art of Fair Isle Knitting by Ann Feitelson .  I chose this book partly because of the gorgeous cover.  I mean, who doesn't love the colours right?!  More importantly it seems to be very in depth, comprehensive and have fabulous patterns in.  It talks about history, working with colour, pattern and technique.  What's really nice is I understand what the author is talking about, which bodes well for teaching myself.  So I started reading, taking little bits at a time.  I like the history and the stories, but I really want to get knitting, so I will catch up with those nits as I go.  I picked this pattern, Hilltop Slipover, partly because it seems to be one of the more simple and easy to read, and partly because I like the colours (you're probably seeing a theme here, yes, it's nearly always about colour for me, ...

Some of our Christmas gorilla crochet and knitting.  I'm told it cheered up Andover a little.

We spent a fabulous day riding up and down on vintage buses in Winchester today http://s262662507.websitehome.co.uk/page63.html .  We were accompanied by my Uncle Simon, who is a bus enthusiast, which meant we got all sorts of fascinating history about the buses and the companies that ran them.  We parked at St Catherine's park and ride and caught a free vintage bus into town.  Alex got his feet soaked (as usual when going near any water of any sort) so I bought him some new socks, then we met Simon on the Town Hall steps.  We ate lunch at subway (which always feels like slumming but tastes divine.)  Our first proper bus was a 1935 Paris bus. Just think, I might have been sitting in the same seat as a member of the French resistance.  The smell was fabulous, diesel and dust.  The Paris bus took us for a ride around Winchester, mainly through housing estates.  After stopping for the nicest hot chocolate I've had in years (from '1871...