Saturday, February 18, 2017

Last night’s problems were resolved shortly before midnight, by two nurses who replaced my husband’s catheter, leaving me weary today (Perdita seems fine) but otherwise OK. The standard of care we receive continues to be astonishing.

An old friend and one-time next-door neighbour from Birmingham came to call today. She said that when her 90+-year-old mother was in hospital towards the end of her life, the social worker called the family in and said that Mrs Molnar would have to be out in a week (i.e., you’ve got to organise care and pay for it). I don’t entirely see why Scotland doesn’t sink beneath the waves, providing us with so much.

Not much knitting today, what with Nina’s visit and general exhaustion. But I am well embarked on the second half of the tenth repeat of the centre pattern of Mrs Hunter’s shawl. Each repeat consists of two rows of roundels, the second one offset.

I learn, a bit too late, that the EYF organisers were here (=around the corner) at Kathy’s Knits today, with a trunk show of patterns from Wool Tribe, the EYF magazine. I doubt if I could have fitted it in, even had I known, and it would have increased the stress of the day to try. I'm sort of sorry, anyway, to have missed it.

What I did do yesterday was to email Franklin urging him to book a gig at next year’s EYF. (I did that last year, too, with no result.) He’s all we lack. I’m sure they’re right in claiming to be “the UK’s premier urban hand-knitting show”. Presumably “urban” is included so that they don’t seem to be pushing ahead of Shetland Wool Week – otherwise, I can’t think of any rival claimants. Having all classes and all free-range market tickets sold out six weeks in advance would make Vogue Knitting Live itself feel a bit envious.

Presumably they are looking for bigger premises for next year. Both the vendors and the knitters must be intensely frustrated at the thought of all those people, keen to buy yarn, being kept outside the doors.


I also went to the Baa Ram Ewe website to look at their Dovestone DK, recommended for the shorter Ancasta. It looks pretty wonderful, both in terms of colour and of composition – none of your poncy merino, it is a blend of the wool of three breeds of British sheep. (I gather the British climate is too cold and damp for the delicate chests of merinos.) I haven’t emailed them yet, but will soon. It is sufficiently expensive that I would be glad for guidance on how much to buy – which Laine doesn’t provide. And sufficiently glorious, that I hope they will say they’re bringing truckloads to the EYF and I don’t have to choose a colour now.

7 comments:

  1. Anonymous11:08 PM

    Two large 'rural' shows I attended in 2016 were Woolfest in Cumbria and Yarndale in Yorkshire. I don't know how these compare to EYF but I'll soon be finding out. I have always thought that the Knitting and Stitching Show held each year in London and Harrogate (and from this year in Edinburgh) are more stitching than knitting.

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  2. Oooooooh Dovestone looks magnificent.

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  3. Anonymous9:33 AM

    Baa Ram Ewe dovestone and titus are both magnificent yarns, and you will enjoy knitting as much as wearing, which is really the point of beautiful yarn. I will be in Edinburgh for a few days this week and plan a visit to Kathy's Knits to check out their supply of New Lanark, another British wool I have experienced with pleasure. And they have a man couch. We're also going to try L'Escargot Bleu, having seen it mentioned on your blog. CarolGilham

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  4. The organisers of EYF have said that they don't have any plans to change venues next year. But there is room for expansion in the Corn Exchange, I believe.

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  5. I have been several times to Woolfest, held in a cattle auction, and felt that the bigger it got, the less enjoyable it was. Alexandra Palace is definitely way beyond being a comfortable experience, at least for me.
    I see what you mean about my comment on KD's yarn hiatus, if we take her to be sharing her feelings in the moment, rather than employing a journalistic device to encourage reader participation. The Comments do make fascinating reading, particularly those where people suggest that she designs something they have a hankering for themselves.

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  6. Re: Franklin - I'm sure if the organizers of the show would contact with him, Franklin would love to come to EYF and teach. So you should email them and ask them to invite him.

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  7. I'm still in Seattle having just attended the fabulous Madrona Fiber Arts retreat. I took a class with Franklin (Embroider your knitting level 2), and found him both informative and entertaining. I know he loves the UK, and I too expect he'd jump at the chance to teach at EYF if invited.

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