Erssie's Rasta Style Beanie
(Jaeger Shetland Aran - Unrealeased and DB Aran discontinued)

I wasn't going to make one of these, thought there would be far too many and more superior versions around. However, i was shocked at the quality of some of the beanies in these colours on sale, lots of scratchy acrylics and really garish acrylics and bad styles. Obviously the nice ones I see on the streets must be made by a loving wife, Mum, Auntie, Gran because I don't see ones like that for sale. I was also horrified to see that shops sold beanies like this with false dreadlocks hanging out. Now, the reason I found those hard to swallow was that of the people I know who have committed to dreads, it has been a long term committment for them or part of their culture, not a stupid party joke. I feel the same way about those fake punk wigs as well and office workers who say "I'm going as a punk" when it's a Christmas fancy dress party. Being a punk is so muh more than hair and music, anyone who was around in the mid to late 70's will realise it wasn;t about being a circus act.




More Swatches...................
Oh yes, here are some swatches in Bamboo and soy silk. I liked the soy silk although it can get a bit crumpled but so can cotton. It seems to drape well be is firm enough for a good tight stitch definition. bamboo on the other hand seemed to feel floppy and insubstantial, at the moment I have a love hate relationship with it.

I would have to commit for a whole garment to know how I realy feel about these yarns. Also, the sheen on them does mean it is hard to make something suitable for all types of people, it is slinky and feminine though. I know it would probably be perfect for a top for me, if I had a bit of waist shaping with the drape, it could make a good alternative to the long sleeved floppy T-shirts I wear. I forgot to say about the bamboo as well, it is so stretchy! That could be perfect for a T-shirt or fitted skirt although on the recommended needle size, you can see daylight through the stitches. I think it is the unfamiliarity of the yarns that leaves me stumped for the moment as to exactly what I'd do with them. however, thanks to SWTC, I have some samples to play with.

How about a pretty baby girls hat and socks? Or some hair accessories for me?
Swatches below from left to right, Crimson 100% soy silk, Greens - 100% bamboo, Parrot - soy silk

Introducing Jonelle and SWTC...........................

I first came across Jonelle as she joined in some of the discussions on the ifthehatfits group. Later I found out that she was the big boss of SWTC who make a lot of yarns in natural fibres that are non animal based



Soy Silk, Bamboo, Tofu, Maize and Hemp

All of these and many more combinations of yarns are interesting options for the vegan knitter but also a refreshing alternative to woolly fibres. Most of them can be found on the South West Trading Company website, go and have a look at their updated website which is now more knitter friendly and less wholesale orientated.

So far, I have knitted one swatch from the variegated shade of 100% Soy Silk,thanks to Viridian who sent me samples. It has a beautiful sheen and the spaces between dyes is similar to a sock yarn. Its also very stretchy and I can imagine it being suited to T-shirts and tops as it can be worn next to the skin. I haven't knitted a whole garment with it, so I don't know how it compares with the bamboo tape yarns from other spinners which have been reported to be heavy.

I am about to receive some samples from The House of Hemp
They grow agricultural hemp which can be made into tree free paper or spun to make yarns which are then spun in beautiful colours chosen by their in house designer. They also provide retreats and weaving workshops. Just looking at their website made me yearn for a retreat, nothing to do but knitting and relaxing without those household matters staring me in the face. I will report back on their sample once knitted and introduce them properly. For now, just have a look at their tempting palette.

If you would like to be introduced on skeinspotting you will need to send me 3 JPEGS of your work if you are a designer with links to your blogs/websites or yarn samples and links if you are a spinner. Please send

1. A JPEG of a classic work which you are identified with
2. A JPEG of a quirky or unusual work (for you) that will be of interest to readers
3. A JPEG of one of your latest pieces of work

Introducing Carol Ventura

I have known about Carol Ventura for some time and have always loved her Tapestry Crochet and folk inspired art. We've had email discussions as well about the interpretation of copyright law and the use of stitch patterns and motifs we should have inherited as part of our culture which are now set out in books as belonging to publishers rather than in the public domain.

Carol has put up a few short video clips to demonstrate her methods of Tapestry Crochet you can see them here.

You can also find many free patterns on her website www.tapestrycrochet.com
and you will find one of her favourite unconventional patterns in the Anticraft's book when it is released this year.

I love Carol's honesty and burning desire to share the technique with the whole community. Anyone who has a gift they can pass on for free deserves to be admired when you consider how little this industry does pay if you work in it full time. The other person who is like this is Ruth Paisley who goes out of her way to answer a question thoroughly and pass on what she knows. whenever I have a frustrating dilemma regarding knitting or crochet I can turn to her knowing that I won't get a vague answer or a deliberate evasion. I do get nervous though if I see Ruth's eye moving its gaze over my work, the teacher in her is probably bursting to tell me how I could improve it whilst her graciousness wouldn't dream of putting my work down.

You can find details of her two books on her website along with many other pattern sources.

Mysterious Goings On...............



The Road to the Beach

I have been busy on quite a few knitting projects, some have been keeping me awake at night. However, I still can't share anything at the moment, including my endless swatching! As I don't want a totally empty blog here are a few pics of things I have seen that caught my eye. Those knitting pictures are interesting, but would make seriously horrendous sweaters though.

And here are a few things from Knitty, still the best online magazine for knitting patterns, it is always stuffed full of choice. However, I do think a lot of their inclusions are 'safe' choices and tend to be a matter of general taste rather than seriously what I would call 'edgy'. I am beginning to see the same design features repeated, draped and swingy tops with waist shaping and slightly flared sleeves being some of them, cropping up in every issue. Is this what the readers like to wear? Or perhaps the editor? Are they really 'edgy' or just popular? Anyway, I still like them and would wear them, so it's good enough for me. If I ever get round to knitting for myself that is!

Angel Knits

I met up with Ruth, Maggie and Nikki at Angel Knits last night. How I love talking to Ruth about design, she is so open and honest and totally enthusiastic about passing on techniques to others without a jealous bone in her body. She really knows what she is talking about she is the Fibre Queen! Oh yes, this picture has nothing to do with the post but I am not allowed to show you what I am working on at the moment.

We talked about the possibility of a textiles recession and these are my thoughts.

These things always ebb and flow. I think although there will be a bit of a recession, this won't necessarily be as bad as the eighties one. It is just that a few years ago, knitting suddenly got really trendy with everyone trying it out and everyone wanting the dream of a little indie business and doing something they enjoy. The reality is that a lot of people who are creative are not business minded, some may even have been successful in business but decided that making and designing was what they enjoyed not the drudgery of having a shop.

Plenty of people started knitting and realised there is no money in a craft which takes so long to produce a finished piece so they turned their hand to spinning an dyeing as options that might be a bit more speedy. of course, thee are also the hundreds of stitch marker businesses that launched as well. The trend for all these things may die off a bit but will leave the truly devoted.

A lot of novice knitters on the wave of the recent trend might have dropped off now if it was a passing fad for them leaving the hardened knitters to hold the fort. It is likely that interest in the craft will recede, and then reach a steady level that is better than the total financial recession of the eighties.

Although I love the Internet and all it's goodies and I am a devoted housebound shopper of yarns, I do feel slightly bad about the LYS suffering as a result. I used to have a LYS just on the street next to mine but it is long gone. There is another one, but the stock is uninspiring and dingy and not the sort of LYS I love. I do however support Loop and whenever I got to Angel Knits I will pop in to buy something rather than order in on the Internet.

Angel Knits

I met up with Ruth, Maggie and Nikki at Angel Knits last night. How I love talking to Ruth about design, she is so open and honest and totally enthusiastic about passing on techniques to others without a jealous bone in her body. She really knows what she is talking about she is the Fibre Queen!

We talked about the possibility of a textiles recession and these are my thoughts.

These things always ebb and flow. I think although there will be a bit of a recession, this won't necessarily be as bad as the eighties one. It is just that a few years ago, knitting suddenly got really trendy with everyone trying it out and everyone wanting the dream of a little indie business and doing something they enjoy. The reality is that a lot of people who are creative are not business minded, some may even have been successful in business but decided that making and designing was what they enjoyed not the drudgery of having a shop.

Plenty of people started knitting and realised there is no money in a craft which takes so long to produce a finished piece so they turned their hand to spinning and dyeing as options that might be a bit more speedy. of course, there are also the hundreds of stitch marker businesses that launched as well. The trend for all these things may die off a bit but will leave the truly devoted.

A lot of novice knitters on the wave of the recent trend might have dropped off now if it was a passing fad for them leaving the hardened knitters to hold the fort. It is likely that interest in the craft will recede, and then reach a steady level that is better than the total financial recession of the eighties.

Although I love the Internet and all it's goodies and I am a devoted housebound shopper of yarns, I do feel slightly bad about the LYS suffering as a result. I used to have a LYS just on the street next to mine but it is long gone. There is another one, but the stock is uninspiring and dingy and not the sort of LYS I love. I do however support Loop and whenever I get to Angel Knits I pop in to buy something rather than order in on the Internet.

....and the Moon went Red!

Of course there are loads of pics up of the lunar eclipse taken with telescopes etc but this is a pic taken by my BF on a normal digi camera to prove we there when it happened at around 10.36 - 10.50 last night.. What a sight! So much better than my view of the last solar eclipse and I do prefer the Moon, she was really giving out some beautiful red glow last night and we drank a bottle of pink bubbly to celebrate (whilst knitting at the same time of course)

I can't tell you what a red moon means in terms of Pagan values, because I really don't know but I will endeavour to find out. Do leave a comment if you have any more folk lore knowledge that isn't the geeky science bit.

PS Actually I can tell you what this means, courtesy of the BF who did a bit of research for me as follows:

During a lunar eclipse, we experience what might be called a "micro month". The moon is full, then partially or completely hidden, and then visible again. Within just a few minutes, an energy similar to a complete cycle of full, waning, new/black (if it is a total lunar eclipse), waxing and full again. (PaganPath.com)

The lunar eclipse is the symbol of the Crone, also called Hecate, Hel, Mother Hulda, the Snow Queen, Bone Mother, Demeter (when searching for Persephone and the earth's vegetation dies) and Sekhmet. It is significant that the eclipse does not related to the Crone as Lady of Wisdom, who is part of the Crone image with the waning crescent-moon part of the lunar cycle, but focuses on the Lady as Passage. Now is a fine time for Dark magic and Sidhe magic. (Ireland's Own Myths and Magic)

Eclipses generally bring things either into fruition, or to a halt. That particular area of your life will be affected depending on which house of your natal chart the eclipse falls in. (Center for the New Age Newsletter)

The dark red color of the moon has caused many cultures to equate the lunar eclipse with blood and magic. ( What Can I See During a Lunar Eclipse?)

Chanting a Mantra just once during a lunar eclipse proves as powerful as chanting the same Mantra a hundred times in ordinary conditions. Great Tantriks and Yogis remain waiting for such moments for they are well aware of their significance. On the other hand the common man being unaware of this significance wastes these moments. The common family man has more problems and worries in his life due to which he remains ever worried. If only he knew, he could make use of these moments and solve all problems of life. Simply put an eclipse is a boon for the common man. (Sadhana on Lunar Eclipse)

Good for relationship magic. Eclipses rapidly bring everyone's emotions to the extreme in order for you to see them and understand them better—that's the shock effect of an eclipse. It is as if an eclipse turns up the volume in your heart so you can really hear the message inside. (Moon Magic)

Eclipses represent special opportunities to heal old patterns and to make major shifts in your life. Fears and feelings are closer to the surface. (Campfire Magic)