Harrogate - Post 2

I found this lovely little book late in the day. After thinking about it whilst exploring the rest of the hall, I went back to purchase it only to  find it was the last copy with no more due to be delivered until next February. Phew - would have been upset to miss out.
I fell in love with the penguin on the front - think it is the jumper that sells it. There are nativity characters and a herd of reindeer to make plus a turkey! There is something really quirky about the turkey and I feel the urge to knit one but not really sure why and what I will do with it. Meanwhile all these cute knits will have to wait until I have finished some other projects.

Harrogate 2017 - Post 1

This year I was quite restrained with my purchases at Harrogate - owing to the vast number of projects from previous visits and various other shopping expeditions that remain incomplete :-(
The above shows the knitting project I purchased - interesting pattern name - the Star Wars Shawl so named as it was knitted during a marathon event where the designer was watching all the Star Wars films! Perhaps I could do that to knit this too :-)

Rudolph and Friends

A purchase from the Harrogate K&S Show last year. It's that time of year when you can start Christmas projects surely.

Final Bakewell Purchase

This was the last item I bought at the Bakewell Wool Gathering - cute little fruit stitch markers - if I use them does that count as part of my 5 a day? Or is it 10 now - good grief! Not sure whether to keep these myself yet - I have some plain ones but they fall off the needles - or whether to gift them to some knitter. Decisions, decisions.
Need to download more photos before I can update the blog again. Not sure how many I have in the camera but certainly made some progress on projects this year :-)

Shopping

Some months ago, October to be precise, I headed off early one Sunday morning to beat the crowds at the Bakewell Wool Gathering. And of course you have to buy - it would be rude not to - so here is purchase 1 of 3. Some beautiful wool/silk in 'my' colours. This was bought to knit a scarf which is finished and has been worn - photo of that to follow in another post.
I also bumped into some friends there, which was an added bonus and lovely to catch up with them.

Shopping!!

Here is one of the purchases from the Knitting and Stitching Show in Harrogate last November. Still got to learn to crochet well enough to do it justice though :-(
Also made another purchase but I don't seem to have a photograph of it - probably because it had to be posted on to me.
Seem to be showing more posts of items purchased than actual projects in progress or completed - so off to continue knitting so that I can have something completed soon.

Yet More Purchases

Here is one of my purchases from the Bakewell Wool Gathering last weekend. For beginner to intermediate crochet skills - I think the lady was too kind - I can't imagine that I am anywhere near intermediate, but we'll see.
So far I have resisted the temptation to start them as I am going to practice first.The picture is a bit small but it is Owl Bunting - quite cute. The plan is to hang them underneath my map of 100 Aker Wood - yes really.
It seems ages ago since I finished a project so I'll keep this post short so that I can continue with a project - the other purchase from last week which I did not resist from starting.

New Toys

Many months ago a dear friend gave me a gift voucher for my birthday to spend at Hobbycraft and since then I have been eyeing up various items for some time. Occasionally they appeared on offer, but never all at the same time - until recently.

So a few weeks ago I went and purchased all the above goodies plus a guillotine paper cutter for my card making.

The above includes a felting kit which I must say looks really good value. I expected purple fleece but there is purple, two shades of pink, green and cream so it looks as if might be able to make more than one.

The fat quarter is to make something from the Patchwork Bags book but \I am not sure there is enough to make any complete bag just so I may have to buy more fabric in a main colour. Well what else is a girl supposed to do???

Hmm I really ought to think about completing something to post on here - it must be about time. Talking of time, as Zebedee said - It's time for bed!

Goodies

Friday saw the annual day out to the Knitting and Stitching Show at Harrogate. A lovely day was enjoyed by 7 ladies - some 'old' showgoers, some new. We had a fabulous time shopping, chatting and eating.

I think I am right in saying everyone purchased something - some far more than others and there were various reasons for justifying said purchases - they are presents (that old story), I NEED it, I got approval from the board and we have to have something to keep us busy for a whole year until the next Harrogate outing. Don't we?

Here are my purchases, just two - quite restrained I think but then I did spend quite a large budget earlier in the week!!!!

I can't wait to start the knitting - not sure you can see it very well on this photograph. I love the vintage pattern and even better - it came with a free bag. You know me - I LOVE bags of all sorts :-)

I ought to be doing something useful as I can hear activity in the kitchen and I feel a tiny bit guilty, only a tiny bit though. But it is still the weekend so maybe  I should just go and knit some more mitts - another 2 done since yesterday's post :-)

Shopping

Yesterday I had a lovely day out at Castle Donington with Lady R. We decided it was high time we investigated a new knitting shop so off we went to Threads of Life where we spent a very pleasurable hour browsing their patterns, wools and other lovely bits of knitting and sewing paraphernalia. I found a lovely book - 'More bags to knit' - it was VERY tempting but as I have not sewn a bag from the '25 Bags to Make' book that I purchased at Harrogate some years ago I did manage to resist this temptation. In fact I managed to resist ALL temptations - ok not quite!
After our browsing and purchasing by Lady R we went exploring around the village - a upholstery fabric shop - bargains to be had there and I purchased stuff to make a bag - from 25 bags - if only I could find that book! More of that another day. We also looked at the local craft fayre, several dress shops and even a very brief nosey in a bridal shop. Next stop a very nice lunch. Anyway after being told to live a little I decided that living a little involved the returning to the knitting shop and purchasing of something. I had taken a liking to some wool - Rico Pixel - a lovely cotton and polyester wool that on the test piece the shop's owner was knitting did feel lovely and like it had some weight to it.
So I happily left the shop with 10 balls of said wool and the above pattern - suggested by Lady R rather than the one I had originally looked at. I can't wait to start this but feel I should press on with the Sphinx  or the slippers - don't think I have posted those yet? Also got 2 balls of wool this week to knit the sole and lining of those so nothing holding me back now! Except domestic drudgery, work, etc. etc.
I feel some knitting is inevitable this week and it is both the knitting and stitching groups and the old Sphinx may be too tricky for these social events. :-)