More Knitting and Stitching AND the Jamieson's Groupies:)

Thanks to my friends I got to have my first dinner at Bettys on Friday evening - we had to wait for about 30 min - but boy was it worth the wait.

Such yummy food.

Wye Sue, Yvonne and I were joined by Ann from Scotland - Yvonne spotted Ann joinign the queue a few folk behind us.

It was a great evening as Yvonne had gone down with a nasty cold and was feeling rotten - but thankfully Betty's helped her to feel much better.

We had gorgeous food and completely divine dessert. See Yvonne and Ann - and Those chocolate desserts...








Ann and Yvonne were slightly good but as you can see both Sue's indulged big time. It was one of the nicest meals with friends for ages - so relaxed and good fun and of course lots to talk about as we all have lots in common.






Went back to my B&B after dinner - which thankfully was warmer - but very noisy as someone in the flat upstairs was running up and down til after 11pm!!

But I retired to bed with the Shetland Hap Shawl book - THE LAST COPY that Jamiesons had on their stall - I succumbed to that late on Friday - thought they only had a sample copy and went for a look - but they had one left. It is fascinating reading about the history as well as method of knitting. I went to sleep buzzing as I felt I'd found a shawl I could cope with as a beginner.

I know many think I'm capable of it - but I am nervous to take on something like that as I find it very tough remembering pattern repeats in my head - and I do so hate pulling things out when they've gone wrong.

Saturday morning I was at the Jamieson's stall before Elaine - the stall holder.

Choosing yarn for my first shawl - a shetland hap. Elaine came along and helped with the very tough decision on colour. I tried many combinations of the pretty ultra colours they have (a blend of lambswool and shetland wool - that is lovely to knit with). We hit upon the cream natural colour with three shades of fawn for the edge. I would never normally use such colours but they do look so lovely together.
Then I went back to our stand and cast on the one stitch. I could not however grasp the wrap to increase at the beginning of each row. John to the rescue. He showed me with a flick of the wrist how it was done. As you can see in the picrure I've made a little progress.

We taught more finger knitting and even persuded a few people to have a go at knitting Sue's finger knitted ball of yarn with the huge needles lent to us by Wool n boat.

Here you see Nell - down from Glasgow - with her hubby Bob to volunteer - with the big needles. Theyre a great hit - but physically hard work. The tinsel that Sue had finger knitted into her yarn was very effective - if inclined to shed.









Here's how to have fun with finger knitting - these two young ladies had a race to knit to match their lengths.









Sue organised lunch on Sunday - from Bettys - I'll probably get sent to Conventry for posting this - but hey - what the heck - are they enjoying or what? Those cakes were delicious and I didn't need anything else for lunch. Thanks Sue:)







NOW! to dig myself into a deeper hole:) I present...

The Jamieson's Groupies with their acquisitions.

I hope that with my yarn for shawl purchase and the book i will be allowed to join the Jamieson's Groupies.

One small concern I have is that from what I saw of my two friends and their experience - their example shows that it takes an awful lot of time and dedication - I lost count of the number of times they were ' just nipping up to the Jamiesons stand... during Sunday. But the end results looked worth all that effort.


Helped pack up Sunday afternoon and then train to London. Finally arrived home at 22:30 and fell into my own bed. AAAhhhh!!!!

Please can I do it again next year?

Harrogate Knitting and Stitching

Well it's been a while since I updated. Been busy with a new niece - who is as beautiful as her brothers and sister. Also - just busy and often tired and couldn't face more time at the computer in the evenings to update. There - you have it - I couldn't be bothered...

But have decided to try again and what better start than a report on the great time the past few days at Knitting and Stitching at Harrogate - as a volunteer with the Relax and Knit gang.

I'd left it late to bok B&B - so ended up a bit outside Harrogate and was not impressed with the place - shall not be staying there again. Not the level of service one would expect - but hey the rest of the weekend made up for it.

Left home just before 06:00 on Thursday for the 07:35 out of Kings Cross - to Leeds. Off the train at Leeds and I bumped into Liz - from the blog Knitting on the Green (no I still cannot do links). We travelled along on the 'arrogate (well that is how the announcer announced our arrival) train together - a great start.

Then got stuck in. I liked the layout in smaller halls than the - everything crammed into one huge space - as at Ally Pally.Taught lots of finger knitting to school girls as well as more conventional knitting.

Met Kathleen, John, Anne for the first time. This is John - who knitted a couple of scarves during the weekend as well as taught lots of people - including showing me how to start my first shawl. Well it was early on Saturday and I was not 100% after two nights of not very sound sleep. John also is wearing a beautiful sweater he knitted himself - from gorgeous Wensleydale yarn - it's one of my favourite types of wool.








Also became reacquainted with Mavis and Janet - whom I'd previously met at Birmingham. We had heaps of fun and Mavis made some lovely gold and silver finger knitted bracelets which many of us proudly wore all weekend. It helped enormously with the inevitable 'but what is it for?' question re finger knitting.




I had lunch with a friend who I hadn't seen face to face for a long while - in fact since the last time I visited Harrogate - but for the old Madeira show - which must now be several years ago.

Friday I did my main shop and bought far too many things:)

A couple of books - Folk Shawls and Folk socks - as both garment types are increasingly of interest. A baby pattern book and yarn for some bootees / knitted shoes for the new baby.


Yarn - far too much - but only one or two balls - sock yarn for myself and for a swap in which I am participating, some swedish yarn for a simple garter stitch shawl and some fine stuff from Renaissance for sampling.














I finished several things at the show. Including a sock - after one of the volunteers kindly showed me how to finsh the toe, also my hat - it has been knitted for over a year - but I hadn't managed to get the velvet ribbon from Mulberry Silks that I knew would finish it off.

Also my fab scarf. Crocheted with Baby Alpaca in aubergine in the middle and crystal palace violet blue mohair and little flowers to finish it off.

Also my angora fingerless gloves - which I cannot at this moment lay my hands on to photograph. They are a violent purple - so you will just have to imagine...

I learnt how to knit an icord, and a new cast on and edge courtesy of Sarah Lawrence needing lessons from Yvonne (and which lessons I gatecrashed).