Hot head!

Ever feel a little out of sync with the rest of the world? This could well be one of those moments for me... On the hottest weekend of the year so far, let me share my latest finished item - an angora tammy for MissBlethersTheElder!

Angora Tammy

The yarn was bought on our recent trip to Wonderwool Wales - from Easter Bunnies/ Crafty Angora. It's so soft to the touch, especially the grey yarn. Once the knitting and sewing up were done, the hat had to be dampened and then was popped in the tumble dryer, on low setting, for 10 minutes at a time until the desired size is achieved. I did confess it might have been me responsible for the blocked filter that MrB adeptly cleaned later, muttering "bloomin' dogs"!

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Great news too for knitters in Cardiff - a new local yarn store opened on Thursday, called Big Knitters (located at the top of Wellfield Road, by the junction with Albany Road). Although a compact shop, the owner has made best use of the available space. They carry a pretty range of yarns - Rowan, select Sirdar, and a french range of yarns. However, consumer opinions are being sought about other ranges to carry. It'll be exciting to see what develops.

A number of Welsh Raveler's met up there on Saturday and we'd a really lovely morning - browsing patterns, touching yarn, chatting ... accompanied by complementary coffee and yummy homemade cup cakes. Apparently, there are plans for a monthly cupcake session and also to hold a weekly group when they're a little more settled. I got the new Sirdar Juicy pattern book and cast on the Leaf top in soft green Calico last night. Normally, I detest knitting in cotton. The lack of 'give' in cotton niggles me and I struggle to get an even tension over the body of a garment. However, Calico has me converted and it's a joy to knit with.

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DD1 came over the other weekend and we took the dogs a walk along one of her favourite routes. It's a wetland nature park, located on the outskirts of Cardiff and makes wonderful use of the old canals sited there.

Don't let these 3 'innocents' fool you! They're deliberately trying to look like it wasn't them, barking and howling, when DD1 and I briefly popped into a hyde to watch the wildlife.
The one below in yet another Blethers classic photography moment! I was really excited to spy a heron in one of the wetland areas, and tried to save the moment for posterity. There is a heron in there....
If you've got 20/20 vision, you might spot it!

Wonderful Wonderwool Wales

Last Sunday, the girls and I headed off to Wonderwool Wales at Builith Wells. I'd hoped to leave about 9.30am to ensure that we got to spend a reasonable amount of time there - browsing, drooling and enhancing stash!! However, I'd forgotten to take into account DD2's inverted daily life structure at the moment - sleeping all day and awake much of the night! So, maybe hitting the road at 10.30am wasn't too bad, all teenagers considering!

Here's what I bought!

Dream in Colour Smooshy ~ November Muse

Artist's Palette ~ 2 Smootherino 4 ply and Buttersoft DK Grey Crafty Angora and Peaches and Cream Cotton

The show was well worth the travel and had a wonderful array of yarn and fibre suppliers. A very brief roll call of honour includes:

• Fyberspates
• Artist's Palette
• First 4 Yarns
• Natural Dye Studio
• Laughing Hens
• The Woolly Workshop
• The Old Piggery...

For those who had nerves of steel enough not to further enhance yarn stashes, there were spindles, looms, needles, books, buttons, fabric, felted items and a lovely selection of stitch markers. DD1 bought a lovely set of Russian Doll stitch markers, made by Atomic Knitting, for my birthday. There were alpacas, angora rabbits and sheep there to keep the younger folks happy (Truth be told, I reckon we ALL oohed and ahhed over the livestock!).

And for those who would not yet be converted to yarn love, a food fayre was sharing the same venue - with a wide range of delicacies available, including cheeses, sausages, scotch eggs, luxury steamed puddings. And a stall selling a range of ciders ... a couple of which are chilling in the fridge at the moment!

Unfortunately we missed the fashion show and the workshops (teaching a range of knitting, crochet, embellishment and button making techniques). There's always next year...