Yarns from the Plain

Hello from Bedlam…. In this episode, I probably repeat myself about some Works in Progress, smile at some crocheted critters and explain what’s happening in my world... Works in Progress Here’s the second pair of Saartje’s Booties… I’ve worked on some ideas from the Amy Singer workshop and I’ve worked a bit on a Hannah Fettig Sock Sweater in Hazel Knits Artisan Sock in Chocolatier for another baby in the family. I’ve also been working on the Woolly Wormhead Mystery Hat Knit-A-Long in Fyberspates Vivacious DK. Yum! I’ve not knit for a week or so because I’ve been spinning samples from Fiberholics UK into a random bobbin of singles. Suppliers include Lime Green Jelly, Knitter Scarlet, Porpoise Fur and Manda Crafts. I’m currently spinning the second bobbin ready to ply with the first. Last week I went to Manchester and made this: Impressive, huh? Well maybe not, but here are some really great pieces: Madness Part 1 I’ve been dyeing to show you these (groan!) Breaking News: I now have an Etsy Shop! It can be found at https://www.etsy.com/shop/YarnsFromThePlain Madness Part 2: Aimee from Knit.Spin.Cake and I are hosting a knitting and spinning retreat! Thursday 20th to Sunday 23rd February 2014 in Chester. Rooms are £140; however if you would be prepared to share then this price is reduced as the house is a fixed rate. This price covers accommodation for the three nights, food on Thursday night and breakfasts. Remaining meals and the itinerary will be agreed by the attendees later. If you are interested, please PM me on Ravelry (I’m talesfromtheplain) or drop me an email at yarnsfromtheplainATgooglemailDOTcom. OMG! Upcoming Events Janefrogged on Ravelry has sent up the knitsignal, asking for contributions towards the yarnstorming of Ampthill linked to Fibre East next year. To help out, please contact her on Ravelry or by email at jckclayATgmail.com. Music Rondopolska by Barry Philips, from the album Tråd, available from Magnatune. Make Contact! We have a listeners' map. Please go on over to pop in a pin - we're covering 5 continents now but I'd still love to see where you all are! Please feel free to leave a comment here or at http://www.yarnsfromtheplain.blogspot.com/, or email me at yarnsfromtheplain AT googlemail DOT com. We have a Ravelry group here, so come on over to chat. You can find me on Ravelry as talesfromtheplain and on Twitter as talesfromplain. TTFN, Nic x

Hello from a pre-sunrise Oxfordshire! This is a brief episode simply to highlight the Manchester Hyperbolic Coral Reef and the drop in sessions that are taking place today, 9th November 2013, Sunday 17th November and Sunday 1st December, all 1pm to 4.30pm at the Manchester Museum on Oxford Road.details can be found here. I've lifted this from the Ravelry group: First off, and really importantly, all contributions should be made in synthetic yarn only. This is because the kind of creepy crawlies who munch through natural fibres are just the blighters who also munch through precious ancient artefacts. It’s a great excuse to use up your squeaky synthetics or have an excuse to buy that dirt cheap acrylic that’s keeps on tempting you in the pound shop! Secondly, to avoid our coral reef ending up looking like a big pile of multicolour jumble, we’ll be sticking to a limited palette of greens, blues, purples, whites and creams if possible. A few brighter colours can be used as edgings or for small detailing but if we stick to the palette it’ll give us the opportunity to pick out starfish, anemones etc. in brighter colours later. Nice! If you are in a knitting group please get everyone involved! There will be sessions at the Museum that you might want to come along to or please feel free to crack on at home. You can drop off or post any contributions c/o Wendy Gallagher at The Manchester Museum, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL Patterns can be found here. Music Rondopolska by Barry Philips, from the album Tråd, available from Magnatune. Make Contact! We have a listeners' map. Please go on over to pop in a pin - we're covering 5 continents now but I'd still love to see where you all are! Please feel free to leave a comment here or at http://www.yarnsfromtheplain.blogspot.com/, or email me at yarnsfromtheplain AT googlemail DOT com. We have a Ravelry group here, so come on over to chat. You can find me on Ravelry as talesfromtheplain and on Twitter as talesfromplain (although Tweeting can be sporadic!). TTFN, Nic x

Hello from a pre-sunrise Oxfordshire! This is a brief episode simply to highlight the Manchester Hyperbolic Coral Reef and the drop in sessions that are taking place today, 9th November 2013, Sunday 17th November and Sunday 1st December, all 1pm to 4.30pm at the Manchester Museum on Oxford Road.details can be found here. I've lifted this from the Ravelry group: First off, and really importantly, all contributions should be made in synthetic yarn only. This is because the kind of creepy crawlies who munch through natural fibres are just the blighters who also munch through precious ancient artefacts. It’s a great excuse to use up your squeaky synthetics or have an excuse to buy that dirt cheap acrylic that’s keeps on tempting you in the pound shop! Secondly, to avoid our coral reef ending up looking like a big pile of multicolour jumble, we’ll be sticking to a limited palette of greens, blues, purples, whites and creams if possible. A few brighter colours can be used as edgings or for small detailing but if we stick to the palette it’ll give us the opportunity to pick out starfish, anemones etc. in brighter colours later. Nice! If you are in a knitting group please get everyone involved! There will be sessions at the Museum that you might want to come along to or please feel free to crack on at home. You can drop off or post any contributions c/o Wendy Gallagher at The Manchester Museum, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL Patterns can be found here. Music Rondopolska by Barry Philips, from the album Tråd, available from Magnatune. Make Contact! We have a listeners' map. Please go on over to pop in a pin - we're covering 5 continents now but I'd still love to see where you all are! Please feel free to leave a comment here or at http://www.yarnsfromtheplain.blogspot.com/, or email me at yarnsfromtheplain AT googlemail DOT com. We have a Ravelry group here, so come on over to chat. You can find me on Ravelry as talesfromtheplain and on Twitter as talesfromplain (although Tweeting can be sporadic!). TTFN, Nic x

Hello from a pre-sunrise Oxfordshire! This is a brief episode simply to highlight the Manchester Hyperbolic Coral Reef and the drop in sessions that are taking place today, 9th November 2013, Sunday 17th November and Sunday 1st December, all 1pm to 4.30pm at the Manchester Museum on Oxford Road.details can be found here. I've lifted this from the Ravelry group: First off, and really importantly, all contributions should be made in synthetic yarn only. This is because the kind of creepy crawlies who munch through natural fibres are just the blighters who also munch through precious ancient artefacts. It’s a great excuse to use up your squeaky synthetics or have an excuse to buy that dirt cheap acrylic that’s keeps on tempting you in the pound shop! Secondly, to avoid our coral reef ending up looking like a big pile of multicolour jumble, we’ll be sticking to a limited palette of greens, blues, purples, whites and creams if possible. A few brighter colours can be used as edgings or for small detailing but if we stick to the palette it’ll give us the opportunity to pick out starfish, anemones etc. in brighter colours later. Nice! If you are in a knitting group please get everyone involved! There will be sessions at the Museum that you might want to come along to or please feel free to crack on at home. You can drop off or post any contributions c/o Wendy Gallagher at The Manchester Museum, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL Patterns can be found here. Music Rondopolska by Barry Philips, from the album Tråd, available from Magnatune. Make Contact! We have a listeners' map. Please go on over to pop in a pin - we're covering 5 continents now but I'd still love to see where you all are! Please feel free to leave a comment here or at http://www.yarnsfromtheplain.blogspot.com/, or email me at yarnsfromtheplain AT googlemail DOT com. We have a Ravelry group here, so come on over to chat. You can find me on Ravelry as talesfromtheplain and on Twitter as talesfromplain (although Tweeting can be sporadic!). TTFN, Nic x

Halloooo from somewhere on the M6. In this episode I share finished objects (wahay!), shake my head in despair at how easily I'm distracted and look forward to an impromptu workshop. Off The Needles The Every Baby Sweater by Taiga Hilliard. Saartje's Bootees by Saartje de Bruijn. Oh The Joy! I have completed the Neon Rainbow Merino/Nylon from Krafty Koala, and nearly finished plying it. No photos I'm afraid. It might become a Revontuli when it grows up. Something I Really Like Workshops of any kind! Here are the finished items in the kiln after the workshop Mum & I took at Crafts From The Dungeon the other week. Bee has since attached the pendants, earrings and cuff links to jewellery findings. Links Subway Knits podcast Stitched Together Podcast Left Coast Yarns Hannah Fettig Sock Yarn Sweater Hazel Knits Music Rondopolska by Barry Philips, from the album Tråd, available from Magnatune. Make Contact! We have a listeners' map. Please go on over to pop in a pin - we're covering 5 continents now but I'd still love to see where you all are! Please feel free to leave a comment here or at http://www.yarnsfromtheplain.podbean.com/, or email me at yarnsfromtheplain AT googlemail DOT com. We have a Ravelry group here, so come on over to chat. You can find me on Ravelry as talesfromtheplain and on Twitter as talesfromplain (although Tweeting can be sporadic!). TTFN, Nic x

Halloooo from somewhere on the M6. In this episode I share finished objects (wahay!), shake my head in despair at how easily I'm distracted and look forward to an impromptu workshop. Off The Needles The Every Baby Sweater by Taiga Hilliard. Saartje's Bootees by Saartje de Bruijn. Oh The Joy! I have completed the Neon Rainbow Merino/Nylon from Krafty Koala, and nearly finished plying it. No photos I'm afraid. It might become a Revontuli when it grows up. Something I Really Like Workshops of any kind! Here are the finished items in the kiln after the workshop Mum & I took at Crafts From The Dungeon the other week. Bee has since attached the pendants, earrings and cuff links to jewellery findings. Links Subway Knits podcast Stitched Together Podcast Left Coast Yarns Hannah Fettig Sock Yarn Sweater Hazel Knits Music Rondopolska by Barry Philips, from the album Tråd, available from Magnatune. Make Contact! We have a listeners' map. Please go on over to pop in a pin - we're covering 5 continents now but I'd still love to see where you all are! Please feel free to leave a comment here or at http://www.yarnsfromtheplain.podbean.com/, or email me at yarnsfromtheplain AT googlemail DOT com. We have a Ravelry group here, so come on over to chat. You can find me on Ravelry as talesfromtheplain and on Twitter as talesfromplain (although Tweeting can be sporadic!). TTFN, Nic x

Halloooo from somewhere on the M6. In this episode I share finished objects (wahay!), shake my head in despair at how easily I'm distracted and look forward to an impromptu workshop. Off The Needles The Every Baby Sweater by Taiga Hilliard. Saartje's Bootees by Saartje de Bruijn. Oh The Joy! I have completed the Neon Rainbow Merino/Nylon from Krafty Koala, and nearly finished plying it. No photos I'm afraid. It might become a Revontuli when it grows up. Something I Really Like Workshops of any kind! Here are the finished items in the kiln after the workshop Mum & I took at Crafts From The Dungeon the other week. Bee has since attached the pendants, earrings and cuff links to jewellery findings. Links Subway Knits podcast Stitched Together Podcast Left Coast Yarns Hannah Fettig Sock Yarn Sweater Hazel Knits Music Rondopolska by Barry Philips, from the album Tråd, available from Magnatune. Make Contact! We have a listeners' map. Please go on over to pop in a pin - we're covering 5 continents now but I'd still love to see where you all are! Please feel free to leave a comment here or at http://www.yarnsfromtheplain.podbean.com/, or email me at yarnsfromtheplain AT googlemail DOT com. We have a Ravelry group here, so come on over to chat. You can find me on Ravelry as talesfromtheplain and on Twitter as talesfromplain (although Tweeting can be sporadic!). TTFN, Nic x

Hello everyone. Where did September go? Yarndale I didn't record any audio at Yarndale, as it was all a bit overwhelming to be honest. I really shouldn't go to shows when I'm a bit tired and wired, as I buy way more stuff than I need or can process into anything else! It was lovely to meet up with fellow podcasters Jo from Shinybees and Aimee from Knit.Spin.Cake. For a full sharing of my goodies, please listen to Episode 12 of the Shinybees podcast. Finished Objects   In the near two months since I recorded last, I have finished just one sock, a test knit. Pathetic! On the Needles and Hooks During the second week of the holiday I cast on a pair of socks using the sock stripe yarn from The Knitting Goddess that I picked up at Fibre East. These are currently stalled not far from the cuff and susequently mislaid (eek!).   When I got back from holiday I decided to join in the Mystery Sock-A-Long on the APlayfulDay podcast group, but haven't got far on those because I can't seem to pick up the lace pattern easily (limited details here). These are in the same project bag as the stripey socks, ergo they too are missing. Then at the end of August I cast on a Chevron Pullover in Noro Kureyon as part of the Stitched Together podcast's Craft-Library-a-long. Completed the sleeves within a fortnight but have now slowed down due to limited bandwidth. On the coach back form Yarndale last week I started crocheting an Iris scarf in NDS Dazzle HT as part of a kit I bought but this photo was taken once it crashed to a halt over the pale greeny-blue top left. This has now been removed! Last night I also picked up the Dorothy in Sublime merino DK that I bought with my prize winnings form Thame Show. Crafting ADHD? Moi? Something I Really Like Parkrun! Upcoming Events Knitting and Stitching Show, 10-13th October 2013, Alexandra Palace; Crafts From The Dungeon Open Days, Frodsham, 16th & 17th October 2013 Cheshire Guild Friendship Day, Frodsham Community Centre, 19th October 2013 Bakewell Wool Gathering, 19-20th October 2013, Bakewell; Knitting and Stitching Show, 21-24th November 2013, Harrogate. Music Rondopolska by Barry Philips, from the album Tråd, available from Magnatune. Make Contact! We have a listeners' map. Please go on over to pop in a pin - we're covering 5 continents now but I'd still love to see where you all are! Please feel free to leave a comment here or at http://www.yarnsfromtheplain.blogspot.com/, or email me at yarnsfromtheplain AT googlemail DOT com. We have a Ravelry group here, so come on over to chat. You can find me on Ravelry as talesfromtheplain and on Twitter as talesfromplain (although Tweeting can be sporadic!). TTFN, Nic x

Hello everyone. Where did September go? Yarndale I didn't record any audio at Yarndale, as it was all a bit overwhelming to be honest. I really shouldn't go to shows when I'm a bit tired and wired, as I buy way more stuff than I need or can process into anything else! It was lovely to meet up with fellow podcasters Jo from Shinybees and Aimee from Knit.Spin.Cake. For a full sharing of my goodies, please listen to Episode 12 of the Shinybees podcast. Finished Objects   In the near two months since I recorded last, I have finished just one sock, a test knit. Pathetic! On the Needles and Hooks During the second week of the holiday I cast on a pair of socks using the sock stripe yarn from The Knitting Goddess that I picked up at Fibre East. These are currently stalled not far from the cuff and susequently mislaid (eek!).   When I got back from holiday I decided to join in the Mystery Sock-A-Long on the APlayfulDaypodcast group, but haven't got far on those because I can't seem to pick up the lace pattern easily (limited details here). These are in the same project bag as the stripey socks, ergo they too are missing. Then at the end of August I cast on a Chevron Pullover in Noro Kureyon as part of the Stitched Together podcast's Craft-Library-a-long. Completed the sleeves within a fortnight but have now slowed down due to limited bandwidth. On the coach back form Yarndale last week I started crocheting an Iris scarf in NDS Dazzle HT as part of a kit I bought but this photo was taken once it crashed to a halt over the pale greeny-blue top left. This has now been removed! Last night I also picked up the Dorothy in Sublime merino DK that I bought with my prize winnings form Thame Show. Crafting ADHD? Moi? Something I Really Like Parkrun! Upcoming Events Knitting and Stitching Show, 10-13th October 2013, Alexandra Palace; Crafts From The Dungeon Open Days, Frodsham, 16th & 17th October 2013 Cheshire Guild Friendship Day, Frodsham Community Centre, 19th October 2013 Bakewell Wool Gathering, 19-20th October 2013, Bakewell; Knitting and Stitching Show, 21-24th November 2013, Harrogate.

Hello everyone. Where did September go? Yarndale I didn't record any audio at Yarndale, as it was all a bit overwhelming to be honest. I really shouldn't go to shows when I'm a bit tired and wired, as I buy way more stuff than I need or can process into anything else! It was lovely to meet up with fellow podcasters Jo from Shinybees and Aimee from Knit.Spin.Cake. For a full sharing of my goodies, please listen to Episode 12 of the Shinybees podcast. Finished Objects   In the near two months since I recorded last, I have finished just one sock, a test knit. Pathetic! On the Needles and Hooks During the second week of the holiday I cast on a pair of socks using the sock stripe yarn from The Knitting Goddess that I picked up at Fibre East. These are currently stalled not far from the cuff and susequently mislaid (eek!).   When I got back from holiday I decided to join in the Mystery Sock-A-Long on the APlayfulDaypodcast group, but haven't got far on those because I can't seem to pick up the lace pattern easily (limited details here). These are in the same project bag as the stripey socks, ergo they too are missing. Then at the end of August I cast on a Chevron Pullover in Noro Kureyon as part of the Stitched Together podcast's Craft-Library-a-long. Completed the sleeves within a fortnight but have now slowed down due to limited bandwidth. On the coach back form Yarndale last week I started crocheting an Iris scarf in NDS Dazzle HT as part of a kit I bought but this photo was taken once it crashed to a halt over the pale greeny-blue top left. This has now been removed! Last night I also picked up the Dorothy in Sublime merino DK that I bought with my prize winnings form Thame Show. Crafting ADHD? Moi? Something I Really Like Parkrun! Upcoming Events Knitting and Stitching Show, 10-13th October 2013, Alexandra Palace; Crafts From The Dungeon Open Days, Frodsham, 16th & 17th October 2013 Cheshire Guild Friendship Day, Frodsham Community Centre, 19th October 2013 Bakewell Wool Gathering, 19-20th October 2013, Bakewell; Knitting and Stitching Show, 21-24th November 2013, Harrogate.

A mini-episode if you will, spreading the word about Hatopia a limited edition by Woolly Wormhead. Full details about the collection can be found at http://www.woollywormhead.com/hatopia/ .   

A mini-episode if you will, spreading the word about Hatopia a limited edition by Woolly Wormhead. Full details about the collection can be found at http://www.woollywormhead.com/hatopia/ .      

A mini-episode if you will, spreading the word about Hatopia a limited edition by Woolly Wormhead. Full details about the collection can be found at http://www.woollywormhead.com/hatopia/ .      

Snatching a moment to speak to you all between filling a skip and trying to get on top of the ironing! This episode is accompanied by spinning on the Traddy.On and Off the Needles and HooksI've cast on a Liesl in an early handspun, but not got very far with it. I've knit two cowls as a test knit for Knit.Spin.Cake (details here and here). I've also cast on another test knit, a sock with travelling cables (no Rav notes yet). I've also bought some Sublime merino DK in raspberry pink to crochet a Dorothy.Spin It!Currently I'm spinning a rainbow braid bought ages ago from Krafty Koala on the Joy and a large carded batt of grey Jacob from  Shearer Girl Yarns.Fibre East GoodiesIn 67 minutes I got quite  lot! I bought yarns from the Knitting Goddess, fibre from Fluff'n'Stuff, LongdrawJames, Shearer Girl Yarns and The Wool Room, some throwsters' waste, some Knitpro Karbonz and some mill-soiled undyed sockyarn from  Texere. I also bought a new spindle from Spin City UK.Out and AboutWe went to Highclere Castle - great for Downton Abbey fans!Something I Really LikePodcasts - this episode I talk about a newer podcast, Stitched Together and an old favourite, CogKNITive. Upcoming EventsYarndale, 28-29th September 2013, Skipton;Knitting and Stitching Show, 11-14th October 2013, Alexandra Palace;Bakewell Wool Gathering, 19-20th October 2013, Bakewell.MusicRondopolska by Barry Philips, from the album Tråd, available from Magnatune.Make Contact!We have a listeners' map. Please go on over to pop in a pin - we're covering 5 continents now but I'd still love to see where you all are! Please feel free to leave a comment here or at http://www.yarnsfromtheplain.blogspot.com/, or email me at yarnsfromtheplain AT googlemail DOT com. We have a Ravelry group here, so come on over to chat. You can find me on Ravelry as talesfromtheplain and on Twitter as talesfromplain (although Tweeting can be sporadic!).TTFN,Nic x

Snatching a moment to speak to you all between filling a skip and trying to get on top of the ironing! This episode is accompanied by spinning on the Traddy. On and Off the Needles and Hooks I've cast on a Liesl in an early handspun, but not got very far with it. I've knit two cowls as a test knit for Knit.Spin.Cake (details here and here). I've also cast on another test knit, a sock with travelling cables (no Rav notes yet). I've also bought some Sublime merino DK in raspberry pink to crochet a Dorothy. Spin It! Currently I'm spinning a rainbow braid bought ages ago from Krafty Koala on the Joy and a large carded batt of grey Jacob from  Shearer Girl Yarns. Fibre East Goodies In 67 minutes I got quite  lot! I bought yarns from the Knitting Goddess, fibre from Fluff'n'Stuff, LongdrawJames, Shearer Girl Yarns and The Wool Room, some throwsters' waste, some Knitpro Karbonz and some mill-soiled undyed sockyarn from  Texere. I also bought a new spindle from Spin City UK. Out and About We went to Highclere Castle - great for Downton Abbeyfans! Something I Really Like Podcasts - this episode I talk about a newer podcast, Stitched Together and an old favourite, CogKNITive. Upcoming Events Yarndale, 28-29th September 2013, Skipton; Knitting and Stitching Show, 11-14th October 2013, Alexandra Palace; Bakewell Wool Gathering, 19-20th October 2013, Bakewell. Music Rondopolska by Barry Philips, from the album Tråd, available from Magnatune. Make Contact! We have a listeners' map. Please go on over to pop in a pin - we're covering 5 continents now but I'd still love to see where you all are! Please feel free to leave a comment here or at http://www.yarnsfromtheplain.blogspot.com/, or email me at yarnsfromtheplain AT googlemail DOT com. We have a Ravelry group here, so come on over to chat. You can find me on Ravelry as talesfromtheplain and on Twitter as talesfromplain (although Tweeting can be sporadic!). TTFN, Nic x