It seems that I’m not actually producing a great deal at the moment, and I’m really OK with that. I have stuff on the go and hope to have something to share with you next week…if I can just get my act together to sew the darned hem!
But I am also working on developing (n)ewe skills…and that, my dears, takes time.
Sadly, the jokes are still very, very old indeed!
This week, Lara Croft and myself treated ourselves to a colour-work knitting workshop at Baa Ram Ewe in Headingley, Leeds, to celebrate making it through the Easter school break without murdering the little horrors.
image from baaramewe.co.uk
We set off bright and early on Saturday morning with rare sunshine on the hills as we crossed over into Yorkshire. Thankfully our visas were up to date ;-).
Baa Ram Ewe is a delightful yarn shop stocked to the ceiling with beautiful yarns such as Jamieson and Smith, Rowan and Debbie Bliss.
image from baaramewe.co.uk
But their speciality is Yorkshire Yarns and their own Titus yarns had me twitching to make a purchase.
image from baaramewe.co.uk
Thankfully we were whisked off to a nearby coffee bar to start the day.
image from salvos.co.uk
Coffee in hand, Sara, our Rowan tutor for the day, lead us gently into the world of colour knitting.
Sara’s samples
At this point I’ll admit to be more than a little nervous. Lara Croft is a very calm and accomplished knitter.
Me…I don’t do calm.
But I’m going to let you into the three big secrets I learned during this course:
- Take it slow…what’s the rush. Enjoy the process (and you know I’m not a process kinda gal, so this is B.I.G.).
- Pay attention…this is knitting to lose yourself in.
- Don’t be scared…what’s the worst that can happen…it’s only sticks and string at the end of the day!
There it is…the secret key to colour-work knitting. It turns out even us mere mortals can do it!
BTW, I’m not being flippant. I realised that it boils down to knitting and purling and picking up and putting down two colours of yarn.
It’s really not that hard as long as you aren’t afraid to just get stuck in and give it a go, work slowly and pay attention to the chart and your work.
This isn’t knitting for in front of the TV…unless you’re far more skilled at this than I am. At which point I’ll tip my hat to you for being fabulous.
I left the day with the feeling that the lovely mittens pattern and yarn currently languishing in the loft can finally see the light of day and my needles.
I can do this!
And so, I think, can Ewe…
Disclaimer…no animals were harmed in the cracking of these jokes!
PS…I really would like to go back to Baa Ram Ewe and buy some of their lovely yarn.
PPS…The coffee at Salvos is delicious…as are their sandwiches
A girl after my own heart: knitting AND puns! Love!
You’re a natural at colorwork! It’s looking really great. I felt the same level of intimidation when I knitted my first stranded piece.
Thank you. I’ve done a piece before but it didn’t look anywhere near this neat…I think I was stressing too much.
This sounds like the perfect way to spend the day! Good for you for learning new skills – colourwork always looks a bit intimidating to me (I also don’t do calm) but when you break it down the way you did, well, it sounds manageable.
It was a perfect day. Good company, good food, and knitting…
I was sooooo intimidated, but it really is doable. And you are super talented so you’ll be fine!
“Just sticks and string” that’s exactly my approach to knitting… sewing on the other had has scissors, unpicking etc. during the process – harder to back track but knitting saves the scissors till the end so a fully reversible process and no impatient prewash!
Once you embrace the unpicking sewing becomes much more fun! 🙂 But it’s true…once the scissors hit fabric, you are committed!
Oh I embraced my first unpicker… by using it to clean the teeth of our document shredder! Now I have a new unpicker I promise to use it only for it’s intended purpose!
That’s a fabulous idea…why didn’t I think of that!
So glad you enjoyed it. I was tempted to sign up for it too
I cannot recommend it enough. It’s a gentle day of loveliness that leaves you feeling inspired and ready to tackle a proper project. And Baa Ram Ewe has very inspirational yarns!
looking good! i agree about the concentrating part- I can’t knit my fairisle unless I’m completely able to focus on it, hence the lack of progress from a tv watching, late at night knitter!
That’s me knitting…and the husband complaining that he has to remind me what happened in the previous episode because I was away with the fairies!
“Lara Croft is a very calm and accomplished knitter” – sorry, have we met? Surely you meant to write “Lara Croft is so sweary and incompetent she makes everyone else feel like a very calm and accomplished knitter”?
🙂
Oh you are a fabulous knitter! I have the socks to prove it! And you didn’t swear once during the day! 😉 Unlike me…
All looking woolly, wooly good 😉
Brilliant!