K is for.....Kindred spirits

I looked through the blogs and journals I follow yesterday, the forums I visit and the websites I love. And I realised how many amazing people there are out there who inspire me/make me laugh/share my ups and downs and generally form an important part of my life but whom I may never have found without the internet.

Some of these people I now know well, some are dear friends, some, I'm sure, have no idea I even exist!

Some I've found through shared interests, some through friends of friends of friends and more than a few just on one of those "wonder what that is, if they like it I might so I'll click on it..." meadering journeys around the world that is the web. But, whether they know it or not, all these people and places have one thing in common and that is they enrich my life.

So this post is to all of you, thank you for sharing your thoughts/ideas/work/stories and inspiration.

"Every person, all the events of your life are there because you have drawn them there. What you choose to do with them is up to you."
— Richard Bach

Today's post is part of the Accidental Knitter's ABC Meme. To find out more, click here

J is for....Jam

I was a bit stuck for an entry for J when I remembered one of my favourite silly jokes.....

"How does Bob Marley like his doughnuts? Wi' jam-in...."

(Actually, my fave donuts are Krispy Kreme Custard filled chocolate, or raspberry jam and fresh cream from our local bakery or...no, must stop, this was not a good choice of post topic for one who is dieting and starving!)

For more "J"s in the ABC meme, check out here

I is for....Inspiration

This post was going to be about where I get the inspiration for my design ideas and colourways as it's a question I'm often asked. However, I went to see my son's GCSE artwork this week and I thought I'd share some of his inspirational artwork instead as I'm so proud of what he has achieved.

We had a shaky start to art in year 7 as Will didn't really gel with his teacher. This created a crisis of confidence in years 8-9, so I was surprised when art was one of his chosen GCSE subjects. Since then we've had, it's fair to say, a few hairy moments when deadlines were looming and sketchbooks were worryingly empty (!), but he got there in the end and I was delighted when his art teacher was really impressed with his work.

His inspiration for his first project was the jabberwocky. I have lots more fabulous sketches but the school keeps these until October so here is one of the finished drawings. You can't see from this pic but the image is made up of many pages, each one with a different part of the drawing, layered to create a 3d effect.

He then went on to design and make a helmet, inspired by the vikings....

And, my personal favourite, the students had a brief to make a cuckoo clock. Will loves steampunk and I love this piece as it really captures the essence of one of my favourite art genres. (The brief was to work entirely in white hence no colour!). It has such beautiful detail but I didn't have much time for photos so I've put the finished piece and one of his sketches above and a not very good close-up photo here, so hopefully you get the general idea...

And all this from someone who insists he is no good at art! Well done, Will!

The letter "I" is brought to you by the ABC meme. See more fab memes here

H is for....Hemp

 A catch-up from last week's ABC meme!

I rarely knit for myself so when I do I like it to be something really special. As my birthday is either just before or during Woolfest, it's the perfect opportunity to spend my birthday pennies on something I couldn't buy anywhere else. Last year I was seduced by a gorgeous jacket from the lovely Jane at House of Hemp. I spent ages (well as long as I could get away with!) choosing my colours and my pattern and I went away with my little brown bag of hempy goodness.

Naturally I chose purples and pinks but the pattern also called for a contrasting colour. Black or grey I thought? Couldn't decide so I ended up with both (I'll find a use for the spare skeins I'm sure!). Frustratingly when I started knitting every time I got to the contrasting stripe it just didn't quite work. I tried the stripes every which way, frogging the poor yarn into oblivion but nothing seemed to work. In the end, I knew I had to make a tough decision if this project wasn't to end up in my UFO bag never to be seen again.

As luck would have it, we weren't far from June when I reached this conclusion (I wasn't kidding when I said I tried lots of options!). So, 12 months on and I was back at Jane's stall explaining my predicament. Well, with a bit of judicious swapping and comparing I now have my contrasting stripe. Not so much a contrast as a deep shade of one of the plums in the existing stripes. On balance I don't think the contrast was for me and I'm sure this will work out. What do you think?

This post is brought to you by the ABC meme. Check out more memes here

Woolfest!

Back from another Woolfest, without question the busiest one yet! It was lovely to see so many friends and familiar faces. It really does feel like a social event, not just a trading show. It was particularly nice to see finished items, to hear of dyeing exploits, new business ventures and, of course, to catch up on everyone's news. I haven't many photos as we were so busy I didn't get off the stall much but there are some great pictures (and information about next year's event) on the Woolfest website.

A huge thank you to everyone who made it such a great event - the organizers, the auction mart staff, the lovely staff in the restaurant, fellow traders and of course, the visitors!