Egads!

Can it be? No, really? Yes, indeed it is the Dorset Cereals eggcup of dreams! Cheers, everyone — your votes were really very much appreciated. A big bloggy thanks to you all! In proper award-receiving manner, I must also thank my postie (who kindly leaves parcels for me on the mat rather than returning them to the depot-of-doom) and Mrs Fairnie from upstairs, (who retrieves said parcels when she pops in to feed Jesus (miaow)). It was an incredibly exciting package to discover when I arrived home. What joy! Oh yes, and thankyou, Dorset Cereals. This morning I actually consumed some tasty Dorset breakfast fayre from a plastic cup in my tent. But tomorrow morning, my lightly-boiled breakfast will be presented in an infinitely superior cup, warmed by a magnificent cosy of Tyrian purple hue! Three loud huzzahs for all of you kind voters, for Dorset Cereals, and, um, for me!

(breakfast-in-a-cup)

help me to win an egg cup

Clearly I have gone blog-post-crazy today, but I just noticed from my all-seeing ‘blog stats’ page that some lovely person (who? who are you?) has nominated me for a Dorset Cereals blog award. Now, generally, I don’t pay much attention to such things, but I like Dorset Cereals and this award involves some homely merchandise (vaguely reminiscent of the stuff I used to be able to acquire with my lost and beloved Yorkshire Tea tokens, ah me), among which is the ultimate, coveted prize of a Dorset Cereals egg cup. My competitive streak has emerged. I would like to win that egg cup. If you would like to help me win it, please support me and vote by clicking on this widget thingy:

If that doesn’t work, just follow this link and look for ‘needled’ (on the first page of nominations, towards the bottom). I will be extremely happy if I win that egg cup and can promise much ludicrous enthusing in the happy event . . .

edit: apparently, if you vote, you may win a “case of Dorset cereals.” Imagine!

dollheid – prize draw!

Its amazing what a wee break from the daily commute can do to one’s all-round productivity. I’m happily working on several research projects at the moment, as I always do at this time of year, but I am also finding the spare time and energy to devote to designing. Can I just say how much I am enjoying it? Well, I really am. Here is the first of several forthcoming colourwork designs: Dollheid. Heid (pronounced heed) is a colloquial term for head in these parts, and the dolls are self-explanatory. Here is my heid in its dollheid:

Despite the expression, let me assure you that I love this tam deeply. I knit two other prototypes in different yarn, trying out different shaping methods, before this one was finished. With this incarnation – size, shaping, yarn, colour – I am totally and completely happy. I love the dusky tones of the yarn, and also love the way the yarn behaves. There’s no need for me to tell you how I feel about Shetland, but it really is the best stuff for stranded colourwork, and the Jamiesons relaxes and blooms really beautifully after blocking.

You will see that I have taken many of the design features of the paper dolls sweater — peeries, i-cord cast on, corrugated rib — and have incorporated them into the tam. All these things worked really well. Another thing I am pleased about is the way that the dolls have achieved a sort of geometric integrity quite apart from any representational qualities they may have. (Um, did I really just write that sentence? Lets try again:) What I mean is that one of the reasons they look so pleasing is that, when arranged in a circle around the crown of the tam, they suggest one abstract shape as well as eighteen dolls.

(Norah Gaughan writes about this geometric arrangement gubbins far better than I can). Anyhow, after some enjoyable wrestling with illustrator (one can produce such deluxe charts if one works at it! I’m amazed!) I am happy to report the pattern is just about finished (hurrah!), and I will release it on Monday. But before I do, I wanted to say a small thanks to all of you — for your encouragement and support of my designs — and I thought I’d give away ten copies of the pattern to ten commenters on this post. So, if you are interested in a free copy of the dollheid pattern, just leave a comment here, and I’ll pick the winners at random on Monday morning, August 3rd (my time) before I put the pattern up for sale.

Pattern: dollheid (by me)
Yarn: Jamieson’s shetland spindrift (25g Mooskit, 25g Peony, 25g Old Rose)
Needles: 3mm circs
Ravelled here

a winner

We have a winner in the bee-bag competition — congratulations Krystn! I shall now perform a waggle dance on your behalf, using the sun to indicate your location and the nearest available source of screen-printed, bee-adorned calico bags. I’ve sent you a message, so that you can email me your postal address. Your bag shall contain some other bee-themed treats, but I shall not spoil the surprise by illustrating them here. If anyone wishes to join me in my congratulatory waggle dance, you should follow the illustration on the right, move in a figure of eight, and remember to perform 100 circuits.

the grand owl prizegiving!

Yes, its time to announce the parliamentary victors, and give away some owlish prizes!

There are 57 owls in the parliament. I excluded myself and my knitting comrades (Hannah, Kate B and Melanie) from the fun; put the remaining 53 names in a ‘hat’, and selected one at random.

Congratulations, Elizabeth! You are officially the Parliament’s prime owl! You win 10 x 50g of New Lanark DK (more than a sweater’s worth . . perhaps two sweaters), a fabulous Owl tote bag from these Edinburgh designers (on whom I have a post coming shortly), and a large selection of the owl-themed goodies mentioned below (as befitting a prime owl).

I have really enjoyed the, um parliamentary process – - it was always thrilling for me when another photo turned up in my inbox and I’ve felt proud and humbled at the same time (if that’s possible) to see so many fabulous women wearing o w l s. What I’ve most enjoyed, though, is seeing how every knitter made the sweater somehow entirely hers — through yarn choice, customisation, personal style, or the sheer vim of her knitterly character. So here are some other prizes reflecting the parliament’s owlish variety and vim:

Most impressively owlish photo: There were a few candidates for this one, but the prize has to go to Stacey, who is perching on a branch in her photo.
Most original customised owls: This was a difficult decision to make, as there were so many amazing owlish transformations through the additions of steeks, button-bands and colour. In the end, though, I thought I’d give this prize to Suzanne, who customised her owls into a cardigan complete with stars and embroidered branches.
Early bird : This prize goes to Gabrielle, who knit the sweater in record time, and sent me her photograph on January 23rd.
Ma’s prize owl: For this category, I asked my mother (who is a great admirer of the parliament) to pick her favourite sweater. She selected Karen (USA) because “her sweater fits beautifully, and in the colours she chose, the owls really stand out.”

Congratulations, all of you! You all win 100g of New Lanark Donegal Tweed & Silk (tasty!), a selection of owl-themed goodies, and a wee project bag to store your owlish loot in — made by me.

The design of these project bags is based on one owned by my knitting comrade, Kate B, originally made by her mum. I’ve often noticed the bag and thought how satisfyingly neat and simple its design was — ideal for a couple of balls of yarn, some needles and notions. So using Kate’s prototype as a template (thanks, Kate!) I whipped up these babies! I am quite pleased with how they turned out and may post a tutorial about making them later . . .

. . . Anyway, on with the matter in hand. More prizes!

Is it just me, or are owls everywhere at the moment? I became quite excited when I discovered (thanks once again to Kate B) that owls had colonised the shelves of a prominent chain of UK stationers. I am such a sucker for this stuff! I just can’t help myself! Inevitably, I found myself with a small excess of owl-themed treats — stickers, badges, sticky-notes, tea towels, and pencils — to give away. I picked five of the remaining names from the hat and five happy owls have won a selection of these goodies. You are:
Rebecca (from Canada), Orianna, Jules, Fa-Linn, and Meghan (from Nottingham).
I will be in touch with the winning owls soon to confirm addresses, and suchlike. Meanwhile, things are busy and beelike here. More anon.