The Bath Crafting Cranny

Cherry Wood Project

If you are looking for a piece of furniture why not make your own, near Bath? Tim Gatfield was a hardwood cabinet-maker for many years before switching to the art of green woodworking. Green woodworking uses freshly-cut wood and thereby allows the worker to stay very much connected to the tree's environment. Tim's course are the ideal way to learn about this wonderful technique.

I was introduced to Tim last year by a colleague and booked John on his Basic Green Woodwork course for his birthday. John had dabbled with hardwood before [he made me a little table a couple of years ago that had recesses for fossils and buttons and a glass top :0) ] but greenwood was very new to him and the Basic course assumes no experience.

In the two-day course John made a wee seat (left, with my knitting for scale): the legs were made in ash by a pole-lathe, the supports in-between were made with a shave-horse and it had a weaved elm-bark seat. Tim trained John in all the techniques, was on hand for help and helped with the tricky bits...

You could stay in a B&B but John pitched his tent in the woodland for a couple of quid (I joined in the evening and we fell asleep to the owls!). There's a compost loo (look out for the cheeky door-handle), beautiful showers (with an ingeniuous water-heating system), an earth-oven (which will cook your dinner), Tim's amazingly crafted yurts, a small group of like-minded people and lots of fossils to find. In the morning, a few deer wandered by grazing merrily. It was a wonderful experience and worth every penny. Tim and Cherry Wood are a great inspiration and we are extremely lucky to have them so nearby.

There are lots of other courses, from spoon-making to making an earth-oven to family woodland courses but, if you'd rather not commit to a course yet, there's always Volunteer Thursday: help Tim maintain the woodland or help make roof tiles in time for Winter...is there a better way to spend a Thursday?

Wool and tea!

Surely, one of the best combinations? These beauties are designed and made by Jennie the Potter. You can read her blog here too. I've got a blue big yarnball bowl, some little pink sauce bowls and some red mugs winging their way over to this side of the pond shortly :0)

Jennie took the trouble to explore shipping options and has found one that will ship my order for ~$40. Adds a bit to the price but well worth the cost...and I got to choose my colours! (This decision did take me most of yesterday though - they're all lovely.)

And they're all microwave- and dishwasher-safe. What's not to like?? (And John can't complain as these are officially 'functional'...hehe.)

Alan Bennett: a national treasure

What a magnificent evening last night. Poor Alan had a cold but he soldiered on. It would take more that a cold to damage the beauty of his voice though (once the Forum had sorted out their microphone problems).

I found it all extremely moving. What wonderful, insightful and understated work. I'm off to Brighton this weekend and am going to finish my copy of 'The Uncommon Reader' before I arrive: this invariably means that I will be giggling and weeping with equal measure in the corner of the Quiet Carriage tonight.

Does anyone know where I can find his marvellous story about his Grandma's palour?

Appetite whetted?

Mari and I went to the Knitting and Stitching Show in Birmingham and we had the joy of seeing Lucy Reed at work there. Breathtakingly beautiful work.

She's been really busy with Ally Pally but next on her To Do List is getting a website: I'll keep you posted. She was recently awarded a certificate from the Royal School of Needlework for her outstanding work in gold and silver wire. Unless you caught her at the Shows, you'll have to wait for her website to see why...but, in the meantime, she's kindly given me this picture of my favourite piece of hers. Her work is available for purchase and you can contact her here.

Acute Amazonitis

Generally I do try to use local bookshops - but Amazon the book-title gobbler does suck us all in occasionally. Bath's great for independent bookshops though; what a shame horrible Waterstones is slap-bang on the main shopping road for the tourists, when there are so many lovelier ones tucked away to serve us better. Sadly, we lost Secession Books last year. You can read about it here in the Guardian.

But some are, happily, surviving the world of chains and corporate takeovers. To name just a few (which ones have I missed?):

• Mr B's Emporium of Reading Delights - his blog and a Guardian article about it
• Good Buy books
• The Speaking Tree bookshop
• and, my favourite, Topping & Company

The lovely, lovely man at Topping & Company offered my a cup of tea while I was browsing - that's enough to make me go back there every time I want a book. And it sells the 'Vogue Knitting' books (for it's usual tenner not the wonderous £100 that Amazon sellers wanted).

N.B., there's some wonderful events coming up with Topping and Company and there's still tickets! I'm going to see the fabulous Yorkshireman Alan Bennett tomorrow and Ranulph Fiennes next Monday...If you call Topping & Co., I hope you also get the cheery Robert. He made my day. Alan's event is virtually free as you get his new book, a glass of wine and the event for only £15. I am so excited! I'll ask him to sign the book 'to me mam' for Christmas - in celebration of another equally extraordinary Northerner!

A book made from crisp bank notes?

All I want is the 'Vogue Knitting: Socks' book. I've got 'Socks Two' but I'm not really ready to knit penguin slipper socks yet: I just want to simplest of simple socks (until I can knit them to equal length I really shouldn't try anything fancy!).

You would not believe how tricky it is to get this title. Librarys West got me a bit excited as they seemed to have a few of the 'Vogue Knitting' titles but went through all the hoops for the 'Baby Knits' title and was told there was 'no copies in all branches'. You think they might remove it from the catalogue list then?

And then good ole trusty Amazon gave me this page (right). £99.44 for a copy that has 'wear and markings'?? Grrrr. And, I can't get over that they say that it looks like an 'interesting title'. Well, yes, I'm sure it is. Now if they could just make it less like the price of a mini-break somewhere hot, that'd be just lovely...

Reduce, recycle, reuse

A lovely colleague took me to a ‘Clothes Carousel’ last Friday in the New Oriel Hall, Bath. It was, essentially, a jumble-sale of clothes/shoes/bags. What can not be good about this! (But even better: the £1 entry fee included a glass of wine!)

Without getting too socio-economical or too political, I suspect some cities are better to do this kind of thing in that others. And, if the charity shops here are anything to go by, Bath has got to fall into the better category! I’ve never seen so much lovely stuff in charity shops than in Bath...people throw away such gems!

(I guess it’s all a question of affordability and financial capabilities. When John started his PhD in Liverpool he was living in an area abutting the rather infamous Toxteth and the charity shops there were interestingly different: they either sell total tatt (with no hidden gems) or fabulous donated second-hand furniture and reclaimed ovens, fridges and washing-machines. We found a wonderful dining pedestal table and chairs in Oxfam for the bargain of £100, which we since came across online for five times that, and some absolutely amazing second-hand books. Charity shops seem to more popular places up north for everyday things and they utilize this market*.)

Anyway, I’m getting side-tracked. I wanted to show you these from the Carousel! A silk-cashmere Boden cardigan for £3 (right) and a fab 1950s style cotton dress for a tenner (with a lovely watering-can print; detail left).

There was a massive range of clothes and lots to cater for all sizes and shapes. Most of it was great quality and in good nick - if I'd been cunning I would have brought lots of jumpers to felt and garments to cut up for their fabrics and buttons...

This Carousel took me a bit by surprise but there’s another one in April - I’ll let you know when I‘ve got more details! In the meantime, check out its permanent unofficial sister ‘Roundabout’ in Widcombe (2 Prior Park Road, Widcombe, Bath; Tel: (01225) 316696) - beautiful, good quality clothes for a snip of their new prices.

*By the by, I’ve never noticed how much shops cater for their demographic more clearly than when I was bobbing between Bath and Liverpool. There are more open street markets up North (how I miss them, sob) but the supermarkets are markedly different. Tesco set up home in John’s area, predictably put all the local shops out of business and then tailored their shelves for demand. Contrast: Bath (couscous, quinoea, buckwheat) and Liverpool (the oddity that is the tinned potato [much loved by North Mancunian Grandpa Pollitt], little fresh fruit & vegetables and lots of pre-prepared foods). When I visited Liverpool just before John moved down here, some 6mths ago, it did seem a lot better and I hope Tesco is making more of an effort to help people to eat more healthily...

Sock postscript...gargh.

My first socks are officially finished..!

*little dance*

Is it completely ridiculous to be more proud of the fact that I turned a heel, and knitted with more needles than I have limbs, than of my PhD?? ;0)

Oh, and there is unanimous agreement that it is always better to knit a pair of socks to the same length. (Honestly, can you believe it?! So eager was I to get to the heel and practise my new technique that I must have miscounted the rows in the tube...and the second one's a clear inch shorter. John always-the-solution-provider suggests cutting off some toes from that foot to make my socks look equal.)

Yum yarns

I love going back to my hometown of Manchester for so many reasons (not least this, this and this) but one of them is to browse in the Sew-In shop in Didsbury. It's wonderful, friendly and cheap! There's a great yarn sale bucket and the non-sale yarns don't seem to be at all as pricey as those down here (sigh). And I found these!

Aren't they gorgeous? Twilleys of Stamford Freedom Spirit yarn (#513, left, and 508, right): all shades are available from GetKnitted. Apart from being absolutely beautiful colours and 100% wool, a 50g ball is under £3. But if you go to Manchester it's only £2.50/50g - if you get a SuperSaver train ticket from Bristol and you buy enough yarn, you might save money! :0)

The Knitter's Song

Clickety clack, clackerty clack,
The knitters at work - knit and purl back.
In two-ply or three-, mohair or double,
the knitting keeps growing, without any trouble.

Sometimes machine, often on pins,
the knitter is busy and has no sins!
The garments are splendid admired by all,
"Knit one for me" is everyone's call.

The colours are gorgeous, in all sorts of hues,
they cheer all those who suffer the blues.
"So keep on knitting", is everyone's cry,
"For we love knitting!" is our reply.

Marjorie Carrier, 1990, for The Button Lady

Healthy, happy knitting

The research of Bath's Betsan Corkhill, of Stitchlinks, is helping people manage chronic pain at the RUH and the group meets fortnightly.

KNITTING HELPS TO RELIEVE CHRONIC PAIN
18 October 2007

Needles have been helping to reduce pain at Bath's main hospital in more ways than one. Patients being treated at the Royal United Hospital's pain management unit are being encouraged to take up knitting to aid their recovery. It is believed the hobby, along with crochet, can help take people's minds off their pain.

The therapeutic effects of knitting are being embraced by a new group at the hospital, called Stitch, Links and Chatter. The group, which meets twice a month, was set up in the summer by nurse practitioner Carol Davidson. It currently has eight members but there are a further 30 people interested in getting involved.

Mrs Davidson said: "There is substantial anecdotal evidence that the repetitive nature of knitting and the distraction it provides, allows people to be less aware of their pain. It's also a valuable social interaction for our patients, many of whom are isolated because of the chronic nature of their conditions." Some group members are knitting for their friends and family while others are making clothes for babies in the neo-natal intensive care unit.

Sue Pike, who suffers from chronic back pain, attends the sessions and knits for the NICU. She said: "It gives me great pleasure to know that what I knit will help a family with a premature baby. The knitting itself I find very relaxing and, living with severe pain, anything that helps you relax is a bonus."

Betsan Corkhill, a physiotherapist who helped get the group off the ground, has also been gathering evidence on the positive effects of knitting and cross-stitching on her website stitchlink.com. Researchers at Cardiff University are also looking at whether the rhythm involved in knitting can help eliminate negative thought cycles and rumination.

RUH pain unit psychologist Mike Osborn said: "The knitting group is a superb example of an activity that works for loads of different reasons. It's physical, productive, social, almost meditative and helps people to engage in meaningful activity. Chronic pain can take the meaning out of your life and if you can retrieve some of it through knitting or anything like it, that's a great idea." (The Bath Chronicle)

There's an interesting article in the latest issue of Yarn Forward, by Jennifer Hilton, discussing the optimal knitting position! I had a nasty pedal bike fall last winter (I was pushed off the road by a car speeding down Upper Hedgemead Rd, but that's another story - I think people just don't expect to find cyclists in hilly Bath). Afterwards I had loss of sensation in my left hand and a tightening of the tendons in my palm, which made my hand turn inwards and holding things was painful and tricky...when you're a left-handed editor and an avid knitter this is bad news indeed. Anyhoo, it took this knock for me to learn to listen to my body and take care of it in the fine way it deserves. Some Pilates, with the wonderful Mary, daily exercises from a nice physiotherapist and the passing of time seems to have helped and thankfully I'm nearly back to 'normal'. But overzealous knitting and scribbling brings on again and I get 'claw-hand'...so I'm always careful to listen to my noodle arms.

So, I would heed Jennifer Hilton's advice: do you have a preference for one style of knitting? How tightly to you hold your needles? How do you normally sit? (Avoid crossing legs!) Is there enough light to avoid eye-strain? How's your breathing, are you all scrunched? If you're suffering from any discomfort then try doing something related to knitting rather than the click-clackety itself (pattern-planning, ball up your wool or sort out your yarn stash). Listen to your body.

Pulling my socks up!

My biggest knitting achievement of 2007 must be: my first socks. Helen coaxed me into overcoming my sockophobia. No chance of a relapse - I've now got the opposite problem...

I. Just. Can't. Stop. 

It's been a steep learning curve and there are things I need to tweak - good job there's a second sock to practise on!

First of all, I had a circular-knitting-crisis - like Mari did with her hat - and ended up pushing the work through to the wrong side of the needles and then knitting in the wrong direction. (It's not so hard to do when you're on a packed Friday train up North and there's two kids sitting next to you playing a game of 'Name the thing out of the window'. It went thus: 'tree'...'cow'...'fence'...for THREE hours! Sigh.)

Another head-scratching moment was the grafting of the toe at the end...or the so-called Kitchener Stitch. Actually, I didn't realise when I grafted the first sock that the stitch I was doing was the same as the Kitchener one - otherwise I would have followed the wisdom of Knitty. As it was, I tackled it through the rather wordy pattern explanation and messed it right up. In situations like this, a picture really is worth a thousand words.

There's some fabulous ladders in my sock down the sides (left)...and an odd little hole that has snuck in at the heel seam (below). Fiona suggested dividing the stitches between four needles rather than three, thus creating less strain at the corners and lessening the ladder effect. This definitely seemed to help and also made the first few rows easier to work...tiny yarn on only three 2.5mm-needles is fiddly work indeed. 

Helen's tip of knitting a couple of stitches around from one needle to the next (without using the fifth needle) seemed to help too - but then I started getting a spiral effect! I think I was pulling the yarn too tightly at the corners and making a crease. But this has blocked out easily...unlike any ladders that appeared before I ditched the extra needle at the corners so I've been remembering to knit those stitches every few rounds for the second sock...  

The peculiar little hole is, I think, some stretch from where the stitches were divided on the needles and where I started shaping the gusset...I've avoided this in the second sock by picking up one more stitch than suggested down the side of heel flap and K2tog the first two stitches to give the right number for the pattern. Bit of a fudge but, hey, who cares? It has a heel, a gusset, a toe, stripes and it'll keep my foot warm...it'll do! Let's just hope they still look like a pair by the time I've corrected the quibbles when knitting the second sock!

Time for a hat..?

I think today was the first perfect autumn day in Bath this year (unless I missed some when I was convalescing?): all earlier days have either been too warm or wet...but today was blue skies and crispy leaves aplenty. Skiing days - as my oldest and best schoolfriend, Sarah, and I call them...

My mittens have made it onto the needles - which means they'll be done in time for the summer (sigh, I've been meaning to start these for months too...pah).

Mari's been resolutely knitting this wonderful hat for quite a while, with various set-backs: circular knitting slip-ups...more of them later...and a summer of weddings...

The yarn is Noro Kureyon #92; the pattern is designed by Saartje de Bruijn and is available here.

Let's hope the hat doesn't get lost once finished - isn't this hat #3, Mari? Taxis, precious accessories and lots of wine...we all know how this story ends..! Given how many hungover mornings I have spent on the phone to Lost Property, I am considering putting loops into all my knits so that they can be attached to my person on a night out...

Geeky knitting: the best kind

Quietly frightened - remember I was going to try and knit a trilobite? Well, turns out, I'm not the first. No, siree.

In fact, there seems to be a whole swarm of the beggars out there. And not just knitted ones. (Let's not limit ourselves to just one type of fossil manufacture?!)

And...the best bit: trilobite socks. This is where my head implodes with delight!

New mag...

A new knitting magazine, Let's Knit, was available from 12th October...here's their blurb:

LET'S KNIT

Get the needles at the ready because we're launching our exciting new knitting magazine, Let's Knit, on 12th October. If you're a modern knitter wanting patterns and creations that are not just fun to make but fashionable too, this is the magazine for you. Bursting with fabulous creations from some of the best contemporary designers, it's packed full of projects for both stitching novices and experienced knitters.

Giving a fresh perspective on this addictive craft, Lets Knit offers an accessible format with clear, easy-to-follow instructions. The practical guide is a must-have for all those tricky bits, and there are plenty of patterns that have been exclusively designed for the magazine to look forward to. One of the great things about this new title is the colour variations and freestyling tips that are suggested throughout, so you can really put a personal stamp on each piece.

Added to that, there will be an exciting free gift every month, starting with a fantastic knitting DVD with issue one. The handy resource includes:

> Let's Knit editor, Sarah Neal, showing her 19 must-have kit bits for the month in the product review
> Detailed tutorials on both basic and intermediate stitches
> Our very own knitting community where we share our top tips, knitting gossip, latest projects and invite you to get involved

With 60 minutes of footage in total, it's an ideal way to see the hottest products, learn a new stitch or meet some of the faces behind the magazine. Watch this space for more information and the chance to win a 12 month subscription to Let's Knit, worth £59.88!

I've subscribed for their introductory offer (the first 3 issues for just 100p!) - so I'll let you know how I find it when it arrives..!

If you're eating your lunch...best look away now...

Elizabeth and David introduced me to these wonderful knitted organs. Another fab sciency-woolly blend!

Shame we can't knit them aplenty and help save more people needing new organs...but, until the day with wool and endocrinology are perfectly in tune, the least we can do is sign up here.

To be able to give the gift of life to someone else when in death: is there anything more gracious?

People are welcome to any bits of me they want when the time comes - not all of it does what it says on the tin but, with a re-fit, who knows..? ;0) 

Continuing the October felting theme...

Mari and I have been talking about doing some Nuno felt for months now...Mari made a lovely one (left) during her years in Dundee.

Here's some wonderful instructions by Southampton felt artist Rachel Reynold (take some time to slobber over her Gallery!) and a good and extremely Texan demonstration by Gika Rector on YouTube.

Does anyone want to join us? We'll decide on a venue when we know numbers - but it will be in central Bath...We're going to put an order in for some felt, silk and other Nuno bits'n'bobs soon, so please email me if you want to join us...

Yarn (is moving swiftly) Forward

Yarn Forward magazine is quickly moving onwards and upwards: it's now in its third issue and seems to have overcome its initial teething production problems...hurray! If the cover information's anything to go by, the lastest issue is going to be fab!

I should get my subscription through the letter box (as soon as Royal Mail staff pick up their rattles) so I'll bring my copies to the next knitting meeting if people would like to browse before they buy...

Pretty knitty Afghans

How exciting to have another knitter at work! Charlotte's lent me this wonderful book and it's beautiful patterns are making me feel a little better (the heavy antibiotics are helping too, I expect).

But my eyes started watering when I started doing the sums: a hefty 55 balls is needed...and Rowan HandKnit DK cotton is suggested! Blimey.

So, my initial plan is to knit a mini version of this in some cheaper wool without the beads. A little sad to leave the little jewels off but I want to give it to my extremely pregnant friend, for her impending little one, and I don't want any of beads to be chewed off by a little mouth. There's no point knitting it out of anything too precious either as it will, no doubt, need washing aplenty once in use...

It's officially Socktober

LollyKnit was the inspiration behind Socktoberfest and this year's progress can be followed here.

What a cheery world of appendage warmers! A pair of pins creating something for a pair of pins (as we call 'legs' up North).

I have had the worst cold for a long time (and that's saying something - I have the immune system stength of a soggy mitten): I have cleanly lost 4 days of my life to 'Day Nurse' and decade-old repeats of Dawson's Creek. Absolutely hideous (both the cold and Dawson...). Today is the first day that I've been able to peel off the PJs and think about eating more than a piece of toast. Sigh. (I should have guessed something was up at last Tuesday's pub knit - I started coughing but thought I'd just furballed on some of my fluffy Alpaca wool...)

The good news is that I have finished my first sock. Hurray. If I had the energy to do a little dance - I would. As it is, I'm off to wring out a handkerchief (which is a great pity, as they're beautifully embroidered ones from the wonderful Vintage to Vogue: 28 Milsom Street, Bath. But they do give some cheer to my pestilence).

Wow!

Sara, my fellow knitty publisher, has brought this wonderful website to my attention. I am literally bouncing up and down on my seat with glee.

Under each pattern they’ve indicated the knitting tension (in number of stitches/10 cm) so that suggested yarn may be replaced by yarn with a similar knitting tension.

New designs are constantly uploaded (and you can search the website for new ones) and...wait for it...they're free to download! Also, as if this wasn't wonderful enough, you can see comments from people who've knitted the pattern and chat in their Forum: how helpful!

I think that Scandinavian Knitting Design run this service and, for the first time, they'll be at the Alexander's Palace Knitting & Stitching show in a couple of weeks...You can visit them too by prior appointment - and it's in Reading - only an hour away from Bath...

Lace: love it (again)

The lace abstinence? I take it back. Look at Emma's beautiful scarf! The pattern is called 'Cloud' from GetKnitted (£2; and can be knitted as a scarf, stole or wrap) and it's knitted in Rowan Kid Silk Haze (592: Heavenly).

And Helen's got this wonderful book (example of it's knits on the right) by Jane Sowerby - I'm sold.