Harrogate

Ok here goes... this will be a very long post & I needed enough time to put it all together hence the delay.

On Thursday morning I started my journey with two trains. I left the car at home so that DH could take DD training & so that I didn't leave him stranded. This of course left plenty of time for sock knitting so the Tiger Jaywalker was frogged & restarted.

Harrogate was COLD but Andrea met me at the station & we then spent 20 minutes searching for our hotel. When we finally found it we realised that we'd passed it twice already. Our room was lovely with a huge bathroom & two twin beds. The decor was beautiful & very welcoming.

We then went out briefly before I went to the Turkish Baths for my massage. All I can say is heaven, especially when the masseur got his knuckles into my shoulders. I was ready to sleep after that but instead Andrea & I went into the Turkish Baths proper. It was wonderful: sauna then a quick shower before the plunge pool - oh my god, the quickist two lengths of breast stroke I've ever done in my life, then on to the hot rooms. We just relaxed, chatted & got very warm. Then the process was repeated, many times. Hot, shower, cold plunge!! Finally when we left I was so relaxed I could have curled up in a ball & slept for a week. Instead we found a great Indian restaurant but neither of us could finish the main course as the starters were huge - so less food next time.

The show itself was fanastic. 4 halls full of vendors. We had booked a crochet workship run by the Knitting & Crochet Guild in the morning which was fun & I learnt how to make a crochet Curly Whirley scarf. I've got two odd balls of Sirdar Wow in lilac that I didn't have any plans for so may play soon.

Then we found Daisy. It was great to finally meet her. She seemed happy to leave her Mum & Aunt to their own shopping & the 3 of us went to find the Relax & Knit stand & my Secret Pal, which has already been blogged about here.

After introductions etc we all split up to go shopping & headed off like kids on a treasure hunt. Yvonne very kindly lent me her catalogue in which she marked off all the good stands & must visits. I had a fixed budget in mind & really didn't want to go over it especially as DH was laying the law down about more yarn purchases.

I had a few things in mind that I needed & first off were this little beauties from Taj Crafts


Accessories

Then I found RKM Wools and bought 3 skeins of Maya


Maya

Inspired by one of the gifts Yvonne gave me I bought 400g of this:


undyed yarn

Then these little beauties.


Lorna's Laces sock yarn

I had planned to get some Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn but the colours didn't scream out to me. So instead I bought some Lorna's Laces sock yarn from Get Knitted

I've already mentioned that I had a budget & that I had intended not to go over it..... Well I'm afraid this little beauty from Web of Wool took me over my budget but not by much



Socka Color

After all that I headed back to the Relax & Knit stand to wait for Andrea. It is very well named as it's nice to sit & chill after the noise & bustle of shopping.

To end the day a gang of us went for a sandwhich before I raced for the train only to find it was delayed I got home in time having just caught my connecting train by the skin of my teeth - and yes Sue you're right - the train journeys were a perfect opportunity to increase the Tiger Jaywalkers

Airedale loving Knitters rule!

I'm chuffed to bits to have found yet another Knitting Airedale loving blogger - check out Bogart who now joins Gracie and Annie & Blue on our very own Airedale knitters blog ring - if their owners ever get round to setting one up!

So go on over & say hello


Blue & Annie playing bitey face

Tiger 1 - 1 Chain Mail

I haven't got time to write about The Knitting & Stitching show tonight but it's coming soon I promise.

Instead here's my latest attempt at Jaywalker. I had to frog the lot as I couldn't pick up 84 stitches on 2.5mm circulars but it's working well this time.


Jaywalker in Opal Rainforest Tiger

I really like the colours but isn't 4 ply slow compared to DK? - remember this is only my second pair of socks / or not to tempt fate my third sock This photo was taken yesterday & it's grown a bit but not much since then.

The Chain Mail scarf in Sirdar Firefly is hiding in my bag & has been there since the Jaywalker resurfaced

The Big Reveal - Secret Pal 6

I've met my Secret Pal & she's lovely!!!

I went to The Knitting & Stitching show on Friday with Andrea (much more on this later) & after a workshop we made our way to the Relax & Knit stand. Sat on the table was this inviting bag:


Secret Pal gift bag

Fred was trying to get me to open it straight away but it didn't seem right until I knew who my Secret Pal was. It was really weird standing there, not knowing who they were and any of the numerous people sat at the stand could be my SP! It wasn't until a discussion started re Sirdar Firefly that I got the first clue. A woman wearing a broch knitted in Sirdar Firefly appeared just as I was saying that I hated knitting with it. She mentioned using her laptop in her B&B the previous night & I had struck gold - I had found my Secret Pal!!! She had previously given me some clues in her emails one of which was that she was able to use her laptop at her B&B.

It was really weird to finally meet her. Only then did I dive into the bag again with some prompting from Fred. Inside I found:


Knitscene

which has some fantastic patterns in. Everytime I go through it I find more!

Then:


Maroon Regia Silk

which like the Regia Silk my Secret Pal had prevously sent me is absolutely gorgeous.

Then a beautiful moebius scarf:


moebious scarf

which my Pal had knitted herself in Sirdar Zanzibar. DD & I had great fun working out all the ways to wear it.

Next I found this:


Eris

I've wanted this pattern for AGES & have just the yarn for it.

Then this (was this bag bottomless???)


Kool Aid

which then influenced my purchasing later (but I'm not going into that now)

and finally:


Soap

All I can say is 'Thank You' Yvonne - I've really enjoyed being your pal. The past few months have been hard for me & your emails & generosity have brought a smile to my face on more than one occasion.

I'll be revealing myself to the person I've been sending to on December 4th - Yvonne revealed herself early as we were both at the same show & it seemed too good an opportunity to miss!

Jaywalkers continue & Harrogate here I come....

I've finally been brave & have frogged my first attempt at Jaywalker. I haven't frogged it all but have gone back down to the cuff. I'm going to try & pick up the 84 stitches on 2.5mm needles but if that fails will have to totally start afresh.

To give me motivation this time I've joined the Jaywalker Knitalong. Hopefully I won't run out of stitches this time so will be able to follow the pattern properly & do the necessary increases.

Tomorrow morning I'm going to Harrogate on the train (hence the sock revial)where I'm meeting up with Andrea & we're going to the Turkish Baths & I've booked a massage in the afternoon. I'm really looking forward to relaxing, having fun, good company & no child or DH just for a few hours (sorry DH but a girl needs a break every so often).

On Friday we're going to the The Knitting & Stitching show where we'll be meeting up with Daisy, Fred & my SP!!!

I have a list in my head of what I want to buy and am going to write it down tonight - included is a larger bra for my purchases

I've also started a map & would love to see where you all are - link is in the side bar.

Tiger 0 - 1 Chain Mail

I haven't ripped out the Tiger Jaywalkers yet - I simply haven't got the heart but will do soon. Yesterday I bought two balls of Sirdar Firefly in red to make a scarf for my MIL. I've never knitted with a ladder yarn before & I'm not keen but the effect is great. It looks a bit like chain mail & drapes beautifully BUT I hate knitting with it. Twice I've had to tinker back or frog as I keep dropping a stitch at the end of the row. So now I'm counting the stitches at the end of each row. It doesn't help that I'm using metal Addi Turbos but I haven't got any short 8mm bamboos.

DD & I are having a swimming weekend - DD was in a gala this afternoon & came 4th & 5th in her races. Last weekend she got disqualified & spent the evening in tears. Tomorrow morning we're being picked up at 5.45 a.m. (yes I do mean an unearthly hour & it'll still be very dark) to go to an all day gala which is about two hours drive from here
I've already made lunch & snacks for her tomorrow & am going to bed soon myself so that I'm not a zombie tomorrow.

So if any of you are also at an Open swimming meet in the North of England tomorrow & see a woman knitting a red chain mail scarf - chances are it'll be me!

Frogging here I come.....

Susoolu knows me so well! 5 minutes after finishing the Regia socks on Sunday evening I cast on for another pair. This time using Opal Rainforest in Tiger and the MagKnits pattern Jaywalker


Jaywalker in Tiger

So far so good I thought admiring the colours & the pattern until I realised that I had an odd number of stitches. Some how I've gone wrong on the end of the second round [between the two red lines] as that part of the pattern should be straight rather than pulling to one side & have so far lost 9 stitches



Jaywalker in Tiger - mistake

What have I done wrong? I found that I didn't have enough stitches to finish the last pattern repeat on the second row but the pattern does recreate the stitches which have been decreased - maybe I didn't read it correctly.

I promised DH that I'd post a picture of the moon from our backgarden (for which he got the camera out & then got collared into taking knitty pics so late at night)



Moon obscured by cloud