Babylonglegs

North Lyme

2012-02-20T16:48:00.004Z

Needed to work with a sample of 60% Silk~40% Cashmere, given to me by my yarn supplier.
So, of course... I made a hat :D
Here's my North Lyme ... I love it *with* all it's mistakes :D

The sample was lovely to work with (the drape on this hat is amazing) and to dye, but I won't be carrying it as a base, as it will push me too far into the 'luxury yarn' arena... pure silk is about as far as I go down that road :)
I'd have to retail it at over £25 a skein... and that's a little too rich for me at the moment.
I am sure there will be plenty of other UK Indies stocking it though, if you really feel the need for some *WiNKS*

Karma?

2012-02-10T16:45:00.004Z

I hardly ever find decent woolly treasures in Charity Shops.
But today, I think Karma decided to reward me for something I did to help out a friend.
I love vintage yarns, and this is a real beauty.
15 teeny 1oz balls (so about 425g) of 90% Pure Wool/10% Nylon, in a really stunning tweedy Teal colour, 'Royal Emerald'...

Dear Karma, please also reward me with another 2 hours in the day, so I can actually use it... kthnxbai *GRiNS*

The Happiest of Hats!!

2012-02-08T17:38:00.006Z

Okay, so a couple of weeks ago, I got a mystery birthday package in the post from my friend, WoollyWormhead ... all wrapped up and looking very squishy.

It was SOOO hard not to open it on the spot, I can tell you, because I am a very impatient person.... and I just knew it was gonna be a new Hat :)

I kept going back to look at this irresistable and intriguing package, poking it and shaking it...

*whispers* at one point I even peeled back a bit of the cellotape...

My awesome Husbeast surprised me too, with a Birthday weekend away to Westward Ho!, so I got to open this, and many more breathtaking gifts, by the seaside.

It was all so magical...!

I was just so completely blown away by this awesome gesture. A unique gift made with me in mind.

The colours are just perfect, they bring out the green in my eyes and it is so comfortable...

It's completely fit for its purpose, as a hat FuLL of HaPPeH, and just shows how much she knows me.

We had a chat about how it should be published, and we both agreed, wholeheartedly, that it should be available as a free pattern. Making money off the back off something so uniquely personal to us just felt ... wrong?

It's made from scraps of stash yarn she had available, so you don't even need to make it with my yarn... everyone is a winner :D

WoollyWormHead has blogged about it herself, here ...

Jazzy Perfection

2012-02-01T21:04:00.006Z

Well, here it is, my test knit for the new yarn I have decided to stock, a 100% silk, multi-ended sock yarn... 'Perfection'
I am really pleased with it!
The pattern is 'Sweet Jazz' by Samantha Roshak, and it was really easy-to-follow...
There are a few n00b lace mistakes in there, but if you don't look too closely you'd never know... *WiNK*

Arkanoid

2012-01-26T14:29:00.010Z

The February Knit-A-Long from WoollyWormhead is a brand new design, called ', 'Arkanoid' and it has been made with my semi~Precious :) *BEAMS PROUDLY*

I have 'North Lyme' on the needles at the moment, and it's looking great, and I am SO making 'Arkanoid' next :)

If you'd like to join in with the KAL, just pop yourself over to Woolly's Ravelry Group at the beginning of February, as I am sure there's a LOT of semi~Precious in various stashes out there!!

To coincide with the KAL, I will be offerring free UK P&P on all my shop stock of semi~Precious, and the SP custom dye too, for the first week of February... if you want to buy some to make the hat :-)

Just add AKANOID into the discount box at checkout, to claim your free P&P (will go Live on February 1st)

If there isn't a colour there you like, just pop me a message somewhere on the internet Facebook/Twitter/Ravelry... hahaha, and I'll dye you some up.

Happy Knitting, Lovely Peeps!

(All pictures reproduced by the very kind permission of their owner)

More Perfection!

2012-01-25T14:15:00.004Z

Well, here they are, the remaining skeins of my new base yarn, a 100% Silk sock weight, 'Perfection' ...

I can't rave about it enough... from a dyers point of view.

For me, it's the perfect canvas for deep, intense colours, and I think you all know by now, this is what rocks my world.

The best description I can give it, for visualisation purposes, is imagine coloured aluminium needles... the luminosity and shine is stunning. I have worked with it too, and it isn't all that splitty, I think blunt~ish needles are the way to go with it, as it has so many plies.

Look, I even made a new banner for it *GRiN*

I am going to add them to the shop and offer free UK postage on them (as it's my birthday on Saturday)... so 7 lucky people can get a sneaky peek, before I can actually order it properly.

You know, I nearly had to sell a kidney to get these!! hehehehe

Expect it to go into my usual updates from the second~ish week in February... but if you just can't wait until then, I fear a little stalking may be in order :-) Don't worry, there will be plenty of notice :P

Pigeon Street

2012-01-21T18:11:00.005Z

The lovely ladies in my Ravelry group gave me a challenge this week, so in amongst all the dyeing, laundry and cooking this week, I made time to answer the challenge :)

It's basically a rainbow colourway, but I was careful to try and match the colours in the picture as closely as I could...

And here it is, on Flump sock and Radiance :)

They will be available to purchase in the shop later!

An obsession with Holes....

2012-01-16T21:41:00.008Z

So, the obsession with 'holey' knitting continues...

You might remember my 'Cornish Cheese' scarf?

Well, this one is taking the holes to a whole new level (hahaha)...

This WIP is a mixture of two patterns, Spoilt For Choice by Anne Thompson and the aforementioned/used 'Swiss Cheese scarf' by Winnie Shih

I have added the edge holes, because I didn't want it to have rigid boundaries, and it also means it will be stretcher. I am loving the way all the edges are curling, showing the two textures... I don't think I will block this away either.

Am again using Radiance sock, because I love it's unique way with colour and it's squooshy nature.

I am confident this scarf will be a show stopper when it's done!!

Pomegranate

2012-01-16T16:21:00.004Z

Here's the results of Rachel's inspired request :)
It was so hard to get an accurate photo though... looks a lot more pink on my screen than it really is!!

Trust me... I nailed it :D

fun... Fun... FUN :)

2012-01-14T16:50:00.004Z

Woke up today, feeling decidedly in need of my rose-tinted Spectacles, but, the sun was shining and I was determined to pull myself up and make the day count.

I had a kilo of BooLace to dye up for Meadow Yarn and that was going to be pretty easy to do, as Anj and her lovely customer peeps like my colours... but what else was I going to do?

Devoid of ideas, I turned on my Twitter, and asked people what they'd like me to do today...

I got various requests, via Facebook mainly, as I have the two networks linked (I tweet and it automatically goes to my Babylonglegs Facebook page) ...

The wonderful Rachel Coopey 's request grabbed me the most though... she said 'Pomegranate' sock yarn...

This picture was my inspiration ....

I chose to dye it on semi-Precious, as I think the silk content will make the colours PoP when it is dry...

So, pictures to follow... it is currently half frozen on the washing line :P

Rose-coloured Spectacles

2012-01-13T16:06:00.009Z

Rose-coloured spectacles - if someone thinks about or looks at something with rose-coloured glasses, they think it is more pleasant than it really is ...

Yup, it's a sure fire sign, that if I am wearing them... I am probably feeling rather glum. But there is also another reason why I wear them... the rose tint makes colours SHOUT at me.

Literally...

It quietens the greens, (who are complete limelight stealers btw) and allows the reds and yellows to take their rightful place on Natures' stage.

Looking at an Autumn scene through my awesome spectacles is a breathtaking experience :D

Happy New Year, Stuff and a KAL WiNK

2012-01-06T20:37:00.006Z

First of all, I'd like to wish you all a very Happy New Year, I hope 2012 brings you all you truly desire and deserve...

There are many exciting things in the future for Babylonglegs (especially some pure silk yarns that I cannot WAIT to get my hands on!) and some exciting/scary things happening in my real life too !!

Above all, I hope 2012 is kinder than 2011... *fingers crossed*

I don't make resolutions, but I do need to try and see things in a more positive way. This is going to be quite hard, especially when one week out of four I feel like either throwing myself under a bus or murdering everything in sight, or both, at, the same time :P

My lovely Dad, who is both a Pharmacist AND a Homeopath, has suggested I start taking a remedy called "Lachesis" (snake venom doncha know) when I feel like that, and so far it seems to be helping...

But the one resolution I will make is to try and tempt you all OFF your boring Yarn diets :D

Now, who fancies a Knit-A-Long??

The lovely ladies in my Ravelry group have demanded (heehee) I dye them all yarn to make a stunning hat, "Escargot", which was featured in the latest issue of Knitty

There are slots already listed in my shop for 200g of MeriSilk Aran...

I will dye the two colours you want and then send them to you, so you can join the KAL for this gorgeous hat in no time at all :D

(Both images are reproduced with the very kind permission of their owner)

I am also planning a shop update for tomorrow night, Saturday 7th January at about 8pm... the preview for it is up now :)

Much love to you all!!!

Cornish Cheese

2011-11-10T15:59:00.010Z

Remember a few months ago, I shared a new base yarn picture with you, Radiance Sock?

Well, I made 200g of it into a scarf, Swiss Cheese by Winnie Shih. It was this years Holiday knitting, and I finally finished it on Monday, on the journey up to my Grandpa's funeral.

Had a few hiccups initially, due (I think) to differing cast off methods, but once I understood the designers methods, all was good.

Theres a great balance between the “mindless” garter stitch rows and the more complex hole construction rows, making it a perfect pattern for picking up and putting down without losing your place.

Using a crochet cast (learned through sideways hat knitting a la Wormhead) on for the holes, as I want good stiff hole definition.

Measures 37.5cm/13in wide and 127cm/50in long.

Will be easy to make thinner and longer... you just change the cast on :)

I wear it folded over, so a double thickness scarf, and it has had so many comments so far. I love it, and the yarn is just perfect :)

Radiance Sock will be staying in my inventory, you'll be pleased to hear, as it's perfect for this kind of project!!!

Perfection!!

2011-11-03T21:16:00.004Z

Meet Perfection, my new pure silk base yarn :)

I was given a few samples at Fibre Flurry last weekend, by my lovely ~~Yarn Pusher~~ friend, Andy and out of all of them, this one blew me away the most.

Since the success of semi-Precious, and the way it shines, I have been yearning for a pure silk Plied yarn to play with.

Well I got my wish...!

Perfection is made up of six plies (or 'ends' as they are correctly known in spinner lingo), quite loosely plied... 400m of sheer luxury.

All I need to do now is finish my current WIP and I can start test knitting this skein of pure loveliness.

I am going to get myself some lace needles, as I suspect it will be a bit 'splitty' if I just use run of the mill needles....no pun intended there *WiNKS*

For all you hardcore lace knitters out there... it will also be available in 800m lace!!

It's a Halloween Treat... no tricks... honest!!

2011-10-31T13:00:00.010Z

Because it's a spooky day today, I have got together with one of my bestest buddies, Lottie, to bring you this special edition mini- Tote bag and yarn collaboration :)

The set will consist of one skein of sock yarn, in either the "Yoda" or the "Goblin" colourway, and a lovely little project bag in an orange skull fabric, and there's only one of each available.

The bag measures approx, 11 inches by 13 inches, and is fully lined in black cotton.

The set will cost £20 ... and will have free UK P&P...

Every Fridge tells a story

2011-10-31T11:25:00.021Z

This Blog post has been inspired by an AWESOME lady called Jen Arnall - Culliford , who completely blew me away at the weekend when I recieved a totally unexpected gift, these awesome Skull and Polkadot fridge magnets :)

She said she saw them, and thought of me... *GRiN*

So, I thought I'd take a picture of my fridge and blog about it, maybe a little random and strange, but there you go... hehehe :)

I have picked out a few details... of things that mean a lot to me and make me smile every time I go to open the fridge door.

This is a very sweet and angelic picture of Thing One and Thing two... sometimes I need to be reminded of how they can be *sometimes*...

One of my favourite postcards, amongst the sheep and more sheep and the odd picture of a monkey or two (see picture above :-P)

I think we all know who I got it from :)

And lastly, the favourite picture of all, a bit faded now as it's been up there so long. I may have to reprint it and get it framed, now my Grandpa has passed on...

There was always a special spark between him and Thing Two, or 'Tyke' as Grandpa called him, so I liked to keep the picture there so I had a really nice picture of Grandpa to look at occasionally, and also to remind the children of him, as we didn't get to see him very often.

Music, Sweet Music at FibreFlurry!!

2011-10-27T13:30:00.004+01:00

Babylonglegs, NicsKnots and Atomic Knitting have all come together for this years show, and we bring you a musical themed collaboration!

You’ll get a space-dyed skein of high twist Merino Sock yarn, in soft “confectionary” colours, a beautifully made guitar print project bag, and a lovely little Violin Stitch marker… for when you need to fiddle :D

There will be 10 available to buy, either at the Friday Night Preview/Quiz Night, or on the actual day of the show, at a price of £22.

I am sure you won’t be able to resist this sweet little package…

See you there!!

FibreFlurry 2011

2011-10-17T10:27:00.003+01:00

Fibre Flurry 2011 is taking place on Friday 28th and Saturday 29th October 2011.

It is going to be held at St Nicolas Place, a 15th Century building on Kings Norton Green, South Birmingham.

I exhibited there last year, and it was brilliant, had so much fun....!

On 28th there's going to be a special stall preview with a selection of stallholders having special offers and lovely goodies for you to see before anyone else! Both myself and my awesome partner in crime, NicsKnots are going to be there, with our super special event Collaboration :) There's also going to be a quiz night planned with some awesome prizes!

Entry to the preview is by workshop or quiz night ticket.

On 29th there will be will have a smaller selection of workshops, and over 20 independant shops, dyers, designers, spinners and producers spread across the building selling their gorgeous wares.

Tickets are now on sale in the online shop and are also available in the shop in Kings Norton.

This is my ONLY show of 2011, so it would be great to see you!!!

Exciting news!!!

2011-09-02T17:52:00.002+01:00

My very clever friend, WoollyWormhead, has just published her new book, "Bambeanies" and I am very proud to tell you all that she used some of my yarn for one of the Hats!!!

It's called "Nupkin", and is made with "Apples & Pears" Boo Sock :)

(Picture reproduced with kind permission from the owner)

In celebration of this, I am offerring a 15% discount on this very yarn in my shop, just add WOOLLY to the discount box at checkout :)

If you havn't yet had a look at the hats in the book, please take some time to visit Woolly's Website Page all about it.

There are some really *beautiful* hats in there, most of which, in the largest size, would more than likely fit a grown up :) And the book is fantastically formatted... as always, her patterns are so easy to follow.

I shall certainly be making at least one of them!!!

"Quynn" is crying out to be made in self-striping handspun *GRiN*

I hope this Blog post finds you all well, we've had a crazy Summer here, am quite looking forward to returning to work, just for the peace and quiet...HaHaHaHa

Happy Spinning and Knitting, Lovely Peeps!!

Radiance Sock

2011-08-05T22:36:00.004+01:00

So, Radiance has a little sister!!!

And doesn't she look GOOOOOD :)

Happy Anniversary!!!

2011-07-12T19:36:00.007+01:00

This year saw us making it to 20 years of being together, and today is a celebration of 14 years of marriage...so, I thought I'd do something completely different this year, to celebrate another year of being with my most awesomeful Husbeast :)

I get to play DJ :)

This is our musical journey...a few songs that bring us both a lot of joy, and precious memories...

They are all rock tracks, so if it's not your thing, I totally understand, but if you want to while away an hour listening to some quality tunage...then thankyou for listening :)

This song was one of the very first we ever danced to, at the Uni Rock Disco, all those years ago. This album had just been released, and it was played a lot at the rock nights we used to go to.

Ahh...now the next song was on Husbeast's stereo the first time I stayed over. He'd got up and gone to classes, and I thought to myself "I wonder what he's listening to at the moment" so I just pressed play. Needless to say, I was blown away...and years later we saw Queensryche play this whole concept album up close and personal, at Rock City. We'd gone to see them, expecting to hear them play songs from a new album, but no...they played Mindcrime all the way through...

Another band that Husbeast got me hooked on.... Tesla... check the singers voice...just stonking!!!

Even now...after all this time, this song sends shivers down my spine. From a movie we both hold dear, and never tire of watching.... enjoy, and I defy anyone not to love this song :P

The Irons have to make an appearance... this one being from an album we both listened to a lot at the time.

Now this song has a funny memory attatched, cue house party, lots of alcohol and an extremely comedic falling down :D

This one is dedicated to you, Simmo :P

Husbeast will more than likely never forgive me from making him miss this next song when we went to see them Live at Wembley...

This next song really needs very little introduction... take it away boys :)

The following group of songs are from our travels around the world, when we both left University. Either from new albums released whilst we were away, or from new bands we discovered along the way.

From Van Halen's 9th Album, a real in your face tune...and an excellent display of Sammy Hagar's vocal power.

Now, when we were in Melbourne, Australia, we were lucky enough to catch this next band in concert. Not the traditional way though :P Fans had knocked the fences down, as it was an outside venue, so we just coolly walked in and watched them for free...

These next three songs are taken from albums we literally wore out in the stereo of our Ford Falcon Station wagon travelling around Australia... "Frogstomp" by Silverchair, "Smash" by The Offspring and "SuperUnknown" by Soundgarden.

They were nicknamed "Nirvava in Pyjamas"... 15 years old when this album rocketted them to success...I give you Silverchair...

Hahaha...best driving song....ever :P

Windows open so we could smell the sea....stereo blaring...cruising down the Gold Coast Highway... good times :D (lots of lovely shots of Chris Cornell in the video to this song ladies.... rrrrawwr)

When we got back from our travels...we had to find jobs and pretend to be grown ups and stuff, but, listening to Live music has and always will feature very heavily in our time together as a couple, and as a family.

This next band played Leicester quite a few times, and we went with our long time friend, Russ, to a lot of gigs to see them... so, this one is for you Russ....

The last batch of songs is dedicated to when our love expanded into parenthood. I will never forget watching MotorHead on the TV, being heavily pregnant and having a baby headbanging inside me...hahahaha...used to play it to him when he wouldn't stop crying too. This one is for you, Dan!!!

Whilst I was pregnant with Joel, we listened to this next band alot. I also was seriously stuck for a name for this wriggly lump I carried around with me everywhere, and oh yes....he was a wriggler. Husbeast was looking on their website one night, and the Eureka Moment happened. Joel is named after the Lead Singer of Good Charlotte :)

Saw this band at Rock City whilst Joel was a baby...was actually the first time I'd left him. They split up after this tour... and I got to see them play my favourite song LIVE :)

The next three songs are all ones we love as a family. It was hard to choose only three, but I didn't want to bore you all any longer than necessary :P

Both my boys have learned to play the drums on this Metallica track, something their Dad is very proud of....

And finally...recent tracks... from two bands that we have recently seen live, all four of us :)

You have to watch the video for this one :P It is also very apt, lyrically...for the time in our lives right now...

Thankyou for getting this far!!!

If you want to listen to all of the above songs as a YouTube Playlist... please follow this link

Sunglasses Please!!

2011-07-07T22:17:00.003+01:00

These beauties are what I have been working on this week...

Have done around 6 hours dyeing this week, still taking it slowly....and the change of approach is really working.

I dye what I want, when I want... and it's showing in the quality of the work... well, to my eyes anyway... *GRiNS*

So...I think that my MoJo has returned somewhat :)

All these beauties are now in the shop for PREVIEW only... and the update will go live tomorrow night at 8pm.

What's in my headspace is still plaguing me though...yesterday was a *BAAAAD* day... *sighs*

But, one bad day this week is better than 7 bad days.....so I am thankful for that.

That's me looking on the bright side, by the way...

Another Investiture.....

2011-07-02T14:51:00.002+01:00

Dan's old Scout group folded just after Christmas, but it's now started up again, with new Leaders...so he was re-invested last night...

This photo was the last in a set of 3...trying to get him to pose nicely for the camera... and I think its a great pic :-)

A truly happy face...something we don't see as much as we should !!

Clever Husbeast!!!!

2011-07-01T16:52:00.004+01:00

Husbeast found out yesterday that he's been offered the job he was interviewed for on Wednesday!! It's with the same company that currently employ him, but in a completely different department....

He'll now be a Campaigns Officer, helping to organise and promote NIACE's 3 main campaigns, namely Adult Learners' Week, Quick Reads, and World Skills. It's only 6 months to cover maternity leave, but it gives him a whole new skillset (that veer quite sharply away from IT and web work) and more time to look for something else.......or choose the new direction he secretly craves...hahaha

So...there will be a tiny shop update tonight in celebration of this, from 8pm... and if you put enter code WHOOP in at checkout, you'll recieve 20% off...

NB This code will only run for 24 hrs...not made of money you know *WiNKS* so take advantage of it while you can.

*** I LOVE YOU HUSBEAST***

My Boys

2011-06-29T21:44:00.005+01:00

Joel was invested into Cubs tonight, so I thought I'd take this opportunity to *try* and take some nice pictures of my two babies...they are growing up SO fast.

Bless him. Joel is going through a stage of wanting to look like Justin Beiber... *sighs* he has the hair flicking motion down pat.

I love how these these two pictures turned out, you wouldn't believe how easily they slipped from the cuddles into funny faces....

Daniel is a typical pre-teen now...wanting to be all grown up but not really succeeding at a lot of it just yet. But he definitely succeeds in the tantrum and attitude department, so I guess all is normal then, eh ?

Stellar !!

2011-06-23T19:40:00.006+01:00

I have decided to give a new DK base yarn a try. It's made up of 75% Extra Fine Merino, 20% Silk and 5% Stellina and is of a very similar twist to Semi-Precious DK. I tried a few colours on it this week, and I think darker colours work better for showing the strands of Stellina..... but it still looks pretty awesome in other colours too :)

"Just Purple"

"Purple PetrolHead"

"StingRay"

"Wasabi"

It's going to retail at £14 a skein, so the same as semi-Precious DK....

These colours are all going to go into the shop ready for tomorrow night's update at 8pm...

Hope you like the look of them... it was nice working with something new :D

Taps mike Testing...Testing...

2011-06-22T21:41:00.002+01:00

Hello my peeps, long time no see, huh?

I really hope this blog post finds you all well...

I've been out of the loop for a few months now, trying to hide out, in the vain hope that no-one notices I am gone.

But I got rumbled, BIG TIME.

For that, I thank you all. The constant emails (they wern't bounced...I got them ALL, never fear!) and messages of support has reassured my inner Princess that she IS important and that she needs to stop being so petulant and selfish.

The reasons for my absence are many and very complicated, but the THING that kicked it all off was the news that my beloved Husbeast was finally losing his job. A job he's held for 15 years, with the same company. It'd been on the cards for 3 years, "restructuring due to funding cuts" and suddenly it was really happening. We felt like the ground had disappeared from beneath us, and we still feel like that now. This HUGE thing finally robbed me, on a personal level, of my ability to cope with any form of responsibility, and ultimately enthusiasm for my work.

Add to the mix a pre-teen who is a male version of me, fear for my family's future and an assinine reluctance to admit there is anything wrong (insert "LaLaLa I am not listening" here) and you have the last 4 months of my life in a nutshell.

You'd think the prospect of Husbeasts' impending redundancy would spur me on to build on Babylonglegs' success, but it didn't. Any semblence of confidence, self belief and self esteem disappeared into the ether.

I have buried myself deep in denial, and have withdrawn from everything... just ask any of my friends if they have spoken to me lately, and you'll get "Sarah Who" *cackles* I have even lost interest in my knitting and spinning.

MoJo well and truly "Gone Fishing"....

But hopefully, this is all about to change. I need to get out of this empty abyss and start being productive again. I am just going to dive right in and start dyeing again, and not set myself too many goals. Keep things fresh and non-repetitive so that my MoJo reclaims its rightful place again.

So... gone are repeatables.

I dye it...if you like it, you buy it.

Sound good??

Little things.......

2011-02-10T13:55:00.002Z

Now, I have been in a real hole this week....real life getting in the way of everything..including real life ;)

But today, something pulled me out of the funk.

Made me feel enthusiastic, happy even (yes, shock horror, HAPPY)....

A lovely lady, called Sharon (of Yarnimals Fame) made me this gorgeous silver shawl pin... and it arrived today...

Thankyou Sharon, you have no idea how grateful I am for your kindness.

Iceling Knit-a-long

2011-02-04T13:36:00.006Z

Photo reproduced with the very kind permission of the owner

"Iceling" is designed in Radiance, and it is suitable from babies up to 10 years :)

I am hosting an exciting new Knit-a-long I am hosting in my Ravelry Forum

I have 3 patterns to support my yarns, all beautifully written by the very talented Carol Feller at Stolen Stitches, "Centrique", "Ziggy-Zag" and now "Iceling", a junior version of her Knitty design, "Iced".

I am offering the yarn and pattern at a special reduced price for the KAL, so why not pop over to the Forum and take part? You don't even have to buy new yarn, you can knit from stash and buy the pattern from Carol... although what better excuse to buy new yarn ;)

There's already 10 people signed up, so there'll be lots of people to work alongside, and Carol, of course will always be on hand to help with technical problems :D

I have both the yarn and the patterns en route to me, so I'll be ready to start dyeing next week :D

Lara

2011-01-19T00:54:00.008Z

This is Lara from the Twist Collective Winter 2010, made by a veryVeryVERY talented customer of mine, Manda :)

Such a beautiful finished item, made from semi-Precious DK, dyed in my "Buttercup" colourway :)

It took 2 skeins...

Manda made a "Centrique" for herself in the same colourway, when I had my Centrique KAl on Ravelry, and the two go together beautifully :)

Thankyou so much for letting me share your wonderful creations in Yellow, Manda!!

(Photos reproduced with the very kind permssion of the owner)

Royal Fail

2011-01-18T15:37:00.003Z

So, last night I paid a large amount of money to ParcelForce to deliver my Cherry Matchless to it's new home on the Isle of Wight...

I booked for them to come and collect between 9am and 3pm, printed all the right documentation out etc... as you do?

So 2.45pm comes... and I am due to leave the house to collect J from school...still no ParcelForce person to collect the box... so I wait...

Cutting it close to the wire, Mr ParcelForce Man comes to my door.

"Hello" says I,

"Hello, love" says he..."wrong answer", thinks I

"Have you a plastic document keeper for the Address Label?" says I (It clearly states on the ParcelForce website that my driver would kindly provide one, as it is required)

"We don't do that, love" says he..."wrong answer", thinks I

"But it says on the website that you would provide one for me?" says I

"Well I don't know why it would say that, love, because we don't do it" says he..."wrong answer", thinks I

Can you see a pattern emerging here ?

So, I trotted off to the kitchen to get some cellotape to attatch the address label, stuck it on and proceeded to ask...

"You will be careful to keep the box the right way up, won't you?" says I

"Oh, I can't guarantee that, love, we get over 5000 parcels a day at the depot" says he..."wrong answer", thinks I

"Yes, but there's writing on it that says fragile and that it's supposed to be kept upright" says I

"Well, if it's fragile you shouldn't be sending it via ParcelForce, Love" says he

"Pardon me?" says I

"You are the only service that delivers to the Isle of Wight, so I had no choice!!" (voice tone appearing slightly strained by now)

By this time, he'd given me my receipt and had picked up the box, I almost expected him to turn it upside down on purpose, in accordance with his asinine attitude...but he didn't.

"Please be careful with it" says I (now incredibly glad I paid for the extra insurance)

Can you guess the response??

Yup......

"Oh, I can't guarantee that, love, we get over 5000 parcels a day at the depot"

Mailing List !!

2011-01-14T22:21:00.002Z

Okay...another first for me...!!

I have created a mailing list, so you lovely peeps can recieve exclusive offers, news and discount codes on my new webshop, did I mention already that I have a NEW and totally awesome webshop?

So, sign up here and check your inbox sometime next week for an opening night discount code!!!

I absolutely promise never to share your precious details with anyone....

chChCHChanges......

2011-01-13T16:52:00.003Z

I just thought I should letchoo guys know that I am in the process of setting up a new webshop, with BigCartel

I have decided to leave Folksy, as the fees on there are reeeediculous, and to be honest I am not happy with their lack of support for one of their biggest sellers ;)

Leaving them will also let me keep my prices the same as they are now, for the time being anyway, as BigCartel only charges a monthly fee…which is very good news for all of my valued customers and friends :D

So…Babylonglegs will soon have a new look, but will offer exactly the same service and quality as always!!!

WooHoo…I am so excited!!

How we spent our Christmas eve......

2010-12-25T01:16:00.002Z

Alright....I am a lightweight.....but I needed to video it :)

My excuse, and I am sticking to it!!!

Getting Ready For Santa.......

2010-12-24T20:29:00.005Z

My boys yearly Santa letter :) Daniel (11) top, Joel (7) bottom :)

Sophie Revisited

2010-12-11T19:53:00.005Z

Back, by popular demand, is "Sophie" (seen here on Organic Merino Aran) space~dyed not hand painted......so the repeats are longer :)

Welcome back, Sophie!!!

If I didn't already love The Simpsons....

2010-12-02T19:03:00.003Z

I do now :)

New Base Yarn...Flump Aran

2010-11-24T16:16:00.006Z

PetrolHead

Purple Tempest

Jean Jeanie

Midnight

This is a new base yarn I am adding to my range, a super~floofy Superwash Aran weight yarn, which I am calling Flump Aran... as it's pretty much the same as Flump Sock...just thicker ;)

This 400g will be going into the shop update on Saturday night...just to see how it goes :)

Baby Iced :)

2010-11-23T19:31:00.000Z

The most awesome Carol Feller (the designer of both Ziggy-Zag and Centrique) has used some of my Radiance Aran to make an ickle version of her Iced Cardigan, that was recently featured in Knitty.

This version took 3 skeins of Radiance, and was made to fit a 4 year old.

The pattern should be ready in January... so start stockpiling your Radiance now ;)

And the winner is........

2010-11-19T21:29:00.006Z

Thankyou to everyone who left me a message... it was wonderful to read why you all come here to my little Blogging corner of the internet!!

It's also reminded me (as if I NEED reminding) that there's not been a lot of spinnerly content lately...but that's another story, for another day ;)

Who said child labour was wrong?

Delving deep into one of my many wonderful WoollyWormhead hats!! Can you tell which one it is though ;)

ooOOOGE Congratulations, Jen :)

New at Babylonglegs !!!

2010-11-18T21:59:00.003Z

I have wanted to stock Emma's Skull stitch markers for AGES... talked about it with her at KnitNation, but never got around to it, then saw her at Fibre Flurry and amongst the madness, managed to make an order :)

They are available in two sizes, 4 mm snag free rings or 7mm snag free rings....and you can have them in Metal (pictured top) or Acrylic (pictured bottom) and they are priced at £5 for 4 :)

I have some acrylic ones, and being the skull freak that I am...they are my stitch marker of choice ;)

They are in the shop now!!

Buttonette

2010-11-13T21:46:00.006Z

This is WoollyWormhead's latest design, Buttonette, which I test knitted....yes, I had time to test knit!!! As soon as I saw it I knew I HAD to make it, it's just the right shape of hat for me.....like Urbanista only a completely different construction...

I made two of them, the first one in some Posh Yarn Martha DK... that one has now gone off to a new home, as a good friend of mine needs a happy Hat at the moment :)

This one is made with my own handspun, "Rambos Whirled" and the seed stitch brim just picks out all the colours of the handspun and gives just the most stunning depth of colour....

My new favourite Hat, for sure....

Rocket Man!!!

2010-11-13T16:19:00.004Z

Joel came out of school with this *awesome* model of a rocket on a launch pad yesterday.... made from bits of cardboard, a plastic coke bottle, and yes, you've guessed it, the nose is a wool cone :)

He took a load of them from my studio to school a few weeks ago. As his class all left class yesterday...you could see where they'd all gone ;)

Milestones.........

2010-11-08T17:07:00.004Z

Well, my shop update on Saturday saw my Folksy shop make it's 1000th sale...I am so proud, as I've only been trading on there for 2 years!!!

Thankyou everyone for your constant support of my work, both online and in real life, at shows... I really appreciate it, you know!!!

My other milestone is that I have been blogging here for 5 years...!!!!

So, to celebrate these two huge achievements, I am having a Blogversary competition... :D

Just leave me a message here, saying why my Blog interests you and keeps you coming back, and you'll go into one of my many hats and win a prize....

This competition will run for a week......

***GRiNS***

Shop Update, and Axe Madness :D

2010-11-05T15:49:00.006Z

I found this AWEsome electric guitar fabric at AllyPally, and so I bought it and sent it over to my friend Nic, to be made into a new and *exclusive* Project bag (from NicsKnots)

So, if you like elecctric Twangers and knitting...this is the bag for you ;)

I am going to be updating the shop with the veryVeryVERY last of the British Merino Aran tomorrow night ... this is it now...no more until my supplier tries to buy some more at auction in April next year. But, with the price of wool rising like it is at the moment, it won't be £8 per 100g skein I shouldn't think... which kinda makes in unaffordable for people who use cloth nappies !!!

There'll be lots of other yummy things in the update too...the last of the Radiance Aran...and lots of lovely yummy semi-Precious DK :)

I'll be updating the shop tomorrow night, at around 8pm....

Fibre Flurry...pics

2010-11-01T13:14:00.012Z

If anyone wants to join the Blog-a-Long to celebrate P/Hop's 2nd Birthday, and my post has inspired you to help, please visit their website and sign up for it. Then, come back here and leave me a message.

You can blog about anything knitting related, it doesn't have to be about Fibre Flurry!!

All Blog Post Donators will go into one of my many hats, and the winner will receive a custom dyed skein of semi-Precious DK :)

Fibre Flurry

2010-10-28T13:54:00.005+01:00

This Saturday takes me to my last show of the year, Fibre Flurry, in Kings Norton, Birmingham. To celebrate what is going to be a very special show...NicsKnots and I have come up with another limited edition collaboration..."Pretty Inked"

You'll get a project bag in an AWESOME tatooed lady fabric...very retro......and 100g of the now extinct (sobs) British Merino High Twist Sock yarn.......

All for £22......

Hope you'll come and say hello to us, if you're going to the event.......!!!

Auction for the KnitCamp Tutor Fund

2010-10-14T17:18:00.015+01:00

As I originally signed up to be a vendor at KnitCamp, and then pulled out, I feel the need to help all the tutors.
They are having an awful time of it, still, all of them have lost money due to not being paid, and also because they committed themselves to the fiasco, they gave up other jobs that they would have been paid for :(

So, myself and some of my other Woolly Friends have teamed up to donate a skein of yarn each, which we are going to auction on eBay, all proceeds going to the Knitcamp Tutor Fund

Please find a little funds to make a bid, or alternatively donate a little bit directly to the Fund.

They all worked bloody hard to make Knitcamp a success for the students, regardless of their own huge concerns, and it would be a crying shame if any of them went under because of their own selflessness.

And here is what all my lovely Woolly friends have donated, there's over a KILO of yarn here!!!

Donation from Debbie SkeinQueen -6 super skeins of Bamboo Soft, 100% Bamboo DK, 100m per 50g

Donation from Joy Knitting Goddess -An uber soft skein of 100% Cashmere Lace, 1050 yds per 75g

Two donations from Amanda and Phil at the Natural Dye Studio (above) -An uber yummy skein of Precious Lace, 100% Silk, 1094 yds per 100g and (below) An awesome skein of Dazzle DK, dyed with Madder…I want to keep this for myself!! Dazzle DK, 100% BFL, 360m per 100g

These two are from me (above) a true 3ply yarn, with one ply of Merino~Bamboo, one of Merino~Tencel and a third consisting of a solid merino, 130g, roughly DK / light aran weight, with approx 225yds/206m and (below) some Semi-Precious, which is a sock weight 50% Merino- 50% Silk, 437 yds/ 400m per 100g

A donation from Jeni of Fyberspates of Ethereal 4ply, 65% Cashmere, 35% silk 400m per 100g……so soft!!

Two donations from Dee at Posh Yarn (above) some Sylvia 50% merino -50% Silk 875yd per 100g and (below) a skein of Martha 80 % merino/10% Cashmere/ 10% Nylon 440yds per 100g

Dancing Skellies!!

2010-10-13T19:02:00.007+01:00

One of my most favourite Fabrics, from the Folklorico Collection by Alexander Henry, this Fiesta de los Muertos or Day of the Dead fabric is based on a traditional Mexican Festival and depicts skeletons dressed in traditional South American costumes, dancing, drinking, playing guitars and castanets, doing some more drinking, a bit more dancing and carousing 'til dawn!

Available now, in the shop...made by my friend, the most talented, NicKnots...

Ally Pally

2010-10-12T17:16:00.010+01:00

So, 5.45AM on Saturday morning saw me and Lottie getting up to get a coach to Ally Pally...can't say I was entirely happy to be getting up that early, in fact I was quite grumpy, but it was worth it, because I got to spend the day with my two best friends :) I don't get to spend whole days with them very often, especially Woolly Days, as me and Lottie are usually working together selling yarn......

The Three WoollyTeers...all sporting chapeaux a la Wormhead

This was my first purchase of the day...an awesome, hand drawn picture of a Pirate Sheep, called Vern !!! The artist, Sarah Macintyre, was on the Stitch London stand, and I fell in love with her illustrations and commissioned something with a skull in it.

Isn't he just brilliant???

We wandered around all day, looking at fabrics and yarns and lots of other things too... and I decided I'd like to make myself a Morsbag, as they had a big display and 4 sewing machines all set up, so people could just sit down and make one. I think it's a wonderful idea...using recycled fabric to make reusable bags.

Here I am, proud of my sewing Skillz ;)

A rock and roll themed Morsbag, in the huge display they had set up. There were so many, all on different themes, the only limit is seemingly the creators imagination...!!!

We caught the coach back to Leicester at 5pm...and I was totally shattered by then...havn't fully recovered from it even now...I am getting old!!!

Friday Inspirations....New Yarns !

2010-10-12T16:54:00.005+01:00

So, I spent last Friday playing with new yarns...and these are the two I mainly played with, as they were so inspiring :) Let me introduce "Flump"...a lovely bouncy and squooshy 2ply sock yarn that just takes the dyes so intensely. It will make for a lovely knitted fabric too, because of the high twist..

"PetrolHead"

"Purple PetrolHead"

"STeal"

And here's the yarn I have been counting the days to receiving...Semi~Precious DK... it's a stunning yarn...just stunning :) Everything I love about semi-precious, just thicker !!!

My stocks of this are very limited, until November, so everything I have in stock will be coming with me to Fibre Flurry

"Just Purple"

"Purple PetrolHead"

Friday Inspirations...Green Day

2010-10-02T15:30:00.008+01:00

A few weeks ago, Jen Arnall-Culliford of The Knitter contacted me to ask if they could do a feature on my custom dyeing service in their October issue of the Magazine. So, of course I said yes, was very honoured to be asked!! She sent me the above picture, and asked me to match the colour of the bag, and I came up with "Wasabi". So, if any of you subscribe to the magazine, you can find me in there this month!!

So, as yesterday was the 1st October, and the weather was awful, I decided to cheer myself up with dyeing a batch of my favourite colour, green, on some semi-Precious, led by the most awesome "Wasabi".

I have called the collective green-ness "Green is the Word"...hehehe

"Wasabi"

"Baron GreenBack"

"Spruce"

Fraggletastic revisited

2010-10-01T16:43:00.007+01:00

A lovely lady on Ravelry saw the "FraggleTastic" handspun I made for my friend Helen, and asked me to make her some, but in a thinner gauge.

I tried reallyReallyREALLY hard to get it to the WPI she wanted.... ;)

Anyway, this beauty is now on the way to America, and the rest of the Supersorted BFL I dyed to make it will be spun up to go and follow it's sister a little later on...it was hard going, so I need a break ;)

There's about 148g over 2 skeins, roughly light DK weight...which isn't bad yardage for me...but still not enough for the customer ;)

Portraits

2010-09-26T20:03:00.004+01:00

(pictures reproduced with kind permission of Joel)

Joel has been learning how to draw portraits at school, and we came downstairs this morning to find these lovely drawings of his most loved (currently) teddies on the kitchen table...

Saturday Inspiration

2010-09-25T17:33:00.009+01:00

This picture was posted on my Ravelry Group "Friday Inspirations" thread. but I was really busy yesterday, so I decided that I'd have some fun with my dyeing today :)

I have called this little lot "Autumnal Fire", as it's quite a topical subject, with the changing of the seasons going on at the moment, and also as a little artistic homage to Mr Wool :)

Whilst dyeing, I listened to a few new albums that Husbeast got for me, namely the entire Rammstein back catalogue, so I felt that it was fitting to name a few of them in German :)

"Maya"

"ChilliChoc"

"Pfeffer"

"Safran"

The end of an era ......

2010-09-24T13:31:00.009+01:00

(photo reproduced with kind permission of Andy Robinson)

At the weekend, my lovely friend, and wool supplier Andy Robinson, lost all of his current white wool stocks in a horrendous fire at his storage facility. At latest count, it comes to around 5 tonnes, if you include his discontinued stocks of Rowan Scottish Tweed.

That is one helluva lot of wool..... and a big blow for him, and all us Indies in the UK who depend on his awesome skillz as a Fixer ;)

But, despite it all, despite this huge event and its repercussions throughout the Woolly World, he put his own worries and shell shock to one side, and worked hard to make sure people have undyed yarns and fibres !! I recieved an order via the courier this morning, goodness knows where he *found* it all, but I have wool again, thanks to Mr Wool *grin*

What can I say, but thankyou, Andy. Your strength and consideration for others is second to none.

Amongst the stocks that were lost forever, were 4 of my staple base yarns, British Merino Aran, DK and Sock, and my Radiance Aran.

As these were all one-off spin runs, all he had, is all there is :(

The British Merino Yarns in particular were very special. A few years ago, he bought a huge amount of British Merino (as in the top 2% of the clip, therefore the finest) at auction, to celebrate his company HW Hammond being in the wool business for 150 years. This was then spun into the above yarns, and some being left as tops too, for handspinners.

Now, for me it's just the most amazing yarn. Outstanding quality, as those of you who have used it can testify to, being sturdy and soft all at the same time. It also takes colour in a wonderful, powdery way, a dream to dye for me, and you have to be really rough with it to harm it, which is right up my street ;) I am not a habitual wool boiler, but you know, I have known to be distracted once in a while!

So, this weeks shop update is all about my remaining stock of British Merino Aran. I had 600g of undyed yarn (plus a few 50g hanks for trims) left before the fire, so that has been dyed into my 3 favourite Babylonglegs colourways...

TreeHugger

Olivia

Blue Banana

Friday Inspiration

2010-09-17T16:50:00.007+01:00

Strawberry Shortcake

ChilliChoc

Death by Chocolate

Chocolate Candy

Bohemian Raspberry

Today's inspiration is sweeties, cakes and chocolate...as suggested by lovely members of my Ravelry group, as well as it being National Cupcake Week this week :)

Just Sayin' ....

2010-09-15T22:35:00.002+01:00

So, the 30 days are up, and the grim realisation has *officially* hit.

People are not being paid, and unless they get themselves in line pretty quick, they probably won't :(

The creditor list is as long as my arm, and your arm...and a few other peoples arms too.

Thing is, everyone knew it would happen...I certainly did, it's one of the reasons I had to sadly pull out as a vendor, but it all still went ahead, regardless.

I am reallyREALLY proud of my friends (who were tutors) who went to Stirling, knowing it was gonna be an epic FAIL financially, as they went not just for themselves, but for the KnitCampers.

KnitCamp Tutor WIN...no?

So, there are hundreds of people, now globally scattered, who gave their time (as lovely tutors) and their money (as lovely KnitCampers) and are now left feeling cheated and betrayed.

And there is nothing they can do about it, 'cept wait and hope.

I know a lot of my Indie colleagues are worried about the impact it will have on on all our businesses and reputations globally.

I am too... I just hope we're not all tarred with the same brush as British Yarns Ltd...

*sighs*

Thing is, I don't know if many of you know this, but I was there at the inaugural meeting to organise the very first Ravelry Day, in Coventry, 2009. I have a gift (or a curse) in that I can pretty much work people out from the off. After the meeting I said there was no way I could help organise "the vision" as it needed more than just the 3 people who were in that Museum Cafe in Coventry for it to succeed. But, it went ahead, and was an organisational nightmare, for just about everyone involved, and people came away not being paid...not on the immense scale of KnitCamp, but still...

And it happened a second time...???

Ugh...

Anyway, I shall get to the point, as I haven't said anything so far that hasn't already been said.

I have a really bad feeling that this is not the end, and I have to stress that this is my own personal opinion, so please take it as that?

I really hope that as well as trying to sort this impossible mess out, the Husbeast is also looking to his family, and keeping a close eye on the well being of them all.

They have truly lovely children, polite and beautifully mannered, and I think they have both suffered throughout all this, how could they not have? Not just as a result of the recent troubles, but last years also.

Stress has a really odd way of manifesting itself, especially if there is already an existing imbalance ... I am just worried :(

Anyway.....how boring am I?

Yup...that was me jumping on the KnitCamp bandwagon, sorry there is no new gossip or anything, but as I think you all know, it is not for me to say, and it's all pretty much out there now anyway.

To be completely honest, and this how I really feel... money troubles aside...don't you think we should all move on a bit?? I feel like it's stolen enough mojo from everyone.

We need to move forward... make it better, rise above the bad feeling?

Yeah, lets do that...be proactive :)

Just sayin'

xXx

I have decided.....

2010-09-10T15:22:00.010+01:00

"Gazania" Merino Sock

"Butterscotch" British Merino Sock

"Butterscotch" Boo Sock

Today was a bleary and grey day, the kind of day that just sucks your energy... but this beautiful Gazania, in a neglected pot outside my back door just totally inspired me, it was like my sunshine :)

And this gave me an idea !!!

From now on, I have decided, that Fridays are going to be my “Fun” day :)

Not that every day in my working week isn’t fun, ‘cos it is, but I want Fridays to be real fun…being challenged :)

So, lovely people, I challenge you to inspire me :)

Post a picture on the "Friday Inspirations" thread on my Ravelry group, or a link to something, and every Friday I will choose a picture from that thread, and work from it, producing a body of work around this inspiration.

Then, I will blog what I have done :)

Incidentally, if it’s your picture I choose, you’ll win a prize ;)

Sound like fun???

PS. None of the above yarns will be on sale in my shop, unfortunately. They are part of a trade order going to Fibre and Clay in Knutsford

Joel was inspired too :)

Colourwork WIN !!!

2010-09-09T16:37:00.005+01:00

So, have loved this hat, Urbanista, ever since it was first published in last Summer's Knitty, but have never had the courage to start making it, as I just thought I'd get cross with it/myself/the world for not being able to do it.

Plucked up courage to make a start on it, and had to do some really serious stash diving to find the perfect colours to go with my handspun panels (the greeny ones)

It knitted up a dream, so NOT complicated at all!

As always, Woolly explained everything perfectly...AND I worked from a chart AND I didn't muck up the graft!!

So...a general all round WIN situation I'd say ;)

The Boys are Back....at school !

2010-09-02T13:31:00.005+01:00

My boys returned to school today, only this year they will be apart, as Daniel has gone up to High School...

How can THAT be...where did the time go??

**sobs**

Hayley Too

2010-09-02T13:09:00.005+01:00

"Rambo's Whirled"

"Hayley Too"

This hat pattern is my contribution to the 4!Oz!Challenge!, I WILL write it up, promise!
I have already made one using the challenge yarn, but it needed another handspun test knit, so I chose this yarn for it, a 3ply, made from ITW Merino “Emerald City” and some Rambo from Julie Spins.

I am so glad I did, as it’s knitted up wonderfully and I am now wishing for cold weather so I can wear it all the time :D

Hayley

2010-08-30T01:49:00.006+01:00

So.

This is what I came up with to compliment my 4! Ounce! Challenge! Handspun.

Called her "Hayley", because the idea was conceived whilst on a beach in Hayle, watching all 3 of my beautiful boys having the time of their lives in the sea.

Now, as you know, I test knit hats for the venerable WoollyWormhead, and I have to say I was a bit worried that this looked a lot like one of hers, but when you have a friend who is one of the most innovative hat designers ever, it'd be hard not to design something totally different.

I am not really a pattern designer, but when I do dip my toes in to the arena, I do it with care.

This hat flew out of my brain and onto the needles, no question, the yarn knew what it wanted to be.

It is my design, 100%, as it was designed for the yarn I spun from scratch.

It does translate over to millspun, as I test knitted it twice with some Radiance I took with me on holiday, but they don't drape and shine like this one does. They don't have the uniqueness of pure inspiration this one does.

I'll be writing the pattern up over the next week or so, as my deadline to be eligible to be a player for nice prizes is the end of September.

It'd be nice to win a prize, don't get me wrong, everyone likes to win something and be recognised for their work...but I took part in this challenge for me.

To see if I could do something like this, from start to finish, without having to invent some elaborate wimping out excuse and then hide for a while so peeps could forget I said I'd do something when I couldn't ;)

HaHa....that's me...I am an artist you know, dahhhling ;)

4! Ounce! Challenge!.....Yarn all done......

2010-08-13T21:10:00.002+01:00

4! Ounce! Challenge!.....progress pics......

2010-08-12T21:35:00.006+01:00

(L to R) Hello Yarn “Air” (merino/tencel) SCF “Hades” (Polwarth/tencel) and Spunky Eclectic “Algae” (Merino/Bamboo)

Plying it right now….well, uh…not right now, but I took a break from plying to share :D
The Polwarth/tencel just shines I mean reallyReallyREALLY shines……it’s impossible to capture it in the light we have here at the moment…and I just loved spinning it…so smooth and yummeh and almost biblical ;)
Hehehe…

Cannot wait to finish it, it really is all over the place SHINY!!!

xXx

Semi~Precious Shop Update

2010-08-07T18:38:00.004+01:00

Been having lots of fun with colour over the last couple of days......and here are the results :D

This will be my last shop update till my kidlets go back to school, so get it while you can!!!

Ladybird KFC

2010-08-06T23:06:00.005+01:00

This is a runner bean plant that Joel grew from seed at school...covered in Aphids, so the perfect Snack Bar for these beautiful insects. We counted 5 on there today... and it's been renamed "LadyBird KFC"....hahaha

Joel has drawn an awesome picture of it, I shall take a picture and post it up here tomorrow.

He's turning into a right little artist!!

KnitNation...Pics!

2010-08-01T20:21:00.006+01:00

My stand, expertly constructed by my awesome friend Kate Unwin :)

A unique way of displaying a shawl. This drew so many people in, and there were loads of comments on it!! Thankyou Sally for knitting it for me :)

This is ZiggyZag, again the little model was built by Kate, and the jumper knitted by my good friend Mel :)

I had such a brilliant time, even though I had quite a few pre~show *wobbles*...but then it wouldn't be me if I didn't!!

I was quite calm, even my lovely Lottie was very surprised at the lack of stress when she arrived to pick me and my stock up on Thursday morning ;)

We met lots of lovely people, and sold a huge amount of wool, I can't quite believe it!!

Thankyou to everyone who came and said hello, it was so nice to put names to faces.

KnitNation Collaboration!!!

2010-07-27T15:44:00.008+01:00

To celebrate the fact that KnitNation is happenin' in London, and also that we are sharing a stand (squees), NicsKnots and I have teamed up again, to give you "Vampire on the Bus"...... a project bag with a fantastic London Bus print, and a skein of High Twist 2ply British Merino sock yarn, space~dyed with long~ish repeats in my "Vampiric BloodLust" colourway... the resulting socks will be a great momento of your visit to London... :D

There are only 6 sets available.......first come, first bitten ;)

The 4 oz Challenge

2010-07-22T15:44:00.007+01:00

(L to R) Hello Yarn “Air” (merino/tencel) SCF “Hades” (Polwarth/tencel) and Spunky Eclectic “Algae” (Merino/Bamboo)

Here it all is braided together, so you get an idea of how it will look all spun up :)

I am hoping to be able to make it into an Aran weight, but, as there is a lot of protien fibres in there, I expect it will want to go skinny ;) The challenge is to spin a yarn to make 4 oz, and then write a pattern and publish it, both to be done in the months of August and September.

How the yarn turns out will dictate what I design... but I expect it will be a hat...

I like Hats :)

If you fancy joining the "4 oz Challenge" please click this link to be taken to the Ravelry group :)

Rambo's Whirled :)

2010-07-15T13:44:00.008+01:00

The Ingredients: Merino from Into the Whirled and Rambouillet from JulieSpins

One Bobbin down.....sheesh this took forever!!! Well, that was until I found out I could spin properly on my Matchless.....hahaha.....

This yarn is IMMENSE!!!

There's 225 g and 500yds/462m (approx) over 2 skeins...and the colours are just amazing.

The ingredients were of the highest quality...little or no spinners waste from either set of hand dyed rovings. I can't rate Cris or Julie highly enough...*grin*

Anyway, it took me ages to get going with it, but once I finally realised that trying to spin on a Matchless like I was spinning on a Louet S10 was totally the wrong way to go....I motored through it :)

It is reallyReallyREALLY bouncy too, because of the Rambouillet.....so it will knit up beautifully :)

I think it's safe to say things have totally clicked now with my new wheel.....

HuRRaH HuRRaH HuRRaH

Nella

2010-07-13T22:51:00.006+01:00

I was gifted some BFL Chunky at WonderWool this year, so I dyed it up (yop pic) and made it into a cropped cardigan :)

The pattern is Nella by Katie Rose Pryal, and it was a lovely, easy and very fast knit.

I made a few modifications, like starting with a provisional/crochet cast on (to save picking up 100s of stitches) and I also missed off the icord edging, as I am not too fond of making it ;) It closes just as well with a shawl pin anyway.

It fits perfectly, and I am really pleased with it.....!!!

Happy Wedding Anniversary, Husbeast :)

2010-07-12T11:54:00.013+01:00

My Husbeast is a lot of people, all rolled into one...

PetrolHead

Rock Star

Funny Man

A wonderful Father...although not so good with facial hair ;)

Mr Sleepy

...and the love of my life :)

We've travelled together for 19 years now... and boy, what a ride it has been :) May our journey continue for many more miles, with plenty of adventures to experience along the way.

I'll love you from here until eternity...... or until we run out of petrol, whichever comes first ;)

xXx

A Happy Collaboration :)

2010-06-30T12:04:00.009+01:00

A Happy Collaboration of......

My merino sock yarn, in "Rainbow Brite"

And Nic's project bag, in a FlowerPower inspired VW Beetle print

My friend NicsKnots and I are exhibiting together (along with Atomic Knitting and the venerable WoollyWormhead) at an event in July called KnitNation and to celebrate this, we have come up with an awesome Limited Edition combo, a hand sewn projct bag with Herbies on it and a skein of my dip~dyed Merino sock yarn.

It is up for sale now, on both Folksy and Etsy should you not be able to resist such a happy and uplifting combination :)

Merisilk Aran

2010-06-29T22:02:00.006+01:00

Old Gold

PetrolHead

Purple Tempest

I picked up a new base yarn to try out whilst I was at the 'Fest...it's a 75% merino~25% silk aran, with quite a high twist on it.

Dyes up yummy don't you think??

Woolfest, 2010

2010-06-29T21:21:00.012+01:00

Drunk

Drunker

Drunkest

That's my Louie with his newest playmate, Daniela... awwh it was so good to see him again!!!

A gratuitous shot of some other funny looking animals...well you can't have a blog post about Woolfest without some furry animal shots, eh?? These are Alpacas...and I'd love to know what they think they look like!!

So, that sums up my 2010 Woolfest...good mates who made me laugh so much I was constantly trying not to pee myself...lots and lots of beer, in fact I think it was my most drunken Woolfest :) Might have had something to do with the fact the campsite we stayed at had a pub attatched to it....WooHoo !!!

The Norty Nannas and the Drunken Mums will be back to take it all on again next year...well, that's if they let us go back ;)

A year is long enough for them to get over it, right?

All done :)

2010-06-22T20:23:00.009+01:00

All the skeins

PetrolHead

In My Blood

BlueBell

StingRay

Jaded

Captain Vert

Rowan

Pucker up, ButterCup

I am so pleased with how all these turned out, and I hope my lovely knitterly peeps do too :)

I am just uploading more of these skeins into the shop now, so if you can't resist letting one slide into your hands...feel free :)

Pucker Up, ButterCup

2010-06-21T22:47:00.005+01:00

So, I spent today busily dyeing the yarn for my "Centrique" KAL (you can still sign up on my Ravelry group if you want)

This is a little taster of what my lovely knitter peeps will recieve...

Abrazo

2010-06-20T18:15:00.009+01:00

Another fantastic shawl, in "Silver Surfer" BooLace :D

Made by my friend, Sally... *GRiNs*

It is an <>Abrazo<> from the Twist Collective Spring/Summer edition

it used 36g of yarn and weighs 55g including the beads, so she can realistically get three of them out of one skein!!

How is that for good value???

Happy Father's Day, Husbeast

2010-06-19T20:14:00.004+01:00

What on earth would I do without you?

You put up with my inner Princess, who can be quite demanding at times, and you are constantly there, supporting me and being a wonderful Father. I would not be who I am without you, and you give our boys the very best you can.

What more could we ask for?

I love you, Hughsie :-)

A well travelled Centrique

2010-06-18T15:31:00.009+01:00

Semi Precious in "PetrolHead"

This is "Centrique" by Carol Feller of Stolen Stitches....

... a beautiful shawlette pattern, that looks really complicated but isn't....

(**GRiNS** my favourite kind of pattern!!)

Carol has kindly adapted it for use with my new base yarn, Semi-Precious (pictured top) and I am hosting a Knit~a~long on my Ravelry Group, where you can sign up to have a skein specially dyed to the colour of choice. You will easily get a whole shawlette out of one skein, regardless of how you knit.

I will be offerring both the pattern, and the yarn at a special KAL price of £16.

Huge thanks to my lovely friend, Sally, for agreeing to test knit "Centrique" for me, and also many thanks to Carol...for adapting her beautiful pattern to go with my yarn :D

Shop Update tonight :)

2010-06-18T14:01:00.003+01:00

Been working really hard on fibres for KnitNation this week, so I thought I'd pull a few out and put them in the shop :)

There's a really good mix in there, Falkland Merino, Merino Silk, Supersorted BFL etc.......

Happy Spinning Peeps!!

Ishbel

2010-06-17T22:23:00.005+01:00

Another customer show off......because I am constantly in awe of what you guys do with my yarns and fibres!!!

This is an Ishbel ,a pattern written by Ysolda Teague, and Sally made it with a skein of my British Merino Sock, in the "Berrylicious" colourway.....

It also proves, beyond reasonable doubt, that sock yarn is not just for socks!!!

Citron

2010-06-16T09:17:00.008+01:00

This beautiful shawl is called "Citron" (from Knitty Winter 2009, designed by Hilary Smith Callis) and has been made by a very talented customer of mine, from Boolace, in the "Enormous Crocodile" colourway......

She used 75grams and the shawl measures 104cm along the top edge and 45cm deep. Look at the shine on it !!!

And it's just so awesomely green !!!

WooHoo !!!

nomNomNOM :)

As you can see, the BooLace, even though its only an 800m lace yarn, goes a long way!!!!

Thankyou for the pictures, Lesley, and for allowing me to show it off to Blogland :D

Fraggle~Tastic :D

2010-06-08T11:02:00.008+01:00

(L to R) "Gloria", solid burgundy merino, "Rainbow Brite"

A good friend of mine asked me to create something "Fraggle Rock" inspired for her. I think she was expecting hand dyed tops, so she could spin them for herself, but I decided I wanted to try out my new fibre base, the SuperSorted BFL, so I spun it up for her myself.

The SuperSorted BFL was a real dream to work with, not at all sheepy like regular BFL and a lot finer, but with the added bonus of the long staple.

Perfect for a lazy ass spinner like me ;)

She got one skein (the heavier of the two) and I have the other one here.

In search of the perfect red..

2010-06-08T09:08:00.003+01:00

A "from scratch" Red (as opposed to a lazy pre~mixed red) is a difficult colour to nail. Nailing this perfect red has now become a little quest of mine...and here is my first~ish attempt, on BooLace.

I have called it "Rowan" which in Gaelic means "little redhead"...and I really thing it does look like red hair!!

How I'd imagine the Victorian Super Model, Elizabeth Siddal's hair to be...

Folksy Blog Feature :D

2010-05-26T12:46:00.002+01:00

The loverly peeps at Folksy contacted me last week with some questions, as they are starting to feature some of their sellers on the Folksy blog. So, I am the first featured seller on there, which makes me very proud, both to be asked and also to be one of their most successful sellers :)

Folksy has just come out of Beta, which means it's now quite expensive to be a seller there (5% of the final sale value + 20p to list) but, they have to make a living, and how can they promote the site and make it better for everyone if they have no income?

I am going to try my hardest to keep my prices as they are, but, just to let you all know in advance, I might have to raise them to take into consideration the fees I have to pay.

My little Cricketer :)

2010-05-20T21:00:00.007+01:00

I just had to take a picture of my big boy when he came home from Cricket tonight. He plays Kwik Cricket for the school, as well as tag Rugby and Chess..... so proud of him and his sporting achievements.

His tag rugby team came second in a county tournament at Welford Road on Wednesday....no mean feat, hey?

FibreHolics

2010-05-20T20:35:00.003+01:00

I am contributing to the FibreHolics Box (the UK equivalent of PhatFiber) next month, and here's a little taster of what to expect, should you be a regular FibreHolic~er ;)

This weeks Shop Update.......

2010-05-20T19:47:00.007+01:00

PetrolHead

Carrot Cake

Chardonnay

Midnight

Just Purple

Is a ALL about Semi~Precious :) There will also be fibres listed, including some Super Sorted BFL. I am spinning some up at the moment, and it is gorgeous !! I am not usually a big fan of BFL..smells a bit sheepy.....lol..... but this stuff is lovely...I highly recommend it!

The Shop will be updated tomorrow night, around 8~ish.... I recommend you get there a bit early, as the Semi~Precious might sprout wings!!

Introducing "BooLace"

2010-05-14T16:38:00.009+01:00

PetrolHead

Silver Surfer

Just Purple

Enormous Crocodile

Have wanted to add a lace yarn to the range for a little while now, but just needed to find the right one :)
I already carry a Boo Sock yarn, so I am used to how that takes colours……and its only 800m per 100g, so not totally Skeeery lace…..
A beautiful floofy 2 ply Laceweight….

It'll be in the shop laterz ;)

Enjoy!!

Baggage :)

2010-05-14T14:10:00.008+01:00

Before and after, with measurements in inches, to show how much it felted by...quite alot in depth but not quite so much in width...it took three goes in the machine (with a pair of jeans) on the 30 minute cycle to get it as dense as I wanted it.

The fabric that has been produced is wonderfully dense and textural :)

Here's what I've been working on recently...... *grins*

It takes 400g of Falkland chunky aran, the main body takes 300g and the strap takes 100g.....

Going to be writing up the pattern, and then offering it alongside the hand~dyed yarn as a kit.....

All I have to do now is get some merino prefelt and make myself a skull to sew onto it..... *winks*

My Big Scout!!

2010-05-14T14:07:00.004+01:00

Dan got invested into the Scouts a couple of weeks ago......doesn't he just look so smart and grown up??

*sighs*

Semi~Precious

2010-05-13T13:31:00.008+01:00

I am introducing a luxurious new base yarn to the Babylonglegs range. "Semi~Precious" is its name, and its 50% Silk~50% SW Merino, Sock yarn weight...but it is waaAAAY too nice to be hidden inside shoes!!!

In fact, if I find out you are buying it to make socks, I shall not let you have it ;)

*cackles*

I envisage that many shawls and lacy things will be made from it, because you won't EVER want to stop touching it, it is so silky and soft, and the sheen on it is stunning :D

Shown here in the "Midnight" colourway... and it's mine ;)

Harvest festival

2010-05-10T16:03:00.006+01:00

This is the first yarn spun on my new wheel...well, 2 of the plies were, the other I'd already spun on Robin. It's made up of one ply merino~silk, one of Polwarth~silk and the other of Sparkle Fibre(merino, silk, nylon and silver sparkle)....

There's 269g, across 3 skeins, with a total of 626 yds/ 568 m (approx)

It's so soft... :)

Decisions...Decisions.....

2010-04-28T16:16:00.003+01:00

The time has come for me to make another garment...this lot of lovely yarn is Chunky BFL, gifted to me by Mr Wool at the weekend....there's 800g of it.

But I can't decide on what to do......

I had thought I would make another "Elsewhere" but just make it as a waistcoat, but I am also really tempted by the "February Lady Sweater" but make it into a really long waistcoat(ie. just keep knitting till I run out of yarn) as I have two awesome wooden buttons that will be perfect for it.....and I also reckon it'll be easier to modify than Elsewhere....

**sighs**

Decisions..Decisions...Decisions.....

Restrained?

2010-04-28T13:23:00.013+01:00

This is everything I brought back with me from Wonderwool at the weekend...thought you might like to see ;)

Red Skulls...now as you all know I am a little bit partial to our skeletal friends ;) Awesome Project Bag from the uber talented NicsKnots

Some totally bargainous Mirasol Hapi, 4 skeins for £8!! How could I not make a cheeky purchase? Not a fan of cotton, but this stuff is gorgeous...destined to be some kind of shawl...maybe ;)

As soon as I saw this, I just knew I had to have it. It's a skein of Natural Dye Studio Precious...and its myyyyyy Preciouussss now :)

These fibres are from Freyalyn (above is Superfine Merino, and below is Merino~Silk) ...and the orange stuff is now on my new wheel...nomNomNOM :)

This is some Alpaca~merino~Boo gifted to me by LongdrawJames... hereafter know as "The Tall Guy"...hahaha.....just my colours :) Thanks Matey!

This Beautiful Spindle was made by Kevin Rhodes The whorl is Coccabola and the shaft is maranti,weighs about 37g. It....well.....just bewitched me...srsly! I am not a spindler, but now I am without a travelling wheel, I totally enabled myself into buying it. And, the mose excellent Donna (ApricotQueen on Ravelry) helped me to make a DIY wrist distaff...so hopefully this will encourage me to spindle more, as I won't be scared of it all going phooey :) Thanks Donna :)

So, I was restrained, right??

Well, I think I was, compared to most of the people I met......hehehe

Babylonglegs

North Lyme

Karma?

The Happiest of Hats!!

Jazzy Perfection

Arkanoid

More Perfection!

Pigeon Street

An obsession with Holes....

Pomegranate

fun... Fun... FUN :)

Rose-coloured Spectacles

Happy New Year, Stuff and a KAL *WiNK*

Cornish Cheese

Perfection!!

It's a Halloween Treat... no tricks... honest!!

Every Fridge tells a story

Music, Sweet Music at FibreFlurry!!

FibreFlurry 2011

Exciting news!!!

Radiance Sock

Happy Anniversary!!!

Sunglasses Please!!

Another Investiture.....

Clever Husbeast!!!!

My Boys

Stellar !!

*Taps mike* Testing...Testing...

Little things.......

Iceling Knit-a-long

Lara

Royal Fail

Mailing List !!

chChCHChanges......

How we spent our Christmas eve......

Getting Ready For Santa.......

Sophie Revisited

If I didn't already love The Simpsons....

New Base Yarn...Flump Aran

Baby Iced :)

And the winner is........

New at Babylonglegs !!!

Buttonette

Rocket Man!!!

Milestones.........

Shop Update, and Axe Madness :D

Fibre Flurry...pics

Fibre Flurry

Auction for the KnitCamp Tutor Fund

Dancing Skellies!!

Ally Pally

Friday Inspirations....New Yarns !

Friday Inspirations...Green Day

Fraggletastic revisited

Portraits

Saturday Inspiration

The end of an era ......

Friday Inspiration

Just Sayin' ....

I have decided.....

Colourwork WIN !!!

The Boys are Back....at school !

Hayley Too

Hayley

4! Ounce! Challenge!.....Yarn all done......

4! Ounce! Challenge!.....progress pics......

Semi~Precious Shop Update

Ladybird KFC

KnitNation...Pics!

KnitNation Collaboration!!!

The 4 oz Challenge

Rambo's Whirled :)

Nella

Happy Wedding Anniversary, Husbeast :)

A Happy Collaboration :)

Merisilk Aran

Woolfest, 2010

All done :)

Pucker Up, ButterCup

Abrazo

Happy New Year, Stuff and a KAL WiNK

Taps mike Testing...Testing...