Easyknits yarns

I thought I would tell you all about my favourite Indie dyer Jon Ballan-Dunn, he is the genius behind www.easyknits.co.uk and dyes the most beautiful yarn and fibres. I stumbled across Jon a few years ago at Woolfest and fell in love with the beautiful colours. This lead onto signing up for his sushi shawl alongs and sock clubs along with increasing my stash at any opportunity.

Recently I have fallen under the spell of his Big Boy yarn and the wonderful deeply wicked range and it's always a mad scramble on a Friday when the yarn goes on sale, and boy does it sell out fast. I have completed 2 projects lately in Big Boy yarn and with it being a 150g skein it gives you that extra meterage 500m instead of the normal 400m for 4ply, enough to make long socks



And a lovely length for shawls like this Ishka ( designed by Marleen Van Der Vorst)




Then he came up with the genius idea of a KAL socks designed around the Xfactor auditions and I picked one of my beautiful deeply wicked skeins, called Beetroot and we get a part each week to knit and we don't know what it coming, but it's lovely watching the pattern develop as you follow the instructions, I have finished part 2 and waiting for part 3 to knit during tomorrow nights show.



I have managed over the years to convert a number of friends to buy Jon's yarn and they too have embraced all the wonderful yarny delights he produces and sign up at every opportunity the shawl and sock clubs.

If you are looking for something special to knit with please check out www.easyknits.co.uk and you will be guaranteed to find something to match your project and I know Jon also dyes to order so you can get a special creation dyed just for you.


Well off to wait for this weeks deeply wicked update :)


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Prayer shawl

I was so lucky to have a fabulous swap partner for the prayer shawl swap on Ravelry . Jackie made this beautiful shawl for me, the colours are beautiful and just so me. I have finished the shawl I am sending to her, so won't post a picture till I know she has got it. :))))


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To blog or not????

I had intended at the beginning of the year to try and blog every day but it fell by the wayside, so am hoping to try and blog more.

Our summer is drawing to a close and we spent a lovely 10 days in Maryport in Cumbria, the weather was lovely and we watched some beautiful sunsets.

I loved sitting at the edge of the water watching the world roll by .

Well will try and bring my blog up to date with all my knitting and crochet :))



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So glad it's Friday

I have not managed to keep up my resolution to blog more often as I have gone back to work.

I started back on Monday 10th January and it's taken a lot out of me especially there is still one lift out of action and it has to be the one I use :((( For anyone that doesnt know I went to work one morning in November to find none of the lifts working and I had to walk up 4 floors, that caused me to collapse with pain in my knees ( osteoarthritis ) and I ended up off work as it then triggers off my CFS, fibromyalgia and major chronic back pain.

So now I am back at work it's sapped all my energy and am exhausted when I get in from work and haven't even been able to knit or spin, but I have made a decision that I can't go on like this on shifts and having to work a lot of backshifts that I have applied to go on a permanent day shift having a day off during the week and work a half day Saturday not something that I wanted to do but my health and quality of life is more important.

Well back to the knitting recently I have managed to do a test knit for a headband/ earwarmer






And also chunky bed socks that as soon as they were cast off my youngest daughter Jacqueline acquired them lol. I am also just getting ready to cast off another pair for a RAK gift






Well knit group tomorrow will be battling on with a test knit for a lacy beret and my B socks for my A-Z sock challenge .


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A-Z Sock Challenge

Yesterday was the start of the sock challenge, and I cast on the Air Raid socks a free pattern on Ravelry. I cast on after midnight and managed to work away up till the end of the first patten. Then during the day yesterday worked up till starting to turn the heel.

Today I picked it up and finished turning the heel and am now working my way down to the toe. I only have just under 2" left to go.



I also have been trawling the pattern pages of Ravelry looking for patterns beginning with the rest of the letters of the alphabet it's been an enjoyable search.

I also have 2 test knit/crochets on the go, so am going to have to divide my time up equally between the 3 projects then my aim for the rest of the year is firstly after the tests, I want to work all my Wips along side the socks but will try very hard to resist any whims to start any other projects unless they are a gift for a birthday.

Well we will see how long all my plans last. I hope to blog my progress here and also updates on all my wips that get finished ......... Wish me luck !

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New Years Day

Welcome to 2011, we had a quiet transition into the new year as it was just hubby and I at home, kids were all out. Tv was ermmm not very entertaining so watched a couple of episodes of Criminal Minds up to the bells when we turned over to hear the countdown. As hubby had been up since 4 am it was time to head for bed, but not till I had cast on my first pair of socks in the A-Z sock challenge on Ravelry, my letter A was Air Raid Socks , have been knitting on and off all day and am about to start the heel, would have been further if I hadn't been having little snoozes on and off.

Well off to start the heel on these socks wish me luck


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