Wood Resin Buttons – dark side, originally uploaded by Goldtop.

Went to the opening of loop’s new location in Camden Passage yesterday. It’s a fabulous place for it, with 3 floors of space with tons of natural light. Sounds like they’d had a busy morning too; with over 150 people queueing as they opened the doors!

I’d been after these buttons since the second Juju sent over the photos!. Even if I had nothing to sew them to, they are so pretty to look at and satisfyingly tactile to hold in your hand in their own right, I could imagine myself just having them in my pocket to play with…

In any case they have been bought to go on the February lady Cardi. What I didn’t realise was that on one side is dark wood, the other is light so you can flip them over and use them whichever way looks better. Susan said they reminded her of American artist Rex Ray, but I reckon they also have a touch of the – swoons – Charlie Harper about them

I’m also giving myself (another) last chance at learning how to knit two socks at once; have just signed up for Chrissy’s class at KnitNation in July…  I really want to knit socks, I just can’t bear the thought of doing one at a time – I even get second sleeve syndrome!

*just trying my luck…

The TreeHouse Gallery has set up camp  - some in actual trees! – by the boating lake, and is running workshops, talks and activities all summer… It may actually be aimed at children, but I don’t care .

Go check it out; it’s there until 6th September, when there’s ‘A rambunktious cornucopia of song, dance, games, tree climbing, feasting, sloshing and swilling to celebrate the culmination of 8 weeks of TreeHouse dwelling and activity in Regent’s Park’

As seen in the Londonist:

Matthew Robins makes animated stories and will be presenting his ‘Shadow Operas’ featuring Flyboy.
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New episodes from the series will be shown on Fridays, performed in front of and projected onto the National Theatre Flytower, followed by a double-bill of Robins’ work on Saturdays.

For the double-bill on Saturday 15 August, he needs knitted dinosaurs for a new show scheduled for that night – because the show is about dinosaurs and knitting.

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More information about the shows;  Mathew Robins’ request for Dinos (you might even win a prize!).

Finished, but I cocked up the ribbed collar.

Think it must be my misunderstanding the instructions, as no-one else seems to had the same problem from what I can see.

What do other people understand by ‘keeping rib correct’?

My increases came in the middle of a knit bit of rib, so I made the increased stitch a knit stitch too ie; pp k(k increase)k pp…

Anyhow, not so fussed that I’d re-knit it, and love the jumper anyhow; v soft and perfect size – all slouchy and cuddly

I don’t even know if she does knitting patterns, but… On pg 20 of this issue there are some gorgeous knit pieces by Catherine André… They were just part of the the Martin Storey ‘mood board’ thing about fairisle, and I think
I was supposed to be paying more attention to The Knitter patterns as
part of it, but I got so distracted by Catherine’s colours and patterns

Does anyone know anything / heard about her? I'd like to wear virtually every single item on the page in the above link! I wonder if she just designs knitwear, or if you she does patterns too [crosses fingers]

The annual Southwyck Christmas party went well yesterday; caught up with a lot of friends I haven’t seen in a while, ate and drank in a festive fashion, and even had an unprompted singalong!.

This year’s theme was to make a paperchain to be strung in the living room; each person contributing a link decorated and made however they wanted out of whatever they wanted. If people couldn’t be there yesterday, the link acted as Christmas card and they sent them along in the post. There were some fabulous ones made including the prerequisite one with cotton-ball snow, a sewn fabric one containing dried lavender, a möbius loop one from a scientific uncle (heh) and lovely crocheted link with a dangly snowball pompom! This one I confiscated from the chain and wore..

After some initial colour doubts that meant it languished for almost a yeear and half (!) at collar stage, this jumper was a breeze to knit; so much quicker and more satisfying trying on as you go – and no seaming!.

I have a feeling that I may never need to buy another jumper pattern; just do this in different colours with varying length sleeves! It was also my fist jumper with bust / waist shaping so it’s pretty snug!

This photo is the jumper hot off the needles. after a day’s wear – I’ll let you know if the shape changes after its first wash