Evidence of Endeavour During Blog Absence

At last!!! I finished the top which I started on the bus tour of Scotland. I had finished the actual knitting but I let it "rest" a while before I sewed it up so I only got to wear it for the first time yesterday. It is really comfortable and fits well, being just the right width and length. I so often get one of those wrong.

The pattern was from http://www.garnstudio.com/ . This site has a great range of patterns to choose from. I did this with threex100gm balls of sock wool.

I'm settling into Darlington really happily and love being so near the centre of town and meeting people and getting out and about. I've loved my painting classes and hope to get to drawing classes next term and I have even been to the pictures for the first time in years, to see Elizabeth the Golden Age. I never miss my knit and natter club and was lucky enough to get a ride to the Knitting and Stitches Show. This is an annual highlight and thousands of women from the north of England descend on Harrogate over a period of four days. I went with Becky and her Mother Eunice who had come up from Hampshire. It was a grand day and I don't know where the six hours went. I came home with some recycled banana fibre, some wool and some mohair/silk and some sock wool and stuff like that. I shall do a separate post about it later.



And I have three pairs of socks on the needles at once. This demonstrates a lack of stamina and an attack of second sock syndrome.






There is a whole sock in the magenta colour but the brown and cream wool was a disappointing display of shades and has not yet reached the heel.








Also, I have decided to channel my hobby energies into starting a small business.I am buying and selling old and rare books. Mainly they are in the categories of Cats, Wool -crafts and the Wool-industry and sheep and Lace and Costume. A broad range but they are my own favourite areas. I have bought a couple of collections and have spent happy hours at the local antique auction house in town coming away with many boxes of mixed books. Some of these reveal a treasure or two and the rest mostly become piles of gardening, cricket and cookery books of no great renown or rarity. They seem to breed and are taking over the back bedroom.

So I have become Red Umbrella Books. Next weekend will be my first attempt to sell, at a bookfair in London. I shall be the one standing by my stall, knitting red socks.

More news when I return
Cheers Gillian