Do I count?

Yes, all the time! If you want to get the shaping right, you need to count stitches. I think that's why crochet is so therapeutic: you have to concentrate so your mind has a rest from any worries.

This is (going to be) Aoibhe Ni's Venus shawl, made in Knitpicks Gloss lace weight. I love making her patterns. It's more enjoyable to do Tunisian this way, without millions of stitches on the hook at once, and it's very rhythmic.

The point, however, is that someone was talking to me as I worked, so I didn't count. That meant a whole half a row had to be taken back. Even my little fat sheep require constant counting. So if you see someone crocheting, make sure chat will be welcome.

Today I want to introduce Julie. She has amazing managerial skills and  an encyclopaedic memory for stock and prices. She looks at the wool, and it tidies itself. 

Jules is a comper - that is, she enters competitions of all sorts. I still remember the day she won a trip to LA to see Aerosmith. (When they got there, Johnny Depp joined Aerosmith on stage - lucky Jules!)

What makes Christine's special? Jules' current knitting project is finishing two jumpers for a man whose wife died while she was making them. Caroline says she's a soft touch!

A customer this morning looked at the table of things for sale for the Marie Curie fund-raising and immediately offered to dress a doll. The fund has meaning for all of us who have had friends die from cancer, but I think it's more than that: people want to belong to the shop community.

Tomorrow (be brave) you shall meet Phil!

Headless bleatings

You've heard of headless chickens? These are the first six of 22 key rings a customer ordered, sold in aid of the Marie Curie fund.

The pattern is Widdle Fat Sheepy by Pooky Crafts.It's a clever pattern, and when they get heads the sheep are really cute.

 Caroline is making jelly babies and gingerbread men and cats: photos to follow.

Caroline is one of the two sisters who took over the running of the shop after their mum Christine died.

Caroline likes to 'fiddle' and it's always fun to see what she is experimenting with. She has a magic eye for colour, and the faces she puts on her creations are brilliant.





This little cutie is made with yarn she dyed herself.
Once our fund-raiser is over she is going back to dyeing yarn.








In Bournville just now everywhere is awash in spring blossom. I haven't seen any ducklings yet, but the adult ducks are on their strange migrations. They are intelligent and know how to use the crossing, while residents are trained to stop for them. These 2 were outside Christine's recently.



The photo was taken by Julie: you can meet her next time.

Some introductions

Me first. I'm Kate. I'm a retired teacher and the resident know-all in our local yarn shop. I learned to knit and crochet as a small child, and although I've tried other crafts along the way, currently I'm a crochet-holic.

Bournville is a suburb of Birmingham, and it's special. The trees are important; there are lots of green spaces, and even a bluebell wood. Adjacent to the village green is a row of shops ...

 ...One of which is Christine's.  This is our local yarn shop, established 40 years ago and still growing.

You'll meet some of my friends there, but for now let's consider the photo. It's a blocking board with quite a lot of daffodils. Some are made from the pattern of Lucy, of Attic 24, and some are my own pattern.

The daffodil is the emblem of the Marie Curie fund, and we at Christine's are preparing for a fund-raising tea party on June 8th. You'll have to visit again to see what I am going to do with these daffs ...