One Week After The Flu

Knitwits Yarns knitwitspenzance.co.uk

I have now almost entirely lost my voice. For some in our household (FB, G & T) this is a reason for much celebration. For me, who is known to chat a lot and whose job - to a certain degree - relies on talking to people on the telephone, it's a source of irritation but, sometimes, relief. I can't possibly talk to cold calling double glazing sales people and I certainly can't argue with FB or the children about where their rugby socks are (half an hour before kick off) or whose turn it is to clean out the cat litter tray (definitely not mine) and why they have to do GCSE revision (because that's the way life is).

Talking to customers is entertaining as I don't know what the tiny little bit of voice I have is going to sound like - if you phone up you may - if you're lucky - get Marie or Tracey - they're the ones who sound normal. If you get a deep, husky croak or - alternately - a high pitched squeak - that'll be me.

I have, therefore, spent most of the afternoon quietly inputting on the website various items for your delight and delectation:

new colours in both Life Aran and Chunky -


















Fuschia is proving to be particularly popular in DK, Aran and Chunky.

Also in are new colours in the ever-popular Marble Chunky from James Brett.














From Baby Pinks to













popular blues and














greens - Marble Chunky is one of our best sellers.

We also have 3 new colours in Debbie Bliss's Aran weight "Fez" - an incredibly soft mix of merino wool and camel (yes, you did read that right):













Once again, I suspect the bright pinks are going to be a big hit.

We also have a new colour in our cotton range from Katia - "Samba":













We sell a lot of this on-line so I guess you guys find it hard to find elsewhere - we love Katia yarns so they'll keep on coming. In fact, we also have a new colour in their "Surprise" as well:













This, of course, is the colour used in their fab jacket:

















Found - here.

Finally, we have a wonderful new yarn in from Tivoli. We haven't stocked this company before but I simply couldn't resist this new Aran weight 48% wool concoction "Blizzard"- the colours are simply gorgeous and the patterns are really cool - they should be on the site next week, flu etc allowing. How about this for gorgeousness:













or, indeed, this:














So, I hope this has given you inspiration for the weekend - I am desperate to knit something with Blizzard but am being very good and finishing the Beaded Gorgeousness first - nearly there, honest.

Home now to soluble asprin gargling (as recommended by a friend) - I'll let you know if it works.

Flu Update

Knitwits Yarns knitwitspenzance.co.uk

We had a quiet night in watching X Factor - truly naff, I know, but sometimes needs must.

2.30am - T in shower to ease breathing and try and reduce cough. Partial success - he fell asleep at about 3.00.

4.00am - G hunting linen cupboard for a new duvet cover as previous 2 drenched in sweat.

2.30 am - 5.00am - FB alternately coughing and snoring. At about 4.30am was tempted to turn light on and knit a few rows of Beaded Gorgeousness but couldn't quite summon the required energy.

Now 5pm - am about to start work. Washing machine on second load of the day.

Somehow don't think G or T going to school tomorrow.

Half Term

Knitwits Yarns knitwitspenzance.co.uk

What does half term mean to you? Happy children joyfully playing outside in the late summer sunshine? Teenage children enjoying late lie-ins and eating you out of house and home? A quick break away (if you're lucky) to the country? Endless washing (obviously).

Half term chez Hopson this week has involved one ambulance trip to Treliske hospital in Truro and 3 men with swine 'flu. If you imagine one case of "man 'flu", turn it into real 'flu and then times it by three you'll get some idea of the week we've had.

Sore throat, hacking cough, aching limbs, pounding headaches, listlesness and temperatures of, up to, 103 (sorry don't do metric but, trust me, that's damn high) have been the highlight of our week.

So how, I hear you cry, have you got away with it, Julia? Well, see, I had it back in May! Back in the dim dark days when swine 'flu cases were listed on the BBC news and Tamiflu was prescribed as standard. Not that my case either reached the BBC or was treated with Tamiflu but you know what I mean. Somehow my men didn't catch it then - possibly because I locked myself in the bedroom and didn't emerge until it was all over.

My role this week has been to buy paracetemol containing soothing agents, continue working when I could and wash the endless pile of sheets and pillow cases - lucky me.

They are all on the mend now - just in time to go back to school on Monday. I tell you something - after this half term we all need a holiday.

Knitwits Yarns knitwitspenzance.co.uk

One of the really nice things about this job is when people come in wearing what they've made or, even, send us photos through cyberspace. Over the last couple of weeks we've had a bit of run on new garments so I thought I'd bring them all together in one place but - as with all the best plans - some of the photos haven't been formatted yet. However, I do have 3 for you - which might keep you going (or even inspire you) for today.

We have a regular customer in the USA called Borie who ordered some Filorosa Summer from Gedifra back in the summer. Filorosa Summer is now discontinued - which I discovered when I placed the order for Borie. Small panic and several emails later and we got together enough of the yarn for Borie to knit the jacket she'd planned. Last week she sent the photos - you can drool all you like but you'll have to hunt the 'net for enough yarn to knit it!


























Borie did tell me which pattern it was and, if anyone wants the pattern, I can ask her.

The next photos we received were from FB's step-mother. When we went to Fibrefest back in September Jackie came along to see us and drool over lovely yarn. She does some designing and knitting for a designer in Devon and bought some Cornish Organic to go and play with for her designer, Matthew. In the end she couldn't resist it and knitted this for us:


















She then very kindly gave us the pattern and it's available on the site - here. Thanks Jackie! You'll be pleased to hear that she's currently finishing garment number 2 (in red) which should be with us shortly.

Finally, Tracey knitted up my Cornish Organic Ladies' Gansey pattern. This had been "in development" for a mighty long time when Gerard from I Knit contacted me to ask if I had a suitable pattern for their "Knits to Care & Share" book. I rattled off the gansey, typed up the pattern and sent it off. Owing to some confusion the original sweater seems to have disappeared so I got Tracey to knit it up in our bright blue, St Ives. To be honest, I think it looks far better in St Ives anyway so I'm really rather pleased. Anyway, we went to Lanhydrock this weekend to meet up with my brother and his family and I wore the Gansey and we grabbed the opportunity to do a very quick photo shoot in front of a rather lovely door. I'm not very good at photo shoots as, to be honest, I feel like a complete twit. Hats off to proper models, seriously. However, I'm quite pleased with Sunday's photos as I had G&T plus nephew (Rowan) and neice (Grace) to keep me entertained. Here are a couple of the photos - remember - you're supposed to be looking at the Gansey, not the, very self-conscious, model:




































We're going to use the first pic on the pattern - I hope you approve. You can find the pattern here.

Tonight I'm off to a girly film night and, as FB & G&T wanted to go to the gym tonight (and we only have one car) I'm being driven there and collected later so I can have more than one glass of wine - yippee!

Knitwits Yarns knitwitspenzance.co.uk

Finally, finally, finally I've found time today to get some new patterns onto the site. We've had two new yarns from King Cole recently - Homespun:


















and Dreams:


















Homespun is being discontinued by King Cole so is available at the ridiculously low price of just £1.49 (for a 100g ball) - yes, you did read that right - buy now before it's all gone! Today I managed to insert all the patterns for the Homespun - patterns down the left hand side of the page.

Dreams is the new chunky for this autumn/winter and is really gorgeous and soft and knobbly - as you can see from the picture. Also managed to upload its patterns today - really useful shapes:


















A lovely yarn for warm winter woollies!

Still haven't seen a builder but have been assured that the frame is under construction and they're aiming to fit it on Thursday - I'll take lots of photos.

I've had an alarmingly high number of late nights recently so am feeling a tad weary and am out to dinner (again) tonight -good friend [and neighbour's] birthday - I know I shouldn't complain but, between you and me, I fancy a night in front of X Factor with my knitting and a G&T - hey, ho musn't grumble. The Beaded Gorgeousness is understanding but getting fractious - must try and appease it tomorrow night. Actually ....... have a bit of a car journey tomorrow so perhaps could fit in some knitting then - note to self: persuade FB to drive tomorrow and sneak knitting into the car - a cunning plan - I like it!

Knitwits Yarns knitwitspenzance.co.uk

Yesterday the builders came and welded a bit of metal to a rather dodgy looking bit of rusted RSJ - which may well be holding the whole of the front of the building up.

Today I haven't seen hide nor hair of them.

Should I be worried?

Knitwits Yarns knitwitspenzance.co.uk

I've had a pretty full-on week with one thing or another. Dear Naomi's funeral on Monday and then I was asked to represent my boys' school at a service at Exeter Cathedral on Wednesday. We left at the crack of dawn, you'll be pleased to hear that I knitted the Beaded Gorgeousness in the minibus on both the way up and down - much to the amusement of our Headmaster, who was driving and we were invited to lunch in the Deanery which was a real treat. I hadn't been to Exeter Cathedral before - usually, of course, we're driving up or down and fly past Exeter or, indeed, stop to fly out of Exeter airport. It is a fantastic building and, if you get the chance, I recommend a stop off there - and they do have a very nice looking cafe if you're not lucky enough to be invited to lunch at the Deanery.

I've spent the last two days in the shop catching up and, of course, the building work has been carrying on all the time. All things considered, it's been remarkably calm. This is how the shop looked:













OK - this includes the builders' van but you get the idea. So, in order to remove the old front and allow us to continue trading they had to build a false wall inside the shop:













Just to add complication we're moving the door from the left to the right - you can see the position of the new door on the right here with half a wooden wall. (That's Tracey, by the way, sorting patterns - she wouldn't be photographed face on but I'll catch her soon). Then they finished the wall and our cave was complete:













It's actually not as dark as you'd imagine and, unless they're cutting stone or drilling or other noisy stuff we keep the door open. So, from the outside it looks like this:













As you can see, it left all my electricity boxes exposed! These are now all boxed in with a padlocked door but will have to be moved once the new front is in. The granite on the left of this picture was covered in really attractive 1960's rough render and, in the plans, was going to be tiled over. However, some of the granite is pretty good so the planners have decided to leave it as exposed granite and the worst bits have been replaced - I'm pleased as granite is how it would have originally looked.

To my amazement the glass came out in one piece - we were all delighted - and underneath in the top of the concrete block they found the date 9/1967 so we know the shop front was changed in September 1967. When they took the shop sign down they discovered that it had previously been a tobacconist as the old sign was on the back of the Knit Wits sign!

At night we have a metal grate across the shop to stop people sleeping on my carpet!













And that's how clean and tidy the guys leave it every night - I'm really impressed. You can see (on the right hand side) the doormat for the old door so you can see where the entry was.

In a spare few minutes I have managed to input some new yarns on to the site - patterns are ready for inputting when I have a few more spare minutes. So, there's a new chunky from King Cole called Dreams which knits into gentle stripes and has nobbles of colours too - very soft and lovely. King Cole are also discontinuing their Homespun range. This is a 20% wool Super chunky yarn (the same tension as Aero) and is now selling for the knockdown price of £1.49 for 100g. It's selling really fast so get some now before it's all gone! There are a few more patterns for this to come but, in the meantime, you can also knit it to all Aero patterns.

I had one new colour in Katia Azteca - the lovely blue shown in a couple of patterns. I'm expecting a delivery from Katia in the next couple of weeks when they've had some more yarn delivered to them.

We've also had a few new colours in Sirdar's Snowflake Chunky - including the popular multi-colour which has been re-launched:


















On a quick chicken note, we've realised that the first 3 babes are all girls - which is good for them and us (more eggs!). Some of the last babies are definitely boys as they are starting to crow - we all know what's going to happen to them - the question is when is the optimum time - big enough for a good meal but not so big that they're tough as old boots and, furthermore, we're currently feeding them all so when's the cut off point (if you pardon the phrase). They're all in one house together at night now so the fights that might ensue in there may be the deciding factor - I'm leaving that decision up to the men.

Today is misty, dank and wet so a truly perfect knitting day.