New Yarns (and Patterns) for 2014!

Knitwits Yarns knitwitspenzance.co.uk

Slightly to our amazement we had a couple of deliveries over the festive period - one from Italy {we always get excited when Adriafil boxes arrive} and one from Yorkshire {OK - not quite the same frisson of excitement but it contained new colours in Opium so we were very excited after we'd opened it!}.

So - to Italy - and Adriafil's new Stella Jacq - their Aran version of the phenomenally successful (because it's so lovely) DK yarn, Knitcol.  Like Knitcol, a wonderful range of colours:

so now we can have fantastic, brightly coloured jumpers in Aran weight too!

Also in the box were new patterns for Knitcol.  Many European knitters don't follow patterns but learn at their mothers' (and grandmothers') knees and make up their garments as they go, so it's testament to the popularity of Knitcol in the UK that Adriafil has produced a whole range of new patterns for this wool.  Here is a small sample but scroll down the Knitcol page to see all the patterns down the left hand side.  I've got my eye on this sweater:

but I also like this one:

and, indeed, this gilet:

So, the second box to arrive contained new colours in the wonderful "Opium" from King Cole.  This thick and thin yarn was so successful last summer that King Cole have introduced 8 new colours and new patterns to go with them:

I have my eye on this sweater, which I think will be really useful for putting over a strappy top when summer evenings start to cool:

and this little top for summer days:

I have just signed up for Team GB in the 2014 Ravellenic Games on Ravelry - any suggestions as to what I should knit?!  I've just looked up the dates - 6th - 23rd Feb so only 17 days (much shorter than the 2012 Olympics - yikes!).

January Sale!!

Knitwits Yarns knitwitspenzance.co.uk

Yes, it's that time of year again when we take stock (literally) of discontinued yarns, packs of yarn which just aren't selling (for whatever reason) {and why some aren't selling remains a continuing mystery} and final packs of one colour {very often a really lovely colour} and we discount them and put them up for sale so we can make room for new lovely spring and summer yarns!

For those of you in the Penzance area, most of these packs are now proudly displayed in our window and for those of you not lucky enough to live in deepest, darkest Cornwall these packs are now on the site in our "SALE PACKS" area.

Most are in packs of 10 but some are more and just a few are less so, for example, the last 8 balls of Adriafil's wonderful pure wool Baba are now packed up and reduced by 25%:

 (you see what I mean, why is that gorgeous colour the last one left?) - or, indeed, this last pack of Monello (11 balls in the pack, 25% off):

There is also 25% off last few packs of Debbie Bliss Fez (85% merino, 15% camel) and 25% off the very last few packs of Debbie's Bella ( 85% cotton, 10% silk, 5% cashmere) 3 colours with 3 different quantities - what's not to love?!

And the last 10 balls of this gorgeous Duo Plus from Adriafil:

Check our the sale pages - once they're gone, they're gone!!

Christmas is For Walking!!

Knitwits Yarns knitwitspenzance.co.uk

Well ... tomorrow has arrived (and nearly gone) and still no sign of phone or internet, although there are lots of men in BT jackets and hard hats up and down ladders and poles in the vicinity of our house so we're keeping everything crossed.   It's really quite amusing when you phone up (from work) to try and find out what's going on to be told that there's a "hole" in your line - well, yes, I guess that is what happens when a lightening bolt thwacks through your line and into your house.  We count ourselves lucky; our neighbour's entire electricity fuse box blew off her wall - she came home late on Friday and couldn't understand why we all had power and she didn't!

In between the eating, drinking, lashing rain and howling winds, we managed some wonderful walking over the festive period.  Here, in no particular order, are a few views of the glorious area where I'm lucky enough to live:

 

Guy and I at Mulfra Quoit (burial mound):

Avoiding bogs on Boxing Day!:

 At Zennor Quoit (another burial mound):

Going home:

Farewell 2013 and Welcome 2014 - With A Bang!

Knitwits Yarns knitwitspenzance.co.uk

This is the time of year when every blogger reflects on the past 12 months and looks forward to the next 12 and I am no exception.

Without getting too gloomy, 2013 was a difficult year for us with 3 funerals in as many weeks in March, one of which was under such shocking and tragic circumstances that - in all honesty - none us have really recovered even now.  On the upside we achieved a long held ambition and went cycling through Cambodia, which was simply out of this world, and the boys went on to travel through Asia together which was a great success.  But, on balance we were all looking forward to putting 2013 behind us and welcoming 2014 with open arms - and what a welcome we got!

Early on Friday morning as the wind howled and the rain lashed, we heard the first ominous rumble of thunder.  Having lost numerous computer modems to lightening, FB shot downstairs and unplugged our phone lines, the computers and everything else he could think of.  Thank goodness he did!  At 8.15am there was an almighty Bang and Crash as our house was hit by lightening!

What had, in fact, happened was the electricity pole in the field above our house was hit and the force then shot down the electricity telephone lines and our line is screwed into the chimney at the top of the house and that is where the lightening hit!  Unfortunately for poor Guy, this is right next to his bed - which got him out of bed with a major start, as a blue flash thwacked through his room - apparently lightening makes a "thwacking" noise as it shoots past your head!

This is what lightening does to a telegraph pole:

And this is how far bits of the telegraph pole fly when it's hit by lightening:

That piece of wood, people, is some 100m from the pole - thank goodness there were no cows in the field.

Amazingly, the power was restored within 9 hours (well done Western Power Distribution!) but we're still waiting for phones and, consequently, internet.  Luckily all shop work is done here in the shop but poor Guy desperately needs to get some University work done so he's been here in the shop with me today (which is really quite nice but I'm not sure he feels the same!).

There was a lot of knitting done in 2013 and there's been quite a lot in 2014 too - it's amazing how much time you have when you haven't got a phone or access to all the nonsense on the internet!  All being well, "normality" will return tomorrow.

Happy 2014!