tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90353587112892478232011-08-05T13:28:55.746-07:00Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.comBlogger531100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-11640328387097714362011-02-26T09:42:00.001-08:002011-02-26T19:46:07.344-08:00

I thought I'd share some of my recent finds with you. I defy anyone to resist the temptation! First, this week's Posh Yarn update; available on the website from 8pm tomorrow (Sunday 27th February) If you see anything you want, make sure you visit the website a few minutes before 8pm and refresh your browser contunually because once the yarn is available it will sell out within minutes, often

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-78380331217478097462011-02-22T04:15:00.000-08:002011-02-26T19:50:38.208-08:00

Very quick post, I am now totally excited as my Kromski Sonata will be arriving any day. YAAAAAY! I got quite a bargain on the'Bay; it's only 6 months old and has barely been used. This is a sales photo - more when mine arrives.Last post I mentioned I had few pics of little Pete....our third cat. He's just a little bit dim! Anyway, this is Pete, note intelligent expression on his face LOL !

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-15823758631763629732011-02-06T10:44:00.001-08:002011-02-26T19:48:34.882-08:00

So here we are at long long last, blogging again in 2011! I have been extremely neglectful of my poor blog, but I'm making it a sort of New Year sort of resolution to make it regular again!Here's a quick reminder of what this blog is about, i.e our delightful cats, and of course knitting and spinning! First off, Spangle, our gorgeous fluffy 8 year-old female (also above): Then of course let's not

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-17351310275790997622010-09-01T06:36:00.000-07:002010-09-01T10:13:45.516-07:00

All knitting ans spinning activity has temporarily been suspended due to illness. However, this doesn't stop me from surfing the net for interesting and useful sites. Such as, this one for Zero Waste Week Between now and the 6th I shall be posting all kinds of useful stuff to help you reduce waste, particularly food and other essential resources. But I won't lecture. Oh no.This site Love Food

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-10261255286401547912010-08-18T20:45:00.000-07:002011-02-26T19:50:03.720-08:00

Have you missed seeing the Miscreant on my blog? He hasn't missed you! He has been too busy perfecting his "manipulative purr-cry" which as scientists have discovered cats learn to do with just the right combination of purring and appealing/unbearable meaow so that their Human will have to choice other than to give in immediately to their demands!! As well as this, he has also been busy with his

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-48926615873417506132010-08-16T10:19:00.000-07:002010-08-16T10:25:02.008-07:00

Check out these lovely handmade cards from Spirited Moonchild on Folksy!!!

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-40555556494436710122010-08-14T05:51:00.000-07:002011-02-22T04:31:41.180-08:00

Not much time to blog today but suffice to say I will be casting on for some lovely socks, using my latest aquisition (above), which is Esme from Posh Yarn, in the rather fabulous Theatre Shoes. Kind folk have suggested several patterns for this purpose!!I also cast on for some Turkish socks from my Socks - A Spin-Off Special book, these are a double-knitting project, and I'm using Manos del

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-20678550594755893412010-07-27T06:39:00.001-07:002011-02-22T04:31:10.505-08:00

So....in the past seven days I have increased my level of joy by around 500%!!On Friday I had an interview and got the job I need to kick start my career. I am still actually in complete disbelief, even though I do know I really deserve it! I feel like this has kind of just landed in my lap, through chance conversations and being in the right place at the right time and so forth. Nevertheless I

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-41065232189628577082010-07-17T17:58:00.000-07:002010-07-17T18:15:29.394-07:00

This year I have been asked about wristwarmers and socks availability.These will be available to order from September 1st and you should allow two weeks from ordering to receipt. Prices vary, from around £5 for infant sized to £20 + for custom-spun adult sizes. There are several designs, from single colour, random multicolour, striped, lace pattern, plain or ribbed for your/his pleasure.See below

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-49641875544259758872010-03-19T14:13:00.000-07:002010-08-03T16:23:30.179-07:00

It's so long since I last blogged that I am not even going to try and catch up. Apart from to brag about my perfect 100% score test I took the other day when I went to sign up for my course. No big deal though since it was a basic litercy/numeracy test. I don't know which is worse: the fact the test was so patronisingly simple or the fact I am apparently the only person to score anywhere even

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-91560697359501987222010-02-20T17:07:00.000-08:002010-07-18T16:28:22.080-07:00

Well, here we are again and once more I am extremely recalcitrant in my blogging! I've been ill and also had a busy week, and in fact have a busy week ahead. But it's the weekend and Ellen and Saartje are here and so it's time to relax, unwind, chill....oh, and shop of course - mustn't forget the shopping!! We went to the Fair Trade Market, and as ever, I wanted everything but ended up buying

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-49278477340209353492010-02-07T19:24:00.001-08:002010-02-08T12:01:26.781-08:00

This is the start of the gorgeous hat I'm knitting for the klijntje. You can see in the above photo one of the earflaps and the variegated colours of my gorgeous handspun 'Spingle' yarn. The whole thing was slightly too small for circulars so I put it on dpns. Speaking of circulars, my new Knitpro tips are too thick, at 8mm and 10mm because I seriously overestimated how chunky my handpun would

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-14342444001884522212010-02-01T09:46:00.001-08:002010-02-02T15:18:46.827-08:00

I must just update from the last post. Holland Fabric House owner has another Etsy shop, Zacka selling hand-made gorgeousness, such as the above French Lavender Sachets, made from the lovely fabric from the fabric house. She also has a blog!!. I could not resist buying those cute little iron-on transfers from Holland Fabric House and they arrived, along with the gorgeous sets of ribbon I also

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-68792500357004788652010-01-27T10:30:00.000-08:002010-01-27T15:24:35.115-08:00

Here are my ten favourite finds online throughout the past month! As yet, I haven't succumbed to the temptation to actually buy any of them.........Top of the list has to be this 'Kick Spindle' from Heavenly Handspinning.This is basically a way of using a spindle while leaving both hands free to draft with - it solves the problem for those who like spindle spinning but who often wish they had an

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-64167048799226346042010-01-26T18:29:00.000-08:002010-01-26T18:51:50.533-08:00

Just an update -my lovely chunky wristies, knitted from my handspun "Spingle" BFL in Kir, are FINISHED!!Hieperdepiep HOERAAAAA!!!!!I have started some Mermaid's Lagoon socks in Araucania Ranco Solid, for Nicola.I rack my brain to think of a good pattern; one which would impress herand also would not be too tedious or frustrating to knit.

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-67240734072276245432010-01-21T07:49:00.000-08:002010-01-21T08:28:36.054-08:00

So....I wanted to wind my lovely skein of my Spingle handspun into a ball ready to knit some wristies. I haven't got a nostepinne (though I have seen a lovely one in Shunklies over on Etsy) but I discovered something which works just as well and has an unexpected advantage too! Enter the honey drizzler I bought from Ethical Superstore last year: Note its similarity in shape to the nostepinne,

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-44690270065309075722010-01-20T06:44:00.000-08:002010-01-20T07:57:08.369-08:00

I have received my new tips for my Knit-Pro interchangeables.....ooh-hoo-hooooo!!! Thy are gorgeous! I did not have any tips thick enough to knit Saar's hat,the 6mm were just that little bit too narrow for my handspun. So when I found these "Spectra Flair" in bright pink acrylic in p2tog's Ebay shop, I immediately had to buy them. That's most of my spending money gone for this month now (the

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-57266373525199606532010-01-19T17:58:00.000-08:002010-01-19T18:50:41.767-08:00

I have a very bad case of Knitter's Block at the minute. Though I did finish the wristwarmers which Fiona requested, which I knitted using Royal Platinum Alpaca, in Santa Fe Skies.Not really a very good photo but you get the idea. I actually blocked them too; only the second time I have bothered blocking my work. The first was with my Noro scarf -- to add little length - and it did look more '

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-72617345570652176962010-01-07T18:15:00.000-08:002010-01-07T18:58:12.318-08:00

Osiyo! I've spun some more wool this evening, and taken a couple of pics of the yarn so far:Spingle Hand Spun BFL - MooiSpingle Hand Spun Superwash Merino- SaartjeSpingle Hand Spun BFL - KirUnfortunately the photos look a bit dark, but that isn't the point. I'm so pleased with myself, transforming the fat braids of soft, fuzzy, fluffy fibres (like those seen in my last blog post) into skeins

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-14508811845657364782010-01-04T07:27:00.000-08:002010-01-06T18:39:39.330-08:00

It has snowed non-stop on and off, if that isn't too much of a contradiction, for a week and the snow, where undisturbed, is about 20 cm deep! I have not seen snow like this since my childhood, when we would make bobsleigh runs in the tracks made by trucks going down the many hills leading off our road. While it looks beautiful, it is becoming a nuisance for people who have to drive in it.

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-60463138158725771312009-12-20T07:48:00.001-08:002009-12-20T08:56:11.903-08:00

My first attempt at spinning yarn...... :-?

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-88388801583615081112009-12-18T16:14:00.000-08:002009-12-27T11:56:50.209-08:00

Well, it has been snowing today, prompting cries of 'Sneeeeeeeuw!' in our house! It was covering the ground properly almost immediately to make a soft and sort-of crunchy layer about 2cm deep (probably deeper now but there is no way I'm going outside to check!)It has been a good week since my last post; that was last sunday I believe, so I have had a full five days of hecticity and now I can

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-67199012434093104082009-12-13T17:04:00.000-08:002009-12-13T19:40:32.086-08:00

So....here we go! It's Sunday evening, 13th December though it is after midnight so its really the 14th; we have 7 days until the shortest day, the Solstice. People don't always realise, in their weekender and Glastonbury 'Experience' part time hippyness, that the Solstice itself is NOT at dawn on the day in question, but at the sun's highest point on Midsummer's Day and lowest point on

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-28103323030470803992009-11-30T07:41:00.000-08:002009-11-30T10:38:04.180-08:00

Yet again I didn't blog for millenia! I have been too busy knitting, doing laundry, giving the cat his medication......and gardening(again) It has been a day of several weather types, it's like they are all trying to compete for some sort of award. This morning, Snow even put in an appearance, then Rain showed its ugly face, but Blue Skies finally chased them both away. Nevertheless I still

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-56985898393555461052009-11-22T08:02:00.000-08:002009-11-22T09:37:35.208-08:00

What a happy day!Apart from having a good night's sleep for the first time in a week, I am also feeling really cheerful. Thomas is much much better, so I am really hoping that when he goes back to the Vet tomorrow she will give him the all-clear.Thomas slept all night on and in my bed, and this morning has eaten and had a long drink, and has also had no trouble wee-ing. He just seems a lot

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-79468928212306418642009-11-21T05:52:00.000-08:002009-11-21T09:59:48.530-08:00

Wow! I didn't blog since Tuesday. This is because I haven't had time and also due to being really stressed and anxious about little Thom, who didn't actually come home until yesterday! What ought to have been a one night stay went on longer because as they were about to remove his catheter on Wednesday morning, they found he had actually chewed it half out himself (Yes, as we all know, Thomas

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-81683846011035136022009-11-17T15:21:00.000-08:002009-11-17T16:16:02.609-08:00

*SIGH*Thomas went for his follow-up at the vet's today. when we got up this morning he seemedto have turned a corner, he was fairly lively and instead of just lying about sleeping he was up and about, eating a little and pestering us for attention as he normally would in the morning.However, this afternoon at the vet's it transpired that his bladder seemed to be blocked again, which was puzzling

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-30906396973745742502009-11-16T07:03:00.000-08:002009-11-16T07:10:46.037-08:00

A quick update on Thomas while I have a minute, he - and consequently I - didn't have very good night, he came upstairs and slept on my bed as usual but he kept getting up and changing his position ...very restless but cheered up a bit earlier this morning. He is still having to be fed water through a syringe, which he actually doesn't mind so long as the water is not too cold. I could not get

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-44798168152712616402009-11-15T07:46:00.000-08:002009-11-15T11:45:30.971-08:00

Poor Thomas had to be rushed to the vet yesterday. He ws absolutely fine - or appeared to be - in the morning, but then early after lunch he started being very weird, limping and sitting on the shoes next to the hallway radiator, but keeping his bottom up off them, then he started wailing. I carried him to the sofa to try to investigate (thinking maybe he had a sore back leg or something) and he

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-31465601736627121342009-11-11T20:33:00.000-08:002009-11-11T21:14:13.016-08:00

At last, got into the swing of Cold Mountain - it's amazing I had time after allowing Yahoo Avatars to suck away an hour of my valuable knitting time! I didn't get in from work till10 past 10p.m - very eventful shift it was too: two arguments/fights and a deliberate tit-for-tat flood in someone's room while they were banished for an hour to cool off (culprits caught on CCTV after having the face

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-3906574714790099292009-11-06T13:18:00.000-08:002009-11-06T13:38:18.938-08:00

Damnation! I was just about to start the second pattern repeat of rows 3 to 30 of Chart A of Cold Mountain and I noticed that halfway down there was a stitch that was hardly there...and when I investigated the stitches underneath it for about 5 rows unraveled, leaving a gaping bloody hole in my otherwise perfect lace! I have frogged the lot in exasperation, as it is too complicated to frog only

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-70565852672628247452009-11-05T04:55:00.000-08:002009-11-05T11:59:25.968-08:00

This is me at just before 1pm,having just woken up (can you tell?!)I do not think I look too bad for an early-ish 40's year old who has just got out of bed, do you? also, you cannot see the silvery hairs that have begun creeping in. They are easily covered up by Lush's Caca Noir which is obviously the same colour as my hair so doesn't make a difference to the color, but does make it really shiny

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-13262883289598083102009-11-04T16:11:00.000-08:002009-11-05T06:01:55.066-08:00

What a day....!I was down at the garden this morning. Really pleasant: lovely Northern Autumn sky - you know that sort of almost-but-not-quite washed out pale blue sky you only get this far north because of the 'blue light'; a nip in the air enough to rose your cheeks up (must replenish my supplies of Dr.Hauschka Rose Day Cream); no noise except the occasional cluck of the hens or bird song (I

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-25025822785471773232009-11-03T16:24:00.000-08:002009-11-05T06:03:19.779-08:00

Forgot to add this photo yesterday, it's the first twelve rows of the Cold Mountain scarf in the amazingly gorgeous Elvincraft Laceweight Merino/Cashmere 2 ply. It's so easy to knit, although it does look complicated at first glance of the (three!) charts, but it is straightforward enough as, so far, the pattern is all SSK's, K2Tog's and YO's - and the occasional KTBL, and the WS is

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-51441503160371496002009-11-02T07:17:00.001-08:002009-11-05T06:04:25.257-08:00

Today was my first real day working at the horticulture project. I have really enjoyed it! We have been picking beans, a rare variety called Cherokee Trail of Tears. Then took down the plants and dismantled the frame things. By then it was lunchtime and we were cooked a delicious organic vegetable stir-fry with roast potatoes; then a post-lunch tea break at the top of the garden where there is

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-31254654596195041382009-11-01T13:30:00.000-08:002009-11-05T06:07:17.257-08:00

For many people, eating insects is a normal everyday occurrence, and in fact some insects are considered a delicacy. But here, the nearest one will get to insect 'delicacies' is this site, Edible.com - whose products I spied in Fenwick's delicatessen last week. That's D's christmas present sorted then. What got me thinking about eating insects was watching Charley Boorman on Beeb 2 in his

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-26410809510559057092009-10-30T19:55:00.000-07:002009-11-05T06:08:47.732-08:00

I just bought a gorgeous skein of laceweight lambswool/cashmere from Wild Fire Fibres - on Etsy - at what is actually a very reasonable price comparable with, say, Araucania. I'd rather support smaller businesses and have yarns which come in amazing colour schemes. I couldn't resist the colour, a rich deep bluey purple, and its name - Atlantic Ocean. It is so me.After knitting halfheartedly

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-33972855290389137672009-10-28T14:12:00.000-07:002009-11-05T06:09:22.773-08:00

Another rubbish photo, this time of my partially knitted sock in Mirasol Hacho. Yes, I think it is definitely a bit thick for socks,maybe,but the Winter is coming and we all need nice warm socks in the cold months, right? By the way the colours are far more vivid and much brighter than you can see from this photo. Just think of the fruit part of a delicious mixed berry crumble; it has

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-56930189525757193942009-10-27T06:59:00.001-07:002009-11-05T06:11:07.148-08:00

Before anyone calls the RSPCA, the above is NOT MY FAULT!!!!! Yes, it is a photo of a very wet kitty,but he insisted on going out when it was drizzly, and as soon as it started to rain he was up on the window ledge and I got him straight back in again! Awwwww!!My lovely Elvincraft 2 ply merino lace est arrivee! Fabulous!! The colour is just divine. Although it's too dull to photograph outside so

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-68361301818492402952009-10-25T07:31:00.000-07:002009-11-05T06:13:27.844-08:00

Another lazy weekend!Anyway.... I was raking through my stash of lesser yarns, which I bought before I could knit very well and therefore had not discovered the more gorgeous yarns. Mostly Rowan and Debbie Bliss bought for the colour (purples and occasional pinks) I really must have a de-stash, now that I have discovered Juno Fibre Arts, Spindlefrog and Amy'sRainbow on Etsy, which are all

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-51966829918616476292009-10-19T08:44:00.000-07:002009-11-05T06:14:11.712-08:00

Just a very quick update of the kernel progess so far. I've finished the edging and am now about 8 rows into the main chart. It is without a doubt one of the most pleasant patterns I have knitted so far - it just flows very easily from one row to the next.If I make this my focus for the next few days it will soon be finished, but I only really have afternoons and evenings, and even then because

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-86880431113608166252009-10-17T18:44:00.000-07:002009-11-05T06:14:48.522-08:00

YEE haaa!!!Kernel is lookin' good!My toe is a bit better - more shades of purple that I never knew existed! Thom-Cat has been very naughty today, practically destroying the kitchen and the living room. Ten minutes later he was asleep and looking so sweet one would never believe it was the same cat. Aww, but he is a little darling really. How anyone can be cruel or neglectful to kitty-cats - or

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-58935665106055177542009-10-16T03:26:00.000-07:002009-11-05T06:15:33.440-08:00

Thanks to our resident four-legged whirling dervish, I now have a broken little toe. Well, it sure feels and looks like it's broken! As usual he tried to exit the kitchen wrapped around my feet, but only after first launching himself at them from under the table and with no warning. The result was my foot smashing into the edge of the door with some force as I half tripped, half fell.Last night

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-23008787543732985662009-10-15T03:56:00.000-07:002009-11-05T06:17:43.067-08:00

....which I've been knitting for Nat. For some reason Ravelry's photograph uploading thing is playing up again. (It won't let me upload anything purple and now it won't even try to upload anything...) So from now on I'm going to put all my relevant photos here.Which I usually do anyway.Yes it would be lovely to arrange them more artistically and aesthetically attractively (wow! - the

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-19494694954145996112009-10-14T03:55:00.000-07:002009-11-05T06:19:18.426-08:00

Congratulations and gefeliciteerd, me!!!!After a long break due to illness and complete air-headedness, I now have a job - which actually involves a couple of different jobs!!I am working for a charity called Tyneside Cyrenians, a leading homelessness support/rehabilitation charity which supports homeless and vulnerably housed people to re-integrate back into Society by providing supported/

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-50210757705604283862009-10-09T06:03:00.000-07:002009-11-05T06:22:30.062-08:00

So...it's the end of another week, and what a week it has been! Plenty of knitting and other things going on.....not least of which is the slow growth of the wonderful Cherie Amour which I have now knitted around 30 rows of. (I'm using Manos del Uruguay Wool Classica) Up until now it has been a kind of back-burner project, with only a round or so each day. But now is the time to pick it up a bit

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-49776566877104737422009-10-02T05:08:00.001-07:002009-10-02T05:22:19.690-07:00

So...I finished the lovely Monkey socks I've been knitting in Mirasol Chirapa's Saffron Spice. Shown in a not-very-good photo above as I was chilling out and they came loose a bit. but you get the idea.Spoke to Ellen and Mik last night....I am going over to Leiden in December. Leiden is where the 'Pilgrim Fathers' lived before they made their way to the New World, which is why there are so many

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-55193564065699024072009-09-30T06:59:00.000-07:002009-09-30T07:56:25.111-07:00

I have never really used stitchmarkers before simply because I have never really needed to. However, today I wanted to mark stitches and in the absence of any stitchmarkers I used some Clipiola Italian style paperclips (made by Cavalini of San Francisco).These, like 'real' stitchmarkers, fit around your needles, even really thick ones.These are also, apparently, excellent stand-ins when blocking

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-36342648070514097092009-09-29T05:55:00.000-07:002009-09-29T19:21:00.466-07:00

A couple of updates but not really much else to write.Firstly, I got us a new washing machine - and it's great! Bonuses to appease my Green, anti-White-Goods conscience are: A+A class for efficiency/energy saving etc; I bought it from the Co-operative's online electricals site; the delivery guys took our old machine away for recycling.I have written some emails trying to get some casual, temp

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-23708853191741904512009-09-21T01:42:00.000-07:002009-09-29T05:54:43.830-07:00

Great!Firstly, I heard I won a competition to win some fabulous Handmaiden yarn used to make Kernel, the new scarf pattern on Knitty!!! Yee haa! I have never really won much in my entire life so this is practically a first. The competition was on Blue Peninsula, the blog of Bonnie Sennott from Amherst in Massachusets, the designer of the Kernel scarf (among other fab designs!) and she asked

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-83647330236632280682009-09-19T11:13:00.001-07:002009-09-19T11:23:00.302-07:00

What a fabulous Autumn Fall day! These apples are from my father's garden - aren't they absolutely the most amazingly appley apples?!I've also been casting on for some new projects: the brilliant and extremely popular Monkey socks, which I am knitting with the divine MirasolChirapa in 'Saffron Spice'.........and also from Knitty, Cherie Amour, a beautifully feminine design for an open lace

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-40867891368795593422009-09-15T17:53:00.000-07:002009-09-15T18:20:14.467-07:00

Oh dear.....My father very kindly bought us a lovely cat design tapestry covered cushioned draft excluder, which I knew from the moment I saw it would be very attractive to the Queen of the Cushions, AKA Spangle. I also knew there would be trouble, since Thom automatically wants anything Spangle has for himself. Well, he totally took over the play tunnel which we got a couple of weeks ago, so in

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9035358711289247823.post-7600362394706034692009-09-15T04:12:00.000-07:002009-09-19T17:05:55.986-07:00

Such a lovely early Autumn day!Blue skies - well,blue-ish....blue-ish grey actually, or is that grey? Hmmmm....it's my great mood making it seem like a blue sky kind of day.I decided not to have separate blogs for my knitting and other stuff. so this one will just flow....like my life and also, occasionally, like my knitting.I've noticed that so many knitters have cats. And they include their

Cal at Northern Sky Knittinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06146670640645859342noreply@blogger.com0