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Intro

This week I follow on from last weeks sing-along with a bit of Craig David, including a quick biograghy (for those who missed that 15 minutes of the noughties in the UK) and an eyebrow homage…

The original…

David does Bieber…

Merrion does David…

I am also giving a gentle reminder to pop along to the Shinybees Podcast Group on Ravelry for the Fish Lips Kiss Heel pattern giveaway. It’s not too late to get in on this Thursdays Patreon virtual knit night, sign up to $5 or more per month and you will be invited to our show and tell and get your wips out. If you love a bit of Swag, get down to the Swagporium and get your hands on an amazing new Barbie carrier, also known as a project bag.

Knittings Events/Shows in February

A big event this month is Unravel at Farnham Maltings, 19th-21st February at Farnham in Surrey. Advance tickets are still available. Bit far for me to go personally but lots of folk are going, please let me know your thoughts or feedback and any cool purchases. It would be good to be able to give reviews and thoughts out on the next show.

Enablers Corner

A freebie, yay! Tutorial videos from Clare Devine, who you’ll remember from the Sock Surgery. She is a trained teacher so she explains everything well, I’ve mentioned how easy her patterns are to follow before, and these videos are really straightforward too. The one I want to bring your attention to is the German Twisted Cast On. It’s the only one I use now. She takes her time and doesn’t make me feel like an idiot. I like that.

She’s going to be adding lots more videos to the collection, so be sure to head over and subscribe to her YouTube channel to avoid missing any new ones. There’s quite a good collection there already.

Knit Along

Rewind is the name of the next KAL. I had some sterling suggestions, but Craig David saved the day. Legend. It’s all about pooling together the ideas of what people want to knit so we will relive your previously enjoyed KALs. You can choose whatever pattern you loved previously and must relive, or missed out on before and feel the need to do, and knit/crochet away. I’ll be doing Lush by Tin Can Knits.  It will begin on the 13th of March and end on the 26th of June. There will be a thread in the Ravelry group for chit chat and photos. #rewindkal.

Review

I am reviewing ‘Take Heart: Transatlantic Knitting Journey‘ by Fiona Alice, which was sent to me by PomPom magazine. It can be purchased here.

 

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Image Copyright Juju Vail.

 

In short – Feels nice, looks good.

The first 48 pages are dedicated to the inspiration and stories behind the patterns. You don’t always get that and it is a bonus. The second half of the book has each pattern to knit it, as well as a code to download the PDF copy. Martinique Beach is my personal favourite. It is a colourful cowl that is really nice.

Martinique Beach by Fiona Alice. Image Copyright Juju Vail.

Martinique Beach by Fiona Alice. Image Copyright Juju Vail.

What I like about the book, aside from the good looks and quality of the photograghy, is the interesting choices of yarn. She hasn’t gone for the obvious, there are different choices from both sides of the Atlantic. One example is Kettle Yarn Company who I have interviewed previously.

Lunenburg Harbour Socks by Fiona Alice. Image Copyright Juju Vail.

Lunenburg Harbour Socks by Fiona Alice. Image Copyright Juju Vail.

Things I’d change would include the size of the book. It would benefit by being a little bigger in my opinion, especially to enjoy the photography. It really is a strength of the book and quite rightly has a big part to play. Some of the patterns are also a bit too hip for me personally. The Pennard Castle legwarmers are a great pattern but I question who the market is for these; perhaps a wider appealing pattern may have strengthened the collection. Or am I just too short for over the knee leg warmers  and a bit bitter about it?

Pennard Castle by Fiona Alice. Image Copyright Juju Vail.

Pennard Castle by Fiona Alice. Image Copyright Juju Vail.

I am giving away a copy of the book this week. To enter the draw you need to go to the Ravelry group and tell me what your favourite pattern from the book is and I will draw a winner on the 3rd of March.

Wrap Up

That’s all from me this week. As always, thank you for listening. Feedback is always appreciated, and you can email me or message me via Ravelry or social media. If you enjoyed listening today, please consider leaving an iTunes review, to help others find the podcast too. Happy crafting!

 

 

 

 

 

2 comments on “Episode 81: Re-Rewind

  1. oh I wish I could go to Unravel this weekend but it’s a bit far from Edinburgh, maybe next year. About EYF is next month and Highland Wool Festival is in May, so my stash will be fully stocked until autumn (oh and then Yarndale, the list goes on and on ..ha..ha)

    1. Shinybees says:

      We’re lucky to have such a great range of festivals in the UK eh? My stash is heaving at the thought…

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