YOU'RE DOING A BOOK

I am so excited to be part of the blog tour for Karie Westermann's upcoming book This Thing of Paper. So heres our wee interview, i hope you enjoy!

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A quick update on the total, as of today,  13th June 2016 at 12.50, the total sits at a massive £18,459. If you havn't backed yet and want to , just go here , This thing of paper



Blog tour stops.

May 26: Naomi Parkhurst
May 27: Meg Roper
May 30: Natalie Servant
June 1: Jacqui Harding
June 6: Woolly Wormhead
June 8: Tom of Holland / Tom van Deijnen
June 10: Ella Austin
June 13: Leona Jayne Kelly of Fluph
June 15: JacquelineM
June 16: Felix Ford/KNITSONIK
June 17: Clare Devine
June 20: Dianna Walla

British Yarn

 

MOAR VIDEOS!

Leave any ideas on what to call these little videos in the comments below!

Important Links

Chopped ginger - http://www.choppedginger.com/

Croft29 - https://www.facebook.com/Croft29-1684022901839728/timeline

and my website - www.fluph.co.uk

The little grey girl

Hey guys! How have you all been.

Turns out i really hate writing, so i thought i would give video blogging a bit of a go as im pretty good at talking. I really need to get a mic as my voice is pretty quiet and i couldnt figure out how to turn the music down. so hopefully i will work out those kinks by next time.

Hope you enjoy and let me know what you think :D

Love LJ

Little Grey Girl Website

Little Grey Girl Instagram

When knit night takes over : Lifesciences

So while im watching every one excitedly leave for Edinburgh and arrive in Edinburgh, I thought to help me pass the time i would share the photos from last weeks knit night take over.
We were invited down to the life sciences "the street" as part of the Women in Science festival that runs every year up here in sunny Dundee.
The guys had been building a #giantcell and we were there to glamour the place up and maybe add a few pom poms or finger knitting to the sculpture.
I have to admit i was mostly excited by the giant white desk, the door buzzer and the wheely seats! We had a fab night, lots of knitting, plenty tea and biscuits were consumed, and i really enjoyed being in the space, such a huge airy, clean bit. I have no idea what its like to work in there but i enjoyed the peace and quiet. Also never give knitters a badge maker, you will end up with pure hunners of sheep badges! Right i shall leave you with my random photos while i anxiously wait for my Sceles to dry! IT NEEDS TO BE PACKED!

 

Important decisions

This is a bit of a self indulgent post so I am sorry in advance.

Edinburgh yarn festival is fast approaching and i have some huge decisions to make, not what to wear, not what to buy no! oh no no no no, what projects to bring. Is anyone else putting too much energy into this decision?
The main questions that are rattling about my head are for a start, what project to bring ? and do i bring more than one?
For some reason a simple project like socks is really appealing to me because I will be on a train there and back, there will be knitting at the show, meal times, bed times and mad party times. Also will i actually do that much knitting?s or will i infact only knit about 2 rows over three days. im going to pack more than one. am i? yes, because imagine going to a yarn festival and finishing a project and not being able to acquire materials to start another....i mean really!
Guys i really need your sensible heads to help me decide what to take.

Clare Devine Stride

So there is no question that this project will not be left at home. I have a skein of Rusty Ferret in Game over that is shouting at me to be used and I really want to turn it into the newest pattern by Clare Devine, Stride, those teeny faux cables are just winning my heart right now! so that's a definite.

L-R: Starman by Helen Reed, Honeycomb Cables by Louise Tilbrook, Reasons to be Cheerful by Rachel Atkinson,
Dotted Rays by Stephen West

But then there is the emergency project, and possibly the back up emergency project. These are the projects I keep coming back to, should it be something other than socks? are those two sock patterns too complex for chatting and knitting? What happens if i have to stand on the train? these are all important considerations! any feed back would be much appreciated.

Tarsi by Clare Devine

I have also been rooting about the stash and found a ball of really old Colinette Jitterbug in the colourway toucan, and it has been sitting about the coffee table pleading to be turned into some socks. I was thinking Tarsi by Clare Devine, I really do love a Devine pattern. If you havnt used one yet i highly recomend it. so beautifully written and a joy to follow.

Any way those are the ramblings that are floating through my head at the moment ,does anyone have any pearls of wisdom? do i need more than one project? which project? What projects do you have planned for over the weekend? How do you guys choose your projects for events? 

Interview - Yarns From the Plain

I am so excited to officially announce that one of fluphs favourite Indie dyer is coming back for a second visit! Yarns from the Plain will be back on 

Wednesday 25th May

2pm - 8pm

Nic will be here with her beautiful array of freshly dyed yarn, and scrummy fibre. I cant wait to have a proper catch up as the last time i saw Nic was at woolfest 2015 and i was in a very sleepy zombie state and didn't really know who was accosting me in front of the ripplescrafts stall. Last year Nic answered a few questions for me, which yesterday i realised i hadn't posted (bad bad LJ) so lets find out a little bit more about Yarns from the Plain

First i must ask, what are you doing this end of the country? anything exciting planned?
I'm on my way up to John O'Groats for the Caithness Craft Retreat, hosted by Louise from the Caithness Craft Podcast. I kept hearing about how lovely Fluph was from Jo, the host of the Shinybees podcast, so since I was taking the shop up to Caithness, it seemed like an ideal opportunity to come and say hello!



What made you start dying yarn?
It first started years ago when I won a raffle prize of some undyed sock yarn and KoolAid sachets. I enjoyed it, so then took a workshop with Debbie Tomkies of DT Craft and Design. I dabbled a bit, dyeing yarns and fibres for myself, but had so much fun I couldn't stop. About 18 months ago I took a surplus to a Spinning Guild meeting to test the reaction. The members were grabbing the yarns and fibre out of my hands before I could even put them out! This reassured me that others would like my colour ways, so I carried on.

so what is currently on your needles?
Too many things! I have a horrible habit of starting things and getting distracted! However I am currently working solely on a Hansel Hap, by Shetland Trader, as part of the Knit British hap-a-long. I'm using one of my new bases, Wildboarclough, a North Ronaldsay 2ply. It's toothy and just right for a hap!

How do you take your tea/ coffee?
Decaffeinated! Tea is milk and two sugars, coffee is just milk, but I usually drink coffee.

Favourite cake?
Ooh, tough one! Either ginger or coffee and walnut I think. But cake is cake and I've not yet met a cake I didn't like!

Dogs or cats?
Cats. I've shared my life with both, though and they each have their own merits! I would like a dog again, but it wouldn't be fair on my elderly cat.


What draws you to a yarn?
That's hard to answer. Sometimes it might be the colour, but other times it will be the smooshiness. I love working with Blue Faced Leicester.

Tell me what your stash is like?
Out of control!

So apart from yarnygoodness, do you have a passion for anything else?
Weaving, reading and cake!




A massive thank you to Nic for answering my daft questions and make sure you mark the date in your diarys!

Lj out!

Edinburgh Yarn Festival Tickets WINNER!

Drum roll guys!! So by using the Random number generator the winner is

CAZ!  with the answer 

"Arthur was looking forward to showing up all these yarn sellers with his fantastic fluffy fur! (Ok, it's technically hair, but it's hard to alliterate with h!)"

YAY! Please drop me an email and i will get the tickets out to you asap! Massive thank you to everyone that left a comment, they were all wonderful and Arthur's actual answer is he is totally gutted that he cant go to Edinburgh yarn festival because he was really looking forward to widdling on all the corners of the booths! 

To cake or not to Cake?

Just a random thought for a Thursday in February.

When you buy a skein of yarn, do you take it away from the shop/festival as a skein, or do you ask for it to be wound?

Now there should really be a bit of back story to this random question. Gail of the IBKC was just on a weekend trip to Amsterdam, where she just so happened to stumble into Stephen and Penelope, yes that Stephen and Penelope! Being the little child that i am, Gail was asked politely to bring me back a skein of speckled hedgehog fibre yarn and to let her pal Stephen to choose the colour!
ANYWAY, Gail picked one up for me and Mr West even wound it which started a debate with Mr fluph.
        "Why do you keep all your yarn in skeins?"
After a brief think I came up with the fact that I love nothing better than starting a new project by winding my yarn into cakes; It is just part of the starting something new ritual, winding that skein and popping it into the project bag along with the newly printed pattern and needles ready to go.
When i look at the caked yarn in my stash it reminds me of projects that haven't worked out, or things i meant to start but haven't. It's such a subconscious thing. Also skeins stay nice even after a good squishing!

Its often a question i get asked in the shop, why hanks? or people exclaim
             "my granny use to make us wind these."
Basically it comes down to this, hanks are easier to stack than balls, trust me on this one. Or if the yarn comes from a small producer or an indie dyer, the yarn already comes pre skeined so turning it into balls just adds on more time (and therefore money).


So Mr fluph I am definitely a skein girl, Unless wound by Stephen West!



I also thought i would throw in the fact that I have the facilities in the shop to wind yarn. Any yarn bought in fluph i will wind for you if you so wish. just let me know when you are buying.
If you have anything from your stash that needs wound feel free to bring it in and ill wind it for you for a small fee of 50p per skein.


So what do you prefer? do you like the cake, or the skein?

Give away - Edinburgh Yarn Festival 2016

Would you like to win two free tickets for you and a friend to go to Edinburgh yarn festival?
No! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU.  of course you do.

All you need to do is finish this sentence in the comments below.

Arthur is totally gutted that dogs are not allowed to Edinburgh yarn festival, he was really looking forward to ... ???


Competition closes at 1PM (GMT) on Friday the 26th February.

GOOD LUCK!




small print :-Tickets have been kindly provided by the gals at http://www.edinyarnfest.com/ (thank you Jo and Mica) , T&C's for tickets can be found here http://www.edinyarnfest.com/ticket-terms-and-conditions and of course apply for these tickets. Tickets are for entrance on both days (huzah) and cannot be exchanged at fluph for anything else. Tickets will be posted recorded + signed for by Royal mail. These tickets are for entry to the event only, you must provide your own transport and accomodation. Please only enter if you are able to attend EYF 17 on the 18th and or 19th March 2016. there are two tickets up for grabs.

My Shameful Secret

That made you all click over here, Sorry!
So my name is Leona, and i'm a start-aholic! I currently have ten projects on the go or that need to be done before Christmas (knitty peeps, yes i have added stuff as well Christmas presents! - yeah thats clever LJ just add projects on, give yourself more work) I was down to nine, eeps. Thats also not to mention the projects that are bagged up with a pattern and yarn, but havnt been started, but they dont count right, nope nope, they do not count!
So my plan at the start of December was to actually complete all the projects i have started before i go off for Christmas (23rd) so that i can cast on my Christmas project, which will be a Sceles by Anna Maltz, and yes she is kind of my hero at the moment (dont tell her i said that! there will be basement rumors!) I fell in love with Miss Ginger Twists one back at the IBYC this year and was like, WANT GRABBY HANDS!
Anyway back to the plan. I thought this goal was achievable, its really not! Oh man why! does anyone else have this problem? Has anyone else set any ridiculous crafting goals? does anyone else have a Christmas project that they work on over the holidays? Does anyone else just want to crawl into their stash and cast on four more things? DESIGNERS STOP RELEASING PATTERNS FOR A FEW WEEKS!
Right Shame myself time!

Right Project number one is my fingerless gloves knit in stunning White birch fibre arts (Louise Pants sent me it from America.) I started these dudes on the 15th of September when i popped through to Edinburgh for the Yarn Festival meet up, they literally need three fingers done! If these are not done by tomorrow, then SHAME! SHAME ON YOU LJ!

Next up is Itaca by Stephen West started on May the 2nd, I fell in love with this shawl after fondling it at Loop in London, i am however thinking about frogging this bad boy as like my Mahy i think i have knitted it on too small needles and it will be super small. Still not 100% sure if i will pull it out or not. but a shawl, with sea shells! WHAT

Christmas socks (Dave by Rachel Coopey) in the limited edition West Yorkshire Spinners holly berry. The deal was all of our knitty committee would knit a pair and all have matching socks....SUPER CUTE!  however Diane and I are totally slacking, since i took this photo however i just need to do the heel on sock one and actually do the second. Can i knit a sock in a week and a half? probably, am i going to, probably not. I should really try harder! 

My doodler (The Doodler: Westknits Mystery Shawl KAL 2015by Stephen West) , oh how this started off with good intentions. i was on track with the first clue....then i wasnt! When did the KAL start? October no it was novemeber, i have no idea how i dropped the ball on this one. I cant forsee this being done before the 23rd, maybe it should be the first one i work on after the new year?

The last photo of a project i can show you is my Scollay (Scollay by Karie Westermann) oh dear the most shameful, i started this on the 18th of July for the scollay along...yup...this was my main project i wanted finished, it languished about in a bag after i had cast on the ribbing, then about October i decided to pop it on my knitting machine. BOOM. that was stressful, knitting machines are really difficult bits of equipment. ANYWAY i just need to graft the last oxter (underarm) weave in ends, plop on some buttons and steam out the seams (the joys of knitting machines) and done. Again if this isnt done this evening i will be pretty miffed. 

Projects i cant really show you or tell you what they are due to them being Christmas Presents, but i can tell you i have three things to knit for presents, and a scarf that i promised a friend :/ i am an epic fail of a friend SORRY  STEPHEN!  Oh also a shawl for my mum from some Rusty ferret she bought. not so urgent to get done, but yeah.

I will check back in on the 23rd and update you with whats been done and what hasnt! Some one please beat me if i havnt done at least half of these! 

Why spend your money here?

As some of you may be aware this Saturday is small business Saturday. My head is in two places with this concept as yeah spend money locally, support us tiny businesses that work 24/7 on our little shops that are our life and love. help us stay open, help us grow and get better, help us get in stock that you want, help us still be here! We do what we do because we love it and we love you.
So yeah spend your money locally on Saturday, I urge it. You have no idea how much it means to us to have people in. but at the same time, the same as everything, we should really do it all year round, I have the same view on Valentines day. But I really need to stop being so cynical as if on that one day you pop into your local gift shop and buy your card there instead of Tesco, or come to me for those needles instead of hopping online, or even just supporting your local takeaway (Mr fluph take note) It makes a difference. You will probably read more posts like this over the upcoming days but I just wanted to say Thank you for sticking with me all year round! for leaving bum marks on my sofa, and cheering me up with your happy faces. I really appreciate it!

So for small business Saturday i am going to make up some goodie bags, filled with fun little bits (I haven't really got myself organised yet so I have no idea what will end up in them) but yeah for every person that comes in and spends £20 you can have a goodie bag on me to say thank you!

We also have our Saturday Knit group on that day which is our last of 2015, so feel free to come and remake your sofa bum mark, eat some cake and LOTS of tea!

Also check out what else is going on around the city. There are like a thousand craft markets going on, so you could do a bit of a crawl and then end with some tea and cake.

Creative Dundee have put together a post on what's happening this weekend and they say it better than i can!
http://creativedundee.com/2015/11/dundee-christmas-market-guide-2015/

A new direction

No not one direction, come on I'm a rocker at heart, although there was a patchy spot of Boyzone and Steps worshipping...something my other half will never let me forget.
This blog has become a bit stale, lets all admit it, I find it really difficult to blog as the business as i feel it should be about the hard sell, which if anyone knows me knows i hate that! I am also very sure that you guys hate it too!

So i pose the question, what would you like to read? do you have any questions for me, about me, the business, yarn questions, tutorials, tips? Tell me! Feed me your thoughts! I have a few ideas whizzing around in my smooshy brain.

• Why are circular needles some knitters nightmare, and how to slay these beasts?
• Ravelry, what is it and how to use it?
• What is the obsession with hand knitted socks?
• How to not come across as a creep when asking someone if they will live in your basement?
• How can I convince Mr fluph to buy me another dog?
• What is happening up on the Blackness Road?

So go for it, leave me a comment with your questions. facebook, twitter, instagram, email
DO EEET! 

Call for Cakes

Im putting a shout out to all fluphettes, I NEED YOUR KNITTED CAKES!

oh god what is she up to now?

nothing, nothing crazy

We have been asked to do a knitted display for the Macmillan coffee morning, see its not crazy!

Macmillan is such a fantastic charity and i thought this would be a great way to help them get some publicity, plus knitted cake!

    "There are now 2.5 million people in the UK living with cancer. By 2030, it will be 4 million people, and we want to be there for them all.

One in three of us will get cancer, and it will be one of the toughest things we’ll ever have to face. Our goal is to make sure no one faces cancer alone. We provide medical, emotional, practical and financial support, as well as campaigning for better cancer care. And because cancer affects more than just those facing it, we’re there for friends and family too. We are Macmillan."

I am sure like me you have had a few people you are close to or not so close to suffer from the a**hat that is cancer and maybe some of you have used the macmillan nurses yourself. They do some fantastic work and i think we can honour that with our pointy impliments!

So the plan, the coffee mornings will all be held on the 25th of September 2015 this year, but because we are going to be pure celebrities and get our photie (well the knited coffee mornings) in the Courier we need it done before this so if all the items could be in my grubby mitts by

September the 16th 

that would be awesome.

What do you need to do
knit, crochet or craft something inspired by a coffee morning, for example;
cake,
tea,
sandwiches,
cutlery
sugar cubes,
ANYTHING!

what size?
roughly life size would be ace as its going in our big window so we need to fill it,  but i would be extatic with anysize.

where to send it?
you can drop it off at the shop, or post to
fluph
164 Blackness Road
Dundee
DD1 5PQ
and if you would like your item back include a little note with your address and they will wing their way back once we are done.

Need some inspiration, check these out! 

pattern links?

https://www.knittingpatterncentral.com/directory/food.php

http://www.knitting-bee.com/tag/food

http://www.mooglyblog.com/free-amigurumi-patterns-for-crochet-food/

Or anything else that takes your fancy :)

I cant wait to see what you come up with :)

What is this fluphy twisters?

So by now you will have heard me sporadically call the fluphy twisters to arms about our next meetup.
But Lj what or who are the fluphy twisters.
I would love to say they are a bunch of rag tag superheros who meet in secret at a local yarn shop to maintain their cover. When in actuallity they are our knit nighters. Its our Saturday knit day.

They meet in the shop every 3rd Saturday of the month in fluph from 10.30am - 1.30pm ish. There is always cake, tea and sometimes crafting!

Same rules as knit night (i should write those down) Completly free, open to crafts of all types (we arnt craftist), all ages and genders.

For the rest of 2015 meet ups land on these dates
August 15th
September 26th - rescheduled from the 19th as thats marks dads wedding and i'll be closed
October 17th
December 5th - our last one for 2015....ive heard there will be cake :)

interview with Helen of Ripplescraft

I am so excited that Helen froms Ripples Crafts will be visiting us on Saturday. I thought it would be good fun to find out a little bit about Helen before we all dive into her car on Saturday before she gets the yarn out!

fluph - Thank you so much for taking to time to answer my questions, an answer i always want to     know What made you start dying yarn?

Helen - I have been a knitter for as long as I can remember, and had begun to use hand dyed yarns from other UK dyers. Then I went to an informal workshop with The Border Tart (Lindsay Roberts) who now dyes the most beautiful indigo yarns, and I was hooked! We used kool aid for our dabbling, but it wasn't long before I progressed to acid dyes. When we made the move north to the highlands, I converted my passion into a business. And hey presto! Ripples Crafts was born.



f - When dying yarn, what do you use for inspiration?
H - Simple - the landscape in Assynt, where I live. I just have to look out my workshop (aka shed!) door and I see hills and the sea and wild flowers and sheep and rocks. The weather plays a big part too, as the landscape is continuously changing its mood and look depending on the weather.

f - I am trying to learn more about sheep breeds and fibre, do you have a favourite base you like to dye with and why?
H - Ohhhh now that is a really really difficult one. And for some, contentious, as we all tend to become a little "precious" about our favourites. But I do love Bluefaced Leicester. It has a marvellous sheen which makes the colours "zing". However, having grown up in Southern Africa, Merino is a personal favourite too. I am thoroughly enjoying dyeing my part yak base at the moment, as this too has a glorious sheen, and given it is mixed with silk it really does sing once dyed.



f - Do you have anything excting on your needles?
H - I've been trying to get samples finished for shows. At the moment I'm working on "Stay the Same" by Veera Valimaki in my Suilven base which is the 4ply merino/silk/yak mix. The pattern has an interesting method for achieving block colour in the garment, which I've enjoyed doing. The large section of twisted rib .... not enjoying that so much.

I'm also nearly completing a pair of socks in the new base I have for sock yarn, which is a double knitting. They are knitting up so quickly!

f - so what your stash is like? is it ridiculous or fairly tame?
H - Can we move on to the next question ....?? Seriously, my stash is a bit of a bone of contention between Mr RC and myself. He keeps finding what I thought was well hidden sections of stash.



now onto the important stuff?
f -How do you take your tea/ coffee?
H -I don't really drink ordinary tea. I'll bring some Rooibos tea bags with me, if I remember, otherwise I'm happy with coffee, milk no sugar. And to sound like an extra super snob, I don't drink instant .....  (Mr fluph will be on your side with this one!)

f - Favourite cake?
H - Hmmmmmmm ..... lemon drizzle, carrot, chocolate, but not all mixed together in one cake!

f - totally random question since you are from the same end of the country as me, do you have a favourite scottish word and what does it mean?
H - Oh another hard one. Probably "stooshie" as it is so descriptive. There isn't really an English equivalent that holds quite so much meaning or implied meaning. In the same vein, Dreich - it is so much more than just grey and wet. 

stooshie - a row or fracas.
Dreich - (especially of weather) dreary; bleak

f - So apart from yarnygoodness, do you have a passion for anything else?
H - My family and dogs. and community. I think as I get older I have become more "political" in terms of my outlook on the world, and if I were to be elected to office my byline would be "be most excellent to one another". Kind of sums it all up really. But let us be clear .... I'm not standing for political office! Ever!


Helen i would vote for you! As i said Helen will be here with her car filled with goodie on Saturday, if you are in the area we would love to see you, there will be cake and tea and good chat also. 

Photos given with kind permission from Ripples crafts and Jeni Reid