After a gruelling seven-hour trek from Bath, Jen (technical editor on The Knitter) and I finally made it to Woolfest – and immediately forgot how tired we were!

Fuelled by yarn fumes and the chance to meet face-to-face people we'd been emailling for months, we quickly perked up and started systematically looking around the dozens of stalls.

We found lots of amazing things (some of which will definitely be appearing in a magazine near you!) and chatted to loads of great people.

As a first reaction, though, I just have to say the show was absolutely fabulous, better than last year, if that's possible.

Working in an office full of yarn, you might think it would be easy to go to a wool festival and not buy anything. You'd be wrong. I reckon it's hard for any knitter to go to a show like Woolfest and not buy anything, but I'm pretty pleased with my haul (rather limited due to having to carry everything back on the train!)

This year, my have-to-have finds were a skein of sock yarn from Wild Fire Fibres and some pretty stitch markers from Daniela Kloppman's stand, Felt Studio UK. (Can't find them on her site but there's lots of lush handspun to oggle.)

I'm sure there are great things I missed, so do tell – what's in your shopping bag from Woolfest? Bonus points if you can link to pictures or the shop's site. (There's a bit of room left in my yarn budget, I'm sure!)

Happy knitting!

Elizabeth

Find out what a week-long knitting retreat is like, with our guest posts by Olivia Gordon who is reporting live from Le Vieux Monastère. Sponsored by the Yarn Barn, the event is packed with workshops taught by Sasha Kagan and Tracy Chapman.

It's the last day of the knitting retreat, and we're all in  rush to finish off our samples. The morning was spent tidying up all our loose ends.


The group display their work.

In my case, this meant knitting a small panel to add to my intarsia flower and stripework, to turn them into a three-section patchwork cushion cover. I've always wanted to try knitting a gingham check, so Sasha showed me how to do it. Her Fair Isle method involves knitting two-handed, continental style,  then purling through the back loops on the next row - all this was new to me, so I learned a lot in just a few hours.


Olivia's swatches.

We all blocked our work and steamed it flat, and then sewed or pinned it together. Last night I knitted another flower, and I pinned my two flowers onto my cushion cover - now I just need to piece it all together  at home and sew onto a cushion cover - I'm determined to turn all these samples into something, even if they don't really go! As a final task, we all pinned our work up to look at it side by side and we all gave ourselves a pat on the back for our hard work all week. I can't wait to get home and use my new skills to make all the things I  have in mind.


Tracy and Sasha with the work they helped knitters create.

I'm really pleased with all the new skills I've learned, and as we go around the final class discussing how we have all found the course, it's clear everyone else is also thrilled to have picked up new skills
and also to have had a relaxing holiday and made new friends. Many are already booking in for next year's course, on 5-12 June, 2010!


This year's knitting group.

Want to book in for next year's course? Find out more at the Le Vieux Monastere website.

Find out what a week-long knitting retreat is like, with our guest posts by Olivia Gordon who is reporting live from Le Vieux Monastère. Sponsored by the Yarn Barn, the event is packed with workshops taught by Sasha Kagan and Tracy Chapman.

I'm not sure about the others, but I've been dreaming about knitting every night while on the course  – I think it's not just the fact that we're doing so much knitting every day, but the way we're constantly talking about it too, which makes it get into your subconscious.

At last night's dinner we all had a wonderful three course sample of French cuisine at a special local restaurant – some of us knitting between courses!


The chance to try local cuisine is one of the attractions of the holiday.

We're approaching the end of our course now and this morning's class, led by Tracy, was about finishing techniques. We all knitted a striped purse pattern, which involved buttonholes, grafting and mattress stitch techniques, the plan being to embellish our creations with buttons.

Unfortunately for me, I'm such a slow knitter that by the end of the class I'd only got about halfway through the project! I am considering adopting the practice of underarm knitting to up my speed, but having tried it today, I'm still not sure if it works for me.

The weather has been lovely and hot again the last few days, so we've been enjoying the pool. This afternoon most of the group went on an excursion to visit the nearby Roman town of Saintes, exploring its impressive cathedral and amphitheatre before cooling down with an ice cream. Once again an intrepid group went in search of the local knitting shop for more yarn treasure.


Christine and Graham who own and run Le Vieux Monastere in front of their gorgeous pool.

You might wonder why we follow the blog of a shop we'll probably never visit, but the Purl Bee, the blog written by the folks who run Purl Soho, a well-known New York City yarn shop is a fab and funky mix of personal knitting stories, free patterns, hot new products and news from across the pond.

America is, of course, another country: they do things differently there, and we love to find out how. The Purl Bee gives us a glimpse into the life of an American yarn shop, and their top-notch photography makes it a treat to browse, like dipping into a Martha Stewart Hallowe'en special.

And if you see something you can't live without? Well, airfares to New York aren't as dear as they used to be! Of course, Purl Soho does have an online ordering system too...

Read a great blog? Write a great blog? Tell us what it is and why you like it, and you might see it here next Friday. 

Updated: new offer for overseas subscribers! Scroll down to read more.

Subscribe to both of our knitting magazines, Simply Knitting and The Knitter, and save a massive 32% on shop prices!


 
What do you get?

• FREE delivery direct to your door.
• Special cover gift with each issue of Simply Knitting.
• Become part of The Knitters, Debbie Abrahams’ subscribers-only cushion club and receive an exclusive, secret pattern, in monthly instalments, to knit her mystery cushions.
• 60 day money back guarantee.
  

How much does it cost?

Just £24.24 every 3 months by Direct Debit or £96.96 per year by UK cheque/Credit card.

How do you get it?

Call 0844 848 2852 and make sure you quote offer code 2060.

Updated: Overseas Readers:
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Save an extra 10% when you subscribe today:
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To subscribe call (+44) 1858 438794 and make sure you quote offer code 2060.
Unfortunately, online ordering is not available for overseas subscriptions at this time.

Find out what a week-long knitting retreat is like, with our guest posts by Olivia Gordon who is reporting live from Le Vieux Monastère. Sponsored by the Yarn Barn, the event is packed with workshops taught by Sasha Kagan and Tracy Chapman.

Sasha's illustrated talk last night was fascinating. She showed us slides of her designs, creations and inspirations over several decades of her career – many modelled by her own children near her studio in Wales. We were all inspired by the beauty and  ingenuity of her knitwear creations, in particular by the way she takes a single motif from nature like a leaf and turns it into a pattern, and of course her brilliant eye for colour.


Everyone's skills are improving and there are lots of gorgeous knits around!

After another evening of knitting into the night, we enjoyed a class this morning on crocheting flowers. Personally, it was something I'd never seen much point in before, but I'm now well and truly hooked, as I can now see the amazing effect of making a cushion, for example, 3D by adding a knitted flower or leaf embellishment. They are also quick to make and you can get so creative - in the class, I crocheted one flower and then knitted another, both of my own freeform design, and
now I'm putting one inside the other to make a daffodil shape.

I'm already noticing an improvement in my knitting abilities over the past few days - I'm getting faster and picking up many new skills. We're all now at the stage of piecing together our work so far into a cushion cover or bag, using the flowers to give added texture.


Maggie, adding flowers to her work.

This afternoon, some of us went for a lazy swim in the pool, and then we enjoyed a 'show and share' session where we all showed something we'd knitted. The range of creations was extraordinary, from Carolyn's extremely fine lace shawl in progress to guernseys and all kinds of socks. We took pictures of ourselves as a group proudly showing off a table display of our own work.


Carolyn with her fabulous lace shawl.

This evening, we're heading out to a local restaurant for what promises to be an excellent dinner.

The July issue of Simply Knitting makes its debut on shop shelves across the UK today, so start looking for your copy now!


Click for a larger image.

Get your needles clicking and give your wardrobe a make over. We've got a zingy twinset (shown on the cover), a cool strappy top, a bold knit-and-crochet top and a casual, cabled denim hoodie.

If you're looking for a quick fix, we've got plenty to offer! Store your sunglasses in style and try out slipped-stitch colourwork with our fun sunglasses case or whip up a pair of cosy socks in DK yarn.



Quick and simple to knit, these cable-and-lace socks were designed by Simply Knitting's production assistant, Elizabeth Bagwell. She says: "I'm thrilled with the way they've come out in the Artesano Hummingbird. It's really exciting to see them in print!"

We've also got fab knits for little ones: a pair of sweet baby booties, fun crochet balls and, last but certainly not least, Alan Dart's Baby Buggies.



This sweet trio are soft, snuggly and super cute! Designed for kids, they are made with machine washable yarn and stuffing and eyes are knitted. Remember: if you're knitting for little kids, sew everything together very firmly and make sure there are no small pieces which could become detached and be swallowed.

We've got two great gifts for you this month: a stylish cable jumper pattern and our Really Useful Little Guide to Socks. Our Little Guide will help you get started on your first pair and is packed with useful information so you'll have all the information you need to Kitchener the toes or do a thumb cast on right there in your knitting bag.



Other great things to look out for in issue 56 include:   

• Meet knitting novelist Debbie Macomber.
• One family tells us about their passion for minature knitting.
• News and photos from Wonderwool Wales.
  

And don't miss any of your usual favourites: we've got events happening around the country, gorgeous new yarns and clever slip stitch patterns for you to try.

Find out what a week-long knitting retreat is like, with our guest posts by Olivia Gordon who is reporting live from Le Vieux Monastère. Sponsored by the Yarn Barn, the event is packed with workshops taught by Sasha Kagan and Tracy Chapman.

It's midway through the knitting retreat – everyone's getting to know one another and our knitting workshop room is already spilling over with a riot of yarns and fabulous projects taking shape.


Tracy Chapman with Gail and Caron from workshop sponsors, The Yarn Barn.

We enjoyed a delicious dinner last night of Christine's duck a l'orange, and then some of the class got tipsy while others worked on
projects well into the night.

Christine and Graham bought Le Vieux Monastere about six years ago, moving from working in finance in London to a tranquil country lifestyle in rural France. Although neither of them are knitters, they have fallen into specialising in crafting holidays, and this year, as well as knitting retreats, they're running lacemaking and quilting holidays.

It's no mean feat catering for so many knitters at a time, but they both clearly love their new life in the sun. Christine told me it's especially rewarding to know that the knitting holidays they run can actually change people's lives. In one case, she remembers, a widow on a course told her it was the first time since her husband died that she had laughed and socialised. The knitting retreats are perfect for anyone who is holidaying alone, as no-one is left out and there is always something to do. And they're
equally popular with women who want some 'me time' away from their husbands!

Today, Tuesday, we went on a day long excursion to the coast. First we stopped at the picturesque fishing village of Mornac sur Sedre, which is well known for its artisan workshops. Then, we drove to the coastal resort of Royan for lunch and a walk along the huge, lovely beach. Some of the more intrepid among us found Royan's little yarn shop - the shopkeepers probably didn't know what had hit it when it was besieged by half a dozen English knitters!


An inspiring trip to Royan.

This evening, sunkissed and sleepy, we're looking forward to a relaxing dinner and an illustrated talk by Sasha Kagan on 'Passion for Textiles'.

Find out what a week-long knitting retreat is like, with our guest posts by Olivia Gordon who is reporting live from Le Vieux Monastère. Sponsored by the Yarn Barn, the event is packed with workshops taught by Sasha Kagan and Tracy Chapman.

It's rainy today, but no-one minds, since we're all indoors for six hours of knitting classes. I'm feeling much more confident after last night's knit and natter, which we had out on the terrace in the evening warmth, overlooking endless  cornfields (Tracy has spotted deer leaping through them!) Sasha guided me step by step through her intarsia technique and suddenly it clicked, and this morning I could start work on my dandelion motif properly.


Knitting and nattering on the terrace.

This year's programme is all about colour. The morning's class today was on free form crochet with Tracy. For those of us who needed a brush-up (or in my case, to learn from scratch!) there was a chance to learn the basics of crochet, while the others worked on more nature-inspired motifs in crochet.

This afternoon, we've done a class with Sasha called 'colour your world'. We each were given the challenge of picking five yarns in colours we like, plus one in a colour we really don't like – this was surprisingly difficult. We then experimented with knitting stripes incorporating the colour we usually avoid, and then compared what we'd done. Two important things were learned: firstly, 95% of us hate browny-orange-tan colours (someone tell the yarn companies!). Secondly, if you can be bold enough to use colours you dislike in moderation, they can look amazingly good by way of contrast with others: brown, for instance, worked beautifully with white, bright pink and dark turquoise.


Chris, experimenting with FrouFrou by Bergere de France  

We're also learning about new yarns: Chris is among those experimenting with Frou-Frou, an elastic-ribbon yarn that looks ravishing knitted up. And we're finding out how others knit: everyone seems to have a different way of holding their needles, with a strong northern and Scottish contingent who hold their right needle under their arm.


Joan, Nicky and Sandra demonstrate their knitting style.

Find out what a week-long knitting retreat is like, with our guest posts by Olivia Gordon who is reporting live from Le Vieux Monastère. Sponsored by the Yarn Barn, the event is packed with workshops taught by Sasha Kagan and Tracy Chapman.

I’m 24 hours into the French Treats knitting holiday, where around 20 avid knitters – from as far afield as San Diego, Sweden and, of course, the UK – have converged on Le Vieux Monastère, a beautiful and remote stone house with gîtes. Set among rolling cornfields near La Rochelle, in south west France, this is the stunning place where we’re looking forward to soaking up the wisdom of knitting designers Sasha Kagan and Rowan design consultant, Tracy Chapman.

Last night, we all got to know one another over vin blanc and a delicious boeuf bourguignon cooked by Christine Dove, who runs Le Vieux Monastère with her husband Graham. Many of the ladies had their needles and projects out well in advance even of the first class of the week this morning, on Sasha’s weaving-in intarsia technique.


Choosing colours.

We had access to a wealth of yarns in a rainbow of colours, and we each drew up our own nature-inspired motif on graph paper – I opted for a bright yellow dandelion head on a grassy green background – and then set about knitting it up, which was wonderfully empowering.

This year, we’re all going to try to piece together the practice squares we’re doing in sessions to make a cushion cover or bag body. Sasha showed us her beautiful one, adding ‘this is just something I put together on the plane’.


Start with graph paper when designing intarsia.

Sasha taught us some advanced weaving techniques, and I quickly realised I am the dunce of the class: my coursemates are truly expert and lifelong knitters one and all, and have as many as 60 years’ solid knitting experience on me! Although not a total beginnerm I struggled to keep up but I have already learned from Sasha how to hold my needles to work faster, and I’m looking forward to the‘knit and natter’ session after dinner this evening when my helpful teachers have promised to help me get my head around my intarsia project.

This afternoon we all went to soak up more aesthetic inspiration from the beautiful nearby 17th century country manor, Chateau de la Roche Courbon and its gardens. I was impressed by the dedication of my coursemate Nicky from Leamington Spa, who sat down and crocheted cotton by the edge of the Chateau’s elegant lake.


Chateau de la Roche Courbon, with Nicky crocheting

Just as you change your clothes to suit the season, you'll probably want to change your knitting style too. Here are our 10 top tips for successful summer knitting.

1. Choose the right fibre
While the Great British Summer kindly allows us plenty of days when a lap full of wool is comforting rather than stifling, if you're going abroad or enjoying a sunny spell, you'll probably want to choose a different fibre – and not just because cotton, linen, soya, bamboo and the like are cooler on the hands.

Pure wool is famous for its tendency to felt when subject to heat, water and friction, so if your hands start to sweat while you're knitting, you may find your yarn isn't quite as fluffy as it started out! Stick to machine washable fibres for really hot days. Rubbing surgical spirit on your palms can help reduce sweating without leaving a residue on your knitting.

2. Knit in public
Take your knitting outside so you can enjoy the sunshine and your favourite hobby at the same time. Keep your projects simple and easy to tidy away so that you can chat with a friend while you knit and easily move on to the next activity – or run inside when the rain starts!

3. Make the most of rainy days
You'll probably have a rough idea of how long it takes you to finish a cardigan or a pair of socks, so if there's a project you'd really like to wear this winter, why not take advantage of gloomy, rainy days to cast it on?

4. Check your stash
All this sun is great for plants and people, but can fade yarn! Make sure your stash isn't stored in direct sunlight.

5. Knit for yourself
The big winter holidays are ages away, so take the opportunity to knit something purely for yourself.

6. Knit lace
Take advantage of the excellent natural light and knit a complex project which requires careful chart reading and deep concentration. Sit in the shade on a really sunny day to avoid the glare.

7. Try something new
Many summer yarns are made from unusual plant fibres like soy, corn or pine branches, so this is a great time to try a new yarn – or to break out of your sensible-cardigan rut and cast on a sparkly summer top!

8. Small projects are ideal
Socks, baby garments and toys are great summer projects: clear light makes it easy to see fine stitches, you can tuck the whole lot in your bag and they're quick to finish, which is a great boost when the dog days of August slow you down.

If you're not sure what to cast on next, why not have a look at your gift list and see if there are any small items you could get ahead on – even if there's nothing specific, it's always useful to have a few spare pairs of baby socks or a pair of mittens ready in your gift drawer.

9. Care for your knits
It's ideal drying weather for delicate items which need to be hand washed. It's also a good time to make sure your winter knits are stored well, away from insects and damp.

10. Take care of yourself
Last and most important of all, don't forget to take care of yourself while you're enjoying the warm weather. Suncream, shade and plenty of cool drinks are a must – sunburn or sunstroke will put a real crimp in your knitting time!

We love the glimpse of other people's lives we get through their blogs, and the Daily Drivel blog is a great mix of knitting, spinning and dyeing – with a few other fun things thrown in for good measure, like a day out with her local Guild and the Ilkley Jubilee Historic Rally.

Fab pictures illustrate her posts, and you'll find plenty to inspire you in the mix of colours and textures used – as well as the knitted objects, of course!

If you've fallen in love with the cute animals in the header, hop on over to her Etsy shop, Yarnimals – Pets for Your Pins for super-cute stitch markers and jewellery – you might have spotted them on our news pages ones or twice!

Read a great blog? Write a great blog? Tell us what it is and why you like it, and you might see it here next Friday. 

The 'Casting Off: A Coat for a Boat' project is complete, and Friday 12 June marks the first day you can see it in all its glory! It's going on display at The Custom House in South Shields, and will be there until 21 July. On 12 July it will be launched into the Tyne as part of the Mouth of the Tyne festival. It will also appear at the Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace in October and at other galleries around the UK in the following months.

It's been a long and interesting journey to get to this point. Artist Ingrid Wagner worked with Esen Kaya, visual arts development officer at the Custom House and lots of knitters to create the fabric to cover the boat.

“This has been a very exciting project to work on,” says Ingrid. “Tradition and innovation must meet to enable any craft to grow and change with the times.  Casting Off is a perfect example. ”



School children, college kids and knitters of all ages and abilities have been busy working on all sorts of accessories for the boat. Over 300 knitters have been involved with the project, both locally and from around the world.



While many of the accessories, like this fish, were knitted on regular needles, the Coat itself was created on 25mm needles, each 40cm long. The yarn was made from recycled cotton sheets from a regional hospital laundry which were ripped and rolled into balls.

The boat which wears the coat has been built by the boat builders of the Northeast Maritime Trust, an organisation dedicated to preserving traditional maritime skills.



It's been a long an careful process to create this authentic and seaworthy fishing boat.

Esen says, “The Customs House is located right on the river Tyne which has a long maritime tradition and I could see boats going up and down the river all day.  My dream was to create something which people would never expect to see in a gallery: a life size fishing boat covered in knitting!” 



Knitting was applied to the boat using waterproof glue and staples.

The finished boat looks stunning, and since this shot was taken it has been adorned with all the fish and other items, ready for the grand opening!

Simply Knitting issue 56 hits the shops on Thursday 18 June 2009. Enter our great giveaways and competitions by using the links below.

Patons yarn and pattern giveaway, page 6
Alpaca Select flower kit giveaway, page 10
Fibrefest show tickets giveaway, page 12
Prize crossword, page 94
Prize sudoku, page 94

Jocelyn recently got in touch to say she was knitting Alan Dart's Beach Bunnies from Irresistible Gifts to Knit. She said: there seems to be some sort of error in your instruction for the head. Previous row leaves you with 19 stitches, and at the end of the row you should have 28 but your instruction [K1, (inc 1, K1) to end] would leave you with 37.

Alan always uses a KFB (knit into front and back) increase, so the instruction (inc 1, K1) is worked over two stitches: you inc 1 (knit into front and back of next stitch) then K1, and repeat these two instructions to the end of the row, giving you 28 stitches.

Don't worry Jocelyn, you're not alone. Many knitters and designers prefer to increase between two stitches by picking up the bar (an M1 or make one increase). If you do this instead of the "inc 1" instruction, you will come out with too many stitches. If you prefer to use the M1 method, you will need to read the inc 1 as "M1, K1" so this instruction would be "K1, ([M1, K1], K1) to end.

All in all, we think it's simpler to use the KFB increase, which is a very easy increase to learn. Here's how to do it:

Our regular columnist Rachael Matthews' exhibition of UFOs opens today at the Jerwood Space in London. It'll be there as part of the Jerwood Contemporary Makers exhibition until the 19th of July, after which it will be touring the country. If you're in London and fancy seeing what knitters can make of each others' finished projects, why not pop along to it?

World Wide Knit in Public Day has proved so popular that it's now covering two weekends: the 13th and 14th and 20th and 21st of June. To find a KIP near you and join in the fun, visit the official WWKIP Day website. Helen Haysom has asked me to let you know about the one she's organising in the foyer of Green Park Station in Bath this Saturday between 2 and 5pm. (If you're not that familiar with Bath, it's a converted Victorian railway station down near Sainsbury's.) Helen says, "There will be the chance to discover what you might, or might not know, about the world of knitting. A local spinner will get her wheel in motion to show how a sheep’s fleece is turned into the balls of wool you see in the shops. Knitters will be showcasing the wide range of items you can knit – from well known items such as scarves and jumpers to delicate shawls; socks; purses and throws in a range of beautiful colours and textures." If you don't have needles of your own or can't knit but want to learn, there will be spare yarn and needles so you can give it a go.

Have you got anything planned for WWKIP Day?

If you're part of online community Ravelry, you'll know how great it is to be able to chat with all sorts of other knitters online. Last weekend the virtual became reality for British Ravellers as the UK's first ever Ravelry Day was held in Coventry. Organised by a lovely lady named Jo, the day promoted Ravelry and British wool - two of my favourite things - so I was really pleased to be able to go. Deb and Elizabeth went too, as did Juliet and Jen from The Knitter.

Part of the fun was meeting people I'd only ever encountered online before, seeing their knits and waving yarn purchases at each other. They were every bit as nice in real life as they are over t'internet! Perhaps it's because people knew each other from online that this was one of the friendliest knitting-related events I've been to. I always get nervous before these things - will someone harangue me over a subs problem (I don't deal with subs!) or start telling me how much they hate our patterns? Everyone was lovely on Ravelry Day, though.

Jen said, on seeing the list of stalls before the event, that it was like her dream shopping list. The weather in Coventry was utterly abominable, raining all day. The local pigeons were hiding under a stone bench, and even Toft's alpacas looked pretty miserable – and they're evolved for the climate in the Andes. Nonetheless, the stallholders all did a brisk trade. One stallholder told me a lot of the customers had done their research online and knew exactly what they wanted to buy when they arrived. That's serious shopping!

I bought a skein of Tui sock yarn in a colourway called Candy Corn from Krafty Koala. That Koala is indeed a cunning beast; the yarn is in my least favourite colours, bright yellow and two shades of caramelly red-brown, and yet I loved it from the moment I saw it. I also bought some Knitting Goddess cashmere laceweight. I'm not supposed to be buying more yarn right now, but it was sooooo lovely! I thought my husband would disapprove of all this as he's constantly telling me I have 'too much yarn' (makes no sense to me), but when we got home he pulled a skein of Fyberspates' Sparkle Sock from his pocket, which he'd sneaked off to buy as he thought I'd like it so much.

Away from the shops there were all sorts of exciting workshops, including two on dyeing and two introducing knitters to lace and fair isle techniques, and talks by Meg Swansen and Debbie Bliss. Whether people went to shop, socialise or learn, they will have had a grand day out!

(Nice to see a venue with such impressive cakes, too!)

Welcome to a new online knitting shop: Serenity Knitting!

Set up by keen knitter Jadwiga Bialkowska, with the help of her sister Anna, Serenity Knitting focuses on  providing a great shopping experience, replicating the joys of browsing your favourite shop online.


Here's Jadwiga!

Trying to decide what to knit next? It's easy with Serenity Knitting.

• Browse through all the gorgeous yarns.
  
• Search for projects by difficulty, pattern type, yarn or tension.
• Visit the Inspire section to check out the latest trends.
  
• Special software lets you flick through pattern books to see what designs are inside.

The pattern browser lets you flick through pattern books, like you would in a bricks-and-mortar shop.

Serenity Knitting has a strong ethical standpoint and tries to source natural and sustainable yarns – you'll even get a discount if you choose recycled packaging.

To celebrate their recent opening, Serenity Knitting commissioned this gorgeous knitting themed cake, and have also got special offers on their site – if you're one of their first 100 customers, you'll get a discount, so check it out today for your chance to bag a bargain!



Developed by ecommerce specialists, the site has a high level of security so you can shop securely. And if you run into any problems, or have any questions Jadwiga and Anna can answer queries in English, French and Polish!

Heard enough? Visit the Serenity Knitting website.

Needles and Pearls is the second book about Jo Mackenzie, keen knitter, yarn shop owner and star of Divas Don't Knit (US title: The Beach Street Knitting and Yarn Club).

By the end of the first chapter of Divas, Jo's life had taken a couple of unexpected turns. After the loss of her husband, she returned with her two boys to her hometown to run her grandmother's yarn shop.

A year later, as Needles and Pearls opens, things are settling down: her kids are settle at school, she's made some friends and she's even managing to persuade her very traditional shop assistant, Elsie, that some change is good.

Of course, things never stay simple for long – particularly when your life includes a mega-star who's learning to knit, a best friend with your best interests at heart, a chaotic dog called Trevor and a gorgeous photographer with bedroom eyes.



Why I like it by Elizabeth Bagwell, Simply Knitting's Production Assistant
I'm a keen reader and love finding books which pick up on my other interests, as well as providing an entertaining and enjoyable read.

Needles and Pearls isn't new out, but it has such a lovely, summery cover I wanted to save it to read in the sunshine – and that was a good choice, as dipping into the book is like taking a British beach holiday without leaving your home.

Jo's idyllic town is well drawn, and her scrapes and adventures are fun and quirky, making it an engaging yet relaxing read, perfect for the beach or a lazy day in the park.

I really like that Jo is centred in her community and has supportive friends and family to help her deal with the slings and arrows which come her way. I really got the sense that knitting has helped create a community of women who are willing to stand together and help each other out, whether it's through small problems or life-changing events.

Without spoiling the plot, I think it's fair to say that the upheavals which Jo faces are pleasingly realistic – the only disappointment is that her yarn shop doesn't really exist!

Reuse, recycle and reknit is the motto of Laughing Purple Goldfish Designs and it's amazing what you can make using unravelled sweaters, rescued balls of old yarn and more unusual fibres, like wire and strips of fabric!

If you're new to this very creative form of recycling, then don't miss the tutorial section which includes instructions for recycling wire from an electrical cable, unravelling a jumper and making yarn out of strips of fabric.

There are also several fun free patterns to download, for both knitters and crocheters, which will help you get started on your recycling frenzy.

This is a great time to visit, as the crafty hands behind the blog have taken up a new challenge: 30 projects in 30 days! It's a pretty steep challenge, so do stop by and cheer from the sidelines!

Read a great blog? Write a great blog? Tell us what it is and why you like it, and you might see it here next Friday.