No Christmas calendars please - I'm sorted

and it's a signed copy no less!



Having made a post-work dash from Oxford for Franklin Habit's book signing at iKnit in London Ellen and I were a bit disappointed that there weren't quite enough copies of It Itches to go around but getting my paws on a signed copy of Guys with Yarn more than made up for it.

When we arrived at iKnit the knitters weren't quite spilling out of the door (yet) but almost every chair and free spot had already been taken and it got even more crowded as it got closer to Franklin's appearance. I think the towering presence of the somewhat menacing Great British Sheep really added to the feeling that the place was packed out to see Franklin.



That sheep just looks creepier every time I see it.

Franklin read two pieces from his book (which is going on my Christmas wishlist right after Free Range Knitter) and then answered questions and signed books and calendars and was generally delightful.



Although there were only a limited number of calendars available I was able (through sheer nippiness) to snaffle one for myself and one for Ellen who says she only asked "Are you getting two?". To me it really sounded like "Get two! Get two!".



Say "fleece!"

I can't shut up about spinning!

Since the spinning session at iknit on Saturday I've been on a real roll with the spinning. My 400 grams of Blue Faced Leicester fibre arrived this morning from Wingham Woolworks - fantastic service as I only put the payment through yesterday morning.



I love this this stuff so much, it's incredibly soft, gorgeously coloured and smells deliciously sheepy - I have to keep either sticking my nose in the bag or sniffing my drop spindle.* The best moment was when I had to get it all out of the bag to find the end and ended up cuddling an armful of fibre that resembled a huge amorphous teddy bear.

Although my spindle is filling up impressively I don't really s em to have made a dent in the fibre yet so I'm going to have to think about winding it off and maybe plying before too long.



I had a quick go at Navajo plying in the pub with the turquoise/teal merino before I started spinning the biffle and I really liked the effect. Plus it's really not as tricky as it sounded from the descriptions I'd read online although I need a little more practice before I really get up to speed.



It really has been a good week for meeting up with other knitters. I had dinner with Helen and Ellen on Monday, visited Felix at Sticks'n'String in Reading on Tuesday, and went to Bluestockings tonight, and then I met another knitter/spinner on the bus home after that. I didn't get her name (sadly) but hopefully she'll come along to Bluestockings at some point. At any rate I think we managed to freak the other passengers out by our ability to bond instantly over handspun and Noro sock yarn, which I did not know existed up until now. Soo pretty - I really need to get me some at some point!

* despite the danger - as my Gramps used to say - of getting wickies up my nose.