Marvelous Muffs

Having got the previous post out of my system I'm a little exhausted now but am determined to persevere..

This week has been one of unusual coincidence- possibly destiny level but that might be putting it too high. Two days ago I finally knuckled down to making up a muff. I'd bought the softest warmest non-garish purple fur to line it from Abakhan's a couple of weeks back and settled on a nice cable rib for the knitting pattern. It's coming along beautifully-


So yesterday I popped by the Blue Corn (local organic cafe, see below) to see how knitting was going there and settled down to continue my muff. I met Sylvia, who happens to work at the cerebral palsy place opposite my aunt's house on Parsonage road. She was amazed at my making a muff- because she'd been looking everywhere for one for someone she knows who can't use gloves and needed a muff. She explained how she'd made one by rolling up a scarf and adapting it so it was super warm and advised me on the pattern. She also told me some nifty uses for felted alpaca- but I always feel sad about felting expensive yarns because it shrinks so small it seems wasteful.

We discussed the possibilities in muff manufacturing- providing them for the people in the home.. Maybe getting Blue Corners to make them or getting old jumpers hanging around the factory and putting them to good use. She says she does a local cerebral palsy newsletter so we could tell folk about it.

Today's student market is what tipped the balance into unnatural coincidence though. I suddenly beheld there a basket of delicious warm soft purple fur muffs! The girls at the stall had made them using fur from Abakhan's and they were beautiful.. I revealed myself as a wierdo and regaled them with the tale thus far.. I'd left my phone at home but that didn't stop me getting a photo- I went to the SU and got Jazz man's phone:

(The lovely Blue Corn lady founder of perhaps the greatest Heaton Moor institution)

I had many things to blog about which I will just mention brieflly because the moment is over.
My holiday knitting adventures included
1) Chopping off the muddy fleece from a lamb that had just been slaughtered. It smells and is still in a bag all tied up cause my initial enthusiastic attempts to felt the stuff weren't overly successful and everyone kept screaming like it was alive.. This was at a camp where I also tried to knit with hair - from a girl who'd recklessly been permitted to 'artistically' hack her friend's hair. Also not a success. I did however successfully spread the joy and needles around and at least two girls learned enough to make stuff..

2) On a more sedate note, after discovering how cosy and full of tea and mince pies and neighbours my LYS (local yarn shop) is, I was introduced to the even closer and cosier world of my local organic shop/cafe. It's the most wonderful place- I didn't expect such a warm neighbourly spirit existed these days.. When I first went with my aunt the shop owners were searching the area to find out why the old lady who comes everyday hadn't turned up.. He and his wife went to her house and called her neighbours and everything until they found out she'd fallen and broke her wrist. She was back the next day and I went round to her house too- got the grand tour of her photos and old furniture and stuff- she's a very witty and cool person.



3)This led onto my aunt (who needs a sobriquet) setting up the Blue Corn knitting club- we spotted one woman in there, Jan, with a knitted handbag, and accosted her. Turned out she does knitting workshops in Wool. Anyway she's one of our new local buddies and we now we can have tea and talk and knit in our homes.

There's other stuff like the stitch show at the g-mex and how I did a mini talk on climate change for a young girls' islamic circle and brought knitting to them as part of the Solution and how I left my Forecast cardigan on the bus which is annoying but otoh have nearly made my ruffly cuffs. Oh and I made lots of knitted hats (three but one I remade about 5 times..) and sent a couple as presents to our Bosnian buddies..

That'll do for this post- the main reason I was inspired to blog would make this post too long..