Long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away there was a yarn shortage!

Barry (seen here with Walter Koenig and Data and Chekhov Meerkats) has a MeerTrekkie habit second to none, so when my local yarn shop told me that the "Star Trek command gold" yarn was discontinued, I told him of the emergency. I hunted around a few towns, but there was none to be found. 

Some months later...a package arrived from Barry! No, it wasn't yarn, it was entirely the wrong shape. It was... a book! 

Not just any book, it's a photo book detailing Chekov's mission: Kat Trek, the Search forYarn. 

As I started to read, my laughter got louder. Barry channeled his inner-Chekhov very thoroughly, the whole book is written in the broken Russian accent known so well by Original Series Trekkies.

Chekhov searched and searched. 

Chekhov bravely went to London and tried to use the transporter at Oxford Circus. The instructions were confusing. Standing on the right did not achieve transportation.

He discovered evidence of 20th Century alien visitors 

but the correct yarn was not discovered no matter how he set the tricorder.

Eventually I realised there was only one answer, and knitted Captain Benjamin Sisko, The Emissary to the Prophets. He consulted the orb of Prophecy and showed me where appropriate yarn might be found. He also suggested this was a job for a man, not a boy (sorry, Chekhov) so Captain Kirk boldly went on the next stage of the away mission.

Well done Captain Kirk - and thank you, Barry. 

You made me a very happy knitter indeed! Live long, and prosper. 

You wouldn't believe it - but there was still more in the parcel. 

A photo of the lovely Nichelle Nichols, signed for me with my name on it!!!

I have shared only a few of the 42 pages (it *had* to be 42, didn't it? answer to life, the universe and everything!) but if you've had fun, go find Barry on twitter and tell him! @CoachDriverBaz

MeerTrekkies are of course available in Etsy and Folksy, and if you take yours on adventures I would love to hear about it!!

My new socks!

Remember the lovely yarn I won from A Geek's Yarn?



I've knitted myself a pair of socks using a free pattern from Knitty (click here) (Please note this pattern is for personal use only.)

I love the yarn, it's so soft and the colours are amazing. I kept finding myself trying to predict what would be next! It's really easy to count rows as each stitch is a different colour from the one below or above.



The pattern was easy to follow too. I got a bit confused at one point but decided "Keep calm and knit on" was the way to go. I continued to knit in rib all the way down the front of the sock as I figured (correctly) that if I made a mistake in the shaping, the rib would still hug the sock into my foot.

There was a new technique to learn at the end - kitchener stitch, which is a fabulous invisible graft. I learn best from the written word, so I used this tutorial (click here) but there are many free videos if you google.

Thanks again, Tiffany, for my lovely yarn!

I won a circus tent!

Well - that's what the yarn is called ;-)
Isn't it gorgeous? I had a hard time choosing from Tiffany's shop "A Geek's Yarn", it's like a woolly rainbow in there!
I'm off to scour the internet for a sock pattern worthy of such loveliness, I'm going to knit something for *ME* for a change!

For those of you who are still nervous of buying from abroad, it was shipped from the States on Saturday, and is in my hands in the UK today, Friday, less than a week!

Look at my new banner!

The wonderful pennydogaccessories made me a new banner for my shop, and it's just occurred to me that I can put it up here too! Isn't it pretty? The photo, of course, shows the merest fraction of my yarn stash...and I naughtily bought 4 more balls today.


Well, they were calling to me.


And two of them were on special offer.


And then I bought some fabric to make a tablecover for the craft fair.

That'll be the craft fair that hasn't yet acknowledged whether I've got a table!!!!