Spoiled Witch!

Yes, my package from Celestina Pettigrew arrived this morning. I was sitting outside at the back of the cottage (wrapped in a blanket because despite the June sunshine it is definitely a cool day) when a heavily laden owl fluttered down and halted beside my chair.

I was so excited to see the package, realising instantly who it was from. Celestina spoiled me royally last summer, and she has done it again! :0)

Check out the Ravenclaw wrappings:

Contents:

1) Green yarn (my favourite colour) a rubber stamp specially made for me with a heart flower and 'Ann Kingstone Designs' on it, a packet of treats, a beaded row counting gadget, and a Rita Skeeter kit.

Celestina very cleverly worked to meet my needs as a designe in this kit.

She used the rubber stamp to decorate the beaded counter:

  

This is a wonderful handmade notepad cover with pockets for colouring pencils (included) and containing a notepad of squared paper (Celestina has clearly realised that I do a lot of charting for my designs).

Check out the magical internal cover:

 A generous-sized Ravenclaw satchel bearing a beaitfully embroidered Ravenclaw crest.

Close-up of the crest for you - beautiful!

A very cute mini Ravenclaw sock (I love the patterning - well done Celestina!) on a mini-blocker and keyring fastened to a bag of goodies - various chocolates and a mini shell bottle (for perfume?):

And the Rita Skeeter kit - a newsboy hat, Rita-style glasses, Quick Quotes quill and notepad:

Celestina, from the bottom of my heart, Thank You!!!

Lonely Witch :0(

Mr. Wigworthy and the boys have gone camping without me!

They've gone off for a weekend of magical fun on a camp exclusively for wizards. They're well equipped, although their tent isn't quite up to the standard of the one the Weasleys biorrow from Mr. Perkins. Only two bedrooms and a very small kitchen area for the Wigworthys. Snug!!

The boys were particularly excited, especially as their cousin, Lizzie's son was going with them too. They are looking forward to all kinds of crazy activities - a wet and soapy slide, climbing, campfire singsongs, and a party, for which they had to take buns. I admit, I didn't make the buns myself but ordered them from Madam Puddifoot's teashop in Hogsmeade. She makes such delightful fairy cakes!

So, here I am, forlorn and forsaken! ;0)

Luckily I have the excitement of my meeting tomorrow with the Lord Mayor of Coventry to keep my spirits up. I've been madly preparing for it. A new hairdo, clothes laundered, knitting supplies bagged up, etc... I've even bought a wonderful artefact from Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment that will magically guide me to the location in Coventry of this stupendous event. I'll be sure to tell you full details of the meeting when I next write here. Until then, may you find pleasure in all of your stitches. :0)

Lord Mayor of Coventry

I just found out that next Saturday I will be teaching the Lord Mayor of Coventry to knit!

Here he is with his wife (the lady Mayoress):

It is to be World Wide Knit in Public day, and the organiser of UK Knit Camp has asked me to go to Coventry for this immense honour. Jo lives in Coventry and owns a yarn shop there. Information about the event can be found by grabbing this portkey:

I'm a Winner!

Yes - I won a prize in the Ravenclaw draw a couple of weeks ago. I am the most happy recipient of some beautiful hand-dyed yarn and stitchmarkers from the wonderful Olive Bumblebirch, who just happens to have been my spoilee in the last swap, and is my dear siter's spoilee in the current swap. I think that is why she included two sets of stitchmarkers with an instruction for me to give one set to Lizzie. It iwll be the blue set as that is Lizzie's favourite colour. I also love the cute little envelope Olive sent the stitchmarkers in. I'm a sucker for pretty little things!

Sadly I learned this week that my spoilee, Elladora Madley has withdrawn from the swap. I think that, like me, in the context of a busy life she has been finding it difficult to maintain the level of participation that is required. So, instead of creating a kit for Elladora I have now been delegated the joyous task of helping to create an angel kit for her spoilee, the illustrious Megaera Black. Luckily Meg is a Slytherin, the same house as the Draco around whom I was theming Elladora's kit, so many of the things I was going to put into Elladora's kit are in fact quite suitable for Megaera instead. So all's well that ends well....

Apart from the cashmere yarn that is, which I'll have to keep for myself. Shoot! ;0)

Which witch?

Who in the magical world do you think these would most suit?

They are my latest design and I am currently working up the pattern ready for test knitting with the intention of publishing the pattern within the next couple of weeks. I'm using my new publishing spell (PagePlus X4) to write up the pattern, and am really enjoying this advanced form of magic which is apparently comparable to Adobe InDesign.

As with most of my designs, these are very original. I've not seen a knitted lace overcuff in any other glove design, and I know the lace panel on the sleeve is original as I developed it myself from a lengthy trial and error swatch process! I even invented a new double increase technique for them (I know by saying so that I risk incurring the wrath of folk who think ther are truly no new techniques in knitting, just re-discovered ones; nevertheless I do think this invention is truly new).

Close-up:



In Swap news I am sad to report that my handmade item for Elladora's kit is unfinished. In fact I'm not very happy with it at all, and am considering sending it to the frog pond and starting afresh on something altogether better. Trouble is, I don't know what to do instead. I've found it very hard to think of a relevant handmade item to make for the kit this time. I know Elladora has high tastes, and worry that whatever I make will prove to be too tacky! ;0)

Late again!

A whole day late this time. Sigh. And Hermione has increased the pressure - no prize drawing for Ravenclaws unless everyone blogs. So I've just deprived my housemates of prizes. :0(

I am, however, making some progress with the kit for Ella. A few owls arrived this week with goodies for her, and I have scouted out a very special pattern to give to her. I will, of course, also give her all my patterns too.

My dear sister Lizzie is now in Florida, and sent me some wonderful pictures of the Wychwoods swimming with dolphins. Amazing!! I'm missing her though, not least because she is best at getting me organised.
She took yarn with her to knit up a shawl for me. It's a design I've created for some lovely red yarn I received from The Knitting Goddess, a British yarn witch. Here's a sneak peek of the swatching for it:

It seems I'm too busy designing these days to be able to give the time to The Swap that is needed for proper participation. Perhaps I should just not sign up next time (sob!)? While I would feel bereft, at least I wouldn't keep feeling guilty.

Post, post, post!!

My dearest sister, Lizzie Wychwood (easy to say 'dearest' as she's my only one actually!!) has prodded me to post as I forgot last week in the midst of all my busyness. I've been working on a number of different design projects you see, and wishing for a time-turner to fit it all in. Alas, without a time-turner I've just had to burn the midnight oil instead.

One of the projects was writing up the pattern for the Knit Camp Pullover. The organisers of UK Knit Camp (a week of knitting heaven at Stirling University this August) asked me to design the 'official' Knit Camp Jumper'. It being in Scotland I used fair isle style colourwork, charting thistles (national flower of Scotland), and adding flags of the patron saints of Scotland, England, and Wales, and sheep and yarn and needles:

Another of the projects was working on the design for a shawl to go in the book of designs I'm writing. Lizzie is going to knit the shawl for me during her trip to America. Yes, the Wychwoods are going to Florida for two whole weeks to celebrate Lizzie and Mr. Wychwoods' 25th wedding anniversary (yes, she was a child bride!!).

I have pictures of the swatch of the edging I've designed for the shawl. If you want to read about how I developed this stitch pattern then please visit my new muggle blog.

In The Swap I am happy to reprt that I have made good progress on Elladora's kit. I have ordered the yarn and pattern, decided what to do for the handmade item, and have recieved through the post a few of the goodies I plan to include in the kit. I've decided to go with Ella's first choice of Draco Malfoy for theming the kit, and it is proving to be lots of fun. I just have to work out how to include a sock!