Innocent Hats - Bon Voyage!

My Innocent hats have gone off in the post today, through the fog and the murk. Look out for them hitting the shelves, in a Sainsbury's or Eat, near you soon.

Today's scarf, braving the weather:

This is a ubiquitous eyelash yarn, Patons Whisper, in the Velvet colourway. I knitted this in k1, p1 rib, as it has a tendency to curl up when you use stocking stitch.

.....................................

On Friday I'd had such a bad week, that I took myself off for a day on the mainland. I went to Guildford, a town I'd never visited before.

I used the excellent Park & Ride scheme 10 minutes outside the town centre. In the town I discovered Pandora at 196 High Street, an excellent needlework and knitting shop. They stock Rowan, Debbie Bliss and Gedifra yarn amongst others, and Anchor, Paterna and Appletons tapisserie wools, patchwork fabrics, needlework kits, books and haberdashery. A real gem.

I took the opportunity to visit Fibrecrafts just outside town, and bought some Deka Fabric Paint, some cloured tops for felting, and some white Blue Faced Leicester fibre. Their prices are not as keen as other UK suppliers.

Then I went on to Compton nearby, to visit the runner up in the BBC's Restoration 2006 programme - Watts Gallery. As a teenaged art student, I was totally obsessed with the Pre-Raphaelite movement, and Watts' paintings often appeared in my reading about them. A pervading smell of damp was about the place, but it's in an idyllic setting in the Surrey countryside, and well worth the Heritage Lottery Grant that they are working to secure. Admission is free, take a trip and visit.....

I bought a small pamphlet referring to the friendship Watts had with Tennyson and Julia Margaret Cameron on the Island, and noted that Watts had a house designed by Philip Webb built for himself in Freshwater called The Briary. Julia lived at Dimbola Lodge rescued from demolition and now a photography museum with famous patrons such as Charlton Heston. Tennyson lived down the road at Farringford which is now a country house hotel. I will have to see if The Briary still exists.

My last port of call was to the Watts Mortuary Chapel just along the road. Built by Mary Watts, with the help of locals, this is a breathtaking, richly decorated little wonder. I took some photos on my other camera which I'll post later, but which probably won't do it justice. The interior is shaped like a bullet and is heavily decorated with gesso and painted with cherub heads, angels, waves and trees all in the Arts and Crafts style.

........................................

Currently on some big 12mm needles is a scarf for my sister's birthday next week. I raided my stash for some Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk in the Petrol colourway. The yarn is soooo soft!



The pattern is one that I saw on a display scarf in Pandoras in Guildford. They knitted it up in Rowan Little Big Wool. Theirs had a fringe, but I'm not a fan of fringes.

Cast on 15 stitches. Every row = k1, (yfwd k2tog) to end.