The last orders for this year have been posted off; some calm has returned, after the hectic Christmas rush; and, fog willing, tomorrow we nip off to Switzerland to visit my very lovely in-laws and entertain the locals with my attempts at skiing. (First time. Based on my one-day lesson at Milton Keynes, it's going to be physical comedy of the highest order.)

So it remains only to thank you all for your support since I launched this site in January. It has been quite a year! Running Purlescence has been exciting, challenging, scary, and most of all bundles of fun. I have enjoyed far closer contact with my fabulous customers than I had expected; what a great bunch you are — friendly, funny and warm. But then, of course you are. You're knitters.

With all my heart: thank you for coming into my shop, for sending your friends here, and most of all for letting me know exactly what you did and didn't like, what excited you, what frustrated you... I am glad to say there was much more good than bad, and the frustrating parts (like having to enter a state, even when your country has no states): well, we're working on them. We really are.

So with your generous help and enthusiastic support, I hope 2007 is going to be even better. Our biggest growth spurt is over, but we have one or two things in the works that I think you will like.

Have a gorgeous, peaceful, cosy and cheerful Christmas; stint not on the mince pies and champagne; and I'll see you in the New Year.

Posted by Robynn at 06:26 PM | Permalink | 1 cups of tea on the table | TrackBacks (0)

The godmother is clearly one of those who don't *get* knitting... but Cinders certainly does, and what stunning gloves she creates!

By Kim-Xuan Nguyen

"Such ghastly inequity," Cinderella fumed. "I spend all day cooking, and they turn up their noses at dinner, saying they're watching their figures. Then they sneak into the kitchen, steal slices of cake and leave the empty plates to mold in their rooms for me to come across as I clean. And now it's all disgusting and stuck."

Cinderella looked ruefully down into the dishwater. Her arms were shapely and muscular from scrubbing dishes, floors, doors and anything else her stepmother could think of. Anyone might admire her arms, but those hands! Her hands were rough and wrinkled, with stubby nails that however short, always seemed to be collecting dirt or in this case dried chocolate cake crumbs.

"Life is not always fair," said her fairy godmother as she materialized somewhat fastidiously behind Cinderella.

"That's all well and good for you to say when you can wave your wand and disappear from all this," said Cinderella, "I'm the one stuck at home with 60 year old hands."

"My poor girl, I would love to give you some waterproof gloves to keep your hands dry as you wash the dishes, but I'm afraid that would be anachronistic."

"Ana-whuh? Oh, fairy godmother, I don't mind much how my hands look, I'd rather they looked like they do useful work than look like the unblemished useless hands of my stepsisters. But I do want to go to the ball and although I know anyone intelligent won't care what my hands look like, there will be lots of unintelligent people there who will. If only I could knit myself some long lacy gloves. Imagine everyone admiring my gorgeous gloves not even knowing that the ugly hands hidden inside made them."

"You seem to have enough to do without knitting lace gloves in two weeks for the ball. Are you sure you don't want satin gloves? I'm pretty sure that could be arranged."

"Oh no, knitted lace would be just divine. Something super soft and delicate. Can you imagine?"

"You seem to be doing enough for two. When exactly are you going to find time to knit these increasingly intricate gloves?"

"I'll find time. I could use those little beads my stepmother made me pick out from among the ashes. She was so upset I managed to pick them all out that she threw them back at me."

"She should use lentils next time, they're more difficult to see. I'd better give you the yarn and needles before you come up with even more elaborate plans. I'll throw in some extra time too. Look under the oak tree tomorrow. If it were ready made ballgowns that you wanted, I could have them there by tonight, but strangely, not too many of my charges want yarn or extra time to do manual labor. I'll have to consult my conjuring manual."

"Thank you, fairy godmama! Long beaded lace gloves! I can't wait, I'm going to work out a design right now. Or as soon as I finish the dishes." She set herself to the task with renewed vigor and the beautiful dreamy smile her stepsisters found so irritating.

The fairy godmother's own smile was bemused but not unattractive as she waved her wand and disappeared in a grand exit that Cinderella was too preoccupied to notice.

Posted by Robynn at 01:08 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Another great story... besides the punchline, I like how the animals are incorporated.

By Donyale Grant

Once upon a time there was a beautiful girl called Cinderella. She led a horrible life with her Nasty Evil Stepmother and 2 Ugly Stepsisters who made her work night and day, with only the midnight hours for herself.

Her days were filled with cooking, cleaning, dusting and polishing, washing clothes, washing floors, tending to the every whim of her Step Family. Only very late in the evening was she allowed to go to her room, an awful drafty garret high up in a tower, with only her animal friends to keep her company…including some mice, a few hungry sparrows and spiders to chat to.

She would throw herself onto her bed at night, and look up into the night sky, through a hole in her roof….and wish and hope for some magic to come her way. Her ultimate dream was to run far far away from her horrible life, to meet the Prince, sweep him off his feet live happily ever after.

Her animal friends knew this wish and in hope to make her life a little easier they hatched a plan. The Mice scavenged around and found some old kindling used to make the fire in the morning for the Ugly Sisters.
The Sparrows darted around; flying to the latest balls in the Area, looking at all the latest fashions and at night time they would fly home and chirp the details to Cinderella.

Her Spider Friend supplied her with the softest finest web it could so that she could use the kindling to create a beautiful light wrap, in the simplest yet most elegant style of the day.

They wanted to help her knit the finest lightest thing she could use to help keep her warm yet transport her so far away in her imagination from her awful life, something so sheer and light that when she put it on it would seem as though the moonlight had wrapped itself around her shoulders. Something so light and ethereal, yet so small and easy to hide quickly under her mattress should the Evil Step-mother ever venture into her room and discover it.
Yet, when she tried to knit it with the sticks and the web, it snagged and broke. No matter how many times she tried to fix it, it was not to be. The simplest pattern, and the simplest idea was useless.

Until, one evening, after working so hard, when she thought she could take no more, a star seemed to fall from the sky down towards the hole in her roof.

It burst through the hole in a cloud of shimmering silver, and she found herself holding the softest yarn, the most beautiful knitting needles and with a soft touch on her head, her Fairy Godmother planted the softest
kiss on her forehead, and disappeared. She worked on the wrap, nothing difficult, a simple pattern, useful if she
could only snatch a few moments each day, and soon it was ready. She tried it on, and couldn’t believe how soft and light it was, yet how warm she felt and she soon fell asleep, cocooned in its warmth.

The next day she was awoken by the sound of a messenger’s horse, delivering an invitation to every eligible maiden in the Country to come to the Princes birthday party that evening. The Evil Stepmother thwarted
her every move to get to the party and after the Stepmother and Ugly Sisters had left, she was once again filled with despair.

The Fairy Godmother appeared and gifted her with the most beautiful dress and shoes, but ran out of time to find the perfect wrap to help complete her outfit. Cinderella reached under her pillow, pulled out her
Wrap, and the outfit was complete. The warning was issued to be home by 12 midnight and off she went to the ball. The Prince was absolutely smitten by Cinderella, a girl so beautiful, and seemingly swathed in glittering moonlight that his breath was taken away. When she had to dash away, sadly, her wrap snagged on a rose
bush and she left without it.

When the Prince came seeking the owner of the Wrap, no-one else could produce the yarn that matched the Wrap, except, of course, Cinderella, who was able to produce a swatch that she had made, and the Ball Band.
And they lived happily every after.

The Moral to the Story is

ALWAYS SWATCH

You never know when it will save you from a Disaster of Epic Proportions.

Posted by Robynn at 10:13 PM | Permalink

You'll never believe it. The winning Cinderella designs are up. I know! So soon!

*ahem*

Okay, it took a while. I'm very sorry. I hadn't counted on just how busy I was going to be in the run-up to Christmas — see, knitters, it's all your fault for shopping with such a festive frenzy. (Need I mention, I'm so glad you did... I have no problem with being kept so busy, and it's great to picture you all enjoying a very knitty holiday. I think a lot of husbands are going to be patting themselves on the back after the wrapping paper comes off, too.)

So anyway, take a look at our favourite designs here. Aren't they fabulous? I wish you could see everything we got... so much fun. Now it's just time to knuckle down and judge the Snow White entries. I'm pretty sure we won't take half as long with those.

By the way, I was struck at how much effort went into the writing of the actual stories; this was intended to be a design competition rather than a fiction contest, and I realise that I hadn't made it clear enough that the story could be just a few lines to set the scene. Don't be intimidated by the length and literary detail of some of these; that's not the main focus of the challenge, although a great story definitely does win you extra points. Also by the way, if you're looking for the actual patterns — they're coming. Watch this space.

Now read this: one of my favourite almost-winners. (More honourable mentions will be posted in the next few days.) And then run off and look at the rest.

Cinderella's knitting lessons
By Freyalyn Close-Hainsworth

Cinderella was dreaming again. She was sitting at her mother’s knee watching the soothing rhythm, listening to the gentle click of her mother’s knitting. She could feel the warmth of her mother’s leg through the folds of her heavy silk skirt. For some reason she couldn’t look up, look around, and was aware of nothing but the knitting and her mother’s hands, knitting. They were surrounded by a soft, warm, grey mist.

“Watch carefully, dear,” said a well-remembered voice, gently, and Cinderella stared at the delicate ivory needles and the white silk stocking growing from them.

…

The next night, the household finally having all gone to bed, all of a twitter because of the invitations delivered that morning, Cinderella curled up in her blanket inside the inglenook, enjoying the residual heat from the stone walls. Shutting her eyes, she willed herself to sleep and remembrance of her mother, barely wondering why she was dreaming of the knitting lessons her mother promised, and died before she could deliver.

This time, she was knelt on the floor with her mother sitting behind her, her small hands holding smooth ebony needles and her mother’s hands guiding hers. Her yarn was less silky but soft as a kitten, grey-blue as the surrounding mist. A small lacy ribbed tube grew from the square of black pointed needles in her hands, and she was barely aware when her mother’s hands moved away and she controlled the movements herself.

…

The third night, Cinderella was exhausted. Her two step-sisters and their mother had been out all morning (blessed peace!) to find frills and furbelows to furbish up gowns for tomorrow’s Grand Ball, there being no notice to have new ones made. But when they returned, Cinderella hadn’t stopped. At least she’d been given the chance for a bath and clean clothes before having to stitch, and fit, and take in, and let out, and trim, and flourish, and feather, and frill, and embroider, and froth up her sisters’ dresses. Perhaps she thought one sister’s choice of violet puce didn’t quite go with her high complexion, and the other’s lime green certainly didn’t make the most of a sallow skin, but she wouldn’t dream of saying so. Curling up into her warm blanket, she slept.

She was sitting next to her mother, both on the little settee in her mother’s dressing room. Her mother had a finished white silk stocking laid across her satin skirt, with another starting to grow from her ivory needles. Cinderella’s grey tube had become a delicate lace-ribbed cuff, flaring to accommodate her hand, a few stitches held on a golden thread for her thumb, and she was just casting off at the base of her fingers. She enjoyed the contrast between the soft-as-soft yarn and the smooth satiny black needles and picked up for the thumb. Carrying on the feather rib pattern, a thumb quickly grew and was cast off. A right-hand fingerless mitt, from yarn the exact colour of her blue-grey eyes, was finished. Cinderella felt her mother smile at her proudly as she cast on for the left-hand one.

…

The house was quiet much earlier than usual the next evening. Her step-mother and step-sisters had finally left in a cloud of pungent perfume and drifting ostrich feathers, gabbling with excitement. After tidying away the utter chaos caused by their dressing, she’d retired to the inglenook where a fire actually remained, rather than the usual embers.

The dark kitchen suddenly filled with a golden light, and a glowing figure appeared. “Cinderella, you shall go to the ball!” it declared, and before Cinderella could wonder what was happening, in a whirl of light and stars and spangles she’d been magicked into a hot frothy bath, dried with white cushiony towels and her rough hands smoothed with a rose-scented lotion, somehow while her strange benefactor explained that she was Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother, of all things. Cinderella found herself standing in the centre of the kitchen (but a warmer, lighter kitchen than normal), wearing a satin gown of the exact grey-blue of her eyes. The low square bodice, full skirts, and tight sleeves felt wonderful and rustled as she moved. The fine cabric chemise and petticoats caressed her skin.

“Just one thing more,” the being that was her godmother seemed to say. And on the scrubbed surface of the kitchen table Cinderella saw (and was sure hadn’t been there a moment ago) the pair of soft, lace-ribbed fingerless mitts she had learned to knit with her mother. Somehow, they were the exact colour of her gown. And lying next to them, draped over the table’s edge, the long, elegant silk stockings her mother had knitted for her. The stockings were drawn over her legs and tied with golden garters that her godmother gave her (“a bit of my own knitting too — I like to keep my hand in”) and the mittens slipped over her hands like mist.

A warm golden hug enveloped her, a kiss fell on her brow, and Cinderella found herself out the door, in a strange (and rather orange) coach, and being swept away before she knew what was happening. And settling back into the soft, golden, and rather fibrous cushions of the coach, she smiled as she remembered, at last, the concealed cupboard in her mother’s dressing room where her workbox, including the knitting-needles made from rare and precious materials, was hidden.

Posted by Robynn at 01:24 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Question from a buried comment: what's a good first project for a knitting lesson?

Yarn Harlot recommends hats as a first project: you can make one as easily as a scarf, but quicker. Nobody will finish one in the first session, but they'll get well on their way. In fact you don't have to decide whether to make a scarf or hat when you start — so if some knitters are going really well and want to keep on knitting, they can make a good long scarf between sessions; others may just get enough knitting to go round their heads, and in the second session you can show them how to cast off and finish it off.

The recommended scarf-into-hat method can be found in the delightful book Knitting Rules. I'll respect Stephanie's copyright and not go into it here.

The problem with this, of course, is that knitters in particularly warm climates might not be convinced that a wobbly woolly hat is quite what their wardrobe requires...

Another suggestion would be to make a very simple, small bag — just knit a rectangle the width you want your bag to be; fold it twice along the length so that there's a flap over the top; and choose something to make a long handle (running from one side of the base, up the side seam, over your shoulder and down to the other base point). Can be even quicker than a hat, but you need to have a plan for the strap; either buy a piece of leather or sturdy fabric, make an I-cord or knit a long, narrow strip. Remember to take the width of your strap into account when you're calculating the length of the bag. I've had good results with a cabled strap, it looks cute and also adds a bit of structure to the fabric.

If you allow enough length for the flap to hang down comfortably by itself, you don't need a fastening, but this is a good opportunity to try some embellishments and maybe learn some basic crochet techniques — do a row along the bottom of the flap, including a short buttonhole loop, and sew a button on. There's lots of room for everyone to decorate their bags in different ways when they're done, should they wish to; beading, embroidery, crochet flowers... but a plain bag in a pretty yarn will work all by itself.

Points to remember if making a bag: you want a sturdy fabric, so this will work best with chunky-ish yarn worked on smaller needles than usually recommended. Don't use garter stitch, it will stretch vertically; rib is probably fine but stocking stitch is best. Felting works really well but you'd have to wash the swatch first to see how much it shrinks, which presents problems for a first lesson.

Anyone else have suggestions?

Posted by Robynn at 09:32 AM | Permalink | 3 cups of tea on the table | TrackBacks (0)