The latest releases in my Ravelry pattern store are Alcester socks and Blackberrying in the rain.
The socks were designed during a knitting weekend in the town of Alcester in Warwickshire, hence the name. They are worked toe-up with a flap-and-gusset heel. The lace pattern is charted and worked all around the leg up to the pretty picot edging.

The scarf was designed especially to use the wildly coloured sock yarn that looks so beautiful in the skein but is difficult to match with a pattern that will allow both the yarn and the pattern to show off their full potential. The garter stitch body makes it a very quick and easy knit and the edging adds a fun stripey touch.

Usually I don't like knitting to a deadline. I know there are some people who produce their best work under pressure but for me, no matter how much I'm enjoying something, as soon as a deadline is imposed upon it, it changes from a pleasure into an obligation and I don't want to do it any more. I don't like to knit that way. Knitting is something I do for enjoyment and relaxation, and the very few occasions when I have chosen to knit something for someone else with their time constraints involved I've found I haven't enjoyed either the knitting or the pressure to get it done.
However, my current project is one with an external deadline but it is one I am knitting gladly. The photo is a sneak peek - once the final project has gone to its recipient I will post a picture of the finished article, but I can tell you a bit more.

My Dad is involved with fundraising for a hospice local to him. Last month he completed a Three Peak Challenge in Morocco, and next year he (and my sister) are climbing Kilimanjaro to raise money for the hospice. Both those challenges were organised through the hospice but Dad decided he wanted to help with a fundraising event of his own in between the two treks. He decided to organise a Dinner Dance to be held in October with monies raised being donated to the hospice. While he was telling me about this huge project he was undertaking (and it really is! He has a background in academia - organising charity dances is not something he does every day!), he mentioned he needed raffle prizes and especially prizes that would appeal to ladies. I offered to knit something, if he thought that would be suitable. Then I thought, if I'm going to knit it, why don't I design it too? Why not make it a one-off, unique hand-crafted piece? I'm well aware not everyone will appreciate it, but hopefully there will be ladies among the guests (or even gentlemen) who understand the care and skill that goes creating such a piece of work and will be willing to buy a ticket or three in hope of winning it.

The piece is a rectangular stole, worked in Wollmeise Lace-Garn (good quality wool and machine-washable!) in a classic dark grey. The pattern is simple but effective and very wearable. 

I had thought of writing up the pattern and releasing it after the Dinner Dance but I really wanted this one to be a complete one-of-a-kind. Instead I plan to write another pattern, based on this one, but with a twist, and I hope to make it my first group knit-along (KAL) in my Ravelry group. Any money I make from sales of that pattern will go to the hospice.

And what about the Dinner Dance itself? Well, if anyone is in or near the town of Newark in Nottinghamshire on October 3rd this year, you can find all the details about the 1940s Dinner Dance here. The theme is because it is 70 years since the end of World War 2, so don't forget your ration card!!

I make no secret of the fact that I love Wollmeise yarn. I prefer to work in lighter-weight yarns which is mainly what they offer, I love the drape, I love the warmth and softness of the wool, and most of all (and probably what most of their fans would also say) I love the colours.
Two years ago I suggested to my husband that if I could reduce my then-current yarn stash by two-thirds by the time my fortieth birthday came around this summer, I would like to visit Bavaria to go to the Wollmeise store to celebrate my milestone birthday. He agreed.
I achieved my goal and last month we had a long weekend in Germany, with the highlight of the trip being a visit to Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm, the whole of Wollmeise.
I had seen the shop on their website so knew mostly what to expect but it was wonderful to visit. Having my husband and our two small sons in tow I knew I wouldn't be able to spend hours in the shop. (Note to self: next time, visit alone!) My husband kindly took the boys to a cafe for a drink and a snack to allow me time to browse. I had one hour, and I think I used it wisely. 
What the shop has that the online store doesn't is the Nobody is Perfect (NiP) range, the Wollmeise version of seconds. These are skeins which might be slightly underweight, might have a knot in them, might bleed dye when washed, or might be the "wrong" colour. Since I can buy "correct" colours online I was especially keen to see the colour "accidents". 
I finally ended up with three skeins of Lace, a total of 8 skeins of the Pure merino fingering weight (some NiP and some named skeins), three named skeins of DK and 6 skeins of Twin sock yarn. One of those was chosen by my older son for me to knit him some socks, although since he has started calling it his woolly friend and walking round the house petting it I'm not sure he's going to let me make those socks any time soon.

And finally, here I am with my shopping bags! A successful mission indeed!