Vintage Purls

I said I have been working on something behind the scenes and at last I can reveal what it is. Notice anything different about my site? New haircut? No. A shop!

For many years my day job had been teaching at the local university but at the end of last year I decided to throw caution to the wind and give it all up to follow a more creative life. I love fibre, I love to knit and spin, and I was growing increasingly frustrated at what I saw as some major holes in knitting supplies in New Zealand. One thing lead to another and I can finally debut my store.

At present I have on offer Knit Pick knitting needles and hand-dyed yarn. I do plan to expand my range but I’m also a small business and I’m learning so I’m going to take things slowly initially.

My main yarn focus at present is sock yarn since I’ve always felt there to be a bit of a gap in that market locally. I have an amazingly soft yarn for the job; machine washable merino and a good dollop of nylon to make sure they wear well. I hand dye it all and I love it!

Rest assured that I still love vintage patterns, that there is plenty more to come in the free pattern section and I will not be changing that aspect of the site. I know it’s been a long time since I’ve put new patterns up and I will get onto some new things very soon. I’ve been very surprised by just how many people visit my little corner of the web and I have received some amazing feedback from visitors regarding my little collection of patterns. It’s really nice to know that other people get a kick out of the patterns I can provide.

I do a little lace knitting and I’d read stuff by American knitters which referred to “blocking wires”. When I investigated this further it seemed like a way to ease the pain of blocking with just pins. The wires sold specifically to knitters for blocking seemed quite pricey and I’d read things about people using welding wire instead.

At Christmas time I asked my brother to get me some stainless steel wires I could use for blocking - he seemed pretty keen when I suggested it so I was quite satisfied that my Xmas present from him would be my very own blocking wire kit. Alas he found something else that took his fancy (and I’m not complaining the books I got instead are very charming). However I still wanted blocking wires so I went to visit some welding/engineering type stores.The first place I visited had what I wanted but only in boxes of 500 odd pieces and I really didn’t want that much wire. They suggested a few other places to try and my next destination was pure gold. I went to Wilson Bros.

Wilson Bros has four shops in the South Island so if you are in Dunedin, Christchurch, Invercargill or Nelson you can make them your local supplier of blocking wires.

I bowled in and asked for stainless steel tig welding wires (yes that’s “tig” not “mig” - different things). These wires come in different thicknesses so if you are like me you’ll ask what sizes they’ve got and get them to take you out back and show you so you can touch the merchandise and pick the wires best suited to your needs. I got some 1.2mm ones for straight lines and some 1mm ones for curves (like sleeve tops - you can use blocking wires on all your knitting not just lace). They are priced by weight and are very reasonable, I spent a grand total of $17.08 and got more wire than I’ll use for any one project ever.

The salesperson who served me was very nice, didn’t once make me feel silly or odd and admitted that they actually sell more tig wire to art students and crafts people than anything else so really I was a mainstream customer for this stuff.

So, here is the step-by-step to making your own blocking wire kit:

1. Go to Wilson Bros Ltd (in Dunedin it is behind the railway station - they are almost directly opposite the foot bridge that used to run over the tracks). If you aren’t near a Wilson Bros then try and find an engineering supplies store - hit the Yellow Pages to find some possible suppliers.
2. Ask for “stainless steel tig welding wire”. If you aren’t sure of the exact thicknesses you want ask to feel the merchandise.
3. Whip past your favorite sewing supplies store and pick up some T pins (which are heavier than regular pins and can hold up against the weight of the wires).
4. Put wires, T pins and a measuring tape/stick in one area - ta da, you are now the proud owner of a blocking wire kit.

Disclaimer: Photo above is not of a real blocking situation, it’s just a mock up for illustrative purposes. Don’t expect to see a grand fluffy shawl reveal here any time soon - that’s just a swatch and it’s not a project high on any of my lists.

When I started spinning I did so on an old Ashford Traditional I had inherited from my grandmother. It is a 1960s model and showing its age. It works fine enough but is clunky and scotch tension only (which on the Ashfords is a fiddly system requiring constant adjustment in my experience). 

As I became a more confident spinner I wanted a better wheel and bought an ex display model Ashford Traditional. This was a big step up from my old wheel and gave me the option of double-drive or scotch tension systems. The old Ashford went on top of a wardrobe and didn’t come down. The newer Ashford has had a good workout but it’s a pain to throw in the car, tends to walk across the room as I spin and doesn’t seem very solid.

I joined the local Spinners and Weavers Guild at the end of last year and I’ve been able to see and try a number of other wheels since then. So, it happened that I bought a third wheel, and then a fourth. Now I don’t think it very fair to say I have four wheels since the original Ashford is not in use at all (in fact it came off the wardrobe and isn’t even in my house anymore but I do still technically own it). The latest two wheels are likely to replace the newer Ashford so I think we can just say I have two wheels, that seems fair doesn’t it? I wouldn’t want to sound greedy.  

The new wheels are a Rappard Wee Peggy:

 and a picardy Wing: 

The Wee Peggy I got locally and is missing the scotch tension knob (no hassles for me since I’m running it double drive) and there should be an upright beside the bobbin holder (you can see the hole it sits in). Neither of the missing pieces affects its performance one bit and I’m enjoying it a lot. 

The Wing I had to drive to Christchurch for but I used the journey as an excuse to check out the William Morris exhibition at the Christchurch Art Gallery (amazing items, I am completely obsessed with Morris’ reds now).

This weekend we are in Wanaka for Warbirds. More accurately Mr K is here for Warbirds, I’m here for the view and some relaxation. I wanted to bring both new wheels but Mr K said no, so I only brought the Wee Peggy (since the Wing needs new hooks and I hadn’t any to hand). I’d like to show you lots of lovely photos of Peggy with the lake beyond but Mr K has also commandered the camera for the weekend - if you’d like to see 240 odd shots of planes then I can help but as for the view from our accommodation I can only provide this (which was a test shot first evening we arrived) at present:

Still, it’s very nice (take my word for it) and I’ve spun and knitted (and shopped but that’s a given for any holiday yes?).

The local wool supply isn’t fantastic, a lot more Touch Yarn than you’ll see in a Dunedin shop but otherwise it’s mostly the usual Patons, Sirdar and the like. The Touch stuff is not quite as expensive as in Dunedin but you are still better off dropping by Alexander on the way home and buying it direct.

Ta, ta for now, I’ve got one night left in Wanaka and I’m off to enjoy the sun (with my knitting in hand).