Knitting to be done and gross skinny skin skin!

Thick make up can take it's toll on your skin - I'm embarking on a journey to fix my face

So for those of you that follow my AWESOME work, (and you're obviously nowhere NEAR fed up of hearing me talk about knitting, riiight?) you'll already know that I'm frequently now popping up on film as well as frequently penning the knit and crochet how-to's on the Woman's Weekly website.

Here's a teaser for one of my new ones... just click my face to see the full vid if you want to. It's free - no scams, pinkie promise.

So there are two things that I'm going to talk to you about, both of which are evident from the clip above.

The first is my ridiculous fringe. Take my advice people - never film on a Monday morning and FOR BOBS SAKES, carry an umbrella at all times. I'm not loving the London-drizzly-dragged-through-a-hedge-backwards look. #stylish

The second thing you'll notice, is how my skin in the above vid is radiant, smooth and clear ...right? WRONG! Thick and heavy foundation is what I slap on for filming sessions.

There's no way around it - I have an irritating habit of looking like a crack addict on film without it - just the way it is. But I suffer for it afterwards. Brace yourselves, people - the below are pictures of me that same Monday evening sans the make-up!

Everything stopped working. I cleaned my make up brushes and sponges regularly, I hadn't changed anything about my skincare regime. My usual reliable preventative products decided to crap out, too:

• HRI clear complexion tablets (they're a natural mix of plants including sarsparilla) were once my secret weapon. No more.

• The Body Shop Tea Tree day and night lotions made no difference.

I don't know why I'm talking in the past tense, as my skin is still horrific.

In my desperation, I ordered some Hydrogen Peroxide (a diluted solution used to disinfect the skin) and I've even got a tube of Benzoyl Peroxide to hand. Benzoyl Peroxide, which is used to kill acne bugs. You'll note that the last two sound packed with chemicals - that's because they are. So I haven't used them yet. I daren't!

Then I found this; a product test from C4's Embarassing Bodies using a variety of acne treatments.

...and what came out? Another ruddy Salcura spray! I say 'another' in the sense that Salcura make a natural spray that super soothes my eczema. I was introduced to them at The Allergy Show a few years ago and I haven't looked back.

Salcura's stuff may be pricey but I already trust them based on the results I get from their Dermaspray, so I'm gonna try the acne stuff.

I've only been using it a couple of days but I already see a difference. I'll keep you posted anyway so watch this space! Watch my face!  
Wash my face? I will wash my face!


Oh, and don't forget! I'm on tour soon with some surprise guests... so come see my face up close!

Meet @fyberknitics and @FreddieBJ at our knitting and crochet workshops in Exeter this September polish your skills http://t.co/iwwLv0taDc

— Woman's Weekly Mag (@Womans_Weekly) August 4, 2015

I'm Addicted to Teaching You to Knit and Crochet!

I actually never thought I'd be writing anything like this but man, do I love teaching. I didn't learn to crochet until about 6 years ago, which is recent compared to how long I've been knitting [Mum claims I managed a square at age 4 but I am completely dubious about that fact].

So not all of you reading this will know me... I'm very proud to say that I've worked in the fibre industry for about 10 years with Rowan Yarns, as a freelancer and now at Woman's Weekly Magazine. I don't shout about it very often, but I have a couple of books under my belt as well, i.e. these..

Writing books and patterns is a big part of my life and I enjoy it, but my passion now lies in sharing the craft with others - It's teaching I enjoy. Helping people when they're stuck, starting them off from scratch... It's so rewarding.

Workshops, in particular are just THE BEST. When I first joined Rowan Yarns as a shy, 19-year-old 'knitting lady', I never thought I'd be physically able to stand up in front of a group of anxious knitter-eyes staring back at me, brave and authoritative enough to instruct others, and confident enough to know that they'll 9 times out of 10, leave satisfied.

I don't think it's easy, either - for someone younger (it was worse when I was still a skinny teenager) as some people just can't help but be ageist. At the start of a workshop, I could almost feel the assumption in the air, that I was a lesser tutor to others. It may be that perhaps I was more conscious of my age than they were, but I don't think that's the case. Regardless, the more Workshops I ended up leading, the more that cloud hanging over me would just vanish - it's gone now.

A few weeks back, I was lucky enough to host an incredible crochet workshop at Woman's Weekly Magazine HQ [where I work] for 30 lovely ladies, who had never touched a crochet hook. How, you ask? Well that's easy! ..With the much-needed help of cloaked superheroes, AKA professional crochet tutors Jane Crowfoot, Natalie Warner, DMC's Cara Ackerman and Diana Bensted.

They're all awesome and totally excellent teachers - we all had such a great time. I think I speak for all of us when I say that. Now, I get to hang out with awesome teachers in a buzzing, excited room filled with knowledge zapping out of their caped-heads and into the heads of others. It's so cool.

Workshops are exhausting but they're so much fun. They seem to have a strange effect on me which I've noticed a few times now.

Whatever I end up teaching [How to Knit Socks, Intarsia, Fair-isle or in this case, Learn to Crochet].. I end up DESPERATE to do the second the last workshop participant has walked out of the door. With this in mind, I've started to crochet a blanket (I know, I know - should have gone for something smaller). My fiance and I are nearly financially ready to move in together - so I'm justifying a need for blankets!

...it's a special blanket though. I'll show you when I've done a few more squares. If you want to see what I've done so far, I'm putting a few progress pics up on Instagram.

In the meantime, I just wanted to show you another way I've been trying to spread the joy of fibre craft - I've only gone and had a go at making some vids! So far we've finished two of them, How To Knit Fair-Isle (which I can't bear to watch because I look completely nervous) and this one where I'm [more comfortably] talking about How to Knit Cables.

I really hope you like it - and I just want to say a quick thanks for reading. Enjoy xx

See the full video here (don't panic, it's totally free!).

Can you handle my Glittens? They can HANDle you!

Early this year I found myself with some personal knitting time - time devoted to sitting and knitting stuff to Freddie, from Freddie. In general, I don't mind not regularly having the time to knit things for my own use though - 9 times out of 10 I don't like the colour, it doesn't fit EXACTLY how I'd like it to, I'm fed up of looking at the colour, whatever. Besides, it's more special if I'm not doing it constantly like I used to once upon a time.

I pretty much knit a pair of socks every weekend at my fiancés house. There - I admit it! Hi, my name is Freddie and I'm a sockaholic.

He's incredibly passionate about film and after nearly 10 years of enjoying each other's company I'm sure it comes as no surprise to you that it's rubbed off on me a bit. We watch several films a weekend in surround sound with lights off in mini home cinema style - and my itchy restless knitter's hands won't sit still for hours at a time. Socks are a mindless knit for me - plain ones and Jaywalkers I can pretty much do from memory, and the needles don't 'clink' and irritate us while we're watching a movie. ...I'm addicted to sockahol...

Jaywalkers I knitted over Christmas. Cosy toesies.

...But even they get a bit repetitive after a while.

So heck, where to go from there? Whenever I buy yarn, I just buy sock yarn in sock quantities. It's easy. It's cheaper than buying huge garment lots and I can have a bigger selection of yummier stuff for my money (well, sort of - you know what I mean). So I need a pattern that will work for those, but for something different - something fun - something less socky.

I knitted this sweater back in 2008 and used the leftovers to design and knit myself a pair of armwarmers. No, I don't have a picture of the armwarmers, you'll have to use your imagination - sorry. But I wear them whenever it's cold, which is pretty much half the year here in London. 2008 was a long time ago and they are looking a bit battered to say the least soI decided it was high time for a new hand-warming accessory of some description.

As a treat to myself I picked out one of my prettiest skeins of Wollmeise and found myself a pattern. A pattern, which had abruptly been made available for free in a frustrated reponse to VATMOSS by designer Julia Mueller. I'm ashamed to say that I still don't really understand what VATMOSS entails, but I understand that more tax (and more complicated tax by reigon) is now charged on downloadable products (such as PDF knitting and crochet patterns) and far more expensive a business to run for independent designers than it used to be.  Julia took the decision to leave her patterns up for free, withdrew her offer of pattern support and gave up on it all to avoid the hassle because of time constraints.

I know I'm late to the party here - you all probably already know this story!

Anyway, I'm very thankful that Julia's designs are still available - they are exquisite and an excellent alternative use of your posh stashed sock yarns. I highly recommend her patterns, they are like Cookie A's socks, but for hands. Intricate, fun to knit and amazing finished projects guaranteed to draw a few compliments.

I didn't quite choose  mittens, nor did I choose gloves. Instead I went for something in between. Allow me to introduce you to the concept of Glittens!! Drumroll please..

They are one of the few Mueller designs to use a thick yarn. Thick by my standards - an aranweight. I went along with the other Ravelry users who knitted theirs using a 4-ply Wollmeise held double. Clever, eh? And you get the hard-wearingness of a sock yarn with the thickness of a posh swishy soft aran!

So that's it, right? There you go. That's what I made. There's the picture. End of story.

Well it's not, really. Unfortunately.

The allure of knitting for me is it's freedom - the freedom to create anything you like. Anything you can imagine. Freedom which you earn by accumulating knowledge, which comes with practice and experience. It's the incentive to become a better knitter - to eventually be free to create anything you want - 3D printing from your brain. That's what drew me to the glittens even more. Julia printed them out of her brain, a totally freaky-cool accessory. Nobody else has them (well, very few people - it's not just like you can rock up to John Lewis and buy a pair, is it?).

...so is that why people stare at me on the train when I wear them? Is it because they think I've had them specially made because of a physical deformity? ...and if the latter is true, isn't it even WORSE that people are staring? Sheesh!

I opted for the warmth of mittens, freedom of movement that you'd get with regular gloves except without the clunky between-finger-bulk you usually get with a four-fingered handknitted pair (If you've ever knitted some, you'll know what I'm talking about). If you haven't, trust me - it happens. Feels like toe separators between your fingers.
...DEAL WITH IT, WORLD!

I emplore each and every one of you to knit yourself a pair of Glittens IMMEDIATELY if just so that they become a fashionable norm. Then I can keep Julia's brain prints and wear them with pride instead of shyness. I'm proud of them, I think they're beautiful.

Live long and prosper.

Guest Blog on Yarn and Pointy Sticks

Needless to say (that's Need-less, not 'needles'!) that I'm over the moon to have been invited by the lovely Clare Devine to write a guest blog for Yarn and Pointy Sticks . I'm talking double-pointed needles and thrown in various other bit's and bobs, right here. Hope you like it.

Hand Creams: I've reviewed my top five for you to try

Apologies for my prolonged absence, all. 2014 was a busy year. I'm back with a bang though, and with all this chilly UK weather, I've decided it's about time you and I talked hand creams.

Whether or you are a knitter, a nurse, or someone who just likes being outdoors - hands are easly forgotten in skincare regimes. They shouldn't be - neglecting them will leave you with poor cuticles, rough skin and weak nails. So we should all invest in a good hand cream - I've tried and tested my favourite 5 to get you started and narrow it down a bit.

1. Salcura Four Seasons Winter Skin Warming Hand Therapy £12.99/85ml (4/5)

I first came across Salcura's products at a London Allergy Show some years ago where I bought some skin sprays to try [and now swear by them]. I suffer with intermittent nasty eczema - and very sensitive skin, all the time. Salcura pride themselves on producing natural, soothing products that people like me (as well as everyone else) can enjoy. So when they bring out a new product to try, I am always excited.

Salcura Winter Skin Warming Hand Therapy samples are currently availble free with any purchase (at the time I wrote this) and I must say the cute little sample tins are perfect for keeping in your bags for emergencies where the full-sized tub is a bit on the bulky side.
 The cream itself is very light and absorbs quickly so it's perfect for any time of day. It leaves skin feeling soft and soothed with a gentle and pleasant tingling sensation. Tthe scent isn't for me - it's a blend of ginger and vanilla (both I LOVE) I just found it a little on the strong side and slightly over-sweet. Excellent value for money though and perfect on sensetive skins.

2. Eve Lom Hand Cream SPF 10 £22.10/50ml (5/5)

Don't worry, I realise the price is steep. I probably would never have tried this hand cream if it weren't for the fact that I recieved it as a gift, but I'm glad I did! Lots of people give me hand creams as gifts, which is really thoughtful. Us knitters need to keep hands smooth to stop snags and discomfort while we work, and it's nice to see my friends and family think of me that way.

I keep the tube on my desk at work so I use Eve Lom hand cream quite frequently. Much like the Salcura, it's very light and has a luxurious viscosity. It carries a very subtle almond aroma which is gorgeous. If I'm going to be knitting, however - I'll apply it no less than an hour before I whip out the needles because it can feel a little greasy and the lotion takes a little while to absorb completely. Leaves hands feeling healthy and protected.

3. Norweigan Formula Unscented Hand Cream £3.69/100ml (2/5)

I used to really love this one - it's probably one of the first ones I ever tried, but that's going back a great many years now. I've only fallen out of love with Neutrogena Norweigan Formula Unscented Hand Cream because of how greasy it is.

It's very very thick because of a rich glycerine content. I now only use it as an intensive night treatment, massaging a healthy pea-sized amount into hands, cuticles and wrists before putting on cotton gloves and going to sleep. In the morning you will find hands feel nourished, but still a bit on the greasy/sticky side. I do think however that my hands perhaps don't need such an intensive hand cream and therefore don't absorb a great deal - this cream would be far better suited to very severe dry, cracked hands with flaky skin.

4. L'OCCITANE Shea Butter Hand Cream £8.00/30ml (3/5)

I came accross this hand cream as a free sample with a magazine and must admit, I only bought the magazine so that I could try the hand cream. I'm not overly familiar with L'OCCITANE hand creams but I love looking after my hands and nails and as soon as I saw that it contained Shea Butter, I was sold and keen to try it.

I keep this one in my contingency knitting bag - at my Fiance's house. His house gets very cold so this thick, luxurious cream does come in handy. It takes a while to absorb so it's really more of an after-knitting treatment (if you swing that way!) but it's the best out of all these creams for cuticle protection - and the aroma is delicious, sweet coconut-shea scent which smells good enough to eat.

5. Vaseline Healthy Hand & Stronger Nails Hand Cream £3.99/200ml (1/5)

I used to use this one when I was working in healthcare - when you wash your hands every thirty seconds, they dry out very quickly, so the big size is useful and very cost effective.

Vaseline Healthy Hand & Stronger Nails Hand Cream is really more a lotion than a cream with a very light and runny consistency. It's pink where all the above creams don't appear to contain any artificial colourings, and has a habit of drying up around the top in unsighly thick pink lumps.

The aroma itself I can't place, it's quite heavily perfumed which I find unpleasant. But it's fine for general care and frequent applications if you don't mind the smell.