It's Veuf Tricot's birthday today. Happy Birthday Jim!
I shan't make this post too cheesy (well, I'll try not to, anyway!), but I would like to take this opportunity to share a few things you need to know about him...
First up, I'm very lucky to be married to a man who makes me laugh. Jim doesn't just make me laugh, he makes my sides ache and my eyes weep on a pretty regular basis. He has a wicked eye for the potential humour in my behaviour, and is generous in sharing it with the world. My favourite recent post of his is this one: Knitting The Queue - written before reality hit me and my aims for the year became a bit more realistic. If you don't already follow him on Twitter, or read his blog, then I recommend checking him out.
Secondly, he is generous and kind. Whether it's helping on the cake stall at Andyfest (aka the Bluefaced Open Weekender), or running the London Marathon for Refuge (a UK domestic violence charity), if Jim can help, then he does. If you haven't already, then please do consider making a small donation to the funds for this really worthwhile cause. You can find Jim's Just Giving page here: Jim Culliford Just Giving
And finally for now, Jim is talented. More talented than he'll ever admit to. You may not realise this, but Jim already has 2 knitting designs published in magazines (Simply Knitting and what was Knitting Today! in the US). You can see his designs on his Ravelry page here: James Arnall-Culliford deisgns. And there are more to come... I can't wait to share pictures of what he's come up with! To give his Refuge fund-raising a bit of a boost, Jim is collaborating with three of his favourite UK hand-dyers. (Yes, for all his protesting, he actually knows a LOT about knitting and yarn!) The wonderful Jeni at Fyberspates, awesome Debbie at Skein Queen, and fabulous Sarah at BabyLongLegs are all dyeing up a limited run of special Refuge colourways to complement his designs. Thanks also to the generosity of Andy at Bluefaced.com, who has donated the base yarns, a large proportion of the money from sales of these yarns will be going to Refuge. So what has Jim designed? Well, you'll have to wait a bit longer to see the specifics (and don't worry - I'll be shouting about it when it's all set!), but I can tell you that it will be a series of 3 designs around the theme of Ready, Steady, Go! And they will be available to buy individually, or as an eBook, with all proceeds (after Ravelry and PayPal fees) going to Refuge. We can't wait to get on the starting blocks.
Happy birthday VT!
