Downton downtown

I had a little retail therapy the other weekend.

There was quite a lot of fabric bought. This was the haul!

The rippled one really did remind me of the Old Shale stitch pattern (what most people erroneously call Feather and Fan). Though Mr says it makes his eyes funny, so it won't be used for cushion as I'd intended.

These two were from Andover Fabrics' Downton Abbey range.

And the charm pack is one I've been on the look out for - Road 15 by Moda.

My patchwork cushions in the lounge have been very well loved and could do with replacing so hopefully these fabrics will step up and take their place.

I learnt a new crochet stitch that same weekend. Its modern name seems to be Diagonal Box Stitch - a rather uninspiring name. It was fun to do. Michele from Yarn Aloud taught us how to do it. There were a few examples about and I liked the look of it in a finer yarn. 

So after some stash rummaging later, I came up with a ball of zauberball and whizzed through to make a scarf. I used a 4.00mm hook, so it had plenty of drape when worn.  I worked it on the bias to make a rectangle shape instead of a square. I used the entire ball but it wasn't long enough to make a decent sized scarf; so I put a row of buttons on one end, so it could be worn as a cowl.

The spaces between the trebles make good buttonholes, so it can be buttoned up in any way you like.

The pattern has brought out the stripes in the yarn; or is it vice versa, the stripes have brought out the pattern well? Either way I think it's fab.

Mustard & Yak

I've some finished objects to show you. I bought a new winter coat last week and thought it needed a new scarf to go with it. I chose a bright yellow to match the brass fittings on the coat.

The pattern is Hana Shawl by Kristina Vilimaite. The yarn is King Cole Bamboo Cotton. It's quite a different construction to other scarves and shawls I've made and I enjoyed the change. It's cast on a large number of stitches along the patterned edge and after the pattern, there is a section of short row shaping to give it a curved shape.

The suggested cast off is a Fake Tubular Cast Off which I've never used before and must say I'm enamoured with it. Very simple to do, not much more complicated than a regular knitted cast off and it gives an interesting edge. The instructions for it are from TECHknitter.

Also, I've finished my Yak hat. It's made from handspun yak/silk which I blogged about here. I just improvised a 2x2 ribbed hat. It's to fit a size 22" head with a little bit of negative ease. It fits me nicely and is lovely and snug. However, it's a christmas present for a friend. The photos might look a bit odd, the hat has a balloon inside it for blocking.