Medley

I’ve not managed to finish the cardigan I’ve been working on, so I don’t have a huge amount to share this week.

I did have a very lovely afternoon yesterday at my Mum’s house with her and a friend. It was lovely and sunny, and we sat outside under a canopy drinking fruit juice, chatting and I, of course, was knitting.

I’m making progress – I was working on the last sleeve yesterday and I’m now on the bands and the collar; which are worked separately and sewn on. I’m not a huge fan of this method – I’d much rather pick up and knit. Anyway, the finish line is in sight.

My mum’s house is full of crafty things that I’ve made for her over the years. Here’s a quick snap of one of them. It’s a hardanger mat which lives on top of my piano. I love hardanger but don’t often get a chance to do much at the moment. I think the white looks lovely against the glossy mahogany wood.

Mum has a penchant for otters (hence the statue). The pretty sketch in the background was done by Mr, one Sunday morning as a gift for Mum – I think he was attempting to show her how easy it was to draw a tree… She remains unconvinced, as she thinks it’s far beyond her ken (Mum’s talents don’t lie with arts & crafts) so she had to frame it instead.

Proms

At the weekend, we had a fabulous evening out with friends and family. It was an outdoor classical concert. We lucked out with the weather – there was scrummy food, good music and lots of laughs too.

There was some balloon modelling going on – not sure whether the kids or the adults enjoyed that one most!

Part of the show involved a flyover by a spitfire. I would have a lovely photo of the spitfire, if I’d taken it a second later (can you see him behind the flag?)

Some people had decorated a tree in ribbons.

At the end of the evening, there was a firework display.

I did do a little bit of knitting that night on some plain socks.

I couldn’t take my current main project because of all the beading.

Woolfest 2014

We tried something a little different this year for Woolfest, mainly because I’d decided I wasn't going to go this year and then changed my mind a bit late in the day, so it was a bit tricky finding anywhere to stay.

Mr and I stayed in a camping pod for a night. We were lucky and had nice weather, so we had a campfire roaring all night, with the obligatory marshmallows.

Our neighbours were some very nice sheep and lambs, which were unintentionally smoked by our campfire.

The camping pod was super and we were positioned under an old oak tree. It was a very relaxing evening.

My purchases were a little more restrained this year.

Some extra cables for my Chiagoo needle set and 7.5mm tips as I don’t own any in that size. The latest pompom magazine, which has quite a few patterns in that I’d like to make.

I stocked up with lots of buttons from Textile Garden. They really do have the most wonderful selection.

And my only yarn purchase of the day was some Cumulus from Fyberspates. It was very reasonably priced and feels like a fine mohair yarn but is actually a combination of brushed alpaca and silk. I bought 3 similar shades with the idea of an ombre cowl or shawl.

Just One Ball

I love those quick in between projects that just use one ball.  A Good Yarn, Cleethorpes has in stock, the scrummy new Pure Wool Worsted by Rowan. I’d been eyeing the pattern Entrechat for a while and Pure Wool Worsted was a perfect fit. The recommended yardage meant that I could knit up to the 12-18 month size in just one ball. I ended up using just 73g, so I think I could have easily made the 2-3 year size in only one ball. So quite a bargain for just one ball.

The pattern itself was really simple but a slightly unusual construction. I made it in a day, so a proper weekend knit. Definitely a pattern that I'd consider making again, especially if I was in a rush for a present.

The yarn itself is just lovely. It has a lovely feel to it and the colour that I used, Breton had a heathered tone to it.

Another picture of before blocking -

and after blocking.

It makes a huge difference and the Pure Wool Worsted holds its shape perfectly. Even the ruffles at the bottom stay in position.

Here's my Ravelry Project Page.

AGY Stitch Markers

In conjunction with a A Good Yarn at Cleethorpes, I’ve helped produce some handmade exclusive stitch markers.

  

All the colours are individual and have their own names, which all have a seaside theme. My colourway is called “Starfish Wishes”.

 

Of course, I had to buy a pot for myself!

Plumes

A friend of mine bought some Sirdar Escape Chunky and a pattern to go with it, but never got around to making it….so I’ve made it for her instead.

Unfortunately, the yarn is discontinued but it has lovely colour changes. The stripes work particularly well because the garment is worked side to side.

The only modification was to leave the bottom ribbing until the end and then work in the round (instead of flat). That way I could use up as much yarn as possible. It’s a lot longer than it should be but I made the executive decision to stop because it was going to end up being a foot long.

I started another project, too. Eeek… I was extremely tempted by seeing some very beautiful examples of cardigans in Bergere de France Plume. I’ve worked in it before and it’s beautifully soft handle. It’s a combination of wool, nylon and acrylic; and the finished fabric is soft, draping and fluffy.

I had a good look around for something to knit in it and came up with a Drops cardigan that would match up with the gauge. So a jumper’s worth of yarn came home with me from A Good Yarn.

I finished the back last night and it’s a very quick knit, so watch this space. 

The other temptation at the moment is Rowan’s Pure Wool Worsted which is in stock at the moment at A Good Yarn. I predict some of that coming home with me shortly.

Ornate

I’ve just completed the most stunning little cardigan. It’s covered with cables and bobbles, with a lace edge. I’ve really enjoyed making it (it’s at A Good Yarn at the moment, as a shop sample, if anyone wants to see it in the flesh)

The one word I keep of thinking of is “heirloom”. It’s one of those special pieces of knitting.

The pattern is Lace Edged Cardigan by Debbie Bliss and it’s from the Celebrating Family pattern book.

The original was done in Debbie Bliss Eco Baby but mine is done in Baby Cashmerino. The yarn is really lovely to work with and blocks really well. Here's my Ravelry project page

I did a little experiment while making this. I made both of the sleeves and blocked just one of them.  Can you spot which one? 

It really does make a huge difference to your knitting – so if you’re not a convert to blocking yet….

By the way, I did block the other before I was finished!

The back is just as gorgeous as the front.

Filler

Sorry that I've been a bit quiet. I’ve not done a huge amount of knitting recently, so I’ve not had so much to talk about.

I do have a finished object to show you. It’s a vanilla pair of socks. The yarn is Sirdar’s new Heart and Sole sock yarn and the pattern is the one that’s on the inside of the ball band. The colour is Hyper Hyper 105 and I really like the yarn. It’s not a fluffy yarn, it has some body to it and from first appearances, it looks like it would wear well.

The pattern was quite nice too. It has an extra long rib so it can be turned down, if desired and both the toe and the heel has slipped stitches. The long colour changes make a change from a lot of sock yarns and I think it could hold a pattern and still be seen. A lot of these fair isle effect sock yarns make any pattern very difficult to see.

This shawl is a work in progress and think it will be for some time, as I’ve got lots of other knitting to do first.

The pattern is Rendevous Shawl by Lily Go and the yarn is Posh Yarn Gretchen Heavy Lace  and the colour is Light Years Away.

The other project on my needles is beautiful cardigan from the Celebrating Family book by Debbie Bliss. I’ve only got the sleeves and the edging to do, so hopefully I can show you that soon.

FO: Rose and Petals Lap Duvet

During the Easter break, we went to Scarborough for the day and I always have to make a stop at the Scarborough Sewing Centre. It’s a hidden treasure trove.  The shop is packed to the ceiling with bolts and they are very reasonably priced.

I’d seen these Lap Duvets by Purl Bee and thought that it would be a fun and easy project to do.

I’m often attracted to large print patterns for fabric but I don’t like the effect of them within patchwork; so this would be an ideal project to try out something different. I picked two large print fabrics that caught my eye; I did spend quite some time looking at everything and thankfully Mr. has a lot of patience.

I wanted to try a different wadding too; something a little more luxurious. I bought the Dream Orient Wadding from Cotton Patch. It’s a mix of bamboo, silk, tencel and cotton. It has a lovely drape to it.

It didn’t take long at all to make and now I have a pretty lap duvet to snuggle up in (and the walls have just been painted this weekend too, which I've discovered make a lovely backdrop - I just have to make the curtains now!)

It’s nice to get the full benefit from the large print fabric in this blanket.

Handmade Japanese Needle Roll

I’ve been a dedicated user of circular knitting needles since I first started knitting. I work everything on circulars, including plain straight knitting. Recently, I’ve found myself working on little samples in different size needles and I was being slowed down by changing the tops. So I bought myself some Karbonz Straight Needles to add to the ever growing collection.

As I’ve exclusively worked with circular needles, I found that I didn’t have a home to put these new straights. After some stash diving later, I came up with a combination of fabrics that I liked and worked out how to make a needle roll from them. The outer fabric is a beautiful Japanese style fabric and I’ve lined it with fusible fleece to give it extra body. The lining is a combination of fabrics and I have used iron on interfacing for the lining too. This double layer of interfacing will hopefully give my needles all the protection they need.

The binding and the ribbon is from my the collection of fabric that I recently bought and blogged about here.

I made an extra pocket for DPNs and any other bits I can fit in.

I shaped the flap at the top on the edges so when it rolls up the edges don’t peek out.

I am really quite thrilled with the finished needle roll and hopefully it will match nicely with my new needle bag