Finished Eternal and back to my crochet hook...

The Rowan Cotton Tape Eternal top is finished at last - and has been worn ! I really like it and will probably wear it a lot. It doesn't show too well in this picture but the shape is really flattering and easy to wear. The yarn is discontinued but I wouldn't mind adapting the pattern for a different yarn. After this I needed some instant yarn satisfaction so I whipped up this crochet cap in about 2 hours from an odd ball of Noro Kureyon that was in my stash.

I really enjoyed this and love the finished hat. It's a bit hippy but totally wearable. Noro is just great to work with and the colours are wonderful. I think that making a hat from just one ball is a great way to try out the different colours of Kureyon. The pattern was just a basic double crochet beanie with a simple shell edging that I adapted from various hat patterns that I have.
Still in the mood for crochet, I dug out some yarn that I purchased ages ago to make the Colorwaves Topper from the Fall issue of Interweave Crochet. I am using the same yarn and colours as in the pattern and it is working up really quickly. It's quite hard to see the real shape of the garment in the photo but I think it's supposed to be a loose fitting wide bottomed jacket - the pattern says it has the drape and style of a shawl with the ease and comfort of a sweater. The Colorwaves yarn is really soft and quite pleasant for an acrylic but it is hard to see individual stitches because of the boucle.

Hats !

Well, I had that fabulous skein of hand painted Silkwood yarn made into a hat the same day it arrived ! It was a joy to knit with and a rather nice finished item. Shame that I won't be able to wear it for a while. Next Winter I will be ready with best collection of hats, scarves and socks ever. In the mood for another hat, I set about making the Yeehaw Lady from Happy Hooker. I used Lion Brand Cotton as recommended in the pattern.
It is supposed to look like a cowboy hat but has turned out a bit large and floppy. Firstly , I think that my gauge was out - I should have gone down at least one hook size to get a firmer fabric. Secondly, I think I need thicker wire because the brim isn't holding it's shape. The shape might improve with a bit of blocking. Even if it doesn't, I quite like the hat and may try the pattern again. After two fairly successful finished items in two days I felt able to pick up one of the ongoing projects - the cotton tape top. There is only the tie belt thing to finish now.

Thank You Secret Pal !

This fabulous parcel arrived this morning from my One Skein Secret Pal. It is the most beautiful skein of handpainted wool from Silkwood Yarns in shades of purple ( my very favourite colour !) I have often lusted after Silkwood yarns at craft fairs and whilst browsing their website but never actually bought any. I think this may have been because all their yarn is so wonderful that I was unable to come to a decision. So this was a perfect choice for me - I absolutely love it. With the skein were a simple hat pattern, two lovely heart shaped handmade soaps, a lavender bath bomb and a beautifully written card. The lavender made the yarn smell wonderful. Thank you so much Secret Pal - you really brightened my day.
The knitting has not gone so well this last week . I finished the Razer Cami last night and the straps are awful. I know that I should have tried it on and checked the positioning before I attached the straps and sewed the ends in but I just followed the pattern and assumed it would be OK. It was not ! The straps will have to be frogged - they are just too far apart at the front.
I am thinking of using i-cord ties at the shoulders instead of the sparkly straps. The length would be adjustable and I think it would be more comfortable to wear. It would also be an excuse to use my new gadget...
Yes, it's a knitting mill for making i-cord ! This should save loads of time when making bag handles , straps, etc. Looks quite fun too, so I expect that little Miss Millie will want to help. I tried really hard to resist buying more yarn this week but saw this really cheap fun fur in our local branch of Poundland. At £1 a ball I couldn't help myself. I'm not sure about the quality but it will probably make a fun scarf. What I really liked about it was the colours.

Razor cami

This week at work I managed to get this much of a cute cami top knitted. The pattern is available free - I found it on the Craftster website. I'm using the yarn recommended , which is Snuggly 4 Ply. It only needs 2 balls, so this is a really cheap knit. The lace pattern is super easy and looks quite effective.
I also managed to crochet another One Skein Scarf from the leftover Red Heart Camoflage yarn that I made the beanie hat with. This is such a great little pattern.

This morning I posted a beautiful skein of yarn to my Secret Pal in the One Skein Secret Pal Exchange. I'm now wondering what to make for the finished object that we send in August.

Cupcake and a UFO

The Cupcake top from Happy Hooker is now finished and blocking - it looks pretty good. The only problem could be that the fabric seems quite holey as I had to really tweak it out to size to make it fit properly. I suppose it will be ok with a small top underneath, just a little too warm maybe. It needs a ribbon and amazingly there is nothing suitable in my stash so it will probably get finished next week.
I enjoyed making this - it is the first garment I've crocheted. It has given me the confidence to have a go at another larger crochet project. The yarn for the Colorwaves Topper in Interweave Knits has been waiting in my stash for some time now. I also managed to complete a small beanie hat this afternoon using some Red Heart Super Saver that I bought from a seller on Ebay. It is a really effective camouflage colour yarn and I like it a lot considering it is 100% acrylic. This stuff comes in huge balls and I have 2 .5 left so I am trying to think what to make with rest of it

This evening I decided to try and finish a UFO that has been hanging around for months. The Wrap Sweater with Eyelets from Rebecca magazine 29 in GGH Soft Kid. This is a really cute top and I almost finished it before getting distracted. The back, sleeves and half of the left front are already complete so it shouldn't take long.

I also got a delivery from Get Knitted this week - a gorgeous pattern for a felted evening bag and some Cascade 220 to knit it with. Can't wait to start this one .