How could I have forgotten...

It had been so long since I last blogged that I totally forgot to include some items in my last post. I made this great sweater from the Crochet Me book. It's from Debbie Bliss Merino Aran and I love it. I stuck to the same colourway as the book, so not very adventurous, but it is just a great sweater. The arms turned out really long but I stayed with that as it gives it a really snuggly feel. It was easy and fun to make and has lots of possibilities for customisation should you wish.
I had wanted to make the Meathead Hat for a while but didn't want to fork out for a book that had no other patterns I liked in it. So, when I discovered the pattern could be downloaded for free from the publishers website I was thrilled. I cast on immediately with some Debbie Bliss Soho from my stash, used double. An hour later, the hat was finished. Really simple but quite fun.
I knitted up most of the Central Park Hoodie in about a week but haven't got around to sewing up and knitting the hood yet. I need to do it, this is a lovely cardi - far too good to end up in the UFO pile. I've used Debbie Bliss Luxury Donegal Tweed. It's a lovely yarn, soft and bouncy.
Meanwhile , the Summer issue of Interweave Crochet arrived and I have had to cast on the Midsummer's Dream Camisole designed by Amie Hirtes - it looks beautiful. I'm using Sirdar Luxury Soft Cotton 4 ply, which feels nice but splits a bit when you are working with it.

Too much Ravelry , not enough blogging...

Despite spending about an hour a day on the awesome Ravelry site, I have not managed to update my blog in ages. I could browse the pattern database forever and my queue of projects is so long that it would take a lifetime to knit everything on it. So, I intend to make more of an effort to keep the blog up to date in future. I have knitted and crocheted plenty over the last month or so. I often don't wear the garments I make much, so I'm really pleased to report that my last three knits are being worn a lot. First up, the Coquette Top from Fitted Knits...
I used Rowan Cotton Jeans for this. Love the yarn. The colours are good and the yarn is nice to work with. I made i cord straps for a bit of added security. If I made this again I would go down a size for a snugger fit.
I had wanted to make the lace and rib top from Interweave Knits for ages, so I ordered some Cotton Ease from Banyan Tree Yarns and whipped it up in a few days. I really , really like this top. It feels great to wear and I have had many compliments on it. I have some white cotton in my stash and am considering making another - I have to love a pattern to knit it more than once. This was an interesting knit, with different lace panels and bust shaping.
I had 6 balls of Rowan Cotton Braid in my stash that I had been wanting to make into a top but couldn't find a pattern for so few balls. Then I was looking at the Cherry Twist pattern from Knitty and thought, why not? I particularly love the neckline of this top but made the bottom rib much longer as it was rather short. I want to make it again with a longer body and less rib.