I'm Back !!!!

It has been a mighty long time since I last blogged - mainly due to a very time consuming obsession with Ravelry. However, I have been knitting like crazy over the last year and thought I would update the old blog. I can't possibly mention everything that I have made since my last post so I'll just have to list a few recent items.
One of the items I love most of recent knits is the Opal Wrap by Kim Hargreaves. I had 4 balls of Aura that I purchased in the John Lewis sale in January in this gorgeous orange colour. It is a very simple pattern with a minimal amount of shaping and a lovely picot edge. The wrap is really snuggly and warm - it wraps around the neck in a very pleasing way.I liked my first version of this a lot and so had to cast on for another immediately. I used 2 balls of an interesting novelty yarn that I purchased from the bargain bin at Mavis, my local yarn store. I think it was called Avalon by Tootal. It is a sort of ribbon stranded with mohair. Not at all like Aura but it worked amazingly well. The finished scarf was given to Clare Bear on a recent visit.
Over Christmas I knitted up several pairs of arm warmers with a view to giving them as presents. Of course, I never got around to sewing them up. Last week I settled down to a sewing up and finishing off session. This pair is made from RYC Baby Alpaca dk, which is an incredibly soft yarn. The pattern was from a book of accessories by Sublime yarns.I love handmade slippers! I found the pattern for these ones on Ravelry ...This is Millie's pair. I think the yarn was Rowan Handknit Cotton. I have made three pairs from this pattern now and they are all just beautiful. I will definitely be making more of these. They work well in both cotton and wool and can be made to fit just about any size. The flower trim is the cutest finishing touch. Speaking of flowers...

My friend and I made this bouquet as a wedding gift for someone from one of our knitting groups. Most of the flowers are from Lesley Stanfield's 101 Flowers To Knit and Crochet. I would thoroughly recommend the book for it's inspiring patterns.
I love knitted flowers and have wanted to make the little posy brooch from Lucinda Guy's "Designs for Kids" for a while now. I picked up the book at the library last week and have already made 4 broochs. They take only a tiny amount of yarn, knit up in minutes and are just so darn cute. I have been using up some scraps left over from other projects for these.
I haven't done any colour work for ages so thought I would start with something small. The Totoro Mittens were a free pattern found on Ravelry which appealed greatly to me. I used Rowan Wool dk to knit up a pair for Millie -she loves them. I enjoyed following a chart and watching the picture form.

This top was from one of the Rowan Studio books and used 9 balls of Rowan Bamboo Tape and some scraps of Kidsilk Haze for the corsage. I had been told that Bamboo Tape stretches like mad and so opted for the smallest size which fits me perfectly - and I am not small! I like the yarn apart from it's tendency to stretch and have purchased some more in a lighter shade to make another summer top.
There are lots of versions of Inga's Bag pictured on Ravelry which I like very much and I managed to find some of the discontinued Anchor Magicline Cotton at a very low price to make it myself. It took 2 evenings to whip up this lovely bag. I am working on another in Patons Vintage.I hope to have some garments finished for my next post. There is a cardigan just waiting to be sewn up.