Oh My Bear!

Haven't posted for a while, but I have certainly been knitting and crocheting. Today I finished sewing up the "Oh My Bear" hoodie  by Tiny Owl Knits. It is currently being blocked and I think it may take a while as it soaked up a lot of water.

I have been wanting to make this for ages.  When I found the exact yarn needed at half price on Black Sheep Wools website, it seemed like the ideal time to start the project. The pattern is really easy and took about a week to knit up.  I haven't done any intarsia for ages and really enjoyed the challenge.  The hoodie took seven skeins of Debbie Bliss Luxury Donegal Chunky and scraps from my stash for the bear design. I can't wait to wear it - modelled shots next post! This jumper is really on trend and was great fun to make. Don't be put off by the bear design, it was much easier to do than it looks.

The Maraschino Shawl is another lovely pattern found on Ravelry.  I used  3 balls of Drops Cotton Viscose for this and am very pleased with the end result.  The yarn drapes well and has a nice shiny appearance. The border is a picot and leaf design that I found in a Japanese craft book.  I think it finishes the shawl off perfectly. I will make this design again using a finer yarn at some point.

Next up is this beautiful crochet shawl made from a German pattern that was again spotted on Ravelry. There were many fabulous examples of the shawl using Crazy Zauberball yarn and it just had to be my choice. I love the colours and the way that they show off the stitch design so well. It was a quick and easy project but so very effective.  I've already worn this one quite a few times.
Also worn a lot...

A lovely, snuggly, soft cardi with a shawl collar.  I got the Sirdar Babouska supercheap from Kemps Wools and knitted this up in a few days. It is really comfortable and cosy.  I have some more of this  yarn in my stash and look forward to some more very wearable garments for the Winter.

Earlier in the Summer I made this cute hat for my gorgeous great niece, little Lolli, to keep the sun off her precious head. She wears hats well and looks like a little star. Love her to bits!
There are several works in progress at the moment.  Nearly finished are the fingerless mitts that I am knitting from a single ball of Crofter. They are basically 2 rectangles sewn together with thumb holes at the top. I like the way Crofter looks when it is knitted up -  quite fancy for such a simple knit.

The Cimarron Shawl is working up quickly as it is such a pleasure to see the design growing. I hope to finish it over the weekend.