The Bloomsbury Top and other projects

I have been having another crochet phase lately and am particularly proud of this creation.  The Bloomsbury Top from Interweave Crochet has been on my list of things to make ever since I saw it last year. I finally decided to give it a go after reading on Ravelry that it looks a lot more complicated than it actually is. I would entirely agree with that assessment of the pattern now that I have made it.  It only took about 5 days to crochet the top and I really enjoyed it. The trickiest part was joining the motifs together at the correct points. I have used Noro Silk Garden Sock yarn from my stash which I purchased in a sale a while ago. It would have been far too expensive at full price but has actually turned out to be quite a bargain.  The problem with sales is usually the choice of colours is limited to the ones that no-one else wants.  On this occasion I really like the colours that were available.

Another recent crochet success...

 
 This one is from Yumiko Alexander's lovely book "Rustic Crochet". I used the 100% linen that I got from Ice Yarns.  It was a quick and easy project and overall I am quite pleased with the result.  I do love linen but am wondering whether this stuff is perhaps a bit more suited to accessories rather than garments.  It has a bit of a string effect and is not very soft. This thought inspired the next project.  A cute bag embellished with flowers.

I like this a lot - it took very little time to make and looks pretty good. I plan to make another of these in a cotton yarn with more colourful flowers.
Still on the crochet theme, I made this blanket from cheap acrylic yarn inspired by a pattern I saw in a magazine. This was a project that I could make with my eyes closed and so ideal for knitting club and telly watching. I really love the fringed edging which makes it look quite special. I loved making this and am sure that I will be making more throws in the future.

I have finally returned to my knitting needles for a while and have been working for most of this week on a second version of the Central Park Hoodie.  My first attempt at this jumper was a big success and is probably my most worn piece of knitwear ever.  I still love it and have often thought to make another one in a different colour.  The recent Drops Yarn wool sale provided just the incentive to start on a lovely green hoodie. The yarn is a lot springier than the Donegal Tweed I used first time around.  I think this means the hoodie will turn out a bit more fitted than the first version.

Hope to finish this very soon - maybe by the weekend so I can show it off at Knit Club!