Sunday, May 23, 2010

Fluffy shawls

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Lots of finished knits over the last month - and a number of UFO's too, of course. I have been falling in love with mohair yarns lately. There is something special about this wonderful soft, fluffy fibre. Rowan Kidsilk would have to be one of my favourite ever yarns and I would probably knit with nothing else if only it wasn't so expensive. Four balls of Kidsilk Aura in Bronze that I got last year in the John Lewis sale have been waiting for a pattern like this to come along...It's Cloud by Kim Hargreaves. The shawl/scarf took just 2 evenings to crochet and I absolutely love it. It's a very simple mesh triangle with a picot edging. The edging seems to make the design a bit more special. The shawl is quite big and looks great either draped over the shoulders or wound around the neck scarf style as in my picture. I have seen a few of these made up on Ravelry and they are all wonderful. I liked the finished shawl so much that I rummaged around in my immense stash until I found some Chat Botte Kid Mohair that I purchased for next to nothing in a charity shop a few years ago. The yarn is a little thinner and not quite as soft as Kidsilk Aura. However, it worked up into a beautiful scarf which I gave to Bear when she visited last week.The Bear also went home with these...
This is the fourth pair of Lisa Van Klaveren's Rose Garden Ballet Flats that I have crocheted. I would really recommend this pattern. It is simple, well written and easy to follow - and you end up with the cutest pair of house shoes. I have made this in both cotton and wool and have been thrilled with both versions. This pair is crocheted in Debbie Bliss Cotton Denim Aran. It is a nice yarn that isn't too stiff but seems as if it will wear well.
This pretty shawl used up 2 of the balls of Regia Kaffe Fassett sock yarn that I bought from Kemps Wools at a bargain price. It was just £1.20 a ball. The pattern is called Tropical Breeze - I found it on Ravelry.I have almost finished this simple feather and fan stole that I am making from a single ball of Drops Vivaldi. This yarn is amazing! Soft, fluffy, great yardage and incredibly inexpensive.I have been wanting to try out this lovely mohair yarn for ages. It is every bit as good as I imagined and I can't wait to get hold of enough to make a cardigan with.
I have lots of knitting plans for the coming month, one of which is to use up some of the yarn purchased at last Summer's John Lewis sale before I go mad at the next one!