Blocked!

 

The Crescent Moon Shawl looks lovely now that it is blocked.

I can't wait to start on another one in a finer yarn.


The  Noro Kureyon sock yarn has blocked out nicely, feels a little softer and has stretched  to a decent size.  this is really wearable.

Crochet a Rainbow

I love Noro yarns  and would probably use nothing else if they weren't so expensive. The colors and textures are just amazing and guaranteed to make the simplest of projects look spectacular. I had a single ball of Kureyon Sock yarn in a wonderful rainbow colourway in my stash - bought it in a sale ages ago.  A quick search on Ravelry brought up some lovely examples of the Eva Shawl crocheted in this yarn and my mind was made up.  The pattern is very simple, just two rows of double crochet and then an eyelet row, repeated until you run out of yarn.  It was quick and easy and looks great.  The Noro yarn can be a little rough and I am hoping that it will soften up a bit when I wash it.  It will be severely blocked to stretch it out a little larger. I hope to have some pictures of the completely blocked shawl soon.
Also ready to be blocked is the Crescent Moon Shawl.  I didn't actually have the pattern for this shawl - it is from a Japanese crochet book and quite hard to come by.  I love the shape and texture of this shawl and the fancy fringing is the perfect finishing touch. After examining lots of pictures of completed shawls I thought I should just have a go at it. This first attempt is made from some fingering weight pure wool  yarn that I had in my stash.  The yarn is very old - possibly from the 1960's or earlier.  It was another of my amazing charity shop finds.  The yarn is in good condition but feels very dry.  Hopefully some fabric conditioner in the first wash will restore some softness to the wool. Some action shots will follow soon! meanwhile, Alfie has taken a bit of a liking to my latest creation... 
I think what I have created is fairly close to the fabulous original and I am now ready to try it in a gorgeous space dyed yarn to bring out the full glory of the design.  Two balls of Rico Poems Sock yarn should be arriving any day now in a lovely Tropical colourway.  The yarn looks a bit like Noro but is considerably cheaper.  Can't wait to get started!

Little Boy Blue

I finished off two little coats for Alfie today!  They are both so cute on the little fellow. Last Winter, Alf got very cold and shivery when he went for his walkies and I had to get him a little jacket to wear.  He is a bit of a wuss really and often refuses to step outside on rainy days. So, this year he will be kept warm and cosy by a selection of handknits. The blue coat is from the book Vintage Crochet.  I was not impressed with the pattern as most of it didn't make sense.

I checked on Ravelry and found someone else who had experienced problems with it.  She kindly let me know how she had got around the lack of coherent instructions. I am fairly happy with the finished coat, although it has turned out a bit snug.  I had to follow Alfie around for a while before I could get a good shot of him in it.
Alfie was also rather reluctant to model the Gidget Hoodie from "Doggie Knits" by Corinne Niessner.
It was easy to get him into it but he wouldn't sit still while I tried to do up the buttons.  He then seemed most interested in attempting to eat the buttons. I will be making him a sweater next, as it seems that a simple pullover design might just be the easiest style to get him into.
In the kitchen this week...

Millie and I made cinnamon sugar pretzels.  They turned out really great and were fun to make. You need to roll out the dough into long thin pieces and then shape them into pretzels.  We found the copycat recipe for Auntie Anne's Pretzels on the internet - they are every bit as good as the real thing ( and so much cheaper!)

Wool left over from the dog coat worked up into a cute crochet beanie - I made this one up as I went along. The yarn was purchased in a charity shop some time ago.  Not sure about the fibre content but it feels as if it is mostly wool.  I still have 5 balls left!

The Valley Cowl and other things

When I saw the pattern for the "Valley Cowl" by Doris Chan on Ravelry I thought it would be the perfect project  for the yarn that I recently found in a local charity shop.  Five balls of Patons Pure Wool Crepe proved to be more than enough.  It took about three balls, so there is plenty left for a hat or some gloves to go with it. This is the first time that I have made a moebius scarf and I love the way it turned out.  The twisted loop is interesting to make and to wear.  I  will probably make this again in a different yarn weight to show off the lace pattern a bit more.

I also managed to finish off some more bunting this week.  I had made these triangles at the same time as I made the last lot but hadn't bothered to join them together

It didn't take long to crochet the joining chains and a couple of rows of dcs to make it a bit sturdier.  I came across a load of snowflakes that I made last year recently and I want to turn them into Christmas bunting - should look really effective.  I gave the pink triangle bunting to a friend at Knitting Club who just adores all things handmade.
Lately, I have been enjoying cooking and particularly trying out nifty kitchen gadgets.  Millie and I spent a pleasant hour making these cute little vanilla cookies with our new cookie press.  It really is great fun and turns out some great looking treats. It's important to get the dough just the right consistency or they don't come out so good.  We will probably make ginger spice cookies at Christmas.
As we were having such a good time cooking we decided to try making potato latkes.  This was also a fun process involving grating a ton of potatoes.  Millie decided to wear her swimming goggles to prevent tears as she grated the onions - what a great idea!
We ended up with a very tasty lunch and will definitely be making these again.













The hexagons are coming along at a good pace.  I try to make them in batches of about 10, working a round on each until they are all complete.  Originally I thought it would take about 200 to make a decent throw.  I am not sure why I thought that! After laying them all out on the floor today I have revised that estimate to about 600.  There is obviously a lot more work to be done on this project.Here is what I have so far...

Hexagons

A recent search on Ravelry inspired me to start a hexagon blanket using the free pattern from Lucy at Attic 24.  There were so many beautiful examples and it seemed like a great way to use up all the bits and pieces of dk cotton in my stash.  I am going to use as many colours as I can find and make it a really bright colourful project. So far, the pile of hexagons amounts to about 100!
So, only about another 300 to go if it is to be a good sized throw.  Each hexagon probably takes about 20 minutes to make.  The variety of colours keeps it interesting. It may take a while to finish this project but I am loving what I have already done.  I have chosen not to join the hexagons as I go because I want to make sure that the colours are well distributed through the blanket at the end. Not sure yet whether I should do a final round of a single colour around each motif before I join them.  What do you think?
Recently, I have had a bit more time for novelty yarns. I will admit that they have their place.  This super frothy scarf was knitted in a couple of hours from a single ball of Katia Triana Lux which I purchased last week from "Mavis" in Bushey, my LYS.  There were a few made up in the shop and I rather liked them, particularly the gorgeous colours available in this yarn. I chose this lovely green colour, although I was very tempted by the fabulous purple. It is a bit fiddly to knit and if you drop a stitch you have lost it for ever - but worth the effort I think.
My wonderfully creative Miss Millie has been to some kids animation workshops at Watford Museum during the Summer holidays.  Last Friday, the kids made clay models and used them in a short film. What a fun thing to do!  Her model, named "John" is the one on the left.  He danced brilliantly in his first movie and is now having a rest on our bookshelf.

After making the Ewa Hat so successfully in black cotton, I had another couple of attempts in other yarns and am equally pleased with the results. Firstly, a lighter version in Patons Dew,which is a firm crisp yarn and excellent for hats . This yarn has been in my stash for ages and I was pleased to have finally found the perfect project for it. I love the hat! So much so that I had to hook up another one straight away. This time I doubled up some Rowan Fine Milk Cotton that I bought in the John Lewis sale because I liked the colour. Milk Cotton is a very soft yarn and pleasant to work with but maybe not the ideal choice for a hat with a brim This hat is a little floppier due to the nature of the yarn but still lovely, especially trimmed with my purple flower brooch.
I've tried to finish a few projects that were in danger of joining the UFO pile this month. The crochet belt from Rowan's River Camp Knits is at last complete. It was a very simple item to crochet which did get a bit boring at times. However ,the finished result is quite pleasing.
Also sewn up at last is Sash, a Sublime pattern that I made up in Sirdar Recycled Cotton. The top is a little large, my fault for not checking gauge, but still very wearable. I like the yarn, it is very soft and pleasant to handle.
From the same Sublime booklet as Sash comes the Mimi Shrug. My version is knitted in Rowan Luxury Cotton. I have already worn this quite a few times. the pattern is very simple and straightforward. No shaping at all, just a long strip with ribbing at either end.
I started making the "It Could happen To Anyone" Bag a while ago and have just been making odd squares for it between other projects. I found the pattern on Ravelry (where else?) and loved it as it is strikingly different. It was designed by a girl who had lost a relative to cancer and each square depicts a famous person that has died from the disease. When they are all joined together the bag looks amazing. I am using Patons 100% Cotton dk. Progress is slow as you really have to concentrate when following the charts but I do hope to finish it eventually. So far, we have Audrey Hepburn, Joan Crawford and Bob Marley. I am half way through the Andy Kaufman square. Only 8 more to go!
Quite often when I find a pattern I like, I enjoy making several versions in different yarns. Dot's Little Ditty Bag is one such pattern. Another free pattern from Ravelry that I just couldn't stop making - it only takes a couple of hours to whip one up and then the fun is in embellishing it. Each bag takes less than a ball of yarn and is ideal for using up scraps. I'll probably make loads more of these. They are just the right size for keys, a phone and maybe some lippy. Very useful!

I found a really pretty pattern for crochet bunting on the website "Crochet with Raymond" and felt inspired to make some for the house. Each little triangle works up in a very short time and takes very little yarn. I bought a few nice colours of Patons 100% Cotton dk from Hobbycraft and have been happily crocheting bunting. The first string is now hanging in the kitchen window and I think it looks lovely. I have almost completed another length for Miss Millie's room. It is an addictive pattern. It would be nice in green and red at Christmas - looking out for appropriate yarn in the sales!
Pretty coat hangers are really easy to make. I just bought a pack of 4 at Poundland and covered then embellished them with flowers. I am so pleased with these and want to cover all my hangers.
I am particularly pleased with the second one I made, which was inspired by a hanger I saw in a Japanese craft book.
Let's Knit magazine gave away some free yarn and tea cosy patterns with it's latest issue. I felt compelled to make the Gumdrop Tea Cosy for own little teapot. I have yet to sew the bobbles on top but it is so cute that I couldn't wait to use it.
Speaking of cute.....
Alfie just gets cuter and more mischievous by the day. He has been enjoying long walks in the sunshine this last weekend.
I've been meaning to make the "Must Have Cardigan" from Patons for ages but couldn't find the pattern anywhere. A few weeks ago I discovered that it is available free on the Patons website under a different name. Happy days! I cast on with Rowan Silk Cotton this evening and have almost completed one pattern repeat on the back. The yarn shows up the cables really well. I think it will be a very good knit.

Back to hats

I have always enjoyed making hats - and wearing them. This cute little cotton hat was from a free pattern that I found on Ravelry called the Ewa Hat. I particularly like the shape and the ridge details. The hat took 2 evenings to crochet. I used 3 balls of Debbie Bliss Cotton Denim Aran that I purchased in a sale years ago and found it to be perfect for this project. The flowers are ones I made a while ago from some Katia Degrade. I like this hat so much that I have started another in Patons Dew - also from stash.
I whipped up another couple of Peaches beret. This is one of my favourite Kim Hargreaves patterns and I have made many of these. I just like making them - not sure who they are for.
These pieces of i-cord are going to be an interesting necklace type thing. The pattern is from River Camp Knits by Amy Butler . I am using my Prym knitting mill , so this is a very quick and easy project. The yarn is a current favourite of mine - Sirdar Simply Recycled. It is a very soft yarn which comes in some nice colours and is quite inexpensive.
A friend gave me 20 balls of Rowan Luxury Cotton in a gorgeous lilac colour. I am using 4 of them to make the Mimi Shrug from Sublime's Bamboo and Pearls booklet. Should be finished
soon.