A quick update

This week hasn't been quite as knitting intensive as last week. I've been really tired and most of my spare time has been spent on assembling my new spinning wheel. At this point I just need to put the brake cord and the band on and then it's ready to go. I can't wait but didn't want to do this bit when I was feeling tired. I had trouble posting pictures on Blogger last week so the Feza Premier sideways scarf is a little late in making an appearance on my blog - although it has been looking stunning on the One Skein Blog ! I absolutely loved working with this yarn. It was my July skein from my One Skein Secret Pal and I am so pleased to have been introduced to it. There is definitely more of it in my knitting future. This month's copy of Simply Knitting has a hat pattern using a single skein of Feza which looks pretty good. I couldn't resist buying a couple of balls of Rowan Tapestry and am considering making more leg warmers with it. The ball of Symphony is probably going to be a cheap version of the One Skein Cravat. I am actually having difficulty in deciding what to do next as there are so many projects on my list. The Sweetpea Cardigan was coming along great until it came to sewing up time. I discovered that I had lost my gauge and made the sleeves too small to fit in the armholes - they will have to be frogged and crocheted again with a larger hook. How annoying.

A good week for FOs...Part two !

Here are the pics of the scrap scarf. It is quite spectacular in person and I am not sure that I will wear it out - but I think I know someone who could carry it off well. It is a bit hippy looking. Not that I mind looking a bit like an old hippy. I just think it may be more of a young hippy
thing. Anyway it looks very decorative draped over the mirror in my room. I whipped up a One Skein Scarf and matching beanie for someone I work with. It took just under a skein of Red Heart Super Saver in camouflage colours. I don't usually like acrylic yarn but this stuff is actually quite nice. It's thick and soft and comes in good colours. It also is cheap and goes a really long way


My really exciting news this week is that I have finally taken the plunge and invested in a spinning wheel. I bought an Ashford Traveller from a lovely lady that sells on Ebay and through her website called The Alpaca Spinner. Linzi was very helpful and always willing to give advice and encouragement. I really got the feeling that she loves spinning and is happy to share her enthusiasm. She also sent some fabulous alpaca fibres for me to try out on the wheel as well as some more unusual stuff like soy fibre and silk. I have to assemble the wheel myself and have only had time to do about half of it. I hope to get a chance to try spinning by the weekend.Blogger is still not letting me post as many pictures as I would like so I will have to try again later with my Feza Premier scarf and progress on the Sweet Pea Cardigan for Millie. Altogether this last week has been very productive.

A good week for FOs...

This week has been a very good week for finishing things off . Firstly, I actually got around to making four of these little felted Ipod cosies. They flew off my needles - they were great fun. The striped ones were knit from some leftover Noro Kureyon which felts beautifully and the others from some scraps of Lambs Pride Worsted. One is totally complete with its button fastening but the other three are still auditioning suitable buttons. Next to be completed was the crochet One Button Bolero - a free pattern from the Moda Dea website ( www.modadea.com ) I saw this made up on the Crafster website and had to have a go. I used about two and a half balls of Lion Cotton from my stash . At first I thought that the cotton might be a bit too heavy but I really like the way it looks finished. It only took three days to make this and I love the finished top. It's blocking at the moment and also waiting for a suitable button. I am considering making ties if I can't find a really nice button to go with it. Blocking has really opened up the lacey frill and made this top look fabulous. I hope it will be dry by this evening so I can take a modelled shot. I would consider making this again in a lighter yarn or maybe something a little sparkly like Patons Brilliant. It's not bad at all for a free pattern. Craftster is a great source of inspiration and another item that had caught my eye was a scarf made from hundreds of fabric strips. I got out my box of interesting fabrics and started cutting 1cm wide strips . Miss Millie really enjoyed helping me select colours and tie the lengths into a big ball. So much so that there may be another of these scarves in production soon. Blogger is not letting me upload any more pics at the moment so I will try to add some later. There is also another scarf and a scarf and hat set that got finished this week. Pics later this evening, hopefully !

Back to work

It was back to work this week - and luckily for me this actually means extra knitting time ! I took the opportunity to start another new project. I saw this short sleeved top on the Crafster site and as it was a free pattern decided to give it a go. I had 3 balls of Lion Brand Cotton in my stash that looked like they would be perfect. I finished the little cap sleeves this morning and now need to sew it up and add the decorative frilly edging. Having got this far I am wondering if it would have been better to use something slightly less stiff and more drapey. The Lion Cotton feels quite heavy. Oh well, it can always be frogged if necessary.
I also managed to put the final touches to the Fat Bottom Bag that I crocheted on holiday and am really pleased with it. I used Rowan Cotton Tape for the contrast yarn trim and a purchased lace flower pin. This is actually going to get used - it is pretty and practical. It was also fun to make so I might make a few more of these for presents. It took less than one ball of Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece to make this, so it was also a fairly cheap bag. The Bamboo handles were taken from a bag that I found in a junk shop. This is definitely the best way to get inexpensive handles - new ones are ridiculously priced. Some really hideous bags have fabulous handles and can be picked up for next to nothing. I'm all for recycling !
It also occurred to me that I had forgotten to post pictures of my finished In Bloom clutch bag. This is another pattern from the Happy Hooker book that worked up brilliantly. The book has turned out to be areally good buy as I've made about six items from it so far and have plans for several more. This must be a record for me as I only usually get to make one or two things from any book that I buy.

Thank you again Secret Pal

My fabulous One Skein Secret Pal has excelled herself - and I didn't think it could possibly be better than the first skein ! She sent the most beautiful skein of Feza Premier and I absolutely love it. It is made up from lengths of gorgeous novelty yarns knotted together and is amazing shades of green. I have recently been converted to novelty yarns after a lifetime of being a fiber snob. Having seen them used so effectively by talented knitters like Jane Thornley (check out her website www.janethornley.com ) I can see that they have a place in my yarn stash. I can't wait to knit this up into a scarf. Also included were some very beautiful stitch markers that my Pal had made herself. I can't wait to find out who my Pal is - she has made the most excellent choices for me. Thank you so much !

I have at last started on the White Lies Madeline Jacket and am enjoying it so far. It is knitted as a huge lacy circle and the sleeves are picked up and knitted in the round, so there is no sewing up. Hooray ! I hate sewing up. This is a really interesting construction and I cant wait to see the finished jacket. I really admire the White Lies designs and will try more if this works out well.

Scarves, bags and tops

Well, here are the pictures of my holiday knitting. I can't believe that I made so much. The Colinette Giotto drop stitch scarf is just lovely and so simple.I am considering using the last 2 skeins of Giotto in my stash to make a larger wrap sized version of this. The Colinette Fandango boa is a very satisfying knit and looks far nicer than similar items that I've seen for sale in the shops. This yarn is available in loads of awesome colourways, so I could see myself making a few more of these.

It was a bit disappointing to run out of yarn for the Giotto top but I think I will order more and finish it. I toyed with the idea of frogging it but then decided it was quite wearable and I love the colours.

The next two projects are crochet from Hapy Hooker. First, the Fat Bottomed Bag which needs handles and a trim. I enjoyed crocheting this - it was fast and easy and turned out pretty good.

This is my third version of the Garden Scarf and probably my favourite. For the other two I stuck with the same sort of colours used in the book. This time I used about one and a half balls of Noro Silk Garden and really love the effect.

We just arrived home this afternoon from a fabulous holiday in the Lake District. The weather was amazing and we just had the best time. We rented a flat in an old mill house in Kirby Lonsdale for the week. Despite going out every day I managed to do loads of knitting and crochet as we spent most evenings enjoying the view and the cooler evening air whilst sitting in the beautiful gardens. Little Millie had a great time... swimming in the river, playing in the garden and chasing sheep across the Dales.

I like to see this as an early interest in wool ! The DH and I had a really relaxing time too...He is convinced that I have a serious "knitting problem". Ha Ha ! As if ! He actually thought that I should put the needles down and relax. There is a complete failure to understand that the knitting is the most relaxing thing on earth. I had taken several small projects with me rather than one big one for a bit of variety. Over the week I managed to complete 3 scarves, a bag and almost all of a sleeveless top. I ran out of yarn towards the end of the top or that would have been finished too. First off the needles was a drop stitch scarf made from Colinette Giotto. It was just one skein so I cut the fringe before I started and then kept knitting until I ran out. The finished scarf drapes really well so I am quite pleased with it. Next was another Colinette Fandango boa which I plan to send to my One Skein Secret Pal - it is really soft and fluffy. I almost finished a sleeveless top in Giotto but ran out of yarn just before the end. After this I got out my crochet hooks and made a Fat Bottomed Bag and a Garden Scarf - both projects are from Happy Hooker. Blogger is being really slow at the moment so the knit pictures will have to wait until my next post.

The Rose Filet Shawl

Over the last week or so, I have been mostly working on this Rose Filet shawl. It was a free pattern that I found when searching the net for something interesting to make with the large cone of yarn that I scored from the charity shop for £1. It is blocking at the moment but shouldn't take long to dry out in this weather so there should be a modelled shot soon. There is still about three quarters of the cone of yarn left so this is a real bargain. The rose doesn't show up nearly this much from close up so it was a bit disappointing - without the rose it is a very plain shawl. I was pleased to see it standing out so well in the photos that I took of it blocking and hope it shows up from a distance when worn. This was my first try at filet crochet so at least I learnt something new.

The Colorwaves Topper is not the tops....

After just three evenings the Colorwaves Topper was completed... and I hate it ! It looked more like a jacket in the picture but it is too short at the back and sides and far too wide. The colours are great, the texture is wonderful and the crochet was enjoyable but the style is just awful. I think that it is totally unwearable. But wait...













My lovely niece, Clare the Bear, has thrown it on in a shruglike way and looks totally fabulous. What style that girl has ! What could I do but save the whole project by giving it to her. While visiting, Bear also scored about 30 pairs of assorted sizes of knitting needles for about £2 from our local charity shop - what luck ! She has recently learnt to knit and you should check out her blog too.
In need of some instant finished object gratification I quickly whipped up a small crochet clutch bag from a ball of Lamb's Pride worsted that was in my stash. I liked it so much that I made another from the Cotton Fleece left over from the Green Gable top. They just need sewing up, lining and embellishing - might get around to that at the weekend.

Meanwhile, I can't resist this gorgeous picture of Miss Millie picking strawberries last Sunday. She is far sweeter than the strawberries were !

Finished Eternal and back to my crochet hook...

The Rowan Cotton Tape Eternal top is finished at last - and has been worn ! I really like it and will probably wear it a lot. It doesn't show too well in this picture but the shape is really flattering and easy to wear. The yarn is discontinued but I wouldn't mind adapting the pattern for a different yarn. After this I needed some instant yarn satisfaction so I whipped up this crochet cap in about 2 hours from an odd ball of Noro Kureyon that was in my stash.

I really enjoyed this and love the finished hat. It's a bit hippy but totally wearable. Noro is just great to work with and the colours are wonderful. I think that making a hat from just one ball is a great way to try out the different colours of Kureyon. The pattern was just a basic double crochet beanie with a simple shell edging that I adapted from various hat patterns that I have.
Still in the mood for crochet, I dug out some yarn that I purchased ages ago to make the Colorwaves Topper from the Fall issue of Interweave Crochet. I am using the same yarn and colours as in the pattern and it is working up really quickly. It's quite hard to see the real shape of the garment in the photo but I think it's supposed to be a loose fitting wide bottomed jacket - the pattern says it has the drape and style of a shawl with the ease and comfort of a sweater. The Colorwaves yarn is really soft and quite pleasant for an acrylic but it is hard to see individual stitches because of the boucle.

Hats !

Well, I had that fabulous skein of hand painted Silkwood yarn made into a hat the same day it arrived ! It was a joy to knit with and a rather nice finished item. Shame that I won't be able to wear it for a while. Next Winter I will be ready with best collection of hats, scarves and socks ever. In the mood for another hat, I set about making the Yeehaw Lady from Happy Hooker. I used Lion Brand Cotton as recommended in the pattern.
It is supposed to look like a cowboy hat but has turned out a bit large and floppy. Firstly , I think that my gauge was out - I should have gone down at least one hook size to get a firmer fabric. Secondly, I think I need thicker wire because the brim isn't holding it's shape. The shape might improve with a bit of blocking. Even if it doesn't, I quite like the hat and may try the pattern again. After two fairly successful finished items in two days I felt able to pick up one of the ongoing projects - the cotton tape top. There is only the tie belt thing to finish now.