A post at last !

Not much blogging lately - but lots of knitting, crochet and browsing on Ravelry. I made a hat for the DH but it turned out enormous. My fault for not checking gauge. I'm thinking of putting elastic around it and wearing it myself as a slouchy beret. I used 2 balls of RYC Alpaca Soft that I picked up in a sale. It's lovely yarn - knits up into a really soft thick fabric.
Finishing touches were completed on the striped beret from Louisa Harding's Gathering of Roses and the Half Pipe Hat from the Stitch n' Bitch for men book...

I like both of these hats very much. Also very cute is the First Hat that I made from a single ball of Noro Silk Garden. I liked the one Manos del Uruguay a lot and this one works very well in the striped yarn.
Two shrugs ! Yes two ! Each one took just an evening to knit in Rowan Biggy Print. The pattern is Bless from the new Kim Hargreaves book, Heartfelt. It is so easy to make and I think I will wear the shrug. Clare the Bear has already claimed the green/brown one.


I am loving Afya Ibomu's new book in the Get Your Crochet On series - The belt looked great in the Noro Daria from my stash. I got the buckle off a belt that I picked up for 50p at Primark. I've worn this several times. I used a ball of Elle Escapade to make the Chica belt type thing and love how it turned out. I've almost finished another one of these. The yarn is really nice for an acrylic and comes in beautiful colours.

Chanson en Crochet has turned out beautifully. I wasn't sure that this would be something I'd wear - I just fancied crocheting it. Now that it is finished, I love it and can see myself wearing it a lot.
I'm in a real crochet mood at the moment. I started the lovely sweater from the Crochet Me book at the last knitting club meeting. With just one and a half sleeves left to finish it is looking quite good.
The Cross Stitch Scarf is also complete - knitted at work over three days. I like the stitch pattern a lot and it shows up the colours of the gorgeous Manos del Uruguay really well.

Ravelry and hats

I have been spending far too much time browsing on Ravelry and not enough blogging. I am totally addicted to it. It is so great to see what different knitters have made from the same pattern. There are so many talented knitters and crocheters around.
Clare the Bear visited on Sunday so i got her to model for me - she looks so cute in knitted hats. My favourite finished knit of the last few weeks has to be The Lady Detective Hat from Knit2Together. I made it from my last skein of Noro Iro . I noticed on Ravelry that some knitters had made it from just one skein rather than the two which are stated in the yarn requirements of the pattern and thought I'd give it a go. I was a couple of yards short but managed to find just enough to finish it in my scrap basket left over from the One Skein Wonders Sassy shawl. There wasn't enough for the hat band but it looks great without it. I like the shape and fit of this hat so much that I cast on another one in some Debbie Bliss Donegal Luxury tweed. I doubled up the yarn to get a chunky thickness and it knitted up beautifully. The Luxury Tweed is a really nice yarn to knit with and I shall definitely use it again. This hat took just one evening to knit. I made the band this time but have yet to find a suitable buckle for it. I checked out the haberdshery department in John Lewis today in my lunch break but couldn't find one. Tomorrow , I may try Sewfine.
Another successful knit from Knit2Together was the First Hat. For this I used the lovely skein of green Manos del Uruguay that I purchased at Loop in Islington. The hat is very cute. It was fun to knit and I love the yarn. Knit2Together is one of my favourite knitting books - so many good patterns in it.
After a year in hibernation I finally finished off the Grown Up Bonnet, also from Knit2Together. I made one last Christmas as a gift and loved it so much that I started one for myself. I got distracted by other projects and put it aside. It took 2 balls of Cygnet Wool Rich Aran.
On the crochet front, I am about half way through the Chanson En Crochet from the Interweave Crochet website. I'm using Rowan Silk Cotton which is a very nice yarn.There are tons of errata for this pattern, which is a bit annoying. Why can't they just correct the actual pattern for downloading instead of adding and extra page of corrections to refer to ?
I've also finished an In Bloom clutch bag and a Half Pipe Hat - they still need sewing up so pictures next post.

Little things

Lots of knitting and crochet going on over the last week or so. A few bits and pieces for my Blythe doll turned out quite well. I started out with some easy little beanie hats...
Then I progressed to the knitted coat - free pattern from Knitty. I was pleased with how this turned out but just can't find a small enough button to suit it. The search goes on.
I tried a simple top down raglan cardigan for Blythe next. I used size 2.5mm needles and Cygnet Wool Rich 4Ply from my sock yarn stash. I really like the finished cardi and will be making more of these for my girl. The top down method works really well for this sort of project. It minimises seaming and you can check the fit as you go along. I'd seen some lovely knitted doll dresses on Etsy and decided to have a go at making my own. It's almost done and looking quite cute.
The Gorgeous Corsage from Crocheted Accessories is one of my favourite flower brooch patterns. I have made up several of these and they all look really pretty. They are very simple to make but look quite special.
These Pocketbook Slippers knitted up in no time. I used some of my own handspun and am quite pleased with the results. The slippers probably look better in a more even textured yarn but they are still cute and cosy. A great way to use up an odd ball of wool.
I took a trip to Hobbycraft last week and picked up a scarf kit in the sale. I liked the colours and the wild fringing. This knitted up in about 2 hours on 8mm needles.
I am a big fan of Afya Ibomu and her books. I recently purchased Fly Tops and Funky Flavas, her latest offering, from Amazon. She is a crochet goddess ! The patterns are simple to follow but turn out so stylish and trendy. Her instructions are very clear and she encourages you to experiment with colours and adapt patterns to suit you. Since buying Afya's first book, Hip Hats and Cool Caps, I have become a fan of acrylic yarn. Yes, really ! I picked up a ball of cheap acrylic in this great colourway from Watford Market last week and have nearly finished a stunning pair of Nuff Gluvs. They are great.

I haven't done any more work on Zara from Rowan's Bigger Picture yet. The back is done and it won't take long once I get back into it. I'm liking the look of it so far.
Next week will probably be about more hats. Just can't get enough of hat knitting these days. I ordered Woolly Wormhead's new book "Going Straight" and it should be arriving any day. It has a terrific selection of hats knitted on straight needles. Can't wait.

Busy,busy,busy...

December largely involved frantic knitting to try and finish all my Christmas gifts. Everything just about got finished and all the gifts were well received. Unfortunately, in my rush to complete everything I forgot to take photographs of several items. A lovely scarf knit from 3 balls of Rowan Big wool went to my sister - hopefully , I can get a pic of it sometime. It knitted up in 2 evenings and looked warm and trendy. Also, 2 crocheted flower corsages got wrapped and gifted without a photo. I was really proud of these as they looked fabulous. I had seen something similar in Loop when I went there last month. They were charging about £35 each. Being a knitter/crocheter, I do understand that there is a lot of skill and time involved in making these things. But, I also know that I can make one just as beautiful for next to nothing. I intend to make several more, so there should be a pic soon.
I finally finished the embroidery on the Jackyll and Hyde ski mask. It looks hilarious. I am reliably informed that my nephew loves it.
For Clare the Bear, I whipped up another Colinette Fandango Boa. The pattern is from their booklet Artyfacts. I've made many of these. It takes just one skein of Fandango and is a brilliant way to try out the fantastic Colinette colourways.
The Bear asked me to make her a couple of pairs of simple fingerless mittens to give as presents. This is a pattern that I bought from the knitting stall on Watford market - can't remember the details. I have made a few pairs and adapted it a bit to use up scraps of yarn. They don't look much until you put them on. When worn they are really cute.
Using scraps seemed like a good idea, so I dug out some yarn in toning colours to make this fun beret. The pattern is the Multicoloured Beret from Handknit Style. I saw a couple of versions made up on Ravelry. It looks very different according to the colours and textures that you use. I recommend this pattern. It's fun to make, uses up leftover yarn and looks great. I want to make many more versions of this.
The hat obsession shows no sign of subsiding. I had a couple of balls of SWTC Oasis, the lovely bamboo yarn, that I picked up in a sale. I decided to try it out on the free crochet hat pattern on Interweave Crochet's website. The result is very pleasing. It was a quick easy pattern and a pretty little hat. I think it is called the Lace Cap and is by Kim Werker.
Also finished in December was the black Punk's Not Dead Hat for David at work. It took almost 2 balls of Lamb's Pride Bulky. It had been waiting to be felted for several weeks. I am never disappointed with this pattern. The hat looks fabulous. David loved it.
I had been admiring the cute, photogenic Blythe dolls that seem to be so popular with bloggers for ages. So, I was thrilled to receive one for Christmas from Karen. She is called Mod Molly and is just lovely. I never really considered myself a "doll" person but these girls have totally won me over. I have been experimenting with tiny hats for Molly and made a couple of simple beanies before discovering that the Bunny pattern from Get Your Crochet On makes a perfect beret. I've also sewn a couple of supercute dresses using patterns downloaded on the internet. I see many miniature jumpers, cardigans and hats on the knitting horizon.
I almost forgot - I started a jumper in Rowan Big Wool. The back is done and then it got put on hold until the Christmas presents were done. I'll dig it out again some time this week. Christmas and New Year were a lot of fun in our house. Miss Millie is very happy with the Wii that Santa brought for her. It is surpringly fun.

Shrug !

Last weekend I went away for a short break. The DH had booked a surprise minicruise to Denmark. Just 2 nights aboard ship and about 5 hours to walk around Esberg. We had a brilliant time - which , of course, included some knitting. I had been planning to make the Anthropologie Inspired Capelet by Julesy from the Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Superchunky that I got in the John Lewis sale last January ever since I bought it. At last it is a reality...It took about two and a half balls . I like Cashmerino a lot - it is very soft. I like this shrug pattern as it is simple and effective. I may well make more of these. It is currently blocking and all it needs now is a pretty brooch to fasten it. Meanwhile, the simple lace stitch shrug from Designer One Skein Wonders is about to get frogged. I found the pattern largely incomprehensible and have ended up with with the lace pattern looking not as I would like. I am torn between giving up and starting again having learnt what I want to change from the first attempt.
My favourite finished object this week is the Noro Kureyon Long Stocking Cap. The pattern is by Nathalie Godbout and is available free on the net. I modified it slightly by knitting 15 rows between decrease rows instead of 19. This was an attempt to squeeze it out of 2 balls of Kureyon. I ended up buying another ball to finish the last inch and make a lovely big tassel. I love this hat. I immediately cast on another one which is or a Christmas present. This one will be slightly longer as I'm going to follow the pattern as written. There are so many fabulous hat patterns available for free. The Jackyll and Hyde balaclava from Knitty is one of my favourites at the moment. I am nearly finished one of these for a Christmas present. Just the mouth to embroider. I love the way it looks like a smart cosy hat and then pulls down into a hilarious scary ski mask. Another free pattern that I whipped up one day last week is this Robin's Egg Blue Hat. I used some of the Colinette One Zero that I bought at the Knit and Stitch Show in October. It took less than one skein. I am not too happy with the black button and am planning a trip to Hobbycraft to purchase a nice green one later today. I think that this wasn't the ideal yarn for this pattern as the seed stitch gets a bit lost in the thick and thin texture and variegated colourway. It is still a great hat though. Finally, here is a picture of Miss Millie disguised as her hero, Clare the Bear. She looks so grown up now.