Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Made in 2010


1. Vinelle, 2. Dyeing with KoolAid, 3. xmas Angel, 4. Elenya's Winter, 5. Elenya's Moon, 6. Yet another Moon, 7. Oriana's Misti Alpaca Moon, 8. A quilt for Evie-Rose, 9. Luna, 10. Delight, 11. Patience, 12. Inspired, 13. Anais, 14. Fruitella, 15. Bonita for you, 16. Bonita for me, 17. Inigo's Quilt, 18. Veyla, 19. Damson, 20. Afghan, 21. 009, 22. pussy cat tea cosy, 23. DSC03172, 24. 037, 25. Que Sera, 26. Daisy Buttons, 27. Owl, 28. School sweaters are finished!, 29. School sweaters are finished!, 30. Yoked Cardi, 31. needle roll prototype, 32. owl and the pussy cat, 33. 004, 34. Bliss, 35. 010, 36. 036

Hello everyone,
Well it Turns out that training to be a teacher takes more time than I thought:) Which is why I haven't been around much over the last couple of months. I have such a wonderful year and I feel truly grateful that I have been able to get onto this training course. I hope that your year has been as wonderful and eventful as mine and I hope that 2011 brings you everything that you need. Happy New year
love
Arianwen xxx

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Patience


And breathe!
It is finally here a week of pure bliss. Of course I am talking about the half term holiday. I don’t think I have never been so desperate for a week off in my whole life. Knitting has been going on since my last post but, I haven’t had much time for concentration so basically as soon as anything has required anything more than your basic intelligence it has been shelved and something else cast on.
In fact the only thing I have finished in the last 6 or so weeks has been Patience. Just after my birthday I was lucky enough to spend a day at County Alpacas. All of Julie’s animals were lovely but, I have to say I am in love with only one.
Her name is Patience she is so called because it took 365 days of pregnancy on the part of her mother to deliver her. Now Patience is not pretty, she is highly allergic to flies which obviously are a problem especially in the summer. Her eyes and ears were red and puffy however, they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I have to say I think she is gorgeous! Not only has she got the softest fur but she loves a cuddle and I spent most of the afternoon cuddling and stroking her- not a bad way of spending an afternoon. Needless to say you can’t go to an alpaca farm and not buy yarn and I came back clutching a lovely skein of hand dyed 4ply and a tummy full of the most delicious flapjacks handmade by Julie. Julie assured us that although the brown yarns came from one animal but the dyed came from several of the white (though I secretly hope that much of my skein belonged to the lovely Patience).
I stroked and played with my skein for a couple of weeks before the cowl pattern came into my head. I am pretty pleased with how it has turned out. It is the perfect back drop for a gorgeous yarn and a very nice pin that I was given for my birthday.
So if you have a few hours over the half term break and the perfect skein of yarn you might like to make your own.



Patience Cowl
100g 4ply alpaca
4mm 60cm circular needle
Cable needle

K2tog = knit 2 together
Yfwd = bring yarn forward between the needles. Then when you make the next st it will go over the top of the needle
Ssk= slip 1 stitch, knit 1 stitch, pass the slipped stitch over the knit stitch
CF5 = place 2 stitches on cable needle at front of work , knit 3 stitches then knit 2 stitches from cable needle



Cast on 160 stitches join in the round
Add a st marker to show the beginning of the round.
Round 1 knit
Round 2 purl
Round 3 k2tog yfwd to end
Round 3 purl
Round 4 knit
Main body
Round 1*k5, p1, k1, p1, ssk, (yfwd k1) 3times, yfwd, k2tog, p1, k1, p1* rep from* to * 8 times till end of round.
Round 2 *CF5, p1, k1, p1, k9, p1, k1, p1* rep from* to * 8 times till end of round.
Round 3*k5,p1,k1,p1,ssk,k5,k2tog,p1,k1,p1* rep from* to * 8 times till end of round.
Round4 CF5 ,p1,k1,p1,k7,p1,k1,p1* rep from* to * 8 times till end of round.

Repeat last 4 rounds 14 times
Then repeat rounds 1 and 2
Start border
Round 1 purl
Round 2 k2tog yfwd to end
Round 3 purl
Round 4 cast off.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Inspired!



Hello again,

I was on Ravelry Yesterday and spotted this Gorgeous think I, I must own one immediately! So here it is and just in case you feel the same here are the pattern notes.

Go on you know you want one, cast on immediately!


You will need 8mm needles

Approx 200g of very chunky yarn I used Debbie Bliss Como as I had it in stash.

Cast on 60 st.

Knit in Garter stitch till you run out of yarn. Mine measured 24" and I knit 145 rows.

Cast off.

Stitch the beginning to the End. Voila you have a cowl.

Now you just need cold enough weather to wear it.

Friday, August 20, 2010

Squeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Hello again,
The summer holidays hold all kinds of happiness but, of one my favourite selfish pleasures is the Rowan Exchange. When I first started taking part it was as a member of Rowan International an exclusive club that Rowan has for getting your magazine. I still belong to Rowan international but the exchange is now open to all who join the Rowan Tree a friendly little forum on Ravelry.
I love every aspect of the Exchange from choosing which yarn and gift my victim will love, to finding little extras to pop in the parcel and then of course waiting for the post man who always turns up pretty close to my birthday! This year Skeiner Organised it we had to write an essay about ourselves, our likes and dislikes and she suggested we look at our victims favourites and queued items for inspiration.
I have to say I did struggle a bit. Other years the information that I received from my victim was more straight forward- yes no answers. By the end of reading the essay I knew she liked purple and black and from her queue I knew that she liked fingerless gloves.
A pair of Veyla gloves would be perfect for Starside and I knew I wanted make a shawl or a hat to go with them.
Now although she has made a lot of lacy shawls none of them seemed to be for her and to be honest as I had met her once she didn't really strike me as a lacy kinda girl! So in the end I settled with Damson also by Ysolda Teague. I chose Drops Alpaca to make both things in. A lovely rich purple which I knew would be right up starside's street. Anyway they are finished and sent and Starside assures me that she likes them. I love the Veyla and would definitely make them again but, Damson I have my reservations about
I don't think I will make it again it was very easy to do perhaps too easy and I think the end result is more than a little bland. Luckily the yarn is fantastic so even screwed up inside a coat used as a scarf it should be ok. Oriana liked it:)

As for my gift received... I think Gillspain found the choosing of a gift really easy! It is just perfect for me. I saw this in the Summer Interweave magazine and immediately queued it on Ravelry. The trouble is with bags I rarely make anything like that for myself especially if I have to try and work out an English equivalent yarn.
Gilspain used allseasons cotton in green. She also sent two skeins of llama yarn and an odd skein of green all seasons cotton (which I have already used) There is an unfounded rumour going around that I am obsessed with green. I am however, totally obsessed with this bag!! I literally jumped up and down when I opened the parcel. Hence the very wobbly photos. I thought I might be going to have to fight Pinkie for it but, it isn't crochet so after an initial sniff she left it alone.



Thursday, August 12, 2010

Pussy Cat


Hello again, not that I am obsessed with cats but....Continuing on the cat themeJ Last year when I went to see my grandparents I noticed that not only did they use a tea pot several times a day but, they also used a tea cosy. The one that they owned looked like it had seen better days though it was a hand knit created probably by my Auntie Sandi as she is a prolific crafty person! Anyway when I got back on Ravelry I found this great tea cozy. Obviously gonna keep the tea warm and they do love cats. Anyway I kept convincing myself that I had loads of time before I went again to Canada so it kept going to the back of the queue. About two days before I was due to go I cast onL luckily it was a very quick knit and I had finished it in time to shove into my hand luggage. By the time I got to my grandparents the original tea cozy had been replaced with another of my Aunts creations which was probably just as well as it was a little bit of a struggle to get my pussy cat over the tea pot without burning your fingers – next time I need to make him bigger!! He did however raise a chuckle from my granddad especially and has made friends with Tinker. Which if you new Tinker you would realise was no mean feat!

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

It has been done a while


I have to confess Inigo's quilt has been done for quite some time. In fact I am not quite sure when it was finished certainly before the summer holidays.
I pretty much fall in love with all of my quilts as I finish them but, this one I just love, love, Love! I am not sure if it is the combinations of batiks and plaids which work so much better that I could ever have hoped for or that although it was made for my lovable boy it is sophisticated enough for him to still enjoy it when he is a grown man. I think the biggest love has to be Inigo's enthusiasm for it. Every time the fabric was laid out, cut, sewn or rearranged Inigo was there admiring it and asking questions. He was adamant from the very start that he wanted cats on his quilt. Four cats in representation of the four that live in this house!
This was my biggest worry of the quilt four cats that didn't automatically make the quilt for a small child (I really want him to still love this when he is big).
I figured silhouettes would be the best option but not in black. I spent ages looking for the perfect fabric
it eventually turned up in the LittleBlueTortoise's stash (it is great having friends with the same hobbies) at one point I thought that I had mucked up one of the cats and broke the news that it might just have three.
"Don't worry" replies Inigo "there will always be a fourth asleep in the middle of the bed".

I originally wanted to quilt it even more heavily but, I weighed up the time it would take to add the extra quilting against the immediate happiness that Ingio would have if he could have the quilt that night and his smile won out.

Friday, August 06, 2010

39!

I opened my eyes this morning and just like that another year has passed. They say the years go past quickly the older you get but really the time whizzes by so fast that my head spins. How did my baby girl, in a matter of weeks, become taller than me? I realise that it has been over a month since I last blogged, yet loads has been going on. This time last week I was just leaving my grandparents in Canada. This time last week I was finishing Anais and Starting Arielle and an Afghan inspired by the one on my grandparent's sofa. In fact so much knitting and sewing has gone on in the last month that it is far too much to tell you about in this post! I shall try for a post a day until the back log is complete, but today I shall look at my cards and eat my cake.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Blossom


Well yet again I have been a bad blogger. Spending lots of time making things and not enough time telling you about them JI have really enjoyed making Blossom indeed I am really enjoying wearing Blossom as I type. In the 1980's and early 90's Kim Hargreaves was my designer of choice her designs are very wearable and fun to knit. In her latest book Misty there are several designs in the just gotta have so I should be casting on another from stash in the next couple of weeks. Anyway back to Blossom. The yarn Rowan Milk Cotton Fine doesn't behave very well.
It is splitty and in some places it actually hadn't taken the colour it also likes to tangle in the ball very annoying but, having said all of that I think that I will probably use it again. The colours are divine!!!!
The fabric is soft and floppy and has lovely stitch definition just the thing for summer knitwear. I ended up making a size smaller than I intended as by the time I had reached the length for the peplum in the smallest size I figured it looked big enough so took a gamble and cast off. As it happens the gamble paid off but I spent a couple of sleepless nights wondering if I would be able to do it up!
The photos of Blossom were taken by Oriana but, as she skipped back into the house this little one came to visit seh was right by my feet when I took this photo and I spent another 5 minutes watching her getting food ready for her babies,so sweet!

InSweMoDo2010 #10

Pattern Blossom

Designer Kim Hargreaves

Needles 2.25mm 2.75mm

Yarn Rowan Milk Cotton Fine Water Bomb 4.5 balls

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Que Sera, Sera...



yep, they are both finished and have both been worn and have both now been photographed. Though not well! The sun which lets face it has been mainly absent this spring decided to turn up on the two separate days that we were wearing our new cardis ( well you didn't actually think we would wear them together did you?). I have to say I am really happy with how they turned out.
I love the short sleeved version and really think it is cute left unbuttoned. Why I didn't think of that for myself I don't know.
Mine looks better buttoned which is just as well as it is the proud owner of some fantastic daisy buttons. Now as soon as I saw this cardigan I thought ah ha I have the perfect buttons for that. Beautiful glass daisies that were once painted and could be restored!!! A rummage through Mamie's buttons and I could find only 3 buttons - I thought I had more:( So I decided to do an ebay search on glass daisy buttons QUE SERA two more exactly the same as the three I already owned.

A couple of coats of enamel paint and they look exactly as I had hoped. Perfect for a pretty spring cardigan.


Pattern Que Sera
Needles 4.5mm
Yarn Rowan Handknit cotton
Time taken :- far too much!

Monday, May 17, 2010

Mothers Ruin Has a Giveaway

Well I don't know about you but I love fabric and and Mothers Ruin is having a giveaway. A mention on your blog is all you need to take part so here is mine. I always love a new blog and a crafty male makes a nice change/ gives a different slant on the female craft perspective. So if you are looking for a giveaway or an entertaining new blog then give him a look.

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Another little Owl


Well I told you that there was going to be another Owl in my future. This one I nick named Lucy as she has stars in her eyes. The little blue tortoise laid huge hints on me about the owl quilt she really liked the idea and as I really wanted to make another it seemed like it would be the perfect solution to her birthday present. She has just had her hall way decorated a lovely shade of blue.

A rummage through my scrap bag and I had found all of the blues , just enough. I think will have to start sewing with a vengence inorder to get collecting scraps again. Although this one really doesn't fit anywhere it my house I love the colours. It hung on my wall on the day of completion just so I could admire it. The little piece of Alice Butler on the wings really makes it. Will I make another owl sometime? Maybe...

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Can’t quite believe I am showing you this.

I thought I would give you a knitting update. If you are ready to make oooing and ahhhing noises at a lovely finished garment I am sorry you will probably have to wait another couple of weeks. No, something else has caught my eye, Blossom from the new Kim Hargreaves book Misty.
I think it is probably smart enough for work yet pretty enough to wear out. I have to say I love pretty much everything in this book which let us face it doesn't happen very often.

MY friend Sarah and I went to the lovely BaaRamYew in Leeds two weeks ago. If you are wanting a proper old fashioned reasonably priced wool shop with masses of choice combined with Ravelry at their finger tips this is the shop for you! Anyway I digress the yarn I went looking for was Rowan Milk Cotton Fine 70% cotton 30% Milk proteins (what will they think of next) I could have come back with every colour on the shelf but I settled on what is probably my most favourite-ist colour of all time this duck egg blue. It was a hard choice especially as the pattern is called Blossom now I am home I really could have a yen for that pink... :)

A Ravelry friend also fancied Blossom so I am indulging in a KAL . She is a very organised knitter and believes – like the rest of you in swatches! I have only ever made one swatch probably about two years ago and I still haven't finished the socks that I made it for. In other words I really don't swatch but after the recent knitting lunacy and the fact that I will be really annoyed if hers fits like a glove and mine looks like a sack I thought I better make one. So here it is my second ever swatch.
The milk cotton is a little splitty which might be annoying and I think I blocked it a little harder than I need to but it looks like it should be ok so rather than being good and finishing off all of these wips that are strewn around the place I am going to cast on again tonight:

Thursday, April 22, 2010

This Knitting is Ridiculous!


I thought of various titles for this blog post déjà vu, seeing double that sort of thing but when I started to take photos I realised how crazy I am beginning to look!

The beginning of the Easter holidays I cast on the Alice top but wasn't very happy with the tension from pretty much the get go the Bamboo stretches like crazy and on the lacy pattern I can fit my fingers through the holes probably not a good look for any type of top. Any sensible person would have ripped it out straight away not me it seems. I finished until it separated for under the arms before I decided I wanted to try it on a smaller needle – which I didn't have.
Feeling incredibly frustrated that my lovely Easter project wasn't going quite as I had envisaged I sent off for a new Addi needle. Whilst I was waiting for my needle to arrive instead of knitting one of the numerous wip's that live in my front room, I cast on Que Sera from this edition of knitty.

I got the tension for the Rowan Handknit cotton on the recommended 5mm but it looked like a string vest so I decided that I would do it on a 4.5mm. Excellent plan except in order for this to work I would have had to go up a dress size which I didn't do so now I have half a cardiganwhich though it will do up makes me look like a blue sausage!
Would be a shame to rip it out especially as I have done so much work thinks I. So I have left it and yes you guessed it cast on again hoping against hope that I have enough yarn to make two pairs of sleeves. Then my Addi's arrived so I have again cast on Alice I definitely like the tension on this version better though I must remember to go up a dress sizeJ


 

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

64 Paddy Paws!



Way back in July 1996 when Elenya was a tiny baby. I was walking through Brugge when I stumbbled upon my first patchwork shop, Pineapple.

It was a funny shop in one of the back streets by the gates of the old town. After I had struggled through two doors with a pram and the shop assistant had watched me I realised that they really didn't sell much! A few fat quarters in baskets dotted around the vast white interior and a pile of old Quilters newsletter. Now I would probaly walk straight back out but, I wandered around collected a few fat quarters which were a wonderful 1930's chintz and then I spied the April 1996 Quilters newsletter.
The beautiful quilt on the front "Chaco's Paw" captured my heart and the story of how the designer had named it after her kitten who had helped make it captured my imagination. Though as I had never made anything remotely patchwork before I definately didn't have the skills to make one of my own.
The fat quarters were made up into a feedsack quilt ( my first quilt) when Elenya was three and the magazine was stored for safe keeping.
Then last year when I asked Inigo what sort of quilt he wanted he was definate that he wanted a cat one. Now as an eight year old boy I can see the attraction but, I hope that as a grown man he might still like the quilt that his mama makes for him and I felt that a seriously cat one might not make the grade.
Then I remembered "chaco's Paw" I was happy and so was Inigo though he still wants it to have at least one cat. It was a bit optimistic to think I would have the whole thing complete by last week however I have broken the back of it now with a little quilting help from Molly!

Saturday, April 10, 2010

My Giveaway Quilt


I keep seeing Owls every where in the craft world.Little fabric sculptures. logos, fabric and knitting patterns though unlike the 1970's no macrame yet!
I think it is rapidly becoming synonimous with anything crafty which is why I decided on a wise old owl for my little quilt. It has been ages since I designed something completely from scratch but I felt as I was giving it away it had to be all my own work. An hour later and the whole thing was mapped out on brown paper( brown paper that somebody in this house has tidied up). I also wanted the fabrics to be cheerful, spring, Eastery type colours which took some serious scrabbling through the scrap bag.
I am pretty pleased how he turned out. I almost whipped up something else as he looked gorgeous on my wall! I think I might make him again as soon as I find the brown paper!

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