The Silverspider Presents

TaaaaDaaaaaa!

2012-01-22T22:11:00.000Z

Hello my Lovelies,
well it is finished my Lovely Logan. The first completed item of 2012. It is funny but the first and the last made items of the year always seem the most special to me. It has become a tradition for me to cast on something special for me on Christmas day. This year I decided I couldn't afford to go and buy yarn for this tradition so I rummaged around in my stash. This one nearly didn't make it. I cast it on in a completely different colour (white) and a different yarn. Four inches in and I knew it wasn't going to work. By the end of Christmas day it had gone to the frog pond. Another stash diving and I came up with a cone of soft grey. As soon as I cast it on I knew it was perfect the cables just popped. I am so pleased with how this has turned out especially as it is made from stash. I made the smallest size but because my tension was slightly different to the recommended yarn, the sweater has turned out less fitted than the original but is so warm and snuggely.Just perfect for windy winter days.I was a bit disapointed that I couldn't splash out more yarn but there is somehow a lot of satisfaction out of be able to use up what I already have. I am going to carry on trying to down size my stash as well as whiping the wips. Noyeaux is back on the needles so expect another taa daa very soon.
Arianwen xx

Shades of grey

2012-01-19T17:25:00.000Z

Hello my lovelies,

welcome to the deep mid winter. It seems that is continually freezing cold and grey. I have noticed the days getting longer ( they must be as January is rushing by) but really not fast enough for my liking. I saw sunshine this morning, fleetingly, through a staffroom window. That little bit of shiney, happiness lifted my spirits no end.
The evenings are so dark I am spending them huddled in front of the fire knitting of course.Logan is warm and snuggley covering my lap it is nearly done and I can't wait to wear it.

I decided that this year I wanted to make some of my own designs up so I am also working on a hat pattern of my own design.

The projects match the weather all grey.
Enjoy the rest of your week I am going to carry on knitting and hoping for a Taaa Daaaa moment at the weekend.
Arianwen

Looking Backwards and Forwards

2012-01-03T15:42:00.000Z

Hello my lovelies, well it doesn't seem possible but after climbing over the Christmas tree for several weeks it is finally over. 2011 is finished and it is time to look forward to the possiblities that 2012 might be going to offer.2011 for me was hectic, stressful and towards the end quite disapointing. However I did get a lot of knitting done. There is nothing like blogging to help you keep track of your accompishments.

1. NaNaas socks, 2. Go Go's on the bus socks, 3. Nobel Cowl, 4. Elenya's Birthday Liesl, 5. Bird house, 6. Winterberries, 7. Rama, 8. Spring Crocus, 9. Looks like Martha to me!, 10. Audrey in Unst, 11. SWEATER AND BONNET, 12. Simple City, 13. Abi, 14. Ishbel, 15. Christmas Thistle, 16. Miette, 17. Crochet Cushion, 18. Creature Comforts, 19. Opal, 20. Lady Cythera, 21. Aaren, 22. Vaire, 23. It's not Harry's it's mine!, 24. Emilia's Quilt, 25. A Hat For Matt, 26. Back to School, 27. Back to School, 28. I love sleeping in the wet!, 29. Granny Tissooo, 30. Liesel, 31. Tidal, 32. Esha's Rama, 33. Crochet Cushion, 34. Audrey in April, 35. Habitat, 36. Hopsalot
This year looks like it is going to be equally rollercoaster like so I have decided what I need for 2012 is a plan of action. For the knitting, at least, mainly so that I can use up my stash whip the wips and try and stay focused on what I want to make rather than being swayed by all of the wonderful projects that I see on Ravlery. This is what I have so far.
Noyaux
Logan
Acer
Emelie
Honeybee
Baby Cables big ones too
Vali
Myrtle
Mathilde
Lillian
Velynda
Paper dolls
Noyeaux, Logan and Acer are already on the needles. Logan and Acer being what I cast on for Christmas (I couldn't decide. I am thinking 12 hats and 12 shawls too but that might be a little ambitious what do you think? I will look back at the end of the year and see what I came up with.
Happy New year
Arianwen xx

Waiting for Santa

2011-12-24T22:15:00.000Z

Helloo,
Merry Christmas everyone! And breathe! Everything that can be done is done anything that isn't well too bad. It is all done presents made, knitted I didn't do to badly there is a hat too. Delicious Fudge and the raspbery vodka of early in the year has been packaged, bottled and gifted. The turkey has been stuffed and we are just waiting for Santa. I hope he brings you everything you deserve.
Arianwen xx

Taking photos in the dark

2011-12-04T20:35:00.001Z

Hello, how are you all?
I decided to treat myself to a lie in this morning. I am not saying that I don't do this regularly but this morning I really wished I hadn't. By 9.00 am it was already trying to go dark! Which was a real pity as I was hoping for some really fantastic photos of Aaren. Aaren is a great pattern and I was lucky enough to have enough yarn to make both the body and sleeves a little longer than recommended My twelfth sweater of the year! This has been a long slow job to finish it, I think because I had already made it once. It has rained almost continually all day 'cept for when it tried a a little sleet! It has been an indoor day. Elenya took a few photos on my camera but it wasn't a great success then she got out her posh one which worked out a lot better but we were a little low on motivation for photos by that point. So that's it, a couple of indoor photos of a really fab sweater and none of my goodies from Harrogate.

The yarn is lovely and warm and cosy I just wish that it wasn't trying to burr up already! I have quite a lot of cashmerino in stash but I don't think I will be buying anymore it is a little frustrating to spend loads of time knitting something and see it start fluffing from the get go.

Well I also finished something this week. A bag. I started it two years ago, put the handles on a year ago and then it has taken another year to make the crochet flowers and the lining. I think it has turned out pretty well though I can't imagine that I will ever use it so I think it will go into my present stash.

My latest knitting is for Elenya, Creature Comforts, the yarn was bought for me by my Auntie Sandi to make me a dress but I think the colour is fabulous on Elenya so she gets it. It is a great colour bright and cheerful just perfect for a dark winter's day.

Arianwen xxx

It's Not Harry's

2011-11-28T19:52:00.001Z

Helloo,
how are you? Bet you didn't expect to hear from me again this week.

Well I do like the element of surprise and I felt I had better get organised and show you Inigo's new sweater either before it is in holes or he has grown out of it. He loves it!!! Probably one of the most successful things I have ever made for him. I was a little worried about the itch factor but I washed it in conditioner(lots of conditioner) and he tells me that it is soft warm and cosy.

I finished it just as Inigo was finishing the last of the books. It is kind of sad I have had great enjoyment listening to him recanting the stories to me with such enthusiasm or chanting spells with such enthusiasm. I did toy with idea of putting an H on the front of the sweater but then decided that as Mrs Weasley made different letters for all of the boys in her life that I would do the same.

The I, as everyone knows, is for Inigo but it is interesting how people see the letter I. One friend's husband told Inigo that there was no I in team. Inigo was totally bemused he had no idea what he was talking about!
Enjoy the rest of your week

Arianwen xx

As a postscript I will say that the other lovely model in this post is Georgie. She is the same age as Oriana and Inigo and tries to act like a sensible grown up until my children are around and then chaos ensues! I bet you want to know aboutthe Harrogate show? Well wasn't as good as it has been in previous years which doesn't mean that I came home empty handed. I will try and photograph my loot at the weekend.

Whip it up quickly!

2011-11-25T20:26:00.001Z

Helloo how are you all?
Did you miss me? I have been chaotically busy, no time for blogging, though I have been planning posts in my head if I had managed to get near a computer you might of seen some of them:)
In amongst work, visiting lovely friends and all the other bits and bobs that fill up my life, I have been trying to be crafty and I have to confess I have had a good couple of weeks. The creative juices really started to flow with an invitation to a christening.

I am not really that bothered about christenings, weddings, yes those I really like - any excuse to wear a hat. Mario and the rest of the family really like christenings and I must confess I love babies, there is something truly wonderful about those lovely,warm,sweet smelling bundles. They are like a promise for the wonderful human being that they are going to become. So when we were invited to Emilia's christening, the family started to jump and down full of excitment and I started wondering what would be the perfect present.

Hmm from me? It has to be a quilt! Many years ago I made a Chook Shed quilt pattern called Edward and Bess for a christening. I adjusted it slightly so that became more personal. After that I made the quilt a whole lot of times for a whole lot of making other peoples's designs these days so I decided to design my own. So here it is one little bear for one little girl.

It turned out very pink! But as all of the fabric and the wadding came from stash I was pretty pleased as it meant low cost and getting rid of all that wadding was very good for clearing drawer space! Just in time as tomorrow I am off to the Harrogate knitting and stitching show and I am sure to find lots of things that I want to fill drawers with!
Bye for now

Arianwen xx

Oh lovely weekend.

2011-10-30T19:15:00.000Z

Hello,
well tomorrow is back to everything. It kind of makes me sad when I realise how few school holidays there actually are left with my children. Elenya pointed out, at dinner, that she only has 24 more weeks at school. How did that happen? How did she get so big? We have had a lovely weekend though with lots of very special friends.
I decided on Friday that I needed a quick midless knitting project that could be done between chatting and wine drinking and wandering around Bretton Sculpture Park. I chose Knotty but Nice as I had a lone ball of cascade 220 calling to me from my knitting basket. It actually isn't for Mario though he was a good enough sport to model it, though it kind of suits him so he might get one for xmas shhhhh! Dont tell him!

I would have been quite happy just to have finished that but it gets better. My BF's eldest was transfixed so I asked her if she wanted to learn. A trip to my LYS on Friday morning for provisions and the yarn and needles were stashed away until we could get a quiet moment. Oriana, Elenya and DMAB cast on this morning and all three had a mitten before it was time to go home.

Another knitter joins the ranks, even her mother was inspired, and it made for a perfect end to a lovely weekend. I hope yours was as good.

Arianwen xxx

Time Marches On

2011-10-19T21:52:00.001Z

Hello, I can't quite believe it, but another month has past. I have spent it temping, doing the domestic and surprise, surprise knitting. Though now I am writing this I realise I am a little short on photos. Oh well! I seem to need the knitting more when I am over stretched and tired. A little something for me when life is a little much. First up is Aaren by Kim Hargreaves. My mum bought me the yarn for this last year for my birthday. The photo's don't do the colour justice it is a lovely rich plum colour.

My last Aaren is white - I love it but was a little disapointed that mine didnt ever seem as long as the models in the book so this time I have extended it and knitted it in the round so that I can try it on. There are two more diamonds before the waist shaping. It was all going very well until I realised I had mucked up the central cable over the tummy so really obvious so I had to rip a big chunk out. It is back on target now and I am nearly to the armpits.
Aaren is a little too complicated to carry around with me so I thought I would knit something for Inigo. I asked him what he would like and I got an instant response of a Harry Potter Sweater. As he is avidly reading each of the books in turn and quoting spells at me I wasn't surprised. I got the yarn and pattern on line from the New Lanark Mill. Apparently it is the original which is strange as I always thought the letter gold rather than beige though I actually think this is better - a bit more masculine. It is quite rough/ rugged. I have finished the back a mindless stocking stitch that can be done when standing outside classrooms.I started the arms earlier and I am hopeful it is going to make a lovely warm sweater.
Anyway I have a few more hectic days and then we are to half term yippeee - a few more hours to myself and maybe I will have a Ta-Dah moment or two:)
Enjoy your weekend

Arianwen xx

Visuals

2011-09-19T13:29:00.001Z

Hello,
I have been planning this post for a few weeks conjouring it in my head hoping that my thoughts don't make me sound to superficial. But then when I logged in I realised that blogger has changed. I am writing this in the new blogger form and I have to say I quite like it, the clear form and pale blue background are pleasant to type on little bit undecided about the peach icons I presume they tried to match it to the blogger one but really the same colour would have been better.though the proof will be in whether or not it posts properly. As I am about to post I have noticed it is without a spell checker so that is not good!
Ever so often my email company tries to change the look of my email and I change it back, it is too violently coloured and the icons are in the wrong place, it doesn't appeal to me.
It is not just graphics that draw and repel me it also photographs. A few months ago one of my favourite designers decided to use an outsize model, for her latest knitwear range. I cannot tell a lie it put me off. Rowan did the same a couple of years ago they haven't done it again and I wonder if they realised that many people were put off the designs because of the shape of the model in them. Luckily, there are lots of talented knitters out there( of all shapes) modelling their gorgeous knits which can redeem any styling that the designer has fallen down on.

Then for my birthday I got a cookbook , More from Magnolia, without any photographs to speak of. In the centre are a few pages of gaudy looking cakes and the whole thing has mint green and black text.

It really is a visual atrocity and I nearly shelved it without more than a cursary glance but first cake used ingredients that I had in the house and I had a spare hour so thought I would give it a go.

All I can say is YUM! It was delicious and lasted less than twenty four hours. I have subsequently made the second cake Banana , Coconut and Pecan bread which disapeared equally fast - so fast I didn't even get a photo. Both cakes have been made again yesterday and maybe because I couldnt see what they were supposed to look like I have felt confident enough to tinker with the recipes. I probably won't talk about this book again on here but I have decided to make everything in it at least once. I am trying for a cake a week and you can see the results on Flickr.
So as I write, I realise that it not that I am truly superficial( though perhaps a little bit) but more that I have a strong sense of what is visually appealing to me as I guess we all do.

Arianwen xx

Tip Toe-ing Back

2011-09-07T14:52:00.004Z

Sorry it has been a while but somehow the summer seems to precious to spend anytime in front of the computer when there are so many other things to do. Everyone went back to school today and I have spent the last couple of weeks in a knitting frenzy of blue. The last of the school sweaters. It really is the end of an era.

It doesn't seem like five minutes since I was making the first of them for Elenya just before she started school. In reality that was nearly 10 years ago. On this blog I think there have been at least three lots! Inigo's was fairly bog standard to knit. Oriana's was fun. I found the pattern on Ravelry for free I lengthened both the arms and the body and also added button holes every two inches. I was planning on more conservative buttons but there wasn't really anything that took my fancy at my local button shop and Oriana liked the spots. I think she made a good choice they make the cardigan.
I swore the last two were the last, I made them large enough, but the king cole yarn has burred and fluffed so much that they look like furry monsters when they wear them. So this time these are made in cheap acrylic. I am assured they are warm and cuddley so hopefully they will last the year.

Snow Globes for Adults.

2011-07-19T18:32:00.004Z

Helloo,
after my last post I have to tell you I was feeling pretty smug after all my jam making. The cupboard is full, well at the moment it is but, the children are going through the first couple of jars pretty fast.

Anyway I had little pop around blogland and saw lots of other yummy foody things I spotted lots of lovely potatos and beans which all looked delicious but, if I wanted beans I should of got busy ages ago. Then I popped into Hen House and she was making cherry vodka.

Well,although I do have a cherry tree it would be a mamouth task to go to pick them as the tree is larger than the house. So as a rule I just leave them to the birds. What to do I really wanted pretty jars like Hen. But then I had an idea, what about raspbery vodka? I found a recipe on-line, juggled it a bit to fit my jars and voila! Very pretty jars and unlike the jam it lends itself to hours of entertainment as you need to shake them in order to disolve the sugar the perfect adult snow globe.

Enjoy the rest of your week

Arianwen xx

2011-07-15T13:20:00.002Z

Hello how are you all on this wonderful, sunny Friday?

Well I am great! Though totally frustrated with flipping blogger as I have just written a post that it has now chewed and lost half of including all my photos that I had painstaking cut and paste from flickr! I have had a good couple of weeks. I am now officially a teacher, of course that would be more impressive if I could tell you that I had a job but those seem to be in short supply. So as of September I join the ranks of supply teachers - wish me luck.
In the mean time I am realising (like many others out there) it is actually a nice easy life being a stay at home mummy especially when all your children are at school!
I should have been able to give you a Ta-dah moment on my blanket as I crocheted like a fiend. Unfortunately I ran out of the purple. I have about another 50 little circles to go so had to order more yarn from the States and it hasn't arrived yet. Probably as I get back from Canada, typical!!
So anyway I picked up another wip, an Aestlight shawl that I started way back in February, when I was doing my bus commute.

The yarn is wollmeise. I struggled to capture the colour but let me tell you it is even more wow weee than it looks in the photo. I am onto the edging so may finish in the next day or to if I can keep up the motivation.
Then a few days ago I came across a new blog -well to me at any rate The Royal Sisters. I have to say I am a little bit in love. Michelle has a refreshing, quirky style and has lots of great crochet ideas.

I have been intrigued by the idea of crocheted tissue box covers for a while and decided to have a go at Michelle's version. It was very quick and totally straightforward. This one was for a present but, looking at it I realise that I really needed one in this colour way as it goes perfectly with my table cloth!
As you might have already been able to tell my other main activities of the week have been berry picking and Jamming .....and Jamming and dyeing!

I do love making jam. My grandparents bought me my preserving pan a few years back for my birthday. I don't think it even got used last year so it has been fun to dust it off and spend the afternoon stirring the lovely sweet smelling liquid.
I still have a ton of raspberries that need attention but I have run out of jars. I have made strawberry, gooseberry, Blackberry and apple and lastly Blackcurrant Jelly. The Jelly was definitely the most time consuming but I had a bit of a light bulb moment after I had hung up my Jelly bag.

The currant picking was back breaking and originally I had been going to make jam though when I realised it was probably going to take about ten hours to top and tail all of them I decided to make jelly but the idea of throwing all of that fruit out made me feel a bit faint so I thought I would have a little go at dyeing.
So after the jelly was in its jars cooling I ran hot water through the jelly bag.

Then put the purple water, salt and yarn in the microwave for 15 minutes. Most of the colour had left the water and then I rinsed the yarn. I have to say I am super pleased with the result.

I haven't quite decided what to do with it but I am thinking about a little shawl maybe citron, what do you think? Let me know.
Well enjoy the rest of this lovely Friday and what looks to be a warm sunny weekend.

Out of Sync.

2011-06-29T08:58:00.003Z

Hello my lovelies,
for the first time in well forever I have nothing to do. Well nothing of great importance. I have just finished my teacher training, I find out next week if I have passed. The children are at school, the washing and ironing all done. So in theory I have lots of free time that I could commit to crafting but, for whatever reason I just can't get up any real enthusiasm. So I have decided to wip the wips! Don't you just love this photo? I think it pretty much sums me up!

First up is the blanket that I have been making for nearly a year for my mum. I am not actually sure that I have shown it to you before. I bought the yarn last year when I was in Canada. It is Red Heart Cheap as Chips Acrylic, without dye lots. Your surprised aren't you that I am using acrylic as I really am a yarn snob! But, actually it is really warm and soft and I will use it again. Anyway I have been chugging away on it for a week and I am just onto the 10th strip of 15. There are 15 Hex per strip so it is quite a task. Though I think I will definately be worth it when it is done as it already lovely and snuggly!

I was lucky enough to go to Woolfest at the weekend, it was Mario's treat for finishing my course, and met up with a huge group of online friends from the Rowan Tree forum on Ravelry.

All of the yarn was totally gorgeous and as for the animals ahhhh! The children had their eyes on this little lovely, four days old, I am sure they wanted to bring him home.

I just love the looks of concentration on their faces whilst they hold him.

I went armed with patterns that I would like to make in the next little while including the one I am going to make for this years Rowan Exchange and I have come back with some very yummy yarn projects that I will let you into over the next couple of weeks!

Arianwen xx

Today I am really hating Google Accounts.

2011-06-16T18:02:00.002Z

I read a lot of lovely blogs that are on my sidebar and I would love to be able to comment. But, I can't Blogger will sign me in to write my own posts but I can't post on any of yours. This has been going on for weeks it is soo frustrating. I guess that might be the same for many of you. Though if you can comment on mine and know why I can't comment on yours, please let me know.

Half Term and Another Little Rama

2011-06-03T16:51:00.005Z

Hellooo, how has your half term been? Ours has been pretty uneventful as I still am not feeling 100% but, we have been enjoying the sunshine. Our little guinea pig Sanka usually lives inside but, even he has been outside enjoying the warmth. Him being outside has provided extra entertainment for both the kids and the Cats. Molly has sat for hours watching him like t.v. though eventually got bored when she realised she wasn't going to be allowed to eat him. Even Azrael has had a little look.

There has been building. Fiddling with motors and trying them out on different surfaces to see which one will make it go faster. It is funny to see Inigo playing with the mechano that was my dad's. Three generations have had so much fun from a few nuts and bolts

There has as I predicted been baking. Two different versions of Flapjack and Chocolate chip muffins! Yummy!

Even better as the children are now big enough to do it all by themselves - including the washing up!

I have been busy again this week making another little Rama. This time for my neice Esha.
She came to visit last week and I asked if she would like one. The wide eyed yes was worth casting on immediatley for. The yarn was sirdar Snuggley Bamboo that I bought last year to make Alice. Alice ended up hitting the frog pond because this yarn was sooo badly behaved and to be honest if it hadn't worked for this it would have ended up in the bin. Anyway it worked, it is out of my stash and now I can start looking for something to make Alice out of.
Esha is a little older than Oriana and a little smaller. Which is great as I have made the same size for her as I did for her cousin. Though I knit like a nutter and had it finished in two days which is a little extreme for any knitting project I enjoyed making this again.

I sent it off today so hopefully she will get it tomorrow or Monday and I might be able to update this with some modelled shots

Say Something Sunday -Good Customer Service.

2011-05-29T18:22:00.005Z

Hello my lovelies,
I hope you have a had a good week. I have had a better one. But, I am afraid there aren't any pictures as I haven't got around to taking any. The house is filled by the scent of lilies from my gorgeous bouquet of flowers. There is no better smell it always lifts the spirits. I am still not well but, I am better than I was which is good! The knitting needles have been busy and I have produced quite a lot of knitting this week. Mainly because it is a sedentary activity which is pretty much all I have been capable of. I have started and finished a couple of things which I will show you when I have the energy for modelling and photos. Both purple! One of which was the gorgeous purple madelinetosh yarn cake of last week. I still have a skein and half left of that which is a bonus! So still thinking what to make with it. if you have any suggestions I would love to hear them.
Anyway being tied to the house I have spent quite a bit of time Internet shopping. It seems to me that shops( both Internet and otherwise) seem to fall into two categories; those who make their customers feel special and those who think their customers are a meal ticket. I still haven't had a response back from a certain crochet company about a pattern and I am assuming now I won't get one. So I have decided that if I get good customer service I am going to tell you about it. That way hopefully giving back a bit of the ahh feeling to the shops that I got when my stuff arrived. Anyway, my interweaveknits magazine came through the door and although it didn't have anything I wanted to make in it there was an advert for laura Chau's valentines cardigan if you are interested you can find a picture here. Now I am only stash busting at the moment but I really like this and decided that I would buy the pattern. There is only one shop in the whole of England that sells spud and chloe so I thought I would check them out first. £4.80 was the price for the pattern from them, I thought it was a little steep but, I figured that I was used to ravelry patterns that are very competitive. Then I looked at the postage - £3.80! For a pattern??? Daylight robbery! I love to be able to support the local LYS or at least the ones on this side of the pond but I have to say I bought the pattern from Jimmy Beans the price and postage costs were cheaper in dollars than I would have paid in pounds. It was here within a couple of days - fantastic service Mr Beans I will definitely use you again.
Next I went looking for buttons. I needed buttons for all of the yarn cakes, something unusual, something that wasn't too much money. Textile Garden, wow what can I say a fantastic selection of buttons, buckles and pins and fastenings all really reasonably priced and nothing like what I would get at my local shop. I ordered a selection on Thursday afternoon and they arrived Friday morning beautifully wrapped in deep pink tissue paper that match the lilies. Lovely it felt like a present.
Anyway this coming week is half term, the kids are planning a baking fest. They made chocolate cake yesterday which I am assured was delicious but, it was all gone by this morning. The next cake I will get a photo of even if I don't get a taste!
Hope you have a great week
Arianwen xx

Feeling Fragile

2011-05-23T18:53:00.002Z

Knitting, sewing, life are all taking a back seat at the moment.

Luckily I have friends,family, flowers and yarn cakes to lift my spirits!

So what is lifting your spirits this week?

well so much is going on what should I tell you first.

2011-05-15T18:48:00.005Z

Hello my lovelies,
yet again time has slipped through my fingers and so much is going on that I feel a bit overfaced with it all. First of all please excuse the state of the photos in this post I am not sure if it is the camera giving up the ghost or greasy fingers on the lens either way all of them seem a little blurry!
Over the last few weeks there has as always been lots of knitting.

Elenya turned 15 and requested a version of liesl. It was yellow cotton from stash( I am all about the stash at the moment). It was kind of strange to think that I bought this pattern several years ago for me when Elenya was a little girl and now not only is she big enough to wear it but, she carries it off with more panache than I would have ever managed.

Next is my second version of Audrey again from stash but easily identifiable as Rowan wool cotton. I probably should have gone down a size as it is a little baggy in the arms which I think makes it look a little old fashioned. I changed the lace pattern on it and I think that it is a pretty change. So although I don't think it will ever be a favourite it will be a useful addition to my work wardrobe.
Next up is Miette now this was a real slog to knit.

The Nautical cotton by Louisa Harding was really hard on the hands and I don't think I will ever use it again.

However I love the cardigan! It was top down and I think the bust darts are really stylish. I could just do with some summer to go with it.

Last on the knitting front I have cast on shimmer from Kim Hargreaves Misty. yet another green from stash.

On the Crochet front I have made this.

I saw a similar version by Sarah London loved it and thought it would make a perfect Birthday present for a very dear friend so bought the pattern. Unfortunately she didn't send it,even though I sent several emails. So I made it up. Then the day after it was finished and sent off. She deigned to send the pattern. I wrote back and asked if I could change it for another pattern as it was too late - that was several weeks back and I haven't had an answer. Great customer service? I think not! I have learnt something though, I really don't need to buy crochet motifs again.

Then there is my Heart Quilt.

The top is finally finished Yeah! I can't wait to finish this though I know that is going to be a long time as my hand quilting is quite slow. BlueTortoise is really cracking on with hers, if you want to see how it should look, take a peek here.

Tomorrow my babies are a decade old. It doesn't seem possible. But I guess time flies when you are having fun. We have spent the weekend with a houseful of children, sleeping bags and extra tooth brushes! A good time was had by all.

Well that is my catch up for this Sunday. Hope you have a very good week see you next Sunday

xx

Thursdays It is not all knitting you know.

2011-04-26T18:59:00.008Z

Hello,
belated Happy Easter to you. After my last post I kinda took stock of my blog and realised over the last little while it seems that all I do is knit. Of course you know I do all the other stuff like job and house work and I am pretty sure you don't want to hear about my assignments or cleaning the loo. But what about the other fun craft/domestic stuff that I hold dear and I sometimes forget to tell you about. What about that?
So I thought I would tell you about Thursdays. Thursday evenings to be precise. A whole lot of years ago more than five and less than ten. When I was doing the school run I used to look in a living room window and see a wonderful foundation pieced butterfly quilt hanging on the wall in spectacular batiks. I walked passed that window for a lot of months until finally one morning the owner and her mum were coming out of her door just as I was passing. I plucked up courage and asked her about it and sure enough she had made it herself! Her mum also had one. LittleBlueTortoise, J and I now get together pretty much every
Thursday. In the begining we just quilted. Now We sew, we knit and crochet all interspersed with laughter, chai tea and more often than not sampling of their baking. Last week they had made a Simnel Cake a yearly tradition with them. Only this year I took the recipe home with me and made my very own.

Can you notice anything different about it? yep 15 balls Simnel Cake is not only associated with Easter but also with mothers day and on Sunday I celebrated 15 years of Motherhood( but that is another knitting story). Over the last few months we have come to the conclusion that we work best when we are working on the same sewing project. Before Christmas we made an Angel from Madeline Millington I had bought a kit the previous year at Harrogate and was determined to make it up so LittleBlueTortoise also made one from my scraps and her own huge fabric stash.

Since Christmas we have been working on a little heart wall hanging. All of our little hearts are now appliqued but, we downed tools to each make this little fellow from Betz White.

The pattern wasn't really much and the instructions relied heavily on glue but, our little group was inspirational and I am really pleased with the result. Most of my felted fabric was from a charity shop or was begged or borrowed from other crafty friends. But the embroidery threads belonged mainly to my grandmother. They are old and in the main very fragile, they snap really easily but there was something really satisfying about being able to use them,

The little star window which was a scrap of fabric left over from a dress made when Elenya was small. I finished it just in time for Easter though LittleBlueTortoise assures me it is quite suitable to leave out for at least the whole of spring.

What do you think?
Arianwen xx

Jumping the queue.

2011-04-20T13:43:00.004Z

My queue on Ravelry is exhorbatant. 1095 items have caught my eye not nessesarily things I will ever make - many items have been forgotten. Some I crave but, just haven't found the perfect yarn. Some I haven't got around to casting on even though yarn and pattern are both in stash. Sometimes items jump the queue and Rama is just such and item. Oriana has got the knitting bug and her and I pore over things that we like or friends have made.

A few weeks ago Oriana saw Emma Fassio's cardigan for her little girl and really loved it. I figured that I would make it when the pattern came out but just on the off chance asked Emma if she would like a test knitter and she did! The yarn is Ianthe by Louisa Harding it is the same fibre combination as Rowan woolcotton but somehow it feels more summery. The buttons are great they are sparkeley! The shop only had 4 so they were destined for the Rama cardigan.

Oriana chose the colour at RamShambles when we were in York. I have to say I actually really like it ( I bought 6 balls and have one left so I am tempted to add to it and make something for me. The pattern is easy to follow and only took 250g of yarn. When I finished it one of Oriana's friends exclaimed it was lovely but would be nice in green so I think I might be making some more of them in the near future!

My needles are on fire!

2011-04-17T18:36:00.004Z

The Easter Holiday's have finally begun. Everyone in this house has been ready for it for at least the last week ( me probably longer) and although I have lots of college work to do over the next couple of weeks I am determined that we are all going to get in a lot of r and r. We have just enjoyed our first bbq of the year and now We are gearing up for our first sleep over of the holidays tonight.
Mine r 'n r of course comes in the shape of knitting. I also started a secret knit last week which I finished this morning and will share with you later in the week. For me I have cast on Audrey again. The photo looks a little blue but, it is a proper green.

This time it is in Rowan woolcotton from stash the gauge is slightly larger than the lousia harding kashmir that I used last time and I am hoping for a slightly longer waisted cardigan this time. I picked this yarn as I just invested in a couple of new summer dresses from the white stuff that it should be perfect with.

For Elenya, I have this morning cast on Liesl, in some lovely 4ply cotton that I bought on sale in Canada a couple of years back, it is a super quick knit on a 7mm needle and I would have finished the yoke but I need to measure it up against her and that will have to wait until later.
It is strange to think that I have had the pattern for this at least two years and I had always envisaged it being for me( at some point I will make it for me) but, Elenya is fifteen next week and is properly in the grown up sizes!

Crocus in bloom

2011-04-16T09:02:00.003Z

Hello my lovelies, Just thought I would pop in and catch up before tomorrow's post.

I finished Crocus yay! It was finished for Mother's Day and I wore it for our day trip to York. It was a nice day out just wandering about looking at things topped off with a trip to the wool shop RamShambles(and a purchase, more about that tomorrow) and dinner out. Unfortunately the weather was not great and where as I had envisaged a day with my cardigan draped over my arm most of the time we were huddled in coats ( which explains how crumpled my dress looks). This was such a nice pattern to knit. I love the way that the little bells sit proud of the cardigan.

I dropped the neck and have to say I am pleased with the result. The cardigan is a lovely soft purple but, it doesn't seem to matter what light you take the photos in it bleaches out. it was also a nightmare for buttons.
I just couldn't find anything to match that didn't look very old lady or small child. The kids thought that I should add purple ladybird buttons to it which although they were cute I felt would cut down on its wearability. These ones are sort of a mother of pearl effect with glued on backs. They are quite pretty but how long they will last remains to be seen.

Anyway I am off back to an hour of knitting so see you tomorrow.

xxx

Crocus

2011-03-28T19:01:00.003Z

Hello my lovelies,
were you looking for me yesterday? Sorry! Yesterday morning when the sun was out I took photo's of all that was going on in the house. Ready for my Sunday evening ramblings.
The daffodils blooming. I do love my daffodils. I bought these really cheap at the supermarket. Apparently the lovely weather we had last week was great for everyone except for the daffodil farmers who are losing money hand over fist as all of them are blooming at once.So go buy some:)

The yummy chocolate chip muffins made by Elenya

and Crocus for which I had finished a sleeve during the week. I actually nearly put it away because the weather was just too nice for knitting woolies.But decided to carry on for fear of another wip!

But by the evening, when I was ready to write a few lines the daffs still bloomed but everything else had changed the muffins had disappeared leaving only a crumbs as evidence.

Crocus had changed too- a couple of hours to myself and both sleeves were complete and attached to the body( well they are of the cropped variety!).
I am so excited I actually think that I might manage to finish it this week which I can't wait for it is such a perfect colour for spring!

Off the hook

2011-03-20T19:29:00.005Z

Helloo,
funny how fast Sunday evening comes around, it doesn't seem like five minutes since Friday evening! I would love to say that I accomplished all that I set out to do this week but the truth is I really didn't. We have had a house guest which has been fun, and completely different from the usual week. But the result is that my blouse is still without sleeves. The DPNs that I ordered to finish off the sleeves for my Crocus Cardigan haven't arrived yet so it has joined the UFO's in the corner of the front room.
It has also been a stressful week because of one thing and another so I was looking to do something mindless, stash busting and of course quick!. A month or so ago I joined a cowl exchange and fell in love with the pattern for Martha. If you look on Ravelry you will seen a pale pink cashmerino version that really swayed it for me. But, it was unavailable and I didn't feel I had enough time to work out the pattern before posting, so I settled on something else a noble cowl. It took a couple of balls of rowan calmer. Though with hindsight I think I might of done it on a bigger needle so that that effect was a little floppier!
I was pleased with how it turned out though I still really wanted to make a Martha. I had just about decided to make it up completely when at the beginning of the week I came across a Lion Brand Scarf pattern which is basically the same thing only available and free!

I love the colour of this it is a couple of unlabeled balls of rowan calmer that I had in my stash forever!.
My version has ended up with a couple of twists in it because I really wasn't concentrating when I joined my chain. I am going to tell you that this was on purpose as I actually think that it has added to the charm of the cowl. Though I really do think that the little flower makes it. Super simple too. I can see them being really good as little brooches or hair slides for my girls when I actually start stash busting the Rowan cotton:)

Arianwen xx

Gambling with needle and thread.

2011-03-13T17:38:00.005Z

Hello my lovelies,
how are you?
This week I have been dusting off my sewing skills.
Way back in November I visited the Harrogate show and fell in love with a cute little short sleeve blouse that was highlighting a fabric at one of the stalls. It was trimmed with pink around the button bands and the bottom of the blouse. It was the flowers that I really wanted. I absolutely love the fabric it is so pretty and femmine and it goes with everything including my table cloth. The chap behind the counter didn't have anything that would do for the pink. But I figured I could get something that would do. He didn't know which pattern had been used but assured me that the metre of the flower fabric that he had left would be enough to make me a replica. Hmmmm.

I found a pattern last week not exactly the same but similar. And picked up some pink to trim it with. Then I read the instructions carefully. It should take 130cm for the smallest size, so much for a metre! I think I could probably do with the next size up but, with some very strategic pattern maneuvering, I managed to cut out the smallest ( Elenya maybe getting a blouse). All of the lovely pink trim around the bottom and button band that was used on the original is out as I definitely didn't have enough for the extra seam allowances. It is far too cold here to wear anything like this at the moment which is actually quite nice as it means that I don't feel pressurised to finish and I can take my time with it. Though I still would love for it to have sleeves by next week.

Arianwen xxx

It is all in the timing.

2011-03-09T21:12:00.004Z

Hellooo
yes I know a mid week post is a bit of a shocker but, I had to share. Way back in the middle of winter Interweaves popped through my letter box. The only garment that caught my eye was the Crocus Cardigan by Laura Grutzeck but, crocus' in November? I don't think so!
Now though, things are different, spring is sprung! The Crocus,

Snowdrops and Dandelions are peaking.

The cone of yellow left from Abi was swapped for some soft lilac Debbie Bliss Cashmerino so it would be rude not to cast on.

I am really excited about this one. the pattern is really easy to memorise and I just love the little flowers creeping up the sides and back. I have decided to make it longer and add waist shaping.

Well I am back to my knitting. Enjoy the rest of your week
Arianwen xx

Lucky Audrey

2011-03-06T15:45:00.005Z

Well it is finished!! I went into town on Wednesday evening and came home with 11 grey buttons that I thought might work....Nope they were too big and bulky (probaly perfect for my next cardigan). So on Saturday I went back into town and popped into the other button shop. I was just about to give up when I spotted the same buttons as I had picked up in John Lewis'! I couldn't believe my luck to find the same buttons which I think are a perfect match.

I am reasonably pleased with Audrey. But not over the moon. I can't decide why I think it might be the yarn partly. Though I am really not in love with the rib either! Even though the rib has been blocked it is still trying to bunch up when it hits the stocking stitch which really isn't as flattering as I would like. I also think I could do with it being a little longer in the body. Having said all that the construction on this cardigan is very clever the wrap and turn on the sleeve makes for a perfect sleeve head and I actually think I may try making it again sometime soon using a different yarn probably Rowan wool cotton from stash and maybe a different stitch on both the rib and the yoke.

Anyway I need your help. Last year I got the yarn for Noyeaux for Christmas. It took a long time to come from Canada and took a lot of knitting the upshot was that it didn't get finished before winter so I stashed it away. One of the reasons it didn't get finished was this.

Can you see?

So what should I do? make the front and cobble the sides together? Or should I pull it out make it in the round and probably forget about side shaping? What do you think? Drop me a comment. I just can't decide and I really do want to own this dress soon!

Audrey and other stories

2011-02-27T19:08:00.006Z

Hello my lovelies,
how has the end of your week been? Mine has been great!!
I finally finished Audrey. I have to say it has turned out really well. However there is one slight technical hitch. When I first started it, way back in September, we had popped into John Lewis and I picked up the 10 buttons that the pattern stated.

Gorgeous hey?Perfect colour? Usually I buy an extra but I was being frugal. Anyway I finally got to the button band and instead of reading the instructions I made it up and yes you guessed it I ended up with 11 of these.

The chances of me going back to John Lewis anytime soon is remote not to mention the fact that I probably wouldn't be able to get another to match. So I will have to go into town next weekend and buy 11 more.

Elenya and Oriana have had the sewing machine out quite a lot and been making headbands. Well Elenya made one and then every time we had another set of friends to play Oriana wanted to make another. Vintage Maddie came over again with hers and Daisy and Oriana now have matching bands as well as matching skirts!
Mario took a few days off before starting his new job so Wednesday afternoon was spent watching Tangled in 3D. Great fun!
On Thursday Loz and her family arrived. Now Loz is like an extra sister we were born in the same hospital two days apart so you could say we go back quite a long time. Though we are quite different we know all of each others secrets and all of each others likes and dislikes. Now I have done bits of of sewing for Loz and quilts for each of her children but I have never knit for any of them because I know Loz hates knitting! When we were little her auntie used to make industrial strength machine knit sweaters for birthdays, Easter, Christmas etc. Needless to say it kinda put her off. But the power of wollmeise can soften the heart of even the most adamant anti-knitter. So when she saw my lovely aestlight shawl at Christmas she put in a request for her own but in turquoise. Thanks to the lovely knitters of Rav I was able to lay my hands on a skein for her and cast on yesterday on the way to builda bear in the White Rose Centre.

Now I have never been into a build a bear before - neither had any of my children. But we decided that her two and Oriana and Inigo would get one each for their birthdays ( very early in the twins case) and they all had great fun choosing an animal, a name, and an outfit for them. Then when we got home Loz asked if I could make her two tae quando outfits for their bears as they had each just graded for white belt.
My sewing machine has great embroidery facilites so I could put the name of their club on the back.

I cut the outfits based on one of the outfits that had been bought and copied down the pattern pieces so that we can make more in the future.

Her two were very pleased and mine are now suggesting what we could make for theirs. Cub outfits maybe coming next.

Arianwen xx

Mellow Yellow Holidays

2011-02-22T15:26:00.006Z

Hello everyone,
Do you like the daffodils? Looking at the photo I really must dust the fireplace! They are just at their peek now and the smell is wonderful. I do love daffodils they are my favourite flower. When you see them you know that winter is nearly over. This huge bunch was a Valentine's present which makes them all the more special.

It is again a precious family half term week. Lazy days of knitting, sewing, baking and of course lots and lot and lots of washing! Where does it all come from? My poor little machine has been working overtime this week and I am still not at the end.
Half way through the week and I have two finished knitty items which I think is pretty good going though to be honest I finished Simple City on Friday. The yarn is Schoppel-Wolle Zauberball I bought it before christmas when my self imposed no yarn shopping came into play. I think that the raspbery pink on it is just delicious it looks like sorbet.

I actually made this larger than the pattern stated but I was shocked at how tiny it was. The fabric was also very dense not really what you look for in a shawl. Anyway I gave it a viscious blocking and it is now a delicate little wrap though still very small. If I was making it again I would use a far larger needle size probably at least a 4mm. Sadly, the last few days have been soo dreary, dark and filled with sleet snow and fog that photo taking has been near on impossible! Hence the reason for a lack of Sunday post.
BlueAdt came to vist on Saturday so that we could go and see Doughty's fabric so once we had spent our pennies on gorgeous fabrics ( more about that later this week) and wandered home in the snow it seemed only right to have a good knitting session. Her socks grew a lot from her last blog post and Abi spun a good few inches round the needles.

I finished Abi earlier today, my second intswemodo of 2011 and although the pockets seemed to take forever I am pretty pleased with the result.
I really liked this sweater as soon as it came up on Ravelry and I knew this cone of wool from Coldspring Mill would be perfect for it.

I think it looks like the perfect mummy sweater warm, cosy and practical. I have enough wool on the cone to make another one but I am hoping to do a swap. Swapping is so much better than buying don't you think? I have to fess up that I have sewn the pockets shut as I think it would have been far too tempting to stuff them full of tissues, keys and all the other gubbins that I usually reserve for my jeans.

Have a good week what ever you are doing
Hugs
Arianwen xxx

Busy Weekend

2011-02-13T17:28:00.006Z

Helloooo,
how was your week? Mine was ridiculusly busy! I have done some knitting but, I have also done a lot of frogging! I reached the waist on Abi, only to realise I should have decreased by over 50 stitches just after the rib which I hadn't done. There was no way I could rectify this so had to pull it out and start again. Haven't done anything like that for a while. I also finished one sleeve of Audrey. So maybe next week I will get in a Ta Daaa!
This weekend, like the week before it could easily have been swallowed by school and house work. Except that on Friday evening, Vintage Maddie said in passing that Hubby and son were off to watch the football on sat but, she was at a bit of a loose end as far as a great mummy daughter activity ( it is quite difficult to think of anything when you are soo close to having a baby. She had thought of teaching Daisy to crochet but, as Daisy has just broken her wrist this was out. Anyway a light bulb went off! When I went to the Harrogare show I had picked up a lovely cloth kits skirt for Oriana and I to make which we hadn't got around to doing. This seemed like the perfect opportunity for mummy and daughter time and for skirt making.
Saturday morning paper work didn't seem half as bad when I knew I had lovely dressmaking going on in the afternoon.

I had a big piece of lovely soft red baby cord ( excellent stash busting exercise!) which we copied the cloth kit pieces onto there was enough for two - matching skirts. So we have left the cloth kit for another time.

It was a bit nerve racking keeping the two girls cut out pieces separate until I had a brain wave.

I think the girls enjoyed this bit the most, they really enjoyed rummaging around in my threads to find the perfect colour. Afterall it isn't every day that you get to be the designer! We had a great time, Maddie and I chatted whilst the girls took turns in sewing their seams. Luckily my sewing machine has a go slow which was great for a newbie with a broken arm! It only took them about three hours and the only bit they didn't do was the ironing.

I felt really inspired to make something for myself but, today I really did have to spend marking!
Have a good week
Arianwen xxxx

Ta Daaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

2011-02-06T19:00:00.008Z

Hello my lovelies,

Here it is my first finished garment of 2011. Whitwizzle by Louisa Harding. I have to say I love it!!

The colour is my all time favourite (you will know this if you have ever been to my house)and the yarn is really cosy and soft, a mix of wool and alpaca. So soft you don't have to find cover up items of clothing to go under it in order to stop the wool itch. I love the skirt on it as it twirls- there have been some raised eyebrows from my kids. Apparently mothers really shouldn't twirl but, I don't care it is fun and it makes me happy.

I also finished Ishbel it was beautifully blocked on Tuesday and worn on Thursday but I am not sure that the Sundara Yarn likes the Yorkshire damp as the points no longer look quite so pointy!

I will just have to hope that everyone one who sees it is wowed by the wonderful colour as I really don't want to have to block every time I wear it.
I finished a secret bus knit as well this week but well it is secret:)
There has been a bit of casting on this week. Simple City a pattern I was lucky enough to get for Christmas. The Pattern suggests hacking the ball in half in order to get more obvious stripes but I didn't fancy doing that on the bus and I am actually really liking the subtle colour changes for me I think it will be more wearable.

The photo doesn't really do the colour justice everything is actually a more pinky, squished blackberry purple but my camera refuses to capture that.
I have also cast on Abi a non portable project due to the fact it is attached to a cone but lovely mindless evening knitting.

Which at the moment is just what I need.
I have also dusted off Audrey in Unst earlier today.
I can't remember when I last looked at it. It just needs sleeves and button bands so not much. However, the idea of wrap and turn sleeves put me off not to mention trying to track down a small enough circ. I managed to find the circ before Christmas but, by then I had moved onto other stuff. I have nearly finished a sleeve today it is that simple! The sleeve head is gorgeous looks really smooth I can't really see why I didn't get around to it before. Hopefully get the other one done next weekend.

Arianwen xx

Show and Tell

2011-01-30T18:40:00.003Z

Hello my lovelies,
hope you have had a good week. Mine has been busy - I can't actually remember the begining of it it has been that chaotic! Having said all of that I have accomplished quite a lot. I finished my dress ( it is gorgeous, soft and warm and I am wearing it) and I should finish Ishbel this evening. Sorry no photos of either as of yet. An offspring snapped a few of my dress earlier but, I didn't look at them until it was dark when it became obvious very quickly that they are all very blurry! So photos is a job for next weekend.
On saturday when we were at the library Oriana saw a Debbie Bliss Book "Blankets Bears and Bootees" She has been muttering for a while about all the teachers who are having babies at school and she decided that she wanted to make some bootees for one of them. So yesterday she cast on. A lovely pale green in baby cashmerino a few rows in and she had mastered yf and tbl.It is funny to see her leaning against this chair her face so full of concentration.
Much of my knitting has been carried out in exactly the same spot leaning against my grandmothers legs as she knit behind me.
Last week in my comments Jeanne asked if I had any suggestions for her daughter learning to knit I have had a think about it I was lucky mostly when I was in a knittng mood when I was little I was on holiday. So I had my grandmother to help. she was at the other side of the country but, if she wasn't due a vist a quick telephone call would soon sort me out if I got stuck. Nowadays if there wasn't anyone nearby to help I think I would use youtube. Any technique is shown there, you can see it again and again. Hopefully someone round about will be able to fix any errors that you make. Remember a true knitter will be glad to pass on their craft without charging you!

Arianwen xx

Ravelry takes the 229

2011-01-23T14:48:00.006Z

Hello my lovelies,
A funny thing happened on Thursday morning. When I reached the bus station at 6.45 there was a girl sitting reading in my usual seat. She was reading a book and looked up as I reached the seats. I smiled and she smiled and looked away. Then I got my knitting out before I had knit more than a couple of stitches. She put away her book and pulled out her knitting. Well I had to talk to her then and we spent a lovely journey talking about our projects and our knitting goals for the year.Dbexx is taking on the challenge of 11 shawls in 2011 and was working on the most beautiful dark purpley blue prayer shawl. During our conversation she admitted to seeing me knit on the previous Thursday but because she didn't have her knitting with her she didn't feel she could come and say anything. So I would just like to put it out there if you see me knitting and you don't knit or you don't have yours with you come and say hello! I am already looking forward to our next Thursday meet up.
As for my knitting here is another Sunday reveal.
I have finished another pair of little socks this time for Oriana. This pair were very quick but, I had a bit of a problem with the second sock as the stripes were not lining up perfectly so I had to cut and splice the yarn to that the socks would match. I was pretty underwhelmed by doing this and I probably wouldn't have bothered if they had been Inigo's but unmatching stripes is almost guaranteed to cause distress to Oriana and truth be told it would have irritated me as well! I think that I knit these faster because I am really looking forward to next week's project.

I have made Ishbel twice in the past both for other people and I have always wanted one for myself. I have the perfect skein of Sundara that was a gift from the lovely Stash about two years ago and it has always been ear-marked for Ishbel I just kept being side tracked but I really think that it is the perfect knitting for the bus so tomorrow morning I cast on!
I have also finished the body of my dress and cast on the sleeves it is soo warm and soft maybe I will be able to finish it soon.

Arianwen xx

Craving the light

2011-01-16T20:03:00.004Z

A couple of weeks ago I watched a vampire movie.It wasn't good, it was set in the far north of Canada. The story line was that the people of this little town had thirty days of darkness. For the last two weeks I have left the house in the dark, not seen the day and then gone home in the dark. Friday morning was wonderful I saw daylight only for a few hours but it really was wonderful. Grey, misty, winter light of course I have seen the same both Saturday and Sunday but somehow those precious hours were delicious.

It is strange to knit in the dark especially so early in the morning but I had fun twirling my dpns on the bus. It certainly raises a few eyebrows! Inigo is a very happy boy. Knitted socks are warm and they are perfect for skidding across wooden floors. Oriana has put in a request I will cast on in the morning. My dress is moving slowly gorgeous and warm I can't wait to wear it. though I haven't reached the arm holes and I only have 3 50g balls left so I am quite worried that I won't have enough.

Say Something Sunday

2011-01-09T17:11:00.003Z

Hello my lovelies,
Over a week since the new year and my resolution of regularly updating my blog looked like it was going nicely down the drain. So I have decided to instigate a routine of Say Something Sunday the idea is that I get something into my blog each week even if it isn't very much.
Well the first week back at school has gone in a blur! I have left the house in the dark and come back in the dark so this post is going to be more than a little short of photos! For the next 6 weeks I am on the bus morning and evening which equates to a lot of hours!
I usually get wrapped up in big projects jumpers, dresses, etc which although I love doing are not exactly easy to transport. So when Inigo said that he really wanted some knitted socks I ran down to my Lys to see what they had in perfect boy sock yarn. Not much was the answer to that though they did have some very nice Regia world circus yarn which Inigo liked. I cast on tuesday at 7.00 am on the 229 bus. This week I managed one sock. Hopefully next week I will be able to show you a pair!
My Christmas project this year was Wightwizzle a gorgeous dress by Louisa Harding I am making it in her yarn Thistle it is a lovely teal green and unlike its name is really soft and warm. I have finished the skirt part of the dress it has eaten yarn and I am a worried that I am not going to have enough but I guess I won't know until I run out:)
Well that is it for this week take care and I will see you next time for Say Something Sunday

Arianwen x

Made in 2010

2010-12-28T15:06:00.003Z

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

Patience

2010-10-23T15:10:00.004Z

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.

Inspired!

2010-08-25T12:17:00.005Z

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.

Squeeeeeeeeeeeeee

2010-08-20T14:04:00.005Z

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.

Pussy Cat

2010-08-12T12:50:00.004Z

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!

It has been done a while

2010-08-10T12:55:00.005Z

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.

39!

2010-08-06T13:40:00.001Z

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.

Blossom

2010-06-20T16:00:00.006Z

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

Que Sera, Sera...

2010-05-20T15:26:00.007Z

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!

Mothers Ruin Has a Giveaway

2010-05-17T16:02:00.002Z

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.

Another little Owl

2010-05-15T10:20:00.007Z

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...

Can’t quite believe I am showing you this.

2010-04-29T15:34:00.002Z

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:

This Knitting is Ridiculous!

2010-04-22T17:39:00.003Z

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

64 Paddy Paws!

2010-04-13T15:44:00.005Z

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!

My Giveaway Quilt

2010-04-10T10:40:00.004Z

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!

A hive of industry.

2010-04-07T12:58:00.005Z

It is amazing how much you can get done when you don't have to work. I promised myself this holiday that we would have stay at home time and no visitors as every break we have I fill it with too many activities and too many guests. I love house guests you don't even have to procrastinate about things because you really can't do them when you are entertaining can you? Anyway this holiday is different. We spent a lovely planned weekend with our good friend J and all of her wonderful furry friends she has a huge kitchen and her and the kids got down to some serious baking. Then we have come back I have started clearing some of the wip's that are scattered around my house.
Yesterday with help from Molly,I finished Jo's give away quilt and parceled it up ( I have decided that I will show it once she has it) and I finished my quilt started last summer and then shelved when time became a premium commodity. 100 nine patches and countless other squares
we snuggled under it last night and I felt proud of my day's accomplishments. Today I have been working on a quilt that I started for Inigo, just as I finished Oriana's. I am hoping to have a quilt top complete by the end of the week. Or at least some interesting patches. A few more patches tomorrow but, for the rest of the day we are going to find out how to tame our dragon! What have you got planned for the rest of your holidays?

An Easter Greeting to Every Child Who Loves "Alice."

2010-04-02T12:07:00.004Z

An Easter Greeting to Every Child Who Loves "Alice."
DEAR CHILD,

Please to fancy, if you can, that you are reading a real letter, from a real friend whom you have seen, and whose voice you can seem to yourself to hear wishing you, as I do now with all my heart, a happy Easter.
Lewis Carroll Easter 1876

Maybe Lewis Carroll was the worlds first blogger it certainly sounds like it.
For the last couple of years I have treated myself to a Christmas Day project. Something really special that I anticipate for a couple for weeks before casting on. This year I decided why not give myself the same pleasure for Easter ( a lot less calories than and egg!).
I had queued the pattern Alice by Katya Wilsher a couple of months ago and I thought it would be perfect.

Cheerful, summery and perfect for warm spring weather. From reading the information on her pattern I know she was influenced by Alice's apron.I think you can really seen a modern day Alice wearing this . But, when I think of Alice I think of her in Disney blue. Sirdar Snuggley Baby Bamboo DK was on my list of yarns to try this year and they had what I consider to be the perfect colour. Sailboat 156. It is what Mamie would have called cornflower blue slightly purple reminiscent of Spring and Easter and perfect for a project called Alice.

Drum roll please

2010-04-01T09:04:00.003Z

Wow thank you all for entering it was so sweet of you to take the time to enter. I have really enjoyed all of your comments but without further ado And the winner is ....

.

Congratulations Jo! If you could let me know where I am sending your little quilt ( because that is what it is) It should be ready for posting by the end of the week:)

It was worth it.

2010-03-30T17:23:00.003Z

I have conquered my Nemesis!

The school sweaters are done. They have actually been finished a week but today is the first opportunity to photograph them without them being covered in paint or breakfast.

The five minutes snapping in the garden was great fun. Oriana loved it though her brother was a little more reticent.

Both Oriana and Inigo are happy but, not as happy as me as I can now move onto something else. Woooohooooo!

OMG! 16002!!!!!

2010-03-10T17:15:00.003Z

I have just looked at the counter on the side of my blog and I have just had my 16002 visitor. Such a lot of people have come to visit and I am really touched. So I have decided to have a give away not sure what exactly but something special and made by me. If you would like a chance of winning the said something, please leave me a comment to this post and I will draw a winner out the hat on the first of April. Thanks again and good luck!

Acres and acres of blue.

2010-03-09T16:10:00.002Z

Last summer Oriana and Inigo grew out of the school sweaters that I made many years ago so being a good mummy I asked if they wanted me to make them new ones. They didn't. They wanted bought ones, the same as their friends. I breathed a huge sigh of relief, rushed to the well known clothes store beginning with M for the said sweaters. This was good, no scratchy utilitarian yarn and more time to knit things for me. Then the snow came. The complaints rolled in, the bought ones weren't warm enough. They weren't as nice as mummy's and really it was too bad mummy had bought sweaters when she can knit and should have made them. What was I to do, the guilt trip worked. I ordered the yarn all 1200grams of it and started knitting. Two backs, two fronts and last but not least four sleeves. I have to say I am feeling less than enthusiastic about the project but I will keep going, trying to be a good mummy and keep my children happy!

Finished on Friday

2010-02-24T08:13:00.005Z

The Ravelympics are still on and I set myself up for two projects the Garter yoked Sweater, which you know about. I finished it on Friday, the kids chose the buttons earlier in the week. Lovely shiny green shell buttons which make everyone who sees them smile.
I was pretty unsure about this sweater right till the end but it is actually very flattering and I think I might at some point make another - high praise indeed.

IntSweMoDo2010#5
Garter Yoked Cardigan
Needles 4.5mm
Yarn Cascade220/Noro Blossom
Time 8 Days
The Mountain peaks shawl by Miram Felton was my other choice of project. It is something I have had in stash for ages/ years. I decided to cast it on a couple of months ago.
I managed 5 rows before I put it down so thought it would be a good wip for the games. But it looks like it won't get finished for these either as I am busy with this
and this.

Ravelympics Day 3

2010-02-15T13:53:00.003Z

I have got off to a bit of a slow start as we have been away for the weekend. I had to pack it all on the Friday night and realised that I have put my 4.5mm circ somewhere safe- not with my other needles so I am having to resort to knitting the whole thing on straights which means that you can't really see what is going on. I suspect the needle will show as I finish the cardigan.
The yoke is completed it is OK. Just OK. It seems that like apples, Noro should not be bought online. On the colour chart colour 272 is a mix of greens and turquoise with a little brown and grey mixed in for good measure. My two balls although the same dye lot and colour were very different. Only one ball had any turquoise and that was only enough for the cast on edge. The rest of it was small bits of green and tons and tons of brown. I have had to resort to breaking the yarn at strategic places in order for the whole yoke not to turn out brown. The texture of the Noro is actually quite nice though I don't think it will ever be a favourite yarn. I might be tempted to use it again. I have just started separating for the sleeve with the grey cascade it should be OK.

Are you ready???

2010-02-11T16:11:00.002Z

There has been knitting going on here the last couple of days. However, it is all about to be thrown in a corner . Ravelympics starts tomorrow. I really couldn't decide but I am going to be casting on the garter yoke cardi! I cannot take credit for the Noro yoke as I have seen it done before on Ravelry. Usually I really don't like the way Noro looks (hippy) or feels (scratchy) I haven't ever felt the inclination to knit with it. So this really is a bit scary as I could end up with a hippy scratch cardigan that I don't like.

Owls is Finished

2010-02-09T18:32:00.003Z

I stitched the buttons on Saturday afternoon. All 34 of them by 20 I was kind of losing the will to live but, I have to say it was worth the effort. I love this sweater. Warm, scratchy and very charming I haven't taken it off since the last button was tied on. You can't really see the colour of them but they are a light teal blue. Slightly lighter than Molly's eyes were when she was a baby.Unfortunately you can't really see in any of the photo's because the light is so bad. Perhaps we need more snow? It is certainly easier to take good photos with a back drop of white! Molly has lost complete interest in fighting the Owls since it was finished which I am very glad about as I wondered how I would get on with a kitten permanently impaled on my leg.

IntSweMoDo2010#4
Needles 6 mm
Yarn Purelife British Sheep Breeds 5.5 balls
Time 7 days

Not Many People Have got One of Those.

2010-02-07T14:39:00.009Z

In recent years there has been a trendy towards the rustic, the vintage the shabby chic. Mainly I think as People try to make sense of a world that is too fast and because of that often slap dash. Most of my friends live in very modern houses made of very modern materials. Many of them are quite happy with the modern but some crave what went before filling their homes with little pieces that they have found in charity shops or on Ebay. I am lucky, my home originally belonged to my grandparents, my dad moved here when he was two. Mamie my grandmother lived here for the rest of her life. When Elenya was two we moved in nothing had been changed well- ever. Mamie's appliques are on the wall,
her table cloths adorn my tables which she either bought at antique shops or her parents gave her. My children play with the mechanno set that belonged to my dad when he was little and my sister and I tinkered with during the our holidays. Her blankets live in the airing cupboard.
This suits me fine I am not a great believer in change, for change sake. It makes me uncomfortable. Sometimes though the 21st century catches up.
Every house in the area is having cavity wall insulation My little fire puts a spanner in the works it may do a stirling job of keeping the room warm, My children assure me that it is a magic door by which father christmas gets in and I love the way it looks but, it hasn't heard of regulations and because of that yesterday it had to be capped off.
So whilst Mario and his friend the plumber were under the floor with lengths of copper pipe.
I decided to embrace change and take one of the very oldest blankets from the cupboard and turn it into something else. I picked up the cushion kits when I was at woolfest last year they are made in a really scratchy yarn straight from the sheep and make perfect cushions for my front room.

I knew that I wanted blanket backs and was going to go to a charity shop to look for such a thing when I remembered the oldest blanket, rough scratchy and perfect to go with the fronts. I am really pleased with how they turned out and I am sure that Mamie would be tickled if she knew what happened to her blanket.

Are we getting rid of the fire? No it is a conversation piece, I still love the way it looks and we really can't have father christmas being locked out can we?.

The Owls and the Pussy Cat

2010-02-04T09:49:00.004Z

I realise that I keep showing you finished items which in my opinion is not that interesting. I figure that some of you at least would like an update on Molly so I thought I could combine the two things. Molly is now a thriving half grown kitten she is still fairly small and at 5 and a bit months probably will never be big. We worry that her eyes are slightly different shapes probably because they were so infected when we got her. They run when she is teething or feeling cold. Like Tigger she has a very short coat. She never meaows put instead makes a kind of trilling noise and purrs like a revving tractor.
When she went for her last lot of shots the Vet said they were very impressed with my nursing as apparetly they hadn't thought she would make it. Luckily Molly had other plans. Her fur has been the topic of many a conversation. She is now more grey than brown but she has had stripes and bambi spots turned grey and now again sports some very distinctive stripes on her tail. My latest knit is a great hit- with Molly.
She has been very interested in the yarn since it came into the house. Rowan Purelife British Sheep Brands Dark Grey Welsh smells of sheep! I love the smell, warm, cosy and natural. It drives Molly wild, brings out the play instinct and it is almost her colour so good for hiding in.

I was a little bit worried about the shaping of this as it is all at the back a real junk in your trunk look I thought it might be a little puffy but I have tried the body on and it is a flattering shape. I didnt want to take it off as it is lovely and warm. A factor that is very appreciated at the moment as we yet again have snow, just enough to be annoying rather than everything making everything grind to a halt.
I think I should finish Owls in the next couple of days a highly recommmended pattern.
I have just heard that the Designer Kate Davis is in Hospital so I would just like to add my well wishes to the others in Blog land. Get Well Soon!

Hmmm Malabrigo - Just Bliss

2010-02-02T18:07:00.007Z

It turns out that it is quite apt showing you Bliss IntSweMoDo2010#3 today, as I started it on the first of our snow days in January and as I write the first of february's snow is settling outside.
I was making the katherine Hepburn cardigan but I couldnt concentrate with the children running in and out of the house trailing snow as they went. I wanted a stash buster, something quick and most of all I wanted to make something cheerful. The four delicious green hanks of Malabrigo that I bought at Harrogate seemed like the perfect answer. Coupled with Bliss by Samia Buchan a pattern that I had been eying on Ravelry. It turns out that I only used 2.5 skeins so there will be another Malbrigo knit in my near future.
I struggled a bit with the pattern as it was charted more like a cross stitch than a knit and some of the wording was a little strange. I hated this at first but actually it was a good thing as it slowed me down a bit and I had to think about where the stitches were actually going rather than just mindlessly making them. The cables on this are beautiful, very celtic and the Malabrigo seems to make them pop. The combination of cables and the green I have visions of the Green Man hopefully hearalding spring in the not two distant future. Least I hope so as it is far too cold to wear yet.
IntSweMoDo2010#3
Needles 4.5 mm
Yarn malbrigo worsted 2.5 Skeins
Time 23 days

katherine Hepburn Cardigan

2010-01-24T19:16:00.007Z

Many, many moons ago I saw a dress in the window of Monsoon. A red dress, a young dress, a brave dress ,a wow look at me dress. I wanted it. I hummed and hahed about the cost of it and then found it on Ebay for a fraction of the price. A few days later it arrived. Beautiful fit like a glove but, I suffered from nerves and self doubt. I am not young and brave and I don't want people to stare.
So the dress was folded and put in the cupboard and forgotten about. The red Rowan Cashsoft 4ply was in another cupboard for the same reason.In the new years resolution of cables and stash busting the red yarn was pulled from the stash and I cast on the the Katherine Hepburn Cardigan from Lace Style. The yarn felt great soft and warm but I was still a little undecided about the colour and I couldn't find any buttons in my local shop. Then I had an epiphany, vintage buttons on ebay.
Don't you love ebay? The buttons arrived and I knit faster. Then I was sat knitting at a friend's house and I remembered my dress. A perfect match. The cardigan is number two of my inswemodo2010 and it turned out really well. Am I brave enough to wear it?
Maybe!

IntSweMoDo2010#2
Needles 3.755mm
Yarn Rowan Cashsoft 4py 5 balls
Time 16 days

Interesting.

2010-01-06T15:03:00.004Z

Insisting on buying a birdtable in the morning.

Results in Husband making one in his lunch hour.

The my feathered friends and I thank him.....
I wonder what I should insist on buying tomorrow:)

Blue Danube

2010-01-03T15:56:00.004Z

I hope you have you have all had a great New Year and have now recovered. Mine was drunken spent with family and friends and ended at 2.00 am. It seems that I am really to old for that time of the morning as I have spent the last couple of days out of routine with my sleep and feeling exhausted. Perhaps I should make a note that next year if I don't want to waste a couple of days I should probably be tucked up with cocoa by ten!
I have this year continued with the tradition of casting on a sweater Christmas Day. I was a little bit undecided which sweater it should be as the yarn I got as a present still hasn't arrived from Canada. But I finally decided on Ysolda Teague's Snow white. I have really wanted this sweater since I first saw it a couple of years ago but it kept being pushed to the back of the queue. The amount of snow that is covering Yorkshire at the moment it seemed like the obvious choice The yarn choice was a saga. I reeally wanted to do it in Sundara Aran but I decided it would cost too much and getting it from America would probably be a hassle. So instead I ordered via a shade card at my local LYS Rhubarb Sublime Cashmere and silk Aran. It arrived and was hideous a violent fuchsia colour that I was never going to wear. Back it went with me paying postage costs and Clipper arrived. It is not the most awe inspiring colour ever but I will wear it. Note to self though, with the extra postage costs the sundara would have cost the same!!!
Snow White was a wonderful quick knit and the pattern was completely straight forward as is the way of all Ysolda's patterns. I was a little undecided about the flat piece of stocking stitch that the original had at the back of the neck.
So as I have decided that 2010 is the year of the cable I have added a couple to the back of the neck. It kind of reminds me of a river the way that the rib undulates around the body. It was a bit of a gamble that the cables would work but, I am very pleased with the outcome
IntSweMoDo2010#1
Needles 4.5mm
Yarn Sublime Cashmere Silk Merino Aran 8.5 balls
Time 8 days
.

New Year – Resolving to do better.

2009-12-31T11:23:00.002Z

Like most of England we have been lucky to have a proper white Christmas.By Boxing Day I was ready for a change of scene and Mario suggested a trip out. This involved a lovely walk at Oakwell Hall , a place very close to my heart as we got married there .We weren't organised enough to take our sledge though we had fun measuring ourselves against the sheep. Everyone agreed he seemed much larger last time we visited. It was fun running about and watching all of the dogs running about catching snowballs.

This year I managed to get all of my gifts made including a cardigan for my mum. Slippers for J. A shrug for the little blue tortoise and two little Alan Dart gnomes.( if you are wondering about the lack of photo's they seem to have disappeared from my camera so I will have to accost the recipients and get some more sometime in the new year). I also managed sweater for me and it was all done without me having to issue any IOUs .Which hasn't happened for many a long year!

For me I made Aaren by Kim Hargreaves. I made it in stashed Cashmerino Aran from Coldspring.I had in mind I would like to wear it for Christmas day but it was such a large garment I didn't really think it possible. It took three weeks of continuous knitting but, I finished it with a week to spare and I love it. I forgot how much I love making cables. How satisfying they are to make. What enjoyment I derive as each one comes to fruition. In 2009 I joined the NaSweMODo on Ravelry in April. The idea is that you make an adult sized garment a month .Aaren was my number 12. I am joining again this year but, there will be more cabled projects for 2010. So one of my resolutions for this year is more cables! I have also realised how little I have blogged this year. Ok I am never going to be an everyday blogger, life is just too busy this year I haven't even managed once a week! I am hoping this will also change. Father Christmas brought me a shiny new lap top. As my old one was without a space bar for the last few months of its life typing on this is a dream. It also came with office 2007 this has a blog feature in word which I am giving a whirl with this post . Well that is me for this year. Wishing you all a very Happy New Year!

More procrastination or clear the slate?

2009-12-07T16:27:00.010Z

There has been simply tons of knitting action here. Hundreds of yards of yarn have spun from the ball, wrapped the needle and fallen as the stitch.As the last stitch has been cast from the needle, the last end sewn in I have cast on something else. Unfortunately the weather is dark! It has been dark for what seems like months. Photos taken both inside or out look like they were posed for in a cave. Which puts me off taking them or organising someone to take them. On a clear day a couple of weeks ago, the photos were taken - they are passable. But, there are so many, so many things to talk about, to tell you about. Rather than composing tangible thoughts it really is easier to cast on something else. So there is only one thing for it. Give you everything clear the slate. Before I cast off again.
Ronnie I found this pattern when I was in Canada and thought it perfect for Inigo as a rough and ready playing out sweater. It was pretty slow going with all of that rib.The yarn a cone from coldspring mill bled terribly blue staining both my hands and needles. I had to leave it alone between each section as the extra hand washing involved chapped hands and fingers It was worth it he loves it.
The next knit off the needles was Everglade in Rowan Cashsoft Dk as a birthday present for my neice. This was a weekly mystery. A few rows for three weeks. I love knitting in this yarn it is so soft and warm and I am reliably informed that it is already much loved.
The crown was a little nerve wracking, as it needed concentration and I was trying really hard to do with kids about. But I think it turned out really wel

Wrenna I knit this in an afternoon -yes an afternoon!!!
when I was first recovering from the flu. It was another stashbusting exercise with a cone of como from coldspring mill. The trouble was I really didnt fancy the lacing. I tried it on and then chucked it on the bedroom floor where it stayed for several weeks whilst I looked for inspiration. It came in the form of a blast of cold air. I really needed something warm to wear to work. Two minutes before I left the house I raided my button collection. A button from my grandmother's raincoat is just perfect.

Then came Lush and Lacey A saga and half. I bought the yarn, Mission Falls when I was visting my cousin in Canada.

I ran out with 8 rows to go. Luckily a wonderful friend in Canada Nan came to my rescue and popped another ball in the post. I love this cardigan, it is warm, sexy, and the colour is probably the most delicious in the whole spectrum.

The last knitting for this post though not everything I have done(there has been some xmas stuff as well is Entrechat The yarn is Manos del Uruguay Wool Clasica. The colours are just amazing!

I fell in love with it when I was at Harrogate. It has turned out ok but I don't think I will knit in it again as it is spun to a thread in places which isn't that enjoyable to knit and I am also not sure how long the shrug will last

Wonderful Wollmeise

2009-11-24T17:38:00.005Z

In the summer I was really lucky to take part in the Rowan Knitting Exchange. This is organised every year by some wonderful Rowan members. I don't know if you remember but I made Ishbel in Rowan Damask for a lovely canadian lady called Nance. In turn my parcel was from a lady in England called Marie France sent me the most wonderful pair of Malabrigo socks (really too nice to put on my cloven hooves)a very cute poncho which I have had a ton of compliments for and a skein of Wollmeise.
Now I seem to have a bit of a rep as a wool snob and I do have to admit I do like nice yarn but I have never been passionate about anyone supplier until now. The first thing that strikes you about the wollmeise yarn is the colour it has wonderful depth, there is variation of colour without it being glaringly obvious. The second thing is the smell, and let me tell you it is a smell to die for. Imagine a field of rose bushes just coming into bloom combined with a soft summer rain. That it is the smell of wollmeise. I have since found out she washes her yarn in perwol. So if you are in Germany, rush to the shop and buy some you won't be disappointed!
I was busy looking for the most perfect project for this wonderful,squidgy, yummy yarn, When my friend Monica bought me a copy of Aestlight. Perfect! A match made in heaven the most wonderful yarn in the whole universe coupled with a very attractive shawl that was interesting to knit and very easy and enjoyable to wear.

Stockport

2009-11-11T07:58:00.004Z

Way back in the summer the Rowan winter popped through the letter box and I fell in love with stockport. I promised that I wouldn't start winter knitting until the 1st of Sept which I didnt' but then I knit like crazy.
We went to Flamingo land and I knit in the freezing cold whilst the rest of the family screamed on rides.
I knit in the car when the cold became too much.
I loved it when finished. The yarn is so soft it is like wearing a hug but it grew a bit after a couple of wearings. So I washed it. Thousands of bubbles emerged from the cocoon as soon as it hit the water and Stockport grew enormously! I nearly had a heart attack. When dry it did shrink back but it is still a little big in the neck.
I still really like it but I am unsure that the design plus the cocoon are really that flattering to anyone over a size 6. I have however seen it made up in a finer yarn which was gorgeous so maybe I will have to make it again.

Sick,Sick,Sick!

2009-10-25T13:02:00.006Z

Pardon my absence. We were doing presentations on swine flu at school and it looked so exciting I just had to try it. Five weeks later I have been back at work for a week but my energy levels are low, I still have a hacking cough and I am reliably informed by everyone who sees me that I look like sh*t!

I started knitting two weeks in the first week I just slept no energy for any thing else. finishing somethings and starting lots of others. I really can't face the idea of my photo at the moment so instead here are a few pieces without models.

I finished the Lotus Blossom Tunic it is very pretty and I enjoyed making it but,because I was knitting from stash I couldn't add another pattern repeat this meant that sadly it was too short for me. It is however a perfect fit for my sister.
Two of my very close friends announced with days of each other that they were expecting. Neither knew what they were having so I took a gamble, something for a boy and something for a girl. I went for stripey in case they were both the same sex.
The sailor top came from the sublime baby book. Rosie Hope was born first so she got the yellow.

I have to say I wasn't very happy with the construction. The sleeve head was curved but the armhole wasn't -very strange though I think they turned out OK. I just wish the bottoms wouldn't curl so much. Maybe after a couple of washings it will sort itself out.Casey James got the blue

The slippers I bought from knitting 4 fun as a kit at woolfest. I saw the bunnies made up and fell inlove.
at that point I only knew about one baby but I had more than enough yarn for two pairs of slippers. I really love these though I have to say
I have a real soft spot for the bunnies as all of my children had bunny slippers.

An update on Molly, she really is a going concern. In the early days she would sleep comfortably under what ever I was knitting. Now she has discovered yarn-kitten heaven. And is rarely still for photo's.

She has made friends with the other cats. This is whether they want to be friends or not. Luckily most of the time they tolerate her jumping on them.

Meet Molly.

2009-08-30T17:24:00.004Z

Well today hasn't exactly been the Sunday I had in mind. We had a leisurely start pottering about then there was a banging on the door and my mum had arrived carrying a little brown bundle. At first I thought she was holding a little hedgehog but it turned out to be a very tiny kitten.
A quick wash of her very sticky eyes and a syringe of egg nog were partaken of before we rushed off to the emergency vet. She is about 5 weeks and has conjunctivitis. So I am now in charge of eye bathing and putting in drops which I know she is going to hate me for. She isn't eating solids yet but we have picked up some kitten formula from the vets and she seems to have grasped how to lap from a spoon. She is so tiny a very big name wouldn't have worked so for now she is called Molly.

Tinkering

2009-08-23T15:22:00.005Z

I have been told by several people that since I added the new comments widget that they could no-longer leave me any comments. Which is, as far as I am concerned one of the main reasons for having a blog! Anyway I have just deleted it. Unfortunately this means that I have lost all of the lovely comments that had been left before. So to all of you that have been leaving messages I am truly sorry, especially to Charity who responds to all of my ponderings.
Another note I have been busy knitting the last of my summer projects, Lotus Blossom Tank. I brought back some beautiful linen from Canada and I thought the pattern and the yarn would be a match made in heaven. After one round of the pattern the yarn seemed to be growing extraordinarily. So much so that I had to pull it out and re think the yarn. I settled on 5 balls of Rowan Cotton Glace that I had in my stash. So now not only is it looking really lovely but, I can feel virtuous knitting from stash!

Anticipation

2009-08-22T12:26:00.004Z

It's not that I don't have yarn. It's not that I don't have plenty of wip's. But sometimes I just really want to make that certain something. I looked in stash, I even went to coldspring to try and find something cheaper but, it just wasn't happening. So when we went to the Trafford Centre earlier for the termly pilgrimage for school shoes I took the opportunity to slip into John Lewis and came out a few moments later with 500g of Rowan cocoon in Lavender Ice to make Stockport from the latest Rowan Magazine. I promised myself no winter knitting till Sept 1st so I will have to just play with my yarn and anticipate for the next week the delicious casting on.

A month.

2009-08-13T13:25:00.006Z

I can't believe it has been a month since I last blogged. The time has just whizzed past but that is usual for the summer holidays. A trip to Canada a visit from the inlaws and my birthday pretty much takes care of the time. On the knitting front I finished my Eyelet Chemise, Tropicana and a Razor Cami. I finished sewing the buttons onto the Chemise on my first morning in Canada whilst the rest of the world slept(yes I had serious jet lag).I then wore it to Bluesfest and to have tea with the Suffragettes of Ottawa, it is nice to have worn it for an occasion as everytime I wear it now I will think of my time in Canada. I would have finished Tropicana in Canada, but when I went to get my next ball of yarn out I realised that I had left it at home which was very frustrating.So finished when I got back. I have a ball and half left of the silk so enough to make one for Elenya. Oriana has also asked for one of these. Luckily there are tons of yarn shops in Canada.My cousin even has one on her street so I stocked up.
The Razor Cami was a lovely quick knit, probably a little too quick as I knit like a fiend throwing it into my case finished at 11pm on my last night in Canada. I left the last balls behind which I kind of regret. The straps were very uncomfortable so had to be made into a haltertop.
I would definitely make the straps differently if I had more yarn. On the Crochet front I finished the back of Joy my project for the plane.(Pictures to follow...) I asked if I could take a crochet hook onto the first plane. The very young man behind the counter told me he didnt know what a crochet hook was but if I showed him....I didn't bother asking again. Whilst at my grandparents, my Auntie Sandi introduced me to fabricland. She also brought her sewing machine for me to use...I whipped up this bag by McCalls..(Pictures to follow...) Just as well she did or I wouldn't have been able to get all of my loot home without it.

The Family Anthem

2009-07-12T17:30:00.007Z

Does your family have a favourite song? One that when hummed by one, is sung loudly by all? Mine does.
I wouldn't say that I have ever been a Bob Marley fan, it isn't that I would have switched stations, groaning loudly, when he started to sing but,I wouldn't have turned him up either! Something more pop or rock were my tunes of choice.
When Oriana and Inigo started school, their first teacher loved Bob Marley and the two of them loved Mr Moss! So much so they invited him to their 5th birthday party -and he came!
At tidy up time the first few bars of three little birds would have the class rushing to tidy the room. After a few weeks Oriana had learnt the words and she could be heard lisping them all around the house "This is my message to youhoo". Her siblings soon joined her and three little voices from different rooms could be heard singing "every little thing gonna be alright". .

At the end of the year the school put on a play I don't remember anything about it except at the end every child in the school started singing. Three little birds sung by over a hundred little people was probably one of the most moving things I have ever heard.There wasn't a dry eye in the house.

Last year when we decided it was time for Oriana to have a room separate from her brother I knew that I wanted to make them each the perfect quilt.
I found a small wall quilt in Quiltmania that Oriana liked. It just wasn't big enough I decided to expand on it but with what? ...then I heard Oriana singing and I knew she just had to have Three little birds singing sweet songs.
If your family has an anthem, drop me a comment I would love to know

And they're off -Or day two

2009-07-06T16:00:00.005Z

Well I had couple of days until the tour started with not much to do. So I cast on Tropicana, I bought the lovely silk at woolfest and although I had a couple of false starts I finally got my swing on Thursday. I had a long journey on friday evening and again yesterday and easily memorised pattern was perfect for this. I am really enjoying knitting it and in someways I am a little frustrated to be putting it down to start the Eyelet Chemise.Maybe I will sneak a few rows in everyday:)
I was away over the weekend so had a late start on the Eyelet Chemise. I cast on last night. Knitting in cotton after silk is a little bit of a shock to the fingers. Though the cotton has a lovely stitch definition and seems to knit up really quickly Which is very useful when it is pattern based on inches rather than rows!

Tour de France Kal

2009-07-02T07:10:00.004Z

Tomorrow is the start of the tour de france. It is also the start of the knitalong on Ravelry! It is not that I am particularly interested in bike riding but, I do like the idea of a knitalong. Especially when you actually make something you really want to a deadline.
I have decided on the Eyelet Chemise by Terese Chenynoweth. I have wanted to make it since the Summer 2006 interweaves came through my door but somehow have always got sidetracked.
I am unsure if I will finish. A new job and a trip to Canada make things in the middle of the tour make things a little more hectic around here but I am going to have a really good time trying.

Ishbel

2009-06-28T19:28:00.004Z

I once heard unblocked,knitted lace, described as looking like a bag of cat sick! I think this is a little unfair but, it is true to say the metamorphosis is similar to that of Caterpillar to beautiful butterfly.
The last week I have been knitting Ishbel a lovely straight forward pattern by Ysolda Teague. The first was in Collinette Jitterbug,
the second was from stash three balls of Rowan Damask.
It shows great versatility on the part of the pattern that it looks equally lovely in both yarns. The first is warm and cosy perfect to keep out winter chills
the second is crisp and summer. I was a little worried that the Damask may not hold its points but, it turns out the points are lovely and crisp whilst the shawl has a great drape.
Unfortunately neither are destined to be mine. Though I have two equally gorgeous yarns earmarked to make it in sometime in the not too distant future. Maybe I will get to keep one of them.

Scrappy Nine Patch

2009-06-20T19:00:00.006Z

A few weeks ago, I came across Crazy Mom Quilts and her one a day quilt along. I thought that it sounded like a good idea, one block a day, and a great way of using up scraps but, I had so much on the go that I probably wouldn't bother. I mentioned it in passing to my quilting buddies the little blue tortoise and J who got really enthused. We decided to pool our scraps so that we would all have a variety of fabrics. I had a major clear out of all the little bits I had pieces going back to my earliest quilts. Every Thursday for the last couple of weeks we have grabbed great handfuls of 2.5" square and handed over our nine patches. The rest of the week has been a frenzy of nine patch piecing as we tried to catch up. At the end of thursday evening the nine patches have then been spread across the floor and we have each picked one till they were gone. At day 53 we have 59 each and the target is 70 which makes a single bed size. We still have a lot of scraps and I am still enjoying the rhythmic piecing so maybe mine will end up a double.

Hey Jude

2009-06-18T16:29:00.005Z

It is gorgeous! The fabric is heavy and very luxurious.The colour magnificent. The buttons a perfect match. The stitch pattern was interesting without being too difficult.
But Why did it have to take so much effort to finish? It has been my nemesis, my only garment for me this year.
It has been like a creative sponge zapping my enthusiasm for all other projects. The whole thing was so stressful it had to be pulled out so many times firstly because I made too large a size then because it was too short. If I hadn't wanted it so badly it would definitely have joined the never to be finished pile. The buttonhole band alone took about four attempts to get it set up straight. Would I do it again? Yes, I love it!

Catching up!

2009-06-01T14:57:00.004Z

We have just had our annual visit to Brugge to visit the inlaws. I have been there so often I forget that it really is quite pretty. Anyway I got busy with the camera and brought you back some delights of the city.Hmmm Chocolate

There is a story about Brugge and the swans. I am not entirley sure of it but basically the people of Brugge did something wrong and were punished by having to feed the swans.
I spent my second wonderful afternoon in Hema with the knit and knatter group that I met through ravelry. The bright green pile is Jude or as I have renamed it the rip stitch sweater as I have pulled it off the needles so many times.

I also visited my favourite shop in Brugge (more than once)De Lander it sells gorgeous patchwork fabrics,patchwork and bear kits as well as lovely home gifts.
Katie who owns it was busy telling me how she hates having her photo taken (I guess she will hate it even more when she realises what I have done with it!) LOL!Though all of the quilts you can see Katie has made whilst sitting at the counter.

The sleepy canine is called Lander, I guess you know who the shop is named after.
Mario and I were sat on the square having a drink and watching the world go by,it was very civilised.

Sometimes you just need an Angel!

2009-05-17T19:24:00.007Z

I seem to be very behind with everything at the moment. A combination of lethargy,lack of time and a wrist that doesn't quite do what I want. Which is why the day before the Little Blue Tortoise's birthday I still hadn't organised making her present.
I had decided on this Tilda Angel last year as it is just perfect for her. Then I ended up making something else. The fabric has been sitting waiting on the shelf looking at me for months. so on Wednesday I drew around the pieces. The sewing on the machine wasn't difficult and I whipped it up Thursday morning before work. However stuffing it was a bit beyond me. Luckily I had two little angels of my own to help!
They really enjoyed it even though it was a little rushed(we did it as we got home from school). I can see more of these popping up around the house very soon.
I think everyone has now received my Handmade Happiness Gifts so I shall reveal what I made. The posie pattern is from Lucy at Attic24
the needlecases and the bookcovers are my own design.I am very pleased with the book covers and one of these days I will make one for myself.

There are some very complimentary things said both Here and Here.
Mousie here was given as part of the exchange but was really for a very pernickity cat called Jack. The lure of cat nip makes him like me a little better.

The booties are for a soon to be arrival.

A Little Slow!

2009-05-06T15:23:00.005Z

After Tigger went everything became a little slow. Knitting seemed strange without him ensconsed on my lap. Somehow I seemed to get less done in the same amount of time. I felt lethargic and had to force myself to do anything.
I picked up Jude again, which I started last year and finished the back and started the fronts before productivity ground to a halt.

I started and finished Peaches by Kim Hargreaves. I wanted to make this for myself but not it the blue so had a practise go for Elenya with the cotton left over from Oriana's Swift.But didn't then feel inspired to make another for me.

I have nearly finished my Handmade for you by me but even this seems to be taking me ages. Though hopefully I should be able to post them all on Saturday.
Then last week I started with Tendonitis or Tenderitis as Oriana calls it in my right arm. I am not sure what caused it perhaps a combination of things but there is now a lump half way up my forearm and my wrist creaks like an old gate and every movement is painful and very slow. Now I am desperate for everything to speed up. I have so many things that I want to do.Typical!

Tigger 1988-2009

2009-04-16T15:49:00.003Z

Rest in peace, my beautiful, darling boy.

Helon is complete

2009-04-15T03:18:00.004Z

Well from the photo's it looks like a success. Indeed Elenya was really pleased with it but, I wasn't! The sizing was terrible. When I had finished it I tried it on and could get it to my hips. Not good concidering it is supposed to be for a child! I then checked the childs pattern against the adults. The number of stitches needed for a 13 year old girls sleeve was the same as those needed for someone with a 40" bust! I dramatically decreased at the neck and then I ended up turning the dress inside out and stitching whilst Elenya was wearing it. I won't be making anything else from this booklet just incase any of the other patterns are as badly written and checked. I guess it is lucky there are loads of other patterns out there that I like!

Handmade Happiness...Pass it on!

2009-04-08T12:18:00.004Z

Last week I was reading smilernb blog, where she was taking part in "handmade for you by me" a clever little thing that is touring the blogging world. Smilernb was offering gifts to five people. I was lucky enough to be a recipient, and my cute little parcel arrived this morning.
I have to say I have been thoroughly spoilt.
My favourite is the little owl, who has been named Wol. Smilernb had made some of these a week or so ago and I was really loved up when I saw them. Wol is going to live outside Oriana's new bedroom once it is decorated and she has been ensconsed(but more about that in a later post).

As I don't cross stitch I am always impressed by anyone who has the patience for it but, I think she must be really quick if all of her giftees got one of these. The notebook will be incredibly useful as I now carry one constantly at work and it is always nice to have a posh one!

She made soap!! How impressive is that.

and the chocolate goodies were delicious.
Anyway now it is my turn, if you would like a gift from me leave a comment and the first five will get a little something handmade by me.

Helon Back On The Hook

2009-03-31T08:35:00.004Z

I realise after titling this piece that you didn't know that it had been on the hook in the first place. There is a reason for this. Just after I finished my own Helon. Elenya requested one, she was very excited about it and paraded up and down in my version even though it was several sizes to big for her. I dutifully started it even though there wasn't much fun it something that I had completed less the a month before. The shaping seemed less than smooth and each stitch seemed to be a struggle. I finished the back in record time but when I held it up to her it looked massive, and the shape looks a little wierd -top heavy. I just stashed it while I thought about ripping the whole thing out.
6months later it looks like it might fit, though I am still unsure about the shaping! I had already completed the bottom lace for the front so it really isn't taking long to do the front and I am enjoying it.
Though I have promised myself no more deadlines, we have a wedding reception to go to in a couple of weeks and it would be nice if she could wear it for that.

Swift

2009-03-29T15:27:00.004Z

This started ten months ago, a quick use it up project. I was sick of looking at the blue in my stash. I had a cone of pink in my stash. They seemed to work reasonably well together and although the photo in the book Little Knits was fairly appalling it looked quite cute.
I figured I would make the largest size available and see which daughter it fit when it was finished. I started with the back and it really was swift a day at most. Then I decided I would knit two sleeves and then two fronts. A great plan! I just couldn't be bothered to wind the cone into two balls so the project was shelved. I got it back out a week or so ago and wound the cone into two really not that difficult if you don't get sidetracked onto other things. In fact the only fiddle was attaching the ribbons.
It might have fit Elenya but with the sleeves turned back it is perfect for Oriana and she loves it! It was being worn as I put the ribbons on. It was forcibly removed when she was eating hotdogs and ketchup last night as I pleaded that it stayed clean till I had least taken some photos.Since the photos were taken it has been draped around her waist as we went up the road. It has been held out behind her like a cape and as a dollies blanket. I wish that I had finished it earlier, especially when I see the pleasure that Oriana is getting from it. As for the blue and the pink well I still haven't used it all so I will have to bury it at the very bottom of my stash!

Amy Butler Lotus Tunic

2009-03-23T07:37:00.003Z

Technically it isn't really finishing if you have only washed the fabric and cut out the pattern but, as I had cut the pattern out twice as I had ummed and ahhed over the size I felt it deserved finishing.
This is the first Amy Butler Pattern that I have used (though not the only one I own).After the initial struggle about sizes-the reason for this being that I don't go in and out the way her patterns do. I have to say what a good pattern! Very easy instructions. The only things I would do differently would be put a double notch at the back of the sleeve head so it is easier to remember which way the sleeves go in (I am still not sure that I got it right). I wouldn't put interfacing in the belt,it has made it as stiff as a board and very un yielding you certainly wouldn't want that tied around your middle. Hopefully it will become softer with washing.

The things I did differently, well I didn't line it, for starters I have no idea where you can buy the muslin that she asks for and I also thought it would probably make it too warm in the summer.
I also didn't add the hook and eye at the neck. It always stresses me virtually to the point of hyperventilation when I can't get my necklace undone. I figured that doing a zip up down the middle of my back would be bad enough without struggling with hook fastenings.

I would like to make another of these at some point. There are two more lengths to play with as well as a sleeveless. Also there are so many lovely Amy Butler fabrics (many of them are already in my stash)So maybe more than one! Of course that will be when I have done a little more finishings.

Remembering to smell the flowers.

2009-03-09T11:39:00.005Z

I was sort of dreading 500g of moss stitch scarf. I mean you can't exactly go fast and rush onto the next project. The rhythmic knit and purl take time...lots of time.Relaxing, enjoyable, time. I was about half way through when I kind of had an epiphany.
I spent ten wonderful years being a SAHM. Now I am working, mainly at home so I still give the illusion to myself and many around me that I am still SAHM but definitely working. Yet I still try and fit in as much sewing and knitting as I did when my children were really tiny- you can get a lot done at nap time. I read blogs by SAHM and feel that my crafting exploits are inadequate(my housework definitely is).
Knitting Jondy's scarf gave me clarity.
Re reading the blogs that I love I realise that it is not that these great ladies achieve more than me but that their blogs exude calm, careful words and pictures. They are not continually rushing onto the next project. It isn't work. It shouldn't have deadlines.
At this moment I have just under ten knitting and crochet projects and several quilting projects on the go. I have decided to finish all of them before I start anything else and I am going to take as much time as I need to enjoy them. To enjoy them as much as I have enjoyed knitting a simple scarf.

London

2009-02-23T11:41:00.010Z

Well that was quick!I'm back from lovely sunny London.Just before I left I finished my crochet bag. I am pretty pleased with how it turned out,especially as it was really just an experiment with using stuff up.I didn't give it to Pinkie but turned it into project bag as it is just the right size to hold the hexagon blanket. London was a wonderful rest and yet very stimulating. In four days I packed in a lot. I started my Hyacinth Ripple proper on the train down and was quite pleased with my progress managing two stripes. I arrived on Thursday and after lunch we went to find Loop in Islington
I had allocated about three hours to be there but it was a lot smaller than I imagined, Then Jondy and I went to a knit and knatter at iknit where I mucked up my blanket! I met up with Stash, Cakemix and PrincessPea we knit,knattered drank gin and tonics and ate chocolate (what a fabulous place -I really would like to live there!)I was very restrained on buying only a ball of sock yarn (Lang wool and silk) which is a pressie for my mum, who says she would like to make some socks, left the shop with me though it could easily have been suitcases worth.
On Friday a trip to Liberty's Jondy fell in love with Rowan Cocoon in Kiwi and he bought 5 balls,I have promised him a scarf in moss st which is apparently just what he wanted.
We then took a tour of the Royal Academy to look at the Byzantium Exhibition and then we went out to dinner with some other friends. On Saturday we took a trip to the Victoria and Albert museum (my favourite) to look at the costumes of the Tzar's. Where I bumped into my friend Debs who lives down the road from me here at Denby Dale. Just shows what a small world it is. Then we had a quick wander around Covent Garden before going to listen to a lovely, string quartet concert in Bloomsbury. On Sunday we took a wild whizz around Camden Market before rushing to catch the train home.
When I got back DollyDimple had tagged me

Here are the rules:
Link to the person who tagged you.
Mention the rules.
Tell six quirky yet boring, unspectacular details about yourself.
Tag six other bloggers by linking to them.
Go to each person's blog and leave a comment that let's them know they've been tagged.

1.I am phobic about synthetic foam it brings on a gag reflex.I get the same feeling when putting on nylon tights after I have just got out the bath.
2.I started out left handed but, now do everything with my right,Though if you saw me knit or crochet you can see I lead with my left.
3.I can do this with my toes which no one else in the family can manage.
.

4.I always read before bed.It only has to be a page but otherwise I can't sleep.
5. I never remember book Titles or Authors. It is only the story that counts.
6. If I don't get something crafty done in the day it makes me really restless and out of sorts like there is something missing.Which also means that everyone around me needs to take cover because I am going to be moody!

My choice of victims(er I mean bloggers) are

BlueADT_Knits
BakeandSew
KnittingintheNorth
PoshYarns
Damn,Knit and Blast it
Attic 24
Only do it if you want to!

When Life Hands You Lemons...

2009-02-17T16:55:00.004Z

Well I wasn't exactly handed them, I went looking. Four lemons for a pound a bargain I bought eight. On Thursday I am off to spend four glorious days in London with my very good friend Jondy. I wanted to take him a little something. It didn't take long to decide what. He loves homemade lemon curd, in fact I only make it when he comes to mind.

Zest and juice of 4 medium lemons
4 eggs
100g Butter
350g Sugar

Put the ingredients in a bowl over a pan of boiling water and stir till the mixture thickens.
Put in jars and cover.

I doubled the receipe. A jar for home and a jar for Jondy. we have already made quite a dent in ours.
You can strain it before you pot but, I love the way little bits of rind catch your teeth as the curd melts in your mouth. Yummy!

Tea Towel Totes

2009-02-09T10:40:00.005Z

It has been a while since I had my sewing machine out. But yesterday I dusted it off. A few months ago BlueAdt told me about Tea Towel Totes she got the idea from a blog but I am not sure whose, though I have to say it is a good one. I made some at christmas to hold presents ( a bit more eco than the paper gift bags you can buy). I have had these lovely cheerful Tea Towels for a couple of months a present from BlueAdt.

For a Tea Towel Tote
You will need:-
2 Tea Towels (as tea towels usually come in sets of three I had six towels that way there are none left over)
1 metre of webbing(per bag)
Scissors
pins
and someway of sewing it

First cut off the two hems on the long sides of your tea towels. This will make the sewing easier. Leave the two shorter ones as they will save you having to hem later on.

Then with your right sides together fold your tea towel in half so it is now short and fat. Because they probably aren't that straight sew both sides about 1.5cm from the edge, towards the fold that way your edges will meet.

Carefully fold your tea towel so that the seams lie together and the corners come to a point. Sew along the corner so that you make a triangle. If you are a bit wonky it doesn't really matter.

Then cut the corner off about 1.5cm from your seam you don't want it to fray to a hole.

Repeat this with your other tea towel. Then turn one tea towel the right way out and place them inside one and other. you should be able to see the right sides of both your tea towels.

Pin at the seams. If you make the seams face in opposite directions they will be easier to sew.

Cut your webbing in half and place between the two layers of tea towel pin. Mine are about 9 cm from the seam.

Then sew carefully around the top of your bag capturing the webbing as you sew.

Voila your tea towel tote!

If you get stuck contact me and I will do my best to help.

Come and meet Pinkle Purr

2009-02-07T14:07:00.003Z

This is Pinkle Purr know mainly to us as Pinkie or Pinkie pudding. She is a funny little cat. She was found at 4 weeks old in the rubbish (I hope that something really horrible happened to the person who did that!) and taken to a local vets where a friend of my sister was working. She came to live with us a few days later. She was tiny as small as the palm of my hand and covered in fleas. Too young for flea powder or spray she had to be combed daily, she hated it and would display her impressive claws in a tiny paw. Even now she will not tolerate you going near her with any kind of grooming implement. we were terrified that Tigger would hurt her as he was very rough when he was young so she had to be left by herself whilst we went out for work. It turned out that Tigger was a great dad and taught her to wash and generally take care of herself. All of her early experiences have definately coloured her life. She loves her family but she doesn't cuddle, lap sit or come for affection though she will purr like a top if you seek her out to stroke her and whisper sweet nothings in her ear. She loves baby equipment, she was only a few months old when Elenya was born and enjoyed sitting in the cot, pram and high chair when ever she got the chance.
She likes wool too if you will give her a strand she will gladly follow it whilst you drag it around the floor.
A few weeks ago I started making my Hexagons.
Pinkie went beserk running around the floor tossing them up in the air and even after I hurriedly put them away ran excitedly around the funiture for another half an hour. Unusual behaviour for a thirteen year old cat. I didn't really think too much about it until last week when I started making my crochet bag.
Again, Pinkie ran around trying to jump on the crochet then as I started the sides she sat in it. As the sides went higher she squashed them down. I finished the body of the bag last night,
she promptly sat on it and stayed there until I started crocheting the straps when she ran around the room leaping from the chair to the sofa to stage an attack at Mario's feet.
Maybe Pinkie was a crocheter in a previous life, maybe she will be one in the next but what ever the reason Pinkie loves Crochet!

The Last of the Christmas Gifts

2009-02-03T18:26:00.004Z

I finished whooohoooo. I didn't make my deadline of the the 31st mainly because I had got it into my head that the last day of the month was Sunday. Very surprised I was too to find that when I was filling in the blanks on my Ravelry account that I had lost a day.
I am quite pleased with these gifts in that they are all from stash yarn (though not all mine!) The gloves are the last of the Rowanspun tweed that I made my february hat and Juno.The Blackberry yarn was in J's stash so I offered to make her the blackberry for xmas. The sleeves on this are slightly cropped due to a lack of yarn but, actually make it really cute. I am assured that it is lovely and warm which when all is said and done, the main thing! In fairness to me, the gloves and the Blackberry have been finished for some time but, I wanted to give them out at the same time as the Selbu Modern.

The Selbu Modern didn't want to play. I was ready to start this weeks before christmas but I couldn't get hold of the right sized needles I would have loved some addi turbo's but love nor money didn't seem to want to turn up a couple of pairs of these. I finally surcummbed to knitpicks. It was hate at first stitch! I managed to pierce my finger (who on earth thinks needles need to be that sharp-I'm not sewing with them)every other stitch resulted with me being stabbed in the same spot. Not much fun. I had knit about a quarter of it when a little voice started whispering "it's too small"
"Of course it's not too small!" I muttered under my breath "I will take it carefully off of the needles and prove to you that it isn't too small!" Well if the recipient had been a doll it would have been perfect. I then took a deep breath and ripped it out and went up a needle size using my lovely addi's which don't hurt and it was a lovely quick knit and hopefully a good present. I still want one for myself but I think I might do it in a dk yarn rather than a 4ply so that is a lot more slouchy.

Ah Precious Snow Day!

2009-02-02T14:42:00.003Z

Like most of the country we woke up this morning to beautiful white. It is the first really thick snow we have had since moving to Yorkshire over eleven years ago. There is probably 4 inches outside my front door All the local schools are shut and Mario has worked from home. The kid's day has been filled with sledging, snowballs and hot chocolate.
Mine with crochet! Inspired to make a bag similar to the one on Attic24 I pulled out my oddments of handknit cotton yesterday and started to play. I am not sure that I like the colours. I am not sure that I have enough but, it is bright and it is crochet which are things I seem to be craving at the moment and if at the end it isn't for me I shall add it to this year's gifts. Hopefully someone will love it.

I wish this was smellovision

2009-01-21T17:54:00.004Z

.
Totally heavenly and I am feeling inspired! A couple of months ago whilst reading PoshYarns blog I came across MoonStitches and her beautiful hexagon blanket. I was curious as to how it was made and had a play. It was then put down after all we have central heating so we don't need crochet blankets right? Then in october the boiler broke. It was quickly replaced but now I am obsessed by beautiful blankets. Mouth drooling examples can be found with Attic 24 and Posy. Mt first, a moonstitch hex is underway.
The little pinwheel circles are very absorbing. I have sixteen different delicious colours in Debbie Cashmerino Baby I want a range of different coloured circles before I turn them into a blanket as I am hoping that each hexagon will be totally different but hopefully I will have something to show in the next week or so if I can be faithful to the hex's but,I see a Hyacinth ripple and a Kidston granny in my future.

The First Finished Object Of 2009

2009-01-11T20:14:00.003Z

I never seem to blog things as they are started. This is usually because I am so involved in the knitting/sewing that I can't bear to break of -take photo's and blog about it. This project was no exception. The tuesday before christmas was strange it involved a wool shop and a funeral. Not things that often go together but, I was going to say goodbye to my wonderful, Great Auntie Betty. The funeral was held in Durham at 1pm in Durham and I asked Mario if we could stop and visit my Rowanette friend Chris at a Fine Yarn in Darlington. With regards to my Aunt everyone should have an Auntie like her. When I was young she would ask if I wanted easter eggs or yarn. All I can say is that for the egg to equal the yarn it would have to have come from Fortnums!
A fine yarn is lovely, very small with just enough yummy yarn to keep you entertained without making you feel overfaced. It had a very calming affect. This particular cardigan was made up in the shop.The yarn is Sirdar Tweedie which I would have passed by if I had seen it on the internet because of the man made fibre in it but it is a really soft blend of alpaca wool and I think nylon
I really liked it and was going to buy it (though if I had it would probably have ended up stashed). Anyway Mario bought it for my christmas present so after the turkey had been eaten I cast on. I had promised myself that I would only knit it on Christmas and Boxing Day and then go back to the Christmas presents that were still owing....but I just couldn't put it down. I have mastered knitting cables a needle which makes cables bliss if you don't have the annoying cable needle hanging from your mouth(easy when you know how!!)
The pattern had you cast off the stitches and then pick them up again. With the exceptions of the front two pieces I just put the stitches straight onto a circular knitting needle and knit a couple together to get the right number. A lot less hassle. I gave myself until the end of the children's holiday to complete it. I finished it last sunday and sewed it together monday. The buttons were made by Les, Chris's husband and are Ebony. The photo doesn't do them justice as they are wonderfully dark and shiny a perfect compliment to the yarn.
The only thing I would do differently is go down another needle size for the neckline and maybe make it slightly deeper so it is less likely to fall off the shoulder.Now I am back to the Christmas presents.