I've got a thing for shawls

CaladoniaShawl - This is a pattern that grabbed me right away.  Just browsing pinterest I came across the pattern and had to make it.  

The body of the shawl took no time at all but the lacy border was another story.  There were so many stitch markers required I ran out and had to improvise and make my own from my bead stash!

  There was swearing and frogging aplenty.  The picot bind off seemed to take an age it was like two steps forward and one step back. 

 I got there in the end though and I am really pleased with this.  I picked the yarn up at Yarndale last Autumn  from The Skein Queen. 

I had some leftover yarn so make some matching gloves, based on the pattern by Suzie of the Wool Sanctuary but tweaked a bit with another picot bind off.

 Sunlight Shawl for Sad People – I have made one of these recently and I was delighted with how it turned out. A lovely lady I work with pointed me to this pattern and I was so pleased she did.

It drapes so well and I find it is the scarf I wear most often.  I will be making another one of these this year.

  The pattern is such a quick knit, it is so simple with no counting and you chose where to make the stitch changes.  I think it would lend itself to a nice colourful variegated yarn so I must keep my eyes peeled for the right stuff.

Having some of this yarn left too I make a couple of pairs of leaf collectors mittens from Sarah's beautiful pattern here.

 I kept one pair and gifted one. Love em!

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Lisa xx

Lest We Forget

It is that time of year again when we start to see poppies everywhere, in commemoration of Armistice Day. Armistice Day also known as Remembrance Day is on November 11th each year and commemorates the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front, which took effect at eleven o’clock in the morning – the “eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month” of 1918.

Due to many different issues I have not been able to make poppies to sell this year as I have done in previous years, but I have made a small handful to give to friends and to wear myself, giving a donation to The Royal British Legion on their behalf.

There are many free patterns out there for poppies but I made this one up myself as I was sat with my wool basket at my side and a sleeping kitten on my lap and couldn’t reach the iPad for a tutorial.

If you would like to make your own, the pattern went something like this 

(UK Crochet Terms)

Poppy

1^st round: Ch2, In second chain from hook, dc 11, join last dc to first with a slip stitch (10 sts)

2^nd round: Ch1, *in 1st dc (dc, htr,tr), in 2nd dc 2 tr, in 3^rd dc 3tr, in 4^th dc (tr, htr, dc), ss into next dc* repeat from *to* (24 st)

3^rd round: Ch1, in 1^st st of previous round (dc,htr, tr), in next 10 stitches tr, 2tr, tr, 2tr, tr, 2tr, tr,    2tr, tr,2tr, in 12^th stitch of previous round (tr,htr,dc) ss into next dc.  

In 14^thst of previous round (dc,htr,tr) tr into next 9 st, into 23^rd st of previous round (tr, htr, dc) ss into last st of previous round.

Bind off and sew in ends.

Leaf

1^st row: Ch 6, In 2^nd chain from hook, work 1dc, 1htr, 2tr, 1ht,1dc, ch1 at end of row ss into back of second chain from hook to form picot, turn,

this is where you ss into the back of the stitch can you see where I've placed the needle for clarity?

2^nd row:, working along the other side of the chain, work 1dc, 1htr, 1tr, 1htr, 1dc.

Bind off and sew in ends, leaving a tail to attach leaf to flower.

Finishing:  I added a small circle of black felt with a small 6mm dolls eye as the centre, but you can simply sew a nice black button in the middle.  Using black cotton add the stamen and add a simple french knot at the end of each stamen.

Attach your leaf to the back and tack in place, add a brooch back (or a safety pin) to the back and you are done.

I covered my button and gave it a spritz of spray starch to set it.

As I said I made this up as I went with a paper poppy as a guide but as it is a standard poppy shape it is likely that there are very similar patterns out there, this is my own.

 Please feel free to use this pattern to make poppies for your own use or to sell for charity. Please do not make poppies to sell for personal profit from this pattern.

If you are planning to make yourself a poppy instead of buying one you can make a donation to the Royal British Legion directly here.

The Exhortation

They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old;

Age shall not weary them, not the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

When you go home tell them of us and say,

For your tomorrow we gave our today

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n.b. thanks for the feedback I have made an amendment to pattern 06.11.14 Kandi x