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

Catch Up and Baby Bunting

Since the discovery of Instagram I have felt less need to document my makes on here which was the purpose of creating this little blog all those years ago.  

I want to remedy that and intend to do a few little catch up posts to have a record of recent makes that didn’t make it onto the blogosphere.  

Please bear with me while I indulge my online record keeping.

My most recent completed project was a commission for two sets of baby bunting for two new arrivals.  This is the result.  

I have made a few sets of these now and they always come out a treat.  

The pennant pattern can be found here from Lucy's blog and the crochet letters are from a pattern here.  Using Sublime Baby Cashmerino and a 3mm hook they are a nice size. 

They do take such a long time to make with the crochet time and all the washing, blocking and pinning of all the little letters but I think it’s worth it.
I usually add a little embellishment to the front and end of the name, either a flower or a butterfly (pattern here), but for a boy I must admit I came up blank, any suggestions for simple clear boy motifs I could add if I make any more in the future? 

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Lisa xx

It’s time for a catch up

Well it’s been a while, I have badly neglected this poor old blog of mine.

The last few months have been taken up with the mundane.  We have some family changes afoot which means moving away from Northumberland back to the county of my birth, County Durham.  My house is up for sale so I have spent many an hour and weekend decorating and tidying which hasn't left much time for creating.   I have managed a few makes over the last few months and of course I have been making gifts for Christmas which I can’t share yet. What I can share though are these: 

Another Ray of Light Shawl - pattern by Suzie Johnson

 A beautiful cropped cardigan which is way to snug to model, pattern by  Andi Satterlund

The pebble beach shawlette, pattern by Helen Stewart.

 A hexie knitting bag, I made this up as I went using a pile of hexies I made an age ago.  This bag is huge and great for my WIP's.

 Yet another hexie project a made as I go tissue box cover, who wants to look at a box of old tissues?

 Oh I didn't make this but I did attend Yarndale this year and met up with a bunch of lovely like-minded boys and girls it was a really great day, can't wait for next year.

Another shawl/scarf here - I am beginning to  seeing a pattern!  This is the All at Sea pattern by the lovely Elizabeth 

 Something a bit more seasonal, a couple of crochet pumpkins, well just because.

I have had quite a bit of blog traffic recently looking for my poppy pattern as we are at that time of year again.  

I have made a few this last week for friends and have given a donation to the Royal British Legion.  I have tweaked the pattern a little following feedback and have updated the page here.

 That is us up to date; I’ll not leave it so long next time (insert gratuitous Oskar shot below).

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Artisan Apron

Over the Easter weekend I made this ‘pinny’ for a friend who was on the lookout for one of these.  I found a lovely pattern by Janet Clare and bought a pile of linen and this is the result.

It is such an easy pattern to follow, it is fully lined in cotton too, not a raw seam in sight.

It is embellished with little liberty fabric flowers paper pieced together as hexies and a liberty patch pocket.

  The name tag is on a brooch back so it can be removed. I am glad to say it was very well received.

Although it is plain I think I like the back best of all.

I can see me sporting one of these I have added it to my (ever growing) list of things I need to make.

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Whippoorwill Shawl - Finished at Last

I've finished!!

Although I went for the medium size not the huge full sized one it has still taken me an age to do.

Whippoorwill in embryo

worn as a shawl

worn as a scarf (how I will most likely wear it)

 

in all it's glory

(my hubbie took this next one and told me I reminded him of the serial killer Buffalo Bill from Silence of the Lambs (thanks!), film nerds will get the link)

I do love it though I love the colours and following a wash the wool is much kinder on the skin.

More details on the pattern and wool can be found on my last blog post about it here.

Thanks go again to Sarah from Crafts from the Cwtch for the inspiration.

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Miss Maggie

I recently received a parcel of goodies from a dear friend and one of the items had me swooning.

Meet Miss Maggie, an Alicia Paulson design.  This delightful creature was handmade for me by my lovely Lynda and I love her.  Miss Maggie has been on my long list of things to make for an age, I have the patterns ready to go but now I can just accessorise her.

As a kid the only clothes I had for my beloved Sindy doll were the ones she came with all other clothes were handmade by me.  I vividly remember cutting a big square out of my candlewick bed spread to make Sindy a rather gorgeous towelling bathrobe.  My mother was not so pleased, but to be fair it was the bottom corner.  When Miss Maggie arrived my first instinct was to make her something.

I have added a cotton floral dress, some bloomers and a knitted pink dress to her wardrobe, I feel like a kid again making for my dollies!

I made her an artisan apron too but it is very tricky to do tiny little hems in linen, I need to find something more suitable and try this again.

In the meantime she is a rather well dressed young rabbit and has taken pride of place on my dressing table.

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Whippoorwill Shawl

I have a very long list of things I want to make and on that list is this beautiful thing The Whippoorwill Shawl.

Photo by Carina Spencer

I saw this Whippoorwill Shawl on Crafts from the Cwtch blog last year and when I saw the lovely Lynda (Lynda is the Mum of Sarah of Crafts from the Cwtch) wearing it on Great British Sewing Bee last month it brought it back to mind.  This year I promised myself I would buy no more wool or fabric until I had worked my way through my little stash mountain, but look, isn’t it divine, all swishy and bright? 

I had to have it so I bought the pattern and the wool there and then before I put it to the back of my mind.

The pattern is available to buy on Ravelry here and the wool is Kauni Effect Yarn.  

I bought my wool from here it came all the way from Estonia in a couple of days!  It’s quite a scratchy wool but I was itching to get knitting with it (see what I did there?).

I love the way the colours are showing themselves, this looks like a sunset to me.

I will be posting updates on its bright and breezy (albeit slow) progress.

p.s. I was gutted Lynda didn't win she was my favorite of all the GBSB bees!

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