Knitting news

Off the needles 

Summer Bucket Hat - 

Gemini Top - not sure if I really like this or not. I actually don’t have anything it will go with 😂 oh well I can wear it in the garden if not out

 Patchwork Squares - 

With the top and hat now completed I’m at a loose end knitting wise. I can’t decide what to knit next.  I spent an age winding a 300 gram lace weight skein, to then decide not to use it! I’ve spent too much time on Ravelry and going through patterns looking for inspiration but nothing really takes my fancy.  I only made the hat for something to do. Whilst awaiting a brainwave I’m making up squares, using oddments and learning new stitches.  I expect these will go the way of the crochet granny squares which still sit languishing in a bag. A case of out of sight etc etc. Who knows maybe I’ll make enough to do a knit/crochet combo blanket. 

The stitch pattern above is slip stitch zigzag, 8 rows to the pattern. Simple enough. I have all my stitch books out and have marked up all the patterns that will fit within my 40 stitch square, allowing for a three stitch garter border each side, so my cast on will be somewhere between 38-44.  This gives roughly a 7” square.

There you have it my knitting news for now. 

Knitting news

 

I finally got round to photographing my work in progress, another Honeycomb cushion. I really love how the multi coloured yarn pops through the beige, like little stain glass windows. I’m nearly three quarters of the way into this so hopefully will be done soon.  I have enough beige for another but will have to stash dive to look for a contrast in my aran weight box, nothing sort of springs to mind unless I use two strands for 4ply together….. now there’s a thought!

We didn’t get to the allotment today as it was too windy for a bonfire, instead we continued with the great garage sort out. We’ve still some sorting to get through but nearly there. It looks much neater and all my gardening tools are now hanging neatly for the first time in ages. 

The new light fitting went up in the porch so that’s another tick off the list.

Casserole for dinner tonight, it smells yummy and making me quite hungry

Me again

Yes, I'm still alive, where does the time go? Over 2 weeks since I last posted, really not sure what I've done other than garden clear up, knitting and visiting my mother.

The garden is a full time job right now trying to keep on top of the leaves.  Its a late leaf drop again and the trees are hanging on, though a few more cold days and they will soon start shedding. The first 3 pics were taken walking back to the car on Saturday after a trip to town.  Went for trousers ended up with boots!!

Garden after some raking

Sunrise

Rachel and I found a brilliant craft shop after a visit to my Mum.  Its situated at the Taverham Nursery.  We will definitely be calling in there again

So onto the knitting - actually looks like a achieved a fair bit in the last 2 weeks.  The photo below has come on a bit this afternoon just the neck and arm bands to do on this little slipover.  I plan to make a top for Jess too with the same yarn

for Gus

for Holly

for Gus

for Gus

for Gus

for Jackie

for Rebecca

for Rachel

So that's it for now.  Hope you are ready for the change of clocks this weekend, only bonus to the darker evenings i more knitting time!!

Knitting - Wednesday's WIP

Along came Wednesday again!

Today's WIP is the Ellen Cardigan for me - I am really pleased with the colour combo that I selected from my stash.  Most of the yarn is from Aldi, those huge 400 gram balls that they have from time to time.  Hoping to get this well underway before I start on some baby requests for later in the year.  If I have time I may also start another ten-stitch blanket.  Several ladies from my knitting group have cast on and I do love these as they are just so easy to pick up and do.

Since I last posted I have made a cardigan for Gus - its the Seaside cardigan from Sublime knitted in Drops Muskat cotton which I got on sale at the Wool Warehouse

I know I haven't posted much again this month but I will be posting a round up of the month in photo form soon.

Take care and be kind to one another.  There is just too much sadness in the world right now

WIP's & FO's

Life is pretty busy again, So what's new.  We are trying to get out for a good walk each evening, which is cutting into my knitting time, but I need the exercise and its good to be outdoors. Especially now I have my hay fever under control.

This week we have lost two members to our family, firstly our laptop who gave us many good years of service, its replacement is on order.  Secondly, was Sylvie, one of our Goldline chickens, only just over 2 yrs but she has looked poorly for a while and not laying in ages or if she did they had no shell. We found her tucked up under the nesting box yesterday.  Scruffy looks a bit perplexed and keeps chasing after the cat for company!  We will try and get her a couple of new mates by the weekend.

I have a couple of projects on the go at the moment. A shawl that I am making up as I go along and Hundreds by Pekapeka.

The finished project is Composite also by Pekapeka

On a different note - the veg garden - rabbits have disseminated the cabbages, slugs are eating the beans and courgettes, and a mole if tunneling over the entire patch, only good thing there is its turning over the soil!!  We have decided to give up veg gardening and just buy the the plentiful veg stalls around us.

That's it for today, hope you are all finding some sun, its really in short supply around here.

Knitting - WIP Wednesday

Good morning, hope all is well in your world today.  We have grey skies and drizzle right now, perfect weather for knitting as there is no guilt about being outside and doing the garden.  However, the house needs some attention!  Oh well you know what they say "dust if you must" I love this poem

I have two WIPs on the go at the moment.  A cardigan for Jess

and a hat for Angus

Whilst talking about Angus, who is 1 week old today, here is a cute photo I took on Monday, all snugged up in some Granny's knits.  Adorable or what?

Knitting - on and off the needles

Another week has gone by since I last posted.  I honestly don't know where my weeks go!

What have I been doing this past week?  Well, Friday I picked up the boys for the weekend, we had a fun day, making the most of getting out in the garden in between showers, playing with trains and lego when inside.  Those boys would play with lego all day if you let them!

Saturday, the girls and I went to the Aqua Sana Spa at Woburn Centre Parcs.  We had a wonderfully relaxing day, doing not much at all, just dipping in and out of the pool, steam rooms and just generally lounging around and chatting.  We had a very jolly pedicure, it was fun that all 3 of us got to have our treatments at the same time in the same room, much hilarity ensued - most of it at my expense. Peter and Stu managed the children, spending the day at Wimpole Home Farm, sounds like they had a good time.

Sunday, after we dropped of the boys off for a party, we picked up Rachel and Jess and spent the day mucking out the cars..... cleaning up the buggy...... making a cushion seat cover and a peg bag.... generally ticking things off Rachel's "things to do before baby" list.  I think she is feeling a bit more in control now.

Onto the knitting - I have completed a body warmer for Jess and picked back up a cardigan for the baby. Made 2 snuggly bunnies for the boys - one as an alien - no photos of these completed

The body warmer is the Per Body Warmer pattern from Millamia . I used Stylecraft Special aran with wool for the main colour and oddments from stash for the colourwork.  I added the hearts to make this a bit more girly, especially as its in navy. I also did the armhole bands narrower as I think the ones on the pattern look too bulky.  The cardigan is Emma Asked by Pekapeka.

Photographs in no particular order......

trying to coax the chickens to eat the food they made

Miss chickenpox face

Knitting - WIP Wednesday and a bag of soft

Good morning.  Wednesday already. I love a short week, only another day for me and its the weekend again!

Today I am working on the Autumn Cardigan by Kelly Brooker (pekapekapatterns), another pattern which Kelly is giving away for free.  I really like Kelly's patterns, so well written, and as her free patterns only come in one size, you are tempted to buy the full patterns which come in multiple sizes and yarn weights, should you want to knit again  I like her style.

The yarn I am using has been languishing in my stash for a while - Sublime Baby Cotton Kapok in a crushed raspberry shade. I may change the sleeve on this as I'm not sure I like the puffed effect, it may however be too late for that but I will have a fiddle and see how it turns out.

Whilst rummaging through my stash I found a bag of roving(!?) and a drop spindle.  I made a failed attempt at spinning a while back (see top right, more thick than thin), not really my thing I'm afraid, so it went in the back of the cupboard.  I need someone to do something with it for me!

I still have plans for an Ellen cardigan for me.  The yarn sits waiting with the pattern.  But the requests just keep coming in for Miss J, she is a delight to knit for and as the projects are small, quick to do, I really don't mind.  I also need to make up a few items for the new baby which is due in 5.5 weeks, time is flying by.  Of course it could be late so maybe 7 weeks who knows.

Knitting - WIP Wednesday

I'm being naughty (for me) this week, I have 3 WIP's on the go.

The first photo I am calling Emergency Hat - my eldest text me yesterday to say she had lost her hat and her head was cold!  I no longer had any of the grey yarn I used but had this grey tweed aran weight, the pattern I am using I got from Deramores website - its a Phildar pattern called Bobble Hat. Lets hope she likes it

The second is for Miss J, the pattern is Hine is a Girl and the yarn is Louise Harding Jesse

and finally a Cat Cushion  for Baby R - I'm making this pattern up as I go, based on a photo I found online but couldn't find the pattern - photo on Ravelry link also

I am enjoying being on Instagram, I need to try and get to grips with all the hashtags but other than that Ok.

It'[s been a good afternoon for gardening and got quite a bit of clearing up done. Busy busy. Well that's it from me today, need to get on with that hat

Knitting - Wip Wednesday

Good afternoon all.  Wednesday again, and half of February has gone already.  I haven't made too much progress on my feather and fan baby blanket this week as I cast on another cardigan for Jess, not that I have got much of that done either.

My birthday cake went down a storm on Facebook, especially amongst the knitters on some of the closed groups I belong to. Thank you for all the lovely birthday wishes and comments regards the cake.  I will make sure they are passed on to Beckie who made the cake.

So those Wips - the cardigan is from Sirdar pattern# 1762, a shaped bottom for added interest.  I am making the round neck version which has 4 buttons.

then the Bernat Baby Blanket, looks like I only managed about 14 rows this past week

Right, the ironing is calling and then I need to make something warming for dinner, it's so cold and grey here today. Take care and keep warm

Knitting - WIP Wednesday

I'm having fun working on this week's project.  It's a large cot blanket - large because I am using aran rather than the DK yarn on the number of stitches suggested). It's approx 52" wide so I will need to make it around 56" in length to balance it out.  

The pattern is Bernat Baby Blanket and I am using Drops Loves You 5  which is a recycled cotton.  I am loving the colour combo that I chose and fortunately so does my daughter.  I am getting 2 colour repeats from each 50 gram ball, with just an oddment left or in some cases a few each inches!  The yarn was a real bargain at 80p per ball (still available at this price on the Wool Warehouse), so I went crazy and bought 43 balls.  I plan to make a matching cushion cover for the nursery chair and have enough left over for some sun hats, face/wash cloths and ........... it will get used for something!

I also completed another hat from charity box yarn.  This one is a T-bag hat, age 2, very quick and simple.

When I'm not knitting I try to get some reading done, usually at bedtime and at weekends, when I try to get a lay-in.  I am working my way through Sweet Caress by William Boyd, an enjoyable read, one of my pile of Christmas present books.  Must get more reading done before the garden takes over.  I did manage a quick tidy up down the drive this afternoon, pleasant in the sun.  The back garden is calling, maybe a job to start tomorrow