Many hands.......

If only I had all the hands to fit the projects I have finished this weekend! I would fly through the gift makes I still have to start :)

The Hitchhiker is no longer middle big girls yule gift, I just couldn't face the idea of having to knit up a matching hat and gloves in the KC Riot, it is such a fine DK it would take me all of the time I have from now to Christmas! Instead I cast on these on Saturday evening:

Middle big girl wants gloves she can wear whilst driving and thinks fingerless would work better, and she loves all the chunky cable designs that are everywhere in the shops right now. These worked up really quickly on chunky/bulky weight yarn and used just under 100g for both. And best of all I used stash wool, the Patons Symphony found at a car boot sale during the early summer, so super pleased.

I also managed to finish the bubble rib scarf for biggest girl this weekend:

 Worked in Stylecraft aran so that I wouldn't hear the news that she had shrunken it (last years pure wool Mirasol gift....!) this scarf has taken forever. I have picked up between other makes and tried to squeeze in at least one repeat every night, but this weekend I decided I just had to get it done as I was avoiding my knitting corner altogether to avoid this looking back at me. Very pleased with the finished result though and I hope biggest girl is too. Just a pair of gloves to complete the set.

But instead of casting on the gloves (still have the mans on the needles and one pair is enough for now!), I cast on an instant gratification knit:

Thick warm chunky soft mittens for tallest, smallest big girl. Worked in Wendy Serenity super chunky on 10mm straight needles, these were finished almost as soon as I cast them on. I used this pattern to make this an almost mindless knit, perfect for late night tiredness, waiting for littlest girlie to sleep. If you're thinking of using this pattern I have to tell you there is an error in row 10 and 11 which is easily sorted, but if you have any problems shout out.

And last, but only for now, I cast on this hat for middle big girl, to go with the fingerless mitts from the very first post:

I came up with the pattern to match the cable mitts and I'm very, very pleased with it :) I think it may even become the hat of the season, with one for grandgirlie, and maybe even littlest girlie too. Cast on, knit, and cast off all within an hour or two, just perfect for a quick gift. I may try writing up the pattern if anyones interested?

I still have a pretty long list to work through but it finally feels as I'm getting somewhere. And right now I only have three projects cast on, I wonder how long that will last?

Hope you're all enjoying your Christmas crafting and NOT putting yourselves under pressure to complete. It's fun first of all, remember ;) And I'll be the first to shout out when I've had enough!

-x-

Guess what?

Yes, you guessed - another bag but this time a knitted one:

A dinky one this time, just about big enough for a mobile phone, a coin purse, keys, hankie, the bare essentials. Pretty handy for the car boot sale maybe? Oh dear, I remember when I used to buy bags to match every outfit and for every night out. Now I'm making them to wear to a car boot sale!

The yarn is Paton's Trentino in the Mexico colourway (shade no. 00080). It comes in a 200g weight but this little bag only took 40g in total so lot's left for future projects. The yarn is 90% acrylic/10% wool and is lovely and soft to work with. The tweedy effect is produced by 3 separated threads of variegated yarn being plied together so creating an everchanging colour blend. This makes it very pleasant to work with and to see the colours coming through and it is easy to forgive it being a mainly acrylic yarn. I think I would buy it again although it goes completely against the usual yarn snobbery!

The lining is made from fabric from a ring sling I made a couple of years ago and is one of my favourite fabrics, although I have no idea what else to make with it right now:

The strap is an 8 stitch i-cord which took forever, or so it felt although really the entire bag only took a couple of hours. Yet again Helen and Jen have both asked for it but I might just keep this one for myself and make more for the girls in different colours.

So thank you for visiting again only to find yet another bag. I promise I will find something different to share soon.......

-x-

Buying.........

So I told you I'd be back with the car boot sale bargains. And this is them - six 100g balls of Sirdar Denim chunky for £5 and five 100g balls of Paton's Symphony for £3:

  

Pretty good, don't you think?? 

But even better was these:

The lady had a whole stack of StitchCraft magazines from the late 70's to early 80's! These are lovely booklets and I already have a few in my collection. They cover a range of different needlecrafts - crochet, knitting, embroidery, cross-stitch, rugmaking, all wonderful crafts:

 

. The illustrations are just lovely and although some of the patterns are a bit too "of the times" there are some great ones that need no adjusting if you love the vintage look, or that can be brought right up to date with just a few tweaks. Getting hold of the yarns used would probably be impossible now, and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't want to use some of them anyway ;-). So how much for these five I hear you ask? £2.00! Isn't that a bargain? The seller had a pile of them, maybe 30 or more, and she was asking 50p each one. John asked her what kind of deals she was open to but she was very non-committal and had the maybe I appeared over keen as she just said she would let me select what I wanted before she gave a price. Despite saying again that I would love them all she wouldn't commit to a price so I eventually selected these five. I do wish I had haggled a price with her over the whole collection........

Another lovely find was these candlestick holders:

Ok they're not that great but they only cost £1 for the pair, and then further on I came across a can of enamel spray for £1 too which I snapped up and now my candle holders look like this:

Lovely don't you think?

So there we go, the yarnbuying ban is officially over. And ready to start again for another six months! Why, do you ask? Because I have also been treated to some lovely yarns from my lovely man. Yesterday I also acquired a skein of laceweight, some sock yarn, some more cotton 4ply, and a couple of skeins of Mirasol T'ika. So the dent I had created in the stash has now been smoothed over and filled in. Now to find the inspiration to start working through it all over again. That's if I can tear myself away from the strangely addictive Granny stripe hookiness.........

So what crafty bargains have you come across lately? And please - links to yarn sales are not allowed here! Well maybe if you really want to.........

-x-

From disaster came.........

So I mentioned that I accidentally felted another cardigan. This one. I've blogged about this cardigan a couple of times, mainly about how long it took (moss stitch on a large cardigan eek!), about the bargain price of the wool, about the search for one last ball to finish it off, and about how wonderfully warm it was when wrapped around Heather and I when we were out and about. Well after all that I couldn't bear to see it all shrunk and stiff, yet neither could I just throw it away. And so yesterday it was transformed. I chopped and stitched. I crocheted. And I finally ended up with this:

What do you think?

I actually prefer it in it's new incarnation and have already had a request for something similar from a very particular and devoted to style, young person. I'm always pleased when I get a pleasant comment from those harshest of critics - young women! They all preferred it over the cardigan it used to be which they said looked as if it had been knitted for an old Granny. Mind you, if the cap fits.........!

Technical details:

7 balls of Paton's Shadow Tweed knitted up into a rather lovely moss stitch cardigan. Although I guess knitting it up into a couple of squares and a long thin rectangle would be far easier if you didn't want to wear the thing for a year first ;-)

Shrink all the knitting down on a very hot towel wash. This cardigan reduced down from around a size 14 to about an age 7-8 so very densely felted.

Scraps of Ikea fabric for the lining left over from making curtains for the caravan.

Bag handles free from one of my knitting mags at some point over the last few years.

Crochet flowers made up as I went along from scraps of Paton's fairytale color4me pure wool DK left over from a pumpkin hat. (I am rather liking the "make it up as you go" aspect of crochet, something that is much more difficult to do with knitting).

Running stitch stems for the flowers from scraps of green wool found in a bag of wool oddments at a car boot sale.

All in all a no-buy bag. Now to have a look at what else I can "accidentally" shrink in time for Christmas makes.

Happy crafting everyone.

-x-

Stuff!

Needing to occupy my mind this evening I thought I would ignore the housework and do a little crafting instead.

It's turned so cold the past few days that I decided to treat myself to a nice pair of gloves:

I've had this wool in my stash for many many months but I love Mirasol wool so much that I always set it aside for a special project and then never get round to using it. These gloves only took just over one of the two 50g skeins I had so I still have enough left to knit a pair of mittens for Heather too. The wool is Mirasol Chirapa 100% merino and is just so soft and warm. The colours are pretty warming too for on the coldest of days.

I also finished off the cardigan I have been working on over the past week for Heather:

Yet another purple one, she looks so lovely in all things purple. This was knitted up on Paton's Diploma gold DK and used 3 50g balls. It's in a simple garter stitch with a crochet edging rather than the usual rib. I really like the added interest a crochet edging gives. And it's so much quicker too ;-) Actually this looks so much better on Heather than it looks in the photo. Will have to try get her to model....

Felting too has been taken it's turn, although this was an accidental make. Remember this? Well it somehow ended up in the washing machine on a towels wash and when I realised it had already shrunk to newborn size. It was too stiffly felted to be of any use to a teeny baby so I decided to turn it into something else rather than throw it away:

I used the back section of the cardigan to make this purse/zippered bag and added needle felted flowers and edging to add a bit of colour. Not sure what I'm going to do with it now I've made it but I think it's very cute and almost worth felting a piece of clothing for. And I still have the rest of the felted cardigan and the buttons looking to be used on a new project. Now I just need to think what to do with the extra large mum and baby covering cardigan that also got felted in the same wash.........

Blanket.

OK, my brain isn't up to imaginative titles right now ;-)
This is the finished blanket/rug for Heather:


Again a very simple knit, nothing too taxing for the one brain cell that still hangs around in my dusty head. Three strips of knitting on 4mm needles in alternating blocks of colour, then joined together to give the effect of an 18 patch piece. Stitches picked up along the sides first and 12 rows of garter stitched worked to create a border. The same then done along the top and bottom. Then a few scraps used to crochet the little flower embellishment. The wool used was Paton's colour 4 me baby DK in shades 4967, 4987 and 4986, the last two of which appear to have been discontinued which is probably why they were a bargain when I got them. Altogether I used 2 balls of the red, 2 of the peachy pink, and 3 of the dusky pink.
All I need to do now is block it into shape and then attach the fabric I am going to cover the reverse with, just to tidy up any straggly threads and hide the colour change rows. Then it will be all ready for using in the car, or for sitting on when we venture out.

Making things........slowly!

Crafting time has been difficult to find lately. Sophie has been staying here more often, Heather is not settling until late, I have been reading more than usual, and life has just been rushing along. But I do have a few things to show.
First is a chunky sweater for Cain. I have been knitting it in plain stocking stitch as the stitches are so well defined and uniform and I think they look great and need no embellishments or creative stitchery. The pattern is from the top of my head and all guesswork but I think it is coming on nicely. Just the arm to finish and the neck to trim in some way and then it will be done. The colour is great don't you think?



Another thing I have been finding very relaxing is making these little needlefelted balls:


There's something about all that rolling and stabbing that is so therapeutic, especially at the end of a hectic day. Heather especially loves them and has a couple which she loves to pass between hands and follow around the floor. The boys just like to throw them at each other!

Also on the needles is a small blanket which I am making to cover Heather's legs when out in the car. Our car is not the best of its type and the heating is a bit hit and miss so she needs a little something to keep her comfortable. And I can't wrap her in a big outfit as she'd get too hot when I pop her in the sling when we get to where we are going. Hopefully this blanket should do the trick and keep her warm. It's being knitted in Paton's fairytale color 4 me DK which is a pure wool which comes in lots of lovely colours. I chose these three colours as they are so warm.


And finally............I still haven't bought any wool! I'm doing well aren't I? Even John is shocked as I turned down the chance to go to BlackSheepwools craft barn last week. This weekend might be a bit difficult though as John heard about the stitch and craft show in Manchester and asked if I wanted to go............... Must resist the urge to say yes. Besides, it's the Aintree craft and hobby fair in March and I do want to go to that one. Anyone else going to either?
Oh well, that's enough for now. Off to get on with the list on the right.
Happy crafting everyone.
xx

At last!

I finished the cardigan!
Actually it needs a slight adjustment to the neck opening, maybe another button, but yep, it's definitely finally all knitted. Lovely and warm and very autumnal. The older girls aren't so keen on it, they say it looks too old for me and that it should be more fitted but there is a special reason it's a size bigger than it should be.............I wanted it big enough to cover two. No not another bump.............I want to wrap it around both Heather and myself. It's very warm work carrying a lump of a baby against ones body no matter what the weather is, and I find it simply too warm when I wear a coat so the cardigan is the way to go. Tried it over us both when Heather was in the wrap and it's just about right for a front carry. So I'm very pleased. Shall I show it off?

The details? Patons shadow tweed in shade 6202. Seven 100g balls in total to knit up an approximate size 12/14. Well I'm a 10 just now and it fits around me and Heather. The yarn costs around £4.50-£5 per ball but luckily for me John came across the yarn originally in the car boot sale priced £5 for 6 balls. Not so fortunate was that I had to go buy another ball at full price to finish the collar. But £9.50 total cost is pretty good for a handknit wool mix cardigan don't you think? Knitted up on 7mm needles so should have been a quick knit but because of the overall moss stitch pattern it took a little longer. The yarn is lovely to knit with. It is a chunky yarn but in a single ply so the stitches can be a bit fluffy and occasionally I put my needle through in just the wrong spot and so had to have a quick look that all was well. The colour changes are fantastic, working in long sections of deep green then turing to rich russet red before going back to green again, with lots of subtle flecks of gold, blue, orange and lighter green. The flecks are barely there but are a lovely surprise flash of colour as you knit.
So there you go, I can finally stop going on about "that" cardigan and enjoy keeping warm and snuggly in it instead. And get back to the christmas list.........

New favourite shops.

I finally found somewhere that sells this:



The Paton's Shadow Tweed I needed to finish my cardigan.
Blacksheepwools is a great website for bargain wools and I think I may have mentioned it before. Well I knew it wasn't too far from where we lived and today I finally got the chance to visit the real life store. I was going to order the ball I needed online but John suggested we drive out there as he needed to go up that way anyway. He thought it would save on postage costs for just the one ball of yarn. All I can say is that he must be ever so slightly deluded! So we went off to find the place and it was even closer than I thought, barely 20 minutes drive away. Oh and it is a lovely shop. Rows and rows of beautiful yarns as soon as I stepped through the door. And further into the shop a huge selection of needlework supplies, embroidery cottons, cross stitch kits and charts and such wonderful things. But so tempting too! I really had to orce myself to scan the rows as quickly as I could and seek out the yarn I had gone for. I finally found it at the far end of the rows of yarn and so I grabbed a ball and headed towards the pay desk. But I knew I would have to take a closer look at some of the yarns on the way out so thought maybe I should pay after I had admired, just to avoid any confusion you understand..........
Well I just happened to spot some gorgeoulsly soft Mirasol Sulka at only £1.99 per hank. I made a couple of hats from this yarn early on in the year and I remembered how lovely and soft and warm they were. So I picked up a hank.....and a second..........and a third.


And as I wandered around I spotted this amazingly coloured Araucania Limari, £4.45 I think per hank. I only picked up the one hak just to admire the colours and imagine what a beautiful little hat it would make, but then I forgot to put it back down.........how forgetful of me.


I knitted the little pumpkin hat for Heather from Paton's colour 4 me pure wool and I really liked the feel of it and the richness of the colours. So when I saw a shelf of the same wool in some fantastic pinks I just had to take a closer look. And at only £1.30 a ball then I just had to pick up a couple of balls with the thought of making something for our little girl. Well when I say a couple of balls I meant of each colour obviously, and 4 of each is only just over a couple isn't it?


And with that being more than enough wool to add to my stash I headed for the cash desk once more. But I happened to get waylaid at the very last minute by some stunning Rico sock yarn. And we all know how useful and multi purpose sock yarn is don't we? Self striping so the design doesn't need thinking about, light and soft so can be used to knit anything really, and 4 ply so great for baby trousers, socks and hats.


All in all a great days shopping and a new favourite place to visit. I have a feeling John is going to become very used to those country lanes..........

Well it wasn't my fault!

John really should have known better!
Why what did he do?
Well we were in Liverpool and he said that I should pop into Abakhan to see if they sold the Patons shadow tweed I needed to finish my cardigan. I only need one ball. Well they didn't have it. In fact they don't appear to have any Patons yarns. But they did have this:


And it is very soft and beautiful colours. Just right for a warm, snuggly winter hat and scarf.
So I bought 6 balls.
But it was a bargain at only £1.99 per ball.
Well would you have resisted?
I think I had definitely better search online for the elusive ball of shadow tweed.
And I better whisper this..........I went to our local yarn shop for the same reason and didn't come away emptyhanded. I just happened to need a couple of skeins from there too. Really. They just shouldn't be so appealing. Patons colour 4 me pure wool in fantastic shades:


And another thing, they're always worth getting if they are in danger of becoming homeless aren't they? So a couple of skeins of Mirasol T'ika have come my way courtesy of a GP mama:


The same mama has some lovely Araucania she is hoping to rehome too and I am imagining the lovely warm woolies I could make for my boys with that. But which shade to go for? I will get back to that question tomorrow as I am sure she is fed up of waiting for my reply. Trying desperately to restrain myself from asking for both!!!


OK who's interested in setting up a yarnbuyers anonymous? I fear my addiction is becoming out of control!