Thursday 31 December 2015

Knitting at the end of the Year


::Looking back over 2015 it was an exciting one for me in terms of trying new yarns::

::I have to say that one of the stand out yarns was the Mabel & Ivy Coast::I believe it is wound up in smaller lots from the larger Holst Garn cakes that come from Denmark and you can buy Mabel & Ivy in the UK from Tangled Yarn::It is a 55% Merino/45% Cotton 3ply (light fingering) which is ideal for lightweight summer shawls, baby clothes and light tees:: 




::I knitted some shooting socks for my lovely daughter's boyfriend this Christmas::A first for me knitting for someone else but I did enjoy it even if they were so long and so was his foot length::He chose the bright orange and it is from Regia and they had shaped calves which was new to me and I made long garters too use under the cuffs to help them stay up::It did mean I could sit down and enjoy one of my favourite Christmas films "Young at Heart" whilst working on them::


::The highlight of my knitting year had to be my trip to the Shetland Islands for the Wool Week Holiday::I will never forget the trip to Mousa where we lay down at the foot of the Broch at Midnight to listen to the Storm Petrels returning to feed their young::I was wearing my Baa-ble Headband adapted from Donna Smith's Baa-ble Hat and it started a lovely conversation on the boat back with local knitting girls::An experience I will treasure for ever::
::Enjoying a drink outside the Shetland Textile Museum ::

::On that trip I met with three ladies from Jimmy Beans Wool and I was gifted the Sandy Goes to Scotland hat pattern by them and it was a delight to make in honour of these really wonderful knitters, Sandy, Jeannie and Laura::I met so many really exceptional people on that holiday and my knitting life was enriched beyond measure::


::The Sandy Hat::


::Another highlight has been my inspiring knitting friend Lisette of the Flitter Knitter blog which you can see here::We share a love of everything Louisa Harding, the colour teal as well as seasonal produce, cooking and tea drinking::
::"Chrysalis" cardi by Louisa Harding for a knit along::

::I have had a lot of knitting fun this Christmas too::I knitted some Simple House Slippers by Simone A. with some Gnome Acres worsted in "Mistletoe"::


::I joined in with Dani of the Little Bobbins Podcast's Christmas Eve Sock knit along::I used the delightful Desert Vista Dye Works sock yarn in the colourway "Zombody's been kissing Santa Claus" and they are so evocative of the season::



::And on Christmas Day my Husband and Mother, who both understand my knitting passion, bought me a sheep knitting bag by Quincepie Designs on Etsy and some Millifera 100% super wash merino singles sock in the "Rusty Gate" colour::


::So to round off the knitting year I am spending the morning working on a pair of mittens with some Jamieson & Smith aran I bought in their Shetland shop and reminiscing about my time there and making plans for my New Knitting Year ahead::



 
::Ending a good knitting year with some cabled mittens::


 ::Wherever you are I hope you have had a great crafting year and wish you a very Happy 2016::


Monday 7 December 2015

Wool and The Gang Party and Periscoping

::It has been a busy late Summer and Autumn in terms of crafting for me::

::I went to a Wool and the Gang knitting party at The Jam Tree in Clapham, London::

::They were very welcoming and fun to knit with and the kit was very exciting::

::We were given a set of large wooden knitting needles with some re-cycled tee shirt material yarn and clasps, needle and a cute Wool and the Gang brooch::






::I chose this beautiful teal colour to make my clutch bag::



::The Jam Tree was an ideal venue for me as my son, Toby, is living nearby and he came to meet me and we went off to see the Eric Ravilious exhibition at the Dulwich Gallery afterwards::Couldn't have asked for a more perfect day except that it was absolutely pouring with rain::







 :: I chose to make a clutch bag with a tassel and have almost finished it but I let other things get in the way:: 

::I even made a quick Periscope of the party::I loved making Periscope videos but found that they were quickly going to be something that took away from actual crafting time and that was not a good thing for me at the moment::sadly, I have had to leave Periscope on the back burner for now as it sucks up too much time::

::This was a fun crafting adventure and I would not hesitate to go to another Wool and The Gang Party::
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