Progress!

::I feel as if I have been knitting and knitting and knitting but with very little result in the form of finished objects::

::I have been delighted with this Reagan edge to edge cardigan by Isabell Kraemar in sulka legato by mirasol yarns which is a light fingering/3 ply and is 60% merino, 205 silk and 20% alpaca, 251 meters per 50 grams in grey::

::this yarn was on sale in my local yarn shop and so this was a very economical knit::

::the cardigan can be worn either way up but I think is most comfortable with the lace at the bottom::

::I went to a quilting show at Duxford in March and picked up a pattern and some beautiful fabrics to make this craft bag::

::the handles were from an etsy shop in Scotland::they really make the bag sing::

 ::I have been enjoying wearing my frosted leaves wrap scarf which was a free pattern by Louisa Harding (you can make a donation to a cancer charity Louisa supports)::

::I used her amitola grande in 516 iceberg::

::it is an aran/10 ply 80% wool and 20% silk, 250 meters per 100 grams::

::it was an absolute joy to work with::

 ::I used yarn from my 'deep stash' to make the Kate Davies cardigan Manu::

::the shade is juniper and is the naturally dyed Shalisdair luxury and is a DK/8ply in 40%angora, 40% wool and 20% cashmere and has 340 meters per 113 grams::

::the only problem is that over time the natural dye has faded in places giving a strangely mottled look which is apparent on the sleeves::

::I have not worn it yet as I need to put on some buttons::

::the yarn has an oily feel which is not fully gone yet but the whole cardigan grew substantially when wet blocked::it looks and feels very cosy::

 ::Then there were the Christmas Eve socks, I posted about earlier,  which I made for a knit along with Dani of the Little Bobbin Knits podcast::

::we all cast on a sock project on Christmas Eve and knit on them over the holiday::

::this is the Desert Vista Dyeworks Viso yarn which is a fingering/4 ply, 75% merino, 25% nylon and is 422 meters/100 grams in the colour "Zombodys Kissing Santa Claus"::

::the pattern is the vanilla latte socks by Virginia Rose-Jeanes::

 ::Also mentioned earlier were these Jared Flood "Feathercrest" mittens which are now completed and were a delight to knit in Jamieson & Smith Shetland Aran in grey which I picked up in their discounted bin in their shop in Lerwick last summer::

 ::I have been enjoying making another blouse and improving my sewing skills::

::I love the collar on this simple three quarter length sleeve top::

::I bought the fabric which is Swiss cotton at a craft event at Five Lakes which is an hotel and country club in Essex::

::the pattern was "Mademoiselle" by Aimee comme Marie::

::I managed it even with my school girl French::

 ::And here are some future knitting plans which were all purchases from 'unravel' knitting event at Farnham Maltings earlier this year::

::Lake District Alpaca and a pattern for a blanket from Town End Yarns:: 

 ::A pretty little coin purse kit from Natural Knits::

 ::a gradient sock blank from Whimzy::

 ::two skeins of Coop Knit Socks Yeah::

::one skein per sock so I will mix and match heels, ribbing and toes to make some fun socks::

 ::I also bought some Knit Pro Karbonz and Zing dpns to try::

::and how cute is the project bag to commemorate the event::

 ::last but not least of my recent making is this bible cover::

::are you aware of the current craze for bible journalling?::

::you choose a verse of scripture to study and then illustrate it in the bible margins::

::I used a scrap of leather in grey to make a reinforced spine and scraps of fabric for edging and pockets::

::perhaps the feeling of not much knitting is because I have been crafting in other ways - sewing and drawing::

::well, whatever craft inspires, I hope you are having fun with your making::


::Teresa::

A Summer of Small Things

::A tiny (no bigger than 3cm) bobble hat to be included in a shadow box collage of 'likes' my daughter put together for a loved one::

::Slightly adapted crochet bracelets from Pom Pom magazine ::

::Spinning for Tour de Fleece which was great fun::It is a spin along that runs alongside the Tour De France where we spin every day they cycle::

::Then my knitting friend Lisette sent me this beautiful Louisa Harding Kimono Angora Pure yarn to knit the Juliettte scarf which is just so pretty and will be a go to item this Autumn and Winter::You must go and have a look at Lisette's new blog Savouring the Seasons here which is all about farm produce and you will find some delicious recipes too::

::There were these cabled fingerless mitts using Titus which is a lovely British Wensleydale, Blue Faced Leicester yarn with a little UK alpaca and is named for the philanthropist and Yorkshire mill owner Sir Titus Salt::it has a lovely stitch definition and feels as if it will be sturdy but has a soft feel thanks to the addition of a little alpaca::I ordered it from Baa Ram Ewe and I used their Baht'at pattern by Anne Kingstone::

::I enjoyed working with the Titus yarn so much that I decided to try the Limited Edition Goddess 4ply to make the Oleum pattern by Rachel Coopey and this is the Shades of Aire colour way::they are so comfy and I love the unique patterning::The yarn was dyed in collaboration with The Knitting Goddess::sadly the yarn is now sold out::

::So it has been a summer of small things but pleasing in big ways::Hoping your summer knitting and crafting has been equally as much fun::

The Kindness of Knitters

::It was such a lovely surprise when Lisette my online knitting buddy wrote to tell me she had put a surprise package in the post for me::

::When it arrived I was delighted to find a lovely ball of Louisa Harding Kimono Angora Pure from Lisette's stash in the wonderful teal colour that is her favourite.  Lisette suggested I might like to try one of Louisa's scarf designs the Juliet scarf::

::But that was not all - also in the package was a knitting kit for a cupcake pin cushion by Spud & Chloë, a "knitted" china mug with some Downton Abey "downton estate blend", a classic earl grey black tea with vanilla, from The Republic of Tea which has now become my favourite blend of all time::

Box of delights

::It was absolutely the most considerate and exciting package that a knitter could open and I would like to say a big thank you to Lisette for her kindness::

Progressing well so far

::I have also been trying my hand at sewing again lately and have these projects on the go::

• A table top quilt
• A lap quilt
• A trial scoop neck top 

::The little table top quilt was something I started many years ago using the paper pieced method and hand stitching::I finished it and then used my sewing machine on the edging and backing and also for the simple quilting::The other quilt was made from a bundle of Liberty Print fabrics I bought many years ago at the Knitting & Stitching show for about £12 and I used a free Amy Butler pattern too which makes it a very economical project::

Amy Butler's "Brick" quilt

The reverse view

Hand pieced and machine quilted table top quilt

The back

The practice top which I hope to make just as soon
as I find the perfect material

::I have also been spinning and have made up some Fondant Fibre "Penny Sweets" colour way fibre with co-ordinating colour for heel and cuffs for some socks::

"Energized Singles" part of The Knitgirllls Expand Your Horizons Spin along
in Fondant Fibres MCN blend

::The strangest knitting project I did this month was a teeny tiny bobble hat which my daughter asked me to make as part of a picture she was making to give to a friend on his birthday::

This has to be the smallest item I have ever knitted
it probably measures 2.5cm (1/2") at the most

::A long catch up and now I am off for a cup of the delicious Downton Abbey tea and some more sewing and knitting::

Thistledown colourway

::this is a new colourway called 'Thistledown' in Louisa Harding's hand-dyed Grace silk yarn::

::it was inspired by a photo I took of another Louisa Harding project I posted on Ravelry::

::Louisa wrote to me to tell me that it had inspired her and then sent me some of the yarn::

::now I think I will design something that reflects all the elements of Louisa's work that I enjoy and that I will use on a daily basis::

::I have some ideas formulating but as yet I feel intimidated by the preciousness of the act of giving and the yarn itself to want to actually use it::

::Louisa is trekking in the Hymalayas in November and to help raise money for the Macmillan cancer charity she is selling patterns for hats which you can find here::

::thank you, Louisa::may the road rise up to meet you::

Holiday Glitter KAL

::love watching this to inspire me whilst knitting along with Lisette (ilovescarves on Ravelry) who has set up a group to knit something from the Louisa Harding book Simonetta to honour such a talented designer::


::I am knitting a Madelena 2 in glorious deep, rich Christmasy jewel colours::


::time to enjoy all things icy and glittery::

As Time Goes By

::time to catch up::

::finishing Macaroon knitted purse from Cotton & Cloud::




::Snowflake coaster by Martin Storey from the book Nordic Knits::




::Devon socks by Cookie A::

::Baby Boomer yarn from Juno Fibre Arts::

::Knit along with Round The Twist on Ravelry::





::Hand dyed silk yarn from Louisa Harding::
::to be Sophie from the Fade to Grey book::



::another knit along with Round The Twist::
::Wanida from Cookie A's book Sock Innovation::
::Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in the Somerset colourway::

Hawthorne

::an autumnal delight::Hawthorne a bag by Louisa Harding from her book Little Cake::

::spotted linen lining from Linnet::a favourite textile store::

::the perfect bag for autumn outings in my new purple coat::

::a thought on choosing yarn and how it relates to pattern::

::beautiful Louisa Harding yarn and pattern but the two are not working together::

::a lot of the detail is lost because the colour of the yarn is too light::

::the project will be completed over time and maybe the blocking process may enhance its beauty and bring out the detail::

::all part of the knitting journey::

I Knit Weekender

::On Friday I went to the I Knit Weekender at the Royal Horticultural Halls in St Vincent Square, london::

::The first thing I fell for was this beautiful ball of sock loveliness called Zauberball in beautiful autumnal colours::


::then there was this smooshy Malabrigo worsted for the Jared Flood hat Quincy::



::and some very interesting 2 ply hemp from The House of Hemp for Thursday which is by Assemblage and is a sculptural handknitted layering garment::





::then some Louisa Harding Willow Tweed for Pikenaze a scarf from her new book 'Little Cake'::





::I wasn't going to leave without purchasing the Naked Knitting 2010 calendar from the Knitting Noras whose 'extreme' knitting has led them to making this artily shot work in aid of cancer treatment and research at 'The Christie' hospital in north west Britain::

::it was a treat to be able to meet Lisa at their stand who was sporting a beautifully knit pair of hand dyed socks made for her by my Raveller friend 'Crobbles' who also features in the calendar::

::I got the chance to say hello to everyone at The Natural Dye Studio stand::and it was a nice surprise to meet Anne from Ipswich Knitterati::as well as to meet another Raveller, Bachan with her lovely MIL::

::irresistible yarn::beautiful products::good causes::delightful knitty people::