A Small Selection...

Just thought I'd show you what I have just finished.... a very simple knitted basket to hold some delightful balls of Rowan  Summer Tweed (I think) and a couple of balls of Sirdar Folklore. I am quite excited as Saturday is the start of a new KAL by Tangled Yarn.  We will all be knitting a shawl called Pwani designed by Clare Devine.

 Simple knitted basket to hold 'yarny' goodies

I have chosen some beautiful colours in greeny, sandy colours, reminiscent of a seaweed beach.  The Colours shown are Sea Green, Aconite, Lichen, Melon and Crab Apple from the MABLE and IVY COAST range giving and ombre effect.  It is lace weight and made from merino and cotton and all from  Tangled Yarn.   The large ball of cream yarn is not from Tangled Yarn but one that I shall use to give some light relief.

I can't wait to cast on and show you my progress, I only hope that I can finish it by the end of August. In the meantime, I am doing  lots of other projects including starting a book club for my area so hopefully, fingers crossed, I can fit all this knitting in.

I am still working on a pair of socks which I shall post at some point, soon, I promise and I have just started a hat to go with a cowl I made about a year ago! I also have another shawl to start which will be the fifth one, so far ... wish me luck.

Pwani Shawl yarn

And finally.... I had to buy this lovely little bowl from TKMAX - a really good shop.  It's just right for putting knick knacks in or displaying yarn, as above... I just had to have it.  Very Japanese I think...  Anyway, it is now 3.31am and I really should get to bed as my mother has just scolded me for being up so late....Can you believe it ...AT MY AGE :) :)

Japanese Bowl

Sayanora...for now

Life's A Beach...

Such a lovely day today...just thought you'd like to share some beach time with me.  I and my mum went on a daytrip to Great Yarmouth and the weather was gorgeous.  Fish and Chips on the beach was an absolute MUST with whopping great ice cream to be eaten along the shore.

Oooh I do love to be beside the seaside :) - here are some pics:-

Well you cannot go to the seaside without stopping out for an ice cream, now can you....and these were delicioussssssss....Aren't they huge lol

Whopping whoppers!







Fish and Chips for two, please:)





 The size of fish was enormous but I so wanted to have this yummy portion of good ole' fish 'n' chips right by the seaside which we both enjoyed.  I must admit that I can be the greediest girl ever, but on this occasion, who cares...get stuck right in...:)

Beautiful sky and beach

I do apologise for the quality of picture, I don't profess to be Guy Bourdin or a David Bailey but I hope you can get a feel of the warmth and freedom of the beach.

My mum taking a photo - Cheeeeese :)

And here is my  lovely  mum taking a picture of the beach - lovely relaxing day.

Two for the price of one

My mum's everlasting tenet is 'everything in moderation' -so how come she has TWO ice creams...lol actually one's mine which I told her  to hold whilst I took a pic of her and not to drop, or else... :) :)

Free To Be...

What a lovely day...mainly because I have two days off work which is ALWAYS a bonus. So while I'm writing I just thought you'd like to see some gorgeous flowers from my garden.  Always good to talk to your plants, people...and it's not as crazy as it seems.  Take a view of these...

Aren't they gorgeous..come on the bees do your work...


Anyway, back to all things handmade -  here are some things I thought you might like to see

A Vintage Rose

Blousy

Kwame's blanket (Front)

Reverse of Kwame's blanket

Making this blanket was fun and joyous but not without its qualms...it was meant to be finished by Christmas 2014 but was presented to my goddaughter's gorgeous little boy, earlier this year. I probably took me about five months to produce, maybe even a little longer.  I wasn't always able to work due to other aspects of life taking over but the whole project was worth its trials.  

The sheep  are made out of felt with squeakers underneath and the stars are separately knitted and sewn on. also with squeakers. Cute huh? :)  The reverse is a lovely cotton fabric, printed with turtles, that I got from my 'go to shop' Ultimate Craft in Stoke Newington  - a really good place to go for all your basic knitting and crochet needs, art stuff and fabric.  I love browsing around in there. 

The front was knitted in double stranded mercerised cotton, I can't remember the make, however, it is actually quite heavy as the blanket was then backed with a layer of batting and calico so it can be used primarily as a play blanket or as a duvet or even a throw and it's reversible, of course.

Crochet Cushion

I love crochet almost as much as knitting and this cushion is really your standard granny square but what a lot you can do with the all time classic.  See another one below.

 Cafe au Lait

Lavender Blue

I love giving names to my projects!

I am every grateful to my friend who taught me how to do a Granny Square, what a revelation!  Sad, maybe, but I always practice how to make one just in case I forget...a classic in its own right.

Cushions are the easiest thing to make and always cheer up a dreary and tired corner.

See you next time...:)

As Promised...

Sunday 12th June 2015

As Promised...

Well, would you know it!  I've been having some technical hiccups, all my own doing, of course, but I think I've figured it out now. Hopefully.....

Anyway, as promised I have some photos to show you, so without further ado here is my Shawl Linus that I found on Ravelry and also saw the finished article on one of my fave blogs Stranded...truth, life & yarn.

I love the berry fruit effect or the sense of raspberry ripple it gives and I've loads of compliments each time I've worn it.

My Shawl Linus pictured at Crystal Palace Park

I used two balls of variegated yarn from King Cole Shades - very good meterage - this amount gave an acceptable shawlette cover which is just right for cool summer evenings or days.  Think I'll make another one as this was so successful.  In any case, I have just finished another very simple shawl, finishing it on the bus during the FIVE HOURS it took me to get home from work owing to London's tube strike.

So as everyone was sweating and  a-stressing around me I decided to be creative and got out my circs. and clicked away.  I am actually finishing the shawl with a picot edging and will complete it with some embroidered or crocheted  flowers,  This shawl, shown below, actually started out as a little girl's dress but I decided that  boucle yarn really wouldn't suit the sensitive skin of a toddler so decided on a shawl instead.

 Lemon Curd  Shawl

Close up of shawl

As you can see from the close up, this shawl looks quite rough, although I have to say it feels a lot softer and springier than it looks.  I am thinking of adding some crochet flowers to give it a bit more of a lift.  The stitch is good old garter stitch and is made by beginning each row with a yarn over (YO) thus creating the loops.  Personally, I think it looks better in a photo at some distance but it shall be worn.  I shall call it my Lemon Curd shawl, for obvious reasons.  I love the summery colour which reminds me of a sunny days of a beach.  I'm off to Great Yarmouth soon so hopefully I will take some really good pics.  Hope it stays really warm.

The patten was so simple  and beautifully demonstrated.   I found the pattern on You Tube but the actual link is laylock.org - very nice blog.  Check it out to find out all about shawl making.

Autumn Tot

Now this little number was made out of a lovely soft acrylic yarn that I had in my stash.  I wasn't sure what to do with it so decided to make a little toddler;s dress and bootees.  I guess it would fit a discerning 18 month old, certainly no older than a 2 year old.

I love the autumnal colours, perhaps I'll do a pixie hat to go with it.  We'll see...  Until next time keep creating...:)

Autumn Tot