Edith - Cardigan Pattern

Wow, it's amazing how much work has to be done before a pattern can be published.  But today I've sat down and got on with it and so here it is - another cardigan!

I've called this one Edith - because I started it whilst watching the Christmas episode of Downton Abbey!

It is a  loose fitting  cardigan with a decorative Fair Isle border around the body. Knitted in 4 ply weight yarn.  The cardigan is knitted in one piece up to the armholes, and then knitted back and forth. The shoulders are formed by short row shaping and a three needle bind off. The sleeves are knitted flat and seamed to fit.

It is such a comfortable cardigan to wear because it is loose fitting.  I used my lovely Jamieson & Smith 2 ply jumper weight wool that I got as a Christmas present and I am really happy with the look and feel of it.  I'm especially pleased with the colour of the yarn.  The pink is lovely and tweedy - just how I like my wool to be.  I always worry about ordering yarn online when you can't see the colour, many websites are not very good at getting a close match to the real thing.  However, Jamieson & Smiths website is spot on.    

Unfortunately I do not have any photos of me wearing the cardigan, due to a lack of photographers.  I'll try and remedy that over the weekend.  

The PDF for the pattern can be downloaded for free, here.  More details of the pattern can be found on Ravelry, here.

Finishing and Starting

It's always a wonderful time - that tingly, exciting time when one project is almost complete and you allow yourself to start a new one.

My lovely cardigan made with the Shetland 4 ply is ready to be sewn together.

And all those little buttons have to be sewn on!

So how about starting a  fairly quick project?  This lovely crochet shawl caught my eye. See details of the pattern, here.  

And I have some left over Sirdar Click DK that will look so warm and snug.

So a lazy Sunday afternoon - sewing up and crocheting away.  Enjoy your Sunday whatever you're doing.

Basket Liner

I love boxes and tins.  I have quite a collection of them.  I also love baskets and I recently acquired this one which we found whilst clearing my mother-in-law's house.

It's a nice size, ideal for holding my knitting or crocheting work-in-progresses...  but a bit boring.

So, using this pattern, here, for a granny mandala, I adapted the pattern to make a liner for my basket.

And doesn't it look great.

A little bit of colour and a whole lot of woolliness makes everything better.  

An Unusual Bookend

My attention is still on the little green table.  The tablecloth will take some time to finish, but in the meantime I've made a bookend to stop my Latin books falling off the edge.

Within this stripy crocheted wonder is a wave-battered house brick that I picked up on the beach some time ago.  The brick has been hiding in a corner of the living room ever since waiting to be prettified.

Our beach is littered with bricks and rubble.  After the Second World War, the bomb-damaged houses from the centre of Liverpool were cleared and the rubble dumped up the coast.  Over the years the bricks and old tiles and various ceramic objects have been worn smooth by the sea and spread themselves out over the beach.  We've had a few interesting finds over the years.

So my house brick has had an interesting life - and now sits out its old age in a pink and yellow striped coat!

Continuing With the Little Green Table

Following on from the little bootees I made for my side table, I've been planning and plotting what else to make to prettify the little dear.

I've decided it needs a tablecloth to soften the edges and so I plan to crochet up a dainty little beauty based on a bedspread pattern on Ravelry, here.  The pattern is by Mimi Atanasova and is free.

Here's the pattern picture for the bedspread from Ravelry.  

I'm using a finer thread and I reckon I'll need twenty five squares to fit my table.  One down, twenty four to go.

They would also make pretty coasters if the thought of a tablecloth or bedspread is too overwhelming.

Feeling Good !

Today I am feeling good.  This is because the last three days I haven't been feeling good.  I've been feeling very under the weather and miserable and lethargic.  But today my horrible, nasty cold has cleared up and my energy levels are returning to normal, yippee!

To cheer myself up, whilst feeling down, I crocheted some little bootees for the feet of one of my tables!  There's nothing like a bit of silliness to spice up the day.

My little table looks so jolly in it's new bootees.

Now I'm thinking I need to work on the top of the table to make it a lovely place for my Latin books.  I'm off to work on a few ideas, see you soon.

A Peachy Pinny - Just what I need

I have a pink and grey checked dress, more of a pinafore than a dress.  Whenever I wear it I always seem to get lots done - so I now call it my "getting things done" dress.  When I need to be organised, when there's lots to be done, I turn to my trusty "getting things done" dress and it works!

Now obviously I can't wear the pinafore every day - what I really need is one of these.

Here's the book its from.

It's by Tif Fussell and Rachelle Blondel and it had lots of lovely ideas in it.

So feeling inspired, as instructed, I grabbed myself an old tea towel and set to work making myself a half pinny.

It's got lovely long ties and a big patch pocket.

A cute little label.

Some assorted buttons.

An appliquéd heart.

Some doilies.

And plenty of space to add more, if the fancy takes me.

So now I can wear my peachy pinny every day and be oh so organised and efficient.  I'm off now to get things done - because there are always things that need doing.

Pretty Nostalgic

The latest edition of Pretty Nostalgic magazine dropped through my letter box last week.

It's always a treat to read; so many interesting articles.  The magazine is only available through independent shops and online.  So if you haven't already, check out their website.

It really is a wonderful magazine and I'd seriously recommend it.

Out and About

I've been on my travels this week.  In fact I've had an Oxbridge week.

On Monday I was helping Grace 's boyfriend, Rob, move down to Oxford, where he is about to start a new job.

Not that we saw much of Oxford.  Rob had hired a transit van so we loaded up early on Monday, drove down, unloaded and drove back.  It really was a flying visit.  Thankfully Rob did all the driving.

Yesterday we took Eve back to Cambridge.  We had thought about staying overnight but with the cold weather we decided not to bother.  So we set off early with a loaded car, unloaded and after a short break, drove back.  I shared the driving this time.

We managed to fit in a quick visit to the Scott Polar Museum.

So I've had a lot of sitting around time in various vehicles.  An excellent opportunity to crochet.  I started some squares for a new blanket last year but they've been put to one side for a while.

During this week's numerous journeys I made some more medallions for the centres of the squares.

So very good progress made there.

And if that isn't enough travelling for one week, Eve and I went on the train to Chester on Thursday.

We love Chester, especially the charity shops in Frodsham Street.  Look at these lovely children's books I bought.

Inside the Seashore book

And what about this cute cup and saucer.

And I couldn't resist this mini hamper with it's doll sized tea service.

So quite an interesting week.  Now I'm looking forward to a quiet week at home getting used to Eve not being here.  Just the two of us again.

The Moomins

When I was 7 years old, way back in 1968, I remember my teacher, Miss Heathfield, reading the book Comet in Moominland by Tove Jansson.

This book has stuck in my mind ever since because it was the first one that really engaged my imagination.  As the teacher read the book, I felt that I was part of the story.  It was such a gripping adventure.

Since then, the number of books I have read that have inspired the same feeling are too many to count, but Comet in Moominland was the first and will always be the most significant.

So, not only have I bought a copy of the book, to re-read but I have also made myself a Moomintroll.

The crochet pattern is by Samantha Evans and is available for free.  You can see details of the pattern over on Ravelry, here.

So now I'm going to snuggle up with my Moomintroll, my lovely book and I'm going to relive the adventure.