Happy Sunshiny Days

Hello everyone and welcome to this week's blog post.  I hope you all had a lovely weekend.

I've had a great weekend.  Plenty of knitting got done and we had a lovely day out.  I have also been lucky enough to have two patterns gifted to me over the weekend.

First of all, I'd like to share with you my lovely finished shawl.

I can't begin to tell you how pleased I am with this.  The beautiful gradient yarn was a gift from Grace and it's called Antarctica (she picked it deliberately for me because she knows I'm interested in anything to do with the South Pole).  It's very hard to get a picture that reflects the true colours.  It starts as a deep teal, lightens and changes to dark grey, which in turn lightens to cream.

I used a pattern by Helen Stewart called Spindrift.  The pattern is a paid for pattern, but you can sign up by email for a free workshop and the pattern comes as part of the package.  The link to the pattern page on Ravelry is HERE.

It is a well written pattern and is great for assessing your yarn usage.  I particularly wanted to maximise my use of the yarn so that I got the full splendour of the gradients.  It's also a nice quick knit.

So now I really, really do need to get back on track with my other works in progress - until the next distraction!

Yesterday was such a lovely day, weather-wise, that my husband and I decided to have a day out, so we drove up the coast to Lytham (about an hour and a half away).  As my husband is retiring later this year, we called this our practice retirement day!

There isn't a great deal to do in Lytham, but it was lovely to just walk along the coastal path.  I hadn't adjusted the exposure on my camera, so my pictures are very bleached, I've used some pictures I found online so you can see what we saw.

pic from www.lythamtowntrust.org

We called into the windmill to see the museum run by the local heritage society.

pic from www.lythamheritagegroup.co.uk

And we had a picnic in Lowther Gardens (these are my pictures - it had clouded over a bit so the exposure isn't as rubbish).

A very relaxing day and it's always nice to visit somewhere new.

When I got home, I was watching one of my favourite podcasters, YarnderWoman, Melinda from Perth in Western Australia, whilst doing some sewing.  I was absolutely thrilled when my name was read out as a prize winner for her Hat Knit Along that ran last month. My prize is a beautiful shawl pattern and I'll show you the details when I receive the copy.

The same evening, Grace got in touch with me to say that she was gifting me a new pattern by the Sockmatician.  He has written a toe up sock recipe that incorporates a heel flap and gusset.  This is exactly the construction I want to try next.  So I'm really delighted to receive this.  Now I can't wait to cast on for my next pair of socks - but didn't I just say, no distractions!!!

So everything is wonderful here in Yellow Pink and Sparkly land.  I hope that the sun and happiness are shining down on you, wherever you are.  And if there are clouds, both literal and metaphoric in your life at the moment, I hope that they pass over as quickly as possible.

Have a good week. X

Enjoying the Sunshine

There are times when I feel that I devote too much attention to the weather - but I'm British and that's what we do.  So yesterday was gorgeous and unbelievably hot and sunny.  Yes, I should get outside and do some gardening.  Well I made it outside, but somehow the gardening just didn't happen.  It was far too nice to worry about gardening, instead I sat and read and did another row of knitting... and another.  So the gardening never got a look in.  But I did get my first suntan of the year!

Anyway, enough about the weather, let's move on to more important matters - knitting and crochet!

This week has been another productive week. I'm in such a good creative place at the moment, everything seems to be flowing along.  Firstly, the socks for April were finished. I used the yarn Grace bought me for my birthday.

I endeavour to try something new each month with my sock knitting.  It's just over a year since I started knitting a pair of socks each month and I feel I've still got so much to learn.  This month I was trying a new heel.  I find I'm drawn to toe-up knitting rather than cuff-down, so I'm trying to find a heel that works best for me with this method.  So these socks were knitted with a Fleegle heel.

And I must say I loved it.  It was a great heel to knit, I loved the process.  I'm not sure about the finished look of the heel yet.  I think I need to explore some more styles of heel before I settle on my perfect sock "recipe" but this is one that I will knit again.  You can see full details of this project on my Ravelry page here.

I've got the sewing machine out at the moment.  There's a dress in progress, but still a way to go with that.  I'm taking a leisurely approach to sewing it up so that it doesn't feel too stressful - it just means the dining room is littered with fabric and sewing patterns.  In between sewing the dress, I ran up a work-in-progress bag for one of the shawls I'm knitting at the moment using leftovers from last week's Dottie Angel dress.

I also found a sample of some crochet flowers I had made years ago that was hanging around, being idle, so I put it to use as an embellishment for the bag.

I should then have been concentrating on completing one of the two shawls that are on the needles, but there was a distraction!  And I blame Meredith - yes, you Meredith.  I sat drooling over your South Bay Shawlette and saw that you were making another one (and had got Lynne to join you).  How could I resist making another one myself.  It is a great pattern, so easy and it grows quickly.

 I had some lace weight yarn in my stash that needed some attention.  I knew it wasn't enough to make a full sized shawl, but there was still enough to make something of a decent size that would satisfy my South Bay Shawlette distraction.  And here it is.

It took two evenings to make and used up 27g of Regia Lace.  It's just the right size for a doll or Teddy Bear and I know just the bear who would appreciate it.  So I'm gifting it this weekend to someone's well-loved and cherished companion.

The squares for my crochet blanket were also completed this week.

I have 11 squares in total now, only 5 more to go to get the size of blanket I want.

So that's it for now.  The sun has come out again, so I'm off into the garden - to actually do some gardening this time.  Then later it will be back to the dressmaking and in-progress shawls.  (Actually yesterday I started a new crochet along for a blanket, but I'll tell you about that another time).  I hope the sun is shining for you.  Enjoy your week.

Off on an Adventure

Thank you for all of your lovely comments recently.  It's so good to build up happy virtual friendships with you.

I've been busy making plans and enjoying myself in the process.  The Fair Isle leftovers cardigan will not be finished this month, but it will be completed next week.  The Fair Isle part of the knitting is all done, there's just the neck band and button bands to be picked up and knitted.  So not much more to do.  But instead of stressing myself about that, I've distracted myself by picking colours to crochet squares to make into another bag, like the one I completed last year.

A lovely rainbow of colours to brighten any grey day.  This bag is going to be a vibrant mix of all the colours.  I'm using the same motif as last time, as it produces a lovely dense square.  It's called Rosie Posie Grannies Square and it's by Sandra Paul.   I've made a start and completed a square!

I've also cast on for a plain grey cardigan for myself using my Olivia pattern.

My Kate cardigan (below) is a favourite with Eve.

Whenever she's home, she borrows it from me, so she's asked for a cardigan of her own, using exactly the same colours.  I've now also cast on for that.

But the biggest and most exciting planning I've been doing is for a trip to London to see Eve.  By the time you read this I should be on the train down, knitting away.

I've got a few hours in London before Eve gets home from work, so I'm planning on walking from Euston to Eve's flat in Aldgate (about 3 miles) and taking in some of the sights on the way.  With Google maps I've got a route worked out, with a scheduled stop for tea and cake on the way!

As for the rest of the weekend, well it will just be wonderful to see Eve and spend time with her, but I'm sure we can fit in a visit or two to the amazing markets down there.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend and I look forward to telling you all about my trip when I get back.

January

January is coming to an end, and it's been a funny sort of month.  Usually I find January a month of hope and optimism - a time to dream and plan.  This year, it's felt tired and directionless - maybe it's the influence of the weather, it's another wet and very windy day here.

I've tried to simply my knitting projects, disciplining myself to concentrate on the one immediately in front of me.  This month it has been my Fair Isle cardigan using leftovers.  I set myself the task of completing it by the end of the month, certainly possible but I'm growing weary of working of it.  It's certainly looking colourful though isn't it.

My embroidery squares are coming along nicely.  I've completed 21 now, but I'm setting myself a punishing schedule, of 4 /5 squares a week.  Again, I've reached a point where enthusiasm has left me.

I need a new project, a new diversion, an adventure, something to liven me up, get the blood pumping.

Picture from Oprah.com

So this afternoon, I'm NOT going to carry on with the Fair Isle knitting, or embroider another square, as I had planned.  Instead, I'm going to give myself an energy boost and dream up a new adventure.

Before then, I've got to brave the elements as I have a dentist appointment, BUT when I get back home!  The sky's the limit, I'm going to dream BIG!

I hope you all have more energy than me, and if you have any to spare, please send it my way.

Right Now...

Right now, I'm enjoying a nice strong cup of Assam tea...

I'm knitting some blue socks for my husband for Christmas...

I'm listening to this lovely music...

And I'm staring at a pile of wool that is calling me to make it into a Fair Isle cardigan.

But I will not be distracted.

What are you up to?

Being 27!

I was thinking today, isn't age a funny thing.  There's our temporal age - I'm 54 years old.  There's our physical age - that can be measured by how fit we are.  There's also maturity - some people never seem to grow up and others appear to have been 'old' all their lives.  But what age do you feel you are inside?  I think this is the important one.

My birth certificate may testify to the fact I'm 54, but inside I know I am 27.  I've been 27 for quite a long time now.  I like being 27.  I intend to stay 27 for a whole lot longer.  What age do you feel you are?

Anyway, enough of that silliness, I have a finished object to show you that I had overlooked to share earlier.  It's a crochet project that I finished at the end of last month.

A jolly basket liner.  The basket had it's plastic liner and handle removed.  I used the North Sea Mandala pattern by the lovely and talented Tatsiana, shaping it to fit the sides of the basket.

Pretty picot edging

I'm now using it to hold my embroidery bits and bob's for my 54 squares project.

You can never have enough baskets, as far as I'm concerned.  Pretty and practical, that's what I like.

A Few a Little Distractions

Thank you all so much for your generous comments on my finished blanket.  I'm enjoying having it around and it's certainly adding a splash of colour to the place (not that the house isn't colourful enough as it is).

The last few days I have been catching up with my Dancing Bees shawl.  Clue 5 was released last Friday and I had only made it to part way through clue 2.  I've almost caught up now, so I have allowed myself a few little crochet distractions and diversions, just to keep me going.

The first one is this chunky bowl.

I wasn't making it with any particular purpose in mind, I just felt the urge to make it.

I used three strands of double knitting weight yarn from my stash held together.

I love the tweedy effect these have produced.

For now the Baby Mice are sitting in it.

I may experiment with some other colours and designs just for the fun of it.

The second project I made was this cute pin cushion.

The pattern is called Macaron Pin Cushion and it's by Tatsiana Kupryianchyk, the same designer who created the Circles of the Sun CAL I'm currently working on.

It's a lovely quick project and is a great way to use up small amounts of stash.

If I can remember how to do it, I'll link these in with Linda's Crafty Corner Stash Buster Party.

Is It a Polar Bear Or Is It a Rat?

I've been knitting away this past week, trying to get my Fair Isle cardigan finished.  My mind is now on the next project I want to start and so I'm desperate to get the Fair Isle cardigan out of the way.

Each day I think, this is the day the cardigan is completed - and every day I never quite make it.  There's always lots of other things to be done so by the time I manage to sit down with my knitting there isn't a great deal of the day left - and it's the darning in of all the ends that is the least exciting thing about Fair Isle knitting.

In order to keep myself motivated I thought that a distraction was needed for a day or two, so I crocheted this little fellow.

In case you're wondering, he's a pink polar bear.

I used a mohair DK yarn to make him fluffy and soft.

The pattern is from this book (discovered in our local library).  It's called Edward's Menagerie and it's by Kerry Lord.

The book features over 40 patterns for toy animals, all based on the same basic body shape.  They all look lovely and cute, especially piled up together.

I followed the Piotr Polar Bear pattern.

I'm not convinced by my version.

I think the eyes are too far apart, the nose is wonky and the legs are in the wrong position ( I may try and put these faults right at some point).

He's still quite cute but I reckon he looks more like a rat than a polar bear!

Anyway, the distraction worked.  My Fair Isle cardigan is now complete and is being blocked.  Photos to follow.  I can now start a new project - yippee!

Toadstools

Why am I making toadstools?  I have no idea - it's just something I suddenly felt like making.

A sudden urge swept over me and there I was with my first toadstool.

But you can't have just one toadstool, so I made another two - three toadstools is about the right amount.  I shouldn't make any more for the time being - they are very definitely a distraction.

But they look so cute.

I think I'll attach some thread and hang them from the Christmas tree - then I can justify the distraction!