Her Majesty

You may recall, a few days ago I came across a free Fiona Goble pattern to knit the Queen.  Well, I've been knitting furiously this weekend (whilst watching the Formula 1 Grand Prix from China) and here she is finished.

She's only about 7 inches tall but there's lots of lovely details.  See her pearl necklace and sparkly tiara.  She also has a stunning mohair cape!

What about those jewelled shoes!

Great fun to make - I'm all set for the Jubilee celebrations now.

Henry V

A bit of culture last night - we all (that's all four of us - yes hubby came too) went to the Playhouse in Liverpool to see a new production of Shakespeare's Henry V.

The production is a collaboration with the Globe Theatre and is directed by Dominic Dromgoole.  Last night was the opening night of the play and it is being performed in Liverpool until the 28th April.  After that it is touring the country before having a run at the Globe Theatre in June. 


It was a brilliant production,  I'm not familiar with this particular play but it wasn't too difficult to follow the action.  

Thankfully it wasn't a modern dress version.  The acting was excellent all round and there was a surprising amount of humour in the play (I thought it was all about fighting!).  This production featured significant musical accompaniments and a great dance scene at the end. 

We all enjoyed it and if you get a chance, I'd recommend you go and see it - even if just for the dancing at the end.  

Recycling - Tea Cosy

Flicking through my back issues of Mollie Makes magazine, I saw an idea for a tea cosy made from an old sweater.  So here is my version of a sweater recycled into a tea cosy.

First, I found an old sweater that had shrunk in the wash (this is why I stopped knitting with Rowan's felted tweed).

I cut out two rectangles and then turned them upside down, so that the bottom ribbing of the sweater is now the top of the cosy.

I gathered the top with some lovely bright red ribbon.

Seamed the sides (leaving holes for the spout and handle!).

I put a generous hem on the bottom.  Then I added some crocheted flowers and leaves.  I used the pattern from my Pot of Primroses for these and used double knitting weight yarn.

Put it all together and this is what I made.

There's life in the old sweater yet - anyone for a cuppa?

Knit the Queen!

You may recall that at Christmas I was attempting to complete the Twelve Knits of Christmas, here, and here.  These were from a book by Fiona Goble.  They were great fun to make and I'll finish off the remaining characters ready for next Christmas!

Well I just discovered that Fiona Goble has created a pattern for Deramores to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee this year.

I'm not a royalist but I'm going to have to knit this.  If you would like to make it yourself, the pattern can be downloaded for free here.

Fair Isle Mice - pattern

Cute little knitted mice with a colourful Fair Isle band.  A great way to use up your oddments of yarn. 

PDF version here.

A Dutch translation of this pattern has kindly been made by Kim De Vry and can be downloaded from the Ravelry pattern page, here.

To make your own mice, you will need-

Oddments of double knitting weight yarn in main colour and 5 contrasting colours

A pair of 3.75 needles

Toy stuffing

ABBREVIATIONS

k = knit

p = purl

sts = stitches

inc = increase

k2tog = knit 2 sts together

k2togtbl = knit 2 sts together through the back of the loops

Finished size – 3 inches long (excluding tail)

BODY

(Starting at tail end of mouse)

With main shade and 3.75mm needles cast on 9 sts, leaving a long end to make tail.

Row 1: k 1, inc knitwise in every st to end. (17 sts)

Row 2: p

Row 3: k 1, inc knitwise in every st to end. (33 sts)

Row 4: p

Row 5: k
Row 6: p

Rows  7 – 13: work Fair Isle pattern from chart.

Row 14: p

Row 15: K2tog, k 8, k2tog, k 9, k2togtbl, k 8, k2togtbl. (29 sts)

Row 16: p

Row 17: K2tog, k 7, k2tog, k 7, k2togtbl, k 7, k2togtbl. (25 sts)

Row 18: p

Row 19: K2tog, k 6, k2tog, k 5, k2togtbl, k 6, k2togtbl. (21 sts)

Row 20: p

Row 21: K2tog, k 4, k2tog, k 5, k2togtbl, k 4, k2togtbl. (17 sts)

Row 22: p

Row 23: K2tog, k 3, k2tog, k 3, k2togtbl, k 3, k2togtbl. (13 sts)

Row 24: p

Row 25: K2tog, k 2, k2tog, k 1, k2togtbl, k 2, k2togtbl. (9 sts)

Break off yarn and thread through remaining sts and pull up tight.  Fasten off.

EARS (make 2!)

With main shade and 3.75mm needles cast on  3 sts.

Row 1: inc knitwise in every st. (6 sts)

Row 2: k

Row 3: k

Row 4: k

Row 5: k2tog, k 2, k2togtbl. (4 sts)

Row 6: k2tog, k2togtbl. (2 sts)

Row 7: k2tog.

Fasten off. 

MAKING UP

Sew up seam on body and stuff. 

With the long tail from the cast on, make a twisted cord of about 5 inches in length to form the tail.

Attach the ears to the head and embroider eyes. 

Fair Isle Mice

Ever on the look out for ideas to incorporate Fair Isle knitting, I decided to make some little mice.

They are very quick to make and have a colourful Fair Isle band around their middles.

They are a great way to use up small amounts of double knitting yarn and the possibilities for colour combinations are endless.

I'll post the pattern up shortly.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter everyone.  Have a lovely day.

Whatever the Weather

I thought I was making good progress on the garden last week.  The weather was glorious - Spring had arrived and the sun was shining.

I took some photos of the flowers - whilst they looked good.  I'm not a very good gardener so the pictures are cropped and edited to show only the good bits!

The bulbs look wonderful, and the wisteria will be opening soon.

Then, just as I was getting into the swing of things, the weather changed and it went horrible and cold.  I don't like to go out when it's cold - I prefer to hibernate - so the garden will have to wait until it warms up.  At least we didn't get any snow like some places in the UK.

Thursday was the best day of the week, which worked out well, because we had chosen that day to go to Chester.

We browsed all the charity shops and swooped up some bargains.

For lunch, we picked up some chips and sat in the grounds of the cathedral to eat them.  

Chester is such a lovely place - very relaxing - a good day out.

I'm not sure what the weather has in store for us next week - whatever - I'm sure it will be a good week.

Harriet Pattern

A cropped, short-sleeved cardigan with a bright and cheerful Fair Isle pattern.

PDF available here.

To fit 32” chest.
Finished measurements:
Chest 34” / 86 cms
Sleeve seam 5” / 13 cms
Length 15” / 38 cms

Requirements
double knitting weight yarn-

• 2 x 50g balls in main shade
• 1 x 50 g ball in 5 contrasting colours

I used Sirdar Country Style double knitting yarn in light navy for the main shade and cream and a selection of pinks and burgundy shades from my stash. 

3.75mm and 3.25 mm needles

6 buttons

Tension
23 sts and 27 rows to 10 cm measured over pattern.

Abbreviations

k = knit
p = purl
sts = stitches
dec = decrease
alt = alternate
RS = right side
WS = wrong side
yon = yarn over needle

BACK

Cast on 97 sts with 3.75mm needles and main shade.

Row 1: (k1, p1) to last st, k1.

This row sets the moss stitch pattern.  Repeat this row 7 times more, ending with a WS row. 

Joining in and breaking off colours as required, commence Fair Isle pattern from chart. 

Keeping pattern correct, increase 1 st at each end of the 13^th row and on the four following 6^th rows. (107 sts)

Continue straight until two pattern repeats have been completed, ending with a WS row.

Shape armholes

Cast off 5 sts at the beginning of the next two rows. (97 sts)

Dec 1 st at each end of next three rows. (91 sts)

Dec 1 st at each end of next three alt rows. (85 sts)

Dec 1 st at each end of following 4^th row. (83 sts)

Continue straight until work measures 18 cm from start of armhole shaping, ending with a WS row.

Shape shoulders

Cast off 11 sts at beg of next four rows.

Leave remaining 39 sts on a holder.

LEFT FRONT

Cast on 49 sts with 3.75 mm needles and main shade.

Row 1: (k1, p1) to last st, k1.

This row sets the moss stitch pattern.  Repeat this row 7 times more, ending with a WS row. 

Joining in and breaking off colours as required, commence Fair Isle pattern from chart. 

Keeping pattern correct, increase 1 st at beginning of the 13^th row and on the four following 6^th rows. (54 sts)

Continue straight until two pattern repeats have been completed, ending with a WS row.

Shape armholes

Cast off 5 sts at the beginning of the next row. (49 sts)

Work 1 row.

Dec 1 st at beginning of next three rows. (46 sts)

Dec 1 st at beginning of next three alt rows. (43 sts)

Dec 1 st at beginning of following 4^th row, ending with a RS row. (42 sts)

Neck shaping

Cast off 6 sts at beginning of next row. (36 sts)

Dec 1 st at neck edge on next 7 rows. (29 sts)

Dec 1 st at neck edge on next five alt rows. (24 sts)

Dec 1 st at neck edge on two following 4^th rows. (22 sts)

Continue straight until work matches back to start of shoulder shaping, ending with a WS row.

Shape shoulders
Cast off 11 sts at beg of next row.

Work 1 row.

Cast off remaining 11 sts.

RIGHT FRONT
Cast on 49 sts with 3.75 mm needles and main shade.

Row 1: (k1, p1) to last st, k1.

This row sets the moss stitch pattern.  Repeat this row 7 times more, ending with a WS row. 

Joining in and breaking off colours as required, commence Fair Isle pattern from chart. 

Keeping pattern correct, increase 1 st at end of the 13^th row and on the four following 6^th rows. (54 sts)

Continue straight until two pattern repeats have been completed, ending with a WS row.

Shape armholes

Work 1 row.

Cast off 5 sts at the beginning of the next row. (49 sts)

Dec 1 st at end of next three rows. (46 sts)

Dec 1 st at end of next three alt rows. (43 sts)

Dec 1 st at end of following 4^th row, ending with a RS row. (42 sts)

Neck shaping

Work 1 row.

Cast off 6 sts at beginning of next row. (36 sts)

Dec 1 st at neck edge on next 7 rows. (29 sts)

Dec 1 st at neck edge on next five alt rows. (24 sts)

Dec 1 st at neck edge on two following 4^th rows. (22 sts)

Continue straight until work matches back to start of shoulder shaping, ending with a RS row.

Shape shoulders
Cast off 11 sts at beg of next row.

Work 1 row.

Cast off remaining 11 sts.

SLEEVES
Cast on 67 sts with 3.25 mm needles and main shade.

Row 1: (k1, p1) to last st, k1.

This row sets the moss stitch pattern.  Repeat this row 7 times more, ending with a WS row. 

Change to 3.75 mm needles. 

Joining in and breaking off colours as required, commence Fair Isle pattern from chart, starting with row 15. 

Keeping pattern correct, increase 1 st at end of your 7^th row and on the three following 6^th rows. (75 sts)

Continue straight until row 23 of the chart has been completed for a second time (to match the back and fronts to armhole), ending with a WS row.

Armhole shaping
Cast off 5 sts at the beginning of the next two rows. (65 sts)

Dec 1 st at each end of next three rows. (59 sts)

Dec 1 st at each end of next four alt rows. (51 sts)

Dec 1 st at each end of the three following 4^th rows. (45 sts)

Dec 1 st at each end of the next four alt rows. (37 sts)

Dec 1 st at each end of the next 5 rows. (27 sts)

Cast off 5 sts at the beginning of the next two rows. (17 sts)

Cast off the remaining 17 sts. 

MAKING UP
Darn in all loose ends.
Join shoulder seams.
Set in sleeves and join side and sleeve seams.

NECKBAND
Using 3.25mm needles, main shade and with RS facing pick up and knit 40 sts from right front, knit across 39 sts from holder for the back neck, pick up and knit 40 sts from left front. (119 sts)
Row 1: (k1, p1) to last st, k1.

This row sets the moss stitch pattern.  Repeat this row 5 times more. 

Cast off in moss stitch.

BUTTON BAND
With 3.25mm needles, main shade and with RS facing pick up and knit 57 sts up left front of cardigan.
Row 1: (k1, p1) to last st, k1.

This row sets the moss stitch pattern.  Repeat this row 5 times more.

Cast off in moss stitch.

BUTTONHOLE BAND
With 3.25mm needles, main shade and with RS facing pick up and knit 57 sts up right front of cardigan.
Row 1: (k1, p1) to last st, k1.

This row sets the moss stitch pattern.  Repeat this row one more time.

Buttonhole row : k1, p1, k1 (yon, k2tog, [p1, k1]x4,) 5 times, yon, k2tog, p1, k1. (six buttonholes made)

Work 3 more rows in moss stitch.
Cast off in moss stitch.

Sew 6 buttons onto button band to correspond with buttonholes. 

Fair Isle Finished

It's always exciting when a knitting project is finished.  So, hot off the needles, here is my lovely cropped Fair Isle cardi.

So colourful and just how I planned it.

I think the choice of short sleeves rather than long sleeves was the right decision.

So now I'll have to get the pattern typed up so that I can share it with you.

And then it's the excitement of starting a new knitting project - all  this excitement, I may need to lie down in a darkened room for a while.

More Fair Isle

I don't think I'll ever get tired of knitting Fair Isle.  What is more, I've just treated myself to this gorgeous book - so I'm itching to get started on some new Fair Isle projects.

I finally got round to buying myself a phone a few months ago (not that I'm using it - it's only for emergencies!) and so I've been meaning to make a cosy for it for some time.  An ideal opportunity to knit some more Fair Isle!

I used my dwindling stash of Rowan Scottish Tweed 4 ply - I have only 7 colours remaining - so used a bit of each.

Now my phone is warm and cosy - and very stylish!

Swallows and Amazons

One of my favourite children's books is Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome.  I have read it several times - plus all the other books in the series.

In 2010, the story was adapted into a musical with music by Neil Hannon from The Divine Comedy and it premièred in Bristol.

In December last year the play moved to London and this year it is doing a tour of the country.  This week it was in Liverpool, at the Playhouse - and we were there.

It was wonderful - so very cleverly done, lots of fun.

The children are all played by adults and despite the fact that 7 year old Roger was played by a well-built adult male with facial hair and the props consisted of sticks and streamers carried on by actors wearing overalls, it was very easy to suspend your disbelief and enjoy the fun.

The Amazon Pirates

Making a pact

Sailing in Swallow

That's seven year old Roger - second from the right!

The play continues on tour until the end of May, so if you can catch it I would definitely recommend it.