My New Project – yarns to be used.

For my new project, I am using a selection of yarns. The first is a combination of the rolags I bought at Festiwool, Hitchin and some grey merino I had in my stache.

I am also adding in some of the very white Polworth fleece, which I hand-carded recently:

I also have some purple and grey merino which I will work in.

This is how the finished project will be: a short waisted button-up cardigan with a large collar:

So far I’ve done the back up to the armholes in a plain purple merino. First picture gives the true colour and the second picture shows the detail with the flash turned on:

The flash sure makes a difference, doesn’t it. The first pic is very accurate.

This project will not be finished quickly. I am still spinning the wool into yarn and in between I am working on other projects. However, I will come back and show you as and when I finish each section. I don’t have enough of the purple to finish the back so I may use the mixed purple and grey from the armholes up. Let’s just wait and see shall we.

Meanwhile, five weeks to go until my new grandchild appears. It’s getting exciting. Pity they are in South Carolina. We won’t be visiting very soon!

Oma

A new project for a new year.

When Larry and I were at the Festiwool wool fest recently, I bought some interesting rolags. As you can see from the picture, the rolags are multi-coloured. What you can’t see very well are the sparkly bits running through them. I’ve been spinning them up lately, mixing them in with some of the white Polworth yarn that I spun from an original fleece in the summer. I intend to make this cardigan:

which is available as a button-up or zip-up version. I shall make the button-up version this time. I have made a start, knitting the back, up to the armholes, in a purple yarn which I had spun up ready. I don’t have enough of the sparkly rolags to make the whole cardigan.

If you would like to see more of the Festiwool get together, you can click here.

I’ll let you know how I’m getting on with the cardigan in a future post.

Enjoy your Sunday.

Oma

Little hats for little heads.

In nine weeks time I shall be a grandma (Oma) again. Larry’ s son and daughter-in-law are expecting their first child, a boy, in February so the knittting needles are out and a little hat and bootees have appeared in the last few days.

It’s fun being a grandma and making lots of small things…

 

What am I making this week?

Well it’s nearly Sunday again and Sunday is gardening day here in the cottage. Today we had some much welcomed rain. In fact we had today half the total rainfall for the whole of September. Amazing!

The picture above shows the fifth dog blanket I am making for Battersea Dogs’ Home. This one is going to be in different shades of blue and is made in an ever popular blanket stitch. The home likes this because the dogs can’t get their paws caught up in it.

My new quilt is finished and now on my bed, ready for the cold nights ahead, which we have been promised!

Lucky me! Larry is making me a tabard on his weaving loom. Here is the pattern from the weaving book…

and here it is in the making…

I can’t wait to see how it comes out.

On my spinning wheel is some of the white Polworth fleece and I’m already making a jerkin with some of it, see below. Millie likes it because it is so warm so she is usually to be found curled up underneath while I’m knitting.

So another busy week and tomorrow we’ll be in the garden.

ps there is a little good news about my son. He has found someone to share a flat with, albeit on the sofa! and he is training for a job in customer service with a well known bank. I have hope !

Oma

A finished project – Fanny’s Chemisette

 

This is my latest finished project. It’s called’Fanny’s Chemisette’ and it comes from the Fall 2012 edition of Jane Austen Knits magazine.

The pattern is designed by Deborah Adams and can be found on page 112:

 

I had some handspun (by me) alpaca/silk yarn, which I used to make up the back of the bolero. It is heavy and hangs really well, caught up by the tie at the bottom. I used a crochet tie not ribbon as stated in the pattern.

I didn’t have enough handspun alpaca/silk yarn to do the whole bolero and I think it would have made it too heavy so the front is worked in a purchased Sirdar yarn called Escape. I used the DK weight.

Here is the magazine with one of the fronts:

This is the back. I crocheted a picot edging around the sleeves because I felt it looked prettier and I stitched down the collar with large tacking stitches to stop it sticking up and being a nuisance.

The bolero is very comfortable to wear and gives that extra bit of warmth for the evenings.

I recommend this pattern to anyone who wants to make a bolero.

Happy Knitting, Oma

 

Fibre-East Festival, 27th July 2014.

 

These delightful black piggies were part of my day last Sunday, when Larry and I went to the Fibre-East Festival at Redborne Upper School in Ampthill. There is a farm on the school where the pupils can learn animal husbandry. The animals were extremely well kept and happy and the pig-house even had piped music installed to keep the pigs entertained.

 

There was a farm shop, where I bought some fresh eggs and some honey and in the freezer there were all sorts of home produced meats.

Here are some pictures of the fibre festival itself. Larry and I had a wonderful time looking around and it has inspired him to take up weaving!

There was have-a-go spinning for beginners:

 

There were weaving looms galore.

 

Lots and lots of yarn. Here I am checking out some wonderful, purple art yarn.

 

Bales of roving in all natural colours and livid ones too.

 

Hand-made drum carders:

 

I was interested in those but they were very expensive.

 

Just look at these gorgeous colours:

and of course there were sheep!

 

 

 

and a sheep shearing demonstration:

and the fleece was for sale too. I didn’t buy one. I am still working on the one I’ve got!

Have a great weekend, whatever you do!

Oma

 

Spinning and Knitting Project finished.

 

The above four yarns were spun by me during the last year.  Question was: what to do with them when they are finished? Answer: find a pattern that you like and adapt it.  Easier said than done.

Then I saw this pattern in an old ‘People’s Friend’ magazine. I thought it would be just right. It was just right for someone short-waisted, like me, and lots of opportunities for using more than one colourway.

My spun-off merino knits up like Aran so knitting with 5mm (u.k. needles) I began.

 

…and here is the finished result. I’m pleased with it.  It’s not at all itchy and very comfortable to wear.

 

The colour panel at the back breaks up the vast expanse of lavender yarn and compliments the front panels.

I like the way it sticks out at the front.

 

 

Now on to my next project, but first I need to make something with the left-over yarn from this one. Any ideas?

 

Oma

 

The Kaffe Fassett Knitwear and Quilt Exhibition – Bath, England.

I’ve just been enjoying a trip to Bath. On one of the days we visited the Kaffe Fassett exhibition, which was, to me, spectacular. This post is heavy on pics but I simply could not choose what to leave out so please enjoy the feast…

This is the entrance hall, which was very pink like everything else in the exhibition – a riot of colour.

With pictures like these, who needs words? If these pictures have wetted your appetite for more, click here and you can read some more about this interesting designer.

Oma

 

What am I knitting today?

I saw the pattern for this lovely jerkin in the window of my local haberdashery shop last week. The baby looks a little like my grandson, Sam, so of course I had to buy the pattern, didn’t I!

I had just the right yarn to make up the jerkin – some of my handspun, which has been sitting in a basket for a while now. Do you like the colour? Being handspun, it varies from dark to lighter shades. I like that. I like a bit of variation. So now I’m doing the V-neck of the front and it won’t be long before I’m on to the borders.

I love knitting. It’s very relaxing in the evenings after all the chores are done. I like to put my feet up, watch TV or listen to the radio and knit. Bliss!

Bonnie’s blanket

I’ve been working through my stash of yarn recently. All those odd balls of wool knocking around doing nothing. I began to feel like I should be doing something about them!

I would love to have a dog, but at the moment it isn’t possible and I don’t think Millie would be too pleased if we invited a dog into the house. However it occurred to me that if I couldn’t have a dog here, then I could do something to help a dog I didn’t own. Perhaps one who needed a blanket? So I got out my knitting needles and followed the pattern on the Battersea Dogs’ and Cats’ Home website and made a colourful blanket. I enjoyed making it and when it was done, I packed it up and sent it off to London.

Very soon back came the picture of Bonnie,one of the dogs for re-homing, lying on the blanket. That made me so happy, I think I’ll make another one!

and if I’ve made a little mistake in the pattern, well – the dogs won’t notice, will they.

 

Here’s the detail of the basket stitch: Four stitches plain, four stitches purl, alter the order after four rows. Sounds easy, but it isn’t difficult to go wrong, especially when there’s something good on the TV.

 

You can find the patterns on the Battersea website. Click here for information.