Making Mode

Well that's what it feels like. I've finished my latest lace shawl and the Aran jacket I knitted for myself (using up wool I've had for 15 years) so I've been making things for my granddaughter, a knitted chick and a Minnie Mouse crochet hat. Have to say I'm not very good at taking photos of stuff I've made but I must give it a try. 

Now I'm desperate to start knitting a cardigan for our holidays next month. I've looked around the shops and can't see anything I like for under £40! I stopped knitting things for myself years ago because the wool got so expensive but now most of the jumpers & cardigans in the shops are that awful acrylic stuff. Even M&S have no pure wool jumpers in other than the odd cashmere one which isn't what I want and I'd need a mortgage for it.

We don't have any decent wool shops in our town so I end up buying it on the Internet. I really like the DROPS wools which are very reasonably priced. Shame non of the shops near us have this wool, the nearest is Berwick, about 60 miles away and they don't have a lot of stock. So mine gets ordered from Aberdeen and the staff are so helpful!

There are thousands of free patterns available on the Garnstudio website. Have to say the designs are lovely but the patterns are not particularly well written like the Paton & Baldwins & Sirdar patterns. I'm glad I'm not a beginner or I'd be tearing my hair out. I usually end up cutting and pasting the text & then writing it out properly, just in case I want to use it again. 

Now I can't wait for the wool to be delivered. It's a bit hit & miss not seeing or worse still not touching the wool but I'm pretty sure it will be fine. It's 75% wool and machine washable. I've used their lace wool and it's gorgeous to knit with and washes well.

This is the pattern I fancied. Loved the colours in this, it was called Fun Lilac although it seemed to have more red in it to me.

However they didn't have it & wouldn't be getting it for a month so I opted for my second choice of Blue /Turqoise. A bit duller but it will go with most of my clobber which tends to be blue, navy or turquoise.

Not sure whether I'll want to do that pattern in the blue, might do this one (it looks easier and quicker) then order some more wool later for the first pattern.

The wool usually comes very quickly with first class post but you can guarantee it gets delivered the moment I pop out to the shops. Yes that's exactly what happened today & now I'll have to go & collect it from the Post Office. So no getting started tonight it will have to wait until tomorrow.

I found a few more cardis that I like:

Can't justify buying all that wool though. Well not this month anyway! Maybe just one more batch next week!

Just in case you're wondering, no I'm not advertising, I don't participate in Google ads. Just thought I'd share the information about the wool in case you have the same problems getting wool that I do.