I've Been Knitting & Crocheting Like Mad!

 

 

 

Once I retired I started to knit again. I managed to keep my wool buying to a minimum for a while but I got really hooked on knitting lacey shawls. I have about five lots of wool waiting for shawls but I'll do those in winter. However I have bought quite a lot of wool in sales in recent months. I've done quite a lot over the last few weeks but I need to slow down with it but most of all the wool buying!

 

I thought I had got over the habit of starting new things & then leaving them but obviously I haven't.

 

I started to crochet the blanket above & I really like it. I changed the colours to blues, beige & cream as I just don't do pink. I'm making it in pure wool & I've got quite a lot done. Would have had it finished but it was too heavy & bulky to take on holiday so it's standing in the corner of the dining room. I'm not putting it away in case I forget about it!

 

One of the 45 squares (I've done 35)

I did manage to crochet a little summer bolero last week from some cotton that's been lying around for over a year now. The pattern below was very quick & easy to do. I made it in white & it's lovely. However it's quite heavy so may not make it into the case for the next holiday! 

 

My next tour is to the Orkney & Shetland Islands in September. I'm not expecting warm weather in fact I assume it will be pretty windy, cool & possibly wet. I don't wear hats as I don't think I suit them probably because I wear glasses. However I know I really need one for that trip. On our last tour in the Hebrides it was very chilly & some ladies bought pom pom hats on the Isle of Mull. They were very nice but cost them nearly £30! So I decided to knit one a couple of weeks ago. I liked the one below.

 

 

The Baby Alpaca Silk  was lovely & soft to knit with, however after I finished it I decided the pom poms were a tad twee so I crocheted a flower.

 

This is the finished product below.



 



  

I'll probably never wear it again after the tour but I don't want to have to spend a mint on buying one in Scotland. 

 

I also made an Estonian shawl for a friend. It's the Triangular Summer Shawl from Nancy Bush's book Knitted Shawls of Estonia. I've made it four times now & I love the pattern despite all the nupps! She hasn't got it yet so hope she likes it.

 

 

I'm more than half way through making this jumper below in blue cotton but I've stopped. I know the reasons why I usually stop, either I'm not sure I like what it's looking like or I've altered the pattern! Yes, I've altered the pattern. However I need to keep going, I can't have more stuff lying about.

 

 

I also have the cotton for this back fastening jumper!!!!!!! Don't bother watching this space, I have no idea when I'll get it done as I've decided I want to make a quilt, not a huge one though!

 

 

My Latest Fad!

Inspired by Rudee's gorgeous shawl, the idea of knitting one started to grow in my mind. I've always loved shawls and lace knitting but I've never knitted one. My fine lacy knitting has been confined to little baby matinee coats. I always finished them!

I had managed to get over my urges to buy wool, and lots of it, when all the wool shops around me closed. I bought loads of it and there's still quite a hoard of it in the black hole cupboard under the stairs. Every now and again I get it out, look at it, think what I could do with it, then put virtually everything back. I have knitted quite a bit of it over the years but there's still a lot of guilt about the money just lying there. Yes another one of my guilty pleasures which I thought I had got over.

Now that I've been reading people's blogs about their hoards of fabrics, wools and other stuff I don't feel quite as bad. They call it a stash. Doesn't sound anything like as bad as my hoard of unused stuff. In fact it sounds a really positive thing.

I'm tempted to get all of it out and display it in my shelving unit in the spare bedroom. It would look quite nice, a bit like a wool shop that I've never had the pleasure of going into for years. There just aren't any here now. Problem is everyone would see it! I say everyone, I really mean my husband. He knows there is quite a lot of stuff in there but as it's spread out and in various bags, it doesn't look so bad. I'll just leave it there!



Have to say I enjoyed browsing about on the Internet looking at all the beautiful lace shawl patterns and the scrumptious wools on the various sites. I got totally absorbed with it looking at the fabulous colours of that lace wool. Main problem was I wanted to feel it.

Eventually I decided to make this one. It's not the mammoth one that Rudee is making but I'm hoping I can manage it. If I do, I get the feeling this may become a habit. Oh the pleasure I got out of looking at the lace wool on all those websites doesn't bear thinking about for too long. It takes all sorts doesn't it!

I got the pattern here from Knitty and really enjoyed reading about how it was designed. It's called an Aeolian shawl and apparently the inspiration came from aeolian erosion in the Mohave desert! Well whatever takes your fancy.

Next I had to research where to get the lace wool. Most Internet suppliers seem to be in the USA but I did find one down in Wales. This is the odd bit. Yes, I know it's a wool website and the idea is you order there, but the colour I wanted was out of stock, so I decided to ring up to have a chat about it.

The lady was really lovely, her two children had just broken up from school and I could hear them chattering in the background. She was really helpful but the shade I wanted, shades of deep blue, won't be available for a few weeks. She did have my second choice, variegated shades of lilacs and blues, so I went with that. I consoled myself with the thought that it might be easier on the eyes to knit the lighter coloured wool! It's an age thing.

What was really surprising was it worked out cheaper than ordering over the website. Weird that!

Now I'm dying to get my hands on the wool, it looks so gorgeous. However I'm dreading my husband's comments if he's here when it's delivered. I'll have to hang around the front door tomorrow!

Just hope I'm not biting off more than I can chew as they say. The pattern is knitted with a circular needle which is not one my favourite things to use. In years gone by I've used them for yokes on fair isle sweaters and was glad to get them finished. The pattern is composed of various charts which I need to print out. Probably easier to keep your place with them than following rows of written instructions. You can mark them at the side to keep a tally of how far you've got. The other thing I've never done is that soaking and blocking of lace. Sounds a bit daunting but I'm up for the challenge. I've also got lots of babysitting to do over the school holidays so maybe knitting will help me keep my sanity if the monsoon weather returns.

In the meantime I'm getting on with my long overdue mailart cross stitch project for Michelle. Got to finish that before I start the shawl.

Can't wait for the Open to finish, it's been on all day and it's near the nail biting end but I have to get off to church now. You'd think I was a golf fan. I'm not, but it's been an interesting afternoon. Will it be Westwood or Watson? I'll find out later.

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