Knitting.

Hello there, thanks for popping by…

It’s absolutely freezing up here in the North of England and my needles have been busy to try and compensate! 😂

I wish I was more of an organised Knitter to be honest, one who thought about knitting ‘woollies’ in high Summer, surely then I would be prepared for the onset of Winter? Nope! I’m not that kind of Knitter! 😊

I only tend to think about knitting anything other than socks, in around October- but by then it also has stiff competition from my Christmas Crafting and orders! So really, I only get into the proper flow of Winter knitting after the Christmas ‘rush’. (and it’s still usually socks for ease of portability!)

However, last year, I DID get started on a Tank Top around March time. I think I worked on it intermittently, until mid May, but then I put it down to make cards for a good few months. (see my last post, if you’re interested in looking at those. 😊)

So I picked up the Tank top again in October/November time, I had to work on it around my commissioned socks and Christmas cards, but it was fine, and at the beginning of this week I was able to wash and block it.

I’m really pleased with the result! I haven’t knitted many garments, and I’m still on the ‘learning curve’ with them, so to actually finish something that looks half decent and fits me is a major plus! 😂

The pattern is taken from the book ‘You can knit that’ by Amy Herzog.

Corner Office Vest.

I used 400g of Wendy Pure Wool in Aran weight, shade number 5623. (if you’re interested in the details 😊)

This was actually my second attempt, as I like to consolidate what I learn… namely, working a V neck and picking up stitches around the armholes. (and I get to correct the errors the second time around!) 😂

I find that it stays ‘in my head’ so much better if I cast on straight away- because even though I do make notes as I go along, I never find them as easy to understand, once I’ve finished the project and am re-reading them! Does this happen to anyone else?!😂

I’m happy now to leave this pattern- I understand how it works, and I’m pretty sure I will cast on again for another Tank top (perhaps in an emerald green?)

I have my eye on a basic v neck jumper, but this time with sleeves…I’ve been working in the evenings this week to get a good head start, and I’m about half way up the back at the moment.

The wool was a gift for my big Birthday a couple of years ago, from a dear friend, and I’m so looking forward to showing her the finished jumper… Hopefully by the end of this year! 😂 Definitely for the Autumn! 😂

The final thing I wanted to talk about is my scrappy socks.. my first pair! They are nearly done and I have to be honest and say I am completely in love with them!

They’re not for me, however, but I know that I can see many pairs of these in my future! They’re also completely addictive to knit… it’s always about the next colour going in! 😁

Here’s the beauty of it…. you can use all your scraps of yarn as long as you’ve got at least 10g of it (and the weights are simular.) A win-win in my book, particularly in the current economic climate!

Scrappy Socks.

Aren’t they just so cheerful? They brighten up these Winter days! Gotta love ’em just for that fact alone. 😁

That’s all for now Folks… I do hope that however busy your days are, you can always find the time for a little Crafting…

Until the next time,

Debbie.

Happy New Year!

Hello there, thanks for popping by…

Well, it has been a ‘wee’ while, hasn’t it? I’m sorry about that, but I’m going to pretend I only posted last month, and carry on as though the last, however many months, just disappeared in the blink of an eye! 😊(otherwise I will never get back into the swing of it!)

I have, of course, been busy Crafting… the year just flew by in a blur of wool and fabric (mainly 😊).

I used to be a very seasonal Crafter, you could easily tell by what I was working with, the time of year I was in… Socks and Shawls in Autumn and Winter and anything fabric related in the Spring and Summer.

Whatever I wasn’t using went up into the Loft in a huge taped up box!

But somewhere along the road this has changed, I now find that I’m patchworking pretty much all year round and I’ve always got socks on the go!

Do any of you Craft with the Season in mind? I used to think that the light was better in the Spring and Summer and it probably still is! 😂

Here’s a small selection of the things I finished this year, there were plenty more, but trying to get the photos uploaded onto my blog is proving a challenge! I need to investigate further! Bear with me, I’m sure it’s doable and I’m just out of practice! 😊

I’ve been making lots of cards this year, and sold quite a few too, which is always good!

Trying to get a good shot!

I’ve also finished some patchwork this summer.. Just a simple envelope cushion cover but I was really pleased with the result. I didn’t get around to taking a photo of it until mid December though, which is typical! 😂

Dreadful light in the middle of an English Winter!

Sparkly socks ready just in time for Christmas!

Finally, here’s a new cushion cover I’ve just started…

Very bright and sunny!

I think that’s about all I have to share so far this year. The weather in the North of England is pretty dismal today, rainy and bleak but I’m going to continue to work on that piece of sunshine that is the cushion top!

I hope whatever you’re doing today you can make time for a little Crafting…

Until the next time,

Debbie.

Christmas Wishes…

Hello there, thanks  for popping by….

Wow…where has the time gone? Autumn flew by and here we are a few days after Christmas!

I hope you have had a lovely few days….

Ours was all that I hoped it would be! Busy periods but with just the right amount of ‘down time’ interspersed throughout….

This was my Christmas Eve cast on…

I had the yarn already balled up in my stash, and the pattern is from Danni at Little Bobbin knits and called ‘Twas the night before Christmas’. Isn’t it lovely?

There wasn’t as much knitting time as I thought I might have, but I have done a little more since then…

I love the fact that you can quite clearly see the outline of my phone in the picture! Here is the North of England, at this time of year, the light is abismal and fades by mid afternoon…..really, I shouldn’t take progress shots after 2pm! 😂 Never mind, I’m sure you forgive me!

In other news, I’ve been so busy making socks ( and other things I hope to be able to share with you soon) throughout November and December… I learnt how to knit socks TAAT ( two at a time) and toe up…That was great fun! I’m not really sure which technique I prefer….here are the first pair I made….

My Jolly Holly socks.

Yarn WYS holly berry

Needle 2.25mm 2 

I felt like I was on a roll then and so at the begining of December, I started my Advent socks….

Yarn WYS Candy Cane

Needles 2.25mm

I have named them my Elf socks, for obvious reasons! 😄
This first picture was taken at 10.15 pm on christmas Eve! I went right down to the wire! Thankfully, I managed a finish in time for Christmas…just! 


It’s been a busy few months, but as ever, I am never happier than when I am crafting and today I began a new quilt…pictures to follow!

I hope you are enjoying the holidays, wherever you are, and my Christmas wish, is for peace, joy and love to be with you and those you know, through the festive season and on into the New Year…

Until next time,

Debbie

The next ‘Ta-dah’ moment…aka another finished Shawl!

Hello there, thanks for popping by….

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while you’ll realise just how much I love knitting Shawls…almost as much as I love wearing them, if I’m honest. But the thing I love most of all about them, is when they grow! I get such a buzz from seeing a pile of yarn, looking like nothing on earth, with the stitches all bunched together, and just knowing that this… will all too soon, with the help of a huge amount of space  (our bed) 😊( We can’t go to bed tonight until it’s dry) 😊 two enormous towels and a packet of pins leads to- I think it’s completely magical how, with a little bit of time and effort, the lace blooms and you suddenly realise that all the sighing, and occasional strong language used- you have to pull back this ‘sticky’ yarn yet again because you seem to have lost the ability to count to 12! ( pattern repeats..don’t ask! ) was, in the end, absolutely worth it…The photographs were taken at our local Coffee House…unfortunately, it’s Winter now, and my lovely little garden is hibernating so I’ve had to become a little more creative for my photo shoots! 😊

If you’re interested in knitting the Amulet Shawl yourself, the pattern is part of a series of Shawls designed by Helen Stewart of Curious Handmade…I believe the patterns will be released individually after December…for now, you have to buy the set. It’s available on Ravelry..

Needles: 4mm circular

Yarn: Juniper Moon Farm Herriot fine.

That’s all for now, folks..

Until the next time,

Debbie

AN ‘EPP’ kind of week for me….

Hello there, thanks for popping by….

It’s all go on the crafting front at the moment…. things are changing from ‘Beginings’ to ‘Middle,’ on Mum’s memory quilt and I always find that transition period really interesting and quite exciting. It rejuvinates me, pushes me forward just when I’m starting to get a little twitchy, you know the feeling? When you start to think, ” I’m getting a little bit bored…this is NEVER going to be finished…” All of a sudden, and it usually is suddenly, you realise that you’re done with putting the rosettes together… You can actually start to assemble the quilt!! Joy of Joys!! You are saved!

Things start to look interesting again, possibilities bubble over!  In all honesty though, this has been an easy make so far. I’m making it in memory of my Mum and so every time I have picked it up, it’s allowed me precious time to mull over my memories and to feel her close to me. 

But now? Now the fun really begins! Choosing which colours to put where and how big I want the blocks to be. I’ve decided to make smaller blocks for ease of transportation (and public sewing!) It’s all coming from my head (and copious amounts of Facebook/ Instagram/ blogs inspiration!) so there is no Pattern to follow and I’m not even really sure how big I want it to be but at this stage, I’m thinking of a lap quilt.It’s been a good week for getting things done! Here’s where I am now….I’m going to leave the block this size and start on another- I’ll end up with lots of pieces that will ( hopefully) fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. I’m flying solo on this one, on a wing and a prayer… 😉

Things are also moving up a gear with regards to Christmas stitching.

It’s coming along beautifully, I’ve got the next row cut out, but I haven’t managed to work on it since Sunday…because the Amulet Shawl has also been viying for my attention! I’m so close to the finish now, so hopefully there will be a ‘Ta- dah’ Post in a few days with lots of pictures! Here’s a sneaky peak…So there we go, that’s it for this week folks! Happy Crafting. 😊

Until next time…

Debbie

September.

Hello there, thanks for popping by….

I know, it’s been a little while, and I’ll bet you were wondering where I was!

September is traditionally the start of all new things, I think that even if you don’t have children or perhaps they have long flown the nest, we can all remember our own school days with that odd mixture of excitement and apprehension as the last days of August ebbed away and we looked forward to a new school year and perhaps seeing our friends again properly for the first time in weeks…

I do love September, although for a long time it was tinged with sadness as my beloved Dad passed away at the begining of the month. It’s taken me a good number of years to look on it as I do now, with my old exuberance and joy…I love the posibilities that September brings too; the chance of some late summer sunshine…that lovely smell that lingers in the air from about mid month onwards…bonfires and woodsmoke – the fragrance of Autumn!

The last few weeks have been hectic though.Youngest teen has started College, and Eldest teen starts University in just a few days.

I find myself in reflective mood because the years seem to have slipped past me unawares, and now they are on the brink of something new!  I am excited for them… their school days are over and both are studying subjects that they enjoy, the future is full of promise and, that word again, possibilities…But it is also the end of an era, an era when I could change the outcome of something, perhaps, by just having a ‘quiet word’…where a hug could restore faith in most things and where what Mum said, was pretty much law! Lol…

I know, I know…. I am not the first parent to feel this…nor shall I be the last…but as I stand here, waiting to cheer from the sidelines, rather than centre stage …I find again that surge of hope that September always brings and I am grateful for it… I am grateful for the ‘season of mists and mellow fruitfulness’… with it’s promise of open fires and frosty mornings… it stops my mind from lingering on the fact that my lovely children are now grown up, and that change will pretty much be my constant companion over the next few years, as they reach out and grab life with both hands!

Of course, that’s exactly how it should be… 😊 There’s a time for every season in life 😊

I’ve been knitting in dribs and drabs over the last month.This is the Amulet Shawl… I started it back in August and I’m about half way through…The yarn is lovely and soft and the pattern easy to follow. I hope to be finished in the next few weeks.

The final thing I really love about this time of year is that I always start my Christmas stitching around now…would you like to see? 😊Hopefully, this is the start of a Christmas Wall Hanging! I’ve done very little hand Applique and so I thought this Christmas might be the ideal time to have a go!  The Wall Hanging comes from the book  ‘Quilt yourself  gorgeous’ by Mandy Shaw… We’ll just see how it goes I think!

It’s good to be writing again!

Until the next time…

Debbie

 

 

Spring is in the air, and a new Quilt journey (or two) begins…

Hello there, thanks for popping by….

Well, what a wonderful week of weather we’re having up here in the North!

It’s most unusual I have to say… generally, at this time of year, skies can be pretty grey and overcast although it’s usually still quite warm. This week however, we have been basking in glorious sunshine!

Believe it or not, I took this photograph before 9 am one morning last week!

I really believe that a sunny day can lift a mediocre mood heavenwards even if your circumstances are not the best in the world. I love to throw open the curtains in the morning and see the sunlight dancing across my pots and decking! As soon as I am able, you’ll find me with a mug of coffee in my hand and some knitting or sewing slung onto our tiny outside table and even if I just get to sit quietly for half an hour or so before the day begins properly, I find it shores me up for the rest of the day!

I also Started two new quilts  this week….

Sadly, I lost my Mum at the end of last year, and now feel ready and able to sew something to remember her by…. I must tell you though, how funny life is, and how this quilt came into being….

If you can imagine for a moment, my friend and I stood in our local home ware store that happens to stock a very small amount of patchwork fabric….now, I’ve been writing this blog for long enough  that if you scroll through the pictures, you will be able to see how muted my colour palate tends to be… I adore greens, russets, creams and blues….nowhere in those choices would you find anything remotely like this…

My friend and I, we stood there… me, with this purple, blue and pink combo fat quarter bundle, clutched to my chest, and she, staring at me in disbelief.

‘Those are not your colours… what ARE you thinking?? ‘ but she is trying not to laugh.

‘I don’t know!’  I say, completely perplexed.

‘I’d put them back….they’re definitely not you…’

‘ You’re right, I think I will…lord knows what I’m doing….’

Ten minutes later we’re both queuing at the till and I go off on a run to find the fabric I really thought I didn’t want.. and it wasn’t until days later that I realised what was going on….I had to laugh, and then I rang my Sister….

My Mum had sheets exactly like that purple fabric when I was growing up as a girl in the Seventies!

And so, a new lap quilt is born…to join another I started a week ago, but this, in a colour combination I’m more familiar with! – I told you I was a ‘butterfly!’

Until the next time….

Debbie

 

 

 

 

 

The big ‘Ta-dah’!-Also known as….my first finish.

Hello there, thanks for popping by…..

It’s been a good week for a finish! My first while writing this blog….I can’t tell you how happy I am!

I started this cushion cover back in January…..I was inspired by some work I’d seen on a new Facebook group I’d joined….the Ladies there are so talented, knowledgeable and friendly that I felt at home, right away!

I adore English Paper Piecing and I adore Hexagons, so all I had to do was get started, but I decided for the first time ever, to try and follow a pattern from a book I have….I usually collect patchwork and quilting books….I’m not nearly confident enough in my abilities to use them properly! 🙂

It’s called, ‘Quilting On The Go!’ by Jessica Alexandrakis. A fine book!

I’m really pleased with the result, although I did get the measurements slightly wrong because I used my own plastic window template and it was slightly smaller…. and the back of the cushion has an added feature, because that measurement went slightly awry too. 🙂

As I say it’s finished but definitely not perfect, but that doesn’t bother me a jot, because I have a finished cushion!

Onward and upwards!

On another front, my ‘stride’ socks are at the heel flap and almost ready for turning, that’s my job for this week… the pattern is easy to remember and I love the colour.

The pattern for them is in issue 95 of ‘The Knitter’ if you’d like to have a go…..

That’s it for this week!

Until next time,

Debbie

In Celebration of PI…..

Hello there, thanks for stopping by……

A week or so ago, I  decided  that the thing I most wanted to knit in the whole wide world was a Shawl. Not any old shawl by the way, but a fine lace, ‘cob web’, gossamer, type shawl. Never mind that I had socks to finish or sleeves to complete in order to have my first ‘proper’ sweater ready for sewing up….no, they faded (for a time..) into distant memory. A Shawl was what my heart truly desired!

After a false start or two…OK, honestly, it was a weekend of false starts, but who’s counting?? I was finally steered, after much online admiration of a Shawl that was almost finished and then blew my heart away….to PI.

Those of you familiar with knitting, might recognize the name, it appears to be an almost’ rite of passage’ amongst some knitters….

Elizabeth Zimmermann’s  PI Shawl- I’m not remotely mathematical, so am not even going to attempt to explain how and why it all works…. the clue is in the name… BUT….the pattern?  Oh my, the pattern is everything I dreamed of…my needles, which are 3.50 mm feel like they are floating on the air, and the yarn is Debbie Bliss Rialto Lace in a mossy green colour.

The pattern is easy to read and understand if you’ve done any circular knitting, and is soothing and therapeutic to work, although I don’t recommend you attempt it if noise and chaos abound! Choose somewhere quiet…. To begin with, it doesn’t look like much and all the stitches are squished around the small cable, but if you look carefully, you can just start to see the beginning of the lace pattern emerging….It has been love at first sight! Of course, I couldn’t forget about the socks and sleeves…they are due to be worn in Scotland at the end of May…so I’d better get a ‘shimmy’ on….

So many things are hungry for my attention!

 

So until next time…..

Debbie