Saturday 29 August 2015

Now, what to make next...


My upcycling project with the very old and rabbit-mutilated crocheted blanket has finally borne complete new little blanketty fruit. And here it is. I don't think I was into subtlety colourwise back in the seventies, and it's pretty crudely crocheted - it definitely doesn't bear close inspection - and it doesn't have those lovely colour changes or 3D flower effects etc that current afghan patterns feature, but it'll still keep someone warmer than if they weren't huddled up in it. I did my best with the decades-old squares and the dark joining-up cotton that I could hardly see and the limited time I had available! (Hmmm, are there any more excuses I can think of for a less than excellent job?)


This one, on the other hand, is reasonably okay. Altho' the photo manages to make it look washed-out grey and pink, it's actually hot pink and a pretty green. It's a strange shape, but would make a lap blanket or a baby blanket, or something anyway.

These were both too late for the Nepal appeal so they'll be going to Knit for Nowt later in the year, along with the stuff made at the knitathon in September. Don't forget to let me know if you're coming along; we have so much acrylic that will benefit so many people once it's knitted or crocheted up.

Tuesday 11 August 2015

Cricket and crochet

You spend a day at the cricket - Yorkshire won, by the way, with a day to spare - you have the sunshine, you have the packed lunch...what else could you possibly need? A bit of crocheting, that's what, so I grabbed a ball of cotton and a hook and started on a market bag.
I love market bags. Really they're just upmarket, updated string bags, but more stylish and with added cachet these days when a plastic bag is - so some people would have us believe - a crime against the environment.
How to make one? Well, basically you produce a bit of solid crocheting at the bottom, a bit of mesh, a bit more solid crocheting, add a handle or two and you're done. Adjust stitches used and proportions to match your size and shape preferences. You need more than that?...take a look at ravelry.com for lots of free and paid for patterns.
Here's how far I got with mine in a few hours:

Wednesday 5 August 2015

WIPs

Every time I resolve to finish a few things and reduce my pile of stuff that's in progress, someone shows me a new yarn, or offers me a sample ball or I realise we have something fab in the shop that I've never knitted with. It's a hard and confusing life.

Here's a couple of things I'm working on at present:
This is going to be a new cardigan for the wire lady in the lovely Wendy Ramsdale, a 100% British wool. It feels really lush in the knitting, as though it'll be cosy and warm through the coldest Old Bank winter. I'm using a very simple pattern from August's Knit Today but any DK pattern would be great.

And then there's this:
This is two balls of Debbie Bliss Angel knitted together in a simple lacy pattern from a stitch directory with a garter stitch edging. Prettier in the flesh.

So, that was all very straight and sensible, wasn't it? Anyone know any jokes?