Capelet love
I stashed up on some lovely
Debbie Bliss Maya some time ago, and its been sitting there ever since, wondering what I will be making it into.
So, I found the
most perfect pattern for it, wound up 2 skeins, and off I went.
Presenting, my version of the
Anthropologie inspired capelet
I didn't make any changes as such, just knit the body a slight bit longer before I went into the rib and cast off.
This was a very very easy knit, for anyone out there who wants to try knitting something larger than a hat its a very good one to start with.
I had planned on wearing this at a function I was at on Friday last but it didn't happen. I did wear it over the weekend however, with a long sleeve top underneath, and a red flower pin to close the top.
It needs proper blocking, I only dry blocked it, as in I didn't wash it first.
I was in a hurry at the time.
I even had some Maya left from the second skein!
Labels: Inspiration, Knitting, Yum
Avoca yumminess
How time flies when you are having fun!
Its a few days since
Cheryl and I went off galivanting to
Avoca, in order to immerse ourselves in fibre goodiness. We lost
Holly early on in our plans, and unfortunately lost
Isobel that very morning, mere minutes before we were due to leave, so it was up to myself and Cheryl to try and save the woolen day.
It was my first venture into the sale that Avoca holds every year, and I wasn't disappointed!
I gave myself a budget and I'm pleased to say I didn't go over it, even had money left over for some lovely soup and brown bread in their cafe afterwards, although I won't say anything about the awful coffee that followed...
Anyway, here is a sample of what we were met with at the sale-
Do you notice anything funny about the above picture?
Notice a hand sneaking in with some purple yarn in it on the right hand side?
Thats Cheryl's, as she was on the phone to Isobel, trying to describe what was on offer.
An in-action shot!
There was a lot of these types of baskets dotted about, and the prices? To die for!
So, what did I come away with-->
Yes, its a large amount of yarn! I know, I know.
But could you help it if you are faced with delectable yarn, at prices that just can't be ignored?
Oh okay then, here are some individual shots
So what happens when you have a car-trunk full of yarn (as we bought some for Isobel too) and the rest of the afternoon free?
You ring Isobel and tell her to put the kettle on, we're coming round!
See previous post for clarification!!
Oh, and guess what the total weight of the yarn I bought came to (along with the cones of course)
8 kg and 450g approx! Thats a lot of yarn!
Labels: Friends, Inspiration, Stash Enhancement, Yum
Lets design a camera case
So my Mum asked me to knit a holder for their new camera, to protect it from scrapes and such like.
I started with some Lambs Pride and felted it, but decided that it would be better on my mini disc:
Oh okay, the folks preferred the other cover I knit instead. And who wouldn't?
Its knit using the remnants of the artyarns yarn that I used for
Le Slouch....... and I
still have some left over!
I actually started out trying to knit up a toy from it, but it didnt want to be a toy, it wanted to be a cover for my folks camera.
They like it, phew!
Talking of toys, I have just updated
my shopCheck it out and let me know what you think!
Here's a sneak preview
Labels: Etsy, Inspiration, Knitting
Hummf
I have a post all composed and ready to put up (for the last 2 hours) and blogger is just not co -operating with my pictures. And I really want to show you!
So, we will have to wait until it gets over its hissy fit, and gets back to normal.
Hummf
I have been expanding my blogging reportoire to check out some bloggers that do other crafts.
One of my new favourites (and just happens to be Irish too) is the
Irish Craftworker.
You must read her blog, I mean, check out
this and then have a look at this,
I love this ideaSo, in the meantime, thanks to
The Skirt who pointed me in the right direction with what I thought was mother of pearl in the last post.
Check this out instead -->
New Zealand PauaLabels: Blogger, General Ramblings, Inspiration
A few of my favourite things
Okay, here's a bit of a different post from me.
I've been reading a lot of crafty blogs recently, and can't get over the amount of cool decorations that are being made in blog world!I must be totally void of imagination, because a lot of them look so easy and I keep thinking, why didn't I think of something like that!
Here are a few of them, my favourites so far:
- jezzeblog does some amazing ink cartoons and knits fab small dolls
- Tania is the source of lots of inspiration for me. Just look at her latest WIP!
- julieree -more inspiration, along with her sister’s book blog booklog where she has a great thing going on for the Christmas season, namely the advent blog tour!
- shimandsons has some cool paper globe decorations plus other great ideas
- Tiny Happy makes some beautiful childrens cloths. Oh to be able to sew!
- Little Birdshas the most amazing amazingly easy (looking) Christmas tree pattern that seems to be springing up all over the blog world. Go make some and show me on your blog!!
So, what are your favourite crafty blogs this time of the year?
Labels: General Ramblings, Inspiration
Spin In
So
Holly and I were invited to a spin in at our spinning teacher Juliet's house, where we would meet up with several other spinners, all there for the same purposes. We were supposed to bring along some food items, and I had great plans, which were foiled by my bf getting some urgent calls into work as we stepped foot inside my door after coming down from his place.
It takes 45 mins approx to get from his place to mine, so it meant a quick grab of spinning wheel and some fibre, and a stop in at a local shop for supplies.
Holly brought some great grub though, including a yummy cinnamony oaty apple dessert.
So, Juliet had asked us to have some single ply ready, in order to learn how to navajo ply.
I used some koolaid dyed galway cross, love these colours.
My spinning wheel is doing a great job of posing outside on my bf's balcony eh? vain thing.
Juliet showed us how to navajo ply almost as soon as we sat down and got ourselves comfy.
Mary in the meantime, showed us how to use long draw to spin.
I had tried this with Juliet when learning to spin, but I'm rather lacking in the hand-carder front, and these are needed in order to make the rolages which are used for the long draw, so I havent been able to practice this method since.
These spinning wheels are gorgeous, aren't they? Mary and Peter had been using them until the long draw teaching session.
Juliet had some fabulous silk blend roving that she was preparing to spin. The photos don't do the colours justice.
There was a carding and rolage making factory going on here!
While a bit of handspindling was also going on
Holly tries out the navajo plying on my single ply, as there was a difference in thickness betweek both our spinning, mine was finer. I wasn't too sure that I liked the navajo ply to begin with, it was like learning to spin again, bulky and uneven, but I think that I was treadelling way too fast and this impacted on it big time. When I slowed down, I stopped treadelling and then remembered to treadle and went fast again. I got home that night and tried it again, and produced a nicer result and tried it again the next night, just using up ends on the bobbins. I'm a lot more confident with it now and it does give a nice finish.
I'll have to take a photo of the finished product and post it here again. Its like my first attempt at spinning, a bit all over the place. The pointy outy bits in the photo above are mine, not Holly's! She was very good at it.
Meanwhile, we have another photo of my elfy pointy hat, just cos I like it so much!
You can see the shaping at the top in this one, and the amount of yarn left over from the skein.
Before you ask, yes I have worn it, when and where I can, and yes people have
stared at me.
Some people can be so rude, tee hee hee
;-00
Labels: Inspiration, Spinning
Etsy
Well. I discovered this fantastic site a while back and have since grown to love it. I've bought a couple of items only recently from it for Christmas presents, and today took the massive leap of creating my own shop!
2 hour it took me to list some items on it but here we go....here's the link and I'll be adding to it as I can...wish me luck!
Ok, blogger is behaving strangely tonight, but here is the actual link which will get you to my shop...-->
http://www.sweensie.etsy.com
Tangelled Angel
Labels: General Ramblings, Inspiration, Weird and Wonderful
General ramblings
Check out this
Funny knitting story that I found in a blog I was perusing. I would give that woman a clap on the back, I would!
I received my Winter Interweave Knits during the week, surprised because I thought it wouldn't get to me until late. I have only had a flick through it so far but at the start of the magazine is an article that caught my interest:
The Victoria and Albert Museum in London is a fantastic place to visit if you are ever in the vacinity.
Meanwhile, for those of us who don't have the means to get down there this weekend,
check this out!
Yes, your very own knitting section of the V&A, online. Including some free knitting patterns of old. Its amazing what is
still in fashion these days!
Labels: General Ramblings, Inspiration
Myla's Happy Head Scarf
I made this headscarf for Myla, daughter of a friend of mine Angela, back in June/ July.
Do you
remember it??
Looks like she likes it anyways! Its a perfect fit.
Glad I put on 3 buttons so that Angela can vary the positioning on her, especially as she grows bigger. Isn't she cute?
Myla isn't too bad either har har!
You know, I may even make one of these for myself....hmmmmm
Labels: Friends, Inspiration, Knitting
Yoga Socks, finished eventually!
Yarn:
Yarn swap with
Cheryl, unsure exactly what it is but a superwash Donegal Tweed blend.
Pins: Size 5 circ's/dpn's
Time: Not very long, can't remember exactly. Frogged the first pair I attempted to make in Noro and retried with this yarn.
How Overdue: Got the first done on time for my sisters birthday, the second shortly after but didnt give the second one to her for almost a month after! OOps. This was back in August....
Post posting comment: Forgot to say well done to my model, the lovely Ruth, who posed magnificently in some typical yoga poses for me. Just as well they fit her then....
Labels: Inspiration, Knitting
Knitting and Stitching in Dublin city
I was stuck in work until 4.30 on Thursdayy and the other girls were living it up in the Knitting and Stitching Show in the RDS.
4.30 came and out the door I flew, battled the traffic across the city, got a very handy parking space around the corner from the RDS and then I was in.
Met up with the knitty girls upstairs outside the Weavers Spinners and Dyers Guild (of which I am a member!) where Juliet my spinning teacher, was also giving a spinning wheel a test run.
First off was
Cheryl's hair, which is lovely, second of all came the news that
Sharon is moving to the other side of the world for a year! To New Zealand, land of the finest wool!
We caught up for a while, then came the slow process of trying to move towards the door, as
Isobel had to get to dinner with friends, and Cheryl and
Holly were on the way home, after being all day at the show with the guilds.
Holly's drool worthy yarnMyself and Sharon stayed for a while, perusing the fine yarn at the show.
Then Sharon left me to the evils of my demon mind, telling me that I just HAD to buy this and HAD to buy that....and that all of it would be put to good use.
Okay, I did buy yarn, I admit it.
BUT all of it was towards an intended (
victim) person.
Some of the yarn I bought, of which only the Rowan tapestry is actually for me,and no SP stuff here neither!Okay, the blue faced leicester roving I got isn't actually classed as yarn...yet, but I had to have it. Demon mind.
I got yarn for my secret pal
I got yarn to make wristwarmers for my Dad, as he thought mine were a great invention and actually requested a pair!
I got yarn to make some items for some members of my family and of course I can't really say at the moment...
I got a couple of other items that are destined as presents also.
So there you go, more stash enhancement, but NO, they will all be used by chrimbo!!
Jenny and Warren from
Craftspun didn't mind me stopping by for a chat and then coming back to have another drool over their yarn
Lisa from This is Knit was having a great time meeting up with all us bloggers also. Can you see the fantastic Clapotis hanging up? Lovely and soft, this was done by
knit-wit herself who was too shy to get into the photo.
Labels: Inspiration, Knitting, Spinning, Stash Enhancement
Inspiration?
I have been a very bad girl.
I've let my heart get ahead of myself, and the head is now telling it how bold it is.
I've been busy buying magazines all round me.
First up is 2 magazines from
Phildar.
I ordered the english version, which means I got the french full version, plus a seperate english version minus all the pictures and adds etc.
I love love love several items from each of these. Its going to be hard not to want to knit them all.
Next up is the new
Yarn Forwardmagazine.
Its not bad, its the first magazine and has some good articles in it about shaping your knits to suit your body shape, how to spin using a drop spindle (Isobel?) and has a good selection of knits in it. There are a couple of patterns I may try.
Next is
Knitscene Fall issue.
I loved the previous issue of this, it had several items that I would make, none of which I
have made (yet) but this one didnt capture my attention the same way, in fact it looked as if there were less items in it than the previous one. Actually, I've just checked and there are only 30 in this issue compared to 44 in the last
Still, there are a couple of items that I have marked to try out and I will be doing so (I'll just add them to the list!)
Finally is the
Interweave Knits Holiday GiftsI haven't really had a good look through this yet, but on first glance through it, I like the Spiral Hat, the Larkspur Hat and Scarf and the Ooh La Loopy Hats for kids. Nothing else really took my attention and there looked like there were one or two items in it that I've seen before.
I ordered this before I read about and commented on the issues that
Donni was having with receiving issues of Interweave press, these last 2 magazines were ordered together and luckily only took a week to get to me, which was surprising given all the problems with Interweave.
I still havent received my winter issue of Interweave, although I'm not expecting it for another while, seeing as I live on a different planet, being in Ireland and all!
Okay, I drafted this post a couple of days ago and didnt get to post it until now, and since then I have received another, yes another magazine through the post.
This is from one of my subscriptions, and I was very happy about getting it as it came with a knitting calender for next year,
until I went to
Borders yesterday and discovered that they hadn't sent me the Rowan magazine that was supposed to come with it also......
Labels: Inspiration
So, I found the most perfect pattern for it, wound up 2 skeins, and off I went.
Presenting, my version of the Anthropologie inspired capelet
I didn't make any changes as such, just knit the body a slight bit longer before I went into the rib and cast off.
This was a very very easy knit, for anyone out there who wants to try knitting something larger than a hat its a very good one to start with.
