Can’t quite believe I am showing you this.

I thought I would give you a knitting update. If you are ready to make oooing and ahhhing noises at a lovely finished garment I am sorry you will probably have to wait another couple of weeks. No, something else has caught my eye, Blossom from the new Kim Hargreaves book Misty.
I think it is probably smart enough for work yet pretty enough to wear out. I have to say I love pretty much everything in this book which let us face it doesn't happen very often.

MY friend Sarah and I went to the lovely BaaRamYew in Leeds two weeks ago. If you are wanting a proper old fashioned reasonably priced wool shop with masses of choice combined with Ravelry at their finger tips this is the shop for you! Anyway I digress the yarn I went looking for was Rowan Milk Cotton Fine 70% cotton 30% Milk proteins (what will they think of next) I could have come back with every colour on the shelf but I settled on what is probably my most favourite-ist colour of all time this duck egg blue. It was a hard choice especially as the pattern is called Blossom now I am home I really could have a yen for that pink... :)

A Ravelry friend also fancied Blossom so I am indulging in a KAL . She is a very organised knitter and believes – like the rest of you in swatches! I have only ever made one swatch probably about two years ago and I still haven't finished the socks that I made it for. In other words I really don't swatch but after the recent knitting lunacy and the fact that I will be really annoyed if hers fits like a glove and mine looks like a sack I thought I better make one. So here it is my second ever swatch.
The milk cotton is a little splitty which might be annoying and I think I blocked it a little harder than I need to but it looks like it should be ok so rather than being good and finishing off all of these wips that are strewn around the place I am going to cast on again tonight:

This Knitting is Ridiculous!

I thought of various titles for this blog post déjà vu, seeing double that sort of thing but when I started to take photos I realised how crazy I am beginning to look!

The beginning of the Easter holidays I cast on the Alice top but wasn't very happy with the tension from pretty much the get go the Bamboo stretches like crazy and on the lacy pattern I can fit my fingers through the holes probably not a good look for any type of top. Any sensible person would have ripped it out straight away not me it seems. I finished until it separated for under the arms before I decided I wanted to try it on a smaller needle – which I didn't have.
Feeling incredibly frustrated that my lovely Easter project wasn't going quite as I had envisaged I sent off for a new Addi needle. Whilst I was waiting for my needle to arrive instead of knitting one of the numerous wip's that live in my front room, I cast on Que Sera from this edition of knitty.

I got the tension for the Rowan Handknit cotton on the recommended 5mm but it looked like a string vest so I decided that I would do it on a 4.5mm. Excellent plan except in order for this to work I would have had to go up a dress size which I didn't do so now I have half a cardiganwhich though it will do up makes me look like a blue sausage!
Would be a shame to rip it out especially as I have done so much work thinks I. So I have left it and yes you guessed it cast on again hoping against hope that I have enough yarn to make two pairs of sleeves. Then my Addi's arrived so I have again cast on Alice I definitely like the tension on this version better though I must remember to go up a dress sizeJ

 

64 Paddy Paws!

Way back in July 1996 when Elenya was a tiny baby. I was walking through Brugge when I stumbbled upon my first patchwork shop, Pineapple.

It was a funny shop in one of the back streets by the gates of the old town. After I had struggled through two doors with a pram and the shop assistant had watched me I realised that they really didn't sell much! A few fat quarters in baskets dotted around the vast white interior and a pile of old Quilters newsletter. Now I would probaly walk straight back out but, I wandered around collected a few fat quarters which were a wonderful 1930's chintz and then I spied the April 1996 Quilters newsletter.
The beautiful quilt on the front "Chaco's Paw" captured my heart and the story of how the designer had named it after her kitten who had helped make it captured my imagination. Though as I had never made anything remotely patchwork before I definately didn't have the skills to make one of my own.
The fat quarters were made up into a feedsack quilt ( my first quilt) when Elenya was three and the magazine was stored for safe keeping.
Then last year when I asked Inigo what sort of quilt he wanted he was definate that he wanted a cat one. Now as an eight year old boy I can see the attraction but, I hope that as a grown man he might still like the quilt that his mama makes for him and I felt that a seriously cat one might not make the grade.
Then I remembered "chaco's Paw" I was happy and so was Inigo though he still wants it to have at least one cat. It was a bit optimistic to think I would have the whole thing complete by last week however I have broken the back of it now with a little quilting help from Molly!

My Giveaway Quilt

I keep seeing Owls every where in the craft world.Little fabric sculptures. logos, fabric and knitting patterns though unlike the 1970's no macrame yet!
I think it is rapidly becoming synonimous with anything crafty which is why I decided on a wise old owl for my little quilt. It has been ages since I designed something completely from scratch but I felt as I was giving it away it had to be all my own work. An hour later and the whole thing was mapped out on brown paper( brown paper that somebody in this house has tidied up). I also wanted the fabrics to be cheerful, spring, Eastery type colours which took some serious scrabbling through the scrap bag.
I am pretty pleased how he turned out. I almost whipped up something else as he looked gorgeous on my wall! I think I might make him again as soon as I find the brown paper!

A hive of industry.

It is amazing how much you can get done when you don't have to work. I promised myself this holiday that we would have stay at home time and no visitors as every break we have I fill it with too many activities and too many guests. I love house guests you don't even have to procrastinate about things because you really can't do them when you are entertaining can you? Anyway this holiday is different. We spent a lovely planned weekend with our good friend J and all of her wonderful furry friends she has a huge kitchen and her and the kids got down to some serious baking. Then we have come back I have started clearing some of the wip's that are scattered around my house.
Yesterday with help from Molly,I finished Jo's give away quilt and parceled it up ( I have decided that I will show it once she has it) and I finished my quilt started last summer and then shelved when time became a premium commodity. 100 nine patches and countless other squares
we snuggled under it last night and I felt proud of my day's accomplishments. Today I have been working on a quilt that I started for Inigo, just as I finished Oriana's. I am hoping to have a quilt top complete by the end of the week. Or at least some interesting patches. A few more patches tomorrow but, for the rest of the day we are going to find out how to tame our dragon! What have you got planned for the rest of your holidays?

An Easter Greeting to Every Child Who Loves "Alice."

An Easter Greeting to Every Child Who Loves "Alice."
DEAR CHILD,

Please to fancy, if you can, that you are reading a real letter, from a real friend whom you have seen, and whose voice you can seem to yourself to hear wishing you, as I do now with all my heart, a happy Easter.
Lewis Carroll Easter 1876

Maybe Lewis Carroll was the worlds first blogger it certainly sounds like it.
For the last couple of years I have treated myself to a Christmas Day project. Something really special that I anticipate for a couple for weeks before casting on. This year I decided why not give myself the same pleasure for Easter ( a lot less calories than and egg!).
I had queued the pattern Alice by Katya Wilsher a couple of months ago and I thought it would be perfect.

Cheerful, summery and perfect for warm spring weather. From reading the information on her pattern I know she was influenced by Alice's apron.I think you can really seen a modern day Alice wearing this . But, when I think of Alice I think of her in Disney blue. Sirdar Snuggley Baby Bamboo DK was on my list of yarns to try this year and they had what I consider to be the perfect colour. Sailboat 156. It is what Mamie would have called cornflower blue slightly purple reminiscent of Spring and Easter and perfect for a project called Alice.

Drum roll please

Wow thank you all for entering it was so sweet of you to take the time to enter. I have really enjoyed all of your comments but without further ado And the winner is ....







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Congratulations Jo! If you could let me know where I am sending your little quilt ( because that is what it is) It should be ready for posting by the end of the week:)