Currently knitting with…

I’m definitely in a knitty phase at the moment. I’m not sure why — I normally prefer the speed and colourful, often retro results of crochet, but at the moment most of the things on my to-make list are knitted.

I’ve been stashing this lovely Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino for a while – it’s (almost) all been purchased in John Lewis yarn sales over a couple of years, for no good reason other than that I couldn’t resist the colours or lovely squishyness of it. Now with a little man on the way, I don’t have to look far to find an excuse to start using it up.

It’s lovely to work with and the first project is almost complete. Here’s a sneak peek:

Very restrained, don’t you think? I’m only using two colours rather than an entire rainbow. I’ve had to learn a new skill for this item — knitting on a circular needle. I’ve always knitted socks on DPNs and found circular needles a rather strange idea, but I seem to have picked it up okay, after the initial tangle.

Queen Anne’s Lace Scarf

Look – another quicky project completed! I made one of these for my Mum earlier in the year out of cotton sock yarn and loved the pattern so much that I wanted one for myself.

As with a lot of things I’ve been working on recently, this was made with stashed yarn that I bought in a sale quite some time ago, so it was partly a “using up” project and partly just because I wanted one. It’s a super-easy pattern and works up really quickly, so a very satisfying gap-filler between bigger projects.

Pattern: Queen Anne’s Lace Scarf (the pictures don’t seem to work on this page, but scroll down and the pattern is still there)
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cathay
Colourway: 12007: Teal/Turquoise
Hook: 4mm

And now, as a change from using up stashed yarn, I’ve been shopping!

Some lovely squishy balls of Rowan pure wool aran-weight yarn for my next project. I’m busy swatching at the moment — something I don’t normally bother with, but I want everything to be just perfect for this project — so nothing much to show’n'tell just yet. I’ll keep you posted.

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate it!

The sock saga continues here, chez Poppyfields. I don’t quite know how one single pair of socks can take so long to knit — it’s not as if I’ve never knitted socks before. The new projects are lining up I’m itching to get started on so many things. While on one hand I’m keen to finish these socks before moving onto a something new, I’m determined that this year I will not let Christmas pass me by without making any seasonal gifts, again.

I suppose the problem is that there just isn’t enough time. Work has been sucking my soul and the dark evenings have been… hold on, it’s Thanksgiving, right? So why am I moaning? We may not celebrate Thanksgiving in this country but it’s too easy to sink into a fug of tiredness and stuck-in-a-rut routine. Wouldn’t it be great to stop and think about what’s good in life?

And right now I have so much to be thankful for. I’m thankful for my family and friends, who are always there for me when I need them. I’m thankful for J for being the most fabulous person ever and for wanting to be with me (the crazy fool!). I’m especially thankful for the fact that he is okay after the motorcycle accident he had last week. I’m thankful for our lovely new house – a real house with an upstairs and a downstairs and a garden – the sort of place I never thought we’d be fortunate enough to live. I’m thankful for my job, especially in the current financial climate when so many people are finding work so hard to come by. This week saw my 10 years anniversary of continuous employment and I still love it there – most of the time! I’m thankful for my music – for the fact that my parents encouraged me to learn and to practice hard, even when I would much rather have been watching T.V. or hanging out with my friends. And I’m thankful for the times when I get a chance to pick up my knitting needles or crochet hook, even if those minutes are few. Creating things is a joy and one to be relished.

So here we have this glorious Christmassy coloured yarn that I treated myself to yesterday. It was a super bargain from the hobby shop, and it’s calling to me while I’m sitting here sock-knitting. Actually, I might take another break from those socks. Seasonal things are calling me and I need to get making before the time passes me by!

Refashioned kitchen stool

This old stool used to belong to my parents but it was old, dated and worn out. The varnish was chipped and the nasty, brown, wood-effect vinyl top had cracked at the edges from use. I should have taken a “before” photo but I’m sure you get the picture anyway.

It was destined for the scrap heap when my folks moved house (some years ago now) but I rescued it — I have back problems and need to sit down for all those household chores like the ironing or spud-peeling and it looked like just the thing. “I’ll make a new cover for it!”, I said, and never did.

Until, that is, I was inspired once again by Lucy from Attic24 and her lovely crocheted stool cover.

I had some lovely cotton DK yarn stashed and waiting for a project to come along (“Essentials” by Rico Design), and my plan came together from there.

I took the seat off the stool, pulled off the cracked vinyl covering, sanded it down and gave it a lick of paint, and made a big granny square for the top. It’s about an inch and a half larger than the seat all round, and I threaded a cord around the edge and pulled it tight to secure it. I also tied across-wise in a kind of flattened-out figure of 8 shape in both directions to pull the middles of the sides further under and keep the cover on tightly.

And I’m pleased as punch with the outcome — it’s good as new. Better than new, in fact!

The rainbow has arrived!

After travelling from one end of the county to the other in the search for yarn and a month of waiting for a store to fulfil my order, my wool has finally arrived!

And isn’t it great? That’s what thirty balls – ten colours – of Rowan Pure Wool DK looks like, waiting to be turned into Hexagon Love. I can hardly wait to get started.