February...ing

Hello friends! I have been a bit slack on blogging of late. Happy to read them but too busy to write one. Let's kick off with some seasonal fayre and a round up of what I have been making.

Filling - the gaps of my fading Autumn wreath with some roses I dried (a birthday gift from January) It gives it a little spring like edge but it is so delicate now that I have to keep it inside to stop the wind blowing it away from the front door.

Digging - the last of my parsnips while the ground is still soft but trying to stay off the soil. The veg patch needs a little while longer yet until I can give it a dig over.

Picking - a few choice hellebores for my table vase. You have to condition them well or they just wilt straight away. I cut an angled stem at the bottom and dipped them in boiling water before standing them in cold water up to the stems for about 3 hours. Then into the vase they went. 

Buying - a new hellebore called Camelot which has beautiful peachy tones. 

Promising - to be a glorious show in the front border. The bulbs are appearing and although it should look at its worst right now, in the depths of February, it looks OK 

Finishing - my toe up socks. I really liked the way these were constructed and the after thought heel was not a compromise on comfort. It felt the same as my other ones but was much easier to do. I am going to try a few more from the booklet.

Feeling - just OK with my new knit. I wanted it to be boxier and more of a swing over top so I sized up but because I made it in 4ply scraps instead of double knit it is a bit fitted for me. I have blocked it and that gave it some more space but I will see if I wear it and if not I will send it to a friend. The pattern is here and I would definitely do it again.

Using - up some of my yarn leftovers with some baby knitting and crochet. A little white sweater and a car seat blanket for my neighbours' daughter.

 

Diving - into my vintage sewing patterns. I haven't made one for a couple of years but have a massive collection. This brocade suit was for a video tutorial for Minerva (its not on there yet) I actually like wearing it as separates but it does make a beautiful suit. 

Having - my favourite chair reupholstered. I bought it 16 years ago for £70 in an antique shop and kept saying I would have it re-done. It was my new years resolution to get the seat repaired and recovered professionally. It is so comfortable to sit on/in but it has one drawback - I can't knit in it! There is some fabric left over so I am thinking about making a deep foam seat pad to lift me up. That way, I am hoping I can move my elbows at knitting height. 

Leaving - you as ever with my kitchen table view. The sunsets have been amazing this week. One every night which changes in minutes. 

Thanks for dropping by. Jo xxxx

Wool news

Happy New Year Folks! I have been away skiing in Andorra with our family which was a nice change for New Year celebrations. Back home now with a stonking cold but lots to busy myself with.

I finished a crochet cardigan over Christmas. I was driving everyone crazy by saying, "These sleeves are sooooo boring!" over and over again but they seemed to take so long to make. I just about made it on the pink yarn which I only had one ball of. The pattern is called a Good Vintage cardigan here but on reading the reviews many said the sleeves were too tight so I changed mine up to be a more balloon shape and I think it has really made it a fab spring throw over.

I have also been making a few things to bust out some stash. I have boxes with collections of wool in but none of them are enough to make a garment but enough to be taking up too much space. I bought, yes bought, this nativity pattern from ravelry which is fantastic. The instructions are so well written. I am thinking I will add to the collection over the years adapting the body shapes to include other characters. They are tall - about 25cm which makes them perfect for a Church Window or big window display. The yarn is Drops lima which has a lovely natural looking colour palette and a is great value. I really don't like a vibrant acrylic looking nativity set. Meh!

I always cast on a pair of socks for holiday knitting, it is a good way to pass the time in the airport and can be shoved in a small drawstring project bag. 

This shoppel yarn was from Wonderwool 2023. Two identical balls rolled separately ready for matching sock knitting. I have to admit to be being super excited about the yarn but on knitting up I was a bit disappointed the dye runs are so short it wouldn't have really mattered if they matched or not because a definitive pattern didn't emerge anyway! 

Anyway, because the wool held promise of being used up completely in two matching socks, I decided to knit some toe up socks with an afterthought heel. After knitting the first sock, I was really pleased with the fit so the wool has certainly made me flex my sock pattern choice. I am using a sock 'recipe' book called Socktacular.

That is all of my wooly news. I have some sewing news too which I will catch up on next week. Off to read your blogs. Jo xxxxx

December...ing

 Best Wishes to you all. My last 'ing' post of the year. There has been a little snow flurry earlier in the month with lots of special treats to eat.

Snowing - on the hill, just a bit on a couple of days. Not enough to cause mayhem for us but enough for my girls to have an hour sledging on our steep fields.

Treating - ourselves to some chocolate. I love florentines but the rest of my family don't so we compromise and have melted chocolate with just a sprinkling of almonds and cranberries.

Making - White millionaires shortbread and getting all the parts right. Sometimes the caramel doesn't set, sometimes the base is too crumbly, I often don't melt enough chocolate for the top (because I am not a millionaire!) but today my big girl made a tray and it was spot on. 

Cooking up - the contents of the fridge to make way for Christmas dinner ingredients. This chicken, pepper, chorizo and chickpea one pot was a good combination and loved by all.

Leaving - out the icing. We don't enjoy it and adding things you don't like just because you think you should is silly. This cake is a metaphor for my preparations this Christmas.

Casting - on a new pair of socks. We are going skiing on New Years eve and I like to have a portable knitting project for holidays so that I can pass the time at the airport and in the evenings. I am having another go at a toe up sock with an afterthought heel from the socktacular book.

Finishing - another pair of Christmas socks for gifting. I have used this colourway before and it feels just right for this time of year.

Printing - off a little wrap for hand knits. It is a lovely way to finish off a gift and give the recipient some washing instructions which are written on the back!

Sewing - up a Lyra Dress in a fabric I have had for ages. It really does lift the mood.

Buying - a few new baubles. The cones were £1 but the others weren't! I usually wait until the sales but I loved these ones so much I just went for it. 

Decorating - the tree. I didn't do it this year, my girls took charge and I sat in the chair with a cuppa and enjoyed being a spectator.

Crocheting - a new cardigan. It is a bit boring now that I am on the sleeves but perfect for watching TV in the evenings in front of the fire. 

Anyway, I am signing off now to get on with some jobs and possibly a bit of sewing. I cut out lots of things to choose from over the break. If I get a few moments, I will sew a seam here and there.

Happy Christmas to you all! Jo xxxxx

Ta Dah! Asbury Cardigan

Hello folks! I thought my new cardy project deserved its very own post. It is a real corker which I have, on the whole, really enjoyed making. It was a go slow cardy which I started back at the end of August. I fully expected it to take me until Christmas - I finished it on the 1st December!

First up in this narrative is the yarn. A selection of 4ply yarns mostly from Wonderwool. The pink and ivory solid colours were a bargain but as such, a mystery. Huge hanks for £10 but no ball band! The green one is a hand painted 4ply sock yarn which was also in a bargain bin at Wonderwool. The variegated one is from a local Christmas fayre last year and was also £10. I purchased the 2 small balls of Jamieson and Smith especially for this project as the dark tone to hold the hole colour palette down. So I started off with round about £50 of yarn but I did get two garments.

 

In order to continue the story I have to go back one project. I wanted to know how much left over pink I would have for the cardy idea so I firstly made a simple sweater from this pattern on ravelry. I ran the pink double and made a super cosy sweater. After making this I knew whether pink could be my main colour or if it needed to be ivory which in all honesty would be my second choice (I am a bit messy you see!)

The project started and this strip of fair isle was the most difficult to follow. Every time it came up, I didn't look forward to this segment. In fact I had to buy some more stitch markers to help me do it. I had to pattern on the purl side too which I always seemed to get wrong. Sectioning it up with stitch markers did reduce the amount of times I had to go back and try again.

The floats are great. I am good at this now so my cardy has a nice amount of stretch and is really warm because of the extra yarn on the reverse. The reverse photo hits all of my knitting geek buttons at once.

I had enough yarn to do fair isle on the sleeves but I didn't have enough motivation to keep doing that patterned strip that was so tricky so I knit them plain and added the dreaded segment at the wrist to tie the whole thing in. The cardigan is called Asbury and is designed by Martin Storey. The best bit is the pattern was free on ravelry! OK so I changed up the shape a bit to make it less fitted but I absolutely love wearing it with my dark green cords.

It has a real Autumn/winter feel and is really cosy. The sleeves are a compromise but one I am happy with to have a completed cardy not one shoved in a bag for a couple of years. I am all about the finish. 

I need a little basic crochet in my life right now for a brain rest. More on that later.....

Thanks for stopping by. Jo xxxxxx

November...ing

November feels like November. Darker, cosier and time to change some seasonal behaviours. There is less gardening and more looking at what needs doing in the house. 

Limping - on with my table vase challenge but this one looks surprisingly bright. It has the last of my dahlias before the frosts come and a couple of rogue roses I cut before pruning the whole bush. The lightness of the vase comes from the dill fronds and the open cosmos which are now all finished.

 

Changing - views are very different in November. It can be misty, clear, windy, bright and clear.

Making - a new blind for the kitchen window. I got a bargain piece of Orla Kiely fabric for £37 and so far I have made a blind, a couple of tea towels, and a draining mat but I have loads left over. I have painted the kitchen wall too because this is the wall around the cooker with the distinctive grease/dust combo that builds over time in a kitchen. It instantly lifts the room and I can slowly paint the rest white over winter.

Having - our patio re-laid. I had booked to have it done in Spring but the builders had a window and came to do it early. It has made such a difference to our overall view from the window. Hopefully, I can keep the weeds down now and there won't be any more wobbly ones. 

Lighting - our first fire.

Sewing - up a Marnie blouse which is one of my favourite patterns. I make a lot of sample garments which means I have lots of left over fabric so I like to use it up. It has sort of become my signature style. I have also added a new ribbed sweater to my winter wardrobe to replace an old grotty pink one.

Knitting - a little cardy for a friend who is having a baby. The pattern is from a black and white vintage booklet but so wearable today. I love those old patterns.

I have finished my fair isle knit but it deserves its own post and I have a stinking cold so not really feeling like I have photo vibes this week. Catch you next week. Off to check out your news.

Jo xxxx