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This is one of my favorite afghans. Its a hand knit, worked on linked needles and a simple intarsia tecnique.
I included some reclaimed yarns in the making and some of my own handspun yarns in natural shades. The edging is knitted into place using reclaimed aran yarn and garter stitch. If you're feeling tempted by this project, you can purchase the PDF pattern here
I included some reclaimed yarns in the making and some of my own handspun yarns in natural shades. The edging is knitted into place using reclaimed aran yarn and garter stitch. If you're feeling tempted by this project, you can purchase the PDF pattern here
This is my own take on the Chullo "ear flap" hat.
I designed the pattern a couple of years ago and have had a fair run of success selling the PDF pattern, here on the website and also on my Etsy shop.
I designed the pattern a couple of years ago and have had a fair run of success selling the PDF pattern, here on the website and also on my Etsy shop.
WORKING WEEKEND
Never again!! I worked Saturday and Sunday this week; gardening for an old couple who have decided that at 58 & 65 its time they tied the knot and they wanted the garden spic and span for the big day. As I'm already booked up solid there's no way I could have done their job in normal hours. So I had to break one of my own golden rules and work through the weekend. Trouble is I'm no spring chicken and these days I really do need my weekends off. Serves me right for being a sucker for romance. Besides which, I missed the stitch & bitch meeting and didn't get any knitting or crochet done
Never again!! I worked Saturday and Sunday this week; gardening for an old couple who have decided that at 58 & 65 its time they tied the knot and they wanted the garden spic and span for the big day. As I'm already booked up solid there's no way I could have done their job in normal hours. So I had to break one of my own golden rules and work through the weekend. Trouble is I'm no spring chicken and these days I really do need my weekends off. Serves me right for being a sucker for romance. Besides which, I missed the stitch & bitch meeting and didn't get any knitting or crochet done
Another one of my past projects. Pattern available here on the website. Excellent effect achieved by clever combination of different coloured yarns
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Work in Progress
I've also decided to put the planned next Afghan project on hold in favour of this unfinished half knitted cardigan. Its a cabled cardigan knitted in King Cole "mirage" double knitting yarn in purples and greens. Its knitting up really soft and the colours are beautiful together. Trouble is having had a break from it while I've been working on the afghan blanket I've kind of lost my place on the pattern and I'm having trouble picking up again. I've completed the back and I'm now working on the front which has an inset pocket to contend with. This time I'm not designing it myself but following an old 1980s pattern (missing out the shoulder pads). It'll be lovely when its finished but I'm not confident about the fit when its done. The pattern is for double knit yarn but the one I'm using is a bit on the fine side.
Monday morning, Had a reasonably restful weekend. Unfortunately no Stitch & Bitch as there was a craft show on the go and I'm not involved in that side of things. In any case I managed to get on with a fair bit of tidying in the house which I realise doesn't exactly sound like rest. If you take into consideration the fact that I spend my working days up to my elbows in other people's grass and weeds it makes better sense. The change is as good as the rest, as the saying goes. I didn't get much crafting done over the weekend but I did manage to get the gardening invoices typed up and enveloped yesterday. Some are for the post and some are to be hand delivered. I still have one to sort out but there's a bit of a mix up with who owes who and how much and I'll need to go back over my records to sort it out.
I always seem to be saying that its time for bed!! Its probably because I only seem to get near the pc at the end of the day when the work's all done and by that time I'm starting to feel pretty worn out. I go to bed and my head hits the pillow and its like switching out a light. I'm asleep almost immediately. I think its pretty safe to say that I don't have a great deal of time to spare for blogging and right now the knitting is taking a back seat too. I'm working all the hours I can get and coming home to the housework. I find myself praying for a wet day so that I can take a day off without feeling guilty!!
Tomorrow (Sunday) I'm cleaning the holiday let. The latest group of holiday makers have left this evening and I have to get the house ready for the next group. Fortunately I have a week before the house is let again so I can take my time over the cleaning. However, this can also lead to problems as I never know when the owner will phone with a last minute booking which could have me scrambling to get the place finished off in time. My intention is to get the job done and completed tomorrow morning. Staying with the subject of the holiday let, I have to have words with the owner about my hours. He's only allowing me 2 hours to change beds, wash, and clean the whole house top to bottom. Tomorrow I'm going to do the whole job start to finish to get a good idea of the actual number of hours it takes...........
.............Well it didn't quite work out as I'd planned. The couple who've just vacated were spotlessly clean and there wasn't much to do so I managed to get the whole place cleaned in an hour. Just the beds to make and it'll be ready for the next letting. I shouldn't grumble.
Tomorrow (Sunday) I'm cleaning the holiday let. The latest group of holiday makers have left this evening and I have to get the house ready for the next group. Fortunately I have a week before the house is let again so I can take my time over the cleaning. However, this can also lead to problems as I never know when the owner will phone with a last minute booking which could have me scrambling to get the place finished off in time. My intention is to get the job done and completed tomorrow morning. Staying with the subject of the holiday let, I have to have words with the owner about my hours. He's only allowing me 2 hours to change beds, wash, and clean the whole house top to bottom. Tomorrow I'm going to do the whole job start to finish to get a good idea of the actual number of hours it takes...........
.............Well it didn't quite work out as I'd planned. The couple who've just vacated were spotlessly clean and there wasn't much to do so I managed to get the whole place cleaned in an hour. Just the beds to make and it'll be ready for the next letting. I shouldn't grumble.
Work sleep Work sleep Work
Saturday morning The end of an eventful week. Its been raining quite a lot and I only managed to work two days which was not so good but then I've had more time for other things. On Wednesday I had a call from my ex employers asking me to spare them a few hours per week to help with the garden centre. I told them I'd need time to think about it but really I'm just playing it cool. I was cock-a-whoop after they called. I've so missed that job.
I'm taking mum to the Stitch'n'Bitch later on this morning. To be honest I'm not quite sure what to make of it. There aren't enough members to make it a roaring success and the organisers seem reluctant to develop it any further so its just me & mum, the two organisers, three old ladies. I guess there's something to be said for it being such a small group but at the same time there's something to be said against it. On the one hand we all know each other now and feel comfortable together but on the other hand if one or two of us can't make it for whatever reason then the numbers are seriously down and the conversation becomes limited. The best days are definitely those when everyone turns up with heaps of news to share.
For "H" news involves a blow by blow account of her numerous visits to the doctor, a few gory details and an exhaustive list of all the meds he's prescribed....and then without stopping to take a breath, on to the husband, neighbours, grandchildren, dog, oh yes....and the up coming wedding. "M's" news is usually about family, her ailments, and the cat. "T" will give us an update on what's happening at the school where she's head honcho, "G" is "T's" daughter and she just tends to nip in for a dig at her mum every now and again but other than that she fiddles with her phone a lot and tends not to have much to say. For me its the latest developments with my gardening work. Mum and "I" tend not to have much to say. Mum's more shy than she cares to admit and I get the impression that "I" is much the same. They just listen and knit.
So far I've made a few things. A couple of teddies, a striped jumper, a blue cardigan, a couple of crochet granny square afghans, a couple of scarves and just now I'm working on the cabled cardigan pictured above. I've completed the back, left front and almost done the right front. Its slow to grow but will be nice when its done. I'm impatient to get it finished as I've got a batch of Noro yarn and a pattern for a project that I'm itching to get started on.
Anyway, its 6.24am and the alarm will be going off at 6.30. Time to go get ready......
I'm taking mum to the Stitch'n'Bitch later on this morning. To be honest I'm not quite sure what to make of it. There aren't enough members to make it a roaring success and the organisers seem reluctant to develop it any further so its just me & mum, the two organisers, three old ladies. I guess there's something to be said for it being such a small group but at the same time there's something to be said against it. On the one hand we all know each other now and feel comfortable together but on the other hand if one or two of us can't make it for whatever reason then the numbers are seriously down and the conversation becomes limited. The best days are definitely those when everyone turns up with heaps of news to share.
For "H" news involves a blow by blow account of her numerous visits to the doctor, a few gory details and an exhaustive list of all the meds he's prescribed....and then without stopping to take a breath, on to the husband, neighbours, grandchildren, dog, oh yes....and the up coming wedding. "M's" news is usually about family, her ailments, and the cat. "T" will give us an update on what's happening at the school where she's head honcho, "G" is "T's" daughter and she just tends to nip in for a dig at her mum every now and again but other than that she fiddles with her phone a lot and tends not to have much to say. For me its the latest developments with my gardening work. Mum and "I" tend not to have much to say. Mum's more shy than she cares to admit and I get the impression that "I" is much the same. They just listen and knit.
So far I've made a few things. A couple of teddies, a striped jumper, a blue cardigan, a couple of crochet granny square afghans, a couple of scarves and just now I'm working on the cabled cardigan pictured above. I've completed the back, left front and almost done the right front. Its slow to grow but will be nice when its done. I'm impatient to get it finished as I've got a batch of Noro yarn and a pattern for a project that I'm itching to get started on.
Anyway, its 6.24am and the alarm will be going off at 6.30. Time to go get ready......
I'm just adding a page to the site which gives instructions on how to use Kitchener Stitch, also known as seamless grafting. The stitch is used to close the toes when knitting socks from the top down.
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