Back on it! The shawl...

You have probably noticed that I've been lacking in crafting motivation this past year or so.  Aside from my regular silversmithing class and the various workshops I've taken, I've hardly crafted at all.  Suddenly, that all changed!  In the past 8 days I've completed 6 projects, mostly old ones.  I was feeling ill and took a few days off work and just felt like sewing and crocheting and making.  So, I have a load of blog posts to write!  I'll space them out though, just in case I lose my mojo again (please, please, please don't let that happen).  

So, the second finish was a project I started in December last year, you can see the post here if you like.

This is the Sunny Day Shawl (free pattern) which I hooked up in Stylecraft DK yarn.  I used grey, turquoise and green though I don't know how I came to this conclusion as the pattern actually calls for 6 colours!

In these photos it hasn't been blocked, and, to be honest, I'm not sure I'll bother!  I'm sure it would look amazing - especially the picots on the last 2 rows, but I'm lazy.  By the way, I took the photos on my craft room floor, what a fab background!

Due to the way it's designed, the rows get longer and longer and loooooooonger as you progress.  It was taking me a couple of hours per row by the end.  I did enjoy it though.

I love the pattern and the way it changes part way down the grey.

and look at those curly ends!  It's been wrapped around my shoulders already thanks to the chilly weather that's descended on the UK.  I may need to make a shawl pin to hold it in place as it did dip in the washing up at one point!

I have really missed making stuff.  So happy to be back at it.

Continuing the shawl

I've been making the Sunny Day Shawl for aaaaaaaaaaages.  I bought some grey Stylecraft Special DK for the main body, and a ball of turquoise and green for the accents.  I misread the pattern and should have had more colours than that!  Ah well.

I'm on the last but one row, then there's some blocking to do before it's FINALLY finished.  Just in time for autumn though.  I went camping at the end of August (don't ask, and no, I'm not convinced I'd do it again) and wanted a small project to take with me.  I also, as usual, thought I'd get LOADS done.  Of course I didn't.

It's going to be this amazing Persian Tiles blanket.  It will be identical to the one in the link as I bought the kiut.

As the kit comes with lots of balls, I thought I'd better do some winding, so I got my winder out.  It's pretty good, except the metal guide falls down so you have to hold it up, that's a bit annoying.  

These are 100g balls.  I think the winder makes cakes for 50g balls.  The cream one at the back was a whole ball wound!  I learnt my lesson after that and the others are half a ball, or approximately half a ball as you can see they vary!

After I've finished the shawl, I'll get going on this one.  So expect to see the finished blanket approximately 2029.

crochet shawl - a new start

Hello!  I've dropped by to show you the shawl I have started crocheting.  I took the photos last night and I'm now typing away on my work laptop... and I realise I have neither a link to the pattern nor the details of the yarn used!  I will let you know on the next post about this shawl!

Whilst I was struggling with my broken shoulder, a friend lent me a shawl to put around my shoulders when I was cold as putting on a jumper was difficult.  I loved that shawl.  I did, reluctantly, give it back to her when I could take my arm out of my sling, and I immediately started crocheting one of my own.

I did quite a bit before it stalled.  I'm not sure why it's stalled... decorating probably!  This is definitely going to need blocking when I've finished!

It's a really pretty 4-row repeat which is quite easy to learn.  The pattern starts at the top and so each row gets progressively longer.  I'm going to take this in the car with me tomorrow as I'm heading down to see my brother and nephew with my dad (he's driving, not me!).  It is the first anniversary of losing my wonderful mum, I still can't quite believe it.

Knitting

I'll start with knitting as that is where I started!  My grandma taught me to knit as a small child and I loved to make toys from Jean Greenhowe's books.  When I decided, aged 32, to pick it up again, my grandmother was no longer with us so I turned to a book.  I chose Knitty Gritty by Aneeta Patel.  It really is a fantastic book and made it so easy to pick up. 

I started at the beginning and knitted a chunky scarf for myself...

The next project in the book was a pair of baby booties, so I knitted them.  Luckily my friends Lucy and Ben had just had a baby girl (hello Chloe!) so I could put them to use.

Then I knitted a hat.  My first disaster.  I wanted the hat to match the scarf.  The scarf had been knitted in a big chunky wool and the hat pattern called for DK.  I thought I could get round that by not using as many stitches as it said to use in the pattern, the result?  A new hat for my nearly-2 year old goddaughter, Rebecca!

So I knitted a hat in a different wool.

After all this knitting and purling, I needed a challenge so moved swiftly onto the lacy summer scarf.  I decided to knit this for my Aunty Gwen's birthday and used a Sublime merino wall in a nice shade of pink. 

I was so proud of it, I made another for my friend Graz's birthday!

Doing well in knitting so far!  This was all swiftly followed by a knitted mouse, for no reason at all, taken from Knitted Toy Tales by Laura Long:

And a lacy look mohair scarf knitted in Sublime Kid Mohair for my mother-in-law Nita's birthday.  It looks quite nice but was SO boring to knit, it's all just a loose knit.  Yawn.

At about this time I'd joined in a swap over on Cut Out + Keep and decided I wanted to knit a butterly brooch.  I found a pattern on the internet but when I knitted it, I didn't like it at all so, wait for it... I made up my own!  I was so so proud of myself for this simple little pattern:

(Little butterfly is bottom right - I don't know how to crop photos!!)

And there we are.  Next knitting post will be up to date and a bit more interesting, I hope!