I've been a bit quiet on here for the past week and its for two very good reasons. Firstly, it is so hot! I know that readers in far hotter countries than the UK will be laughing at that but it reached 32 degrees centigrade today and it's just too hot to knit. This was the view on my morning runs this week (I say that like I'm a running machine, it happened twice)
Friday 29 June 2018
Thursday 21 June 2018
In the garden
I'm not much of a gardener, I don't know flower names and I haven't grown vegetables except for a few sad looking carrots when I was a teenager. But I love wandering around my Mum's garden looking at the flowers. With the mix of rain and sun we have had over the past few months, the flowers have come out in force. So for today's post, sit back and enjoy a minute or two of flower therapy.
And this is his 'tiger pose' apparently. He could have been a model if he didn't enjoy sleeping, eating and mousing so much. According to him anyway.
Charlotte (and most definitely) Harvey x
Wednesday 20 June 2018
Finished Object - My first colourwork hat!
Afternoon everyone, just a quick post to say I finished a project! It's still really hot here, well for the UK anyway and it's been difficult to knit when you're already overheating. I have found that any small project made with 4ply yarn or lighter is manageable as you don't have a load of yarn covering your legs as you knit. You may have already seen a picture on my Instagram but I wanted to show it here too as it's my first real attempt at colourwork.
This is the Dorothy hat, which was a free kit included with a Knit Now Issue although I can't find which issue and it doesn't say on the pattern booklet. The yarn could have been used to make Dorothy and friends from the Wizard of Oz but I'm not a huge fan of knitting toys at the moment. I really appreciate being given an alternative pattern such as a hat or cowl to knit instead rather than having random small amounts of yarn sitting, gathering dust. Also that pom pom... Love it!
Here's a close up of the pattern:
It's designed by Kate Heppell, the editor of Knit Now magazine. I haven't blocked it yet but couldn't wait to take a photo! The hat came out a lot larger than expected so this might have to go to the boyfriend. He's already hinted that he likes the hat so it's lucky it came out so big!
Charlotte and Harvey x
Tuesday 19 June 2018
Woollinn Stash
Where has the month gone?! I've been busy clearing more things for my move, completing my last hospital placement and getting back into exercise in this sunny weather. In amongst all this busy-ness, I realised I haven't shown you all my yarny purchases from Woollinn!
Just a note: all the yarn was photographed on an unexpectedly grey day, so apologies for slightly muted colours.
1. Bear in Sheep's Clothing
This was actually my last purchase. I had put both these skeins back on the booth and walked away, smug in being so self controlled. And then returned twenty minutes later hoping they would still be there! Self-control.... Yeah.... I have never used mohair before and it is so soft and smooshy. This is Bear Luxury Halo, 72% mohair and 28% silk in the colourway Romance. The sock yarn is Bear Sturdy, 100% superwash Blue Faced Leicester in the same colourway. After watching a Grocery Girls episode before leaving for Dublin, I really wanted to try knitting one of Jodi's hat designs which uses doubled sock yarn held with mohair to make a really soft and warm hat. Her pattern is here. Bear in Sheep's online shop here.
2. The Fibre Co. from Emily Foulds
The photo above doesn't do justice to the vibrancy of these yarns. The left skein is a deep forest green, the right is a brighter... Hold on a second, I'll get another photo....
That's better! I think the yellow overwhelms the camera which in turn mutes the other two colours but this is a lot closer to the real skeins. These are Cumbria fingering from the Fibre Co. (from left to right) in dark green - Grizedale Forest, yellow - Buttermere and teal - Yew Tree. The colours are inspired by the lakes and valleys of Cumbria and the yarn feels soft but sturdy. I bought this yarn from the Emily Fould stall which is a yarn shop based in the north of England near Lancashire (Link here). With my purchase, I received a free pattern for the Fell Garth Tamdou shawl by Melanie Berg. There were two samples knit in very different colours which swayed me to buy the kit. The two women on the stall were very helpful and patient when I couldn't decide on three colours for the shawl. They took the time to suggest different pairings and despite having a busy stall, made no attempt to rush me. I truly appreciated that and would recommend stopping by their shop if you're ever in the area as I know you will get great customer service and also a friendly welcome.
This is the shawl pattern:
3. Dublin Dye
This is 4ply Swing Sock in the colourway Polar Express. Out of all my purchases, this is the only one I don't have a plan for. The colourway goes through a whole spectrum of blues and hints of purple. The subtlety of the different shades is lovely and I don't feel socks would do it justice. One to ponder on.... Link to Dublin Dye here.
4. Babbles Yarns
This yarn was a pleasure to buy for two different reasons. Firstly sock yarn with cotton is something I want to trial for hotter weather and secondly I got to meet Grace! Grace is the dyer and podcaster behind Babbles Yarns. She has a great podcast and is bubbly and full of energy. She is also so friendly and it was a pleasure to meet her in real life and not just through YouTube.
Fan pic! Can't wait for some neon yellow socks this summer. Grace's shop can be found here and her podcast here. I would definitely recommend giving it a listen.
5. Studio Donegal from This is Knit
This is Studio Donegal Darnie 4ply in the colourway 13023 or mustard as I've been calling it. This is a special purchase which you'll know if you read my original Woollinn post (here). My non-knitting Mum likes to use sample knits like a clothes shop and on this occasion, she fell in love with the sample cardigan at the This is Knit stall.
This is the Jaycee cardigan by Isabell Kraemer which can be found on Ravelry (here). This is the first project I will actually do a swatch for instead of winging it as it's for someone else and needs to match the original pattern sizes. The pattern involves a button band and a few other new to me techniques and I'm looking forward to the challenge.
Have a great week everyone x
Friday 8 June 2018
Once Upon a Sock - June
Morning everyone!
I'm a bit late to the party but here is my first post for the Once Upon a Sock link up.
Socks
I finished a pair of socks in a month! They are a pair of vanilla socks knit in Head over Heels by Stylecraft. Now that may not sound exciting but my sock knitting so far has been slowww. With a mixture of job and other commitments, I usually get to the end of the month with a partial sock with no friend. As my goal this year was to knit a pair of socks a month, I have a lot of single socks waiting for their partner!
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| My finished June socks |
My aim for June is to have a match.com for my socks and start knitting the seconds so I can have happy socks. Wish me luck!
Books
As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm moving across the UK at the end of July so I've been trying to reduce the colossal amount of stuff I have accumulated over time. And I have a lot of books. And I mean a lot. This is what I have left after getting rid of two large boxes to the charity shop:
That doesn't include the bookshelf in the hallway. So I'm enjoying a trip down memory lane and re-reading all the books I own to decide whether to keep them or donate to the local charity shops. My next book to read is Magic Kingdom For Sale by Terry Brooks. I remember loving this book and I'm looking forward to revisiting the story.
If you would like to join in with the link party, click on the image below:
You can also click the link to see the other lovely bloggers posts as well.
Have a wonderful weekend, Charlotte and Harvey x
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