Slow Progress.......

I am excited by my new little crochet project.....

...or should I say 'bigger than I had first planned' project.

I wanted a little blanket. I had an idea a while back but it had to lay in the pipeline for a bit. I thought it would be quick and satisfying. It's satisfying, but it's slow progress. As usual my lack of planning resulted in running out of yarn at an early stage and not being able to get hold of some more as easily as I would have liked. Plan people, plan! But it is fun, and I am hoping that it will look as good as the image I have in my head. I guess time will tell. 

I have a bee in my bonnet about pastel shades at the moment. Cannot get enough of them.

I am still keeping my hand in with knitting.....mainly trying to keep going so I won't forget! After my peachy pink scarf, a forget-me-not blue one is under construction (yes, I know, I seem to go overboard on a pattern when I like it!), and also a cream cardigan. The cardigan.....well.......yes.....ahem.....that may take some time to get finished. It may only fit a doll too! We shall see on that one. It is fun doing it though. I also have plans for a pastel stripe knitted scarf. Nothing fancy, very basic, but you know me and my love of scarves. And yes, I am hoping that the Spring weather will finally kick in and the mild sweet days will arrive, but I am still wearing scarves and wrist warmers and using my beloved hot water bottles.

It has been a lovely relief though, to get a little crochet back in. I REALLY want to crack on with this blanket, especially as it's bigger than I had first planned. I would really rather like to see the finished result and decide if it was worth the effort! I'll keep you posted!

Cheerio for now

Vanessa

xxx

P. S. Thank you so much for your support with my new knitty venture. I am still fairly hopeless, but i'm keeping at it and hoping that I can stick with it and become more comfortable with it!

Happy Easter.....

XXX

Obsessions, New Avenues and Makes......

I have been thinking about obsessions lately.

I have a few obsessions......

China.....Glass Jars......and.....Scarves

I'd have to say, I can't walk past any of these ANYWHERE without stopping to have a look. I am drawn to each like a magnet.

China.....well, if you're a long term follower of my blog, you will know I do love china. All sorts of china really. Glass Jars.......i'm not sure why, they mesmerise me. Plain or pressed glass, it doesn't matter, I love them all. And Scarves? Well, again, I seem to have a scarf for almost every outfit I own. I don't seem to ever have enough. I buy them, I make them. The past Summer was so awful and the Winter so cold, that I have practically lived in scarves for 6 months now. Bright, pale, silk, wool, cotton, you name it, I wear it.

I learnt to crochet three and a half years ago and I think I have made about 10 scarves in total. I woke up last week and had a thought. I had bought this most wonderful yarn. It was the most peachiest of pinks. My favourite kind of pink. I had spent so much time thinking about what I could make with it. Then this thought popped in my head.

I wanted to make a scarf.....

.....Okay....no problem....I can crochet a scarf.....

....no, I didn't want to crochet a scarf.....

....hummm, well, what do you want to do?.....

....I want to knit a scarf.....

.....I think i'd like a cable scarf......yes.....a cable scarf would be pretty in this yarn.....

....Good idea, but you can't knit...

....no I can't can I. I know then, I'll teach myself and knit one...

It has been my aim to learn how to knit for the last few years, but time has always run away with me. Last January I spent a morning with my mum who showed me how to cast on and knit and purl. I was excited. I went home and practiced. I was rubbish. I couldn't get on with two needles, and after a week of trying to practice those two stitches, I put it down and it has stayed in a bag ever since. So, why on earth I should suddenly get a hankering to knit a scarf, and knit cables as well, I don't know.

Well, actually, I sort of do.

Going back to obsessions. I have a new one to add to the list. I realised, that with all the scarf wearing I have been doing over the last 6 months, wrist warmers have been a staple. I have bought several pairs, and I have made several pairs. I love them. Again, I don't seem to think that I ever have enough. I had been drooling over Cuckoo's lovely wrist warmer knitting talents. That lady can whip up some lovely knits. Well, she very kindly offered to knit me a pair, so a sort of crafty swap was born.

Gosh, how I have loved them. Aren't they gorgeous? Admittedly not the best picture to showcase them, but trust me, they are super duper. I am actually wondering how long something can last if it's constantly worn? I think these knitted wrist warmers were the turning point. I really wanted to learn to knit.

But, in my usual gun-ho fashion, I didn't put a lot of thought into it. That was it. I had this idea to make a knitted cable scarf, and come hell or high water, that was what I was going to achieve. No nonsense gradually learning the stitches again and practicing away until my confidence grew. Oh no, no, no. The thought popped into my head at 9.15 am and by 10.00 I had found my pattern, found all my needles, found a book which told me how to cast on and what a knit and a purl was.......and I was off! That's just how I do things. It's ridiculous really. I just thought I needed to jump straight in. How hard could it be? Turns out, not too bad if I kept concentration. That meant doing it in TOTAL quiet. That meant repeating really loudly to myself each stitch as I read it and then as I did it. That meant making really weird facial and body expressions trying to get to grips with the needles and cable needle. I did look pretty hilarious. 

By the last 14 rows, I think I got the hang of the pattern! I was totally loving it though. So excited that I could actually produce something knitted, and a touchy feely cable thingy at that!

I am glad that I stuck at it. After about 30 rows, I was thinking a mug cosy would be a better idea than a scarf. As I have said, my concentration levels are not so great. I did have to pause for a bit and knit up something else in between making the scarf. I had bought a Sirdar booklet several years ago. It was brilliant. It was a beginners pattern book using their chunky wool and beginners instructions to make 'easy peasy' things. You can start making a hat, a scarf, leg warmers, wrist warmers and then go on to making cardigans and jumpers. I am hoping to knit up a cardigan next. Well, that's the plan anyway! And yet another pair of wrist warmers were made.....but this time a knitted pair! woo hoo! 

Actually, the most basic of knitting. I had more trouble learning mattress stitch. Stupid stitch with lots of blue air. Never mind. I embellished with a bit of crocheted edging and some bows and I am pretty pleased with the result. They are warm and snug and I love the shade (I finally managed to make use of an odd ball of yarn I had a deep love for).

So, a new avenue. I have learnt a few skills. I hope that I can keep it up and keep on improving. I think I will grow to love knitting once it 'clicks'. Let's just hope it does start to 'click' soon!

Continuing with new avenues, and in other 'makes' news....

I have almost finished my Alicia Paulson stichery. Not the Alphabet that the pattern is actually for. I had the idea for the first couple of lines of Baby Bear's favourite song.

I showed the teeniest bit on a previous post. I had never stitched really before. I just knew I wanted to make this. So, like the cable scarf, it was a learn how to stitch as you go! Told you I don't plan! It's almost finished. I just have to decide what I want to finish with at the bottom and then frame it.

I really adore it. I loved every bit of stitching. I think I will actually do the Alphabet at some point as it was so much fun. Little things like having to stop as I needed to sleep were highly annoying!

Another little make was a felt brooch. Very apt because of the weather.

It brightens up my day

and my outfits....

Sorry about the 'sour' face. I was so cold and so miserable that day. I needed my little brooch to cheer me up!

And....as I mentioned before, Cuckoo and I did a crafty swap. She made me the most gorgeous pair of wrist warmers, and I crocheted her a doily and a pot holder.....

I definitely got the better deal, but I hope she liked them, Eeeeeek.

So, my quietness on here has not meant that I have been idle. I have been a busy crafty bee. Shove a bit of baking in too and I think I've covered a fair bit!

So......I think I am up to date. I hope you are all well. Thank you so much for stopping by my little space here and taking the time to read my waffle!

Cheerio for now

xxx

Finally......

Finally......I am able to get enough light to photograph my scarf. It's still not the best light. Boy, the days have just been so awful, so I have just had to make do.

Okay, my little teeny weeny ta-dah. I have named this scarf 'Lazy Daisy'. Lazy - because of my attitude towards the motifs.........and Daisy - because of the flowers in it (although, not daisy like at all!).

I did get a real sense of joy and achievement after finishing each of these motifs.......but they needed TOTAL concentration. It really reminded me that I AM NOT a fan of written patterns. I much prefer pictoral patterns to work from. I did love the finished motifs and think they complimented each other well.

So.......do I love it?

Well.........

I am a big scarf addict. I have one for every single occasion, and rarely am without one round my neck Autumn through Winter. I love their warmth, their comfort, their colour, their texture. I love how they make me feel, all cosy and snug. Like I am being wrapped up and cuddled by someone. Can you tell I like a scarf?!

So, again......do I love it?

Well........

There are pros and cons to this scarf.

I'll start with the pros......

The yarn is utterly GORGEOUS. I used Louisa Harding's Grace - Silk and Wool Yarn in 4 colours - Ecru, Frost, Kiss and Port. It was an absolute dream to work with. It's beautiful to wrap around the neck, immediately soft and comforting. NO itchiness for those of you that have the whole 'itch' thing going on with wool! I love the colours together. I love the patterns on the Motifs and I think this will go with a lot so it will not be sat in a drawer waiting to be worn.

The cons.....

The yarn is beautiful, but i'm not convinced I have showcased it to it's full potential. I used a 4mm hook for this scarf. I didn't want to go lower in size as I wanted the yarn to remain soft and luxurious and not stiffen up and lose its beautiful effect. Although blocked, I think with wear the scarf will increase in length. It maybe would have been better to have made it with a size smaller hook and had it a little stiffer. I had to make a judgement call on that and chose it maybe growing a bit. I like a long scarf remember, but this was already long to begin with. Only time will tell. Also, the motifs are really lovely, and having a scarf that gets wrapped around the neck doesn't really showcase just how pretty they really are. Some may think that all that effort has not really paid off.

So, what do I think overall? I do really, really like it. Yes, there are some cons. If I'm honest, the motifs probably would be better showcased as a bedspread or throw or such like, but making them in this luxurious yarn, it just wasn't an option to make something huge. My bank balance would have cried! I like the colours so will wear it a lot and at the end of the day, a scarf is about warmth and comfort above all else. If it grows through wear, well then, I'll just get to have an extra wrap around the neck!

It's a keeper then!

Edited to add: The block motifs were from the book '200 Crochet Blocks' by Jan Eaton. I used block 47 - Queen Anne's Lace, 94 - Gothic Square, 95 - King Cup and 165 - Coffee and Cream

xxx