The Handmade Exchange – we’ve exchanged!

Back in the Spring I signed up for a wonderful Handmade Exchange organised by Nancy of Main’s restaurant and host of my weekly ‘Stitch & Sip’ evening.

My partner revealed herself as a non’knitter so it was especially exciting  anticipating the arrival of my handmade gift… I had no idea what it might be. I knew that Lucy was a ‘cross stitcher’ and had an interest in books but I would never have dreamed that this delightful note book would arrive when we exchanged…

A beautiful handmade book, complete with hand stitching and binding. The cover is linen which has been absolutely beautifully ‘cross stitched’ in shades of plum and green complete with my name (so that means hands off boys!!)

I am no cross stitcher and know little of it as a craft but I can tell that this is sublime stitching and as far removed from my (very stereotypical!) idea of what cross stitch looks like as can be…

Thanks you so much Lucy!

My gift to Lucy was a pair of mitts, made from Noro yarn in shades of plum, green and gold. To use up a little of the left over yarn I made a brooch/pin using a pattern for a rose from Nicky Epstein’s Knitted Flowers book. Finished with a vintage button it is my kind of jewellery – and I’m glad to say that Lucy reported back that it was indeed her kind of jewellery too!

Now… if only I’d remembered to photograph the finished items before I posted them!!! Grrrr…

double thick mittens by Adrian Bizilia

Back in January 2009 I cast on for a pair of mittens from the book The Knitter’s book of Yarn. After huge deliberation and consideration of the wonderful range of colours available I ordered 3 beautiful skeins of Hebridean 2-ply as per the pattern specifications. I tackled the picot edge, the braid and all of the colourwork section on mitten # 1 before the grim truth could be ignored no longer… the mitten was too narrow. I have quite big hands which are also quite ‘square’ and there was just no way that this slender mitt was going to be comfortable forced onto my ‘shovel-for-a-hand’! So I frogged.

Summer came and went and we hit winter 2009/10. One of the coldest, snowiest, longest winters we’ve experienced for some while. So, I cast on again. Having grown significantly in confidence knitting stranded colour work since last winter my lack of inner tension made for more relaxed, looser knitting tension and after a few rows of the colour work section I felt confident that this attempt would be fine. And indeed it was…

These are gorgeous mittens! Ready just in time for the ice and snow to melt away and for us to feel those first few warming rays of spring sunshine… Oh well! We have certainly got a few more chilly weeks ahead of us and they will be ready and waiting for the first sign of frost next winter!

The yarn was beautiful to work with and has fuelled a real interest in some of our less glamorous, shall we say more ‘rustic’ sheep breeds. Especially those that inhabit the chilly isles off the far north coast of Scotland. While working this Hebridean 2 ply is tough, even rough, on the hands but has wonderful body and a great twist that sets the patterns beautifully. Once washed and blocked it blooms and becomes a cushion of warmth with the faintest fuzzy halo. The colours are intense and all from nature. It’s easy to imagine garmets made from this yarn being worn in a windswept landsacpe of heathers and evergreens…

All Ravelled here

Christmas baby = New year knitting!

One of our close neighbours safely delivered a gorgeous baby boy just after Christmas. We’d been on tenterhooks all over Christmas waiting for news from his two big sisters who regularly appear at our back door and are our boys’ dearest playmates. Christmas Day& Boxing Day came and went with no news and then finally we heard that baby E had arrived, safe and well!

So, without further ado the knitting commenced (I never like to knit for a newborn until the news of a safe arrival has reached us) and I set to work on this gorgeous Scandinavian style cap and mittens. With the UK being in the grip of freezing weather at the moment it should get some wear while he’s still tiny!

The yarn is Babylonglegs Sock Yarn in ‘Blue Banana’ and I used just under 50g so there’s plenty left for matching bootees and a ‘blankie’ should the urge take me…