Promise…

I love the start of a new project.

I’ve just turned this…

into this…

in anticipation of a lace scarf.

I’ve not quite found the right pattern but have a simple vision so have been doing some of this…

and this…

and a few rows of this just to see…

or maybe this…

A simple plan coming together, to create (I hope!) a whole new thing of beauty.

‘Cos when mum says she’d quite like a scarf in a warm orangey colour to brighten up a boring beige jacket it seems like the perfect excuse to liberate a skein of Natural Dye Studio Scheherazade in ‘Spice’ and see what I can come up with…

Gold silk… made with love

A little something rolled off the needles last week…

It is always a real pleasure to knit with Amanda’s amazing Natural Dye Studio yarns, especially the wonderful Precious silk which is truly a very special experience.

This simple lace scarf (Ravelry link) was a gift for my mum, whose birthday was this past weekend. A while on the needles, it was a pleasure to turn to it when simple, soothing knitting was required after a busy day. An easily memorised pattern repeat meant not too much ‘tinking’ (although obviously I was still making mistakes an inch from the end!!) and hopefully some of the calm moments making it will stay within it… it’s been a trying year throughout our extended family with plenty of stress, sadness & worry but the safe arrival of my wonderful niece 7 weeks ago (who I finally got to cuddle at the weekend!) hopefully signalled the start of a healthier, happier, more peaceful time.

Mum ‘doesn’t do wool’ – it terrorises her sensitive skin and she can’t wear it anywhere but especially not near her neck. I think I may be able to show her that some of our finest merino wools are not the itchy, scratchy ‘wool’ that she has in mind but that’s a mission for another day! In the meantime, I hope she enjoys this touch of silky luxury…

Mmmm… the sun is shining!

After a long cold Winter and Spring full of woolly hats and mittens, of cold noses and frozen toes the sun is finally with us! Throwing off the woollies for a couple of months, the pleasure of bare feet in long grass and freezing sea water – I love summer! The only dilemma is what to knit!! Nothing too heavy to carry to picnics and beach trips, nothing that has no prospect of being rapturously worn the moment it’s off the needles… So, we move to lightweight yarns and airy wraps and shawls, cotton vests and cardigans.

Top of my list of new yarn to get to grips with this sunny season is the brand new Manos Lace. A mix of baby Alpaca, Silk & Cashmere this is truly luxurious and although the fibres are certainly woolly they’re fine and light and airy.

Just a selection of the beautiful shades available.

If you’ve not tackled lace knitting before then don’t be put off by the resemblance to embroidery floss! Lots of patterns abound that require just one skein of this wonderful yarn and remember, it’s just knit and purl

I’m thinking this, or maybe one of these to start with?

Just in the nick of time!

The knitting has been rolling off the needles at a pace since Christmas and this cosy Baktus Neckerchief has been wrapped snugly around my chilly neck almost constantly for the last week as temperatures have plummeted.

I used a skein of Zauberball from Schoppel Wolle in the delightful ‘creme of chocolate’ colourway. The slow transitions from pale cream through to dark brown are reminiscent of a pint of Guinness settling – now there’s an idea!

I stole a rather nice ‘mod’ from Eskimimi (Ravelry link) and split the skein into 2 50g balls before I started, alternating balls every other row to get this great stripe running through as well as the transitions. It’s got lovely areas of almost completely dark/completely light in between the ‘stripy’ sections which I find very pleasing…

It is also fabulously warm yet lightweight. I might even take it off for long enough to block it some time soon – but I’m making no promises!

autumn inspiration…

autumn has arrived!

A perfect walk in the woods. Not quite ‘russet’ yet, rather gold & green with the occasional flash of pink from the heather and all under a blue sky…

Chevron Scarf

The Chevron Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts seemed an apt accessory for a leisurely family walk with a slight nip in the air…