The Virus Shawl gets an outing

Remember the Virus Shawl? Finished, washed and blocked and just needed some good photos so I could put it on Folksy?
Well, today turned out to be a beautiful sunny day, so I trotted off to Hilliers for a bit of a walk and view the magnolias which are all in flower and looking their best (more of them another day - it will take me a while to sort through the hundreds of photos I took!!). As I was going out the door, it occurred to methat it might be the perfect opportunity for a photo shoot! The shawl folds up surprisingly small and fitted in my rucksack nicely - although it tried to escape when I stopped for lunch!

After finishing my picnic, I lay it this way and that on the bench in the sunshine - it was pretty windy though and kept blowing off! While I was arranging it a lady stopped to chat. She was also a crocheter and was wearing a gorgeous granny stripe cardigan and we had a lovely chat about crochet that I would never have expected to have at Hilliers!
(I realised afterwards that Sandra of Cherry Heart has been making that same cardigan recently - I hope it wasn't her and I didn't recognise her!! If it was, I do apologise...)

Anyway, here it is spread across the back of a bench in the Winter Garden.

Then I tried it draped over the arm.

Next I hung it on a bush!

Then I found a handy piece of string stretched between two trees. Like you do.

 I tried it hung on a branch with primroses underneath and heather in the background.

Finally, I tried another branch. This one was a bit more public though - in the magnolia garden where everyone was headed today... I did get some strange looks! 

Confident I had at least one usable shot, I headed home.  I decided to stop off in Romsey on my way for a quick bit of shopping and decided to show it to the lady in the shop where I bought the wool (King Cole Riot DK in Rainbow). She recognised the pattern straight off and was very envious that I'd made it and asked lots of questions about the pattern. We chatted about this and that, discovering that we read some of the same blogs even! 

I then told her I actually had it with me as I'd been taking photos so I could advertise the shawl for sale - and before I knew it she'd bought it!! I wasn't expecting that! 

Whilst I'm really pleased to have sold it - especially to someone so nice - I was rather hoping it might give me my first Folksy sale.... Maybe I'll make another - but not in that exact wool as I really didn't enjoy working with it, even thought it's supersoft when washed and an amazing colour.

But it won't be my next project. You know what the next new project will be - the Baby Blanket, made using James Brett Supreme soft & Gentle baby DK. Yes - the wool has arrived in the shop already!!!!

I have a couple of photos of it being unpacked at the shop but they're on my phone, so I'll pop back later with them and some shots of my colour choices.

Enjoy the sunshine again today!! T xXx

A Starry Ta - Dah!

The Star "Blanket" is finished!! I can't quite believe how fast I was able to finish it, when I think how long it took originally to start joining all 93 pesky stars together. Probably only about 5 hours work to join the stars - and only 2 ends to stitch in not 86!!
I joined the final row of stars last night and then decided to do a final round of DC all the way round the edge, adding a picot to most of the star points as I reached them.
I just need to wash and block it now. And it will need quite a bit of blocking to make sure it stays flat and doesn't want to just curl at the edges - steam blocking maybe?? We'll see.

I took one (not very well lit) photo when it was done and I think you can just see a picot or too on the far edge. I'll try and get some better photos at the weekend.

The planning for the next project(s) is well under way and the wool has arrived early at work, so I'll be popping in at lunchtime to go and drool and choose!!! Woo Hoo!!!

PS Here's a couple more photos -

The Star Blanket - another WIP

I dragged out another WIP this morning. (I know, I can hear you saying what about the purple/pink crochet bag?? Is that finished?? Well no, not quite. I've added plastic canvas to the sides to form a gusset, and then stitched funky foam to the inside of the front and back panels to add some body. It's all ready for the lining but I really didn't feel like sewing today. Sorry...)

Anyway, like I say, I dragged out another WIP - the Star Blanket I started making for my Mum, way back in the spring of 2014 (can't believe it was 3 years ago, it's flown by!). She died that summer and I put it away to be finished another day. And that day has now come.

I never intended it to be the kind of blanket that would keep you warm - it was more a small colourful throw, that would lay across the bottom half of the bed and look pretty. I started it straight after I had finished my hexagon blanket - long before I had heard the term "join-as-you-go".... All the stars have been individually edged with white and joined to their neighbour. One. By. One. That's a lot of ends to stitch in! 

But you know what? While I was looking for a really good join-as-you-go tutorial ready for when I make a circle-in-a-square baby blanket very soon, I saw people asking if you could join hexagons that way - and you know what? You can!! Oh how I wish I had known how to do that when I made the hexagon blanket! Ah well.

So anyway, I had a little think and realised that I could join my stars in a continuous line as well - I just needed to take my time and think about where I was going next and hey presto - join-as-you-go stars!! It'll be finished in no time now!

It's beautifully bright and colourful. I've used Stylecraft Special DK that I bought from Wool Warehouse. I had seen a star curtain on Sue Pinner's blog and I sent Wool Warehouse a picture, asking if they could suggest which colours I could use to make my own version. They were most obliging and I quickly set to making "pointed" flowers, which would then be joined to form stars. Very effective.

It shouldn't take took long at all to finish joining the stars - I've completed 2 rows already today and I haven't really spent long on it at all. Once they're joined, it will get a good wash to really soak the yarn to soften it before being stretched out to dry naturally. I may then give it a little steam as well. I want all the edge stars to stay pointy, not curled up. 

But what I do with it then I don't know... It would make a really colourful wall hanging but I have no-where at home to hang such a thing. ) Oh how I wish that I had a craft room...)

So if you have any ideas what I can do with it,  I'd be very interested to hear them. It would be a shame to fold it up and hide it away again...

More photos soon!! T xx

Clearing the decks

I'm busy finishing off some WIP's, ready for when the WOOL arrives in the craft shop later this month. Well, I'll need to buy some, won't I? And then I'll need to design new projects around the new wool, won't I? I'm already busy planning in my head!!

Firstly, I got the Virus Shawl finished, washed and blocked - although I haven't managed to get any decent photos of it yet. And can I just say that if you're thinking of using King Cole Riot DK be warned - a HUGE amount of excess dye came out when I washed it!! (Apologies for the lighting - the shawl does look brighter in real life!)

Next I tackled the little purple and pink crochet shoulder bag I started months ago. It's coming on really fast now and should be finished at the weekend.

I crocheted a tube to cover the strap and used plastic canvas to stiffen the bottom and sides. I just need to line it now.

Naturally I've been working on some new small projects as well!
I've made two mandalas to list on Folksy, and I'm working on a big batch of stitch markers too - they're lovely and sparkly and dangly. I've always been a magpie for things like that, so couldn't resist making some more!

The first mandala I made was quite sweet and simple, using up some of the yarn left over from the Peacock Tail Bag.

The second mandala was made using the yarn I saw in a sale recently and was forced to buy. Again, quite simple and I actually managed to restrain myself from going completely freestyle and followed a pattern from Haafner Linssen's book "Mandalas to Crochet". Ok - that's not strictly true. I combined 2 patterns, then did my own thing round the edge. But I do so enjoy making it up as I go along!!

I'm wondering how many projects I should restrict myself to when the wool arrives? I want to make a baby blanket for another niece expecting her first baby in June. I thought circles in a square, using the join-as-you-go method. I've never actually done that before, so thought a small project would be a good place to start. And joy of joys, I saw a link on instagram today with a very handy tip for that join as you go method - I may be giving it a try when the time comes. (Apologies if that link doesn't work - you may have to be a member of Instagram to view it...)

I also want to make another sampler blanket (like the Stripey Blanket I made) and I'll write up the pattern as I go. I want to try and incorporate all the different stitches I've learned - and make sure it is completely reversible, so no obvious right side. It may also be baby sized for speed but the pattern could be repeated to make it as large as you needed.

And knitting. I need to find something to knit as well. There's going to be a knitting club at the shop (when the wool arrives) and I think Lynn is hoping I'll be running it!! Eeeeek!
My knitting project will most likely be a tea cosie (ie something small!) and if it is, then probably an elephant. This elephant!!

Out of all the cosies I made (apart from the fiddly baby bird nest I designed myself) the elephant was definitely my favourite. (If you'd like a quick look at some of the other cosies I've made in the past, there's a separate page at the top of the screen, or click HERE.)

You know, I even got out the circular shrug I started nearly 2 years ago and got the ladies at work to try it on, as they are much slimmer than me and the style might have suited them better. It didn't. It will definitely be frogged when I get time and used for something else!

I'm sure there are other projects tucked away that I've completely forgotten about but I have enough to do to be going on with I think!!

Take care and see you again soon!  T xXx

Tori's Eggs

Meet Tori, my friend's Mum. It wasn't until very recently that I found out she used to make beautiful decorated eggs and is going to do some more.
I'd popped in for a quick visit one day and she saw me eyeing up a big box of supermarket eggs in the lounge...I obviously looked a little puzzled as to why they might be in the lounge. On the piano stool. She asked if I'd ever seen her eggs and when I replied no, nipped off to get them and came back with a shoe box full of the most amazing decorated eggs.

The first photo shows the oldest one, made around forty years ago! Just look at the detail!

And this is the lady herself, holding a choirboy egg - there's even a stained glass window!

This next one is a space ship -

And a trio of choirboys -

I asked her which one was her favourite and was surprised when she pointed out the very plain egg with some brown splodges (top left in the photo below). No opening in the front. No people. Then she explained that it was made by her daughter Gina when she was 4 years old... Isn't that just the sweetest thing?!

As I said to begin with, she's going to have a go at making them again and you know, I'm quite tempted to order her a ready-blown Ostrich Egg - what would she make with one that size??. Can you imagine the look on her face?!!... 

Til next time, Tina xXx

Grrrrr....

So, the virus shawl is going quite well. I finished ball one and got out ball 2. I had to wind off quite a lot because it started at a different colour from where ball 1 finished.  I get to what I think is the right place and start working but then I find a knot,and it goes from purple straight to mustard, when it should be red, pinkish, orange, mustard, pinkish, red, purple.
ARRGGHHHHH!!!!!!!! What do I do?  This is just so annoying! !!

This is how it looks so far and whilst I like the colours, to be completely honest, I don't like working with the wool - it almost feels a bit thin for double-knit, and the pattern is just soooooooo boring. I don't know quite what all the fuss was about with this pattern being so popular. But then I don't normally mind repetitive patterns, so maybe it's just me.
I don't think I'll be making another though!!

We had a frosty start to the week and it made some lovely feathery patterns on the car. Really pretty, and you can see the circles I must have made last time I washed it - it was a shame to have to scrape it off!

And everything is coming into bloom again -

Can't wait for a burst of warmer weather. Hopefully it's not too far off...

Where did February go?!

Boy! February just flew past didn't it??!! I can't believe it's March 1st today - it'll be Christmas before you know it!

I meant to stop by at the weekend but I was just too busy. Still, better late than never.

I managed to take last week off and got out and about and met up with friends and had a much needed rest from the office. I had a trip out to Hilliers of course and the weather that day was Glorious! Look at these -

It was really busy in the gardens too. Whilst I sort of want the gardens to myself, I do love to see so many people enjoying them, especially when they bring lots of children. There's nothing better than seeing the children enjoy the garden.

I had a walk by the sea with a friend later in the week and we were treated with blue skies that day too -

I also did a little crafting - of course!! I made a mandala for my Folksy shop -

The temptation to make a mandala had grown too strong to resist and this one is made using some of the Sirdar Cotton DK I used for the Peacock Tail Bag I made last year. I started by following a pattern but I very quickly went freestyle. Much more fun than following a pattern! So much fun in fact that I think I might make some more!!

I also listed the "Baaa - gs of Lavender" I made a while back, on Folksy.

And I made myself some new stitch markers as well - I've wanted some new, bigger ones for quite a while and decided to have a go and see how they turned out. They turned out so well I'm going to make a load more and sell on Folksy. (Or should I sale put up for sale - I've not actually sold anything yet!!)

On Saturday, I visited Greenhill Patchwork in Romsey. Although I no longer quilt it's a beautiful shop that I can't resist visiting and the staff are lovely too - and they also sell Wool!! They had some new ranges in and  look what I found!!

 

    

The light over the weekend wasn't very good at all for takings photos and the colours you see here aren't quite right - but you get the gist.
I've been looking for a variegated yarn like this for ages. I wanted one that had long colour runs, not just three or four stitches before the next colour starts. I stood in front of them for ages pondering what I could make and would one ball be enough. Yes, I really wanted it and was going to buy it even if I didn't need it and didn't know what to make with it!!
Then it hit me - the virus shawl! It was all over the internet last year and I knew the wool would be perfect. (A quick search on Ravelry when I got home and I even found someone who had made the shawl using the same wool, albeit in a different shade.) I bought just 2 balls and made a start the next day. I even took it to work to do some at lunchtime!

What do you think? I like the colours and the pattern looks good but to be honest it's rather boring to make. Everyone online who made it said it was really nice to make and they'd made more than one! Maybe they exaggerated? Or maybe it's just me?! Ah well. Once it's finished and washed and blocked, I'll pop it on Folksy and see what happens. Keep an eye on Instagram for updates.

There were lots of other things I got up to as well last week, including going for a lovely afternoon tea with a friend and her son. I was rather pleased to see this on the inside of the lid of my jar of jam -

Life certainly was sweet last week. Then I went back to the office...ah well. Hope your week is going well! T xx