On the needles recently

Soundtrack: wood pidgeons outside my kitchen window.

 It's been a while since I did a post about my knitting adventures, so I thought I'd share some of my most recently finished projects with you. I've knitted LOTS over the summer and it's been so fantastic to knit completely guilt free (as any student who loves to knit might empathise with).

My most recent project to come off the needles was this lovely cardigan:



It was knitted using Eden Cottage Yarn's Langdale Aran weight merino wool in the colourway Clematis. It created a lush, drapey and heavy weight fabric - perfect for the winter. It was knitted using Pickles' Plain Cardigan pattern, which you can find here, in the 3-4 year size.



A close-up of the buttons. More details on Ravelry.


Before the cardigan I knitted this hat - modelled after the one worn by Bill Murray, Owen Wilson et al. in The Life Aquatic:



It taught me how to do a tubular cast on which looks very professional and creates a very stretchy edge. It was knitted in Cascade 220 Solids, in the colourway Christmas Red. More on Ravelry.


Before I returned from my holiday in Norway, I knitted myself a Betty sweater, another Pickles pattern:



The only modifications I made was to omit the rib collar to make the fit more relaxed. It is very warm, so I haven't been able to wear it yet, but I'm really looking forward to wearing it from now on. It was knit in Drops Nepal in a mustard yellow colour I absolutely l-o-v-e, and I got it at an incredible price! So happy about this one.


Right now I've got lots of planned projects in front of me, as well as a couple recently started ones. I'm testknitting a pattern for the first time in my life, which is very exciting; more on that when the pattern has been published!  I've cast on a Divison Cardigan in a DK weight yarn made from 50% Jacob wool and 50% mohair, from Blacker Yarns - find the exact one I'm using here (it's on sale!!), and here's a photo of the first sleeve:



Not only do I love the yarn, it's so sturdy and lovely to knit with, but the pattern is one of the clearest, most concise patterns I've ever come across. Amy Christoffers - you have convinced me that all the hype about the excellence of your patterns on Ravelry, and elsewhere, is completely warranted.

Needle and Thread iv

Soundtrack: Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington – Just Squeeze Me

I'm doing cross-stitch!

It is very fun:



I only got home after the sun had started setting so the light in this photo is not great. But the lovely blue linen is quite true to the original. That unfinished thing underneath the 'p' is going to be a mug of tea in the end. Pun probably intended.
I only very rarely do any cross-stitch, but every time I revisit this craft I immediately think: "Why don't I do this more often? It is so much fun!" I'm enjoying my embroidery and knitting so much these days, my two ongoing projects (this being one of them) are just so beautiful and interesting to work on. Next week I'll share my knitting WIP with you. Stay tuned!

PS: If you think this ABC-sampler is so nice that you'd like to make it yourself, here is the link to the (beautiful) shop I bought it from.

Digital photo
Canon EOS 400d

Needle and Thread ii

Soundtrack: Vashti Bunyan – Winter Is Blue

This week I'm turning this yarn:



into these mittens:



Happy Wednesday!

Digital photo
Canon EOS 400d

Needle and Thread

Soundtrack: Vashti Bunyan – Hebridean Sun

Happy Wednesday!
I thought I'd start a new weekly thing here on the blog: Needle and Thread. I will use Wednesdays to show you the things I'm working on with my needles and thread. Since this is a photo blog I thought it would be appropriate to limit the knitting/sewing/crocheting posts to one day, and this is the first day!

So, on this first day I present you with today's project:




This might seem like a sea of..green, but it is in fact a cardigan that has been on the needles since last summer. I desperately need a cardigan to keep me warm while I'm reading at my desk, so I'm hoping to finish this once and for all by the weekend. Hot water bottle not just there for aesthetic purposes, but out of mere practicality (it is fairly nippy in here).



A close up of the yarn (Drops Alpaca): as you can tell, this yarn has more to it than immediately meets the eye. It plays in different hues of green and sea green/blue, creating a sort of moss like colour. The last picture in this post shows the colours in the yarn most accurately.



All accompanied by a cup of tea of course!

Digital photos
Canon EOS 400d