Knitted Shawl "Fortingall"

I knitted this shawl at the end of last winter from a pattern called "Fortingall" by Louisa Harding.

The wool used was Amitola Grande which was variegated and very soft to the touch.

Detail of the bottom edge.

The pattern was taken from Louisa Harding's book "Aberfeldy".

Knitted Fairies - 2

 Here is the third of my knitted fairies.  This one has a bit of attitude and glamour but with smaller wings.

Knitted Fairies 1

Some time ago I was introduced by my friend Ann, to a book called Knitted Fairies by Fiona McDonald, and I decided that I just had to try creating some. These two were knitted as a pair.
 I found that the parts knitted up quickly, but it took ages to sew them all together, especially  adding the little ears and forming the hands.

I did not always stay completely true to the fairies in the book but took bits and pieces from several depending on the materials I had. This fairies hair was made from feather boa trim.

I did not make the eyes as the book instructed but printed the ones from the book onto fabric and carefully cut them out and glued them in place. I will show you the other ones I have made in another blog.  After having another look at the book I am tempted to make some more but I really just do not have the time!

Maple Cardigan - part six

With the sleeves and buttons sown on, the cardigan is finished.  I chose simple mother of pearl grey buttons as the cardigan has enough colour and pattern on it.

This cardigan has been a big challenge for me and I am pleased I unpicked the back and knitted it again. I am chuffed with myself!

The cardigan is quite short and I am long waisted but it still fits me. These old jeans are low waisted and so do not help! I think the cardigan will look best with higher waisted garments.

Maple Cardigan - part five

All the pieces have now been knitted and blocked.  I had to re knit the top of one of the sleeves as it did not match for some strange reason.

I sewed together the shoulders and knitted the neck band and then each side of the front pieces. All the cardigan needs now are the sleeves and buttons.

Maple Cardigan - part four

The sleeves knitted up much more quickly as they were only in stocking stitch.  As I went a long, I started to try and knit in some of the ends but this proved a bit bulky at times.

The first sleeve knitted.

Maple Cardigan - part three

I thought I had taken more photographs of the back of this cardigan but for some reason they are missing!  I finally finished the back which seems quite short.

I knitted the two front pieces and again have a great shortage of photographs.  I seem to have started with good intentions and then just kept on knitting!

By now my technique had become quicker and I am quite pleased with the result though hope the  cardigan will fit me.  I laid the pieces out and blocked them by pinning them out on the carpet, spraying them with water and letting them dry.

Maple Cardigan - part two

I have found that I am becoming slightly quicker with catching every loose thread at the back of the work and I am enjoying it more.  I think this will result is a more dense and less stretchy knit.

Maple Cardigan - part one

As soon as I saw this Rowan knitting pattern by Marie Wallin I knew that I had to try and make it.  As I taught my self to knit my technique is not brilliant but I have been knitting for over 35 years now and so I decided to give it a try. I changed some of the colours from rust and blue to pink and blue which suit me better and the yarn is Rowans Felted Tweed which is a merino, wool and alpaca blend.

  I started knitting the cardigan in August and it was very slow going.  The rib knitted up quite nicely but then I found I could only knit a few rows at a time as it was hard work keeping all the wools from tangling.  I took the unused wools across the back catching them every few stitches.  I finally knitted most of the back and then my aunt Gila from France who was visiting us at the time, showed me how to catch the wools every time.  I had a little try and felt that this technique produced a better finish.

To the horror of my friends who had seen me battle on for weeks with the cardigan, I unpicked the whole lot!  I am now trying to knit with this new technique and find it slightly faster, or maybe I am just getting better at untangling wools! Here is the first pattern section finished.

The knitting is quite firm and less stretchy.  My goal is to finish the back by the new year.

Teeny Tiny Rabbits

Now we are in November I am starting to think about the approach of Christmas, as the weeks just seem to fly by as it approaches.  Most years I manage to make something for at least one member of my family but I think this year is going to be an exception as life has been very stressful to say the least.  I am instead going to share an extra little gift which I made for some of my family last year.

 I downloaded a sweet free pattern from Litttle Cotton Rabbits website                                                 ( littlecottonrabbits.typepad.co.uk )  for a teeny tiny knitted rabbit.  I decided I would make 4 of these for my nieces as an extra little special gift.   They needed something to protect and keep them and so I bought some small metal boxes and made some bedding to fit them.

The pattern knitted up beautifully but it was quite challenging to sew all of the tiny bits together.  I was very pleased with the results and so were my nieces.  Thank you Julie Williams for creating such a cute pattern and sharing it with everyone.

Linen Wrap Cardigan 3

The cardigan has now dried and I knitted two 4 stitch cords on 2 double ended needles.  once these were washed I sewed them onto the centres of the pockets and tied each one into a bow.

The cardigan is a snug but Ok fit which means it is a success!